Page:History of Corea, ancient and modern; with description of manners and customs, language and geography (1879).djvu/218

194 SINLO. clad, three chapters relate the encounters between the private Yingwei and the generalissimo Gaisoowun. One hundred and forty times did they engage ; but the great sword of the general could not cut through the tremendous staff of Yingwei, nor could the staff shiver to pieces the sword. Gaisoowun, seeing there was no way of ending the strife on equal terms, at last produced his three-inch magical sword, which fled, and was about to alight on Yingwei's head ; but he heard its hissing sound as it was coming, and with an arrow, the gift of the Nine Sable Heavenly Maidens, he shattered it to pieces. Its owner recovered it, and sent it whole again in the same direction, but accompanied by eight willow leaves out of his magical box. But its sound was again heard coming ; and eight arrows, the gift of the Sable Nine, defeated the nina As magic was out of the question, they set to again with their ordinary weapons ; but they retired at night, none having got the better of the other. There are many dialogues between the two ; in which the private speaks in very disrespectful language; but in which the great leader is very humble, and anxious to gain the white-robed soldier to his sida Next day, however, a female, Mei Yueying, of thirty years of age, who had spentall her life in studying magic, avenged one blow received by Gaisoowun, by throwing into the air a magical flag, out of which crept ever 80 many centipedes, which bit Yingwei and his eight comrades, all of whom were taken into camp as if dead. The pain made him fly madly about the hill, till he came to a spot where he was about to die ; but a hermit^ Li, appeared, and made him drink the decoction of a certain plant, which healed him immediately. He also gave him some to heal his comrades, together with two flags, which would counteract Mei's flag. Next day her centipedes were eaten up by gold birds out of this flag ; and Yingwei put her to death, running a spear through her throat Gaisoowun, in great wrath, rushes upon Yingwei, saying that one of them must die that day. Again and again they come to close quarters; but none gains the least advantaga But the arts of Li, who was above the combatants in the clouds, were too mudi for Gaisoowun, who got wounded, and retired in rage and