a troop of Imperial soldiers, and pointing to the East and West; it immediately struck them that it was this man who had led the soldiers to the attack on the monastery, in revenge for the blow he had received some time before. The brethren determined that whatever should befall, they would at once take the opportunity of revenging themselves on Ji-hok, and this being done, they would consider what further steps to take.
Having made this decision, the priests rushed into the midst of the Chheng[1] soldiers, dragged ont Ji-hok, and cut him in pieces; but the soldiers cried "kill these wicked priests," and as they had no weapons, and most of the priests had been wounded or burnt, they could do nothing against a body of armed men, so had no resource but to escape if possible by flight. They fled, till they arrived at a place of safety called the Long-Sandy Beach, outside the district of the Yellow Spring, and here they nearly perished of hunger and cold. As they were all on the river bank, two men, Chia Pang Heng and Go-teng Kui, fortunately came up, and rescued the brethren in their boat, where we will leave them for the present, and relate how Tau-Hiong having received the red scarf, proceeded on his Mission.
Tan-Hiong having received the Imperial Command, left the Capital, and went direct to the Military District of O-Kong, where Kun-Tat came forward to meet him; and Tan-Hiong seizing the opportunity, while in the road, read the Emperor's warrant, and, upbraided Kun-tat for conspiring to raise rebellion; he told him that excuses could be of no avail, and throwing around his neck the red scarf, Kun-tat was strangled, and his body dragged to a place called E-Kang-Boe. After this, Tan-hiong recalled his troops, and they returned with him to the Capital, where he reported the success of his mission.
The murder of Kun-tat caused great consternation to his followers, and deep was the grief of his relations when they saw their head taken from them by a violent death, for no cause whatever; they returned home, and carried the sad news to Kun-tat's father, wife, and children.
The whole family were at first stunned with grief, heaven and earth seemed to have deserted them; but after the first grief was over, the wife née Koeh-Sin-Eng, her son To-Tek, and her Sister-in-law Giok-Lien, with her son To-Hang, went with all their household, and recovering Kun-Tat's corpse from E-Kang-Boe, buried it peacefully in the family grave.
- ↑ The present dynasty is called Chheng or pure.
