Page:Chinese Fairy Tales (H. Giles, 1920).djvu/31

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CHINESE FAIRY TALES
29

"Well," answeied Sung, "I have noticed that whenever you walk about anywhere, you are not stopped by walls; you walk through them. Teach me this, and I shall be satisfied." The priest laughed and told him to say, Hobbery jibbery snobbery snoo, at the same time walking through the wall. Sung walked up to the wall, but couldn't get through it; so the priest said, "Don't go so slowly; put your head down and run at it." Sung did as he was told, and the next moment found himself outside the temple. Delighted at this, he went in to thank the priest, who told him to be very careful and not show off too much. When Sung got home he went about bragging of what he could do; but as people disbelieved his story, he determined to prove to them that he was telling the truth. In order to do this, he put his head down and rushed at a wall, but he only hit the bricks very hard and was knocked down flat on the ground. When he was picked up he had a bump on his forehead as big as an egg, at which everybody roared with laughter.