Monkey Read Online Free PDF

shouted. ‘And you, Monkey, come here! What were you doing, playing with your spiritual powers, turning into – what was it ? A pine-tree ? Did you think I taught you in order that you might show off in front of other people ? If you saw someone else turn into a tree, wouldn’t you at once ask how it was done ? If others see you doing it, aren’t they certain to ask you ? If you are frightened to refuse, you will give the secret away; and if you refuse, you’re very likely to be roughly handled. You’re putting yourself in grave danger.’
    ‘I’m terribly sorry,’ said Monkey.
    ‘I won’t punish you,’ said the Patriarch, ‘but you can’t stay here.’
    Monkey burst into tears. ‘Where am I to go to?’ he asked.
    ‘Back to where you came from, I should suppose,’ said the Patriarch.
    ‘You don’t mean back to the Cave of the Water Curtain in Ao-lai!’ said Monkey.
    ‘Yes,’ said the Patriarch, ‘go back as quickly as you can, if you value your life. One thing is certain in any case; you can’t stay here.’
    ‘May I point out,’ said Monkey, ‘that I have been away from home for twenty years and should be very glad to see my monkey-subjects once more. But I can’t consent to go till I have repaid you for all your kindness.’
    ‘I have no desire to be repaid,’ said the Patriarch. ‘All I ask is that if you get into trouble, you should keep my name out of it.’
    Monkey saw that it was no use arguing. He bowed to the Patriarch, and took leave of his companions.
    ‘Wherever you go,’ said the Patriarch, ‘I’m convinced you’ll come to no good. So remember, when you get into trouble, I absolutely forbid you to say that you are my disciple. If you give a hint of any such thing I shall flay you alive, break all your bones, and banish your soul to the Place of NinefoldDarkness, where it will remain for ten thousand aeons.’
    ‘I certainly won’t venture to say a word about you,’ promised Monkey. ‘I’ll say I found it all out for myself.’
    So saying he bade farewell, turned away, and making the magic pass rode off on his cloud trapeze, straight to the Eastern Sea. In a very little while he reached the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, where he lowered his cloud, and was picking his way, when he heard a sound of cranes calling and monkeys crying.
    ‘Little ones,’ he shouted, ‘I have come back.’
    At once from every cranny in the cliff, from bushes and trees, great monkeys and small leapt out with cries of ‘Long live our king I’ Then they all pressed round Monkey, kowtowing and saying, ‘Great King, you’re very absent-minded! Why did you go away for so long, leaving us all in the lurch, panting for your return, as a starving man for food and drink? For some time past a demon has been ill-using us. He has seized our cave, though we fought desperately, and now he has robbed us of all our possessions and carried off many of our children, so that we have to be on the watch all the time and get no sleep day or night. It’s lucky you’ve come now, for if you had waited another year or two, you’d have found us and everything hereabouts in another’s hands.’
    ‘What demon can dare commit such crimes?’ cried Monkey. ‘Tell me all about it and I will avenge you.’
    ‘Your majesty,’ they said, ‘he is called the Demon of Havoc, and he lives due north from here.’
    ‘How far off?’ asked Monkey.
    ‘He comes like a cloud,’ they said, ‘and goes like a mist, like wind or rain, thunder or lightning. We do not know how far away he lives.’
    ‘Well, don’t worry,’ said Monkey; ‘just go on playing around, while I go and look for him.’
    Dear Monkey King! He sprang into the sky straight northwards and soon saw in front of him a high and very rugged mountain. He was admiring the scenery, when he suddenly heard voices. Going a little way down the hill, he found a cave in front of which several small imps were jumping and dancing. When they saw Monkey, they ran away.