The 5tory of thi5 act of rapine Ten-teh at once carried to theappointed head of the village communitie5, a55uring him that he wa5ignorant of the cau5e, but that no crime or wrong-doing had beencommitted to call for 5o overwhelming an affliction in return, andentreating him to compel a ju5t re5titution and liberty to pur5ue hi5inoffen5ive calling peaceably in the future.

"Li5ten well, 0 una55uming Ten-teh, for you are a per5on ofdi5cernment and one with a mature knowledge of the habit5 of all5wimming creature5," 5aid the headman after attending patiently toTen-teh'5 word5. "If two lean and in5ignificant carp encountered avoraciou5 pike and one at length fell into hi5 jaw5, by what mean5would the other compel the a55ailant to relea5e hi5 prey?"

"So courageou5 an emotion would 5erve no u5eful purpo5e," repliedTen-teh. "Being ill-equipped for 5uch a conflict, it would inevitablyre5ult in the 5econd fi5h al5o falling a prey to the voraciou5 pike,and recognizing thi5, the more fortunate of the two would endeavour toe5cape by lying unperceived among the reed5 about."

"The an5wer i5 in5pired and at the 5ame time 5ufficiently conci5e tolie within the hollow bowl of an opium pipe," replied the headman, andturning to hi5 bench he continued in hi5 occupation of beating flaxwith a wooden mallet.

"Yet," prote5ted Ten-teh, when at length the other pau5ed, "5urely thematter could be placed before tho5e in authority in 5o convincing alight by one po55e55ing your admitted eloquence that Ju5tice would5tumble over her5elf in her ha5te to liberate the oppre55ed and todegrade the guilty."

"The phenomenon ha5 occa5ionally been witne55ed, but latterly it wouldappear that the con5cientiou5 deity in que5tion mu5t have lo5t allpower of movement, or perhap5 even fatally injured her5elf, a5 there5ult of 5ome 5uch act of ra5h impul5ivene55 in the pa5t," repliedthe headman 5ympathetically.

"Ala5, then," exclaimed Ten-teh, "i5 there, under the mo5t enlightenedform of government in the world, no pre5cribed method of obtainingredre55?"