Later, because their outlook changed, some
of them stopped, and because they tried to be good they
changed into men, changed into real men. But some are still
eating—just like reptiles. Some have changed into
fish, birds, monkeys and finally men; but some do not try
to be good and remain reptiles still. When those who eat
men compare themselves with those who do not, how ashamed
they must be. Probably much more ashamed than the reptiles
are before monkeys.
"In ancient times Yi Ya boiled his
son for Chieh and Chou to eat; that is the old story.4 But
actually since the creation of heaven and earth by Pan Ku
men have been eating each other, from the time of Yi Ya's
son to the time of Hsu Hsi-lin,5 and from the time of Hsu
Hsi-lin down to the man caught in Wolf Cub Village. Last
year they executed a criminal in the city, and a consumptive
soaked a piece of bread in his blood and sucked it.
"They want to eat me, and of course
you can do nothing about it single-handed; but why should
you join them? As man-eaters they are capable of anything.
If they eat me, they can eat you as well; members of the
same group can still eat each other. But if you will just
change your ways immediately, then everyone will have peace.
Although this has been going on since time immemorial, today
we could make a special effort to be good, and say this
is not to be done! I'm sure you can say so, brother. The
other day when the tenant wanted the rent reduced, you said
it couldn't be done."
At first he only smiled cynically, then
a murderous gleam came into his eyes, and when I spoke of
their secret his face turned pale. Outside the gate stood
a group of people, including Mr. Chao and his dog, all craning
their necks to peer in. I could not see all their faces,
for they seemed to be masked in cloths; some of them looked
pale and ghastly still, concealing their laughter. I knew
they were one band, all eaters of human flesh. But I also
knew that they did not all think alike by any means. Some
of them thought that since it had always been so, men should
be eaten. Some of them knew that they should not eat men,
but still wanted to; and they were afraid people might discover
their secret; thus when they heard me they became angry,
but they still smiled their. cynical, tight-lipped smile.
Suddenly my brother looked furious, and
shouted in a loud voice:
"Get out of here, all of you! What
is the point of looking at a madman?"
Then I realized part of their cunning. They
would never be willing to change their stand, and their
plans were all laid; they had stigmatized me as a madman.
In future when I was eaten, not only would there be no trouble,
but people would probably be grateful to them. When our
tenant spoke of the villagers eating a bad character, it
was exactly the same device. This is their old trick.
Old Chen came in too, in a great temper,
but they could not stop my mouth, I had to speak to those
people:
"You should change, change from the
bottom of your hearts!" I said. "You most know
that in future there will be no place for man-eaters in
the world.
"If you don't change, you may all be
eaten by each other. Although so many are born, they will
be wiped out by the real men, just like wolves killed by
hunters. Just like reptiles!"
Old Chen drove everybody away. My brother
had disappeared. Old Chen advised me to go back to my room.
The room was pitch dark. The beams and rafters shook above
my head. After shaking for some time they grew larger. They
piled on top of me.
The weight was so great, I could not move.
They meant that I should die. I knew that the weight was
false, so I struggled out, covered in perspiration. But
I had to say:
"You should change at once, change
from the bottom of your hearts! You must know that in future
there will be no place for man-eaters in the world .
. . ."
