In the far-away land of Japan, there was a little village that lay at
the foot of a high mountain.
Every day the children went to play on the grassy bank near a pond at
one end of the village. They threw stones into the water. They fished,
and they sailed their toy boats. They picked the wild flowers that grew
in the fields near by.
They carried with them rice to eat, and from morning until evening they
played near the pond.
One day, while they were at play, the children were surprised to see an
old man with a long, white beard walking toward them. He came from the
direction of the mountain.
The children stopped their games to watch the old man. He came into
their midst, and patting them upon their heads easily made them his
friends.
The children continued their play, for they knew that the old man was
kind.
The man watched the children, and when it was time for them to go home,
he said, "Come to the flat rock on the side of the mountain to-morrow,
and I will show you some wonderful games."
Then he climbed up the mountain once more and disappeared.
The following morning, the children went to the flat rock. They found
the old man waiting for them.
"Now, my dear children," said he, "I am going to amuse you. Look here!"
He picked up some dry sticks. He blew at the ends of the sticks, and at
once they became sprays of beautiful cherry, plum, and peach blossoms.
He passed a branch of each of the flowers to the girls.
Then he took a stone and threw it into the air. The stone turned into a
dove!
Another stone became an eagle, another a nightingale, or any bird a boy
chose to name.
"Now," said the old man, "I will show you some animals that I am sure
will make you laugh."
The children clapped their hands.
He recited some verses, and a company of monkeys came leaping upon the
rock. The monkeys jumped about, grinning at the same time and performing
funny tricks.
The children clapped their hands again.
Then the old man bowed to them and said, "Children, I can play no more
games to-day. It is time for you to go back to the village. Farewell!"
The old man turned to go. He went up the mountain in the direction of a
cave. The children tried to follow him, but in spite of his age he was
more nimble than they. They ran far enough, however, to see him enter
the cave.
When they reached the entrance, the old man had disappeared.
The cave was surrounded by fragrant flowers; but into its depths the
children did not dare to go.
Suddenly one of the girls pointed upwards, crying, "There is the old
grandfather!"
The others looked up, and there, standing on a cloud over the top of the
mountain, was the old man.
"Let us go home now," said one of the boys.
On the way, they met two men of the village, whom their parents had sent
to search for them.
When the children had told their story, one of the men exclaimed, "Ah,
happy children! The kind old man is surely Sennin, the wonderful Hermit
of the Mountain!"