The skies were filled with angry clouds;
Towering black waves were whipped up in the river.
The flying sand from the river's banks was blotting out the sun;
All around the trees went down with cries that rose to heaven.
The churned-up rivers and seas struck terror into dragons,
While trees and flowers perished in the dust.
The blows were like the crash of thunder;
The mighty gusts all roared like hungry tigers.
Crabs, fish and prawns lay down to pray to heaven,
While birds and beasts were driven from their nests.
Disaster struck all boatmen on the lakes;
No human life was safe upon the seas.
The fisherman by the stream could barely hold his spear;
The river boatman could not punt his ferry.
Houses collapsed as bricks and tiles flew;
In the universal terror Mount Tai was shaken.
This wind was the work of the boatman, who was in fact a monster from the Black River. Watch as the Tang Priest and Pig plunge into the waters, boat and all. They disappeared without a trace, and nobody knew where they had been carried off to.
On the river bank Friar Sand and Monkey were desperate. “What are we to do?” they said. “The master keeps running into disaster. Now he's in trouble here at the Black River after escaping from the last demon and having a peaceful stretch of his journey.”
“Perhaps the boat capsized,” said Friar Sand, “let's look for him further downstream.”
“No,” said Monkey, “it can't be that. If the boat had capsized Pig can swim and he'd certainly have saved the master and raised him above the water. I noticed there was something a bit wrong about the boatman just now, and I'm sure that he caused the wind and has taken the master down under the water.”
“Why didn't you say so before?” asked Friar Sand. “Look after the horse and the luggage while I go to look for him in the water.”
“But the water doesn't look right either,” said Monkey. “I don't think you'll be able to.”
“It's nothing compared to the water in my Shifting Sands River,” said Friar Sand, “I can do it.”
The splendid monk took off his tunic, tied strips of cloth round his wrists and feet, and plunged into the waves with a great splash as he whirled his demon-quelling staff. As he strode through the waters he heard voices, so he drew aside to steal a look. He saw a pavilion, over the doors of which was written large PALACE OF THE GOD OF THE BLACK RIVER IN THE HENGYANG VALLEY.
He could hear a monster saying to himself as he sat there, “It's been hard work getting him, but this priest is a holy man who has cultivated his conduct for ten lives. One piece of his flesh is enough to make you immortal. I've waited for him long enough, and now my ambition has been fulfilled.”
Then he issued his orders: “Little ones, fetch the metal steamer at once, cook those two monks whole, then write an invitation and deliver it to my second uncle asking him over to eat them as a birthday feast.”
This was too much for Friar Sand's temper. He beat on the doors with his staff, yelling abusively, “Damned monsters, give me back my master the Tang Priest and my brother Pig this minute!” This gave the demons inside the doors such a fright that they ran in to report, “Disaster!”
“What disaster?” the old monster asked.
“There's a very sinister-looking monk outside beating at the outer doors and yelling for them.”
At this the monster sent for his armor, which the little demons brought in. When it was all properly tied on he went outside, holding his flail of steel pieces joined together by bamboo-shaped links. He was a vicious sight.
Round eyes gleamed fiery red in a square-cut face;
His blood-red lips were curled round an enormous mouth.
The whiskers of his beard were strands of wire;
The matted hair at his temples was cinnabar red.
He looked like the sinister Year Lord in his might,
With the angry face of furious thunder god.
The iron armor he wore was burnished with flowers,
And many a jewel was set in his golden helm.
Holding the flail of bamboo-shaped steel in his hand,
He stirred up a gale around him as he walked.
At birth he had been a creature of the waters,
But he left his native stream and turned to evil.
If you would like to know the true name of this spirit,
He used to be called the Little Alligator.
“Who's that beating at my doors?” the demon roared.
“I'll get you, you ignorant damned devil,” said Friar Sand. “Deceitful monster, disguising a yourself as a boatman and rowing over to snatch my master. Give him back at once and I'll spare your life.” The demon roared with laughter at this.
“Monk, you're throwing your life away,” said the monster. “Your master's mine now, and I'm going to steam him for a feast. Come here and see if you can beat me. If you can hold out for three rounds I'll give you your master back; but if you can't I'll cook you with him and you can forget all about going to the Western Heaven.”
Friar Sand was now in a towering rage, and he swung at the monster's head with his staff, which the monster parried with his flail. The pair of them had a fine underwater battle:
The demon-quelling staff and the bamboo-link flail;
Two angry contenders fighting for mastery.
The millennial monster of the Black River,
And a former immortal from the Hall of Miraculous Mist.
One was greedy for Sanzang's flesh,
The other longed to save the Tang Priest's life.
As they fought beneath the waters
There was no way they both could succeed.
Frightened shrimps and fishes shook their heads and hid;
Crabs and turtles withdrew into their shells.
Then with a roll of drums the water palace demons
Joined in the fight and yelled before the gates.
The splendid monk, the true Friar Sand,
Stood all alone and let them see his might.
As they plunged through the waves no victor emerged;
Flail and staff were evenly matched.
All this was because the Tang Priest wanted
To visit the Buddha and fetch the scriptures.
When they had fought thirty rounds without result Friar Sand thought, “This monster is as good a fighter as I am. I'm not going to be able to beat him. I'll have to lure him out for Monkey to kill.” Friar Sand then pretended to drop his guard and took to his heels trailing his staff behind him.
But instead of chasing him the evil monster said, “Off you go then. I won't fight you any more. I'm going to write invitations for my guests.”
Friar Sand emerged from the waves snorting with fury. “Brother,” he said when he saw Monkey, “that monster's outrageous.”
“You were down a long time,” said Monkey. “Is there an evil spirit? Did you find the master?”
“There's a pavilion down there,” said Friar Sand, “with 'Palace of the God of the Black River in the Hengyang Valley' written over it. I hid there and listened to him talking. He told his underlings to wash the metal steamer ready to cook the master and Brother Pig and sent them to invite his uncle for a birthday feast. It made me so angry that I started beating at his doors. The monster came out with his flail of pieces of bamboo-shaped steel and fought me for ages. We must have gone thirty rounds without either of us coming out on top. I pretended to be beaten to lure him out here so that you could help me, but he was too clever to come after me. He went back in to write invitations, so I came out.”
“What sort of evil being is he?” Monkey asked.
“He looks a bit like a big soft-shelled turtle,” said Friar Sand. “If he's not one of those he's an alligator.”