Yung-Moi was one of the very wise men of China. He had lived in the mountains and studied the books of Confucius for twenty years, and afterwards he taught others. [[119]]
He taught school for ten years, and because of his wisdom had many pupils—over two thousand in all. He was now sixty years old and greatly respected by many people.
One day he thought he would give a party for his scholars. So he sent them all word and asked that each one repeat a story at the party.
After he had invited his guests, he thought, “I, too, must have a story ready for to-morrow night. What shall it be?” And he walked down to the river, thinking.
There he saw two creatures in the edge of the river fighting. One was the great bivalve;[1] the other was a snipe that had been hunting for fish in the river.
They fought long and hard, until a hunter with a gun and net passed by and saw them. He made no noise and came close, close, but they were so busy trying to kill each other that they could not see him. So he caught them both and took them home in his net.
Yung-Moi, the wise teacher, thought deeply and said to himself, “There is meaning in all this,” and he walked slowly back to his schoolroom. [[120]]
He sat down at his desk and thought, and he stirred the ink in his ink-dish, not knowing what he did.
Then he wrote this story and said: “In my mind this is a strange thing. The snipe is a fine creature in the air. He has two wings and has great power to do for himself.
“Small fishes swim in the water and the snipe can take any one he wants, but he can not live in the home of the bivalve, or try to take life away from him without perishing himself.