“Ho! Ho!” cried the dragon, when he saw what Wang Chih had done, “I can soon put this to rights.” And he breathed once, and the water came out of his nose and mouth in three streams.
But this was not enough to put the fire out. Then he breathed twice, and the water came out in three mighty rivers, and Wang Chih, who had taken care to fill his bottle when the first stream began to flow, sailed away on the white crane’s back as fast as he could go, to escape being drowned.
The rivers poured over the cloud rock, until there was not a spark left alight, and rushed down through the sky into the sea below.
Fortunately, the sea lay right underneath the dragon’s cave, or he would have done some nice mischief. As it was, the people on the coast looked out across the water toward Japan, and saw three inky-black clouds stretching from the sky into the sea.
“My word! There is a fine rain-storm out at sea!” they said to each other.
But, of course, it was nothing of the kind; it was only the sky-dragon putting out the fire Wang Chih had kindled.
Meanwhile, Wang Chih was on his way to the moon, and when he got there he went straight to the hut where the Hare of the Moon lived, and knocked at the door.
The Hare was busy pounding the drugs which make up the elixir of life; but he left his work, opened the door, and invited Wang Chih to come in.
He was not ugly, like the dragon; his fur was quite white and soft and glossy, and he had lovely, gentle brown eyes.
The Hare of the Moon lives a thousand years, as you know, and when he is five hundred years old he changes his color from brown to white, and becomes, if possible, better tempered and nicer than he was before.