But he took out his fourth seed, and watched it disappear beneath a coal-black wave.
To the Geni’s astonishment the river immediately dried up, and a shallow stream running through the grass lay at their feet.
The Geni was much impressed by the wonderful things Pei-Hang seemed able to do. He was not bad-hearted, so he showed him the nearest way to the home of the Genii on the top of Mount Sumi.
It was a long and wearisome climb, but at last they got up there, and found eight of the Genii sitting on eight snow-peaks, and looking down on the Lake of Gems, as Yun-Ying had said.
The Lake of Gems lay on the other side of Mount Sumi, and was a beautiful sheet of water, flashing all the colors of the rainbow.
Pei-Hang could not take his eyes away from it. He forgot all about the pestle and mortar as he watched the waves rippling along the shore, and leaving behind them diamonds, rubies, sapphires and pearls in thousands.
Each pebble on the margin of the lake was a precious stone, and Pei-Hang wanted to go down and fill his pockets with them.
“We must let him have the pestle and mortar,” said the Geni who had been his guide, and who had told the others about the wonderful red and white seeds while Pei-Hang was standing spell-bound by the beauty of the Lake. “If we don’t he won’t give us back our rivers.”
The eight Genii nodded their eight heads, and spoke all at once, and the noise they made was like the rumble of thunder among the mountains. “Let him take it, if he can carry it,” they said.
And they laughed until the snow-peaks shook beneath them; for the mortar made of jade was six feet high and four feet wide, and the pestle was so heavy no mortal could lift it.