meet. For these reasons King-y-Yang was especially desirous of
obtaining one whose spoken word could be received, upon all points, as
an assured fact, and it was, therefore, with an emotion of internal
lightness that he confidently heard from those who were acquainted
with the person that Sen Heng was, by nature and endowments, utterly
incapable of representing matters of even the most insignificant
degree to be otherwise than what they really were.

Filled with an acute anxiety to discover what amount of success would
be accorded to his latest contrivance, King-y-Yang led Sen Heng to a
secluded chamber, and there instructed him in the method of selling
certain apparently very ingeniously constructed ducks, which would
have the appearance of swimming about on the surface of an open vessel
of water, at the same time uttering loud and ever-increasing cries,
after the manner of their kind. With ill-restrained admiration at the
skilful nature of the deception, King-y-Yang pointed out that the
ducks which were to be disposed of, and upon which a seemingly very
low price was fixed, did not, in reality, possess any of these
accomplishments, but would, on the contrary, if placed in water, at
once sink to the bottom in a most incapable manner; it being part of
Sen's duty to exhibit only a specially prepared creature which was
restrained upon the surface by means of hidden cords, and, while
bending over it, to simulate the cries as agreed upon. After
satisfying himself that Sen could perform these movements competently,
King-y-Yang sent him forth, particularly charging him that he should
not return without a sum of money which fully represented the entire
number of ducks entrusted to him, or an adequate number of unsold
ducks to compensate for the deficiency.

"At the end of seven days Sen returned to King-y-Yang, and although