A QUEER COREAN LEGE D. The Rip of That Far Away Land Similar to Irvlng's Rip.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 213, 30 July 1887, Page 7

A QUEER COREAN LEGE D. The Rip of That Far Away Land Similar to Irvlng's Rip.

Was the legend of Rip Van Winkle wholly the creation of Washington Irving, or did lie put into such pleasing shape pome stoiy he had unearthed in his antiquarian researches? In Perceval Lowell's book, "A Sketch of Corea," p. 205, 1 find this legend under the head of " Demon Worship :" There lived once upon a time a certain well to-do countryman whose business took him into the woods, He was a feller of timber, and in pursuit of hid work he often went far into the mountains. All Coreans are fond of nature, and this man was no exception to the rule ; so, v\ ith his business as excuse and his love as incentive, he would ramble on in the vii gin forest. One day he wandered further than usual, and found himself at last some distance up the side of the mountain. Before him lay the peak seemingly close, and under the impulse of that species of folly which urges men to go to the top of anything lofty, in spite of their better judgment and repeated experience that the end never justifies the means, he climbed it. When at last he reached the summit he found there four old men busily intent on a game of go. 'ihey were seated, squatting in a circle, the go-board in their midst, while around them on the grass lay flagons of sul, and a page pat hard by to replenish the cups as they were emptied. The four looked up as he approached, bowed with great civility, and, observing that he was tired, ordered the page to pour him out some r=ul. He sat down, sipped the sul, and looked on the game. After tarrying what seemed but a very short time in such agreeable company he rose to take his leave. They bade him good-bye with as much courtesy as they had welcomed him, and he started down the mountain. He descended without accident, and reached the bottom in much less time than it had taken him to go up. Mindful of his wife and children, he struck out for home, and arrived there in safety before supper. On entering his own abode ho was somewhat surprised lo find the place occupied by people he had never seen. What was worse, they ordered him off the premises as an intruder. He remonstrated at thus being turned out of his own house, and in the altercation that ensued the master of the place came out from an inner room to see what was going on. He was a man well on in life, and yet the woodman never remembered to have laid eyes on him before. Appealing to him, however, for redress, the woodman asked his name, and on giving it the man replied that such was his first name too. [In Corea the first name is equivalent to our last name.] On further questioning it turned out that the present incumbent was the woodman's own grandson. The wanderer had come back to another world. His wife had long since died, his children, all were buried ; most of their children too, had passed away, and his great-grandchiHren had grown up to manhood. He had been gone 100 years.