Seeing that things were going badly Friar Sand feinted with his staff and turned to flee only to be caught, hands and all, when the second demon unraveled his trunk and noisily wrapped it round him. The demon took him too into the city, ordering the junior demons to tie him up in the palace before rising up into the sky again to tell the others how to catch Monkey. Seeing that both his brother disciples had been captured Monkey realized that it was going to be impossible for him to hold out single-handed. Indeed:
A couple of fists can defeat a good hand,
But cannot a competent foursome withstand.
With a shout Brother Monkey pushed the three demons' weapons aside, set off his somersault cloud and fled. When the third demon chief saw Monkey ride off by somersault he shook himself, resumed his real form, spread his wings and caught up with the Great Sage. You may well ask how the demon could possibly catch up with him. When Monkey made havoc in heaven all that time ago a hundred thousand heavenly soldiers had failed to capture him. Because he could cover 36,000 miles in a single somersault of his cloud, none of the gods had been able to catch up with him. But this evil spirit could cover 30,000 miles with one beat of his wings, so that with two beats he caught up with Monkey and seized him. Monkey could not get out of the demon's talons no matter how hard he struggled or how desperately he longed to escape. Even when he used his transformation magic he still could not move. If he made himself grow the demon opened his grip but still held firmly to him; and if he shrank the demon tightened his clutch. The demon took him back inside the city, released his talons, dropped him into the dust, and told the fiendish hordes to tie him up and put him with Pig and Friar Sand. The senior and the second demon chiefs both came out to greet the third chief, who went back up into the throne hall with them. Alas! This time they were not tying Monkey up but sending him on his way.
It was now the second watch of the night, and after all the demons had exchanged greetings the Tang Priest was pushed out of the throne hall. When he suddenly caught sight in the lamplight of his three disciples all lying tied up on the ground the venerable master leaned down beside Brother Monkey and said through his tears, “Disciple, when we meet with trouble you normally go off and use your magic powers to subdue the monsters causing it. Now that you too have been captured can I survive, poor monk that I am?” As soon as Pig and Friar Sand heard their master's distress they too began to howl together.
“Don't worry, Master,” said Monkey with a hint of a smile, “and don't cry, brothers. No matter what they do they won't be able to hurt us. When the demon chiefs have settled and are asleep we can be on our way.”
“You're just making trouble again, brother,” replied Pig. “We're trussed up with hempen ropes. If we do manage to work them a bit loose they spurt water on them to shrink them again. You might be too skinny to notice, but fat old me's having a terrible time. If you don't believe me take a look at my arms. The rope's cut two inches deep into them. I'd never get away.”
“Never mind hempen ropes,” said Monkey with a laugh, “even if they were coconut cables as thick as a rice-bowl they'd be no more than an autumn breeze to me. What's there to make a fuss about?”
As master and disciples were talking the senior demon could be heard saying, “Third brother, you really are strong and wise. Your plan to capture the Tang Priest was brilliant and it worked.”
“Little ones,” he called, “Five of you carry water, seven scrub the pans, ten get the fire burning and twenty fetch the iron steamer. When we've steamed the four monks tender for my brothers and me to enjoy we'll give you juniors a piece so that you can all live for ever.”
“Brother,” said Pig, trembling, when he this, “listen. That evil spirit's planning to steam and eat us.”
“Don't be afraid,” said Monkey. “I'm going to find out whether he's an evil spirit still wet behind the ears or an old hand.”
“Brother,” said Friar Sand, sobbing, “don't talk so big. We're next door to the king of Hell. How can you talk about whether he's wet behind the ears or an old hand at a time like this?” The words were not all out of his mouth before the second demon chief was heard to say, “Pig won't steam well.”
“Amitabha Buddha!” said Pig with delight. “I wonder who's building up good karma by saying I won't steam well.”
“If he won't steam well,” the third chief said, “skin him before steaming him.” This panicked Pig, who screamed at the top of his voice, “Don't skin me. I may be coarse but I'll go tender if you boil me.”
“If he won't steam well,” the senior demon chief said, “put him on the bottom tray of the steamer.”
“Don't worry, Pig,” said Monkey with a laugh, “he's wet behind the ears. He's no old hand.”
“How can you tell?” Friar Sand asked.
“Generally speaking you should start from the top when steaming,” Monkey replied. “Whatever's hardest to steam should be put on the top tray. Add a bit of extra fuel to the fire, get up a good steam and it'll be done. But put it at the bottom and lower the steam and you won't get the steam up even if you cook it for six months. He must be wet behind the ears if he says that Pig should be put on the bottom tray because he's hard to cook.”
“Brother,” Pig replied, “if he followed your advice I'd be slaughtered alive. When he can't see the steam rising he'll take the lid off, turn me over and make the fire burn hotter. I'll be cooked on both sides and half done in the middle.”
As they were talking a junior devil came in to report that the water was boiling. The senior chief ordered that the monks be carried in, and all the demons acted together to carry Pig to the lowest shelf of the steamer and Friar Sand to the second shelf.
Guessing that they would be coming for him next Brother Monkey freed himself and said, “This lamplight is just right for some action.” He then pulled out a hair, blew on it with magic breath, called, “Change!” and turned it into another Monkey he tied up with the hempen rope while extracting his real self in spirit form to spring into mid-air, look down and watch. Not realizing his deception, the crowd of demons picked up the false Monkey they saw and carried him to the third tray of the steamer, near the top. Only then did they drag the Tang Priest to the ground, tie him up, and put him into the fourth tray. As the dry firewood was stacked up a fierce fire blazed.
“My Pig and Friar Sand can stand a couple of boilings,” sighed the Great Sage up in the clouds, “but that master of mine will be cooked tender as soon as the water boils. If I can't save him by magic he'll be dead in next to no time.”
The splendid Great Sage made a hand-spell in mid-air, said the magic words “Om the blue pure dharma world; true is the eternal beneficence of Heaven,” and summoned the Dragon King of the Northern Ocean to him.
A black cloud appeared among the other clouds, and from it there came at once an answering shout, “Ao Shun, the humble dragon of the Northern Ocean, kowtows in homage.”
“Arise, arise,” said Monkey. “I would not have ventured to trouble you for nothing. I've now got this far with my master the Tang Priest. He's been captured by vicious monsters and put into an iron steamer to be cooked. Go and protect him for me and don't let the steam harm him.” The dragon king at once turned himself into a cold wind that blew underneath the cooking pot and coiled around to shield it from all the heat of the fire. Thus were the three of them saved from death.
As the third watch was drawing to an end the senior demon chief announced a decision. “My men,” he said, “we have worn out brains and brawn to capture the Tang Priest and his three disciples. Because of the trouble we went to in escorting them we have not slept for four days and nights. I don't think that they'll be able to escape now that they're tied up and being steamed. You are all to guard them carefully. Ten of your junior devils are to take it in turns to keep the fires burning while we withdraw to our living quarters for a little rest. By the fifth watch, when it's about to get light, they're bound to be cooked tender. Have some garlic paste, salt and vinegar ready and wake us up; then we'll be able to eat them with a good appetite.” The devils did as they had been ordered while the three demon chiefs returned to their sleeping chambers.