Legends of Japan. Hiroshi Naito

who gazed at him.

      "Come out, all of you!" the old priest suddenly called in a thunderous voice. "This fellow here appears to have a dagger. Take it from him!"

      At that, several acolytes came over to the young man. "Damn bonze! He has seen through me," the man cursed. He thought that should the acolytes examine him they would surely find the dagger; and if so, they would surely beat him to death. He therefore made up his mind to kill the old priest to bear him company to the nether world. Once he determined to do that, he rallied his strength. No sooner had he drawn the dagger and jumped at the priest when the fine temple structure came down with a thunderous roar. And lo! The next moment the aged priest and the fallen structure vanished like smoke. He felt as if he were in a dream.

      When he came to his, senses, he found himself standing by the young priest in the hall of an old temple. In speechless wonder, he kept standing there for a moment. "Tut!" the priest grumbled, "What a thing you have done!" He disdainfully went on, "You have made the old teacher angry and ruined everything—you have even deprived me of my magical power."

      With that, he tramped out. When the young man came out of the temple, he was surprised to find it to be a temple near his house. Why the long journey from dawn to noon? From that time, he never saw the priest again. The young man thus lost forever a chance of learning magic.

      4. The reed-mower and the lady

      LONG, LONG AGO, in Kyoto, there lived a poor samurai who had no relatives in the city. Though he served his master well, fortune did not smile upon him. So he often changed his masters, expecting a good position, but he was not rewarded at all for his efforts. In the end he found no person to serve remaining in the city. Thus he was masterless and had to live in dire poverty.

      This man had a very beautiful and gentle-hearted wife, who, though poverty stricken, was devoted to her husband. One day he said, "Although I want to live with you forever, our grinding poverty no longer permits our union. So I think it best for us to divorce each other."

      The woman was surprised at her husband's sudden proposal and said, "I would like to live with you until death separates us, but this seems impossible now because our union is apparently preventing your advancement. If you really want to divorce me, I shall have to obey you."

      Thus they sadly broke up, expecting a happy reunion as soon as possible.