The Japanese Fairy Book/My Lord Bag Of Rice

Long, way back there lived in Japan a brave warrior identified to all as Tawara Toda, or "My Lord Bag of Rice." His true title was Fujiwara Hidesato, and there may be a really attention-grabbing story of how he came to alter his identify. When the Dragon King noticed that even this brave warrior's arrows have been powerless to kill the centipede, he lost heart and began to tremble with concern. He was a brave man, nevertheless, and placing apart all concern went ahead dauntlessly. Putting apart all Fear, he went ahead Dauntlessly. Then with a convulsive shudder the serpentine body stopped moving, and the fiery mild of its nice eyes and hundred toes darkened to a dull glare just like the sunset of a stormy day, What is rice after which went out in blackness. So as to add to the fantastic thing about all the pieces the sun shone brightly, the lake glittered like a liquid diamond, and the palace was a thousand instances more beautiful by day than by night. Ultimately the dreadful night time was over. His red hair streamed over his shoulders and was surmounted by a crown in the shape of a dragon's head, and his sea-inexperienced dress was patterned with shells. As the warrior stood within the porch taking leave, a prepare of fish was all of the sudden reworked right into a retinue of males, all wearing ceremonial robes and dragon's crowns on their heads to show that they had been servants of the nice Dragon King.

So taking his final arrow and first placing the end of it in his mouth, he fitted the notch to his bow, took careful aim as soon as extra and let fly. He took the bow, and fitting an arrow to the notch, took cautious purpose and let fly. Nothing daunted, Hidesato took another arrow, fitted it to the notch of the bow and let fly. Then Hidesato called to the Dragon King to come back out with him on the balcony, for the centipede was dead and he had nothing more to fear. The massive reptile had wound its horrid physique seven times round the mountain and would quickly come all the way down to the lake. His host tried to persuade the warrior to stay a couple of days, but Hidesato insisted on going house, saying that he had now completed what he had come to do, and must return. The warrior's household and servants had been very a lot concerned after they discovered that he did not return the evening before, but they finally concluded that he had been kept by the violent storm and had taken shelter someplace. The Procession. servants on the look ahead to his return caught sight of him they referred to as to everybody that he was approaching, and the whole family turned out to fulfill him, questioning a lot what the retinue of men, bearing presents and banners, that followed him, could imply.

The Dragon King himself accompanied the warrior as far because the bridge, and then took go away of him with many bows and good needs, leaving the procession of servants to accompany Hidesato to his home with the presents. The Dragon King and his household have been all very sorry to have him depart so quickly, but since he would go they begged him to just accept just a few small presents (so that they mentioned) in token of their gratitude to him for delivering them for ever from their horrible enemy the centipede. The gratitude of the Dragon King knew no bounds. On turning again he was a lot surprised to see that the monster dragon had entirely disappeared and in its place was a strange-wanting man, who was bowing most ceremoniously to the ground. The arrow hit the centipede proper in the middle of its head, however as a substitute of penetrating, it glanced off harmless and fell to the ground. Again the arrow hit the mark, it struck the centipede proper in the middle of its head, only to glance off and fall to the bottom.

This time the arrow once more hit the centipede proper in the course of its head, but as an alternative of glancing off harmlessly as earlier than, it struck dwelling to the creature's brain. The warrior noticed that he had now only one arrow left in his quiver, and if this one failed he couldn't kill the centipede. He had not gone far when he got here to the bridge of Seta-no-Karashi spanning one finish of the beautiful Lake Biwa. Nearer and nearer gleamed the fireballs of eyes, and the light of its hundred ft began to throw reflections in the nonetheless waters of the lake. He looked across the waters. Strange to say, as he adopted his host downwards the waters parted to allow them to pass, and his clothes did not even feel damp as he passed by means of the flood. Hidesato looked where his host pointed, and, within the dim gentle of the starlit night, behind the 2 balls of fire he saw the lengthy physique of an unlimited centipede winding round the mountains, and the light in its hundred toes glowed like so many distant lanterns transferring slowly in the direction of the shore.