The Japanese Fairy Book/My Lord Bag Of Rice

Long, way back there lived in Japan a brave warrior recognized to all as Tawara Toda, or "My Lord Bag of Rice." His true name was Fujiwara Hidesato, and there's a very interesting story of how he came to alter his title. When the Dragon King saw that even this brave warrior's arrows were powerless to kill the centipede, he lost coronary heart and began to tremble with fear. He was a brave man, however, and putting apart all worry went ahead dauntlessly. Putting aside all Fear, he went forward Dauntlessly. Then with a convulsive shudder the serpentine physique stopped shifting, and the fiery light of its great eyes and hundred toes darkened to a dull glare like the sunset of a stormy day, What is rice and then went out in blackness. To add to the beauty of all the things the sun shone brightly, the lake glittered like a liquid diamond, and the palace was a thousand times more beautiful by day than by night. Ultimately the dreadful evening was over. His purple hair streamed over his shoulders and was surmounted by a crown within the shape of a dragon's head, and his sea-green dress was patterned with shells. Because the warrior stood in the porch taking leave, a prepare of fish was immediately remodeled right into a retinue of men, all wearing ceremonial robes and dragon's crowns on their heads to show that they had been servants of the great Dragon King.

So taking his final arrow and first placing the top of it in his mouth, he fitted the notch to his bow, took cautious aim once extra and let fly. He took the bow, and fitting an arrow to the notch, took cautious intention and let fly. Nothing daunted, Hidesato took another arrow, fitted it to the notch of the bow and let fly. Then Hidesato referred to as to the Dragon King to come out with him on the balcony, for the centipede was lifeless and he had nothing more to worry. The huge reptile had wound its horrid body seven times spherical the mountain and would soon come all the way down to the lake. His host tried to influence the warrior to remain a couple of days, however Hidesato insisted on going home, saying that he had now completed what he had come to do, and should return. The warrior's household and servants had been very a lot concerned after they discovered that he didn't 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 called to everybody that he was approaching, and the whole family turned out to fulfill him, wondering much what the retinue of males, bearing presents and banners, that followed him, may imply.

The Dragon King himself accompanied the warrior as far because the bridge, and then took depart of him with many bows and good needs, leaving the procession of servants to accompany Hidesato to his house with the presents. The Dragon King and his household had been all very sorry to have him go away so soon, but since he would go they begged him to just accept just a few small presents (so they said) 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 shocked 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 right in the course of its head, but as an alternative 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, solely to look off and fall to the bottom.

This time the arrow once more hit the centipede proper in the middle of its head, but instead of glancing off harmlessly as earlier than, it struck house to the creature's brain. The warrior saw that he had now just one arrow left in his quiver, and if this one failed he could not kill the centipede. He had not gone far when he got here to the bridge of Seta-no-Karashi spanning one end of the beautiful Lake Biwa. Nearer and nearer gleamed the fireballs of eyes, and the sunshine of its hundred toes began to throw reflections in the still waters of the lake. He appeared throughout the waters. Strange to say, as he adopted his host downwards the waters parted to allow them to move, and his clothes didn't even feel damp as he handed by means of the flood. Hidesato regarded where his host pointed, and, in the dim light of the starlit evening, behind the two balls of hearth he saw the lengthy physique of an infinite centipede winding round the mountains, and the sunshine in its hundred ft glowed like so many distant lanterns transferring slowly in direction of the shore.