CHAPTER XVIII.
FACE TO FACE.
When the panic-stricken servants rushed into the castle with theirappalling tale, there was general consternation. They had beenattacked, they swore, by a band of at least fifty ronins. By the lastact of the doomed chatelaine she had won back the respect of thewarriors, for they perceived, too late, that her gentleness had naughtakin with cowardice. Resuming her fit position by force of princelydignity, she had become a liege lady of whom they could be proud. Theyfelt pangs of remorse, too, in having allowed her to sally forth bynight unprotected by soldiers. Yet, if they had not cared for her, itwas well known that the peasants did, who vowed she was a saint. Andsure none could ever have supposed that there were any, even in thisbad world, who could be so wicked as to do her to death thus cruelly.The country far and near was scoured, but no trace of a gang wasfound. The thickly-falling snow had obliterated footmarks. On thefatal spot, seek as they would, nothing was to be found but theoverturned litter and mutilated remains of their mistress--hats andgarments scattered here and there--and the bodies of the drownedbearers. At dawn, the sad _cortege_ returned home with its freight,having learned nothing; and then a feeling of uneasiness came over thesamurai as to what my lord would say. He neglected and disliked hiswife, but would surely retaliate swiftly and fearfully upon thosewhose carelessness had led to so gruesome a catastrophe.
As for O'Kiku, whom all avoided now as if she were plague-stricken,she remained secluded in her chamber, transfixed with growing wonder.The blows of the assassins were aimed at herself--of that she had nodoubt--and she had been saved by a miracle. Yet who could there be whowished to kill her, unless it were O'Tei or Masago? Of course, it wasnot O'Tei, or she would never have marched thus deliberately to herown undoing; and as she was on her way to the temple, summonedthither, it could not be a plot of Masago's, for Masago loved herdearly. The more she thought it out, the more incomprehensible grewthe whole affair, and at last she was fain to put it from her as amystery which time might some day decipher. One thing, however, wasplain. By a wondrous stroke of luck, the position of herself, O'Kiku,had vastly improved. A stumbling-block that threatened to becometroublesome was swept out of her path. So soon as my lord should learnher secret, he would, if skilfully wheedled, take to his arms, as hisfirst wife, the mother of his child. She would be consort of the Hojo,chatelaine of Tsu, and as she thought of it, her bosom glowed withgratified ambition, and she there and then determined that in thesmiling future the castle should contain no concubine.
At early dawn the good-natured bonze hied him down from the mountainto visit his revered patient, and greatly was he shocked by thespectacle that met his view. On the threshold of the Abbess's chamberstood Mine, with finger on lip, and a far-off vacant look of dreadthat betokened incipient madness. Her father's curse was falling withleaden weight upon the members of the devoted family, and as shebeheld the swoop of stroke after stroke her soul was withered withinher. She too--she whom he had repulsed unpardoning--she too was doomedwith them. What would her end be? Entering the room of Masago withaccustomed listless step to attend to duties, she had stood riveted asshe read the full horror of the scene. On the floor was Masago,delirious; close by crouched her shuddering son, claspingsomething--something terrible--in his arms.
From that moment till the arrival of the friendly bonze, Mine hadstood a faithful sentinel, lest peradventure prying nuns might learnand spread the truth. Should it become known that Sampei--the oncedear Sampei--had been guilty of this awful crime, the town would ariseas one man to tear him limb from limb. The young priestess was notcapable of deciding what was to be done, but the friendly bonze wouldthink for her, and propound the words of wisdom. Little by little thefirst distracting throes of misery passed. The Abbess grew calm, andwith the death-sweat came resignation.
The gods, ungenerous and mocking, had fooled their handmaid. Insteadof being turned from their purpose by her puny supplications, as shehad arrogantly dared to hope, they had singled her out, with aconsummate refinement of cruelty as their chief implement ofvengeance. By her hand--the hand of the mother and the friend--werestricken down the apple of her eye--her son, and the sweet lady whohad loved and trusted her. And in them was she not herselfsmitten--ay, so crushed and beaten that naught could hurt her more?Alas! alas! that she should have been so blinded as not to takewarning by the fateful year--the last of yaka doshi, and have keptherself from dangerous meddling. What should chance henceforth shecared not. Since all were condemned, the sooner fell the last andfatal stroke the better,--on the dear head of the son she loved sofondly--on all. As for Sampei, he appeared as if changed to stone.In the presence of so intense a depth of black despair, Minetrembled--the kindly bonze was awed; for sure there is no sight sopitiful in nature as the whirl and flood of human anguish whosetorrent we may not stem.
It was essential that some plan of action should be decided onforthwith; and the bonze was of opinion that the secret of who it wasthat had done the deed for the present must be kept. Gently raisingSampei from his attitude of utter abandonment, and taking his treasurefrom him, he led him into the temple, and placed it within a bronzecoffer of exceeding sanctity which stood beside the altar.
"He alone who can act," he said, "in such a crisis, is my lord ofNara. To him will I go forthwith."
On foot, with staff and scrip, he made the pilgrimage to Ki[^y]oto,wrapped as he journeyed in holy ecstasy, thanking the gods for theirgoodness. Were not the wicked who are set in high places sometimes toreceive their meed, the faith of man in truth and God and justicewould wane and crumble. As the dragon that browses on the white fleshof innocent young maids is slain at last, so was it to be with theHojos. Their cup was full. For some good and occult purpose beyondpurblind human ken, the scourge for generations had afflicted theearth, but now was the limit placed. Awakening Buddha had said, "Sofar shalt thou go and no farther, for the punishing of thetransgressions of the people." The limit was reached, and now Buddha,merciful, would hold his hand. But how subtle was the means ofretribution--so subtle, that as he contemplated it, the bonze wasovercome with wonder. Not only was each member of the family to perishmiserably, but the nearest and dearest the agent! A woman was to bebutchered by him who to save a hair of her dear head would gladly havesacrificed his life. A man was to be brought to a condition worse farthan the most lingering of deaths, by the mother who, to save him froma pang, would have bartered her hope of Nirvana.
The bonze, travel-stained and weary, sought my lord of Nara at theMikado's palace, and found him without difficulty; for it was thepolicy of that crafty daimio to be of easy access to the people. Hewas buried to the lips in papers and despatches, for the die was castnow; it was to be a hand-to-hand tussle for existence. Either the Hojomust fall, or they would all be sacrificed. Answers had been receivedfrom country magnates. Despite peremptory orders from the Hojo, theywere advancing by forced marches. They had gone too far for retreat.To obey the tyrant without a struggle for freedom was to condemnthemselves to life-long bondage. What of the Corean army oncecommanded by Sampei? the magnates inquired. What of the thousands ofdisbanded ronins? Would they side with the despot, or unite for thesaving of their Emperor? "Tush!" Nara muttered, as he wrote replies."Have not I, the shrewd and the astute, considered these matters? Themountains about Tsu are teeming with faithful men in ambush. Whenthese marching daimios reach their appointed posts, the Holy City willbe surrounded by a protecting girdle; and then--and then--we may act!"
But Destiny amused herself as usual by thwarting the intricate plansso carefully conceived by mortal ingenuity. Is it not always so? If wearrange a sequence of events for ourselves, does not something alwaysintervene to mar and derange the scheme? Perhaps in the next life, orthe next after, we may be permitted to settle things for ourselves.Clearly in this one it is forbidden. First it had been arranged thatthe Hojo was to be caught in a trap in his own castle. Since then theaspect of affairs was altered; for after a few days p
assed in theGolden House among his vassals, their master had again mysteriouslygone into retirement. Spies informed Nara that he was heard to groanat night,--that he saw visions, and dreamed dreams of strange andmystic import. He had relapsed into the previous state, as before hecame up from Tsu. Had not wise Nara said that his energy was theexpiring of the lamp. This being so, difficulties were delightfullysmoothed, and Nara was able to improve the occasion for his master'sbenefit, by pointing out how admirably sage he had been in the keepingof his temper. Is not time the healer of all wounds? A scandal in thepalace had been averted. The claws of the bear were rotting piecemeal.So soon as the circle of iron was complete it should close in andcrush the tyrant, while a simultaneous movement would be made on Tsufor the capture of his brother and retainers.
And a few hurried sentences from the lips of a simple bonze upset allthese elaborate calculations. He hearkened to the dolorous tale, witha choler that might not be suppressed. This was too much! Old Nara hadallowed himself to be bearded. Under great provocation, he had curbedhis wrath,--had swallowed his pride, and waited. But now he might waitno more. What, his heiress, his only child, the only bearer of hisaugust and honoured name, was to be openly and cruelly slain, becauseher lord was weary of her, and wished to please a wanton! As withhands behind his back, and distended nostrils, the stately veteranstrode hither and thither in the chamber, his old eyes flashed fire asof yore. In truth, under the snows, the volcano had slept, and,stirred to its centre, now blazed forth. Come what might, with his ownshrivelled arm, since he had no son, would he wipe out this stain, orbe dishonoured for aye in the noble annals of Japan. Narrowly hequestioned the priest. Then the bonze had no idea, he said, who hadbeen the butcher? It mattered not. There was no one but the Hojo andhis wanton who desired the poor lady's death. It was at their biddingthat the crime had been committed. First the Hojo and then his harlot.The fortress should be demolished stone by stone, the geisha executedon its ruins.
As he hearkened to the wrathful diatribes of the now furious lord, thebonze mused in ever-increasing admiration. Verily the working of thedivine decrees is worthy of humble worship. The priest had promisedMine that Sampei should not be betrayed, 'Twas probable that when herallied, as human nature will rally, to some small extent, howeversevere the shock, the rest of his days would be spent in the holygarb, and that comfort would come to him at last. For publicedification and example, the soldier's remaining years were to bepassed in prayer. The Hojo himself was to fall by the hand of Nara;that much was evident now, and it was fitting as well as just.
He who was wont to be over-prudent, even under stress of extreme andunendurable provocation, now threw prudence to the winds. Withoutdelay he girded on his swords and dirk, mounted his horse, andgalloped to the Golden House. Consequences were as rice straw in thewind. To fight and kill another daimio within the sacred city--withina given distance of the palace, meant death by harakiri. Himself to beslain meant confiscation of all his goods. His goods! a fig for them!He was childless now, and honour is worth more than goods.Peradventure when the stain had been wiped out, the Holy Mikado wouldforgive, in consideration for past service. No doubt he would begrateful for the removal of the incubus. If not, what mattered it? Thechildless old man would die, having saved at least his honour, and tothe paltry dross of this world his sovereign lord was welcome.
Hearing the clatter of a single horseman's hoofs, the watchful samuraiat the gate of the Golden House came forth and shaded their eyes withtheir palms to reconnoitre the visitor. Among themselves they weresomewhat disturbed, for rumours of approaching troops were rife; thewarriors of other magnates were unfriendly to the dominating one; andtheir lord was curiously inactive. Indeed, for the last day or two, hehad not stepped abroad. That he was at home, and sick, was evident,for they could hear his muffled ejaculations; and now and then hisdistempered visage peered from an upper window with disordered mien,gazing on the wood and lake. The Daimio of Nara, with care upon hisbrow--in haste--unattended--alone? Strange! But events were movingstrangely. The father-in-law of my lord; his parent's chosen guide andcounsellor. With respectful salutes and genuflections the Daimio wasallowed to pass. For of a certainty my lord required helpful counsel,and Nara, all agreed, was the very prince to give it.
The new-comer dashed past without deigning notice, nor drew rein tillhe reached the entrance of the villa. The heavy foliage of thesurrounding pines was bowed down with a glittering burden; thepicturesque lake, with its rocks and tiny islets, was frozen over, andon its surface wandered painfully and slow the myriad of blacktortoises that usually slept beneath. A haven of peace and rest, anoasis of silence in a sea of turmoil. Even the sentries, who slowlymarched before the doors, seemed under the spell of winter, theirsenses blunted by the nipping air.
The whirling mind of Nara was too much engrossed to heed such trivialmatters. Flinging his bridle to a sentinel, he inquired where was hismaster. The man pointed upward with his lance, but added in troubledaccents, that my lord was sick,--had given special orders that he wason no account to be disturbed.
"I have come to cure his sickness," the old man said, with a grimsmile of peculiar meaning. "I have brought him medicine. See that weare left alone."
The Golden House, as we saw when we were here some time since, is adwelling of small proportions on the lake bank, built of wood, with ahuge towering roof bedizened with much gold. The upper chambers arereached by a ladder-stair of extreme exiguity, so frail and narrowthat one person only can mount at a time, and only then by bowing hishead.
Nara's tall and bulky form had much ado to reach the landing; but,arrived there, he loosed his katana in its sheath, and, with astrength, for which none would have credited him, seized the ladder,and, wrenching it from its iron fastening, hurled it clattering down.
The paper windows were closed; the light was dim; a voice, tuned lowby world-worn weariness, demanded who was there.
Nara strode into the inner room where, wrapped in quilts, the Hojolay, a hibachi close at hand, his swords in their rack beside him.
"_You!_" he said, rising to a sitting posture.
"I," was the rejoinder. "I, _murderer!_ The father of O'Tei, the wifewhom you have slaughtered."
No-Kami looked dreamily at the figure that stood over him, then felthis garb with a vague, uncertain movement of twitching fingers.
"Murderer?" he muttered, with a cynic's laugh.
The wrath of the old man flared up. Grinding his teeth, he spurned theprostrate figure.
"Yes, murderer!" he hissed, "and I, the father of your victim. No onecan interrupt us. O'Tei is dead--you know it--and by your decree. Onlyone, if one, will leave this room alive. Have you any manhood left,degenerate spawn of tyrants? Take up your sword, and quickly, or I'llslay you like a dog, as you deserve."
Had not the old man been so distraught he would have seen by No-Kami'sface that the intelligence was bewildering news to him. He sat gazingat his persecutor open-mouthed, till he, goaded beyond control, smotehim with flat blade across the face.
It left a livid mark, the rest of the visage purple, the veins swollenand congested. With a hoarse growl like an animal at bay, No-Kamisprang to his feet, seized his katana, and attacked the aggressor withset teeth. Glaring one at the other, with starting eyeballs andfoaming lips, the two--the old man and the young--fought on in thesmall space and the dim light. Both were too furious for caution, andhacked each at each, smearing walls and floor, without a sound butlabouring breath and clashing steel. The old man, taller, with longerarm, was getting the mastery. He had step by step driven No-Kami tothe corner, where stood an idol of bronze, against which he leaned.Uncovering himself to deliver the final blow, he slipped in the bloodupon the floor, and received the point of the Hojo right through hisbreast, below the nipple. Dropping his weapon, and flinging up hisarms, he fell with a sob upon his back.
No-Kami withdrew his sword and wiped it carefully, then sat him downto think.
O'Tei murdered! By whom? what for? It must be true, or the cr
afty oldlord would never have been driven to such frenzy. It was quieted now,that same frenzy, however. He lay still enough, his skin as grey aswas his hair. "Not my fault," No-Kami murmured, with compunction; for,debauched though he was, the Hojo had respect for bravery. "He hasbrought his end upon himself. Now, what of me? Who will believe me ifI say that one who was the soul of caution came and smote me like arat? Within the prohibited distance, the Mikado's favouritecounsellor, and I so ill, so spectre-ridden." Clasping his burningforehead in his hands, No-Kami looked hungrily at the dirk whichseemed to invite him from its rack, and thought, as he had once donebefore, that it would be well to make an end on't. Not yet. He wastaken by an uncontrollable desire to know more of the tragedy at home.O'Tei murdered! The words seemed burnt into his brain; and as hecontemplated them, with her father dead at his feet, an ineffablesadness--a cold sense of extreme loneliness--crept over his soul. Thepast rose up before his vision. For a little while they had beenhappy, he and the fair O'Tei. She had been cold and haughty andrepellent, despising him always, and that had maddened him. And wasshe not right to do so--fully justified? She was better than he,--farabove his level, and it was this that had made him hate her. But didhe hate her? No! Now that she was gone, he became aware of a singularsensation. Down in the deeps of his being there was a profound pityfor her fate. Why did he feel so lonely? Why did he shudder at theshadows whose chills encompassed him about?
Who had planned her murder? Like a green ray of lightning it flashedon him--O'Kiku! His curse and hers. Oh, wretched, infatuatedman--O'Kiku! Poor O'Tei, murdered by her rival! The punishment of theconcubine was the only reparation possible. She should be punished. Ifhe was to leave Ki[^y]oto unmolested, there was not a minute to belost. The ladder was gone, the distance to the ground but small.No-Kami, his nerves strung again by a distinct purpose, moved to theverandah, and swung himself down its column. With steady tread heappeared before the sleepy sentinel, and with stern, sharp accentsissued his instructions.
"My horse Typhoon, quick. I need no followers. The Daimio of Nara hasgone the other way. Close up the house--nay, I will myself fasten it.Double the sentries. Keep watch and ward. Let none, on whateverpretext, set foot within the boundaries."
As he clattered away on his favourite charger at full speed, thesamurai looked after him.
"Ticklish times," muttered he who was in command, "each moment fraughtwith peril. My lord of Nara, no doubt, has given the best advice. Mylord is gone to act on it. Well, well, the gods be praised, our chiefis himself again!"
The Curse of Koshiu: A Chronicle of Old Japan Page 18
