CHAPTER XXI.
THE KISAKI.
Kioto was only five leagues distant from the camp of Hieyas; but as thevictorious party occupied the side towards Fusimi, the Prince of Nagatowas obliged to take a roundabout route, by the shores of Lake Biva.
Day was beginning to dawn; darkness still covered the earth. But skyand water began to brighten; a fine mist hung here and there.
The lake is shaped like the musical instrument called a biva; itstretches behind the mountains surrounding Kioto, and divides them fromthe town. The long and narrow part, forming the handle of the guitar,branches out into a river, and, describing a semicircle, enters Kiotofrom the south.
By the orders of General Sanada-Sayemon-Yoke-Moura, General Yama-Kavawas to encamp with his five thousand men on the shore of the lake atthe foot of the mountains; but as he advanced, the Prince of Nagatobecame sure that Yama-Kava had abandoned the position. He found tracesof the camp, ashes of dead fires, and holes dug for the tent-poles.
"What does this mean?" he thought. "If the General has left his post,danger must have called him elsewhere. Perhaps the conflict has not yetbegun; perhaps all is over, and I have come too late."
At this idea the Prince, a prey to a terrible pang, urged his horsetowards the mountain, and hurried up a steep and almost inaccessiblepath. If he succeeded in climbing the slope, he could reach Kioto ina few moments, instead of wasting several hours in winding along theshores of the lake and river.
Loo was first to follow in his master's tracks. All the sailors soonimitated his example, after recalling the advance-guard. With greatdifficulty they gained the crest of the hill; it was connected by aslight descent with another and loftier peak, the mountain of Oudji,upon which the most delicate tea is grown.
The western orchard, the scene of the poetical tourney presided overby the Kisaki, lay in the path of the Prince. He leaped the fence andcrossed the orchard, this being the shortest way. The trees were loadedwith fruit, the over-burdened boughs bending to the ground.
The Prince paused at the brink of the terrace, where the city layin full view, just at the spot where the Queen had approached him afew months before, and spoken to him with tears in her eyes. He casta rapid glance at Kioto. From various points rose a column of blacksmoke, which was also visible within the precincts of the Dairi. Thepalace and city must, therefore, have been set on fire. The fortress ofNisio-Nosiro, on Wild Goose River, was besieged; the Knights of Heavenwere doubtless defending it. The Mikado must have taken refuge behindits ramparts. Farther off, on the other side of the town, a fight wasgoing on between Yama-Kava's men and the soldiers of Hieyas. The latterwere almost masters of Kioto. Yama-Kava still held the eastern portionof the city; but Hieyas' banner floated from every other point.
The Prince of Nagato, with frowning brow, devoured the scene spreadout at his feet. He bit his lips till they bled; full of wrath, hepreserved his clearness of judgment, and coolly examined the situation.
When a conflict occurs in a city, the combatants are perforcescattered. The plan of the streets, their lack of breadth, necessitatesa division of numbers. The battle is parcelled out; there is no unityof movement; each street and square has its individual contest,ignoring the phases of those close by.
The Prince of Nagato instantly saw the advantage to be gained from thisdisposition of the battle. His little troop, nothing on the plain,where its weakness would be apparent, might produce a happy effect byan impetuous dash, taking the enemy unawares in the rear, and possiblycausing confusion in the ranks.
The Prince decided quickly, uttered a shout to rally his men, who hadmanaged to join him by dint of much pains; then he spurred his horsedown the opposite slope of the high hill, and cried: "Follow me!"
The descent was most dangerous; but the energy of the men seemed to becommunicated to their steeds. They reached the bottom without accident;then plunged with frightful speed into the street most crowded withsoldiers.
The sound made by the sudden tramp of horses' hoofs upon the pavedroad was tremendous. The soldiers turned, saw the street filled withcavalry, and with the instinctive dread which men on foot feel for menon horseback, they strove to keep out of the way; pushing and stumblingover each other, in an attempt to reach a cross street. The ridersfired a few shots, which only hastened the flight of the pedestrians.In the twinkling of an eye the street was emptied; and the fugitivesspread terror as they ran, supposing that they were trapped between twoarmies.
The street entered by Nagato was very long, traversing almost theentire town, and ending in a small square. At the other extremity, thestreets opening into it were occupied by Yama-Kava's soldiers. Upon thesquare itself the enemy had centred their forces.
The conflict had but just begun. Although inferior in numbers, thepartisans of Fide-Yori did not flinch. At the mouth of the square thePrince halted; he was master of the street; it was important to keep it.
"Let twenty men defend the other end of this street," he cried, "andtwo men station themselves at every alley opening into it. Now we mustlet Yama-Kava's soldiers know that they are to make an effort to joinus."
Raiden sprang forward. A hailstorm of arrows wrapped, him round; hishorse fell; the sailor rose; he was wounded; but he managed to reachthe other side of the square. A discharge of musketry rattled, andpicked off a number of men. An empty space was formed in front of thestreet occupied by the Prince; the hostile troops gathered about theirleaders, to devise measures; and they decided to abandon the square andfall back upon the neighboring streets. They executed this movement,which was almost a retreat.
Nothing was easier now for Yama-Kava's men than to effect a junctionwith those of Nagato. The former crossed the square in double-quicktime, and gained the conquered street. Soon their General himselfappeared, on horseback, masked, clad in his armor of black shell, lancein hand.
"It is the lord of Nagato!" he exclaimed, as he recognized the Prince."I am no longer amazed to see the enemy so roughly repulsed. Victoryseems to be your slave."
"If it be true that I have her in my chains, may she never recover herliberty!" said the Prince. "What is going on here?" he added. "Whatsacrilege, what unprecedented crime, do we behold?"
"Incredible indeed," said the General. "Hieyas proposes to carry offthe Mikado, and burn the town."
"For what purpose?"
"I do not know."
"I think I can guess," said the Prince; "the Mikado, once in his power,would be forced to proclaim Hieyas Shogun; the entire nation woulddeclare itself for Hieyas, and Fide-Yori would be obliged to lay downhis arms."
"There is no limit to that man's audacity!"
"Where is the Mikado now?" asked the Prince.
"In the fortress of Nisio-Nosiro."
"So I supposed; and I fancy that you and I have hit upon the same planof battle."
"You honor me," said the General.
"You mean to spread your army, I fancy, from this street, like a lakebecoming a river, and surround the foe. In this way the enemy willbe cut off from the shores of the Kamon-Gawa, and the attack on thefortress, of scanty numbers, as it seems to me, will be isolated. Youwill then fall back upon the fortress and seek shelter within itswalls."
"That was indeed my intention," said the General; "but without yourhelp I fear I should have failed to force my way through the hostileranks."
"Well, now lead your men towards the fortress, while I hold ouradversaries here as long as possible."
The General set off. The soldiers of Hieyas returned. The nascent panicwas allayed. From every lane on the left they attacked the street whichseparated them from the river; they were received with volleys of shotand arrows. They retreated; then returned to the charge.
"We must barricade those alleys," said the Prince.
"With what?"
The hermetically closed houses seemed dead. Their mute, blind aspectshowed that it would be useless to knock; for it would awake no echo inthe soul of the terrified inhabitants. The blinds were wrenched fromtheir hinges,
the windows broken open, the houses entered. A sort ofpillage began; everything was thrown into the street,--screens, bronzevases, lacquer chests, mattresses, and lanterns. With astonishingrapidity all this was heaped up pell-mell at the mouth of the differentlanes. A tea-merchant was entirely stripped; all the exquisitevarieties of the aromatic herb, wrapped in silk paper, in leaden boxes,or in valuable caskets, went to swell the pile, and were offered to theravages of arrows and shot. The air was filled with perfume.
The enemy fought furiously, but could not cross the street. In thedirection of the river was heard the sound of another conflict ragingthere. The Prince sent one of his men that way, saying: "Come and tellus as soon as Yama-Kava wins."
The struggle now became desperate; several barricades were forced; menfought hand to hand in the street filled with dust and smoke.
"Courage, courage!" shouted Nagato to his troops; "a moment more!"
At last the messenger returned.
"Victory!" he cried; "Yama-Kava has crossed the river."
Then Nagato's men began to fall back. Yama-Kava, protected by theKnights of Heaven, who overwhelmed his assailants with arrows fromthe top of the towers, entered the fortress with his five thousandsoldiers. The Mikado was thenceforth out of danger; seven thousandmen behind the ramparts being fully equal to the ten thousand exposedtroops of the hostile General. The latter, filled with wrath, hisorders unheeded, seeing the mistake he had made by involving his men inthe labyrinth of streets, sprang to the head of his troops, to inspirethem with fresh courage, force the passage so bravely defended, andreach the banks of the Kamon-Gawa.
He found himself face to face with the Prince of Nagato; both were onhorseback. They gazed at each other for an instant.
"It is you, then," cried the Prince, "who serve as the instrument ofa crime so odious that it seems incredible! It is you who have theimpudence to raise your hand against the divine Mikado!"
For his only answer, the General flung a dart at Nagato, which grazedhis sleeve. The Prince responded by a shot, fired at close range. Thewarrior fell upon his horse's neck without a sound,--to rise no more.
The news of his death spread quickly; the soldiers, left without aleader, wavered.
"His sacrilegious daring brought him ill luck," said they; "it may wellbe fatal to us too."
The Prince, who noted this hesitation and the vague remorse springingup in the souls of the soldiers, hit upon a scheme adapted to renderthe victory decisive if it produced the effect which he expected. Heran to the brink of the Wild Goose River, and shouted to the soldierswho guarded the fortress: "Lead the Mikado to the top of the tower."
His idea was caught. Go-Mitzou-No was sought in all haste, andconducted by force, more dead than alive, to the highest tower of thecastle.
The Sun Goddess seemed to cast all her rays upon that divine man, whowas fully her peer. The Mikado's red robes shone resplendent; the loftysheet of gold which formed, his crown gleamed upon his brow.
"The Son of the Gods! the Son of the Gods!" was the universal shout.
The soldiers raised their heads; they saw that dazzling mass of purpleand gold at the top of the tower,--the man whom they were forbidden tobehold, the man surrounded by an awful spell, and whom they had justoutraged. They thought that the Mikado was about to take his flight andleave earth behind forever, in punishment of the wickedness of men.They threw down their arms and fell upon their knees.
"Mercy!" they cried; "do not desert us! What will become of us withoutyou?"
"Sublime lord! all-powerful master! we are base wretches; but thygoodness is infinite!"
"We will abase ourselves in the dust; we will moisten it with the tearsof our repentance."
Then they burst into invectives against their leaders.
"They drove us to it, they led us astray!" "They intoxicated us withsaki, to take away our senses!" "The General paid for his crime withhis life!" "Let him be accursed!" "May he be devoured by foxes!" "Maythe great judge of hell be pitiless towards him!"
The Mikado's eyes wandered over the city; he saw smoke rising on everyhand. He extended his arm, and pointed with his finger to the burningbuildings.
The soldiers below imagined this gesture to be an order; they rose andflew to extinguish the flames which they themselves had kindled.
The victory was complete. The Prince of Nagato smiled as he saw howexactly the Mikado's appearance had answered his anticipations.
But all at once, just as he was about to step upon the drawbridge andenter the fortress in his turn, frantic servants came running along thebanks of the Kamon-Gawa.
"The Queen!" they cried; "they are carrying off the Queen!"
"What say you?" exclaimed the Prince, turning pale. "Then the Queen isnot in the fortress?"
"She had no time to seek refuge there, she is at the summer-palace."
Without staying to hear more, 'Nagato sprang like an arrow in thedirection of the palace, followed by such of his soldiers as wereleft,--scarcely fifty able-bodied men.
But they soon lost sight of the Prince; and, not knowing their way,went astray.
Nagato quickly reached the door of the summer-palace. Pages stood atthe threshold.
"That way! that way!" they cried to the Prince, pointing to the roadwhich led to the base of the mountains.
Nagato turned and put the spurs to his horse. Unfortunately the roadwas bordered by trees, and was very winding, so that he could see but ashort distance before him. Nothing was visible. His horse reared, andsprang forward. To lighten its load, he throw away his gun.
After ten minutes of this mad race he saw the hind-quarters of a horsein a cloud of dust. The Prince was gaining ground; he soon saw afloating veil, and a man, who turned his head in alarm.
"What man is that who dares clasp her in his arms?" thought Nagato,gnashing his teeth.
The despoiler plunged into a valley; the Prince was dose upon him. Theman, seeing that all was lost, slipped down from his horse and escapedon foot, leaving the Queen behind.
The Prince thought he recognized in the fugitive Faxibo, the groompromoted to be the confidant of Hieyas.
It was indeed he. This rogue, who respected nothing, seeing that theday was lost and the Mikado out of reach, thought of the Kisaki, aloneand defenceless in the summer-palace; he at once realized the valueof such a prize, and resolved to carry off his sovereign. He enteredthe palace, on the plea of being an envoy from Yama-Kava. He was onhorseback; the Queen stepped forward on the balcony. He instantlyseized her, and fled before the servants had recovered from theirsurprise.
The Prince had no time to pursue Faxibo, as the horse which bore theQueen continued to run.
Nagato rushed after her and caught her in his arms; she had fainted.
He carried her into the shade of a tea-shrub, and laid her on thegrass; then he dropped upon one knee, trembling with emotion,desperate, and distracted. The furious course which he had just run,the fatigue of the fight, and his sleepless night, clouded his mind.He thought that he was dreaming; he gazed at the being who had neverceased to occupy his every thought, and blessed the illusion which ledhim to fancy her beside him.
Lying in a careless, graceful position, very pale, her head thrownback, her body swathed in a lilac crape robe whose folds were stirredby the rapid palpitations of her heart, she seemed asleep. Her sleevewas slightly disarranged, revealing her arm; her little hand, stretchedout upon the grass, palm uppermost, looked like a water-lily.
"What supreme beauty!" thought the enraptured Prince; "assuredly theGoddess of the Sun could be no more resplendent! Light seems to radiatefrom her white skin; her mouth is crimsoned with the life-blood of aflower; her large eyes, beneath their long black lashes, are like twoswallows drowned in milk. Do not fade, celestial vision! Remain everthus: my eyes are riveted upon thee!"
Gradually a sense of reality returned to him; he remembered that shewas suffering, while he forgot to aid her. But what could he do? Helooked around him for a brook or waterfall; he saw nothing. Then heopene
d his fan and waved it gently above the Queen's face. She remainedmotionless. The Prince took her hand, thinking that she might be cold;but he sprang quickly to his feet and started back, alarmed by the deepagitation which the touch of those soft warm fingers aroused in hisbosom. He called; no one replied. Those who had followed him in pursuitof the Queen's abductor, instead of turning into the valley, had keptstraight on.
Nagato returned to the Kisaki; it seemed to him that she stirred. Heknelt beside her once more, and gazed into her face. She opened hereyes; then shut them again, as if dazzled by the light. The Prince bentover her. "Beloved Queen," he sighed, "revive! revive!" She openedher eyes a second time, and saw the Prince. Then an enchanting smilehovered upon her lips. A bird sang above them.
"Is it you, Iwakura?" she said, in a faint voice; "have you come backto me at last? You see that death is merciful, and has reunited us!"
"Alas!" said the Prince, "we still live."
The Kisaki sat up, and leaning on one hand, looked all about her,striving to recollect what had happened; then her eyes returned toNagato.
"Did not some man tear me from my palace, and carry me brutally away?"she asked.
"A miserable wretch did indeed commit that crime, worthy of a thousanddeaths."
"What did he mean to do with me?"
"He meant to imprison you, so that he might impose his own terms on theMikado."
"Villain!" cried the Queen. "I can guess the rest," she added: "youpursued my ravisher, and rescued me. I am not surprised. I called uponyou in the midst of my danger! Just now, when I lost consciousness, Ithought of you; I invoked your aid."
With these words the Kisaki cast down her eyes and turned away herhead, as if ashamed of such an avowal.
"Oh! I conjure you," cried the Prince, "do not take back those words;do not repent that you pronounced them!"
The Kisaki raised her large eyes to the Prince with a prolonged gaze."I do not repent," she said. "I love you; I acknowledge it proudly.My love is as pure as a star; I have no cause to conceal it. I havereflected much in your absence. I was terrified by the feeling whichtook deeper possession of me daily; I considered myself criminal; Istrove to conquer my heart, to silence my thoughts; but to no avail.Can the flower refuse to bud and bloom,--the star refuse to shine? Canthe night rebel when day triumphs over it, as you have triumphed overmy soul?"
"Do I hear aright? Do lips like yours address such words to me?"exclaimed the Prince. "You love me! you, the Daughter of the Gods! Thenlet me bear you hence; let us fly from the kingdom to some distant landwhich will be a paradise. You are mine if you love me. I have beenso miserable! Now my happiness weighs me to the ground. Come, let ushasten; life is too short to hold such bliss."
"Prince," said the Queen, "the confession which I have made to you,being what I am, should show you how far my love is removed fromearthly thoughts. I do not belong to myself in this world; I am a wife;I am a sovereign; no guilty deed can ever be committed by me. My soulsurrenders itself to you, against my will; could I hide it from you?But if I spoke to-day, it was merely because we shall never meet againon earth."
"Never meet again!" cried the Prince, in horror. "Why do you sayso cruel a thing? Why, after opening heaven to my gaze for a briefinstant, do you hurl me suddenly down to the torments of hell? To bedeprived of your presence will as surely kill me as to be deprived oflight and air."
Nagato covered his face, to hide the tears which he could not restrain.But the Queen gently drew his hands aside, saying: "Do not weep. Whatis life? A trifle by the side of eternity. We shall meet again, I amvery sure."
"But if death deceive us," said the Prince; "if life ends inannihilation; if all is over with the last sigh?"
"That is impossible," she answered with a smile, "because my love isinfinite."
"It is well," said the Prince; "I will kill myself."
"Swear that you will do nothing of the kind!" exclaimed the Kisaki."What do we know of the will of Heaven? We may not have the right toescape our destiny; and if we do not yield to it, we may be forced toreturn to earth.".
"But it is impossible; I cannot endure to live!" said the Prince. "Doyou not see how I suffer? You say you love me, and you torture me thus!"
"Do you think I do not suffer too? I swear to you that I will die of mylove without taking refuge in suicide."
The Prince had thrown himself upon the sod, his face in the grass;convulsive sobs shook his frame.
"You drive me to despair, Iwakura!" cried the Queen; "all my strengthwill vanish before your grief. I am but a woman in your presence; mywill is no longer supreme. What must I do to dry your tears?"
"Allow me to see you from time to time as heretofore," said the Prince;"then only can I consent to wait for death."
"Meet again after what I have told you!"
"I will forget it, if need be, divine friend; I will remain your humbleand submissive servant. No word or look shall ever betray the justpride which fills my soul."
The Queen smiled as she saw happiness once more illumine the stillmoist eyes of the Prince. "You have vanquished me," said she; "and yetI thought my resolution fixed. May I never be punished for my weakness!"
"Punished! For what?" said the Prince. "What evil do we commit? Are notall the nobles of the Court admitted to your presence? Should I alonebe exiled because I am blind to everything but your beauty? Would notthat be unjust?"
"It would be wise and prudent," said the Queen, sighing, "But I haveyielded; let us say no more about it, but return to the palace," sheadded; "my people must be seeking for me still. We must let them knowthat I am safe."
"Oh, stay one moment more!" murmured the Prince; "we shall never againmeet as now, in the midst of Nature, alone, far from every eye. Civilwar, crime, and sacrilege were required to bring about this conditionof things. To-morrow all the ceremony of your rank will surround youonce more; I can only address you from afar."
"Who knows what may happen yet?" said the Queen.
"The Mikado sought refuge in the fortress, which was at once surroundedby soldiers; I was forced to remain in the summer-palace. All this hashappened since morning. The rebels had the upper hand--"
"But since then they have been completely conquered," said the Prince;"the hostile General is killed, and his army has surrendered; theMikado is free. But let us not talk of that. What matters the war? Tellme: how long have you loved me?"
"Ever since I knew you," said the Kisaki, casting down her eyes. "Inever suspected it, until jealousy revealed my love to me."
"You jealous!"
"Yes, and madly. I felt a strange and constant pain; I could not sleep;all pleasures annoyed me. I gave way to my anger continually, and Iabused my women. The one whom I thought you loved, I loathed. Oneevening I drove her from my presence because she betrayed her love byan exclamation on seeing you leaning against a tree. I returned to mypalace. I can see you still in the moonlight, pale, with burning eyes."
"Did you not see that I looked at you alone?"
"No; and all night long I wept in silence."
"Oh, do not drive me mad!" cried the Prince.
"You see," said she, "I conceal nothing from you; I lay my heart barebefore you, confident of your loyalty."
"I am worthy of your confidence," said the Prince; "my love is as pureas your own."
"A few days later," continued the Queen, "you knelt before me inthe audience-chamber. Surprised at your emotion, I permitted myselfto speak of my maid-of-honor. You cried out that you did not loveher, casting upon me a look in which all your soul was visible. Doyou remember what a scornful, angry air I assumed? If you knew whatineffable joy overwhelmed me: the gazelle seized in the tiger's claws,then let suddenly loose, must feel something of my sensations. I knewthen that it was I whom you loved; your look and your emotion told meso. When I left you, I hurried into the gardens and wrote the verseswhich I gave you so indifferently.
"They lie here upon my heart," said the Prince; "they never leave me."
"Do you recognize
this?" said the Kisaki, showing the Prince a fanthrust into the girdle of silver brocade which encircled her waist.
"No," said Nagato; "what may that be?"
She took out the fan, and opened it. It was of white paper, sprinkledwith gold. In one corner was a tuft of reeds and two storks flyingover; at the other end were four lines of poetry, written in Chinesecharacters.
"The thing which we love more than all else, we prefer that no one else should love. It belongs to another. So the willow, which takes root in our garden, Bends, blown by the wind, and adorns our neighbor's wall with its branches."
"Those are the verses which I wrote in the western orchard!" cried thePrince. "Have you preserved that fan?"
"I never use any other," said the Kisaki.
They broke into pleased laughter, forgetful of their past sufferings,dwelling with delight on this moment of happiness. The Queen no longerspoke of returning to the palace.
"If you were my brother!" she suddenly exclaimed; "if I might pass mylife in your society without giving rise to slander, how swiftly thedays would pass."
"And you wanted to drive me from you, cruel one!"
"The queen issued that order; before your tears the woman could notobey! But tell me now, how did you happen to fall in love with me?"
"I have long loved you," said the Prince. "My love was born before youever saw me. When my father abdicated in my favor, I came to take theoath of allegiance to the Mikado. As I left the audience-chamber, youpassed by me on the balcony. I thought it was Ten-Sio-Dai-Tsin herself;I was mute with surprise and admiration. Your eyes were lowered; yourlong lashes cast a shadow on your cheeks. I can see you now, if I closemy eyes. A white peacock was embroidered on your robe; lotos-blossomsdecked your hair; your hand, hanging by your side, negligently-waveda fan of pheasant-plumes. It was only a flash: you disappeared; butthenceforth I lived but for you.--I did not return to the palace untila year later."
"It was then I first saw you," said the Queen. "Every one was talkingof you; my women never wearied of the theme; your praises were on everylip. I was curious to see the hero to whom every virtue was attributed,who was adorned with every grace. Hidden behind a blind, I watched youas you crossed the great courtyard of the Dairi. I thought that rumordid not do you justice; and I moved away, strangely agitated."
"As for me, I left the palace without seeing you again; I was a preyto gloomy sorrow. For a year I had patiently awaited the moment when Ihoped I might catch another glimpse of you; and the year's delay endedin disappointment. I could not help coming back a few days later; onthis occasion I was admitted to a festival at which you were present.It was then that I perceived the interest felt for me by Fatkoura, andformed the wicked scheme of concealing the overwhelming passion whichpossessed me behind a feigned love."
"How she must suffer, unfortunate girl, to love, and not be loved inreturn!" said the Kisaki. "I pity her with all my heart. Where is shenow?"
"At my castle of Hagui, with my father. I have sent a messenger thitherto bring me the latest tidings in regard to events there. My fathermust think me dead; for you probably do not know that my kingdom hasbeen pillaged, my fortress taken, and my head cut off. But what doI care? I would give my kingdom and the whole world just to see thepretty dimple at the corner of your mouth when you smile."
"Ah!" said the Queen, "I, too, would cheerfully give up my crown, andall the splendors that surround me, to be your wife and live with you.But do not let us think of what is impossible," she added; "let usremember that our hope lies beyond the limits of this world." Sayingthis, she raised her eyes to heaven.
"Look, friend!" she exclaimed; "see those clouds lit up by rosyreflections; the sun is setting already. Is it possible!"
"Alas!" said the Prince; "then we must return to the haunts of men."
"Do not be too sad," she whispered; "for we shall meet again."
The Prince rose, and went in search of the horses. The one which hehad ridden lay dead from exhaustion; the other, being very weary, hadhalted a few paces away. He led it back to the Queen, and helped herinto the saddle; then he cast a last regretful glance at the valleywhich he was about to leave. With a deep sigh he took the horse by thebridle and led it over the turf.
Just as the Kisaki and the Prince left, the bush which had shaded themrustled, and a man who had been hidden behind it ran off.