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3 182202465 1721 s$J%*mf- m^W Jfe*'^^*^ *'* WWW;: -'W

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JAPAN'S DOUBLE GOVERNMENT. 107<br />

beard before the head fell to the earth. With<br />

this weapon Yoritomo went into battle on the day<br />

of the great conflict between the Gen and He*!. In<br />

the flight eastward the boy Yoritomo, being utterly<br />

worn out with fatigue, fell asleep on his horse, and<br />

in the haste was left behind. It was towards the<br />

end of the year, very cold, and snow was falling;<br />

so when Yoritomo woke up he found he had lost his<br />

way. A messenger found him, however, and the<br />

party then took a side road to avoid a barrier<br />

guarded by Hel troops. The snow was so deep<br />

that the horses could not advance. So the warriors<br />

stripped<br />

off their armor and went on foot. In the<br />

blinding storm Yoritomo again missed his father,<br />

and, losing his way, wandered about all night.<br />

"In the morning a fisherman met the tired boy,<br />

and, seeing he was no ordinary person, gave him<br />

some rice and a warm bed. Then he dressed him<br />

up as a girl to avoid to the house<br />

recognition, and took him<br />

of the elder of the village, who was<br />

a friend of the Minamoto. Leaving his sword with<br />

the old man, Yoritomo started eastward again, but<br />

was captured by some Taira men who were lying in<br />

watch on the road.<br />

"The Taira commander, according to orders,<br />

brought the boy to Kyoto to be executed; but se-<br />

cretly he wished to spare his life. So going<br />

to Ki-<br />

yomori's step-mother, who had become a nun from<br />

grief because she had lost a dear young son named<br />

Uma, he told her that Yoritomo looked like the<br />

Prince Uma. The pitiful woman's heart was touched

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