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THE RED AND WHITE BANNERS. 127
one Genji man denied that the fan had been hit at
all; 'for,' said he, warming up
for the gods, '
with sudden zeal
the gods snatched away the fan, for it
is profanation to shoot at the sun, the image of the
gods and the symbol of the emperor's soul.'
" '
Quite possible,' said the modest archer, ' but I
did not aim at the sun-circle ; I tried to hit the
rivet.'
" At this even the friends of Mune'taki and those
who had most praised him were very sad, and their
countenances fell.
" ' What a pity,' said some, '
that a brave soldier
should thus tell a lie, and spoil his good fame by an
empty boast of doing what is impossible !
'
" ' He lies ! he lies !
" The archer only said, '
said the jealous man.
Wait.'
"The shout of admiration from the He'ike' fleet
was succeeded by a calm of dismay, and in a few
minutes after a barge flying the red flag approached
the shore containing a flag of truce. With it were
brought the arrow shot by
Mune'taki and the fan
shot at. It was nicked and cut at the place of the
rivet, but the sun-circle was unharmed. So the
archer's honor and skill were alike safe from jealous
tongues. To this day the daimio and descendants
of Mune'taki, lords of the castle of Akita, are proud
of their crest of a golden fan with a crimson sun in
the center.
"The He"ik read in this omen the anger of the
gods and the portent of defeat; but they resolved
to fight to the bitter end. Truce having failed, the
'