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54 HONDA THE SAMUEAI.
and looked across the screen to ask the long-armed
fellow with
pick-a-pack.
short legs whether he wanted to ride
He agreed, but was so lazy and so long
in getting over his yawns and stretching, that before
he was ready the screen was full of other figures
from Hotel's bag.
There in the middle was Yoshitsund again, now
grown to be a man. He sat at the foot of a cherrytree
in blossom, his fan in his hand and his sword
with its tiger-skin scabbard in his lap. Down at his
feet was his burly friend Benkei, an ex-monk and
a jack of seven trades. He carried on his back a
spade, an axe, a club, a saw, a mallet, a rake, and a
sickle. He had the pole of a notice-board in his
hand, which he intended, after making an inscription,
to stick into the ground. He wrote on it, " No
person shall trespass on this mountain. For every
blossom picked a finger will be cut off."
"Ha! ha!" laughed Kozo. "He can't keep
people from picking blossoms, can he? Arashi
Yama is always free."
" Well, one must not be too greedy of anything,
even of flowers," laughed Hote"i.
"
be punished. Look !
" If he does, he '11
Four sparrows, dressed like girls, sat before as
many little tables filled with refreshments, around
an old lady holding a box. Hearing a knock on
the door, the birds chirruped a welcome to the
gentleman who was kind to the birds. They feasted
and entertained him for three days, and then gave
him the choice of two baskets. He modestly took the