Page:Tales from old Japanese dramas (1915).djvu/143

Rh was carrying concealed in a straw wrapper, and made a furious lunge at Hidéyoshi. The soldiers of the latter rushed to his rescue. Shiōden cut and hewed with Herculean strength. It did not take many minutes for several of the soldiers to be slain. The rest took to their heels. In the meanwhile, Hidéyoshi, with his characteristic quick-wittedness, stripped the dead priest of his robe and donned it over his armour. In this disguise, he leapt into his saddle and, spurring the horse, galloped away. Shiōden gave chase, but found it impossible to overtake him. However, he ran at full speed, stumbling over stones, and trampling on cornfields, when Katō Kiyomasa appeared and barred his way. The two heroes closed in a severe contest, and fought for a good while, with equal success. It seemed impossible to tell to whom the victory would fall. But at last Kiyomasa dropped a mighty blow which Shiōden failed to ward off, and the latter was cut down. Kiyomasa then cast a searching eye in all directions to discover the whereabouts of his chief. To his regret and anxiety, Hidéyoshi had ridden into the forest some distance away, and there were no signs of him to be seen.