Page:Tales from old Japanese dramas (1915).djvu/226

166 "Open!" he cried aloud. "I, Kajiwara Kagétaka, have had secret information that Taira-no-Tadanori is hiding in this house, and have come to take him prisoner. My troops have completely surrounded the dwelling, and there is no means of escape. I order him, therefore, to come out and become my prisoner peacefully."

Tadanori was not at all frightened. He bade Kikuno-Mayé and Hayashi keep within, and unsheathed his great sword.

"Pooh, Kagétaka!" he sneered, "your meanness and cowardice are past belief! Why did you not proceed to the battlefield instead of surrounding me with so many troops when I am alone? I am not such a weakling as to allow myself to be easily caught by you! Approach, and I will show you in what direction my abilities lie!"

So crying, the hero threw himself among the foes and fought desperately, now cutting and kicking, and then trampling on them. The latter were seized with fear, and retreated one after another. Kagétaka was also, in spite of his threatening attitude, seized with fear, and took to his heels.

Tadanori paused to take breath, and soon