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302 Hatsuhana's feelings were pacified, and she thanked the old man for his kindness. A few minutes afterwards Katsugorō crawled out of the hovel, and thanked him heartily. Tokuyémon was a kind-hearted man, and had always entirely sympathized with Katsugorō and his wife, and aided them to the best of his ability.

Just then another servant arrived, drawing a kind of wagon after him. The old man pointed to this and said: "I had this wagon hastily constructed to-day, in order to offer it to both of you. The truth is this. This morning I received from Lord Hōjō who is at Kamakura, ninsō-gaki or 'personal descriptions.' They were accompanied by a command, that if I should discover a man and his wife, whose appearances coincide with the descriptions, they should be caught and delivered to the authorities. I was astonished to find that every item exactly applies to your case. I was then, for the first time, convinced that you were Iinuma Katsugorō and Hatsuhana, who are said to be wandering in search of their enemy. Now that your 'personal descriptions' are circulated, it is dangerous for you to stay in these parts any longer. I was so anxious for your safety, that I