Page:Tales from old Japanese dramas (1915).djvu/474

386 your message to His Excellency. You must give up all hope of being received by him in audience."

"Well!" broke in Tei Shiryō, "if His Excellency General Kanki is absent, we must see Lady Kanki. Kindly tell her that we have come over from Japan. She will then understand who we are."

Hardly had he spoken these words, when a great uproar arose within the castle.

"They are Japanese! We must beware of them! They must be here for some suspicious purpose, if they insist upon seeing our lady!"

With these words several soldiers appeared at the parapet, ready to fire on them with their muskets.

The noise of the tumult reached the ears of Kinshō, Kanki's wife. Running up the tower, she bade the soldiers cease, and looking down outside the gate, she said: "Visitors, I am Kanki's wife. My name is Kinshō. What do you want with my husband? The name of Japan has a pleasant sound to my ear! Kindly tell me who you are."—She was wondering if her father, by any chance, was amongst the visitors.—"Soldiers, do not fire your muskets! Do not be so rash!"