THE PRINCIPALITY OF NAGATO.
At the beginning of hostilities, Fatkoura, according to the arrangement
made by the Prince, had been despatched to Hagui, the castle of her
betrothed, under an escort provided by the Queen, to protect her from
the dangers of the road. She also took all her household. In the midst
of her despair and disappointed love, she felt a cruel pleasure. "There
are three of us miserable now," she thought. She had agreed to marry
the Prince, with an idea of being avenged. Besides, how could she
refuse? The Kisaki had ordered the marriage, nobly sacrificing her own
unacknowledged love; moreover, everybody in the palace knew Fatkoura's
feeling for the Prince of Nagato. She had revealed it unhesitatingly,
in the pride of her joy, when she thought herself beloved. She left
the Court hastily, tired of wearing a smiling mask before her friends,
whose congratulations overwhelmed her.
During the journey, she saw nothing of the lovely country through which
she passed. She kept her eyes fixed on the matting of her norimono, her
grief growing ever more profound. Sometimes she sent for Tika; and the
girl would crouch down opposite her, and gaze at her with anxious pity,
trying to rouse her from her melancholy revery.
"Just see, mistress!" she would say; "see what a pretty river, the
color of absinthe, runs between those velvety hills. Every shade of
green is to be found there,--the green of the pale willow, of the
dark cypress, of the silvery birch, of the turf, bright as an emerald;
each adds its varying hue. And look, the moss, to make that green too,
has crept all over the water-mill, whose image is reflected in the
water. And yonder those reeds# which look like swords, and those ducks,
flapping their wings and flying away with necks outstretched,--they are
as green as is the rest of the landscape."
Fatkoura did not heed her.
"He will come back to you," said Tika, giving up all hope of turning
the thoughts of her mistress from her persistent grief; "when you are
his wife he will love you again, you are so beautiful."
"He never loved me, and I don't want him to love me," said Fatkoura;
"for I hate him."
Tika sighed.
"I have but one pleasure, and that is to know that he suffers; that
she too--she who crushes me by her power and her matchless beauty--is
devoured by sorrow. They love, and they may not confess it. I am one
obstacle the more between them. The Mikado might have died; then she
could have married him."
"A Kisaki! marry a prince!" exclaimed Tika.
"You forget," said Fatkoura, "that Nagato's ancestor was next in
rank to the Mikado. Iwakura's crest still proclaims the fact, for it
consists of two Chinese characters, meaning: 'The highest rank.' In the
days when I loved the Prince of Nagato, the Son of the Gods himself
could not have driven him from my heart."
"You love him more than ever," murmured Tika.
Sometimes Fatkoura was moved with pity for her own fate. She recalled
the time when the delight of being loved filled her soul; and she wept
bitterly. But tears failed to comfort her.
"I am a fool!" she said; "I long to weep upon his shoulder; I fain
would pour out my anguish to his cold and cruel heart!"
Then her anger grew strong within her once more.
At last she reached the town of Hagui, situated on the shores of the
Japanese Sea. She entered the superb gateway of the ancient fortress
of the Princes of Nagato. In the first courtyard Iwakura's father came
forward to meet her, and greeted her kindly, saying: "Welcome to your
home, Princess of Nagato." Though sixty years old, he was straight and
strong. In the nobility of his features the young woman traced some
likeness to Iwakura. The Prince had abdicated in favor of his eldest
son some years before; he now devoted himself to the education of his
youngest boy, a lad of thirteen, who stood beside him, and upon whose
head his hand rested.
Fatkoura was forced to smile and seem cheerful. She hid her mouth
behind her sleeve, with that modest and affectionate gesture familiar
to Japanese women; then she knelt for a moment at the Prince's feet.
He treated her in a fatherly manner,--made her splendid presents,
installed her in the state apartments, showed her his domains, gave
entertainments for her, and got up hunting parties in her honor.
Fatkoura experienced a strange emotion amid these surroundings, which
so vividly recalled her betrothed. She saw the room in which he was
born; the playthings broken by his childish hands; his first clothes,
which still retained the impress of a figure graceful even then. She
was told a thousand pretty anecdotes of his adored infancy; then the
heroic deeds of the boy and man, his literary triumphs, the nobility
of his soul, his goodness and devotion. The old Prince never wearied
of the tale; and the father's love tortured and increased the woman's
unhappy passion. Then a sort of resignation came to her. By dint
of hiding her grief she buried it in the depths of her soul, and
diminished it. She tried to forget that she was not beloved; she found
comfort in the strength of her own affection.
"I love," she would say to herself; "that is enough. I will be content
to see him, to hear his voice, to bear his name. I will be patient.
Time, perhaps, may cure his passion. Then he will take pity on my long
suffering; he will remember all that I have endured for his sake;
his heart will be softened; he will love me. I shall end my days in
happiness with him; I shall be the mother of his children."
When the rumors of war were confirmed, anxiety took possession of all
hearts; the life of the absent one was in danger.
"Where is he at this moment?" asked Fatkoura.
"He is at the most perilous post, I am sure," replied the old nobleman.
He said this with pride, holding his head erect; but his voice
trembled, and tears stood in his eyes.
Then more details reached the castle. The Princes of Figo and Tosa
threatened Osaka, and also the province of Nagato. Iwakura's father
raised an army, and despatched troops to the frontier. "We have one
ally, the Prince of Aki," said he; "besides, we shall not be attacked.
No one has a grudge against us.".
He was mistaken. The soldiers sent forward by him had not yet reached
the limits of the kingdom, when the Prince of Tosa landed on the shores
of the inland sea. Full of alarm, the Prince sent a deputation to his
neighbor, the lord of Aki, who declared that he intended to remain
neutral in the war.
"He is a traitor, an infamous wretch!" cried old Nagato, when his
envoys brought him back this answer. "Well, we will defend ourselves
unaided,--with no hope of victory, to be sure, but with the certainty
that we shall not dim the lustre of our former glory."
When he was alone with Fatkoura, the Prince let all his despondency
appear.
"I pray," said he, "that my son may remain with the Shogun, and not
return here. Attacked by these powers, we cannot possibly conquer. If
he were here, he would rush to his death; and who would avenge us then?"
A party of horsemen now entered the castle. The Prince turned pale as
he saw them. They wore Nagato's crest upon their shields.
"Do you bring news of my son?" he asked, in an unsteady voice.
"Illustrious lord, the Prince of Nagato is in good health," said a
Samurai. "He is at this moment on the borders of the kingdom, busy
rallying the army around him. He intends to march against the Prince of
Figo."
"Aki has betrayed us; does my son know that?" said the Prince.
"He knows it, master. The Prince passed through the province subject to
that wretch; he supposed him friendly, but was treacherously attacked.
Thanks to his unequalled bravery, he scattered his assailants; but half
his baggage was lost."
"What orders did he send us through you?"
"These, sire: the Prince of Nagato begs you to levy an extra number of
troops and despatch them to meet the Prince of Tosa, who is advancing
towards Chozan; then to double the defenders of the fortress, take
in large supplies of provisions, and shut yourself up in it; he also
requests that you will put me in command of the troops sent against
Tosa."
These orders were at once executed.
One event followed another in rapid succession. Other messengers
arrived. The Prince of Nagato gave battle in the northern part of the
kingdom, in the territory of Suwo; the lord of Suwo, a vassal of the
Prince of Aki, favored the landing of Figo's men. But Iwakura defeated
these troops on the inland sea; many were drowned, others took refuge
on board the ships lying at anchor. Meantime the lord of Suwo's little
army attacked the Prince in the rear, trying to cut him off from the
province of Nagato; but the army was completely routed, and the Prince
was able to regain his kingdom.
Then Figo, supported by fresh forces, reappeared on the outskirts of
Nagato; and Iwakura prepared to repulse a second attack.
But while the Prince of Nagato triumphed in the northern part of his
domains, the Prince of Tosa invaded them on the south.
The province of Nagato, the extreme point of the Island of Nipon, is
bounded on three sides by the sea,--on the south-east by the inland sea
divided from the Pacific Ocean by the islands of Shikoku and Kiu-Shiu;
on the west by the Straits of Corea; on the north by the Japan Sea; and
on the east a mountain chain separates it from the principalities of
Suwo and Aki.
The Prince of Tosa came from the Island of Shikoku by way of the Bungo
Channel, crossing the inland sea directly to Chozan. His plan was to
march through the province straight upon Hagui, the capital, situated
on the other side, upon the shores of the Japan Sea.
Tosa encountered the troops hastily levied and sent to the front by
the old lord of Nagato; but those raw recruits gave way before the
well-trained army of the invader, and beating a retreat, fell back upon
Hagui. Preparations were then made to maintain a siege.
The stronghold stood some distance from the town, upon an eminence
surrounded by a moat; from the top of its towers could be seen the
fields and the sea.
Tosa's army soon covered the plain. The old lord watched it from the
fortress.
"My daughter," said he to Fatkoura, "I wish you had stayed in Kioto!"
"Father," replied the young woman, "it is my duty and my pleasure to be
here in my husband's castle, when it is in danger."
Moreover her peril distressed her but little. Her anger was dead;
she felt nothing now but love; she trembled for her dear one's life;
frightful anguish rent her soul. The arrival of a messenger did not
allay her fears.
"Since that man left him," she thought, "he might have died twenty
times over."
But the castle was blockaded; messengers could no longer reach them.
The town made a brave resistance, but was captured on the fifth day;
then began the siege of the stronghold. The Prince of Tosa himself
directed the siege.
The enemy first constructed a long roof of wood, covered with plates of
iron; then they raised it upon very tall posts, to which they fastened
it. This formed a species of penthouse, which they placed in the moat.
They then brought earth, stones, and brushwood, which they flung into
the water. The arrows aimed at them rebounded from the roof of the
penthouse. Huge blocks of stone were hurled from the castle on the
hill, to crush this dangerous refuge; but their force was deadened as
they rolled, and most of them fell into the moat,--only serving to help
the besieging party in their labor, as they quietly went on filling up
a portion of the moat, under the sheltering roof which they had built.
No more projectiles were therefore thrown from the ramparts.
The soldiers made a sally; and marching down the road which winds
around the hill like a ribbon, approached the moat. To reach the point
where the foe was at work, they were forced to quit the road, protected
by a double row of cypress-trees, and march across the slippery
grass which carpeted the steep slope of the hill. The soldiers did
their best; but they found it almost impossible to fire under these
circumstances, while they themselves afforded a fine target to their
adversaries. The wounded rolled down hill and fell into the moat.
Nagato's men gave up the attempt perforce, and returned to the castle.
The enemy finished their work without any trouble; making a broad dyke
to the foot of the hill, over which the army might pass.
They then stormed the fortress, which resisted bravely, and refused to
surrender. The besieged party fought to the last upon, the crumbling
walls. The victors rushed in, threw open the doors, let down the
bridge; and the Prince of Tosa entered the castle of Nagato to the
sound of triumphal music.
The sight which met his eyes in the first courtyard which he entered,
affected him most disagreeably. There had been no time to bury the
dead, who had been collected in this court, in a sitting posture,
their backs against the wall. There were nearly a hundred bodies, with
greenish faces, gaping mouths, and staring eyes, their arms hanging
limp; they were terrible to behold.
The Prince of Tosa fancied that they glared at him, and forbade him to
enter. As he was superstitious, he was on the point of turning back.
But he soon mastered his weakness, went on into an inner hall of the
palace, and ordered the old lord, his women, children, and entire
household, to be brought before him. They soon appeared.
There were aged women, some accompanying a decrepit father, young
girls, and children. The lord of the castle came forward, leading his
son, and followed by Fatkoura.
"If you wish to destroy these women," said old Nagato, looking at Tosa
with scorn, "say so at once, that I may curse you, and call down every
possible affliction upon your head."
"What do I care, whether they live or die?" cried Tosa. "You yourself,
having abdicated, count for nothing, and I spare your gray hairs.
I seek among you a hostage of sufficient value to guarantee the
submission of the Prince of Nagato; for, having won the victory, I
cannot remain upon his lands. The war summons me in another direction.
Which shall I take," he continued,--"the son, or the father? The child
is very young yet, and of no importance; for want of a better, I will
carry off the father."
"Take me with him then!" exclaimed the boy.
Suddenly Fatkoura stepped forward.
"Since you think his father too old, and his brother too young," she
cried, "take captive the sovereign's wife, if you consider her worthy
regret."
"Certainly I will take you; for you must be passionately loved," said
Tosa, struck by Fatkoura's beauty.
"Why have you betrayed yourself, my daughter?" muttered old Nagato.
"Why not let me go?"
"Is she really Iwakura's wife?" asked the conqueror, stirred by a
doubt. "I command you to give me a truthful answer, Nagato."
"Every word which my mouth utters is the word of truth," said Nagato.
"This woman is my son's wife, for they have pledged their troth;
nothing but the war delayed the wedding."
"Very well; let Iwakura seek his bride in the castle of the Princes of
Tosa; and the ransom which he must pay for her shall be proportioned to
the value of the treasure which I bear off."
"What have you done? what have you done?" sighed the old Prince. "How
shall I ever dare to tell my son that his wife is a prisoner?"
"You should be thankful," said the Prince of Tosa; "for see how
generous I am. I give you your life,--your own life, that of your
son, and the lives of all your household; I permit you to rebuild the
shattered walls of your castle, and am content with this one captive."
"I am ready to go," said Fatkoura, glad to be sacrificed for the safety
of the rest; "may I take a maid with me?"
"One or several, and as much baggage as you choose," said the Prince of
Tosa. "You will be treated by me as a sovereign should be."
That very night Fatkoura left the castle of Nagato. She vainly strove
to restrain her tears as she passed over the threshold in her norimono,
borne by the retainers of the victor.
"I shall never come back!" she cried.
Tika too wept. When they had gone a short distance, Fatkoura made the
palanquin-bearers halt; and leaning from the window, gazed for the
last time at the fortress of Hagui, on the brow of the hill, already
outlined in black against the crimson sky.
"Farewell! farewell!" she cried, "last refuge of my undying hope.
Behind your walls, home of my beloved, I still could dream of a remote
and lingering bliss. But it is ended; I am vowed to despair. The last
ray which shone upon my path fades with the dying day."
The men resumed their journey, and the castle was lost to sight. The
Prince of Tosa left half his army in Nagato's domains. Messengers
brought him word that Figo had been unable to break through the enemy's
lines, but that on hearing the news of the siege of Hagui, Iwakura had
suddenly departed, to march to the rescue of the fortress. He started
by night, and silently; in the morning the field was found deserted.
Figo intended to follow him up; but victory would be assured if they
could bar the enemy's march and crush him between two armies.
Tosa gave his orders to the leaders of the troops whom he left behind;
then hastened on to Chozan, where his ships awaited him. He was
reluctant to leave his dominion longer without protection, fearing
the vicinity of the Prince of Awa, whom he supposed to be loyal to
Fide-Yori.
When the junks had left the coast, and were sailing the inland sea,
towards the Bungo Channel, the Prince visited his prisoner. He had
established her in a superb tent, in the stem of the finest ship, the
one in which he himself embarked. Fatkoura sat upon a bench covered
with rich rugs; her eyes were fixed upon the shores of Nagato, now
disappearing in the distance, bathed in light.
"Have you any wish which I can gratify, fair Princess?" asked Tosa.
"Shall I order sweetmeats to be brought? would you like to hear the
sound of the flute or biva?"[1]
"All my wishes rest behind in the land which I have left," she replied;
"I have but one wish now,--to die."
"I respect your grief," said the Prince, and withdrew.
But he did not go far. He paced the deck, and, as if involuntarily, he
frequently approached the tent which sheltered Fatkoura. Tika watched
him out of the corner of her eye. He had changed his military costume,
and was dressed with much care. The Prince of Tosa was thirty years
old. He was rather fat and short; his brown skin set off his white
teeth to advantage; and his eyes, veiled by heavy lids, had a look of
amiability.
Tika thought the Prince quite charming; and she smiled faintly every
time that he heaved a sigh or cast a furtive glance at Fatkoura, who
watched the wake of the vessel.
"She is beautiful, is she not?" she said to herself. "You think that
the Prince of Nagato is very lucky to have such a bride; you would
like to take her from him. I guessed your purpose instantly. From the
moment that you saw her in the castle of Hagui, you had eyes for no one
else, and you carried her off with all speed; you feared lest her lover
should come in time to wrest her from you. But you'll have your labor
for your pains; she will never love you.... Not that I would not pray
for your success," continued Tika, carrying on her monologue; "if she
could be cured and become Princess of Tosa, I should rejoice sincerely.
The Prince of Nagato, too, would consent to the match with pleasure;
but that, you cannot suspect."
The Prince of Tosa also scanned the young waiting-maid from time to
time.
"Yes, yes! I understand," muttered Tika; "you examine the
stepping-stone which may possibly help you to reach her."
Soon the girl got up; and, as if to breathe more freely, moved about
the deck. She leaned over the bulwarks, and looked across the sea; but
all the time she slyly watched the Prince's movements.
"Oh! you will come to me," said she, "I am very sure of that. Let us
see how you will begin the conversation."
The Prince did indeed approach her, though slowly, and with some
hesitation. Tika looked away.
"The air is fresher here, is it not, young woman?" said the Prince at
last, pausing in front of her.
"Well, that is commonplace enough," thought Tika, who replied by bowing
her head.
"Why doesn't your mistress take a little walk? Why not let this light
breeze cool her heated brow?"
"The wind which blows from the land of exile is more burning than
flames of fire," said Tika, in a solemn tone.
"Is it so dreadful, then, to dwell in one castle rather than in
another?" said the Prince. "Fatkoura shall be treated like a queen. I
swear that I desire her captivity to be more sweet than liberty is to
most people. Tell me what does she like?"
"Did she not tell you that she cared for nothing now? Once she was fond
of dress, and music, and festivity; more than all else she loved to
hear the footsteps of her lover on the outer gallery."
"She was very fond of this Nagato, then?"
"She loved him as he deserved to be loved; he is the most perfect
knight imaginable."
"There are others as good," said Tosa.
"You think so!" cried Tika, with an incredulous air; "I never heard of
them."
"He loves her madly, I suppose?"
"How could any one help loving her?"
"True, she is beautiful," said the Prince, casting a look at Fatkoura.
"You think her beautiful now, when her eyes are drowned in tears, and
when she scorns the aid of paint and dress. If you had seen her when
she was happy!"
"I will do my utmost to bring back a smile to her lips," said Tosa.
"There is but one way to do that."
"What is it? Tell me."
"To restore her to her husband."
"You mock me," cried the Prince, with a frown.
"I, sir!" said Tika, clasping her hands; "do you think I would deceive
you, and that it would not be the best way to make my mistress happy? I
know that you will not try it; so you will never see her smile."
"Very well! then she must be sad," said Tosa; "I shall not set her
free."
"Alas!" sighed Tika.
"Silence!" cried the Prince, stamping his foot. "Why do you say alas?
what difference does it make to you whether you wait upon her here
or there. Don't you see that she has fascinated me, and that I am
miserable?"
The Prince moved away as he said these words, while Tika pretended to
be lost in profound surprise.
"I did not think that you would confide in me quite so soon," she
muttered when he was gone. "I divined your secret long ago; but you
little guess how ready I am to favor your love."
Tika then went back to sit at the feet of her mistress.
"You desert me, to talk with our jailer," said Fatkoura.
"It was he who came to talk to me, mistress," said Tika; "and in the
space of a few moments he told me very strange things."
"What did he tell you?"
"Must I repeat his words? you will not be angry?"
"I don't know; but speak."
"Well, he said that you were the jailer, and he was your prisoner."
"What do you mean?"
"That the Prince of Tosa loves Fatkoura, and that if she is skilful,
she can make him obey her every whim."
"I despise him too much to heed whether he loves or hates me?" said
Fatkoura, turning away her head.
"He is not so contemptible," said Tika; "he is a very powerful and very
illustrious prince."
"Can you speak in such terms of our mortal enemy, Tika?" said Fatkoura,
looking at her severely.
"Do not scold me," said Tika, with a caressing air. "I must hate him
less, since I know that your grace has conquered him, and that in a few
hours you have subjugated his heart."
"Yes, you cannot forget that another turns his eyes from me, and you
are grateful to this man for repairing the outrage inflicted upon me!"
said Fatkoura, hiding her face in her hands.
As the sea was smooth and the voyage pleasant, instead of travelling by
land, they skirted the coasts of the Island of Shikoku, weathered Cape
Tosa, and after sailing north-ward for some hours in the Pacific Ocean,
the junks entered the harbor of Kotsi. The city was gay with flags,
banners, and lanterns; the streets were strewn with blossoming boughs.
The sovereign made a triumphal entry at the head of his victorious
troops.
When they had passed through the town and entered the precincts of the
castle, the Prince himself led Fatkoura to the pavilion chosen for her.
It was the palace of the Queen of Tosa, who had been dead for several
years.
"I am deeply pained that the joyous clamor which greeted me should
grate upon your ear," said the Prince to his prisoner; "I could not
forbid my people to give way to their delight, but I suffered for your
sake."
"I heard nothing; my mind was elsewhere," replied Fatkoura.
Several days passed before the Prince visited the young woman. His
budding love made him timid, and he was amazed at this novel feeling.
One morning he went for a solitary walk in that part of the park
inhabited by Fatkoura. Tika was lying in wait for him, and without a
word to her mistress, appeared upon the balcony. The Prince beckoned to
her, and she obeyed.
"Is she as sad as ever?" he asked,
"Yes."
"She hates me, I suppose?"
"I don't know," said Tika.
"I made you a confession the other day which I should have withheld,"
said the Prince; "did you repeat it to your mistress?"
"I never hide anything from her, sir."
"Ah!" eagerly exclaimed the Prince, "what did she say when she learned
of my love for her?"
"She said nothing, but hid her face in her hands."
The Prince sighed.
"I must see her at any cost!" he cried. "For three days I have deprived
myself of that pleasure, and I am worn out; I forget that I am her
master."
"I will announce your visit to her," said Tika, going hastily back into
the house.
A moment later, Tosa stood before Fatkoura. He thought her even more
lovely than the last time that he saw her. Sorrow had ennobled her
beauty; her complexion, free from cosmetics, revealed its feverish
pallor, and her eyes wore an expression of proud resignation which was
most touching.
The Prince was agitated, and could not utter a sound. She saluted him
by raising her sleeve to her mouth. She was first to speak.
"If there be one spark of pity in your soul," she said, in a voice
trembling with tears, "do not leave me in this terrible state of
uncertainty; give me some tidings of my husband!"
"I am afraid to sadden you still more, by telling you tidings
delightful to me, though wretched for you, since you are my enemy."
"Go on, I conjure you!" cried the terrified Fatkoura.
"Well, then, the Prince of Figo's army, ably seconded by my men,
has triumphed over the Prince of Nagato, who fought bravely, I must
acknowledge. At this moment he is probably a prisoner. The latest
bulletin informs me that, with barely a hundred men, Nagato intrenched
himself in a small grove; my troops have surrounded him, and escape is
impossible."
Fatkoura bent her head in utter despair. He conquered! She could not
believe it; she could not imagine him unhappy. In her eyes he was
always triumphant, he was foremost,--the noblest, the handsomest
of all; besides, how could he be a prisoner, when he might escape
captivity by death? She raised her eyes to the lord of Tosa, doubting
his words.
"You are hiding the truth from me," she said, with a look of painful
intensity; "you hope to prepare me for the fatal blow,--he is dead!"
"I have spoken frankly," said Tosa; "he will be taken alive. But I
would give you one piece of advice,--forget that fellow," he added,
irritated by Fatkoura's distress.
"Forget him! I!" she exclaimed, clasping her hands.
"You must; all is over for him. Do you think that I would let him go
free,--the man whom Hieyas detests so much that he will raise any one
who shall rid him of that foe, to the foremost rank in the empire; the
man who humbled us all by his luxury, his wit, his beauty; the man whom
you love, and who is my rival?--for I love you."
"You love me!" cried Fatkoura, in horror.
"Yes," sighed the Prince; "and I came hither to tell my love; but you
led me on to speak of things regarding which I would fain have been
silent. I am well aware that my love must be odious to you at first.
But you must accustom yourself to it; there is nothing offensive to
you in it. I am free, and I offer to make you my wife. Think that the
Prince of Nagato has ceased to exist."
Tosa then withdrew, that he might not hear Fatkoura's reply. He was
angry with her, and dissatisfied with himself.
"I was brutal," thought he, "I did not speak as I should have done; but
jealousy suddenly devoured my soul. It is a fierce pain, which I never
knew before."
He wandered all the rest of the day in the gardens, treating harshly
all who approached him.
"She will never love me," he said to himself, "I have no means of
winning her heart; but if the Prince of Nagato falls into my hands I
will take vengeance on him."
Fatkoura was equally restless; she went from one room to another,
wringing her hands and weeping silently. She dared not ask any further
questions; but each hour as it passed added to her anxiety.
One night she heard an unwonted noise in the castle; the drawbridges
were lowered, the clash of arms rang out. She rose, and ran to the
window; she saw lights shining through the trees.
"Get up, Tika!" she cried, rousing the young girl. "Try to slip in
unseen and overhear what is said; try to find out what is going on in
the castle."
Tika dressed rapidly, and left the palace silently. Her mistress
followed her with her eyes, but she was soon lost in the darkness.
When she returned she was ashy pale, and pressed her hand to her heart.
"The Prince of Nagato has just entered the palace," she gasped; "I saw
him pass by with a guard of soldiers. He was loaded with chains; his
weapons had been taken from him."
At these words Fatkoura uttered a loud shriek, and fell to the floor.
"Can she be dead?" exclaimed Tika, in alarm, kneeling beside her
mistress.
She put her ear to Fatkoura's breast. Her heart beat rapidly, but her
eyes were shut; she was cold and motionless.
"What shall I do? what shall I do?" said Tika, not daring to call, her
mistress having forbidden her to admit any of the servants apportioned
to her by the Prince of Tosa.
The fainting-fit lasted a long time. When Fatkoura re-opened her eyes,
it was day. She looked at Tika for a moment in surprise; but her memory
soon returned. She rose abruptly.
"We must save him, Tika," she exclaimed, with feverish excitement; "we
must get him out of this castle."
"Has she lost her mind?" thought Tika.
"Come," continued Fatkoura; "let us see if we can find out in what part
of the palace he is confined."
"Are you in earnest, mistress? At this time of day? The sun has not
yet drunk up the morning dews. We should be suspected if we were seen
walking so early, especially as you have never once left your room
since you came here."
"No matter; you can say that fever drove me from my bed. Come!"
Fatkoura stepped down into the garden, and walked straight forward.
The grass was still dripping wet; the trees and bushes were bathed in
rosy light; the topmost peaks of the great castle-tower, touched by the
first rays of the sun, glittered, moist with dew. Tika followed her
mistress. They came to the palisade enclosing their particular domain.
The door was only on the latch; the prisoners were free to roam at
will within the well-guarded fortress. The soldiers who brought Prince
Nagato were encamped in the avenues of the park. The greater number
slept, lying flat on their stomachs, with their heads on their arms;
others, crouching round a dying fire, ate rice from large straw-covered
bowls.
"Tika," said Fatkoura, looking at these men and the weapons which
gleamed beside them, "a sword is a faithful comrade, that opens
the door to the other life, and allows one to escape dishonor. The
conqueror robbed me of my dagger. Try to steal the sword of one of
those soldiers."
"Mistress!" said Tika, casting a frightened glance at the young woman.
"Obey me!" said Fatkoura.
"Then we must move away from those who are awake, and keep in the
background; the rustle of our robes might betray us."
Tika glided between the beds of flowers; then stretched herself on the
grass, and reached out as far as she could towards a soldier lying on
the edge of the path. He slept upon his back, his nose in the air. His
sword lay by his side. The girl touched the weapon with the tips of her
fingers. Her nails made a slight sound against the scabbard. Her heart
beat violently. The soldier did not stir. She advanced yet a little,
and seized the sword by the middle; then she slid slowly back across
the grass.
"I have it, mistress!" she whispered, returning to Fatkoura.
"Give it to me! Give it to me! I shall feel easier with that defender
near me."
Fatkoura hid the sword in her bosom; then walked quickly away, heedless
where she went. Suddenly she found herself within a few paces of the
palace inhabited by the Prince of Tosa. People were coming and going.
She heard the sound of voices; she drew still nearer, and knelt behind
a bush to listen. She overheard a few words, and found that some one
was congratulating the Prince upon his recent capture.
"I thank you," said Tosa, "for sharing the joy I feel at this
occurrence. Nagato is the most bitter enemy of our great Hieyas;
so that it is a great glory for me to have delivered him from this
detested foe. Nagato will be executed to-morrow, at noon, in the
precincts of the fortress; and I shall send his head to Hieyas."
Fatkoura had strength not to cry out. She went back to Tika. She had
learned enough. Her pallor was alarming, but she was calm. She pressed
the sword against her flesh. It hurt her, but it calmed her.
"Return, I entreat you, mistress," said Tika. "If we should be
discovered, our purpose would be suspected, and we should be thrown
into prison."
"You are right," said Fatkoura; "but it is absolutely necessary for me
to know in what part of the palace Nagato lies. His captor means to
kill him; he is condemned to a disgraceful death. If I cannot save him,
I can at least give him the means to die nobly."
"I can pass unobserved," said Tika; "I can talk with the servants
without arousing suspicion. I will contrive to find out what you want
to know."
Fatkoura returned to the palace, and fell upon her cushions, depressed
and almost unconscious. Tika was absent a long time. When she came
back, her mistress was still in the same place, motionless.
"Well, Tika?" she cried, as soon as she saw the girl.
"I know where he is, mistress; I have seen the pavilion where he lies.
I can guide you thither."
"Come!" said Fatkoura, rising to her feet.
"Are you mad?" cried Tika. "It is broad daylight still. We must wait
for night."
"True," said Fatkoura; "let us wait."
She sank back. Until evening she remained without moving or speaking,
her eyes fixed upon the same spot on the floor. When it was quite
dark, she rose and said, "Come!" Tika made no objection, and they set
off. They traversed the gardens once more, skirted other houses and
courtyards. The girl found her way by looking from time to time at the
great tower, upon which a lantern burned.
"You see that small house with two roofs, outlined clear against the
sky? It is there."
"The window is lighted," said Fatkoura. "Is he there? Is it indeed
possible? Conquered, captive, about to die!"
They went on.
"Are there soldiers there?" asked Fatkoura, in a low voice.
"I do not know," said Tika; "I see no one."
"If I cannot speak to him, I will throw the sword through that open
window."
They walked on, and down a slight slope. All at once Fatkoura felt
herself clasped by a strong arm, which held her back.
"Another step, and you would have fallen into a deep ditch, which lies
just beneath your feet," said a voice. Fatkoura recognized the Prince
of Tosa.
"All is over," she muttered.
He still held her; she made desperate efforts to release herself from
his grasp, but could not succeed.
"Is it thus you thank me for saving your life?" said he. "Luckily, I
was forewarned of the walk you meant to take to-night, and I followed
you, to preserve you from danger. Do you suppose that your every word
and movement are not faithfully reported to me? Do you suppose that I
did not know your mad plan to deliver your lover, or provide him with
the means to escape my vengeance?"
"Release me, wretch!" groaned Fatkoura, struggling.
"No," said the Prince; "you shall remain in my embrace. Your touch
enchants me. I am determined to love you, whether you will or no.
Still, I will make one last attempt to win your affection. Give me your
love, and I will let you carry Nagato the sword which you stole from
one of my soldiers."
"That offer is quite worthy of you!" said Fatkoura, with disdain.
"You refuse?"
"The Princess of Nagato will never dishonor her name."
"Then you must give up that weapon," said the Prince, himself drawing
it from Fatkoura's bosom. "You might escape me by death, which would
distress me sorely. Consider my offer; you have until to-morrow to
decide. Up to the hour of the execution, at which you will be present,
it will be in your power to procure your husband a more easy death."
The Prince then led her back to the palace, where he left her. She
was so overwhelmed by terror and despair that it seemed to her she no
longer existed. She fell into a troubled sleep; but all the hideous
creations of her feverish dreams were less horrible than the reality.
When she waked, her first thought stopped the beating of her heart, and
bathed her brow in cold perspiration.
The Prince of Tosa sent to know her decision, and for what form of
death the Prince of Nagato was to prepare.
"Say to Tosa," haughtily replied the Princess, "that he may cease to
insult me by feigning to believe that I could tarnish Nagato's name by
committing an act of infamy."
She was then informed that the execution would take place before her
windows, just as the sun began to sink towards the west.
"That odious lord thinks, perhaps," said Fatkoura, when she was once
more alone with Tika, "that I shall survive the death of him who is
dearer to me than my own life. He thinks that the blow which strikes
him before my very eyes will not kill me too. He little knows a woman's
heart."
Tika, confounded, said nothing. Sitting at the feet of her mistress,
her tears flowed silently. People came and went outside the house, the
gravel crackling under the many feet. Fatkoura approached the window,
and peered through the blind.
Upright posts had been planted around the bare space extending before
the palace front. Men, mounted on ladders, beat the ends of these posts
with hammers, to drive them into the ground. Then they brought chests
of black lacquer with silver corners, and took from them white silk
hangings, which were fastened to the posts in such a way as to enclose
the square in a wall of silk. Mats were spread on the ground; a pure
white one with a red fringe in the centre; upon this mat the condemned
man was to sit. A folding-chair was placed beneath Fatkoura's window
for the Prince of Tosa, who desired to witness the execution.
The miserable young woman paced her chamber in a fever; she moved
away from the window, then returned to it against her will. Her teeth
chattered; a sort of terrible impatience took possession of her; she
was afraid to wait.
Soldiers entered the square; then came Samurais, the vassals of the
Prince of Tosa. The latter gathered in groups, and with one hand on
their swords, talked in under-tones, blaming the conduct of their lord.
"To refuse the hara-kiri to one of the noblest among the sovereign
princes of Japan! I cannot understand the sentence," said one.
"It is unheard of," said another, "even when it is a question of simple
Samurais like us."
"He wants to send the Prince of Nagato's head to Hieyas."
"If the Prince had administered justice to himself, the corpse's head
might have been cut off secretly, without dishonor to the memory of the
noble victim."
"The lord of Tosa undoubtedly has some reason to hate Nagato."
"Never mind! Hatred does not excuse injustice."
When the hour for the execution arrived, the blinds were rolled up in
Fatkoura's apartment.
The distracted young woman fled to the farthest corner of the palace;
she hid her head in the folds of a satin curtain, that she might be
blind and deaf, and might stifle the sound of her sobs. But all at once
she rose, and wiped her eyes.
"Come, Tika!" she exclaimed, "it is not thus that Iwakura's wife should
act; I must restrain my grief. Help me to that window!"
When she appeared, leaning upon Tika, deep silence reigned among the
spectators,--a silence full of respect and compassion. The Prince of
Tosa arrived at the same moment. He raised his eyes to her; but she
let fall upon him a look so charged with hate and scorn that his head
sank; and seating himself upon the folding-chair, he gave a sign for
the prisoner to be brought in. The latter came forward nonchalantly,
with a disdainful smile upon his lips. His chains had been removed, and
he toyed with his fan. Two executioners walked behind him, bare-legged,
dressed in black tunics confined at the waist by a belt, in which was a
long sword. He stepped upon the white mat which was to be reddened with
his blood a few moments later; then he raised his head. Fatkoura felt
a strange thrill. The man who stood before her was not the Prince of
Nagato. The gaze of the enamoured girl, which had lingered so often and
so long upon the features of the beloved, could not be deceived even by
a resemblance which cheated the whole world. She did not hesitate an
instant. She did not see the brilliant eye, or the melancholy smile, or
the haughty brow of him who filled her heart.
"I knew that he could not be conquered and humiliated," she said to
herself, seized by a wild joy, which she with difficulty disguised.
The prisoner's doom was read aloud. He was condemned to have his hands,
and then his head, hewn off.
"The infamy with which you would brand me does but dishonor you,"
exclaimed the prisoner. "My hands have never committed any but noble
deeds, and do not deserve to be severed from the arms which guided
them. But invent whatever torments you please, torture me as you will,
I shall remain a prince, and you sink to the rank of on executioner. I
fought with all my strength against the enemies of our legitimate lord;
you betrayed him for another, who betrayed him too, and you craftily
attacked my kingdom when there was no ground for war between us. You
wanted my head to sell it to Hieyas for a good price; the dishonor is
yours. What do I care for your ridiculous sentence!"
"Who is this man who speaks so boldly?" thought Fatkoura.
The Samurais approved the prisoner's words; they declared their
dissatisfaction to the Prince of Tosa.
"Do not refuse him the death of a noble," they said; "he has done
nothing to merit such severity."
Tosa's soul was filled with rage.
"My vengeance is not sufficient," said he, gnashing his teeth; "I wish
I could think of something still more dreadful."
"But you can think of nothing," said the prisoner, laughing; "you
always lacked imagination. Do you recollect, when you followed me in
the merry pranks which I invented? You never could originate anything;
but your brain next day would rehearse our inventions of the day
before."
"Enough!" shouted Tosa; "I will tear off your flesh with pincers, and
pour boiling pitch into your wounds."
"That is only an improvement on the moxas invented by physicians. Try
again; that's a trifle."
"I cannot explain that man's heroic conduct," thought Fatkoura; "he
knows that he is taken for another, and he carries on an imposture
which leads him to a sure and frightful death."
She longed to proclaim the truth,--to say that this man was not the
Prince of Nagato; but she thought that no one would believe her.
Besides, as he was silent himself, he must have grave reasons for
acting as he did.
"I swear to avenge you in the most startling fashion," she cried aloud.
"It is the Prince of Nagato's bride who takes the oath; and she will
keep it."
"Thanks, divine Princess!" said the prisoner; "you are the only cause
I have to regret my life. Tell my master that I died cheerfully for
him, seeing a proof of our superiority and our future glory in the
scarce-glutted wrath of my jailer."
"You shall speak no more," exclaimed the Prince of Tosa, with a sign to
the executioner.
Sado's head was severed at a single blow. A torrent of blood deluged
the white mat, and the body fell. Fatkoura could not repress a shriek
of horror.
The Samurais turned away their heads with a frown, and silently
retired, bowing to the Prince of Tosa. The latter, filled with shame
and anger, shut himself up in his palace.
That very night a messenger, bearing a bloody head, wrapped in red silk
and contained in a straw sack, left the castle of Tosa.
[1] A sort of guitar.