“Here is the biwa; but of the biwa-player I see—only two ears!... So
that explains why he did not answer: he had no mouth to answer
with—there is nothing left of him but his ears... Now to my lord those
ears I will take—in proof that the august commands have been obeyed, so
far as was possible”...
At that instant Hōïchi felt his ears gripped by fingers of iron, and
torn off! Great as the pain was, he gave no cry. The heavy footfalls
receded along the verandah,—descended into the garden,—passed out to
the roadway,—ceased. From either side of his head, the blind man felt a
thick warm trickling; but he dared not lift his hands...
Before sunrise the priest came back. He hastened at once to the
verandah in the rear, stepped and slipped upon something clammy, and
uttered a cry of horror;—for he saw, by the light of his lantern, that
the clamminess was blood. But he perceived Hōïchi sitting there, in the
attitude of meditation—with the blood still oozing from his wounds.
“My poor Hōïchi!” cried the startled priest,—“what is this?... You have
been hurt?”
At the sound of his friend’s voice, the blind man felt safe. He burst
out sobbing, and tearfully told his adventure of the night.
“Poor, poor Hōïchi!” the priest exclaimed,—“all my fault!—my very
grievous fault!... Everywhere upon your body the holy texts had been
written—except upon your ears! I trusted my acolyte to do that part of
the work; and it was very, very wrong of me not to have made sure that
he had done it!... Well, the matter cannot now be helped;—we can only
try to heal your hurts as soon as possible... Cheer up, friend!—the
danger is now well over. You will never again be troubled by those
visitors.”
With the aid of a good doctor, Hōïchi soon recovered from his injuries.
The story of his strange adventure spread far and wide, and soon made
him famous. Many noble persons went to Akamagaséki to hear him recite;
and large presents of money were given to him,—so that he became a
wealthy man... But from the time of his adventure, he was known only by
the appellation of _Mimi-nashi-Hōïchi:_ “Hōïchi-the-Earless.”