“This is a marvellous thing, that a guard of a hundred men should thus be overcome by sleep.  Of a surety, the spell that is upon my lord and upon his guard must be the work of witchcraft.  Now, as all our efforts are of no avail, let us seek out Ruiten, the chief priest of the temple called Miyo In, and beseech him to put up prayers for the recovery of my lord.”

[Illustration:  THE CAT OF NABESHIMA.]

And the other councillors approving what Isahaya Buzen had said, they went to the priest Ruiten and engaged him to recite litanies that the Prince might be restored to health.

So it came to pass that Ruiten, the chief priest of Miyo In, offered up prayers nightly for the Prince.  One night, at the ninth hour (midnight), when he had finished his religious exercises and was preparing to lie down to sleep, he fancied that he heard a noise outside in the garden, as if some one were washing himself at the well.  Deeming this passing strange, he looked down from the window; and there in the moonlight he saw a handsome young soldier, some twenty-four years of age, washing himself, who, when he had finished cleaning himself and had put on his clothes, stood before the figure of Buddha and prayed fervently for the recovery of my lord the Prince.  Ruiten looked on with admiration; and the young man, when he had made an end of his prayer, was going away; but the priest stopped him, calling out to him—­

“Sir, I pray you to tarry a little:  I have something to say to you.”

“At your reverence’s service.  What may you please to want?”

“Pray be so good as to step up here, and have a little talk.”

“By your reverence’s leave;” and with this he went upstairs.

Then Ruiten said—­

“Sir, I cannot conceal my admiration that you, being so young a man, should have so loyal a spirit.  I am Ruiten, the chief priest of this temple, who am engaged in praying for the recovery of my lord.  Pray what is your name?”

“My name, sir, is Ito Soda, and I am serving in the infantry of Nabeshima.  Since my lord has been sick, my one desire has been to assist in nursing him; but, being only a simple soldier, I am not of sufficient rank to come into his presence, so I have no resource but to pray to the gods of the country and to Buddha that my lord may regain his health.”

When Ruiten heard this, he shed tears in admiration of the fidelity of Ito Soda, and said—­

“Your purpose is, indeed, a good one; but what a strange sickness this is that my lord is afflicted with!  Every night he suffers from horrible dreams; and the retainers who sit up with him are all seized with a mysterious sleep, so that not one can keep awake.  It is very wonderful.”

“Yes,” replied Soda, after a moment’s reflection, “this certainly must be witchcraft.  If I could but obtain leave to sit up one night with the Prince, I would fain see whether I could not resist this drowsiness and detect the goblin.”