The councillor repeated this message to the Prince, who, in his pleasure at being able to give Kazuma his revenge on the morrow, immediately agreed to the proposal, and the messenger returned triumphant at the success of the scheme.  On the following day, the Prince ordered the mother of Matagoro to be placed in a litter and carried to the Hatamoto’s dwelling, in charge of a retainer named Sasawo Danyemon, who, when he arrived at the door of Abe Shirogoro’s house, said—­

“I am charged to hand over to you the mother of Matagoro, and, in exchange, I am authorized to receive her son at your hands.”

“We will immediately give him up to you; but, as the mother and son are now about to bid an eternal farewell to one another, we beg you to be so kind as to tarry a little.”

With this the retainers of Shirogoro led the old woman inside their master’s house, and Sasawo Danyemon remained waiting outside, until at last he grew impatient, and ventured to hurry on the people within.

“We return you many thanks,” replied they, “for your kindness in bringing us the mother; but, as the son cannot go with you at present, you had better return home as quickly as possible.  We are afraid we have put you to much trouble.”  And so they mocked him.

When Danyemon saw that he had not only been cheated into giving up the old woman, but was being made a laughing-stock of into the bargain, he flew into a great rage, and thought to break into the house and seize Matagoro and his mother by force; but, peeping into the courtyard, he saw that it was filled with Hatamotos, carrying guns and naked swords.  Not caring then to die fighting a hopeless battle, and at the same time feeling that, after having been so cheated, he would be put to shame before his lord, Sasawo Danyemon went to the burial-place of his ancestors, and disembowelled himself in front of their graves.

[Illustration:  THE DEATH OF DANYEMON.]

When the Prince heard how his messenger had been treated, he was indignant, and summoning his councillors resolved, although he was suffering from sickness, to collect his retainers and attack Abe Shirogoro; and the other chief Daimios, when the matter became publicly known, took up the cause, and determined that the Hatamotos must be chastised for their insolence.  On their side, the Hatamotos put forth all their efforts to resist the Daimios.  So Yedo became disturbed, and the riotous state of the city caused great anxiety to the Government, who took counsel together how they might restore peace.  As the Hatamotos were directly under the orders of the Shogun, it was no difficult matter to put them down:  the hard question to solve was how to put a restraint upon the great Daimios.  However, one of the Gorojin,[17] named Matsudaira Idzu no Kami, a man of great intelligence, hit upon a plan by which he might secure this end.

[Footnote 17:  The first Council of the Shogun’s ministers; literally, “assembly of imperial elders.”]