to slash Gompachi on the forehead; so that the latter, seeing himself overmatched, fled under the cover of the night.  Umanosuke, fearing to hurt his recently healed wound, did not give chase, and went quietly back to Chobei’s house.  When Gompachi returned home, he hatched a story to deceive Chobei as to the cause of the wound on his forehead.  Chobei, however, having overheard Umanosuke reproving Gompachi for his wickedness, soon became aware of the truth; and not caring to keep a robber and murderer near him, gave Gompachi a present of money, and bade him return to his house no more.

And now Chobei, seeing that Umanosuke had recovered his strength, divided his apprentices into bands, to hunt out Banzayemon, in order that the vendetta might be accomplished.  It soon was reported to him that Banzayemon was earning his living among the mountebanks of Asakusa; so Chobei communicated this intelligence to Umanosuke, who made his preparations accordingly; and on the following morning the two went to Asakusa, where Banzayemon was astonishing a crowd of country boors by exhibiting tricks with his sword.

Then Umanosuke, striding through the gaping rabble, shouted out—­

“False, murderous coward, your day has come!  I, Umanosuke, the son of Umanojo, have come to demand vengeance for the death of three innocent men who have perished by your treachery.  If you are a man, defend yourself.  This day shall your soul see hell!”

With these words he rushed furiously upon Banzayemon, who, seeing escape to be impossible, stood upon his guard.  But his coward’s heart quailed before the avenger, and he soon lay bleeding at his enemy’s feet.

But who shall say how Umanosuke thanked Chobei for his assistance; or how, when he had returned to his own country, he treasured up his gratitude in his heart, looking upon Chobei as more than a second father?

Thus did Chobei use his power to punish the wicked, and to reward the good—­giving of his abundance to the poor, and succouring the unfortunate, so that his name was honoured far and near.  It remains only to record the tragical manner of his death.

We have already told how my lord Midzuno Jiurozayemon, the chief of the associated nobles, had been foiled in his attempts to bring shame upon Chobei, the Father of the Otokodate; and how, on the contrary, the latter, by his ready wit, never failed to make the proud noble’s weapons recoil upon him.  The failure of these attempts rankled in the breast of Jiurozayemon, who hated Chobei with an intense hatred, and sought to be revenged upon him.  One day he sent a retainer to Chobei’s house with a message to the effect that on the following day my lord Jiurozayemon would be glad to see Chobei at his house, and to offer him a cup of wine, in return for the cold macaroni with which his lordship had been feasted some time since.  Chobei immediately suspected that in sending this friendly summons the cunning noble was hiding a dagger in a smile; however, he knew that if he stayed away out of fear he would be branded as a coward, and made a laughing-stock for fools to jeer at.  Not caring that Jiurozayemon should succeed in his desire to put him to shame, he sent for his favourite apprentice, Token Gombei, and said to him—­