Oh,  it  was  terrible!  Mortally  wounded  as  I  am,
I  have  come  back  to  report  all  this  to  you.  Now
the  time  for  my  death  has  come!  Farewell,  my
lady,  and  my  friends!"

With  these  words,  Hachiro  suddenly  drew  out
a  dagger,  and  cutting  his  throat,  soon  breathed


THE  MIRACLE  AT  THE  FERRY       341

his  last.  All  were  filled  with  horror  and  conster-
nation at  the  dreadful  news  and  ghastly  sight.
They  were  still  in  a  state  of  stupefaction,  when  two
or  three  soldiers  on  patrol  rushed  in,  and  reported
that  hostile  troops  were  marching  upon  the  castle.
Soon  afterwards  Kemmotsu  rode  up  to  the  other
side  of  the  moat,  and  made  a  fierce  attack  upon
the  building.  After  a  severe  struggle,  most  of  the
garrison  fell,  and  the  attacking  troops  captured
the  castle.  But  Hyogo,  his  wife,  and  Rokuro,
hastily  disguised  themselves,  and  made  their
escape,  guarding  Lady  Tsukuba  and  their  baby
Lord  Tokuju-maru.  The  poor  fugitives  wan-
dered separately  from  place  to  place.  Rokuro
and  Hyogo  suffered  indescribable  hardships  for
the  sake  of  their  young  master.  Rokuro  lost  his
life  in  his  faithful  efforts,  and  Hyogo  killed  his
son  Tomochiyo,  a  three-year-old  child,  to  deceive
Taka-uji's  spies  into  believing  that  he  had  faith-
lessly murdered  Tokuju-maru.  Thus  the  trusty
warrior  was  able  to  protect  his  infant  master  to
the  end.
