Schippeitaro

: The Violet Fairy Book

It was the custom in old times that as soon as a Japanese boy

reached manhood he should leave his home and roam through the

land in search of adventures. Sometimes he would meet with a

young man bent on the same business as himself, and then they

would fight in a friendly manner, merely to prove which was the

stronger, but on other occasions the enemy would turn out to be a

robber, who had become the terror of the nei
hbourhood, and then

the battle was in deadly earnest.



One day a youth started off from his native village, resolved

never to come back till he had done some great deed that would

make his name famous. But adventures did not seem very plentiful

just then, and he wandered about for a long time without meeting

either with fierce giants or distressed damsels. At last he saw

in the distance a wild mountain, half covered with a dense

forest, and thinking that this promised well at once took the

road that led to it. The difficulties he met with--huge rocks to

be climbed, deep rivers to be crossed, and thorny tracts to be

avoided--only served to make his heart beat quicker, for he was

really brave all through, and not merely when he could not help

himself, like a great many people. But in spite of all his

efforts he could not find his way out of the forest, and he began

to think he should have to pass the night there. Once more he

strained his eyes to see if there was no place in which he could

take shelter, and this time he caught sight of a small chapel in

a little clearing. He hastened quickly towards it, and curling

himself up in a warm corner soon fell asleep.



Not a sound was heard through the whole forest for some hours,

but at midnight there suddenly arose such a clamour that the

young man, tired as he was, started broad awake in an instant.

Peeping cautiously between the wooden pillars of the chapel, he

saw a troop of hideous cats, dancing furiously, making the night

horrible with their yells. The full moon lighted up the weird

scene, and the young warrior gazed with astonishment, taking

great care to keep still, lest he should be discovered. After

some time he thought that in the midst of all their shrieks he

could make out the words, 'Do not tell Schippeitaro! Keep it

hidden and secret! Do not tell Schippeitaro!' Then, the midnight

hour having passed, they all vanished, and the youth was left

alone. Exhausted by all that had been going on round him, he

flung himself on the ground and slept till the sun rose.



The moment he woke he felt very hungry, and began to think how he

could get something to eat. So he got up and walked on, and

before he had gone very far was lucky enough to find a little

side-path, where he could trace men's footsteps. He followed the

track, and by-and-by came on some scattered huts, beyond which

lay a village. Delighted at this discovery, he was about to

hasten to the village when he heard a woman's voice weeping and

lamenting, and calling on the men to take pity on her and help

her. The sound of her distress made him forget he was hungry,

and he strode into the hut to find out for himself what was

wrong. But the men whom he asked only shook their heads and told

him it was not a matter in which he could give any help, for all

this sorrow was caused by the Spirit of the Mountain, to whom

every year they were bound to furnish a maiden for him to eat.



'To-morrow night,' said they, 'the horrible creature will come

for his dinner, and the cries you have heard were uttered by the

girl before you, upon whom the lot has fallen.'



And when the young man asked if the girl was carried off straight

from her home, they answered no, but that a large cask was set in

the forest chapel, and into this she was fastened.



As he listened to this story, the young man was filled with a

great longing to rescue the maiden from her dreadful fate. The

mention of the chapel set him thinking of the scene of the

previous night, and he went over all the details again in his

mind. 'Who is Schippeitaro?' he suddenly asked; 'can any of you

tell me?'



'Schippeitaro is the great dog that belongs to the overseer of

our prince,' said they; 'and he lives not far away.' And they

began to laugh at the question, which seemed to them so odd and

useless.



The young man did not laugh with them, but instead left the hut

and went straight to the owner of the dog, whom he begged to lend

him the animal just for one night. Schippeitaro's master was not

at all willing to give him in charge to a man of whom he knew

nothing, but in the end he consented, and the youth led the dog

away, promising faithfully to return him next day to his master.

He next hurried to the hut where the maiden lived, and entreated

her parents to shut her up safely in a closet, after which he

took Schippeitaro to the cask, and fastened him into it. In the

evening he knew that the cask would be placed in the chapel, so

he hid himself there and waited.



At midnight, when the full moon appeared above the top of the

mountain, the cats again filled the chapel and shrieked and

yelled and danced as before. But this time they had in their

midst a huge black cat who seemed to be their king, and whom the

young man guessed to be the Spirit of the Mountain. The monster

looked eagerly about him, and his eyes sparkled with joy when he

saw the cask. He bounded high into the air with delight and

uttered cries of pleasure; then he drew near and undid the bolts.



But instead of fastening his teeth in the neck of a beautiful

maiden, Schippeitaro's teeth were fastened in HIM, and the youth

ran up and cut off his head with his sword. The other cats were

so astonished at the turn things had taken that they forgot to

run away, and the young man and Schippeitaro between them killed

several more before they thought of escaping.



At sunrise the brave dog was taken back to his master, and from

that time the mountain girls were safe, and every year a feast

was held in memory of the young warrior and the dog Schippeitaro.



[Japanische Marchen.]



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