ed to accept the strange situation as it had
presented itself, and to act just as he would have done if chosen, in
the years of J[:u]-ei, by Shig['e]hira's daughter.

"Ah, the pity of it!" he exclaimed; "I have heard of the cruel fate of
the august Lord Shig['e]hira."

"Ay," responded the aged woman, sobbing as she spoke;--"it was indeed
a cruel fate. His horse, you know, was killed by an arrow, and fell
upon him; and when he called for help, those who had lived upon his
bounty deserted him in his need. Then he was taken prisoner, and sent
to Kamakura, where they treated him shamefully, and at last put him
to death.[74] His wife and child--this dear maid here--were then in
hiding; for everywhere the H['e][:i]k['e] were being sought out and
killed. When the news of the Lord Shig['e]hira's death reached us,
the pain proved too great for the mother to bear, so the child was
left with no one to care for her but me,--since her kindred had all
perished or disappeared. She was only five years old. I had been
her milk-nurse, and I did what I could for her. Year after year we
wandered from place to place, traveling in pilgrim-garb.... But these
tales of grief are ill-timed," exclaimed the nurse, wiping away her
tears;--"pardon the foolish heart of an old woman who cannot forget
the past. See! the little maid whom I fostered has now become a
Him['e]gimi-Sama indeed!--were we living in the good days of the
Emperor Takakura, what a destiny might be reserved for her! However,
she has obtained the husband whom she desired; that is the greatest
happiness.... But the hour is late. The bridal-chamber has been
prepared; and I must now leave you to care for each other until
morning."

[Footnote 74: Shig['e]hira, after a brave fight in defense of the
capital,--then held by the Ta[:i]ra (or H['e][:i]k['e]) party,--was
surprised and routed by Yoshitsun['e], leader of the Minamoto forces.
A soldier named Iy['e]naga, who was a skilled archer, shot down
Shig['e]hira's horse; and Shig['e]hira fell under the struggling
animal. He cried to an attendant to bring another horse; but the man
fled. Shig['e]hira was then captured by Iy['e]naga, and eventually
given up to Yoritomo, head of the Minamoto clan, who caused him to be
sent in a cage to Kamakura. There, after sundry humiliations, he was
treated for a time with consideration,--having been able, by a Chinese
poem, to touch even the cruel heart of Yoritomo. But in the following
year he was exe