e striking the sixth hour. The sound was a strange
one. The strokes of the hour ran into one continued roar.
Jan-jan-jan--pon-pon--gon-gon--cries of men, the racket of wooden
clappers and of drums, were now added to the uproar. For a few moments
Dentatsu stood the increasing excitement. Through the cracks of the
closed _amado_ he could see a reddish glare, becoming brighter and
brighter. He sat up and roughly shook Jimbei by the shoulder. "Oh! This
rascally cleric. Nothing will satisfy his stupidity, but to carry it to
extremes. Honoured Shukke Sama, wait the urgency of others; don't supply
it. We at least lack not preparation.... Ah!" The _sho[u]ji_ were thrown
hastily back. The host of the inn appeared, his face pale and lips
trembling. "Honoured guests! Still in bed? Deign at once to flee. The
town is in a blaze. Every quarter has its conflagration which walks
apace; and in this gale hopeless to overcome...."--"Don't talk folly,"
sleepily answered Jimbei. "Is not the town in ward for these six days.
Why disturb oneself? Let all burn together?" The host wrung his
hands--"Honoured sirs, the blame and punishment falls on this Masuya if
injury befall its guests. All lies wide open. Deign at once to leave....
Naruhodo!" His mouth was wide open. Jimbei and Dentatsu rose as on
springs, full clad, _waraji_ on their feet. The way "lies wide open."
This was the watchword to Jimbei. "Edokko (sons of Edo) always are
ready, and need no urging." With this genial explanation he and Dentatsu
shouldered past the astonished landlord. If the latter would have had
suspicions they were thwarted or postponed by the cries which rose
below. His own main house was now in flames. Hands to head in this
confusion of ideas he abandoned all thought of his guests and rushed
down below. As if in his own home, with no guide but the outer glare
Jimbei passed to the inn rear. In the darkness of the passage he had
stopped, leaned down and struck a light. The precious _ryo[u]gake_ on
his shoulders, with the priest he took to the fieldpaths in the rear of
the town. The ground was level; the land rich rice field with its
interspersed and picturesque clumps of trees and bamboo, its verdure
bowered villages. From time to time they looked back at the sky, flaming
red, and in its darker outer parts a mass of glittering flying sparks
"like the gold dashes on aventurine lacquer ware."

For two days they had lain at Okazaki town, Dentatsu incapable of
movement a