ango, for no one ever went
into them except once in a while a poor woodcutter or charcoal-burner;
yet Raiko and his men set out with stout hearts. There were no bridges
over the streams, and frightful precipices abounded. Once they had to
stop and build a bridge by felling a tree, and walking across it over a
dangerous chasm. Once they came to a steep rock, to descend which they
must make a ladder of creeping vines. At last they reached a dense grove
at the top of a cliff, far up to the clouds, which seemed as if it might
contain the demon's castle.

Approaching, they found a pretty maiden washing some clothes which had
spots of blood on them. They said to her, "Sister, Miss, why are you
here, and what are you doing?"

"Ah," said she, with a deep sigh, "you must not come here. This is the
haunt of demons. They eat human flesh and they will eat yours." "Look
there" said she pointing to a pile of white bones of men, women and
children, "You must go down the mountain as quickly as you came." Saying
this she burst into tears.

But instead of being frightened or sorrowful, the brave fellows nearly
danced for joy. "We have come here for the purpose of destroying the
demons by the mikado's orders," said Raiko, patting his breast, where
inside his dress in the damask bag was the imperial order.

At this the maiden dried her tears and smiled so sweetly that Raiko's
heart was touched by her beauty.

"But how came you to live among these cannibal demons," asked Raiko.

She blushed deeply as she replied sadly "Although they eat men and old
women, they keep the young maidens to wait on them."

"It's a great pity" said Raiko, "but we shall now avenge our fellow
subjects of the mikado, as well as your shame and cruel treatment, if you
will show us the way up the cliff to the den."

They began to climb the hill but they had not gone far before they met a
young oni who was a cook in the great d[=o]ji's kitchen. He was carrying
a human limb for his master's lunch. They gnashed their teeth silently,
and clutched their swords under their coats. Yet they courteously saluted
the cook-demon, and asked for an interview with the chief. The demon
smiled in his sleeve, thinking what a fine dinner his master would make
of the four men.

A few feet forward, and a turn in the path brought them to the front of
the demon's castle. Among tall and mighty boulders of rock, which loomed
up to the clouds, there was an opening in the dense groves,