me they grinned, they showed
their terrible tusks, and teeth like fangs. All of them had horns, though
most of these were very short.

The d[=o]ji became especially hilarious, and drank the health of every
one of his four guests in a skull full of wine. To supply him there was
a tub full of sake at hand, and his usual drinking-vessel was a dish
which seemed to Tsuma to be as large as a full moon.

Raiko now offered to return the courtesies shown them by dancing "the
Kioto dance," for which he was famous. Stepping out into the centre of
the hall, with his fan in one hand, he danced gracefully and with such
wonderful ease, that the onis screamed with delight, and clapped their
hands in applause, saying they had never seen anything to equal it. Even
the maidens, lost in admiration of the polished courtier, forgot their
sorrow, and felt as happy for the time as though they were at home
dancing.

The dance finished, Raiko took from his bosom a bottle of sake, and
offered it to the chief demon as a gift, saying it was the best wine of
Sakai. The delighted d[=o]ji drank and gave a sip to each of his lords
saying, "This is the best liquor I ever tasted, you must drink the health
of our friends in it."

Now Raiko had bought, at the most skillful druggists' in the capital, a
powerful sleeping potion, and mixed it with the wine, which made it taste
very sweet. In a few minutes all the demons had dropped off asleep, and
their snores sounded like the rolling thunder of the mountains.

Then Raiko rose up and gave the signal to his comrades. Whispering to the
maidens to leave the room quietly, they drew their swords, and with as
little noise as possible cut the throats of the demons. No sound was
heard but the gurgling of blood that ran out in floods on the floor. The
d[=o]ji lying like a lion on his cushions was still sleeping, the snores
issuing out of his nose like thunder from a cloud. The four warriors
approached him and like loyal vassals as they were, they first turned
their faces towards Kioto, reverenced the mikado, and prayed for the
blessing of the gods who made Japan. Raiko then drew near, and measuring
the width of the doji's neck with his sword found that it would be short.
Suddenly, the blade lengthened of itself. Then lifting his weapon, he
smote with all his might and cut the neck clean through.

In an instant, the bloody head flew up in the air gnashing its teeth and
rolling its yellow eyes, while the horns spr