o country in that direction
he descended, and angrily refused to set out on the expedition. Shortly
after, in a battle with the rebels the mikado was shot dead with an
arrow.

The generals and captains of the host then declared their loyalty to the
empress as the sole ruler of Japan. She, now having the power, resolved
to carry out her daring plan of invading Corea. She invoked all the
_kami_ or gods together, from the mountains, rivers and plains to get
their advice and help. All came at her call. The kami of the mountains
gave her timber and iron for her ships; the kami of the fields presented
rice and grain for provisions; the kami of the grasses gave her hemp for
cordage; and the kami of the winds promised to open his bag and let out
his breezes to fill her sails toward Corea. All came except Isora, the
kami of the sea shore. Again she called for him and sat up waiting all
night with torches burning, invoking him to appear.

Now, Isora was a lazy fellow, always slovenly and ill-dressed, and when
at last he did come, instead of appearing in state in splendid robes, he
rose right out of the sea-bottom, covered with mud and slime, with shells
sticking all over him and sea-weed clinging to his hair. He gruffly asked
what the empress wanted.

"Go down to Riu Gu and beg his majesty Kai Riu O, the Dragon King of the
World Under the Sea, to give me the two jewels of the tides," said the
imperial lady.

Now among the treasures in the palace of the Dragon King of the World
Under the Sea were two jewels having wondrous power over the tides. They
were about as large as apples, but shaped like apricots, with three rings
cut near the top. They seemed to be of crystal, and glistened and shot
out dazzling rays like fire. Indeed, they appeared to seethe and glow
like the eye of a dragon, or the white-hot steel of the sword-forger.
One was called the Jewel of the Flood-Tide, and the other the Jewel of
the Ebb-Tide. Whoever owned them had the power to make the tides
instantly rise or fall at his word, to make the dry land appear, or the
sea overwhelm it, in the fillip of a finger.

Isora dived with a dreadful splash, down, down to Riu Gu, and straightway
presented himself before Kai Riu O. In the name of the empress, he begged
for the two tide-jewels.

The Dragon King agreed, and producing the flaming globes from his casket,
placed them on a huge shell and handed them to Isora, who brought the
jewels to Jingu, who placed them i