s not long in suspense. Looking down far under the
sparkling waves, he saw the head and fiery eyes of a dragon mounting
upward. Instinctively he clutched his robe with his right hand, and held
Ojin tightly on his shoulder, for this time not Isora, but the terrible
Kai Riu O himself was coming.

What a great honor! The sea-king's servant, Isora, had appeared to a
woman, the empress Jingu, but to her son, the Dragon King of the World
Under the Sea deigned to come in person.

The waters opened; the waves rolled up, curled, rolled into wreaths and
hooks and drops of foam, which flecked the dark green curves with silvery
bells. First appeared a living dragon with fire-darting eyes, long
flickering moustaches, glittering scales of green all ruffled, with
terrible spines erect, and the joints of the fore-paws curling out jets
of red fire. This living creature was the helmet of the Sea King. Next
appeared the face of awful majesty and stern mien, as if with reluctant
condescension, and then the jewel robes of the monarch. Next rose into
view a huge haliotis shell, in which, on a bed of rare gems from the deep
sea floor, glistened, blazed and flashed the two Jewels of the Tides.

Then the Dragon-King spoke, saying:

"Quick, take this casket, I deign not to remain long in this upper world
of mortals. With these I endow the imperial prince of the Heavenly line
of the mikados of the Divine country. He shall be invulnerable in battle.
He shall have long life. To him I give power over sea and land. Of this,
let these Tide-Jewels be the token."

Hardly were these words uttered when the Dragon-King disappeared with a
tremendous splash. Takenouchi standing erect but breathless amid the
crowd of rowers who, crouching at the boat's bottom had not dared so much
as to lift up their noses, waited a moment, and then gave the command to
turn the prow to the shore.

Ojin grew up and became a great warrior, invincible in battle and
powerful in peace. He lived to be one hundred and eleven years old, and
was next to the last of the long lived mikados of Everlasting Great
Japan.

* * * * *

To this day Japanese soldiers honor him as the patron of war, and pray to
him as the ruler of battle.

When the Buddhist priests came to Japan they changed his name to Hachiman
Dai Bosatsu, or the "Great Buddha of the Eight Banners." On many a hill
and in many a village of Japan may still be seen a shrine to his honor.
O