ning was over, there came to Raishu,
from the Tokoyo palace, a shisha, or royal messenger. The shisha
delivered to Akinosuke a message of condolence, and then said to him:--

"These are the words which our august master, the King of Tokoyo,
commands that I repeat to you: 'We will now send you back to your own
people and country. As for the seven children, they are the grandsons
and granddaughters of the King, and shall be fitly cared for. Do not,
therefore, allow you mind to be troubled concerning them.'"

On receiving this mandate, Akinosuke submissively prepared for his
departure. When all his affairs had been settled, and the ceremony of
bidding farewell to his counselors and trusted officials had been
concluded, he was escorted with much honor to the port. There he
embarked upon the ship sent for him; and the ship sailed out into the
blue sea, under the blue sky; and the shape of the island of Raishu
itself turned blue, and then turned grey, and then vanished forever...
And Akinosuke suddenly awoke--under the cedar-tree in his own garden!

For a moment he was stupefied and dazed. But he perceived his two
friends still seated near him,--drinking and chatting merrily. He
stared at them in a bewildered way, and cried aloud,--

"How strange!"

"Akinosuke must have been dreaming," one of them exclaimed, with a
laugh. "What did you see, Akinosuke, that was strange?"

Then Akinosuke told his dream,--that dream of three-and-twenty years'
sojourn in the realm of Tokoyo, in the island of Raishu;--and they were
astonished, because he had really slept for no more than a few minutes.

One goshi said:--

"Indeed, you saw strange things. We also saw something strange while
you were napping. A little yellow butterfly was fluttering over your
face for a moment or two; and we watched it. Then it alighted on the
ground beside you, close to the tree; and almost as soon as it alighted
there, a big, big ant came out of a hole and seized it and pulling it
down into the hole. Just before you woke up, we saw that very butterfly
come out of the hole again, and flutter over your face as before. And
then it suddenly disappeared: we do not know where it went."

"Perhaps it was Akinosuke's soul," the other goshi said;--"certainly I
thought I saw it fly into his mouth... But, even if that butterfly was
Akinosuke's soul, the fact would not explain his dream."

"The ants might explain it," returned the first speaker. "Ants are
queer bein