Page:Modern Japanese Stories.pdf/108

Hundreds of candles, set in silver candlesticks, blazed in the great hall of the castle at Echizen Kitanoshō. The evening’s festivities—as was clearly shown by the solid masses of white wax which had already climbed high about the base of each candlestick—were well advanced.

It had been Lord Tadanao’s custom, since returning to his province, to gather together his young retainers during the day for tournaments, and at night, as soon as the games were over, to invite the whole company to a huge informal banquet.

The title of ‘the Fan Kuai of Japan’, so flatteringly conferred upon him by his grandfather Ieyasu, was a source of immense happiness to Lord Tadanao. His heart beat quicker at the mere thought of it. And by thus competing with the young warriors of his household, measuring his own skill with the spear and the sword against theirs, and soundly defeating all comers, he was providing this proud new boast of his with the daily sustenance it demanded.

The young warriors ranged at this moment in a deep curve around the great hall, below the step of the slightly elevated section on which he himself was seated, had been specially selected from among his numerous young retainers for their prowess in the military arts. Among them he could see some who were still mere youths, their hair not yet trimmed to the styles of manhood, but one and all were powerfully built, and their eyes shone vigorously.

But an even nobler and more gallant spectacle was presented by the master of the castle himself, Lord Tadanao. Though lean and trim in figure, his eyes glowed darkly with an almost uncanny quality of penetration, and in the set of his brow there was an overwhelming suggestion of dauntless courage.

Lord Tadanao was a little intoxicated. Things had a tendency to revolve. Nevertheless he steadied himself and gazed slowly around the whole assembly.

The one hundred or more young men seated in the hall below him were every one of them slaves to his will. As the