A Japanese miscellany - University of Oregon

On a Bridge 239
three samurai did not speak a single word. I
could
afraid
not even hear them breathing.
to look at their faces ; — I kept
1 was
looking
down into the river. . . . After a little while I
heard another horse, — and my heart jumped so
that I felt sick — ; and 1 looked up, and saw a
cavalry -soldier coming along the road, riding very
fast. No one stirred till he was on the bridge
then — in one second — his head was off ! The
body was thrown into the river, and the horse
driven away — exactly as before. Three men
were killed like that. Then the samurai left the
bridge."
" Did you go with them ?
" No :
they left immediately after having
killed the third man, — taking the heads with
them; — and they paid no attention to me. I
stayed on the bridge, afraid to move, until they
were very far away. Then I ran back to the
burning town; — I ran quick, quick! There I
was told that the Satsuma troops were retreating.
Soon afterwards, the army came from Tokyo;
and 1 was given some work : I carried straw san-
dals for the soldiers."
" Who were the men that you saw killed on
the bridge ?
"
"
: