Tales of Old Japan - Maybe You Like It

that any one was following him, swaggered along the street until he fell
in with a wardsman, whom he cut down and robbed; but the booty
proving small, he waited for a second chance, and, seeing a light moving
in the distance, hid himself in the shadow of a large tub for catching rainwater
till the bearer of the lantern should come up. When the man drew
near, Gompachi saw that he was dressed as a traveller, and wore a long
dirk; so he sprung out from his lurking-place and made to kill him; but
the traveller nimbly jumped on one side, and proved no mean adversary,
for he drew his dirk and fought stoutly for his life. However, he was no
match for so skilful a swordsman as Gompachi, who, after a sharp
struggle, dispatched him, and carried off his purse, which contained two
hundred riyos. Overjoyed at having found so rich a prize, Gompachi was
making off for the Yoshiwara, when Seibei, who, horror-stricken, had
seen both murders, came up and began to upbraid him for his wickedness.
But Gompachi was so smooth-spoken and so well liked by his comrades,
that he easily persuaded Seibei to hush the matter up, and accompany
him to the Yoshiwara for a little diversion. As they were talking by
the way, Seibei said to Gompachi—
"I bought a new dirk the other day, but I have not had an opportunity
to try it yet. You have had so much experience in swords that you ought
to be a good judge. Pray look at this dirk, and tell me whether you think
it good for anything."
"We'll soon see what sort of metal it is made of," answered Gompachi.
"We'll just try it on the first beggar we come across."
At first Seibei was horrified by this cruel proposal, but by degrees he
yielded to his companion's persuasions; and so they went on their way
until Seibei spied out a crippled beggar lying asleep on the bank outside
the Yoshiwara. The sound of their footsteps aroused the beggar, who
seeing a Samurai and a wardsman pointing at him, and evidently speaking
about him, thought that their consultation could bode him no good.
So he pretended to be still asleep, watching them carefully all the while;
and when Seibei went up to him, brandishing his dirk, the beggar, avoiding
the blow, seized Seibei's arm, and twisting it round, flung him into
the ditch below. Gompachi, seeing his companion's discomfiture, attacked
the beggar, who, drawing a sword from his staff, made such
lightning-swift passes that, crippled though he was, and unable to move
his legs freely, Gompachi could not overpower him; and although Seibei
crawled out of the ditch and came to his assistance, the beggar, nothing
daunted, dealt his blows about him to such good purpose that he
wounded Seibei in the temple and arm. Then Gompachi, reflecting that
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