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114 HONDA THE SAMURAI.
" Yoshinaka had a favorite vassal named Kane*hira,
whose sister Tomoye" had been trained to wield the
sword and spear and to fight in battle like a man.
Though lovely in manners and very beautiful, she
had the strength of a man. So she put on armor
and girded on her two swords. She wore the noble's
cap, and painted the two sable spots on her forehead
indicating rank. She fought in the thick of the fight
with her brother, and cut off several heads. Being
hard pressed, the little band had to retreat. Kan^hira
begged his lord to save himself by retreating to a
hill not far from his home. The master Yoshinaka
plunged into a rice-field, but falling into a quagmire,
his animal sunk to the saddle in the soft mud and
water. Turning around to look at Karie'hira, Yoshinaka
was shot in the eye and killed by an arrow.
Kane*hira, hearing the shout raised by the Taira
archer at the success of his shaft, felt that he could
not survive his master, and cried, 'My business is
done.' So putting his sword in his mouth, he fell
skillfully
off his horse and died.
" Then three stout fellows rushed to seize Tomoyd
alive.
Waiting until they had got away
from their
comrades, she plucked up by the roots a young pinetree
from the sandy
soil and used it as a club. She
knocked over one man, killed another, and stunned
a third. Then clapping stirrups to her horse, she
galloped beyond fear of pursuit and reached the
mountains. There she took off her armor, threw
away her cap, washed the sable spots from her forehead,
and disguised as a pilgrim reached Yoshinaka's
distant home. His relatives assembled around her