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138 HONDA THE SAMURAI.
" Thus Benke*i, who had gained renown as a warrior
in war, now won the reverence of all as a saintly
bonze ;
for one of the most important works of a
bonze is to quiet the restless spirits of departed
men. If the Buddhist priests should lose their
business of ghost-laying half their revenue would
be gone."
" Of course, young folks, you do not believe in
ghosts as the common people do," said Mr. Honda,
as he saw Kin6 look a little pale.
" Girls do, but not we boys," cried Taro. "Father
tells us that such things belong with
the fairy folks
that no one ever sees except in dreams."
" I do not believe what Uh^i and Taka the maid
believe," said Kine',
" but I should not like to play
the game of soul-examination which you boys played
last month, when after each of the ghost stories had
been told and each of the ten caudles was blown
out, it fell on you to take the stump off the candle
and lay it on the middle tomb in the cemetery."
" Did you really do it, Taro " ? asked Honda.
" Yes, I did ;
but I know one boy who got credit
for being brave who laughed at me for my trouble.
He said he had hired beforehand the ash-man at the
cremation-house, in case the lot fell on him to carry
the candle, and set it on the tomb where the other
boys found it next morning."
" Uhe'i says that the ghosts of the He'ike' still rise
out of the southwestern sea and ask the sailors in
boats to lend them a dipper," said Kine*.
" What do ghosts want with a dipper
? " asked
Taro.