HONZO. Ah, how I rejoice that my wish is fulfilled! No need to take account of the loyalty of Wu-tzu-hsiao,[5] who smiled at the insults heaped upon him when he was put to death for remonstrating with the King of Wu. The mirrors of loyalty are Hu-yang[6] in China and Oboshi in Japan; since antiquity up till now, there have only been these two men in China and Japan. To have become the wife of Rikiya who has one of these for his father, it is an achievement for the daughter of a samurai a hundred times greater than sharing the Imperial bed. To the husband of this high-achieving daughter I would make a wedding-present. RECITATIVE. With these words he takes it out of his bosom; and Rikiya receives it with a bow. He opens it, and what is this? It is not a list of presents, but a guide to Moronao’s house. The porch, outlying blocks, samurai’s room, water-gate, lumber-room, and fuel-shed, all are minutely marked in the plan. Yuranosuke takes it with obeisance. YURANOSUKE. I am deeply grateful. All our confederates are ready; but as we knew not yet the details of the enemy’s house, we postponed our journey. This map is truly as the secret books of Sun and Wu[7] and the _Rikuto Sanryaku_[8] to us. As we have decided to make a night-attack, we will get over the wall with a rope-ladder; and to steal into the house, we will take out the rain-shutters of the verandah and then we shall be in the sitting-room. We will cut it off and attack in this way. RECITATIVE. While father and son rejoice, Honzo retains his wits in spite of his wounds. HONZO. Nay, nay, that is an error. Kono Moronao keeps strict guard. All his sliding-doors are bolted and his shutters hasped end to end so that you cannot wrench them open. If you attempt to break them down with hammers, the noise will put him on his guard. What will you do? YURANOSUKE. Oh, for that I have a good plan. If we are too absorbed, good ideas are apt to escape us; when I was returning from the pleasure-quarters, I suddenly thought of the snow-laden bamboo in my garden and with it the plan for taking out the shutters. I will now show you how I shall do it. RECITATIVE. In the garden stands a great, stout bamboo bending under the heavy weight of snow. Yuranosuke turns it round and puts the tip under the lintel; it is bent like a bow by the snow. YURANOSUKE. I shall make bows bent like this with strings and put the two ends between the lintel and the sill; and when the strings are cut all at once, the result will be as you will see. RECITATIVE. He shakes the snow off the branches; and as it falls, the bamboo straightens of itself and raises the lintel. The sliding-doors come off the groove and fall down one after another. In his admiration Honzo forgets his agony. HONZO. Well done, well done. Ah, with a retainer possessed of such loyalty and military ability, Lord Enya should have been more discreet; and how deplorable was his inconsiderate conduct!