“Ill omen! Don’t say such a thing as Namu-Ami-Dabutsu. This is not the rope for you to pull.”
In spite of the taunt she still muttered the sacred charm of the Buddha sect, saying:
“But do let me hold it. I am the leader in pulling timbers for the repairing of the Hongwanzi[[17]] temple. Yet I must have my share, because I am sure that the lad is a hero sent by Buddha himself to save us from our troubles. Namu-Ami-Dabutsu,” repeated the woman.
[17]. The headquarters of the Buddhist religion in Kioto.
Just then a maid-servant carrying a little girl on her back came along the shore after the woman. The latter turned to the little girl and said:
“Ah, you are the daughter of the Daikokuya. Do you want to pull this rope, too? Namu-Ami-Da—”
The girl wouldn’t listen to her words, but, looking intently at the boat in the distance, called out aloud, “Bunkichi!”
The other bystanders, who heard the name for the first time, said: “Ah, his name is Bunkichi, is it?” and at once shouted, “Bunkichi Daimiozin,” which is a title they give to the gods.
The lad, taking little notice of the stir on the shore, soon came to the foot of the bluff. The master and others went up the hillside along the edge of the precipice, while the lad began to prepare for his task.
The long summer day was already declining and a cool breeze from the far ocean blew about his broad sleeves, and the voice of the crowd grew fainter and fainter as, hidden by the pine-trees, they wound their way up to the top of the hill. Yet now and then Bunkichi heard his master’s voice faintly calling to him, to which he made reply to assure him of his safety. Looking out toward the ocean there was no sail or boat to be seen, probably owing to the people’s fear of meeting the shark. A checkered bank of white and dark clouds was massed on the sky above the horizon, while the waves chased one another below.