But she only laughed and ran on, still crying out: “My dumpling! my dumpling! Where is that dumpling of mine?” And she came to a third Jizō, and asked it:
“O dear Jizō, did you see my dumpling?”
But Jizō said:
“Don’t talk about your dumpling now. Here is the oni coming. Squat down here behind my sleeve, and don’t make any noise.”
Presently the oni came very close, and stopped and bowed to Jizō, and said:
“Good day, Jizō San!”
Jizō said good day, too, very politely.
Then the oni suddenly snuffed the air two or three times in a suspicious way, and cried out: “Jizō San, Jizō San! I smell a smell of mankind somewhere—don’t you?”
“Oh!” said Jizō, “perhaps you are mistaken.”
“No, no!” said the oni after snuffing the air again; “I smell a smell of mankind.”