"There is the face of a god there!"

Arisuga looked and laughed, but saw no god.

"It is the reflection of your Jizo," he said, pointing to the goddess
behind her.

But Hoshiko said it was not that. For, you see, she knew what it was,
and her husband did not--and must not--the sign.

Now after that Shijiro Arisuga was amazed, considering the terrors out
of which it had first been accomplished, to find his little wife often
in his uniform. And more, to learn that this gentle creature was mad for
the learning which is a soldier's. Of course it was great sport in this
happy time, and Arisuga taught her all he knew!--how to stand and step
and march, to load and fire and intrench herself, and all the hoarse
songs and sayings of the army--among others that battle song of his. But
most of all he taught her how to carry the sun-flag, and how to keep it,
nay, how to retake it if it should be captured--which, however, he
instructed her, illogically, must never happen.

"Our method of advance," he told her, "is never in thick fat lines--such
delectable food for the shrapnel. One at a time we run to a position we
have fixed in advance. Then we dig. Sometimes there are as many as five
all scattered--never more. After digging holes we make another rapid
advance and do the same, and then, again, until there are three chains
of holes parallel to the enemy. Then other troops advance. They have the
first holes to hide in. They make them deeper and wider and advance as
we did until we have a solid line out near the enemy, the holes being
joined to form a trench. And by that time there are two such trenches to
our rear for those who support us--or to retire to--"

Here he laughed, and added impressively:--

"If that should ever become necessary. But a Japanese soldier goes only
in one direction--forward where the flag is. And as to the flag," he
went on, "that goes forward with the first advance, like this--"

He rolled it into a ball.

"But, once it is there, the lines formed, the advance ordered, it is
raised, like this, so that the artillery know where we are when they
fire at the enemy. So," he laughed happily, "when you take my flag
forward, you will go like this--"

He made her run with bent supple back the length of the apartment.

"Drop like this; now there is nothing but a small lump of earth to see;
dig like this, lying on the flag, and so on till, out there, in the
first trench, you raise it never to return with