d cats. See the stories respecting
their tricks.]

"Oh! thank you: that will indeed be a service. You can dress yourself
up in my clothes, and nobody will be the wiser. I shall be truly
grateful to you."

So Jiuyemon having gladly undertaken the job, as soon as the night set
in made his preparations, and went to the place indicated--an
uncanny-looking, tumble-down, lonely old shrine, all overgrown with
moss and rank vegetation. However, Jiuyemon, who was afraid of
nothing, cared little for the appearance of the place, and having made
himself as comfortable as he could in so dreary a spot, sat down on
the floor, lit his pipe, and kept a sharp look-out for the goblins. He
had not been waiting long before he saw a movement among the bushes;
and presently he was surrounded by a host of elfish-looking creatures,
of all shapes and kinds, who came and made hideous faces at him.
Jiuyemon quietly knocked the ashes out of his pipe, and then, jumping
up, kicked over first one and then another of the elves, until several
of them lay sprawling in the grass; and the rest made off, greatly
astonished at this unexpected reception. When Jiuyemon took his
lantern and examined the fallen goblins attentively, he saw that they
were all Tonoshin's fellow-students, who had painted their faces, and
made themselves hideous, to frighten their companion, whom they knew
to be a coward: all they got for their pains, however, was a good
kicking from Jiuyemon, who left them groaning over their sore bones,
and went home chuckling to himself at the result of the adventure.

[Illustration: FUNAKOSHI JIUYEMON AND THE GOBLINS.]

The fame of this exploit soon became noised about Osaka, so that all
men praised Jiuyemon's courage; and shortly after this he was elected
chief of the Otokodate,[46] or friendly society of the wardsmen, and
busied himself no longer with his trade, but lived on the
contributions of his numerous apprentices.

[Footnote 46: See the Introduction to the Story of Chobei of
Bandzuin.]

Now Kajiki Tonoshin was in love with a singing girl named Kashiku,
upon whom he was in the habit of spending a great deal of money. She,
however, cared nothing for him, for she had a sweetheart named
Hichirobei, whom she used to contrive to meet secretly, although, in
order to support her parents, she was forced to become the mistress of
Tonoshin. One evening, when the latter was on guard at the office of
his chief, the Governor of Osaka, Kashik