egs, was informed by his
chamberlain, Hop-hop, that on the morrow his lordship's retinue would be
in readiness to accompany their worshipful Lord Long-legs on his journey.
This Lord Long-legs was a daimio who ruled over four acres of rice-field
in Echizen, whose revenue was ten thousand rice-stalks. His retainers,
who were all grasshoppers, numbered over six thousand, while his court
consisted only of nobles, such as Mantis, Beetle, and Pinching-bug. The
maids of honor who waited on his queen Katydid, were lady-bugs,
butterflies, and goldsmiths, and his messengers were fire-flies and
dragon-flies. Once in a while a beetle was sent on an errand; but these
stupid fellows had such a habit of running plump into things, and bumping
their heads so badly that they always forgot what they were sent for.
Besides these, he had a great many servants in the kitchen--such as
grubs, spiders, toads, etc. The entire population of his dominion,
including the common folks, numbered several millions, and ranked all the
way from horse-flies down to ants, mosquitoes, and ticks.

Many of his subjects were very industrious and produced fine fabrics,
which, however, were seized and made use of by great monsters, called
men. Thus the gray worms kept spinning-wheels in their heads. They had a
fashion of eating mulberry leaves, and changing them into fine threads,
called silk. The wasps made paper, and the bees distilled honey. There
was another insect which spread white wax on the trees. These were all
retainers or friendly vassals of Lord Long-legs.

Now it was Lord Long-legs' duty once a year to go up to Yedo to pay his
respects to the great Tycoon and to spend several weeks in the Eastern
metropolis. I shall not take the time nor tax the patience of my readers
in telling about all the bustle and preparation that went on in the
yashiki (mansion) of Lord Long-legs for a whole week previous to
starting. Suffice it to say that clothes were washed and starched, and
dried on a board, to keep them from shrinking; trunks and baskets were
packed; banners and umbrellas were put in order; the lacquer on the
brass ornaments; shields and swords and spears were all polished; and
every little item was personally examined by the daimio's chief
inspector. This functionary was a black-and-white-legged mosquito, who,
on account of his long nose, could pry into a thing further and see it
easier than any other of his lordship's officers; and, if anything went
wr