at you surround and burn their dwellings and see that none of them
escape alive."

Thus bidden, the generals obeyed. The grounds of the monastery were
surrounded, and on the next day the temples and shrines were set on fire
and the soldiers remorselessly cut down all they met. The scene of
massacre and conflagration that ensued was awful to behold. None were
spared, neither young nor old, man, woman, nor child. The sword and
spear were wielded without mercy, and when the butchery ended not a soul
of the multitude of inmates was left alive.

One more great centre of Buddhism remained to be dealt with, that of the
monastery and temple of Houguanji, whose inmates had for years hated
Nobunaga and sided with his foes, while they made their stronghold the
hiding-place of his enemies. Finally, when some of his favorite captains
had been killed by lurking foes, who fled from pursuit into the
monastery, he determined to deal with this haunt of evil as he had dealt
with Hiyeizan.

But this place was not to be so easily taken. It was strongly fortified,
and could be captured only by siege. Within the five fortresses of which
it was composed were many thousands of priests and warriors, women and
children, and a still more frightful massacre than that of Hiyeizan was
threatened. The place was so closely surrounded that all escape seemed
cut off, but under cover of the darkness of night and amid a fierce
storm several thousand of the people made their way from one of the
forts. They failed, however, in their attempt, being pursued, overtaken,
and slaughtered. Soon after a junk laden with human ears and noses came
close under the walls of the castle, that the inmates might learn the
fate of their late friends.

Vigorously the siege went on. A sortie of the garrison was repelled, but
a number of Nobunaga's best officers were killed. After some two months
of effort, three of the five fortresses were in the assailants' hands,
and many thousands of the garrison had fallen or perished in the flames,
the odor of decaying bodies threatening to spread pestilence through
camp and castle alike.

In this perilous condition of affairs the mikado sent a number of his
high officials to persuade the garrison to yield. A conference was held
and a surrender agreed upon. The survivors were permitted to make their
way to other monasteries of their sect, and Nobunaga occupied the
castle, which is still held by the government. These two great blows