n its head before the
Emperor. The Empress and the courtiers were so frightened that they ran
away screaming.

But the Emperor only smiled and called to them to stop, and said:

"Do not be afraid. This is a messenger from Heaven. My time here is
finished!" He then mounted the Dragon, which began to ascend towards
the sky.

When the Empress and the courtiers saw this they all cried out together:

"Wait a moment! We wish to come too." And they all ran and caught hold
of the Dragon's beard and tried to mount him.

But it was impossible for so many people to ride on the Dragon. Several
of them hung on to the creature's beard so that when it tried to mount
the hair was pulled out and they fell to the ground.

Meanwhile the Empress and a few of the courtiers were safely seated on
the Dragon's back. The Dragon flew up so high in the heavens that in a
short time the inmates of the Palace, who had been left behind
disappointed, could see them no more.

After some time a bow and an arrow dropped to the earth in the
courtyard of the Palace. They were recognized as having belonged to the
Emperor Kotei. The courtiers took them up carefully and preserved them
as sacred relics in the Palace.

THE ADVENTURES OF KINTARO, THE GOLDEN BOY.

Long, long ago there lived in Kyoto a brave soldier named Kintoki. Now
he fell in love with a beautiful lady and married her. Not long after
this, through the malice of some of his friends, he fell into disgrace
at Court and was dismissed. This misfortune so preyed upon his mind
that he did not long survive his dismissal--he died, leaving behind him
his beautiful young wife to face the world alone. Fearing her husband's
enemies, she fled to the Ashigara Mountains as soon as her husband was
dead, and there in the lonely forests where no one ever came except
woodcutters, a little boy was born to her. She called him Kintaro or
the Golden Boy. Now the remarkable thing about this child was his great
strength, and as he grew older he grew stronger and stronger, so that
by the time he was eight years of age he was able to cut down trees as
quickly as the woodcutters. Then his mother gave him a large ax, and he
used to go out in the forest and help the woodcutters, who called him
"Wonder-child," and his mother the "Old Nurse of the Mountains," for
they did not know her high rank. Another favorite pastime of Kintaro's
was to smash up rocks and stones. You can imagine how strong he was!

Quite