'THE HAPPY HUNTER AND THE SKILLFUL FISHER' JAPNESE FAIRY TALES

THE HAPPY HUNTER AND THE SKILLFUL FISHER


Long, long ago Japan was governed by Hohodemi, the fourth Mikoto (or
Augustness) in descent from the illustrious Amaterasu, the Sun
Goddess. He was not only as handsome as his ancestress was
beautiful, but he was also very strong and brave, and was famous for
being the greatest hunter in the land. Because of his matchless
skill as a hunter, he was called "Yama-sachi-hiko" or "The Happy
Hunter of the Mountains."

His elder brother was a very skillful fisher, and as he far
surpassed all rivals in fishing, he was named "Unii-sachi-hiko" or
the "Skillful Fisher of the Sea." The brothers thus led happy lives,
thoroughly enjoying their respective occupations, and the days
passed quickly and pleasantly while each pursued his own way, the
one hunting and the other fishing.

One day the Happy Hunter came to his brother, the Skillful Fisher,
and said:

"Well, my brother, I see you go to the sea every day with your
fishing rod in your hand, and when you return you come laden with
fish. And as for me, it is my pleasure to take my bow and arrow and
to hunt the wild animals up the mountains and down in the valleys.
For a long time we have each followed our favorite occupation, so
that now we must both be tired, you of your fishing and I of my
hunting. Would it not be wise for us to make a change? Will you try
hunting in the mountains and I will go and fish in the sea?"

The Skillful Fisher listened in silence to his brother, and for a
moment was thoughtful, but at last he answered:

"O yes, why not? Your idea is not a bad one at all. Give me your bow
and arrow and I will set out at once for the mountains and hunt for
game."

So the matter was settled by this talk, and the two brothers each
started out to try the other's occupation, little dreaming of all
that would happen. It was very unwise of them, for the Happy Hunter
knew nothing of fishing, and the Skillful Fisher, who was bad
tempered, knew as much about hunting.

The Happy Hunter took his brother's much-prized fishing hook and rod
and went down to the seashore and sat down on the rocks. He baited
his hook and then threw it into the sea clumsily. He sat and gazed
at the little float bobbing up and down in the water, and longed for
a good fish to come and be caught. Every time the buoy moved a
little he pulled up his rod, but there was never a fish at the end
of it, only the hook and the bait. If he had known how to fish
properly, he would have been able to catch plenty of fish, but
although he was the greatest hunter in the land he could not help
being the most bungling fisher.

The whole day passed in this way, while he sat on the rocks holding
the fishing rod and waiting in vain for his luck to turn. At last
the day began to darken, and the evening came; still he had caught
not a single fish. Drawing up his line for the last time before
going home, he found that he had lost his hook without even knowing
when he had dropped it.

He now began to feel extremely anxious, for he knew that his brother
would be angry at his having lost his hook, for, it being his only
one, he valued it above all other things. The Happy Hunter now set
to work to look among the rocks and on the sand for the lost hook,
and while he was searching to and fro, his brother, the Skillful
Fisher, arrived on the scene. He had failed to find any game while
hunting that day, and was not only in a bad temper, but looked
fearfully cross. When he saw the Happy Hunter searching about on the
shore he knew that something must have gone wrong, so he said at
once:

"What are you doing, my brother?"

The Happy Hunter went forward timidly, for he feared his brother's
anger, and said:

"Oh, my brother, I have indeed done badly."

"What is the matter?--what have you done?" asked the elder brother
impatiently.

"I have lost your precious fishing hook--"

While he was still speaking his brother stopped him, and cried out
fiercely:

"Lost my hook! It is just what I expected. For this reason, when you
first proposed your plan of changing over our occupations I was
really against it, but you seemed to wish it so much that I gave in
and allowed you to do as you wished. The mistake of our trying
unfamiliar tasks is soon seen! And you have done badly. I will not
return you your bow and arrow till you have found my hook. Look to
it that you find it and return it to me quickly."

The Happy Hunter felt that he was to blame for all that had come to
pass, and bore his brother's scornful scolding with humility and
patience. He hunted everywhere for the hook most diligently, but it
was nowhere to be found. He was at last obliged to give up all hope
of finding it. He then went home, and in desperation broke his
beloved sword into pieces and made five hundred hooks out of it.

He took these to his angry brother and offered them to him, asking
his forgiveness, and begging him to accept them in the place of the
one he had lost for him. It was useless; his brother would not
listen to him, much less grant his request.

The Happy Hunter then made another five hundred hooks, and again
took them to his brother, beseeching him to pardon him.

"Though you make a million hooks," said the Skillful Fisher, shaking
his head, "they are of no use to me. I cannot forgive you unless you
bring me back my own hook."

Nothing would appease the anger of the Skillful Fisher, for he had a
bad disposition, and had always hated his brother because of his
virtues, and now with the excuse of the lost fishing hook he planned
to kill him and to usurp his place as ruler of Japan. The Happy
Hunter knew all this full well, but he could say nothing, for being
the younger he owed his elder brother obedience; so he returned to
the seashore and once more began to look for the missing hook. He
was much cast down, for he had lost all hope of ever finding his
brother's hook now. While he stood on the beach, lost in perplexity
and wondering what he had best do next, an old man suddenly appeared
carrying a stick in his hand. The Happy Hunter afterwards remembered
that he did not see from whence the old man came, neither did he
know how he was there--he happened to look up and saw the old man
coming towards him.

"You are Hohodemi, the Augustness, sometimes called the Happy
Hunter, are you not?" asked the old man. "What are you doing alone
in such a place?"

"Yes, I am he," answered the unhappy young man. "Unfortunately,
while fishing I lost my brother's precious fishing hook. I have
hunted this shore all over, but alas! I cannot find it, and I am
very troubled, for my brother won't forgive me till I restore it to
him. But who are you?"

"My name is Shiwozuchino Okina, and I live near by on this shore. I
am sorry to hear what misfortune has befallen you. You must indeed
be anxious. But if I tell you what I think, the hook is nowhere
here--it is either at the bottom of the sea or in the body of some
fish who has swallowed it, and for this reason, though you spend
your whole life in looking for it here, you will never find it."

"Then what can I do?" asked the distressed man.

"You had better go down to Ryn Gu and tell Ryn Jin, the Dragon King
of the Sea, what your trouble is and ask him to find the hook for
you. I think that would be the best way."

"Your idea is a splendid one," said the Happy Hunter, "but I fear I
cannot get to the Sea King's realm, for I have always heard that it
is situated at the bottom of the sea."

"Oh, there will be no difficulty about your getting there," said the
old man; "I can soon make something for you to ride on through the
sea."

"Thank you," said the Happy Hunter, "I shall be very grateful to you
if you will be so kind."

The old man at once set to work, and soon made a basket and offered
it to the Happy Hunter. He received it with joy, and taking it to
the water, mounted it, and prepared to start. He bade good by to the
kind old man who had helped him so much, and told him that he would
certainly reward him as soon as he found his hook and could return
to Japan without fear of his brother's anger. The old man pointed
out the direction he must take, and told him how to reach the realm
of Ryn Gu, and watched him ride out to sea on the basket, which
resembled a small boat.

The Happy Hunter made all the haste he could, riding on the basket
which had been given him by his friend. His queer boat seemed to go
through the water of its own accord, and the distance was much
shorter than he had expected, for in a few hours he caught sight of
the gate and the roof of the Sea King's Palace. And what a large
place it was, with its numberless sloping roofs and gables, its huge
gateways, and its gray stone walls! He soon landed, and leaving his
basket on the beach, he walked up to the large gateway. The pillars
of the gate were made of beautiful red coral, and the gate itself
was adorned with glittering gems of all kinds. Large katsura trees
overshadowed it. Our hero had often heard of the wonders of the Sea
King's Palace beneath the sea, but all the stories he had ever heard
fell short of the reality which he now saw for the first time.

The Happy Hunter would have liked to enter the gate there and then,
but he saw that it was fast closed, and also that there was no one
about whom he could ask to open it for him, so he stopped to think
what he should do. In the shade of the trees before the gate he
noticed a well full of fresh spring water. Surely some one would
come out to draw water from the well some time, he thought. Then he
climbed into the tree overhanging the well, and seated himself to
rest on one of the branches, and waited for what might happen. Ere
long he saw the huge gate swing open, and two beautiful women came
out. Now the Mikoto (Augustness) had always heard that Ryn Gu was
the realm of the Dragon King under the Sea, and had naturally
supposed that the place was inhabited by dragons and similar
terrible creatures, so that when he saw these two lovely princesses,
whose beauty would be rare even in the world from which he had just
come, he was exceedingly surprised, and wondered what it could mean.

He said not a word, however, but silently gazed at them through the
foliage of the trees, waiting to see what they would do. He saw that
in their hands they carried golden buckets. Slowly and gracefully in
their trailing garments they approached the well, standing in the
shade of the katsura trees, and were about to draw water, all
unknowing of the stranger who was watching them, for the Happy
Hunter was quite hidden among the branches of the tree where he had
posted himself.

As the two ladies leaned over the side of the well to let down their
golden buckets, which they did every day in the year, they saw
reflected in the deep still water the face of a handsome youth
gazing at them from amidst the branches of the tree in whose shade
they stood. Never before had they seen the face of mortal man; they
were frightened, and drew back quickly with their golden buckets in
their hands. Their curiosity, however, soon gave them courage, and
they glanced timidly upwards to see the cause of the unusual
reflection, and then they beheld the Happy Hunter sitting in the
tree looking down at them with surprise and admiration. They gazed
at him face to face, but their tongues were still with wonder and
could not find a word to say to him.

When the Mikoto saw that he was discovered, he sprang down lightly
from the tree and said:

"I am a traveler, and as I was very thirsty I came to the well in
the hopes of quenching my thirst, but I could find no bucket with
which to draw the water. So I climbed into the tree, much vexed, and
waited for some one to come. Just at that moment, while I was
thirstily and impatiently waiting, you noble ladies appeared, as if
in answer to my great need. Therefore I pray you of your mercy give
me some water to drink, for I am a thirsty traveler in a strange
land."

His dignity and graciousness overruled their timidity, and bowing in
silence they both once more approached the well, and letting down
their golden buckets drew up some water and poured it into a jeweled
cup and offered it to the stranger.

He received it from them with both hands, raising it to the height
of his forehead in token of high respect and pleasure, and then
drank the water quickly, for his thirst was great. When he had
finished his long draught he set the cup down on the edge of the
well, and drawing his short sword he cut off one of the strange
curved jewels (magatama), a necklace of which hung round his neck
and fell over his breast. He placed the jewel in the cup and
returned it to them, and said, bowing deeply:

"This is a token of my thanks!"

The two ladies took the cup, and looking into it to see what he had
put inside--for they did not yet know what it was--they gave a start
of surprise, for there lay a beautiful gem at the bottom of the cup.

"No ordinary mortal would give away a jewel so freely. Will you not
honor us by telling us who you are?" said the elder damsel.

"Certainly," said the Happy Hunter, "I am Hohodemi, the fourth
Mikoto, also called in Japan, the Happy Hunter."

"Are you indeed Hohodemi, the grandson of Amaterasu, the Sun
Goddess?" asked the damsel who had spoken first. "I am the eldest
daughter of Ryn Jin, the King of the Sea, and my name is Princess
Tayotama."

"And," said the younger maiden, who at last found her tongue, "I am
her sister, the Princess Tamayori."

"Are you indeed the daughters of Ryn Jin, the King of the Sea? I
cannot tell you how glad I am to meet you," said the Happy Hunter.
And without waiting for them to reply he went on:

"The other day I went fishing with my brother's hook and dropped it,
how, I am sure I can't tell. As my brother prizes his fishing hook
above all his other possessions, this is the greatest calamity that
could have befallen me. Unless I find it again I can never hope to
win my brother's forgiveness, for he is very angry at what I have
done. I have searched for it many, many times, but I cannot find it,
therefore I am much troubled. While I was hunting for the hook, in
great distress, I met a wise old man, and he told me that the best
thing I could do was to come to Ryn Gu, and to Ryn Jin, the Dragon
King of the Sea, and ask him to help me. This kind old man also
showed me how to come. Now you know how it is I am here and why. I
want to ask Ryn Jin, if he knows where the lost hook is. Will you be
so kind as to take me to your father? And do you think he will see
me?" asked the Happy Hunter anxiously.

Princess Tayotama listened to this long story, and then said:

"Not only is it easy for you to see my father, but he will be much
pleased to meet you. I am sure he will say that good fortune has
befallen him, that so great and noble a man as you, the grandson of
Amaterasu. should come down to the bottom of the sea." And then
turning to her younger sister, she said:

"Do you not think so, Tamayori?"

"Yes, indeed," answered the Princess Tamayori, in her sweet voice.
"As you say, we can know no greater honor than to welcome the Mikoto
to our home."

"Then I ask you to be so kind as to lead the way," said the Happy
Hunter.

"Condescend to enter, Mikoto (Augustness)," said both the sisters,
and bowing low, they led him through the gate.

The younger Princess left her sister to take charge of the Happy
Hunter, and going faster than they, she reached the Sea King's
Palace first, and running quickly to her father's room, she told him
of all that had happened to them at the gate, and that her sister
was even now bringing the Augustness to him. The Dragon King of the
Sea was much surprised at the news, for it was but seldom, perhaps
only once in several hundred years, that the Sea King's Palace was
visited by mortals.

Ryn Jin at once clapped his hands and summoned all his courtiers and
the servants of the Palace, and the chief fish of the sea together,
and solemnly told them that the grandson of the Sun Goddess,
Amaterasu, was coming to the Palace, and that they must be very
ceremonious and polite in serving the august visitor. He then
ordered them all to the entrance of the Palace to welcome the Happy
Hunter.

Ryn Jin then dressed himself in his robes of ceremony, and went out
to welcome him. In a few moments the Princess Tayotama and the Happy
Hunter reached the entrance, and the Sea King and his wife bowed to
the ground and thanked him for the honor he did them in coming to
see them. The Sea King then led the Happy Hunter to the guest room,
and placing him in the uppermost seat, he bowed respectfully before
him, and said:

"I am Ryn Jin, the Dragon King of the Sea, and this is my wife.
Condescend to remember us forever!"

"Are you indeed Ryn Jin, the King of the Sea, of whom I have so
often heard?" answered the Happy Hunter, saluting his host most
ceremoniously. "I must apologize for all the trouble I am giving you
by my unexpected visit." And he bowed again, and thanked the Sea
King.

"You need not thank me," said Ryn Jin. "It is I who must thank you
for coming. Although the Sea Palace is a poor place, as you see, I
shall be highly honored if you will make us a long visit."

There was much gladness between the Sea King and the Happy Hunter,
and they sat and talked for a long time. At last the Sea King
clapped his hands, and then a huge retinue of fishes appeared, all
robed in ceremonial garments, and bearing in their fins various
trays on which all kinds of sea delicacies were served. A great
feast was now spread before the King and his Royal guest. All the
fishes-in-waiting were chosen from amongst the finest fish in the
sea, so you can imagine what a wonderful array of sea creatures it
was that waited upon the Happy Hunter that day. All in the Palace
tried to do their best to please him and to show him that he was a
much honored guest. During the long repast, which lasted for hours,
Ryn Jin commanded his daughters to play some music, and the two
Princesses came in and performed on the KOTO (the Japanese harp),
and sang and danced in turns. The time passed so pleasantly that the
Happy Hunter seemed to forget his trouble and why he had come at all
to the Sea King's Realm, and he gave himself up to the enjoyment of
this wonderful place, the land of fairy fishes! Who has ever heard
of such a marvelous place? But the Mikoto soon remembered what had
brought him to Ryn Gu, and said to his host:

"Perhaps your daughters have told you, King Ryn Jin, that I have
come here to try and recover my brother's fishing hook, which I lost
while fishing the other day. May I ask you to be so kind as to
inquire of all your subjects if any of them have seen a fishing hook
lost in the sea?"

"Certainly," said the obliging Sea King, "I will immediately summon
them all here and ask them."

As soon as he had issued his command, the octopus, the cuttlefish,
the bonito, the oxtail fish, the eel, the jelly fish, the shrimp,
and the plaice, and many other fishes of all kinds came in and sat
down before Ryn Jin their King, and arranged themselves and their
fins in order. Then the Sea King said solemnly:

"Our visitor who is sitting before you all is the august grandson of
Amaterasu. His name is Hohodemi, the fourth Augustness, and he is
also called the Happy Hunter of the Mountains. While he was fishing
the other day upon the shore of Japan, some one robbed him of his
brother's fishing hook. He has come all this way down to the bottom
of the sea to our Kingdom because he thought that one of you fishes
may have taken the hook from him in mischievous play. If any of you
have done so you must immediately return it, or if any of you know
who the thief is you must at once tell us his name and where he is
now."

All the fishes were taken by surprise when they heard these words,
and could say nothing for some time. They sat looking at each other
and at the Dragon King. At last the cuttlefish came forward and
said:

"I think the TAI (the red bream) must be the thief who has stolen
the hook!"

"Where is your proof?" asked the King.

"Since yesterday evening the TAI has not been able to eat anything,
and he seems to be suffering from a bad throat! For this reason I
think the hook may be in his throat. You had better send for him at
once! "

All the fish agreed to this, and said:

"It is certainly strange that the TAI is the only fish who has not
obeyed your summons. Will you send for him and inquire into the
matter. Then our innocence will be proved."

"Yes," said the Sea King, "it is strange that the TAI has not come,
for he ought to be the first to be here. Send for him at once!"

Without waiting for the King's order the cuttlefish had already
started for the TAI'S dwelling, and he now returned, bringing the
TAI with him. He led him before the King.

The TAI sat there looking frightened and ill. He certainly was in
pain, for his usually red face was pale, and his eyes were nearly
closed and looked but half their usual size.

"Answer, O TAI!" cried the Sea King, "why did you not come in answer
to my summons today?"

"I have been ill since yesterday," answered the TAI; "that is why I
could not come."

"Don't say another word!" cried out Ryn Jin angrily. "Your illness
is the punishment of the gods for stealing the Mikoto's hook."

"It is only too true!" said the TAI; "the hook is still in my
throat, and all my efforts to get it out have been useless. I can't
eat, and I can scarcely breathe, and each moment I feel that it will
choke me, and sometimes it gives me great pain. I had no intention
of stealing the Mikoto's hook. I heedlessly snapped at the bait
which I saw in the water, and the hook came off and stuck in my
throat. So I hope you will pardon me."

The cuttlefish now came forward, and said to the King:

"What I said was right. You see the hook still sticks in the TAI'S
throat. I hope to be able to pull it out in the presence of the
Mikoto, and then we can return it to him safely!"

"O please make haste and pull it out!" cried the TAI, pitifully, for
he felt the pains in his throat coming on again; "I do so want to
return the hook to the Mikoto."

"All right, TAI SAN," said his friend the cuttlefish, and then
opening the TAI'S mouth as wide as he could and putting one of his
feelers down the TAI'S throat, he quickly and easily drew the hook
out of the sufferer's large mouth. He then washed it and brought it
to the King.

Ryn Jin took the hook from his subject, and then respectfully
returned it to the Happy Hunter (the Mikoto or Augustness, the
fishes called him), who was overjoyed at getting back his hook. He
thanked Ryn Jin many times, his face beaming with gratitude, and
said that he owed the happy ending of his quest to the Sea King's
wise authority and kindness.

Ryn Jin now desired to punish the TAI, but the Happy Hunter begged
him not to do so; since his lost hook was thus happily recovered he
did not wish to make more trouble for the poor TAI. It was indeed
the TAI who had taken the hook, but he had already suffered enough
for his fault, if fault it could be called. What had been done was
done in heedlessness and not by intention. The Happy Hunter said he
blamed himself; if he had understood how to fish properly he would
never have lost his hook, and therefore all this trouble had been
caused in the first place by his trying to do something which he did
not know how to do. So he begged the Sea King to forgive his
subject.

Who could resist the pleading of so wise and compassionate a judge?
Ryn Jin forgave his subject at once at the request of his august
guest. The TAI was so glad that he shook his fins for joy, and he
and all the other fish went out from the presence of their King,
praising the virtues of the Happy Hunter.

Now that the hook was found the Happy Hunter had nothing to keep him
in Ryn Gu, and he was anxious to get back to his own kingdom and to
make peace with his angry brother, the Skillful Fisher; but the Sea
King, who had learnt to love him and would fain have kept him as a
son, begged him not to go so soon, but to make the Sea Palace his
home as long as ever he liked. While the Happy Hunter was still
hesitating, the two lovely Princesses, Tayotama and Tamayori, came,
and with the sweetest of bows and voices joined with their father in
pressing him to stay, so that without seeming ungracious he could
not say them "Nay," and was obliged to stay on for some time.

Between the Sea Realm and the Earth there was no difference in the
night of time, and the Happy Hunter found that three years went
fleeting quickly by in this delightful land. The years pass swiftly
when any one is truly happy. But though the wonders of that
enchanted land seemed to be new every day, and though the Sea King's
kindness seemed rather to increase than to grow less with time, the
Happy Hunter grew more and more homesick as the days passed, and he
could not repress a great anxiety to know what had happened to his
home and his country and his brother while he had been away.

So at last he went to the Sea King and said:

"My stay with you here has been most happy and I am very grateful to
you for all your kindness to me, but I govern Japan, and, delightful
as this place is, I cannot absent myself forever from my country. I
must also return the fishing hook to my brother and ask his
forgiveness for having deprived him of it for so long. I am indeed
very sorry to part from you, but this time it cannot be helped. With
your gracious permission, I will take my leave to-day. I hope to
make you another visit some day. Please give up the idea of my
staying longer now."

King Ryn Jin was overcome with sorrow at the thought that he must
lose his friend who had made a great diversion in the Palace of the
Sea, and his tears fell fast as he answered:

"We are indeed very sorry to part with you, Mikoto, for we have
enjoyed your stay with us very much. You have been a noble and
honored guest and we have heartily made you welcome. I quite
understand that as you govern Japan you ought to be there and not
here, and that it is vain for us to try and keep you longer with us,
much as we would like to have you stay. I hope you will not forget
us. Strange circumstances have brought us together and I trust the
friendship thus begun between the Land and the Sea will last and
grow stronger than it has ever been before."

When the Sea King had finished speaking he turned to his two
daughters and bade them bring him the two Tide-Jewels of the Sea.
The two Princesses bowed low, rose and glided out of the hall. In a
few minutes they returned, each one carrying in her hands a flashing
gem which filled the room with light. As the Happy Hunter looked at
them he wondered what they could be. The Sea King took them from his
daughters and said to his guest:

"These two valuable talismans we have inherited from our ancestors
from time immemorial. We now give them to you as a parting gift in
token of our great affection for you. These two gems are called the
nanjiu and the kanjiu."

The Happy Hunter bowed low to the ground and said:

"I can never thank you enough for all your kindness to me. And now
will you add one more favor to the rest and tell me what these
jewels are and what I am to do with them?"

"The nanjiu," answered the Sea King, "is also called the Jewel of
the Flood Tide, and whoever holds it in his possession can command
the sea to roll in and to flood the land at any time that he wills.
The kanjiu is also called the Jewel of the Ebbing Tide, and this gem
controls the sea and the waves thereof, and will cause even a tidal
wave to recede."

Then Ryn Jin showed his friend how to use the talismans one by one
and handed them to him. The Happy Hunter was very glad to have these
two wonderful gems, the Jewel of the Flood Tide and the Jewel of the
Ebbing Tide, to take back with him, for he felt that they would
preserve him in case of danger from enemies at any time. After
thanking his kind host again and again, he prepared to depart. The
Sea King and the two Princesses, Tayotama and Tamayori, and all the
inmates of the Palace, came out to say "Good-by," and before the
sound of the last farewell had died away the Happy Hunter passed out
from under the gateway, past the well of happy memory standing in
the shade of the great KATSURA trees on his way to the beach.

Here he found, instead of the queer basket on which he had come to
the Realm of Ryn Gu, a large crocodile waiting for him. Never had he
seen such a huge creature. It measured eight fathoms in length from
the tip of its tail to the end of its long mouth. The Sea King had
ordered the monster to carry the Happy Hunter back to Japan. Like
the wonderful basket which Shiwozuchino Okina had made, it could
travel faster than any steamboat, and in this strange way, riding on
the back of a crocodile, the Happy Hunter returned to his own land.

As soon as the crocodile landed him, the Happy Hunter hastened to
tell the Skillful Fisher of his safe return. He then gave him back
the fishing hook which had been found in the mouth of the TAI and
which had been the cause of so much trouble between them. He
earnestly begged his brother's forgiveness, telling him all that had
happened to him in the Sea King's Palace and what wonderful
adventures had led to the finding of the hook.

Now the Skillful Fisher had used the lost hook as an excuse for
driving his brother out of the country. When his brother had left
him that day three years ago, and had not returned, he had been very
glad in his evil heart and had at once usurped his brother's place
as ruler of the land, and had become powerful and rich. Now in the
midst of enjoying what did not belong to him, and hoping that his
brother might never return to claim his rights, quite unexpectedly
there stood the Happy Hunter before him.

The Skillful Fisher feigned forgiveness, for he could make no more
excuses for sending his brother away again, but in his heart he was
very angry and hated his brother more and more, till at last be
could no longer bear the sight of him day after day, and planned and
watched for an opportunity to kill him.

One day when the Happy Hunter was walking in the rice fields his
brother followed him with a dagger. The Happy Hunter knew that his
brother was following him to kill him, and he felt that now, in this
hour of great danger, was the time to use the Jewels of the Flow and
Ebb of the Tide and prove whether what the Sea King had told him was
true or not.

So he took out the Jewel of the Flood Tide from the bosom of his
dress and raised it to his forehead. Instantly over the fields and
over the farms the sea came rolling in wave upon wave till it
reached the spot where his brother was standing. The Skillful Fisher
stood amazed and terrified to see what was happening. In another
minute he was struggling in the water and calling on his brother to
save him from drowning.

The Happy Hunter had a kind heart and could not bear the sight of
his brother's distress. He at once put back the Jewel of the Flood
Tide and took out the Jewel of the Ebb Tide. No sooner did he hold
it up as high as his forehead than the sea ran back and back, and
ere long the tossing rolling floods had vanished, and the farms and
fields and dry land appeared as before.

The Skillful Fisher was very frightened at the peril of death in
which he had stood, and was greatly impressed by the wonderful
things he had seen his brother do. He learned now that he was making
a fatal mistake to set himself against his brother, younger than he
thought he was, for he now had become so powerful that the sea would
flow in and the tide ebb at his word of command. So he humbled
himself before the Happy Hunter and asked him to forgive him all the
wrong he had done him. The Skillful Fisher promised to restore his
brother to his rights and also swore that though the Happy Hunter
was the younger brother and owed him allegiance by right of birth,
that he, the Skillful Fisher, would exalt him as his superior and
bow before him as Lord of all Japan.

Then the Happy Hunter said that he would forgive his brother if he
would throw into the receding tide all his evil ways. The Skillful
Fisher promised and there was peace between the two brothers. From
this time he kept his word and became a good man and a kind brother.

The Happy Hunter now ruled his Kingdom without being disturbed by
family strife, and there was peace in Japan for a long, long time.
Above all the treasures in his house he prized the wonderful Jewels
of the Flow and Ebb of the Tide which had been given him by Ryn Jin,
the Dragon King of the Sea.

This is the congratulatory ending of the Happy Hunter and the
Skillful Fisher.