El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-12-24
FOR LITTIE FOLKS.
SAVED EOUR HUNDRED.

OAVGO EOON t1VNOhGO.
The Beautifuls story OF the Sacrifice
of Hamaguchi Gohei.
It is beautiful story told by Lafca-
do Hearn of an old man whose great
deed belongs to Japanese history. He
was Hamaguchi, and his farmhouse
stood on the verge Of a small plateau
overlooking the bay. The plateau,
mostly devoted to rice culture, was
hemmed in on three sides by thickly
wooded submits, and from the outer
verge the land sloped down to the sea-.
Below were 90 matched dwellings and
q temple; these composed the village.
One autumn evening Hamaguchi Co.
hei was looking down from his balcony
on the preparations for some merry
making in the hamlet below. ALI the
villagers were out, and he would have
gone with them had he not been feeling
less strong than usual.
Suddenly there came an earthquake
shock, not a very strong one. but Ham
aguchi, who had felt many before this
thought there was something odd in its
long, spongy motion. AS the quaking
ceased, he Glanced to look toward the
sea. and there he saw the strangest pos
sible sight. 1t seemed to be running
away from the land.
Apparently the whole village had no.
ticed it, for the people stood still in
wonderment; only Hamaguohi drew
any conclusions from the phenomenon
and guessed what the sea would do next
He called his little grandson, a lad Of
10, the only one of the family left with
him.
''Tadai Quick! Light me a torch 7"
The child kindled pine torch, and
the old man hurried with it to the
fields, where hundreds of rice stacks
stood ready for transportation One by
one he lighted them in haste, and they
caught like finder, sending skyward
masses of smoke that met and mingled
in one cloudy whirl. Tada, astonished
and terrified, ran after his grandfather,
weeping, calling. "Why? why? why?"
Hamaguchi did not answer. He
thought only Of 400 lives in peril. He
watched for the people, and in a mo.
ment only they came swarming up from
the village likennts.
And still the sea was fleeing toward
the horizon. The first party Of succor
arrived, a score of agile young peasants,
who wanted to attack the fire at once,
but Hamaguchi, stretching out both
his arms, stopped them.
''Let it burn, ladsP' he commanded
"Let it be. IwantSthe whole village
here"
The whole village came, mothers and
children last Of all, drawn by concern
and curiosity.
"Grandfather is mad. am afraid Of
him." sobbed little Tada. 'He set fire
to the rice on purpose. saw him do it. "
GAS for the RICE" said Hamaguchi,
'the child tells the truth. I set fire to
it. Are all the people here?"
"AI are here" was the answer.
"But we cannot understand this thing
"Seep" cried the old man at the top
of his voice. pointing to the open. "Say
if I be madp
1t was the returning sea, towering
like cliff and coursing swifter than
the kite. There was q shock, heavier
than thunder, as the colossal swell
smote the shore with foam burst like
q blaze of sheet lightning.
Then a white horror Of sea waved
over the village itself. It drew back,
roaring and tearing out the land as it
went. Twice, thrice, five times 1t struck
and ebbed, each time with lesser surges,
and then it returned to its ancient bed
and staid there, although still raging.
OF all the homes about the bay, moth
ing remained but two straw roofs toss
ing madly in the offing. All lips were
dumb, until Hamaguchi observed gently
'That was why set fire to the rice. "
He was now poor as the poorest in all
the village, but he had saved 400 lives.
Companion.