Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1900-02-22
Saving Four Hundred Lives.

1t is beautiful story told by Laf-
cadio Hearn OF an old inan whose great
deed belongs to japanese history.
He was Hamaguchi, and his farm
house stood on the verge Of Il small
plateau overlooking tho bay. The
plateau, mostly devoted to rice cul
ture. was hemmed in on three sides
by thickly wooded SUBMITS; and from
the outer verge the land sloped down
to the sea. Below we've ninety
thatched dwellings and temple; these
composed the village.
One autumn evening Hamaguchi
Gobei was looking down from his bal
cony ON the preparations for some
merry making in the hamlet below.
All the villagers were out, aud he
would have gone with them, had he
not been feeling less strong than
usual
Suddenly there came an earthquake
shock-not n very strong one; but
Hamaguchi, who had felt many before
this, thought there was something
odd in its long. spongy motion. AS
the quaking ceased, lie CHANGED to
look towards the sea; and there he
saw the strangest possible sight; it
seemed to be running away from the
land.
Apparently, the whole village bad
noticed it; for the people stood still i'll
wonderment. Only hamaguchi drew
any conclusions fiom the phenomenon
and guessed what the sea would do
next. He called in his little grand
son, lad of ten-the only one OF the
family left with him.
''Iada! Gu LEX! Light me
torchp'
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 tinder, sending sky
ward masses of smoke that met and
mingled i'll one cloudy whirl. Tada,
astonished and terrified, ran after his
grandfather, weening and calling,
"Why? why? why?"
Hamaguchi did not answer. He
thought only of four hundred lives in
peril. He watched for the people.
and in moment only they came
swarming up from tho village.
And still the sea was fleeing toward
the horizon. The first party of sue
cor arriyed-a score OF agile young
peasants, who wanted to attack the
fire at once, but Hamaguchi, stretch
ing out both his arms, stopped them.
''Let it burn, lads!' he commanded.
"Let it be! want the whole village
here"
The whole village came, mothers
and children last of all, drawn by con-
cern and curiosity.
Grandfather is mad. am afraid
of himr' sobbed little Tada ''He set
fire to the rice on purpose. saw
him do it,"
''As for the rice, said Hamaguchi,
"the child tells the truth 1 set fire
to it. Are all the people here?"
''All are here" was the answer.
"But we cannot understand this
thing"
''See!" cried the old man, at the
top of his voice, pointing to the open.
''Say if be madp
1t was the returning sea, towering
like cliff, and coming swifter than
the kite. There was shock, heavier
than thunder, as the colossal swell
smote the shore, with fame-bur
like a blaze of sheet-lightning.
Then white horror of sea raved
over the village itself. 1t drew back,
roaring, and tearing out the land as it
went. Twice, thrice, five times, it
struck and ebbed, each time with
lesser surges, and then it returned to
its ancient bed, and stayed there, al,
though still raging. OF all the homes
aaout the bay nothing remained but
two straw roofs, tossing madly iii tho
offing. All lips were dumb, until
Hamaguchi observed gently:
"That was why l set fro to the
rice.
He was now poor as the poorest in