The 47 Ronin Story by John Allyn Page B

had summoned them to the front steps of the castle proper and here they gathered, under its soaring towers, over three hundred fighting men surrounding the entrance and overflowing into the paths of the garden beyond.
    In attire they were all alike; semibattle dress, ready to don their armor if it should be necessary. In age they varied widely; from men in their sixties who might be more of a hindrance than a help on the battlefield to boys in their teens who had strength and agility but lacked wisdom and experience. The majority were in their thirties and forties, seasoned in life and combat, and it was to these that Oishi primarily addressed himself.
    In spite of all precautions, rumors had begun to circulate. The precipitate and unexplained arrival of Hara and Mimura in the middle of the night could not help but be noticed and commented on. Conjectures of all kinds'passed among them while they waited, but their murmurs were quickly stilled when Oishi raised his hand for silence.
    In the chill morning air, the frost on his breath was appropriate to his cold words: "Our master is dead." They stared at him in disbelief. Had he shouted it
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    Forty-Seven Rofiin Story
    with his sword flung high they would have understood that it was a call to action, but the tone in which he pronounced the words told them the situation was hopeless and that there was nothing to be done. As he went on to explain what had happened, there were tears of sorrow and of anger that came to the eyes of many who had never wept before in their lives.
    He told them how^ the Shogun's Master of Ceremonies had goaded their master beyond endurance, and there were angry mutterings among them. He told them that Lady Asano was in exile and that the Shogun's representatives were coming to take over the castle and all the lands at Ako. There were again murmurs of outrage but they stopped when Oishi concluded, without even a glance in Hara's direction, that it was the decision of Daigaku Asano, the heir to the title, that they relinquish the castle peaceably.
    Hara looked up quickly at this, then narrowed his eyes as they sought out Mimura. Being only a servant, he was not present at the meeting, but Hara vowed he would make him regret his betrayal when he found him. He had not long to wait for his man. Mimura unexpectedly appeared before them in the doorway to the castle and Oishi broke off to see what emergency had brought him there.
    When he had been officially recognized, Mimura hurried to Oishi's side and all present turned their eyes on him as he whispered something into their leader's ear. Oishi looked startled, then nodded and the servant withdrew. Oishi turned to the assembled men.
    "A messenger has arrived from Edo.'' he told them. "Gengoemon Kataoka has brought fresh news from the capital."
    .50.

    Chapter Four
    Kataoka, his monkey face grim and his clothes in tatters, hobbled out on sore legs and bowed deeply to Oishi. He was obviously exhausted and had trouble breathing but did his utmost to hold himself at rigid attention while he was the focal point of the eyes of all of his comrades.
    "Please," Oishi said, "tell us what you have learned. You may speak to the whole group together. We are all equally involved in this matter."
    Kataoka hesitated, glanced around to identify some of the faces nearest him, then shouted the fateful words:
    "KiraHves!"
    Instantly the whole tenor of the meeting changed. Sorrow and hopelessness changed to pure rage and Hara was the first to voice it.
    "Then he must die!" he cried, and there was a tremendous answering shout from the assembly. A surge of passion rose within Oishi, too, but he deliberately forced it down and waited for the uproar to subside. When the men saw that he wished to speak they gradually quieted down, although there were puzzled murmurings about his strangely cold response to the news that their dead master's arch-enemy still lived.
    "I agree that Kira should die," he said finally. "There's nothing