Come and Sleep Page 8

  “Neighbor Wang,” said he, “first smoke a pipeful and take a little rest! Then I will help you plow.”

  Then he called out “Hu!” the way farmers do when they talk to their cattle.

  The farmer looked at him more closely and saw then that he was a talking fox. He waited for a favorable opportunity, and when it came, gave him a lusty blow with his ox-whip. He struck home, for the fox screamed, leaped into the air, and ran away. His straw hat, his mantle of woven grass, and the rest he left lying on the ground. Then the farmer saw that the straw hat was just woven out of potato leaves; he had cut it in two with his whip. The mantle was made of oak-leaves, tied together with little blades of grass. And the pick was only the stem of a kau-ling plant, to which a bit of brick had been fastened.

  Not long after, a woman in a neighboring village became possessed. A picture of the head priest of the Taoists was hung up in her room, but the evil spirit did not depart. Since there were none who could exorcise devils in the neighborhood, and the trouble she gave was unendurable, the woman’s relatives decided to send to the temple of the God of War and beg for aid.

  But when the fox heard of it, he said: “I am not afraid of your Taoist high-priest nor of your God of War; the only person I fear is your neighbor Wang in the Eastern village, who once struck me cruelly with his whip.”

  This suited the people to a T. They sent to the Eastern village and found out who Wang was. And Wang took his ox-whip and entered the house of the possessed woman.

  Then he said in a deep voice: “Where are you? Where are you? I have been on your trail for a long time. And now, at last, I have caught you!”

  With that, he snapped his whip.

  The fox hissed and spat and flew out of the window.

  They had been telling stories about the talking fox of Tower Mountain for more than a hundred years when one fine day, a skillful archer came to that part of the country who saw a creature like a fox, with a fiery-red pelt, whose back was striped with gray. It was lying under a tree. The archer aimed and shot off its hind foot.

  At once it said in a human voice: “I brought myself into this danger because of my love for sleep, but none may escape his fate! If you capture me you will get at the most no more than five thousand pieces of copper for my pelt. Why not let me go instead? I will reward you richly so that all your poverty will come to an end.”

  But the archer would not listen to him. He killed him, skinned him, and sold his pelt; and, sure enough, he received five thousand pieces of copper for it.

  From that time on, the fox-spirit ceased to show itself.

  Further Reading: Japanese Fox Stories

  We’ve already seen a wide variety of Japanese fox stories. This chapter features several complete stories that I glossed over earlier. This collection, like the Ainu and Chinese collections, is far from exhaustive. I selected only a few stories to support our conversation with the Japanese fox. “The Foxes’ Wedding” and “The Grateful Foxes” come from A.B. Mitford’s Tales of Old Japan (1871). “The Fox and Badger,” from William Giffis’s Japanese Fairy World (1880), features the tanuki. The tanuki, also called the badger or raccoon dog, is the fox’s rival. He is able to shape-shift like the fox and enjoys playing pranks. “Tamamo, The Fox Maiden” is a complete version of the “Jewel Maiden” story. It comes from Grace James’s Japanese Fairy Tales (1910). The final story, “On a Contest Between Women of Extraordinary Strength,” is a sequel to first fox-wife story “On Taking a Fox as a Wife and Bringing Forth a Child.”

  The Foxes’ Wedding

  Once upon a time there was a young white fox, whose name was Fukuyémon. When he had reached the fitting age, he shaved off his forelock and began to think of taking to himself a beautiful bride. The old fox, his father, resolved to give up his inheritance to his son and retired into private life; so the young fox, in gratitude for this, laboured hard and earnestly to increase his patrimony. Now it happened that in a famous old family of foxes there was a beautiful young lady-fox with such lovely fur that the fame of her jewel-like charms was spread far and wide. The young white fox, who had heard of this, was bent on making her his wife, and a meeting was arranged between them. There was not a fault to be found on either side; so the preliminaries were settled, and the wedding presents sent from the bridegroom to the bride's house, with congratulatory speeches from the messenger, which were duly acknowledged by the person deputed to receive the gifts; the bearers, however received the customary fee in copper cash.

  When the ceremonies had been concluded, an auspicious day was chosen for the bride to go to her husband's house, and she was carried off in a solemn procession during a shower of rain, the sun shining all the while. After the ceremonies of drinking wine had been gone through, the bride changed her dress, and the wedding was concluded, without let or hindrance, amid singing and dancing and merry-making.

  The bride and bridegroom lived lovingly together, and a litter of little foxes was born to them, to the great joy of the old grandsire, who treated the little cubs as tenderly as if they had been butterflies or flowers. "They're the very image of their old grandfather," said he, as proud as possible. "As for medicine, bless them, they're so healthy that they'll never need a copper coin's worth!"

  As soon as they were old enough, they were carried off to the temple of Inari Sama, the patron saint of foxes, and the old grandparents prayed that they might be delivered from dogs and all the other ills to which fox flesh is the heir.

  In this way, the white fox by degrees waxed old and prosperous, and his children, year by year, became more and more numerous around him, so that, happy in his family and his business, every recurring spring brought him fresh cause for joy.

  The Grateful Foxes

  One fine spring day, two friends went out to a moor to gather fern, attended by a boy with a bottle of wine and a box of provisions. As they were straying about, they saw at the foot of a hill a fox that had brought out its cub to play, and whilst they looked on, struck by the strangeness of the sight, three children came up from a neighboring village with baskets in their hands, on the same errand as themselves. As soon as the children saw the foxes, they picked up a bamboo stick and took the creatures stealthily in the rear. When the old foxes took to flight, the children surrounded them and beat them with the stick, and the foxes ran away as fast as their legs could carry them. But two of the boys held down the cub, and, seizing it by the scruff of the neck, went off in high glee.

  The two friends were looking for all the while, and one of them, raising his voice, shouted out, "Hallo! you boys! what are you doing with that fox?"

  The eldest of the boys replied, "We're going to take him home and sell him to a young man in our village. He'll buy him, and then he'll boil him in a pot and eat him."

  "Well," replied the other, after considering the matter attentively, "I suppose it's all the same to you whom you sell him to. You'd better let me have him."

  "Oh, but the young man from our village promised us a good round sum if we could find a fox and got us to come out to the hills and catch one, and so we can't sell him to you at any price."

  "Well, I suppose it cannot be helped, then; but how much would the young man give you for the cub?"

  "Oh, he'll give us three hundred cash at least."

  "Then I'll give you half a bu, and so you'll gain five hundred cash by the transaction."

  "Oh, we'll sell him for that, sir. How shall we hand him over to you?"

  "Just tie him up here," said the other; and so he made fast the cub around the neck with the string of the napkin in which the luncheon-box was wrapped and gave half a bu to the three boys, who ran away delighted.

  The man's friend, upon this, said to him, "Well, certainly you have got queer tastes. What on earth are you going to keep the fox for?"

  "How very unkind of you to speak of my tastes like that. If we had not interfered just now, the fox's cub would have lost its life. If we had not seen the affair, there would have been no help for it. How cou
ld I stand by and see a life taken? It was but a little I spent—only half a bu—to save the cub, but had it cost a fortune I should not have grudged it. I thought you were intimate enough with me to know my heart, but to-day you have accused me of being eccentric, and I see how mistaken I have been in you. However, our friendship shall cease from this day forth."

  And when he had said this with a great deal of firmness, the other, retiring backward and bowing with his hands on his knees, replied—

  "Indeed, indeed, I am filled with admiration at the goodness of your heart. When I hear you speak thus, I feel more than ever how great is the love I bear you. I thought that you might wish to use the cub as a sort of decoy to lead the old ones to you, that you might pray them to bring prosperity and virtue to your house. When I called you eccentric just now, I was but trying your heart, because I had some suspicions of you; and now I am truly ashamed of myself."

  And as he spoke, still bowing, the other replied, "Really! was that indeed your thought? Then I pray you to forgive me for my violent language."

  When the two friends had thus become reconciled, they examined the cub and saw that it had a slight wound in its foot and could not walk; and while they were thinking what they should do, they spied out the herb called "Doctor's Nakasé," which was just sprouting; so they rolled up a little of it in their fingers and applied it to the part. Then they pulled out some boiled rice from their luncheon-box and offered it to the cub, but it showed no sign of wanting to eat; so they stroked it gently on the back, and petted it; and as the pain of the wound seemed to have subsided, they were admiring the properties of the herb, when, opposite to them, they saw the old foxes sitting watching them by the side of some stacks of rice straw.

  "Look there! The old foxes have come back out of fear for their cub's safety. Come, we will set it free!" And with these words they untied the string around the cub's neck and turned its head towards the spot where the old foxes sat; and as the wounded foot was no longer painful, with one bound it dashed to its parents' side and licked them all over for joy, while they seemed to bow their thanks, looking towards the two friends. So, with peace in their hearts, the latter went off to another place, and, choosing a pretty spot, produced the wine bottle and ate their noon-day meal; and after a pleasant day, they returned to their homes and became firmer friends than ever.

  Now the man who had rescued the fox's cub was a tradesman in good circumstances: he had three or four agents and two maid-servants, besides men-servants; and altogether he lived in a liberal manner. He was married, and this union had brought him one son, who had reached his tenth year but had been attacked by a strange disease which defied all the physician's skill and drugs. At last, a famous physician prescribed the liver taken from a live fox, which, as he said, would certainly effect a cure. If that were not forthcoming, the most expensive medicine in the world would not restore the boy to health. When the parents heard this, they were at their wits' end. However, they told the state of the case to a man who lived on the mountains. "Even though our child should die for it," they said, "we will not ourselves deprive other creatures of their lives; but you, who live among the hills, are sure to hear when your neighbors go out fox-hunting. We don't care what price we might have to pay for a fox's liver; pray, buy one for us at any expense." So they pressed him to exert himself on their behalf; and he, having promised faithfully to execute the commission, went his way.

  In the night of the following day there came a messenger, who announced himself as coming from the person who had undertaken to procure the fox's liver; so the master of the house went out to see him.

  "I have come from Mr. So-and-so. Last night the fox's liver that you required fell into his hands, so he sent me to bring it to you." With these words the messenger produced a small jar, adding, "In a few days he will let you know the price."

  When he had delivered his message, the master of the house was greatly pleased and said, "Indeed, I am deeply grateful for this kindness, which will save my son's life."

  Then the goodwife came out and received the jar with every mark of politeness.

  "We must make a present to the messenger."

  "Indeed, sir, I've already been paid for my trouble."

  "Well, at any rate, you must stop the night here."

  "Thank you, sir: I have a relation in the next village whom I have not seen for a long while, and I will pass the night with him"; and so he took his leave, and went away.

  The parents lost no time in sending to let the physician know that they had procured the fox's liver. The next day the doctor came and compounded a medicine for the patient, which at once produced a good effect, and there was no little joy in the household. As luck would have it, three days after this the man whom they had commissioned to buy the fox's liver came to the house; so the goodwife hurried out to meet him and welcome him.

  "How quickly you fulfilled our wishes, and how kind of you to send at once! The doctor prepared the medicine, and now our boy can get up and walk about the room, and it's all owing to your goodness."

  "Wait a bit!" cried the guest, who did not know what to make of the joy of the two parents. "The commission with which you entrusted me about the fox's liver turned out to be a matter of impossibility, so I came to-day to make my excuses, and now I really can't understand what you are so grateful to me for."

  "We are thanking you, sir," replied the master of the house, bowing with his hands on the ground, "for the fox's liver which we asked you to procure for us."

  "I really am perfectly unaware of having sent you a fox's liver: there must be some mistake here. Pray, inquire carefully into the matter."

  "Well, this is very strange. Four nights ago, a man of some five or six and thirty years of age came with a verbal message from you, to the effect that you had sent him with a fox's liver, which you had just procured, and said that he would come and tell us the price another day. When we asked him to spend the night here, he answered that he would lodge with a relation in the next village and went away."

  The visitor was more and more lost in amazement, and, leaning his head on one side in deep thought, confessed that he could make nothing of it. As for the husband and wife, they felt quite out of countenance at having thanked a man so warmly for favors of which he denied all knowledge; and so the visitor took his leave and went home.

  That night there appeared at the pillow of the master of the house a woman of about one or two and thirty years of age, who said, "I am the fox that lives at such-and-such a mountain. Last spring, when I was taking out my cub to play, it was carried off by some boys, and only saved by your goodness. The desire to requite this kindness pierced me to the quick. At last, when calamity attacked your house, I thought that I might be of use to you. Your son's illness could not be cured without a liver taken from a live fox, so to repay your kindness I killed my cub and took out its liver; then its sire, disguising himself as a messenger, brought it to your house."

  And as she spoke, the fox shed tears; and the master of the house, wishing to thank her, moved in bed, upon which his wife awoke and asked him what was the matter; but he too, to her great astonishment, was biting the pillow and weeping bitterly.

  "Why are you weeping thus?" asked she.

  At last, he sat up in bed, and said, "Last spring, when I was out on a pleasure excursion, I was the means of saving the life of a fox's cub, as I told you at the time. The other day I told Mr. So-and-so that, although my son was to die before my eyes, I would not be the means of killing a fox on purpose; but asked him, in case he heard of any hunter killing a fox, to buy it for me. How the foxes came to hear of this I don't know, but the foxes to whom I had shown kindness killed their own cub and took out the liver; and the old dog-fox, disguising himself as a messenger from the person to whom we had confided the commission, came here with it. His mate has just been at my pillow-side and told me all about it; hence it was that, in spite of myself, I was moved to tears."

  The Fox and Badger

  There i
s a certain mountainous district in Shikoku in which a skillful hunter had trapped or shot so many foxes and badgers that only a few were left. These were an old gray badger and a female fox with one cub. Though hard pressed by hunger, neither dared to touch a loose piece of food, lest a trap might be hidden under it. Indeed they scarcely stirred out of their holes except at night, lest the hunter's arrow should strike them. At last the two animals held a council together to decide what to do, whether to emigrate or to attempt to outwit their enemy. They thought a long while, when finally the badger having hit upon a good plan, cried out:

  "I have it. Transform yourself into a man. I'll pretend to be dead. Then you can bind me up and sell me in the town. With the money paid you can buy some food. Then I'll get loose and come back. The next week I'll sell you and you can escape."

  "Ha! ha! ha! yoroshiu, yoroshiu," (good, good,) cried both together. "It's a capital plan," said Mrs. Fox.

  So the Fox changed herself into a human form, and the badger, pretending to be dead, was tied up with straw ropes.

  Slinging him over her shoulder, the fox went to town, sold the badger, and buying a lot of tofu (bean-cheese) and one or two chickens, made a feast. By this time the badger had got loose, for the man to whom he was sold, thinking him dead, had not watched him carefully. So scampering away to the mountains, he met the fox, who congratulated him, while both feasted merrily.

  The next week the badger took human form, and going to town sold the fox, who made believe to be dead. But the badger, being an old skin-flint and very greedy, wanted all the money and food for himself. So he whispered in the man's ear to watch the fox well as she was only feigning to be dead. So the man taking up a club gave the fox a blow on the head, which finished her. The badger, buying a good dinner, ate it all himself and licked his chops, never even thinking of the fox's cub.