On the very next night, Hoichi was seen to leave the temple; and the
servants immediately lighted their lanterns, and followed after him. But it
was a rainy night, and very dark; and before the temple-folks could get to
the roadway, Hoichi had disappeared. Evidently he had walked very fast,-- a
strange thing, considering his blindness; for the road was in a bad
condition. The men hurried through the streets, making inquiries at every
house which Hoichi was accustomed to visit; but nobody could give them any
news of him. At last, as they were returning to the temple by way of the
shore, they were startled by the sound of a biwa, furiously played, in the
cemetery of the Amidaji. Except for some ghostly fires -- such as usually
flitted there on dark nights -- all was blackness in that direction. But
the men at once hastened to the cemetery; and there, by the help of their
lanterns, they discovered Hoichi,-- sitting alone in the rain before the
memorial tomb of Antoku Tenno, making his biwa resound, and loudly chanting
the chant of the battle of Dan-no-ura. And behind him, and about him, and
everywhere above the tombs, the fires of the dead were burning, like
candles. Never before had so great a host of Oni-bi appeared in the sight
of mortal man...


"Hoichi San! -- Hoichi San!" the servants cried,-- "you are bewitched!...
Hoichi San!"


But the blind man did not seem to hear. Strenuously he made his biwa to
rattle and ring and clang; -- more and more wildly he chanted the chant of
the battle of Dan-no-ura. They caught hold of him; -- they shouted into his
ear,--