and apprentices that he was one of his own relations who had come on a
visit to him.

After a while, when Umanosuké had become quite cured, he went one day
to worship at a famous temple, and on his way home after dark he was
overtaken by a shower of rain, and took shelter under the eaves of a
house, in a part of the city called Yanagiwara, waiting for the sky to
clear. Now it happened that this same night Gompachi had gone out on
one of his bloody expeditions, to which his poverty and his love for
Komurasaki drove him in spite of himself, and, seeing a Samurai
standing in the gloom, he sprang upon him before he had recognized
Umanosuké, whom he knew as a friend of his patron Chôbei. Umanosuké
drew and defended himself, and soon contrived to slash Gompachi on the
forehead; so that the latter, seeing himself overmatched, fled under
the cover of the night. Umanosuké, fearing to hurt his recently healed
wound, did not give chase, and went quietly back to Chôbei's house.
When Gompachi returned home, he hatched a story to deceive Chôbei as
to the cause of the wound on his forehead. Chôbei, however, having
overheard Umanosuké reproving Gompachi for his wickedness, soon became
aware of the truth; and not caring to keep a robber and murderer near
him, gave Gompachi a present of money, and bade him return to his
house no more.

And now Chôbei, seeing that Umanosuké had recovered his strength,
divided his apprentices into bands, to hunt out Banzayémon, in order
that the vendetta might be accomplished. It soon was reported to him
that Banzayémon was earning his living among the mountebanks of
Asakusa; so Chôbei communicated this intelligence to Umanosuké, who
made his preparations accordingly; and on the following morning the
two went to Asakusa, where Banzayémon was astonishing a crowd of