65 lines
4.0 KiB
Plaintext
65 lines
4.0 KiB
Plaintext
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THE UNLUCKY WARRIOR
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Once upon a time there was a Samurai called Hido. Valiant and strong, he
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was afraid of no-one, yet in all the wars he had ever fought, he had always
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found himself on the losing side. People in his home town began to say "Hido
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brings bad luck." And because nobody wanted him to fight for them any more the
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Samurai ended up a poor man. He said to himself:
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"I'll go to a town where no-one knows me. Maybe I'll find work there." He
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gathered up his remaining belongings, his sword, bow and three arrows, and set
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off along the first road he came to. On and on he walked, until after many
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days march, he reached the banks of a lake. As he started to cross the narrow
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bridge over the water, he stopped in surprise. The way was blocked by an
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enormous snake, fast asleep. From its mouth and nostrils, it breathed red
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smoke with a pungent smell of sulphur. Hido thought to himself,
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"That beast isn't going to stop me," and on tiptoe he stepped over the
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snake, without wakening it up, and went on his way. But he had barely gone
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twenty metres when he heard a voice behind him.
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"Hey, you! Samurai!" He turned round. The snake had disappeared and in its
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place stood a well-dressed man, who made a friendly gesture and said,
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"You're a brave one! You weren't scared of the snake. You see, I'm looking
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for a Samurai, and so, whenever I see someone coming, I turn into a snake. So
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far, you're the only person that has had the courage to step over it. What's
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your name?"
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"Hido," replied the Samurai, "and who are you?" The man pointed to the lake.
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"I'm King of that realm."
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"What!" exclaimed Hido. "Is your realm a lake?" The King replied smiling,
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"Yes. But under the water lies a great city protected by a crystal ball. My
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people live there happily, or at least they were happy until the Dragon
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arrived."
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"The Dragon?" asked Hido. And the King replied sadly,
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"Yes. Every second night he dives off the bridge into the water, enters the
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crystal ball and creates havoc amongst my subjects. It won't be long before he
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eats us all. That's why l'm looking for a Samurai!"
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Hido understood what he meant. "Do you want me to fight the Dragon?" he
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asked.
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"Yes!"
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"I think you ought to know, Sire, that people say I bring bad luck." To
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which the King replied:
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"I never believe what I hear, only what I see. Come with me." He took
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Hido's hand and they went down into the lake. Wonder of wonders! The waters
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opened up and they went down to the great crystal circle that contained the
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city. There, Hido sat down with the King who gave him food and drink. Then he
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said, "In a little while you will hear a terrible noise. It will be the
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Dragon. You will have to face him up there, Hido."
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"I'm not afraid. I have my sword, bow and three arrows."
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"Only three? You will need a hundred arrows!" exclaimed the King. But Hido
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shook his head.
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"They're poisoned, but even if they weren't, they would still be enough,
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because if the Dragon doesn't stop with three arrows in him, I wouldn't have
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time to fire any more." Just then there was a fearful noise and the sound of
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shouting.
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"The Dragon! The Dragon!" Hido picked up his weapons and ran onto the
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bridge, only just in time. For the Dragon, huge and terrible, was advancing,
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with a roar, and breathing fire. Hido fired his first and second arrows, both
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of them hit the Dragon right in the heart, but it didn't stop.
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Just as the Dragon was bearing down ferociously on him, Hido rememberd
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hearing that the only poison to stop a dragon is a man's saliva. So he licked
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his fingers and wet the tip of his last arrow, fired and hit the Dragon . . .
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On it came, still roaring. "All is lost," said Hido to himself . . .
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. . . but after taking another step or two, the Dragon stopped in its
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tracks, shuddered and fell to the ground. It was dead. All the citizens rushed
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from the lake to greet Hido and shower him with gifts, telling him:
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"Oh, brave Samurai, luck is with you and with our people!" So Hido knew
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that not only had he defeated the Dragon, he had overcome his bad luck.
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