The Corpse-Rider 37 



at first. Under the man she panted and moaned 

 till the cocks began to crow. Thereafter she lay 

 still. 



But the man, with chattering teeth, sat upon 

 her until the inyosbi came at sunrise. " So you 

 did not let go of her hair! " observed the in 

 yosbi t greatly pleased. " That is well . . . Now 

 you can stand up." He whispered again into the 

 ear of the corpse, and then said to the man : 

 " You must have passed a fearful night ; but 

 nothing else could have saved you. Hereafter 

 you may feel secure from her vengeance." 



* 

 * * 



The conclusion of this story I do not think to 

 be morally satisfying. It is not recorded that the 

 corpse-rider became insane, or that his hair turned 

 white : we are told only that " he worshipped the 

 inyosbi with tears of gratitude." A note ap 

 pended to the recital is equally disappointing. 

 "It is reported," the Japanese author says, 

 " that a grandchild of the man [who rode the 

 corpse] still survives, and that a grandson of 

 the inyosbi is at this very time living in a vil- 



145781 



