﻿GREEN 
  JAPANESE 
  PHEASANT 
  137 
  

  

  somewhat 
  ashamed 
  for 
  allowing 
  myself 
  thus 
  to 
  be 
  taken 
  so 
  completely 
  aback; 
  but, 
  

   noticing 
  the 
  direction 
  in 
  which 
  he 
  had 
  gone, 
  I 
  proceeded 
  more 
  carefully 
  in 
  pursuit. 
  A 
  

   small 
  stretch 
  of 
  tableland, 
  which 
  I 
  soon 
  reached, 
  was 
  covered 
  with 
  short 
  grass 
  and 
  some 
  

   little 
  clusters 
  of 
  shrubs, 
  with 
  scattered 
  fragments 
  of 
  rocks 
  ; 
  and 
  as 
  I 
  heard 
  a 
  note 
  which 
  

   I 
  took 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  crowing 
  of 
  a 
  cock 
  pheasant 
  at 
  a 
  short 
  distance, 
  I 
  availed 
  myself 
  of 
  the 
  

   excellent 
  cover, 
  and, 
  crawling 
  cautiously 
  on 
  my 
  hands 
  and 
  knees, 
  I 
  succeeded 
  in 
  

   approaching 
  him 
  within 
  about 
  fifteen 
  yards. 
  Having 
  the 
  advantage 
  of 
  the 
  wind 
  and 
  a 
  

   foggy 
  atmosphere, 
  and 
  being, 
  moreover, 
  concealed 
  by 
  the 
  rocks 
  and 
  shrubs, 
  I 
  could 
  

   indulge 
  in 
  quietly 
  observing 
  him 
  and 
  his 
  family. 
  On 
  a 
  small 
  sandy 
  patch 
  was 
  an 
  adult 
  

   cock 
  and 
  three 
  hens 
  busy 
  in 
  taking 
  their 
  breakfast, 
  which 
  consisted 
  of 
  the 
  berries 
  already 
  

   mentioned 
  growing 
  hereabouts 
  in 
  abundance. 
  From 
  time 
  to 
  time 
  the 
  lord 
  of 
  this 
  little 
  

   family 
  stopped 
  in 
  his 
  repast 
  and 
  crowed 
  his 
  shrill 
  war-cry, 
  which 
  was 
  answered 
  by 
  a 
  

   rival 
  on 
  another 
  hill 
  at 
  some 
  distance. 
  At 
  other 
  moments 
  again, 
  when 
  the 
  sun 
  broke 
  

   forth 
  for 
  a 
  short 
  time, 
  all 
  stretched 
  themselves 
  in 
  the 
  golden 
  rays, 
  and 
  rolling 
  in 
  the 
  

   sand, 
  shook 
  the 
  morning 
  dew 
  from 
  their 
  fine 
  plumage. 
  It 
  was 
  a 
  beautiful 
  sight, 
  and 
  I 
  

   looked 
  upon 
  it 
  with 
  exceeding 
  pleasure; 
  so 
  much, 
  indeed, 
  that 
  I 
  could 
  not 
  find 
  the 
  

   heart 
  to 
  destroy 
  this 
  little 
  scene 
  of 
  domestic 
  happiness 
  by 
  a 
  leaden 
  shower 
  from 
  my 
  

   fowling-piece. 
  Suddenly 
  the 
  birds 
  showed 
  signs 
  of 
  uneasiness, 
  and 
  I 
  soon 
  discovered 
  

   the 
  cause 
  in 
  a 
  Japanese 
  root-digger, 
  coming 
  from 
  the 
  opposite 
  direction. 
  I 
  therefore 
  

   took 
  up 
  my 
  gun, 
  and, 
  standing 
  on 
  my 
  feet, 
  raised 
  the 
  birds 
  also, 
  and 
  as 
  they 
  flew 
  

   towards 
  the 
  next 
  hill 
  I 
  had 
  the 
  good 
  fortune 
  to 
  bring 
  down 
  the 
  cock 
  with 
  one 
  barrel 
  of 
  

   my 
  gun 
  and 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  hens 
  with 
  the 
  other. 
  

  

  "The 
  Japanese, 
  who 
  came 
  up 
  after 
  I 
  had 
  loaded 
  my 
  gun 
  and 
  secured 
  my 
  game, 
  

   looked 
  with 
  some 
  astonishment 
  at 
  the 
  stranger, 
  for 
  I 
  was 
  certainly 
  the 
  first 
  foreigner 
  

   who 
  had 
  been 
  in 
  pursuit 
  of 
  game 
  on 
  the 
  hunting-grounds 
  of 
  Niphon. 
  He 
  evidently 
  

   asked 
  me 
  several 
  questions, 
  which 
  I 
  was 
  not, 
  of 
  course, 
  able 
  to 
  understand, 
  but 
  from 
  his 
  

   signs, 
  and 
  the 
  frequent 
  repetition 
  of 
  the 
  word 
  ' 
  statzoo 
  ' 
  (two), 
  I 
  inferred 
  that 
  he 
  inquired 
  

   whether 
  I 
  had 
  fired 
  twice 
  in 
  such 
  quick 
  succession 
  with 
  one 
  gun. 
  I 
  nodded 
  and 
  

   explained 
  to 
  him 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  I 
  could 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  my 
  double-barrelled 
  gun, 
  and 
  the 
  use 
  

   of 
  percussion 
  caps, 
  which 
  seemed 
  to 
  astonish 
  and 
  delight 
  him 
  very 
  much. 
  A 
  pipe 
  of 
  

   tobacco 
  which 
  I 
  offered 
  was 
  gladly 
  accepted 
  ; 
  and 
  in 
  answer 
  to 
  a 
  question 
  that 
  he 
  

   appeared 
  to 
  understand, 
  he 
  gave 
  me 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  the 
  pheasant 
  as 
  Ki-zhi. 
  Later 
  in 
  the 
  

   day 
  more 
  people 
  came 
  to 
  the 
  hills, 
  some 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  digging 
  roots, 
  others 
  to 
  look 
  

   after 
  their 
  cattle, 
  which 
  appeared 
  to 
  be 
  turned 
  out 
  to 
  graze 
  on 
  the 
  hills. 
  The 
  birds 
  had 
  

   taken 
  to 
  the 
  bushes, 
  where 
  I 
  could 
  not 
  follow 
  them, 
  and 
  so 
  obtained 
  no 
  more 
  specimens 
  

   on 
  that 
  occasion." 
  

  

  The 
  last 
  view 
  I 
  had 
  of 
  Kiji 
  in 
  their 
  native 
  home 
  was 
  on 
  a 
  perfect 
  day 
  in 
  Kagoshima. 
  

  

  I 
  was 
  returning 
  from 
  a 
  long 
  day's 
  tramp 
  after 
  Ijima's 
  copper 
  pheasants, 
  and 
  for 
  a 
  few 
  

  

  minutes 
  a 
  splendid 
  cock 
  Green 
  Pheasant 
  stood 
  outlined 
  at 
  the 
  summit 
  of 
  a 
  gentle 
  rise. 
  

  

  The 
  setting 
  was 
  the 
  deep 
  blue 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  bay 
  ; 
  the 
  pale 
  blue 
  of 
  the 
  sky 
  ; 
  the 
  clear 
  

  

  green 
  of 
  the 
  graceful, 
  aged 
  pines, 
  while 
  over 
  all 
  towered 
  the 
  majestic 
  purpled 
  cone 
  of 
  

  

  Sakuragima. 
  To 
  my 
  left, 
  in 
  a 
  grove 
  of 
  open 
  cryptomerias, 
  several 
  old 
  Samurai 
  were 
  

  

  teaching 
  a 
  group 
  of 
  young 
  men 
  to 
  shoot 
  with 
  bows 
  and 
  arrows, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  a 
  stray 
  shaft 
  

  

  which 
  hurtled 
  past 
  the 
  pheasant, 
  which 
  at 
  last 
  made 
  it 
  dive 
  into 
  the 
  underbrush 
  and 
  

  

  vanish 
  from 
  my 
  sight. 
  

  

  vol. 
  in 
  T 
  

  

  