One certain evening I hid myself behind a folding-gate of the fence and
caught him in the act. Having his retreat cut off he grappled with me in
desperation. He was about two years older than I, and, though
weak-kneed, was physically the stronger. While I wallopped him, he
pushed his head against my breast and by chance it slipped inside my
sleeve. As this hindered the free action of my arm, I tried to shake him
loose, though, his head dangled the further inside, and being no longer
able to stand the stifling combat, he bit my bare arm. It was painful. I
held him fast against the fence, and by a dexterous foot twist sent him
down flat on his back. Kantaro broke the fence and as the ground
belonging to Yamashiro-ya was about six feet lower than the vegetable
yard, he fell headlong to his own territory with a thud. As he rolled
off he tore away the sleeve in which his head had been enwrapped, and my
arm recovered a sudden freedom of movement. That night when my mother
went to Yamashiro-ya to apologize, she brought back that sleeve.
Besides the above, I did many other mischiefs. With Kaneko of a
carpenter shop and Kaku of a fishmarket, I once ruined a carrot patch of
one Mosaku. The sprouts were just shooting out and the patch was covered
with straws to ensure their even healthy growth.
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