The Adventures of Little Peachling

Many hundred years ago there lived an honest old wood-cutter and his

wife. One fine morning the old man went off to the hills with his

billhook, to gather a faggot of sticks, while his wife went down to

the river to wash the dirty clothes. When she came to the river, she

saw a peach floating down the stream; so she picked it up, and carried

it home with her, thinking to give it to her husband to eat when he

should come in. The old man soon came down from the hills, and the

good wife set the peach before him, when, just as she was inviting him

to eat it, the fruit split in two, and a little puling baby was born

into the world. So the old couple took the babe, and brought it up as

their own; and, because it had been born in a peach, they called it

_Momotarô_,[53] or Little Peachling.

[Footnote 53: _Momo_ means a peach, and _Tarô_ is the termination of

the names of eldest sons, as _Hikotarô_, _Tokutarô_, &c. In modern

times, however, the termination has been applied indifferently to any

male child.]

By degrees Little Peachling grew up to be strong and brave, and at

last one day he said to his old foster-parents--

"I am going to the ogres' island to carry off the riches that they

have stored up there. Pray, then, make me some millet dumplings for my

journey."

So the old folks ground the millet, and made the dumplings for him;

and Little Peachling, after taking an affectionate leave of them,

cheerfully set out on his travels.

As he was journeying on, he fell in with an ape, who gibbered at him,

and said, "Kia! kia! kia! where are you off to, Little Peachling?"

"I'm going to the ogres' island, to carry off their treasure,"

answered Little Peachling.

"What are you carrying at your girdle?"

"I'm carrying the very best millet dumplings in all Japan."

"If you'll give me one, I will go with you," said the ape.

So Little Peachling gave one of his dumplings to the ape, who received

it and followed him. When he had gone a little further, he heard a

pheasant calling--

"Ken! ken! ken![54] where are you off to, Master Peachling?"

[Footnote 54: The country folk in Japan pretend that the pheasant's

call is a sign of an approaching earthquake.]

Little Peachling answered as before; and the pheasant, having begged

and obtained a millet dumpling, entered his service, and followed him.

A little while after this, they met a dog, who cried--

"Bow! wow! wow! whither away, Master Peachling?"

"I'm going off to the ogres' island, to carry off their treasure."

"If you will give me one of those nice millet dumplings of yours, I

will go with you," said the dog.

"With all my heart," said Little Peachling. So he went on his way,

with the ape, the pheasant, and the dog following after him.

When they got to the ogres' island, the pheasant flew over the castle

gate, and the ape clambered over the castle wall, while Little

Peachling, leading the dog, forced in the gate, and got into the

castle. Then they did battle with the ogres, and put them to flight,

and took their king prisoner. So all the ogres did homage to Little

Peachling, and brought out the treasures which they had laid up. There

were caps and coats that made their wearers invisible, jewels which

governed the ebb and flow of the tide, coral, musk, emeralds, amber,

and tortoiseshell, besides gold and silver. All these were laid before

Little Peachling by the conquered ogres.

So Little Peachling went home laden with riches, and maintained his

foster-parents in peace and plenty for the remainder of their lives.