guard in the corridors, while in the inner treasure-house her foster-mother sat holding the princess in her arms and old Taketori remained on guard at the door.  When all was ready the old man declared that even an angel could not enter the house, and boastingly told the men on the roof to shoot with their arrows whatever came from the sky, even though it were but a dew-drop. The princess, however, warned him that all his preparations were useless, because no human being could fight the inhabitants of the moon, and no matter how closely she was shut in, everything would open of its own accord as soon as they appeared.  The old man angrily declared that he would tear their eyes out with his long nails, pull their hair out by the roots, and stripping		them of their clothes drive them away naked and ashamed.  The princess tried to stop his loud boasting and went on to say, how sorry she was that she had to go now before she had been long enough with her parents to repay even a small part of all their care, and how she had hoped to watch over them when they were old and feeble; and though for some time she had been begging her parents in the moon to let her stay just one year more, they would not permit it. But she had no wish to return to that land, although the people there never grew old or died or had any sorrow. Her old father tried to comfort her, by saying that he would not let one of the moon-men touch her, no matter how grand or how powerful he might be.
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