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Chapter VIII.

In the Hermitage.

In that pitch dark amabosia[1] night the two fugitives hastily entered the forest. Nobokumar did not know the jungle paths, and all he could do was to follow the load of his fair companion of sixteen. But, owing to the forest and the darkness, he lost sight of her now and again, as the young girl ran in one direction and he in another. The girl told him to catch hold of her skirt, which Nobokumar did. They gradually came along with soft footsteps. Nothing was visible in the darkness, except that now and again the white summit of some sand-hill was dimly seen in

  1. The month is divided into two halves, the light half and the dark half of the moon. The amabosia is the last day of the dark half, that is, the darkest night of the month.