“Then won’t you just tell me once, for I’ve recently been instructed by Francis- sama and become a believer in your religion, as you see.”
The cattle dealer pointed proudly to his breast. The Devil looked, and sure enough, there was a little brass cross hanging from his neck and shining in the sun. Then, perhaps dazzled by it, the Brother screwed up his face a little and dropped his eyes to the ground, but quickly in a more familiar tone than before and so that you could not tell whether he was joking or not, he said,
“Still I can’t. For by the law of our country, it’s forbidden to tell. Better still, you make a guess at it yourself. The Japanese are clever, so you’re sure to hit it. If you do, I’ll give you all the plants in this field.”
The cattle dealer probably thought the Brother was making fun of him. With a smile on his sunburnt face, he gave his head an exaggerated tilt.
“What can it be, I wonder. To save me, I can’t guess it right off.”
“Oh, you needn’t do it today. Think it over for three days. I don’t care if you consult others about it. If you guess it, I’ll give you all these. Besides, I’ll give you some rare wine. Or shall I give you a picture of the Heavenly Paradise.”
The cattle dealer seemed to be surprised at his earnestness.
“Then if I don’t guess it, what’ll I have to do?”
Pushing his hat back on his head, the Brother waved his hand and laughed. He laughed in a sharp voice like a crow’s, that took the cattle dealer a little by surprise.
“If you fail to guess it, I’ll take something of yours. It’s a gamble. It’s a gamble whether you can guess it or not. If you guess it, I give you all these plants.”