21 As quick as lightning the wary Eiko avoided the shaft, which only touched his helmet strings, and glancing off, fell harmless against Hako’s coat of armor.
21 電光石火のごとく用心深いエイコは、兜の紐に触れるだけのシャフトを避け、ちらりと目をそらすと、ハコの鎧の上に無害に落ちた.
22 The wizard saw that both his enemies remained unscathed. He also knew that there was no time to pull a second arrow before they would be upon him, so to save himself he resorted to magic. He stretched forth his wand, and immediately a great flood arose, and Jokwa’s army and her brave young Generals were swept away like a falling of autumn leaves on a stream.
22 魔法使いは、両方の敵が無傷のままであることを確認しました。彼はまた、2 番目の矢を自分に向ける前に引く時間がないことを知っていたので、自分を救うために魔法に訴えました。彼が杖を伸ばすと、すぐに大洪水が起こり、ヨクワの軍隊と彼女の勇敢な若い将軍たちは、小川に落ちる紅葉のように押し流されました。
23 Hako and Eiko found themselves struggling neck deep in water, and looking round they saw the ferocious Kokai making towards them through the water with his iron rod on high. They thought every moment that they would be cut down, but they bravely struck out to swim as far as they could from Kokai’s reach. All of a sudden they found themselves in front of what seemed to be an island rising straight out of the water. They looked up, and there stood an old man with hair as white as snow, smiling at them. They cried to him to help them. The old man nodded his head and came down to the edge of the water. As soon as his feet touched the flood it divided, and a good road appeared, to the amazement of the drowning men, who now found themselves safe.
23 ハコとエイコは水に深く首をもたげていることに気づき、周りを見回すと、獰猛なコーカイが鉄の棒を高く掲げて水中を進んでいるのが見えた。一瞬たりとも斬り倒されるかと思ったが、勇敢に攻撃を仕掛け、コーカイの手の届かないところまで泳がせた。突然、彼らは海からまっすぐにそびえる島のように見えるものの前にいることに気づきました。彼らが見上げると、雪のように白い髪の老人が立っていて、彼らに微笑んでいました。彼らは彼に助けを求めて叫びました。おじいさんはうなずいて、水際まで降りてきました。彼の足が洪水に触れるやいなや、洪水は分かれ、良い道が現れ、溺れている人々を驚かせました。
24 Kokai had by this time reached the island which had risen as if by a miracle out of the water, and seeing his enemies thus saved he was furious. He rushed through the water upon the old man, and it seemed as if he would surely be killed. But the old man appeared not in the least dismayed, and calmly awaited the wizard’s onslaught.
24 コーカイはこの時までに奇跡のように水面から浮かび上がった島にたどり着き、こうして救われた敵を見て激怒した。彼は水の中を急いで老人に襲いかかりました。しかし、老人はまったく動揺していないように見え、静かに魔法使いの猛攻撃を待っていました。
25 As Kokai drew near, the old man laughed aloud merrily, and turning into a large and beautiful white crane, flapped his wings and flew upwards into the heavens.
25 公海が近づくと、老人は楽しそうに大声で笑い、大きくて美しい白い鶴になり、羽ばたき、天に向かって飛び立ちました。
26 When Hako and Eiko saw this, they knew that their deliverer was no mere human being—was perhaps a god in disguise—and they hoped later on to find out who the venerable old man was.
26 ハコとエイコはこれを見たとき、彼らの救出者が単なる人間ではなく、おそらく変装した神であることに気づき、後でその尊い老人が誰であるかを知りたいと思った.
27 In the meantime they had retreated, and it being now the close of day, for the sun was setting, both Kokai and the young warriors gave up the idea of fighting more that day.
27 その間に彼らは退却し、日が暮れかけたので、コーカイと若い戦士の両方がその日にもっと戦うという考えをあきらめた.
28 That night Hako and Eiko decided that it was useless to fight against the wizard Kokai, for he had supernatural powers, while they were only human. So they presented themselves before the Empress Jokwa. After a long consultation, the Empress decided to ask the Fire King, Shikuyu, to help her against the rebel wizard and to lead her army against him.
28 その夜、ハコとエイコは、魔法使いのコーカイと戦うのは無意味だと判断した。それで彼らはジョクワ皇后の前に姿を現した。長い協議の末、皇后は火の王シクユに、反乱の魔法使いと戦うのを手伝ってくれるように頼み、軍隊を率いて彼に対抗するように頼むことにしました.
29 Now Shikuyu, the Fire King, lived at the South Pole. It was the only safe place for him to be in, for he burnt up everything around him anywhere else, but it was impossible to burn up ice and snow. To look at he was a giant, and stood thirty feet high. His face was just like marble, and his hair and beard long and as white as snow. His strength was stupendous, and he was master of all fire just as Kokai was of water.
29 今、火の王シクユウは南極に住んでいました。彼がいる唯一の安全な場所は、彼の周りのすべてのものを他の場所で焼き尽くしたからですが、氷と雪を焼き尽くすことは不可能でした.見ると、彼は巨人で、高さは 30 フィートでした。彼の顔はまるで大理石のようで、髪とあごひげは長く、雪のように白かった。彼の強さはすさまじく、コーカイが水であったように、彼はすべての火のマスターでした.
30 “Surely,” thought the Empress, “Shikuyu can conquer Kokai.” So she sent Eiko to the South Pole to beg Shikuyu to take the war against Kokai into his own hands and conquer him once for all.
30 「きっと」と皇后は思った。そこで彼女はエイコを南極に送り、シクユウにコーカイとの戦争を自分の手に委ね、彼を完全に征服するように頼んだ.
31 The Fire King, on hearing the Empress’s request, smiled and said:
31 火の王は皇后の要求を聞いて、微笑んで言った。
32 “That is an easy matter, to be sure! It was none other than I who came to your rescue when you and your companion were drowning in the flood raised by Kokai!”
32 「それはたしかに簡単なことだ！コーカイが起こした大洪水に仲間と一緒に溺れかけた時、助けに来たのは他ならぬ私だ！」
33 Eiko was surprised at learning this. He thanked the Fire King for coming to the rescue in their dire need, and then besought him to return with him and lead the war and defeat the wicked Kokai.
33 エイコはこれを知って驚いた.彼は火の王が彼らの差し迫った必要性を助けに来てくれたことに感謝し、それから彼と一緒に戻って戦争を指揮し、邪悪なコーカイを倒すように頼んだ.
34 Shikuyu did as he was asked, and returned with Eiko to the Empress. She welcomed the Fire King cordially, and at once told him why she had sent for him—to ask him to be the Generalissimo of her army. His reply was very reassuring:
34 紫瑛は言われたとおりに、英子とともに皇后の元へ戻った。彼女は火の王を心から歓迎し、すぐに彼を呼んだ理由を彼に伝えた.彼の返事はとても心強いものでした：
35 “Do not have any anxiety. I will certainly kill Kokai.”
35 「思い煩うな。必ずコーカイを殺す」
36 Shikuyu then placed himself at the head of thirty thousand soldiers, and with Hako and Eiko showing him the way, marched to the enemy’s castle. The Fire King knew the secret of Kokai’s power, and he now told all the soldiers to gather a certain kind of shrub. This they burned in large quantities, and each soldier was then ordered to fill a bag full of the ashes thus obtained.
36 雫瑛は三万の兵の先頭に立ち、筏と英子に道を示して敵の城へと進軍した。火の王はコーカイの力の秘密を知っていたので、すべての兵士に特定の種類の低木を集めるように言いました。彼らはこれを大量に燃やし、各兵士はこうして得られた灰でバッグをいっぱいにするように命じられました.
37 Kokai, on the other hand, in his own conceit, thought that Shikuyu was of inferior power to himself, and he murmured angrily:
37 一方、公海は自惚れて、紫焔は自分に劣る力を持っていると思って、怒ってつぶやいた。
38 “Even though you are the Fire King, I can soon extinguish you.”
38「火王とはいえ、すぐに消せる」
39 Then he repeated an incantation, and the water-floods rose and welled as high as mountains. Shikuyu, not in the least frightened, ordered his soldiers to scatter the ashes which he had caused them to make. Every man did as he was bid, and such was the power of the plant that they had burned, that as soon as the ashes mingled with the water a stiff mud was formed, and they were all safe from drowning.
39 それから彼が呪文を唱えると、洪水が立ち上り、山のように高くなった。シクユウは少しもおびえず、自分が作らせた灰を兵士たちにまき散らすよう命じた。誰もが命じられたとおりに行動し、彼らが燃やした植物の力が強かったので、灰が水と混ざるとすぐに固い泥が形成され、全員が溺れることはありませんでした.
40 Now Kokai the wizard was dismayed when he saw that the Fire King was superior in wisdom to himself, and his anger was so great that he rushed headlong towards the enemy.
40 さて、魔法使いのコーカイは、火の王が自分より知恵が優れているのを見て狼狽し、怒りが強すぎて敵に向かって真っ逆さまに突進した。