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Though advanced in age am I, My true spirit yields no ground In loyalty and in death-defiance To the blossoms of a young cherry tree. Distinctly not a poet, General Hishikari is robust, horsey, tall for a Japanese (about 5 ft. 9 in.) and has a blunt sense of humor. "When I was appointed Commander of the Taiwan [Formosa] Army in 1928," said he last week, "I answered the telegrams of congratulation by saying that I was as glad as a happy sparrow. People began to call me 'General Happy Sparrow,' but can a sparrow fulfill the duties of my new mission? Shall I have to be a hawk, an eagle in Manchukuo?''
