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diff --git a/old/65320-0.txt b/old/65320-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 35ca014..0000000 --- a/old/65320-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3385 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Kibun Daizin, by Gensai Murai - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Kibun Daizin - From Shark-Boy to Merchant Prince - -Author: Gensai Murai - -Translator: Masao Yoshida - -Illustrator: George Varian - -Release Date: May 14, 2021 [eBook #65320] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Mary Glenn Krause, Charlene Taylor, Barry Abrahamsen, and the - Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net - (This file was produced from images generously made available - by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK KIBUN DAIZIN *** - - - - - KIBUN DAIZIN - - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -[Illustration: - - “As the two boys were steadily gazing, up came the shark” -] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - KIBUN DAIZIN - - OR - - _FROM SHARK-BOY TO - MERCHANT PRINCE_ - - BY - - GENSAI MURAI - - TRANSLATED BY MASAO YOSHIDA - - - WITH ILLUSTRATIONS - BY GEORGE VARIAN - -[Illustration] - - NEW YORK - The Century Co. - 1904 - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - Copyright, 1904, by - THE CENTURY CO. - ──── - Published October, 1904. - - - - - THE DEVINNE PRESS. - - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - PUBLISHERS’ NOTE - - -THE CENTURY CO. counts itself fortunate in being able to present to -young readers an admirable story from the Japanese, written by one of -Japan’s most popular novelists and filled with the spirit of that great -Oriental nation. The author of this story, Gensai Murai, was once a -student of the Waseda School, founded by Count Okuma, leader of the -Progressive Party in Japan. There he studied English Literature as well -as Japanese, and after completing his course of study he was employed by -one of the well-known Tokio daily papers, called the “Hochi,” to write -stories for it. His writings soon arrested the attention of the reading -circles in Japan. Several of his novels went through as many as ten -editions within two years. - -This story of Kibun Daizin is founded upon the life of Bunzayemon -Kinokuniya, a Japanese merchant of the eighteenth century, whose pluck, -wisdom, and enterprising spirit made him one of the most prosperous and -respected men of his time. He is much admired by his countrymen, and is -talked of familiarly, even to this day, by the Japanese, under the -nickname of “Kibun Daizin.” “Ki” and “Bun” stand for the initials of his -personal and family names, while “Daizin” means “the wealthiest man.” - -The shrewdness and dauntless ambition of the young hero of this story -will commend him to the admiration of American boys, and in Kibun -Daizin, as here pictured, they will find a true representative of the -wonderful nation which, within thirty years, has entirely changed the -modes of life that it had followed for more than twenty centuries, and -has suddenly fallen into line with the most civilized countries of the -world. - -The story was translated especially for ST. NICHOLAS, and many quaint -terms and expressions have been purposely retained, although the -pronunciation and meaning of the Japanese words are given wherever -necessary. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - - I AN AMBITIOUS BOY 3 - - II BUNKICHI PLANS TO KILL THE SHARK 23 - - III A BOAT CAPSIZED—A HAIRBREADTH ESCAPE 37 - - IV THE TABLES TURNED 54 - - V THE BATTLE OF STONE MISSILES—THE MONKEYS’ 75 - PANIC - - VI THE GREAT HAZARD—A PERILOUS VOYAGE 91 - - VII THE SEA-GIANT APPEARS 103 - - VIII AN ECCENTRIC FELLOW 118 - - IX THE GREAT CONFLAGRATION—THE CHARITY “BENTO” 135 - - X AMBITION SATISFIED—THE MERCHANT PRINCE 151 - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - - PAGE - - As the two boys were steadily gazing, up came the Frontispiece - shark - - “If you please, sir, are you the head of the 5 - Daikokuya?” - - “Why, it’s just like a real dragon-fly!” she 17 - cried, with delight - - The lad was in the air, suspended by the rope 49 - - Putting a rope round the body of the shark 57 - - As though they were stricken by thunder at the 69 - boy’s words, down they tumbled on the ground - - Giving him a helping hand, Bunkichi led the man 77 - along to the next village - - Hundreds of monkeys had drawn a circle around 83 - three men, whom they were pelting with a shower - of stones - - He drew his sword and ran toward the monster 111 - - Bunzayemon then put on a lordly air 129 - - Matahachi in the great fire at Yedo 143 - - “I have no words in which to express my thanks to 159 - you” - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - KIBUN DAIZIN - - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - KIBUN DAIZIN - - OR - - FROM SHARK-BOY TO MERCHANT PRINCE - - - - - CHAPTER I - - AN AMBITIOUS BOY - - -“IF you please, sir,—” - -And, attracted by a voice behind him, a well-dressed gentleman turned -round and saw a boy of about thirteen or fourteen hurrying toward -him,—“if you please, sir, are you the head of the Daikokuya[1]?” - -Footnote 1: - - Pronounced Dy-ko-koo’ya, meaning “dry-goods house.” - -“Yes, I am,” answered the gentleman, eying the boy with surprise. “What -can I do for you?” - -“I come from Kada-no-Ura,” said the boy, making a polite bow, “and I -wish to ask you a great favor. Will you please take me into your shop as -an apprentice?” - -“Your request is rather a strange one,” said the gentleman, smiling. -“Pray tell me why it is that you wish to come to me.” - -The boy raised his head. “Oh, sir, yours is the chief business house in -Kumano, and I would be so glad if I might learn under you.” - -“You wish to become a business man, do you?” said the gentleman, with a -friendly nod; upon which the boy drew himself up and exclaimed, “Yes; I -mean, if I can, to become the leading merchant in Japan!” - -[Illustration: - - “‘If you please, sir, are you the head of the Daikokuya?’” -] - -The master of the Daikokuya instinctively studied the boy’s face. There -was a certain nobleness and intelligence about it; he had well-cut -features, a firmness about the lips, and quick-glancing eyes, and, -although his clothing showed poverty, his bearing was quiet and his -speech refined. These things confirmed the gentleman in the opinion that -the boy was not the son of any common man; and having, as the employer -of many hands, a quick eye to read character, he said: - -“Very good, my boy! So you mean to become the leading merchant in Japan? -A fine notion, to be sure. However, before I engage a boy, you know, I -must have somebody to recommend him, and he must give me references. -Have you any relatives in this place?” - -“No, sir; I know no one,” answered the boy. - -“Why, where have you been until now?” - -“I have only just come from my country. The fact is, I heard your name, -sir, some time ago, and being very anxious to enter your service, I left -my country all by myself to come to Kumano. But I have not a single -acquaintance here, nor anybody to whom I can turn. My only object was to -come straight to you; and I was asking a man on the road if he could -direct me to your house, when the man pointed to you and said, ‘Why, -that gentleman just ahead of us is the master of the Daikokuya.’ And -that is how it comes that I ran up to you all of a sudden in this rude -way.” - -There was a charm in the free utterance with which the boy told his -story, and, having listened to it, the gentleman said: “I understand. It -is all right. As you have no friends here, I will do without a -recommendation, and you shall come just as you are”; and, saying this, -he brought the lad back with him to his house. - -The Daikokuya, you must know, was the chief clothing establishment, or -“dry-goods house,” in Kumano, and did a larger business than any other -in the town. On arriving there, the master took the boy with him into an -inner room, and, telling his wife what had taken place, called the boy -to his side. “Tell me, my boy, what is your name?” - -“My name is Bunkichi.”[2] - -Footnote 2: - - Pronounced Boon-kee’chee. - -“Are your parents living?” - -At this question the boy hung his head sorrowfully. “I have neither -father nor mother,” he answered, with a choking voice and eyes filled -with tears. - -Filled with pity, the others asked him how long he had been left alone -in the world. - -“I lost my mother,” he said, “more than three years ago, and my father -only quite recently.” - -“And what was your family? Were you farmers or tradesmen?” - -“Neither one nor the other. My father formerly served under the Lord of -Wakayama, and received an allowance of eight hundred _koku_[3] of rice. -His name was Igarashi Bunzayemon;[4] but, losing his position, he came -to Kada-no-Ura, where we had to live in a very poor way. My father, -however, would never allow me to forget that the ancestor of our house -was Igarashi Kobunji,[5] who served in old days at Kamakura, and gained -a name for himself as a brave warrior. ‘And when you become a man,’ my -father used to say, ‘you must win your way to fame, and so uphold the -honor of the family; but, unlike the past, our lot to-day is cast in -peaceful times when there is little chance of winning distinction in -arms; but become, if you can, the leading merchant in Japan, and you -will bring honor to our house.’ Such was my father’s counsel to me, and -not long since he was taken with a severe illness and died. And now, if -you please, I wish to learn the ways of business, that I may become a -merchant, and I have journeyed to Kumano to throw myself on your -kindness.” - -Footnote 3: - - One _koku_ equals about five bushels. - -Footnote 4: - - Pronounced Ee-gar-ash’ee Boon-zy’e-mon. - -Footnote 5: - - Pronounced Ee-gar-ash’ee Ko-boon’jee. - -The gentleman listened to the boy’s clear account of himself and -expressed his admiration. “Ah! I was right, I see, when I thought you -were not the son of an ordinary man. Your ambition to become the chief -merchant in Japan is a high one, certainly; but the proverb says, ‘Ants -aspire to the skies,’ and anything is possible to a man who puts his -whole heart into his work. You are still quite young, I should say, -though you have come all the way from Kada-no-Ura by yourself, and -though you talk of your affairs in a manner that would reflect credit on -a grown-up man. Come, tell me, how old are you?” - -“I am fourteen,” he answered. - -“What, not more than that?” - -And the master’s wife, who was by his side, could not repress her -surprise, either. - -At this point the _shoji_, or paper sliding doors, opened, and in ran a -pretty little girl of about eleven. Her hair was drawn up into a little -butterfly device on the top of her head, which shook to and fro as she -ran up to her mother. Stretching out a small maple-leaf hand, with a -winsome look, she said: - -“Mother, please give me a cake.” - -“Why, my dear, where are your manners? What will our young friend here -think of you?” - -At this the child looked around, and, for the first time becoming aware -of the boy’s presence, turned shy and sat down. Looking gently in her -face, her mother then asked her what she had been doing. Afraid of the -stranger, she whispered in her mother’s ear: “I have been playing -_oni_[6] with Sadakichi in the garden. But I don’t like Sadakichi. When -he was the _oni_ he just caught me at once.” - -Footnote 6: - - A play similar to tag or prisoner’s base. - -“But that often happens in playing _oni_,” said the mother, with a -smile. - -“Yes, but he does it too much; he has no right to catch people in the -way he does, and I don’t wish to play with him any more.” - -“Well, if that is so, how would you like to play with Bunkichi here -instead?” - -Accepting it as one of the duties that might fall to him, to act as the -child’s companion and caretaker, Bunkichi, rather pleased than -otherwise, offered to go out and try to amuse her. The little girl -looked into her mother’s face, and then at Bunkichi. “Mama, how long has -he been here?” she asked in a low voice. - -“He only came to-day, but he’s a fine boy, and I hope you’ll be a good -little girl and show him the garden.” - -But the child’s thoughts seemed suddenly to take a new turn, and, -sidling up to her mother, she begged to be given a cake. The mother -opened the little drawer of the _hibachi_,[7] and, taking out two or -three sugar-plums, put them into her hand. The child then, with barely a -glance at Bunkichi, ran through the _shoji_ out of doors. - -Footnote 7: - - Pronounced he-bah’chee. A wooden fire-box where a charcoal fire is - kept for warming the hands. - -“Take care and don’t stumble,” her mother called out. “Do you mind just -seeing after her?” she said to Bunkichi, who at once got up and went out -on the veranda. - -No sooner was Chocho Wage,[8] or “Butterfly Curls” (so named from the -way in which her hair was dressed), outside in the garden than she began -quarreling with the boy from the shop. “No, Sadakichi; I’m not going to -play with you. Mama says that the other boy who has just come is a fine -boy, and I’m going to play with him.” - -Footnote 8: - - Pronounced Cho’cho Wah’gay. - -“What! another boy has come, has he?” - -“Yes; there he is. Go and fetch him.” - -Sadakichi called to Bunkichi, “You will find some _geta_[9] there, if -you will come out.” - -Footnote 9: - - Pronounced gay’tah. Foot-wear or wooden clogs. - -So Bunkichi came out to the garden. - -It was not a very large one, but it was a pretty spot, for beyond it -sparkled the bay that lay at the back of Kumano. Bunkichi had soon -joined the two others, and Sadakichi, turning to the little child, said, -“Well, shall we three play at _oni_?” - -“No,” she answered; “you are always catching me, and I don’t care to -play.” - -“I won’t catch you, then, Chocho, if you don’t like it.” - -“All the same, I’d rather not.” - -A thought struck Bunkichi, and, addressing himself to the child, he -said: “Would you like me to make you something? I would if I only had a -knife and some bamboo.” - -The child was at once interested, and told Sadakichi to go and get what -was wanted. So Sadakichi strolled off and brought a knife and some -bamboo chips. “Now, then, what are you going to make?” said he. - -“A nice bamboo dragon-fly,” Bunkichi answered; and, taking the knife, he -split a bit of the bamboo, shaved it fine and smooth, and fixed a little -peg in the middle of it. - -Sadakichi, quickly guessing what it was, said: “Ah, it’s a dragon-fly. I -know! I once went with the _banto_[10] to Kada-no-Ura, and every one -there was flying those dragon-flies, and, now I think of it, the boy who -was selling them looked just like you.” - -Footnote 10: - - Clerk. - -Not a bit disconcerted, Bunkichi replied: “Yes, you are quite right. I -was the boy who made them and was selling them.” - -“Bah! Mr. Dragon-fly-seller!” blustered out Sadakichi, with a face of -disgust. - -“Don’t speak like that,” said the little girl, turning sharply upon him, -and then to Bunkichi: “What made you sell them?” she asked, speaking out -to him for the first time. - -“My father was ill in bed,” he answered, continuing to scrape the -bamboo, “and, as our family was poor, I managed to buy him rice and -medicine by selling these dragon-flies.” - -Child as she was, this touching story of filial piety made her respect -Bunkichi all the more. - -“Oh, wasn’t that good of him!” she said, turning to Sadakichi. “Do you -think you could have done it?” - -“I—yes; only there would have been no need for me to sell dragon-flies. -I should have sold the wearing-things in our shop,” he answered, -arrogantly. - -[Illustration: - - “‘Why, it’s just like a real dragon-fly!’ she cried, with delight” -] - -Bunkichi had now finished making the dragon-fly, and, holding it between -his hands, he spun it round, and up it went into the air with a whirring -sound, and lighted on the ground again some five or six paces away. - -“Why, it’s just like a real dragon-fly!” cried the child, with delight. -“Do let me have it!” And, taking it in her hands, she tried to set it -flying, but she could only make it go up a little way. - -Then Sadakichi, wishing to try his hand, pushed forward. “Let me have -it,” he said, “and I’ll show you how well I can do it”; and, seizing -hold of it, with the force of both hands he sent it flying high into the -air. “There, now—see how it goes!” and, while the little girl was -watching it with delight, the dragon-fly flew over the wall fence and -dropped into the water beyond. - -The little child ran after it, followed by Sadakichi and Bunkichi. There -was a little gate in the garden, opening on a jetty. Through this they -passed and stood together on the plank, watching the dragon-fly tossing -about on the water. - -“Oh, I wish we could get it,” said the little girl, looking at it -wistfully; “if it would only come just in front of us!” - -“Take care,” said Sadakichi, holding her back, while the dragon-fly, -bobbing up and down among the ripples, gradually drifted farther off. - -Now Bunkichi, seeing there was a small boat lying alongside the jetty, -had said to Sadakichi, “Let me row out and get it,” and was drawing the -boat toward him, when he was abruptly stopped by Sadakichi. “No, no; you -mustn’t think of putting out from the shore. If you do, you are certain -to be eaten up by the _wanizame_.”[11] - -Footnote 11: - - Pronounced wah-ne-zah’may, meaning a huge shark. - -“Yes, it’s quite true,” chimed in the little girl. “There’s a horrid -_wanizame_ that prevents any one going on the sea. Only yesterday it -captured somebody.” - -“Yes—a young man from the brewery,” said Sadakichi. “He had some barrels -in his boat, and he had gone only two or three hundred yards when the -shark came up and overturned his boat and seized him.” - -“It doesn’t matter about the dragon-fly; I don’t want it; let us go back -to the house.” And the little child, frightened in good earnest, took -hold of Bunkichi’s arm. - -It was the first time Bunkichi had heard about the _wanizame_. “Is it -really true, miss, that there is a _wanizame_ in the bay?” he asked. - -“Yes; I can tell you it’s very serious. I don’t know how many people it -has eaten in the last month.” - -“Really! But how big is it?” - -“I don’t know what you would call big,” broke in Sadakichi. “But it’s -about as big as this house. If it sees a small boat, it overtakes it in -no time and topples it over, and if it is a big boat it gets in the way -and stops it so that it can’t move, and so the fishermen can’t go out, -and no cargo can come into the port. I suppose it must be want of food -that has brought it into this harbor; but, however that may be, it -thinks nothing of upsetting the small craft, so that for a month no one -has ventured out at all. Well, there was the brewer’s man. Yesterday he -thought it would be safe to go just a short distance, but he very soon -got swallowed up. And what is the consequence? Why, the fishing is -stopped, and there’s no trade, and the place is going to ruin. The -fishermen and hunters have tried over and over again to kill it with -spikes and guns and with all kinds of things. But what is the use? Their -weapons only snap in two or glance off its back, and they only get -killed themselves. So they have given up trying.” - -Bunkichi listened to every word, and then suddenly went into the house -and stood before the master. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER II - - BUNKICHI PLANS TO KILL THE SHARK - - -THE master and his wife were engaged in conversation, but on seeing -Bunkichi the merchant said, “Well, have you been to see the garden?” - -“Thank you, I have enjoyed it very much,” answered Bunkichi, politely. - -“Why, bless me, he has all the manners of a little _samurai_[12]!” -exclaimed the master to his wife. “There is no comparison between him -and the other boys. But dancing attendance on a little girl is not the -sort of employment for a lad who has the ambition to become the leading -merchant in Japan. No, no; he wants to get into the shop as soon as he -can and learn the ways of business—eh, my boy?” - -Footnote 12: - - Pronounced sahm’oo-rye. The _samurai_ were the military class of - Japan, corresponding to the knights of the middle ages in European - countries. - -The master exactly interpreted Bunkichi’s wishes, and Bunkichi felt very -grateful to him, but he only answered: “I shall esteem it a great favor -to be allowed to serve you in any way. But, master, with your leave, I -would ask you: Is it true, as I hear, that there is a _wanizame_ lately -come into this bay, and that people are suffering a lot of harm from -it?” - -“Ah, me! Yes, it’s a sore trouble, that _wanizame_; our fishermen are -doing nothing, our boat traffic is stopped, and if things go on in this -way the place will be ruined. All sorts of attempts have been made to -kill it, but, alas! all to no purpose.” - -Then respectfully, in a kneeling posture, approaching nearer, Bunkichi -thus addressed his master: “Master, in the request I am now going to -make of you, I fear you will put me down as a child with a vain, -childish notion of doing great things; none the less, I am bold to ask -you, in all seriousness, will you give me leave to attempt the -destruction of this _wanizame_?” - -The master exclaimed in astonishment: “What! You think that you are -going to kill the _wanizame_? It would be the greatest thing in the -world if you could, but already every means has been tried. Whaling-men -have tried to kill it with their harpoons, the hunters of wild game on -the mountains have tried to shoot it with their guns; but the _wanizame_ -has defeated all their schemes, and, to say nothing of the money it has -cost, several men have lost their lives in their attempts to kill it, -and our citizens have given it up as hopeless. Son of a _samurai_ though -you may be, this is no task for a boy of thirteen or fourteen. No; you -may have seen in the seas around Kada-no-Ura sharks of four or five feet -in length, but just go out to the hill above the town and look over the -bay until you catch sight of our monster. The very sight of it is enough -to terrify most people.” - -“You mistake me, master,” said Bunkichi, sitting up straight. “I have no -thought of trying my strength against the _wanizame_. But I have a trick -in my mind I should like to play, if you would allow me.” - -“Oh, it’s a trick, is it? And what is the trick our crafty youngster is -going to propose for killing the _wanizame_, I should like to know?” -said the master, smiling. - -“The plan I have is simply this: First, to make a straw figure and to -fill up the inside with poison. Then I shall dress it in a man’s clothes -and take it out into the bay, and, when we see the shark coming, throw -it out to him to eat. Sharks are senseless creatures and ready to eat -anything, so he is sure to swallow the straw man, and if he does the -poison will at once take effect and kill him. That’s my plan; what do -you think of it?” - -“Yes; I think your plan of making a straw man is not at all a bad one, -and I have little doubt, as you say, that the shark would swallow it. In -that case it would certainly die and we should be free at last from our -great calamity. But wait a minute; I am afraid, when the doll is made, -there is nobody who will venture to take it out to the sea. People have -had so many bitter lessons from trying to kill this shark that, however -much money you offer, no one, I fear, will agree to take it out into the -bay.” - -Bunkichi without any hesitation replied: “I will undertake the task of -taking the doll out for the shark to swallow. As I grew up by the -seaside at Kada-no-Ura, I can row a boat well and can swim better than -most people. I saw a boat just now fastened at the jetty in your garden. -Please lend it to me and I will go out alone upon the bay.” - -Astonished by the audaciousness of the lad, the master said: “It is too -wild an idea, my boy. What if the shark upsets your boat? He will -swallow you up in an instant.” - -“As to what you say about drowning, that doesn’t disturb me at all. -Suppose I have no luck and lose my life, there is nothing to be -regretted if by my death I succeed in removing the great calamity under -which many are now suffering. And, as I said before, it is my -determination to become the leading merchant of Japan; but if I am to -realize my ambition I must be prepared to run many risks. If fortune -favors me I shall come safe through them and attain my object; if, -however, this first venture goes against me, and I go out to sea and -fall a prey to the _wanizame_, it simply means that I must accept it as -the decree of fate, and, as far as my life is concerned, I am quite -ready to risk it.” - -The master, who was much struck by his fearless determination, worthy of -the boy’s descent, said to him, “Indeed, your magnanimity is greater -than ours, but for that very reason we should be all the more sorry to -lose you.” - -Saying this, he turned round to his wife, who whispered in his ear: “I -quite agree with you: if he be swallowed up by the shark, we couldn’t -possibly get another like him; send some other one instead!” - -Just then in came the girl, attended by Sadakichi, who had long been -waiting for the boy, and said, “Bunkichi, please be quick and make me -another dragon-fly.” - -Her mother, however, at once stopped the girl, saying: “Come, come; -Bunkichi has something else to think about besides dragon-flies: he’s -just saying that he wants to go out to sea and kill the _wanizame_.” - -The girl was startled, for she was only a child. “Does he go alone?” - -“Yes, that is what he says he will do.” - -“Don’t, please, mother; I don’t like your sending him to sea.” - -“Why, my child?” - -“I want him to make me a bamboo dragon-fly.” - -His curiosity aroused at hearing the little girl speak of the -dragon-fly, the father said, “What do you wish him to make for you?” - -“Oh, father, it’s a bamboo dragon-fly—an amusing toy which flies up -high, whizzing,” was her confident answer. - -“Ah, I see,” he remarked, as he understood the girl’s request; “that -flying bamboo thing I often see when I go out on the streets. The toy, I -remember, was first made by a boy of great filial virtue in a certain -country district, and even here they talk about him; it is clever of -you, Bunkichi, to have learned how to make them.” - -Then Sadakichi interrupted, saying: “No wonder! Why, he was the hawker -of the toy; I know all about it, as I saw him selling it at -Kada-no-Ura.” - -“Are you, then, the inventor of the toy?” asked the master, to whom the -boy at once replied in the affirmative. The master, who was more than -ever struck by the boy’s character, said, “Are you, then, the same boy -whom all the people talk about and praise for his devotion to his -parent?” - -Then the girl, who remembered what had been told her a little while -before, said: “Father, his family was very poor, and, as his father was -laid up on his sick-bed, he sold those dragon-flies and bought medicine -or a little rice for the family. He told me so.” - -As she was listening to this conversation, tears stood in the mother’s -eyes, and she said: “He is really a model boy, is he not? I can’t -possibly let him go to sea.” - -The master, who was much of the same way of thinking as his wife, -answered, “Of course, I have been persuading him to give up his idea”; -and, turning to Bunkichi, said, “Yes, do give it up, my boy.” - -And the girl, seemingly with the intention of inspiring the boy with -dread and deterring him from his purpose, remarked solemnly, “Oh, it is -dreadful to be swallowed by the shark on going to sea!” - -Bunkichi, having once determined, was immovable. “Sir, trading to a -merchant is the same that fighting is to a knight. It has been ever -regarded honorable in a knight that he should hazard his life many a -time, even in his early youth. If fate be against him, he will be put to -death by his enemy. The knights of old faced the dangerous issues of -life or death as often as they went out to battle. As they attained to -renown by passing through these ordeals, so, too, must the merchant who -aspires after a leading position not shrink from braving many dangers in -his life. Sir, methinks the present is the opportunity given me to try -my hand; and if fate sides with me and I succeed in killing the -_wanizame_, in future I shall have courage to venture out on other great -undertakings. If one begins to be nervous at the outset, one will go on -being nervous forever; but there is no fear, I think, for a man who is -ready to sacrifice even his own life.” - -The master, meeting with such unflinching determination, knew not how to -stop him, but said: “I must confess you have more in you than I thought. -I am ashamed of myself to be thus taught by you the secret of success in -trade when I should be in a position to teach you. Well said, my boy; -trading is to a business man what fighting is to a knight. If you begin -by being weak and timid, you will never be capable of bold enterprise. -If you have a mind to divine your future by embarking on this exploit, -go in for it with all your might. As to the preparations for making the -straw man, as far as buying the poison is concerned, I will do it all -for you. You had better go up to the mountain yonder, and ascertain the -place where the shark is generally to be seen coming up to the surface. -You, Sadakichi, had better take him up to the Sumiyoshi[13] bluff, and -point him out the monster if it should come up and show itself on the -surface of the water in the mouth of the harbor.” - -Footnote 13: - - Pronounced Soo-mee-yo’shee. - -Bunkichi, who was much delighted at having gained his wish, said: “Then, -sir, please let an apothecary prepare a lot of drugs which are likely to -be the best poison for a _wanizame_, and I will go and have a lookout -for the appearance of the monster.” - -As he was about to start, the girl asked him, in a little voice of -remonstrance, “But when will you make a dragon-fly for me, Bunkichi?” - -“When I come back, miss,” was his reply. - -“Come, come; he can’t be bothered about such a trifle now,” said her -mother. - -Meanwhile the two lads, Bunkichi and Sadakichi, hand in hand, went up to -the Sumiyoshi bluff, which stood just outside the town on the eastern -side of Kumano Bay. The mountain rose precipitously from the sea, whose -fathomless water washed its southern base. A thick forest of pines -covered the mountain, and the vibrating of their needle foliage in the -breeze added a strange harp-like accompaniment to the perpetual roaring -of the waves below. On reaching the summit, Bunkichi threw himself down -on a knotty root of pine near the edge of a precipice and gazed out on -the broad expanse of Kumano Bay. As far as his view reached, no shore -could be descried; only the line where the dome of the azure sky circled -the deep blue of the ocean. - -After sitting thus in silent contemplation for a few minutes, Bunkichi -suddenly turned round and said to Sadakichi: “Sea scenery is always fine -to look at, isn’t it? I am fond of this sort of rough sea. I should like -to have a swim in it.” - -“Don’t talk such nonsense; you would no sooner get into it than you -would be swamped,” was the reply. - -“That’s just what I like. I should dive deep down into the water and get -out of the whirlpool. And now, tell me where it is the _wanizame_ -generally pops out its head.” - -“It generally comes out just below this headland,” the other answered, -“at the mouth of the harbor.” - -As the two boys were steadily gazing on the surface of the water, sure -enough, up came the shark, and startled Sadakichi by cleaving the water -with its back. Whether it was in frolic or in quest of prey, the monster -swam to and fro, now showing its head and now its tail. Its rock-like -back and its iron-like fins were horrible enough to inspire even men -with awe. - -Sadakichi, feeling nervous at the sight, said to his companion, -“Bunkichi San, now you see the monster, you will be for giving up your -grand job, I fancy.” - -“What! You don’t suppose I’m frightened, do you,” was his scornful -retort, “at the sight of such a little fish?” - -“What do you say?” said the other. - -“Well, if the chance came in my way, I might even kill a leviathan or a -crocodile!” - -As these two were thus talking, a gust of wind from the high Nachi -Mountain swept down on the forest of Sumiyoshi and awakened the myriad -tiny harps of the pines, while the waves rolled one after another -against the rocks below. These sounds combined to drown the voices of -the lads, one of whom seemed to be persuading the other that it was time -to go back, while the other seemed to be insisting on staying a little -longer to enjoy the wild scenery and to think over the issues of his -scheme. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER III - - A BOAT CAPSIZED—A HAIRBREADTH ESCAPE - - -THE master of the Daikokuya, who had been much struck by the wisdom and -courage of Bunkichi, lost no time in going to an apothecary to get -plenty of the poisonous stuff for the _wanizame_, while he ordered some -of his men to prepare the straw dummy. - -In course of time the two lads, Bunkichi and Sadakichi, came back from -Sumiyoshi bluff. The master welcomed them into his own room, and said: - -“How now, Bunkichi? Did you see the shark?” - -“Yes, sir, I saw it,” was the reply. - -“And now that you have seen the monster are you less disposed to go out -to sea?” - -“No; on the contrary,” replied the lad, “I am the more ready to go.” - -“Isn’t that obstinacy on your part?” - -“Not in the least, sir,” the lad said, as he drew himself up; “the -greater the opponent, the greater the interest and strength that are -called for; and I am about to do this at the risk of my life. I well -observed the spot where the shark comes up, and noticed a large -pine-tree which projects over the sea from the precipice. If some one -will let fall a stout rope from one of its branches, I will row over to -it, and there I shall entice the shark to swallow the straw dummy; then -if the shark, in plunging about, should upset my boat, I shall take hold -of the rope and climb or be hauled up the precipice.” - -The master, who was once more struck by words which showed so much -sagacity as well as courage, said: - -“That’s a very good idea of yours. Then this is what we shall decide to -do, is it? I shall send out some of my young men to the Sumiyoshi bluff -to fix a rope to the pine branch from the precipice, and you will tie -the rope to your waist before you go out on your venture. I and others -will stand upon the cliff and watch you, and should you be in danger of -being swallowed by the monster, we shall lose no time in hauling you up. -Is that to be our plan of action?” - -“Yes, that’s the plan,” was the boy’s reply. - -“Well, then, I have bought the poison, and can soon have ready as many -as three dummies. When do you think of setting out?” - -“Now, at once,” answered Bunkichi. - -“That is rushing it too quickly, my lad. Wouldn’t it be better for you -to wait till to-morrow?” remonstrated the master. - -“Unless things of this kind are done quickly and made easy work of, some -obstacles may arise and frustrate our plans; so I will just do it with -as little concern as you snap your fingers,” said the lad. - -“You can’t do things so lightly as you say,” was the master’s reply. - -And his wife, who had been listening, and who regretted having given her -consent to the boy’s rash project, added: “Bunkichi, do stay at home -to-day and spend it in preparation and do the work to-morrow.” - -And the little girl also said: “I don’t care for your going to sea.” - -But Bunkichi, having once made up his mind in the matter, was not to be -moved by any one’s entreaties. - -“Then, by your leave, sir,” he said, “I will take that little boat at -the jetty.” And without more delay he rose up to go. - -His master knew not how to stop him, but said: “No, no; that small boat -is dangerous; and, if you must go, you had better go out in the -_temmabune_.”[14] - -Footnote 14: - - Pronounced Tem-mah-bonn’ay. A larger boat. - -“No, sir,” said the lad; “the _temmabune_ is too big for me to row -alone, so I prefer the small one.” - -“But I am in great concern about your personal safety if you go alone,” -said the master. “I will give ten _rio_ to any one who will go with -you.” - -Though he quickly made known this offer to the members of his household -as well as among his neighbors, no one ventured to offer himself on -account of the people’s repeated and terrible experiences. Bunkichi -soothed his master, saying that he was much freer if left to act by -himself than he would be if there were others with him. Quickly putting -the three dummies into the small boat outside the garden gate, with -marvelous coolness, as if he were going out for pleasure, he said: -“Good-by, everybody; I will go now, and be back again soon.” - -The master, who was first to stir, led out to the jetty some of his -young men as well as some strong coolies. Three or four big ropes having -been made ready, he said: - -“Now, Bunkichi, tie one of these to your waist.” - -“It’s no use, sir, till I get near the mountain,” replied the lad, but -the master said: - -“But just think, if on your way out the shark should turn up! We shall -pull you along the coast while you will row as near as you can to the -land.” - -Bunkichi, who couldn’t resist the master’s persuasion, let him tie the -rope round his waist, and the master himself took hold of the end of it -and together with others went along the shore toward Sumiyoshi bluff. - -Bunkichi, having been brought up at the seaside, was an excellent rower, -but as they pulled along the rope he rowed but slightly. Suddenly he -took out a dagger which had been handed down from his ancestors and -unsheathed it, smiling as he noted the temper of the steel. - -Who spread the news no one knew, yet the people in the town came out in -a crowd, and every one was surprised to see a boy, alone in a boat, -sallying forth to kill the monster. - -“Isn’t he a wonderfully courageous boy!” - -“He is no common boy. Perhaps he may yet be as famous as our great hero -Kato Kiyomasa.”[15] - -Footnote 15: - - The conqueror of Korea in 594 A.D. - -“Isn’t he cool!” - -“Hasn’t he wonderful presence of mind!” - -Such expressions as these escaped from everybody’s lips. Thus praising -him as they went along, the crowd followed the master. - -From among the crowd an old woman stepped out with a rosary in one hand -and said to the master: - -“Sir, please let me hold the rope, _Namu-Ami-Dabutsu_.”[16] - -Footnote 16: - - An expression used in one of the Buddhistic prayers. Among a certain - class of Japanese it was believed that by repeating this phrase - frequently their chances of going to heaven were increased. - -The young men turned to her and said: - -“Ill omen! Don’t say such a thing as _Namu-Ami-Dabutsu_. This is not the -rope for you to pull.” - -In spite of the taunt she still muttered the sacred charm of the Buddha -sect, saying: - -“But do let me hold it. I am the leader in pulling timbers for the -repairing of the Hongwanzi[17] temple. Yet I must have my share, because -I am sure that the lad is a hero sent by Buddha himself to save us from -our troubles. _Namu-Ami-Dabutsu_,” repeated the woman. - -Footnote 17: - - The headquarters of the Buddhist religion in Kioto. - -Just then a maid-servant carrying a little girl on her back came along -the shore after the woman. The latter turned to the little girl and -said: - -“Ah, you are the daughter of the Daikokuya. Do you want to pull this -rope, too? _Namu-Ami-Da—_” - -The girl wouldn’t listen to her words, but, looking intently at the boat -in the distance, called out aloud, “Bunkichi!” - -The other bystanders, who heard the name for the first time, said: “Ah, -his name is Bunkichi, is it?” and at once shouted, “Bunkichi Daimiozin,” -which is a title they give to the gods. - -The lad, taking little notice of the stir on the shore, soon came to the -foot of the bluff. The master and others went up the hillside along the -edge of the precipice, while the lad began to prepare for his task. - -The long summer day was already declining and a cool breeze from the far -ocean blew about his broad sleeves, and the voice of the crowd grew -fainter and fainter as, hidden by the pine-trees, they wound their way -up to the top of the hill. Yet now and then Bunkichi heard his master’s -voice faintly calling to him, to which he made reply to assure him of -his safety. Looking out toward the ocean there was no sail or boat to be -seen, probably owing to the people’s fear of meeting the shark. A -checkered bank of white and dark clouds was massed on the sky above the -horizon, while the waves chased one another below. - -Any ordinary man would have quailed at such a scene as this; but -Bunkichi, with no sign of nervousness, put the straw figures in the bow -of the boat and proceeded toward the place where the shark usually made -its appearance. He could now see the master and others above the -precipice as they began attaching the rope to a strong limb of the -sturdy pine which projected seaward. Thus all the preparations were made -for hauling him up at the given signal, while the lad was also preparing -himself for the encounter and reconnoitering the scene from his boat. - -At last the iron-like fin of the monster was seen to cleave the water. -Apparently rejoiced at the sight of a man, as Bunkichi’s figure must -have been now and then reflected on the water, the shark in quest of -prey raised its head above the water and made for the boat. - -“Come on, you villain,” muttered the lad, who stood up in the bow with -the dummy in his hand. - -The terror-stricken young men at the top of the precipice no sooner saw -the monster than they were on the point of pulling up the rope; but the -master stayed them, saying: “Steady, men, steady! Wait till he gives us -a signal.” - -The master anxiously watched the lad’s action, while the crowd hardly -breathed as they stood still with hands clenched. - -With a splash, Bunkichi threw the figure in the way of the _wanizame_; -the shark turned over, the white portion of its body gleamed, and it -snapped the stuffed figure, drawing it under the water. Up it came -again, and the lad threw out the second dummy; but the monster did not -take any notice of it, but made straight for the lad. Above, on the top -of the precipice, the master awaited Bunkichi’s signal with breathless -interest, but no signal was given yet. With his dagger drawn in one hand -and raising the third straw figure in the other, Bunkichi threw it at -the enemy’s head. Whether it was that the poison was already taking -effect or that the charm of the noted sword frightened the monster, it -turned back on a sudden and retreated a few yards. Before the anxious -crowd could divine the next movements of the shark, it began to plunge -about in and out of the water on the farther side of the boat. Then, -seemingly in agony, it swam about with almost lightning speed, now -toward the shore and now toward the ocean, and the sea became like a -boiling whirlpool in which the little boat seemed every moment in danger -of being overwhelmed. - -Bunkichi, who saw his plan had succeeded, at once began to row back. At -this juncture, as fate would have it, the monster made a sudden dash at -the boat, which was at once overturned. The signal had hardly been given -when, after a moment of awful anxiety, the lad was in the air, suspended -by the rope. The monster again made a mad rush, only to bruise its head -against a rock, and with weakened strength returned toward the deep, -riding on the retreating tide. - -[Illustration: - - “The lad was in the air, suspended by the rope” -] - -As for Bunkichi, the rope was drawn up steadily and with care, and he -soon found himself safely perched on the stout branch of the pine. - -The master of the Daikokuya, when he saw Bunkichi once again on solid -ground, never uttered a word, but took his hand and put it on his -forehead in token of his unutterable gratitude, while tears of joy -flowed from his eyes. The others knew not how to do otherwise on the -sudden alternation from dread to joy. - -After a while Bunkichi left the crowd and went to the most commanding -position on the precipice and gazed down upon the sea, and saw the shark -on its back floating to and fro, the sport of the waves. His joy knew no -bounds, and he said: - -“I thank you all; I have been saved by your help. The shark now seems to -be dead.” - -These words he uttered with his customary coolness, showing that he had -not been at all frightened by the terrible experience he had passed -through, while the others could hardly yet shake off the dread they had -felt. - -Addressed thus by the lad, the master now recovered his speech, and -said: - -“No; it isn’t _you_ who have been saved by _us_, but _we_ who have all -been saved by _you_. The shark dies and the people live, or the shark -lives and the people must die. I have no words to express my gratitude -to you. And now we must get back as soon as possible and let the people -know the joyous news.” - -While the master thus hurried the others to go back, Bunkichi stopped -him and said: “Sir, if we leave the shark as it is, it may revive. It is -a pity to leave it, now that it is as good as killed. Let us haul it up -by the aid of the rope. It seems that the boat, which was upset, has -drifted to the base of the bluff. Let some of us get down and bail the -water out of it, and I will, with the help of you all, try to secure the -shark.” - -The master agreed to the proposal and called for volunteers, but in -vain. Some young fellows pretended to be ill, and others suspected the -shark might yet be alive and swallow them if they went near it. - -At last, however, the master prevailed on a few of them to go down with -the lad to help him. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER IV - - THE TABLES TURNED - - -BUNKICHI, with the help of a few others, set the boat up, and, bailing -the water out, got in and went out again to sea. Putting a rope round -the body of the shark, which was being tossed about by the waves, they -drew it close to the foot of the bluff. While Bunkichi by himself rowed -back home, the young men dragged the dead monster along the coast toward -the Daikokuya. The crowd on the bank applied themselves as one man to -the task, and got hold of the rope, and the shark was finally landed. -Amusing it was to see that old woman pull hard along with the rest. - -After this heroic deed the reputation of Bunkichi spread through the -length and breadth of Kumano town, and he was nicknamed as the -_Wanizame-Kozo_, or Shark-Boy; but who started the name no one can tell. -His exploit, however, was soon carried to the ear of _Odaikan_,[18] and -this great person himself came down to the shore and made a thorough -inspection of the monster. Ten pieces of silver were awarded by the lord -of the province to Bunkichi in recognition of his noble services in -putting a stop to the scourge of the town. The master was proud of -Bunkichi, and the town people rejoiced at his good fortune. - -Footnote 18: - - The name given to the local magistrate in olden days. - -The size of the shark which the lad killed was more than three _ken_, or -some eighteen feet in length, and its skin was so hard that the sharpest -sword could not pierce it. The dealers in swords vied with one another -in the offers they made the master for the skin, for they knew it would -make an excellent binding for sword-hilts. Bunkichi asked his master to -sell it, and the transaction was soon made, and the master handed over -the whole of the price to Bunkichi as the fruit of his brave deed. The -lad would not even touch it. He had heard, he said, that the fishermen -in the neighborhood, from not being able to go out as hitherto on -account of the shark, were in great straits even for their daily food, -and therefore he wished to distribute the money among them. The proposal -was at once accepted, and the money was divided either among the people -who had suffered on account of the shark, or among the bereaved families -whose members had fallen victims to its voracity. - -That Bunkichi was possessed of courage, his actions had abundantly -proved; the people were now profoundly struck by his moral virtue since -they had received his alms. The name of _Wanizame-Kozo_ soon got its -suffix _Sama_, or its equivalent in English of “Mr.,” and whenever he -appeared in the streets everybody, whether personally known to him or -not, seemed to thank him by making him the most courteous obeisances. - -[Illustration: - - “Putting a rope round the body of the shark” -] - -In course of time, as the people in remote country places came to hear -of Bunkichi’s exploit, they pressed in large numbers to the shop of the -Daikokuya, not so much to buy clothing as for the purpose of seeing the -little hero’s face. From that day the master doubled the amount of his -daily receipts, as his trade prospered. Because of the prosperity -brought to the house by the lad, the household of the Daikokuya accorded -him special treatment, quite different from that given the other boys in -the shop; in fact, he was treated as if he were the son of the family. -But Bunkichi, on his part, served his master better than the other boys -were able or willing to. In spite of his master’s forbidding him, he was -first on the scene in the morning to sweep the street in front of the -shop and to put the shop in order and to sell goods to customers however -early they might come. Then, having carefully settled accounts at the -close of the day, he would devote his evenings to the mastery of the -abacus and to writing Chinese characters. His praiseworthy behavior -impressed everybody who saw or heard him. - -Two or three months passed in this way, and the lad’s fame became ever -greater, and further prosperity was brought to the house. Then the -master took counsel of his wife: - -“As we haven’t any boys, Chocho being the only child we have, sooner or -later we shall have to adopt a son. I don’t care to have any one of -whose intentions and character I know nothing. Rather it would please me -to have Bunkichi as our foster-son. What do you think about this?” - -His wife said gladly: - -“I agree with you, my husband; he would be just the one to whom to leave -the conduct of the business, and if we could make him our adopted son, -what a pleasure it would be! You had better do it quickly.” - -The master pondered awhile and then said: - -“But, you see, he hopes to become the leading merchant in Japan, and -thereby to raise the name of his ancestors; therefore he would not like -to be adopted into another family. This would be the first hitch in the -arrangement, I fancy.” - -“No, my dear; our intention, of course, is to give him the whole of this -our property—and that certainly should be sufficient inducement to any -one.” - -“No, I think not,” said the other, as he put his head on one side in -contemplation; “he is not the boy who will prize such a small property -as ours. I don’t care to run the risk of humbling myself by speaking to -him rashly. What I want is to ascertain his intention at some opportune -moment.” - -Sadakichi, who had been playing in company with the little girl on the -veranda outside the _shoji_, first heard this conversation, and one day -told Bunkichi about it. The latter said to himself: - -“My intention has been to win fame and thereby to raise our ancestors’ -name, so it would never do for me to be adopted into another family. -Trouble will come if I stay here any longer, and I shall be put in such -a strait that I shall feel obliged to fall in with this proposal.” So he -thought he would do best to leave the house quickly and try his hand -independently at some trade. - -One evening he sought his master and said: - -“Sir, it is rather an abrupt request to make of you, but I have -conceived a plan by which I can earn money; so please let me trade by -myself. As capital to start with, it will be sufficient for me to employ -those silver coins which I received for reward and which you have kept -for me.” - -The master, without knowing the lad’s secret intention, said: “If you -wish to trade on your own account, I will lend you capital or give you -any help you want; but what is the plan you have in mind?” - -“It’s simply this, sir. Since the disappearance of the _wanizame_ the -people nowadays get an abundant catch of fish, and in consequence I hear -there is a scarcity of fishing-tackle, nets, and their belongings. So I -wish to go up to Osaka and get a supply.” - -The master made one clap with his hands in token of his approval, and -said: - -“Well thought of, my lad! If you get a supply from Osaka now, you are -sure to reap a good profit. Besides, all the fishermen round about here -received your alms and regard you as one of the gods. If they hear of -your selling fishing-tackle, they will gladly come to purchase of you. -But you cannot transact the business by yourself alone, so I will send -some one to assist you, and also I will lend you as much capital as you -wish. Therefore, go and make whatever investment you think necessary.” - -Bunkichi did not wish to receive this favor, as he intended trading -without the help of any one. - -“Sir, let me trade with my own capital alone without any other help in -this instance,” he replied. “Only, when the cargo comes, will you please -give it storeroom for me?” - -As the master knew Bunkichi would not be induced to accept others’ -advice when he had definitely made up his mind, he said: - -“Very well, then; you may try to manage for yourself. No other boy of -your age could transact the business, but probably you may succeed.” -Thus saying, he went himself and brought a packet of money. - -“This is the money I have been keeping for you.” And then he produced -another packet which contained fifty pieces of silver, saying: - -“This is only a trifling recognition of your services in the shop, by -which we have enjoyed much prosperity; I hope you will accept it.” - -Bunkichi again and again refused to accept this additional gift, but in -vain, for the master almost forced him to receive it, and said: - -“When you come back from Osaka, you will stay again with us, won’t you?” - -Bunkichi hesitated and stammered out: “Yes, sir; I might trouble you -again, though I intend to continue in some trade of my own.” - -“Of course you may go in for whatever trade you like, and if you can -conveniently carry on your trade while you stay at my house, please make -yourself at home in it, and do not think that you need help in my shop -on that account.” - -As Bunkichi had no other home, he accepted this kind offer for his -future protection after his return, and the next day, when he had -prepared himself for the journey, he left the Daikokuya for Osaka. - -Though he was a boy in appearance, his mind was equal to that of a -full-grown man. At the time of his leave-taking, the master was -insisting on getting him a through _kago_, or Japanese palanquin, to -Osaka, which he had refused as unnecessary. In his courageous onward -march he came to a lonely part of the road; he was, however, well used -to traveling, owing to those early days of wandering when he sold the -dragon-flies for the support of his family, and by the experience of his -lonely journey to Kumano. But in this present journey, as he carried -with him a great sum of money in his pocket, he felt somewhat encumbered -and could not walk as lightly as he wished. - -On the afternoon of the day when he came to the mountainous region he -was well-nigh tired out, and he hired a _kago_ to carry him. The coolies -no sooner put him into the palanquin than they started off at almost a -running pace, and after a short time they turned off from the highway -into a bypath. The lad called out, in suspicion: - -“Aren’t you taking a rather strange road?” - -Both coolies answered in one voice: - -“This is a short cut, lad.” - -As they went on they got more and more into the wilds of the mountains, -and Bunkichi thought to himself that they might belong to that class of -rascals who prey on the traveler’s pockets. Nevertheless it was too late -to do anything against them, so he kept himself in perfect peace by -determining not to show that he suspected them. - -When the coolies were come to a trackless thicket, they put the _kago_ -down, and, thinking to pull out the boy, looked in and found him fast -asleep. - -They stared at one another in astonishment and said: “Why, he is -sleeping! The fellow takes life easy, eh? Come, my boy, get up! get up!” -and one of them poked him on the shoulder, and the other, taking hold of -his foot, pulled him out. - -Bunkichi rubbed his eyes and yawned twice or thrice. - -“Well, Mr. Coolie,—I mean you two,—what’s the matter?” - -The coolies said somewhat fiercely: “Look here; you’ve got some money -with you, haven’t you?” - -He answered in perfect coolness, as if nothing had happened, “Yes, I -have.” - -They thought more and more the lad was a pretty easy simpleton to deal -with, and said: “We knew you had some fifty or sixty _rio_, and that is -why we brought you here. Come, now, hand out all you’ve got, for if you -refuse you’ll suffer for it.” - -The lad burst out into laughter, saying: “If you want the money you -shall have it”; and he took out the wrapped package of money and threw -it down in front of them. - -The coolies, seeing the perfect composure of the lad, wondered who this -boy could be, and they began to grow nervous, and one of them said in a -whisper to the other: “May he not be a fox?” - -“We don’t know but what this money may turn into tree-leaves,” was the -answer, and both looked into the boy’s face. - -The boy said, as he smiled: “You cowardly thieves, are you afraid?” - -He stepped out a pace before them, while they stepped back a little and -said, “We are not afraid,” visibly suppressing their fear. - -The lad peered into their faces. “If you aren’t afraid, why do you -tremble so?” - -“We’re cold; that is why.” - -[Illustration: - - “As though they were stricken by thunder at the boy’s words, down they - tumbled on the ground” -] - -“You cowards! Take the money and be gone!” - -The coolies looked at each other, and wouldn’t take the money up into -their hands, while the lad stood firmly grasping the hilt of the dagger -of Kiku-ichi-monji within his pocket, ready to fight it out in case they -might treat him roughly. - -They were thoroughly outwitted by the audacity of the lad, and said: -“Where have you come from?” - -“Kumano is my home.” - -One of them turned pale. “Why, maybe he is the Shark-Boy!” - -“Yes, I am that very boy,” retorted the lad. - -No sooner did the coolies hear this than they cried with one voice: “Let -us up and be gone!” As they were about to turn on their heels, Bunkichi -said, as he drew his dagger: - -“If you run off I will cut you in two.” - -As though they were stricken by thunder at the boy’s words, down they -tumbled on the ground, and could not rise in spite of themselves. “Only -spare our lives, if you please!” - -As they begged for mercy, the lad coldly smiled, saying: “What is it you -fear?” - -“Please spare us! We cannot bear the thought that you will finish us off -as you did the _wanizame_,” they gasped in a trembling voice. These -coolies had heard of his brave deed in killing the shark, and they -thought that he had killed it by a feat of swordsmanship, and that he -was a warrior general like him of Ushiwaka-maru[19] of old. He at once -perceived what was the cause of their fear, and said: - -Footnote 19: - - A boy hero who learned fencing from a mountain elf in the wilderness - of Atago. - -“Are you weaker than the _wani_?” - -“No, sir; we sha’n’t be beaten by the _wani_,”—though they still -trembled. - -Bunkichi resheathed his short sword as he said: “Then take me to where -we agreed.” - -With a prompt “Yes, sir,” they rose up, while the lad got into the -palanquin. They took up the money and nervously brought it to the lad, -who said as he glanced at it: - -“Put it on the top of the _kago_.” - -“We’re afraid it may drop down unnoticed,” was their answer. - -“It’s too heavy for me to carry; tie it somewhere where it will be -safe.” - -Then the coolies tightly tied the package to the pole by which the -_kago_ was carried. He did not take the money with him again, for fear -that they might harm him in case their avaricious temper got the upper -hand and they should make off with it. - -The coolies, however, had no courage left to renew their attempt; but -they went on most solemnly and steadily, as though they were carrying -the _tengu_.[20] Bunkichi, finding the situation rather too quiet and -tame, addressed them: “Do you often play the part of villains?” - -Footnote 20: - - A mountain elf. - -“No, sir. It was the first time, sir. We were tempted to the wickedness -when we saw you were carrying a lot of money; we knew it by your manner -of walking.” - -“I don’t believe you. I suspect you have committed villainous acts a -good many times, but henceforth there must be an end of them.” - -“Yes, sir; we have had a lesson and sha’n’t try that game again!” - -The lad laughed and said: “That is interesting!” This was a peculiar -exclamation he used often to make. - -Meanwhile Bunkichi came to a certain station where he got out of the -_kago_. He gave the coolies something extra to their fare, while warning -them against the continuance of their evil practices. - -No sooner had they got their money than they slunk away as quickly as -they could. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER V - - THE BATTLE OF STONE MISSILES—THE MONKEYS’ PANIC - - -HAVING stayed that night at an inn, Bunkichi hastened on his way along -the Hama-Kaido, or the “shore road.” When he came to a lonely spot in -the road, he saw a man in the distance, scantily clad, apparently making -preparations for hanging himself. On ran Bunkichi and caught hold of the -man, asking him at the same time why he had come to such a pass as to -attempt suicide. - -“I am a certain Kichidayu, a native of Sakai in Izumi Province, and a -sailor,” answered the man, while tears stood in his eyes as he spoke. “I -was in charge of a ship of one thousand _koku_,[21] and on my voyage to -Yedo with a cargo of _sake_[22] my boat was wrecked off this coast and -the crew of eighteen, all told, as well as the whole of the cargo, were -lost. Fortunately I was washed up on the coast while I was holding fast -to a piece of board, but having been terribly knocked about, I can -hardly drag myself along. Besides, the loss of the ship, the cargo as -well as the crew, overpowers me with such a sense of disgrace and -wretchedness that I thought I would rather die than go back to my native -town.” - -Footnote 21: - - Forty thousand gallons. - -Footnote 22: - - A kind of Japanese liquor. - -Bunkichi, while he was listening to the sad account of the wreck, -surveyed the man from head to foot, and perceived many severe bruises, -which—with his honest manner of speaking—seemed to prove the truth of -his words. - -[Illustration: - - “Giving him a helping hand, Bunkichi led the man along to the next - village” -] - -“I quite sympathize with you in your misfortune,” said he, “but, my man, -your dying will not bring back the ship which was wrecked nor the men -who were lost; so I think it would be better for you to keep yourself -alive and atone for your loss by succeeding with your next venture. But -without money you can’t even go to a doctor. So allow me—” - -Taking out five pieces of silver and putting them in the hand of the -sailor, he continued, kindly and soothingly, “With these get a doctor at -once, my man.” - -The captain, as he looked into Bunkichi’s face with an expression almost -of worship, said: “You are the kindest man I ever came across, in spite -of your apparent youthfulness. As long as I live I shall not forget you, -and some day, perhaps, I may have an opportunity to repay you for your -goodness to me.” - -While he said this, tears rushed from his eyes—for he was overcome by a -sense of gratitude and joy. - -Bunkichi, having taken off his _haori_,[23] said to the man: “Put this -on, though it is not sufficient to protect you, and come on with me to -my next stopping-place.” Though the seaman was reluctant to accept so -generous an offer, Bunkichi urged him, and, giving him a helping hand, -led the man along to the next village, where they found an inn, into -which they went. There a suit of clothes was purchased for the sailor, -and the lad recounted the story of the wreck to the old woman, the -keeper of the inn, and asked her to send for a doctor, who on arrival -did whatever he could for the poor man. - -Footnote 23: - - A Japanese upper garment. - -Bunkichi, who thought it likely he might be of more service to the -sailor, said, in answer to his question: “I have no house of my own, but -you will find me if you ask for one Bunkichi at the Daikokuya, a cloth -establishment at Kumano. You, being a sailor, are sure to find any -amount of work if you go there; so please look me up. I am in a hurry; I -cannot stop here longer. On my way back from Osaka I shall call upon -you. If you are well before then, you had better go to Kumano and wait -for me there.” - -Thus kindly holding out hopes of helping him in the future, he gave the -old woman a sum of money for the nursing of the sailor, and hurried on -his way. - -Going on from one hotel to another, and resolving to lose no time, -Bunkichi at last arrived in the city of Osaka. As he had received a -letter of introduction from his master to a certain wholesale merchant -of the city, with whom the Daikokuya had dealings, he went to this -merchant and asked for the articles he had been commissioned to buy. The -head of the house, acquainted with the _wanizame_ affair by the letter, -did everything in his power to assist Bunkichi, and the transaction went -off smoothly and quickly. After he had sent off the fishing-tackle to -Kumano on board a ship, he spent a few days in sight-seeing as well as -in observing the ways in which big merchants carried on their trade. -Having thus spent four or five days here, Bunkichi once more took the -same road home, and on the way inquired at the inn after the captain -whom he had left there. To his great joy, the sailor was well on the way -to recovery; so he gave the man some more money for his further needs, -and hastened on to Kumano-Ura, having promised to meet him again there. - -On the day following that on which he had taken leave of the sailor, he -came to the hilly roads near Kumano. This part of the country was noted -then, as it is to-day, for the production of oranges. All over the hills -he saw orange-trees in abundance, and there, strange enough, he heard a -great noise of screaming and chattering. He hastened his steps in the -direction of the noise. Lo, and behold! Hundreds of monkeys, -uncountable, had drawn a circle around three men, whom they were pelting -with a shower of stones. These wretched men, as they were apparently -unable to withstand the stone missiles of the monkeys, had pulled their -over-coats, or _haori_, over their heads and were crouching under an -orange-bush, apparently in despair, for they were doing nothing but -crying for help. - -[Illustration: - - “Hundreds of monkeys had drawn a circle around three men whom they - were pelting with a shower of stones” -] - -As the animals apparently thought it great fun, they kept on showering -stones as quickly as they could pick them up, and it seemed probable -that the three men would have fallen victims to the monkeys but for -Bunkichi. When he saw how things were going, quick as thought he picked -up a lot of pebbles from the wayside and filled both his spacious -sleeves and his front pocket as well. Thus well armed, on he rushed to -the monkey army and pulled out of his pocket the pebbles, one after -another, throwing them at the frisky creatures. The monkeys, as they -screamed and chattered, at once confronted the lad, and, perceiving him -pull out stones from his breast, they tried to do the same. But of -course they had no pockets with stones in them, while Bunkichi threw his -missiles thick and fast. The beasts in their rage began to pull off the -hair from their breasts and throw it from them, while their -monkey-chatter grew louder and louder as their pain increased. - -Bunkichi, who could not suppress his laughter, contrived, as it were, to -discharge the missiles from his breast while actually bringing out the -stones from his sleeves. As the monkeys drew closer to him, still -pulling off their hair, the three men were now given time to breathe. -They at once came out from their hiding-place, and, scolding the -monkeys, began to pick up stones to help in their turn their deliverer -in his stand against them. - -The youth cried out, as he quickly perceived their action: “No! No! -Don’t _pick up_ stones! If any of you have the instruments for striking -fire, set fire as quickly as you can to the dry grass.” The men did as -they were told, and as the wind fanned the fire the smoke and flames -soon spread over the ground. The army of monkeys, thinking the day was -lost, set up a great chatter and, jumping from tree to tree, -disappeared. - -The men now recovered from their fright, and, having put out the fire, -thanked Bunkichi and said: “We are most grateful to you, sir. If you had -not come we should almost to a certainty have been stoned to death by -the monkeys.” - -“It was a narrow escape, wasn’t it?” remarked Bunkichi, “but I am -curious to know—did you not throw stones at them first?” - -“Yes,” replied the men, with animated expression. - -Bunkichi could not help smiling as he thought of how they had acted, and -said: “You know monkeys are foolish animals and try to imitate whatever -others do.” - -“You seem to know everything,” said the men, who were much struck by his -wisdom. “But where have you come from?” - -“I live at Kumano,” was the reply, “but was brought up at Kada-no-Ura; -so I know about monkeys, as we have plenty of them there.” - -Then the leading one of the three, making a polite bow, urged Bunkichi, -saying: “I am the owner of this orange farm, and my home is not far from -here. Please come to my house.” - -On the way thither he asked the boy his name and where his home was. - -“I am one Bunkichi in the establishment called the Daikokuya, at -Kumano,” was his frank answer. - -The host, having well observed the lad’s face, said: “Ah, that’s why I -thought I had seen you somewhere. Then you are that widely famed Mr. -Wanizame-Kozo, the Shark-Boy! The people in this neighborhood owe you a -great debt of gratitude, because all the fruits produced here in this -part, oranges among other things, when they are sent either to Tokio or -to Osaka, must first be sent to Kumano-Ura to be shipped to those -cities. But ever since the appearance of that monster in the harbor, all -the shipping trade had come entirely to a standstill, and we had to send -our fruits to other ports by a roundabout way, which was a great -nuisance to us; whereas, owing to your wisdom and courage, we can now -send our cargo to Kumano as we did before.” - -After a pleasant visit of an hour or two, Bunkichi was about to start. -The host stopped him for a minute and brought out a little packet of -money, and, placing it before him, said: “This trifle is only a token of -my gratitude to you. Please take it.” Looking at it from the outside, it -certainly seemed no trifle; but the lad firmly but politely declined to -accept it, saying: “You have no need to thank me.” And he would not take -it, in spite of the host’s earnest entreaty. At last he said: “I don’t -wish to receive any recompense from you; however, I have one favor to -ask if you will grant it me. I am thinking of trading on my own account -before long in various articles, and if I come here some day to buy -oranges, will you deal with me?” - -“You make a very modest request,” answered the host with ready assent. -“I will supply you with a cargo as cheaply as possible at any moment you -send me the order, and as to the payment, I shall be in no hurry for it; -you may pay me whenever you like. I can supply you with thirty thousand -boxes of oranges from my own farm; and there are many more farmers in -the neighborhood who will be glad to supply you if I let them know that -you are the Wanizame-Kozo. At least I can assure you I will fill your -order, however large it may be.” - -With many thanks, Bunkichi took his leave and was back in the Daikokuya -that evening. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER VI - - THE GREAT HAZARD—A PERILOUS VOYAGE - - -THE cargo of fishing-tackle which had been sent from Osaka had already -arrived at Kumano and was awaiting his return, so Bunkichi took his -goods to the fishing villages round about Kumano for sale. The people -vied with one another in buying them, on account of their being sold by -Mr. Shark-Boy. Owing to the price of tackle being then much higher than -at other times, as a result of the scarcity of the supply, he made such -a good sale that the profit doubled the cost of his outlay. - -Taking care not to waste the money thus obtained, he next opened a trade -in oranges, buying them at a cheap rate from the owner of the orange -farm and retailing them at Kumano when the market value was high. By -this means he made another good profit; still he stayed on in the -Daikokuya as his temporary home, and applied himself to business. Thus -by the end of the next year he had saved several times the amount of his -original capital. - -Meanwhile Kichidayu, the sailor to whom he had given kind help, came to -him after he had completely recovered. Bunkichi asked the master of the -Daikokuya to employ him. He consented, and committed to him, in the -capacity of captain, the management of a big ship. - -Now Kichidayu’s devotion to Bunkichi was so great that he was ready to -sacrifice his own life for his sake if occasion should arise. “I admire -your determination immensely, and as I owe my life to you, you may count -on me for any assistance in my power,” said the sailor to the boy one -day. - -Bunkichi rejoiced on hearing this and said, laughingly: “When the time -comes in which I shall make my fortune, such property as the Daikokuya -possesses I will create in ten days.” - - * * * * * - -Four years had passed, during which time Bunkichi had done well in his -business, trading in various articles, and a portion of his profit he -now and then distributed among the poor people in the district. He was -now eighteen years of age. It was the autumn of the year, and from the -beginning of the month of October a westerly wind had been blowing many -days. As a consequence, the shipping trade at Kumano-Ura was entirely -stopped. Yet a cargo of oranges bound from Kii Province for Yedo[24] was -accumulating at Kumano-Ura and beginning to rot away on account of the -warm climate of the province. From Yedo had been received vain messages, -by the _hikiaku_, or running postmen, urging them to send up the -oranges, the necessary fruit for the _Fuigo Matsuri_, or bellows -festival, which was then at hand. Yet the sea became rougher every day -as the wind grew stronger, while the frowning autumn sky hung overhead. -The people could not possibly put out any ship nor do anything but stare -and grumble at the rough sea and the lowering clouds. - -Footnote 24: - - The old name of the great Japanese city now called Tokio. - -Every day Bunkichi went down to the seashore also, and looked at the -dark sky as every one else did, yet he alone had a certain expression of -suppressed joy in his face. The others said, “We hope this stormy -weather will come to an end soon,” while he answered, “I hope it will do -nothing of the kind.” - -They were surprised at this and said, “Why, what’s the matter with you?” - -“Who can tell?” he answered, laughing. While he was thus engaged in -casual talk, Kichidayu, the sailor, came to look at the condition of the -sea. On seeing him the lad beckoned him aside by a tree and said: -“Kichidayu San, when do you suppose this wind will cease?” - -“I wish it would stop soon,” he answered, “but it doesn’t look like it, -I fear.” - -“No, I shall be greatly disappointed if it stops within two or three -days.” - -“Well, there’s not much chance of its doing so,” was the sailor’s -answer. - -“That’s good,” the boy replied. “Before it stops what do you say to -having a sail in a boat from here to Yedo? It would be fine, wouldn’t -it?” - -Kichidayu stared at Bunkichi in astonishment and said: “Don’t joke, -please. If we were to put out a boat in this rough sea, it would capsize -in no time.” - -“That’s just where the interest lies. Wouldn’t Kichidayu San like to try -it for once?” said the lad, while the other replied, laughing, “Don’t -carry your joking too far!” - -Bunkichi became serious. “Kichidayu San, I’m not joking. If it was an -east or a north wind it would be difficult, of course, but being a west -wind, it’s a fair wind toward Yedo, however strong it may be, and so -there is no reason why we should not be able to get to Yedo.” - -Kichidayu, who thought that Bunkichi was saying rather a strange thing, -answered: “If we should have good luck, I don’t say that it’s -impossible; however, I do say it could only be a question of good luck.” - -“That’s just where the interest lies,” said the lad again. “One can do -anything that others can do. But it’s a fine thing for a man to go to a -place when others can’t go. Kichidayu San, the time has now come to make -that fortune of money of which I told you once, because in Yedo the -price of oranges, which are one of the necessaries of the bellows -festival, has gone up ten times higher than at other times, on account -of the scarcity of the fruit. Here, in this port, where the oranges have -accumulated because they can find no customers, the price has gone down -ten times lower than the rate at which they usually sell. So, if we can -buy at a price ten times lower than the usual rate, and sell at a price -ten times higher than the usual rate, naturally a hundred _rio_ will -make ten thousand _rio_. There isn’t likely to come such a good chance -twice in a lifetime. As to the ship, I will ask the master of the -Daikokuya to let me have a big one, and if he does, will you captain it -for me? I intend to take out in it a large cargo of oranges to Yedo -while this bad weather prevails.” The lad thus for the first time -revealed his ambitious scheme. - -Kichidayu folded both his arms on his breast in contemplation. Then, as -he lifted his head, he said: “I will make the attempt—yes, even to Yedo, -for your sake; I don’t grudge even my life. What if my ship gets -wrecked? I don’t care. But are you thinking of coming on board?” - -“Of course; if I don’t go, the business can’t be effected,” said -Bunkichi. “Trading is the same as a battle. In one of the battles of old -the warrior Yoshisune set us an example by attacking the army of the Hei -clan in the province of Shikoku by sending out the war vessels from -Daimotsuga-Ura on a stormy night. If we lose courage in such weather as -this, we cannot possibly accomplish any great scheme. We shall enter -upon it resolutely. Should we die, let us die together. If I gain my -object, I will handsomely reward you. - -“We shall have to offer sailors ten times their usual pay,” continued -Bunkichi; “you may then, perhaps, find fellows who will be willing to -come. Will you be responsible for finding them?” So saying, he gave the -captain money for the purpose, and, having intrusted the matter to him, -at once went home to the Daikokuya and saw the master. - -“Danna,” said he, “among your ships the oldest is that _Tenjin-maru_[25] -of one thousand _koku_ burthen, is it not?” - -Footnote 25: - - A Japanese junk. - -The master, who was somewhat startled by the abruptness of the question, -said: “Yes, she is getting to be an old vessel now, and I am thinking of -breaking her up.” - -“Will you sell her to me?” - -To which the master answered: “If you want her, I don’t mind making you -a present of her; but what use will you put her to?” - -“I’m thinking of taking a cargo of oranges to Yedo,” was the lad’s -reply. - -“When the bad weather is over, I suppose?” said the master. - -“No; while this stormy weather is prevailing,” was the reply. - -The master was startled, but gazing on the boy for a moment, merely -remarked: “What an extraordinary idea!” - -After a little hesitation, Bunkichi drew nearer to the master. “Pray, -master, sell her to me,” said he; “I am again going out on a trading -battle.” - -Then the master understood his real intention and said: “Well, if you -are so minded, you may not be afraid of this storm; but the -_Tenjin-maru_ is in any case a dangerous ship for this weather; so I -will lend you one which is more seaworthy.” - -“No, thank you, sir; I have no wish to borrow,” replied the lad. “This -undertaking is a matter of fate. If I am wrecked on the way out I cannot -give you your ship back again; so I shall not borrow things of others, -for I wish to do everything on my own capital.” - -The master knew the boy’s nature and made no further objection, but -said: “Very well, I will sell her to you. You will surely succeed. Come -back again laden with treasure!” - -Chocho, the master’s daughter, who was now sixteen years of age, -overheard the conversation between the two and was much surprised, and -expressed her anxiety as well as her sorrow in her face, and said: “Does -Bunkichi go to Yedo in this storm?” The mother, too, longed to stop him, -but could not well interfere, because her husband had already yielded -his sanction to the boy’s scheme. She only said, loud enough to be heard -by both, as she answered her daughter: “Yes, Cho, it is most dangerous -to go out to sea in this great wind and storm!” To which the girl -responded: “Yes, mother!” - -Bunkichi, having paid the price of the _Tenjin-maru_ to his master, went -to the wholesale stores which were best known to him and bought up their -oranges. The merchants, as they were sore oppressed by the rotting of -the fruit, were in the state of “panting blue breath,” as they say. -Bunkichi, in a somewhat off-hand manner, said to one of them: “Do the -oranges rot every day?” - -“Yes, every day we are much troubled about it; they rot away -continually. Already half of the stock we have is spoiled; if it goes on -at this rate, within another ten days our whole stock will be lost.” - -Whereupon the lad said: “Are you really prepared to sell them at -whatever price you can get for them?” - -“Oh, yes, gladly; for how much better would it be to sell even at a loss -than to pay for throwing the rotten stuff away!” - -To which Bunkichi answered: “If that is the case, I will buy from you at -sixteen _mon_ per box as much stock as you have.” - -The merchant was taken aback at the reply, and said: “Isn’t that _too_ -cheap?” - -“But if they rot away, you will get nothing. I am not over-keen to buy,” -said the lad, coldly; “so if you don’t wish to sell, we need not have -any further talk.” - -“Just wait a minute,” and the merchant stayed the lad as he was about to -leave. “I will sell at sixteen _mon_ a box if you will buy up my whole -stock.” - -“Yes, the whole lot,” said Bunkichi. “I will buy as many thousand boxes -as I can put into a large ship.” Thus he bought up the whole stock of -that store and then went on to another, buying up the whole stock of -each at a very low price. Then he sent a man to the orange farm and -collected some more. Having procured a large stock, he put it all on -board the _Tenjin-maru_ so that, albeit the ship was one of a thousand -_koku_ burthen, its keel sank deep into the water. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER VII - - THE SEA-GIANT APPEARS - - -AS Captain Kichidayu sought for sailors by holding out to them promise -of wages ten times more than they could get at other times, he soon -picked up six sturdy fellows who did not set much value on their lives. -Thereupon he reported his success to Bunkichi, who was rejoiced over it, -and said: “Then all things are ready now; we shall settle to start in -the morning, and I will send to the ship ten pieces of long square -timbers. You will place them crosswise on the ship and attach to their -ends heavy stones so that she will not upset easily,” he continued, with -his usual audacity and resourcefulness. “For I have heard that ships -which sail about those far-off islands, Hachijo and Oshima, and the -like, are fitted out in this way and sail in safety even in heavy -storms. That is why in Yedo they call those island-ships ‘sea-sparrows’: -the weight being on both sides of the ship, they never upset.” - -Kichidayu was much struck by his keen observation, and said: “Truly, it -didn’t occur to my mind that those ships are fitted out as you say, but -now I recollect having seen them off the coast of Izu Province. As they -are thus constructed they never capsize, however much they are washed -over by waves.” - -“Now, Kichidayu San,” Bunkichi said, “this ship is called the -_Tenjin-maru_, but our going out to sea this time may mean going to her -destruction, so let us change her name into _Iurei-maru_, or ghost-ship, -and let us imagine ourselves to be dead men by putting on white clothes. -Thus nothing that may occur can scare the crew; for, being ‘dead’ men, -they can have no fear of death.” - -The captain agreed with him, saying: “That’s a splendid idea.” - -The captain returned to his abode in high spirits and told to the six -seamen what the lad had said, and they all readily agreed to the plan, -and were so stirred by the lad’s courage that they were ready to face -any dangers or fears that might come to them. - -Bunkichi at once ordered a man to paint on the sail of the ship: -“_Iurei-maru_” in large Chinese characters, and at the cloth -establishment of the Daikokuya, he ordered eight suits of white clothes. - -“Bunkichi,” inquired the astonished master, “what is the use of those -eight suits of white?” - -Bunkichi laughed as he answered: “We may all be dead men before long, if -we go out to sea in this storm. The chances of surviving are few, so we -are already dead in heart. I have named my ship _Iurei-maru_. We are -going to dress in white with the _zudabukuro_[26] and we shall stick -triangular-shaped papers on our foreheads, as they do for the dead.” - -Footnote 26: - - The purse tied round the neck of the dead at a burial service in - Japan. - -“What horrible things you do!” exclaimed the wife, while the daughter, -Chocho, with sudden inspiration, said: “I will sew your white suit for -you.” - -“I am most grateful,” replied the lad, “but I have already ordered -others to do it for me.” - -“Please let me do it,” said the girl. “It may be the last—” and at this -Bunkichi consented with thanks. - -The master, who seemed to have prepared beforehand, ordered _sake_ and a -set of little dishes of eatables to be brought forth, and then remarked: -“As you have settled to start to-morrow I intend to offer you a -congratulatory feast in advance, hoping that you may arrive at Yedo and -have good luck and make a great profit.” - -At last the morrow came, and early in the morning Bunkichi bade farewell -to the men of the Daikokuya and put on his white suit, which was made by -the daughter of the house, and went out to the seashore. The master, as -well as his wife, with their daughter, Chocho, and all the employees in -the shop, followed him in order to see him off. Having heard of his -departure, some of the townspeople with whom he was acquainted, and -those poor people who had received his alms, flocked together from the -four corners of the town to bid him good-by. - -Having bade farewell to the people, Bunkichi entered a small boat and -soon got on board of the _Iurei-maru_. Those who came to see him off, as -they stood around the shore, raised their voices, calling out for -Bunkichi, lamenting his departure. Bunkichi gave a signal for the anchor -to be weighed and the sail to be hoisted; then the ship soon stood out -to sea. Both the men on the shore and those on board the ship waved -their hands till their forms had become indiscernible, while the ship, -driven by the strong west wind, soon became lost to sight among the big -waves. - -Though the _Iurei-maru_ had her sail up only seven tenths of its whole -length, she sailed on eastward with the speed of an arrow, owing to the -strong wind. In a very short time she passed the Sea of Kumano, and then -soon was in the Sea of Isè. As she came to the noted Yenshiu-nada on the -evening of that day, the wind grew stronger and the rain came down in -torrents. As the huge waves, mountain-high, came rushing from the far -ocean and the ship was tossed like a tree-leaf, the crew felt as if they -were flung down into the abyss of darkness when she got into the trough -of the waves. Those six robust men, who had hitherto worked with steady -and fearless courage, suddenly gave in before this state of the sea and -lost all heart for labor. Nevertheless Captain Kichidayu, as steady as -ever, ran about here and there, stirring the crew up to their work. - -Among the eight men all told, the one most unaffected by the dreadful -state of the sea was Bunkichi, the _Wanizame-Kozo_, and he, with the -captain, lent a helping hand to the tired crew, calling out -occasionally: “Hurrah! This is fine! We shall get to Yedo within the -next day. Work hard, all of you, and you sha’n’t want for pay!” And then -he doled out money to the crew, who were encouraged by this and braced -themselves up and labored their best. - -Meanwhile night fell and the storm continued. Though nothing was visible -to the eyes, the awful sound of the waves, and the wind, which shook -masts and rigging, deafened the ears; and the heaven and the earth -seemed to be swallowed up by the waters. - -By degrees the crew’s courage began again to fail and one of them -muttered: “This is just the sort of night for some big monster like a -_wanizame_ to appear!” To which another said: “Yes; I feel a bit -nervous, too.” - -“Come, men; a little more perseverance!” shouted out Bunkichi. So -saying, he again gave them an extra wage and continued: “You fear the -_wanizame_, do you? I rather think the _wanizame_ will be afraid of me -because I’m the _Wanizame-Kozo_. Take heart, all of you! Don’t be -afraid!” - -The men were cheered up and said: “Truly enough, you once killed the -_wanizame_. We needn’t be afraid! Now, all right, sir; we’re rid of our -fears!” - -However, their courage was of but short duration; when they gazed at the -dark, angry sea they again lost heart, saying: “But, sir, what shall we -do if the _umi-bozu_[27] comes up—if it is true, as the people say, the -monster lives in this ocean?” - -Footnote 27: - - An imaginary giant of the sea. - -Bunkichi, as he gave them a scornful smile, stood up with his dagger in -his hand and said: “I’ll sweep him down with this sword if any such -creature makes his appearance.” - -[Illustration: - - “He drew his sword and ran toward the monster” -] - -Just then the man on watch suddenly shrieked: “Ah! the sea-giant has -come!” And he ran back toward the stern while the others were frightened -out of their wits and ran down into the cabin where they drew their -heads back between their shoulders and held their breath in fear. -Bunkichi looked toward the bow. Sure enough, a big undefined dark form -rose at the front of the ship, about ten feet in height. He drew his -sword and ran toward the monster. As he swept the giant down with his -sharp weapon, he laughingly returned toward Kichidayu, who stood by the -mast. - -“What was that?” Kichidayu asked Bunkichi, who answered, still smiling: -“It _did_ look like a round-headed giant, but really it was only a -column of mist which came floating in our way. That’s what they call the -‘sea-giant,’ I suppose, and in their fright they fancied it was coming -on board to seize them.” - -Kichidayu, who was much surprised at Bunkichi’s courage, said: “Indeed! -I understand now how you could kill the _wanizame_, by the courage you -have just shown, and which I cannot but admire. To speak the truth, I -didn’t feel very bold myself when I saw that big dark form, but I -screwed my courage up so as not to be laughed at by you.” - -As the crew had not yet come out of their cabin, Kichidayu called out: -“Now, men, come up; your master has killed the giant. Come quick, -quick!” - -The crew trooped out at this, and said: “Truly we heard a shriek a -little while ago!” At which Kichidayu muttered, “Fools!” - -During the night, however, they got over the Sea of Yenshiu in this -manner, and in the very early morning of the third day they were -entering the Bay of Yedo. Gradually the sea was becoming much smoother. - -“We are safe, master. We can, too, be quite at ease in our hearts!” said -one of the men. “Ah! I see the headland of Haneda there. Beyond that -there’s the Bay of Shinagawa. If we go forward at this rate we shall be -at Yedo by dawn: I feel safe now. But I felt that I would be eaten alive -when I saw the _umi-bozu_ at the Yenshiu-nada Sea.” - -Then Bunkichi said, as he laughed: “You don’t know what you are saying. -We have been all along dead men in white suits, and for dead men to have -been alive is an absurdity!” Then all, for the first time, burst out -into merry, hearty laughter. - -Captain Kichidayu turned to Bunkichi, saying: “Master, what a voyage! In -a couple of days and nights we sailed the distance which takes about ten -days at other times. That we have come here safely through this storm is -due to your contrivance of laying the timbers crosswise on the boat; but -for that we should certainly have capsized.” Then he turned to the -sailors and added: “What say you, my men? Is there any one who could -beat him in wit or in courage?” - -“No, there’s not another like him,” all replied in one voice. “He killed -the _wanizame_ as well as the _umi-bozu_, and so long as we are with him -there is nothing on earth to be dreaded. Please, sir, employ us under -you for years to come. We shall never again play cowards as we did, -sir!” - -Bunkichi replied: “I fear you would never face the _umi-bozu_.” To which -they could say nothing, but scratched their heads in silence. - -Though the wind was still high, after the storm through which they had -fought their way out, the inland seas seemed to them “as smooth as -matting,” as the saying is, and soon after dawn all hands on board the -_Iurei-maru_ arrived safely at Yedo. - -At that time in Yedo the orange merchants, in spite of the stress of -weather, had been eagerly awaiting orange-ships from Kishu Province -every day, on account of the nearness of the bellows festival. And this -was the only ship that did not disappoint their expectations. When the -ship’s arrival was known, the joy of the merchants was beyond -description, and soon this popular song immortalized the happy welcome -of the orange-ship: - - On the dark sea beholden - A sail, a white sail! - Whence does it hail? - From Kishu’s far shore - It brings precious store - Of oranges golden. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - - AN ECCENTRIC FELLOW - - -WHEN all the wholesale dealers in oranges in the vast city of Yedo heard -that an orange-ship had at last arrived from Kishu, they vied with one -another in coming to Bunkichi’s ship and buying up his oranges. The -inevitable result of the rise in the price of oranges was to make him a -gainer of more than fifty thousand _rio_. - -Bunkichi, after this, carefully reasoned out that on account of the -recent continuance of the west wind no ship could possibly have sailed -from Yedo to Osaka, so that there must be a scarcity of salted salmon in -that city, while there was now an abundant and specially cheap supply of -them in Yedo. So he thought he would take a supply over to Osaka and -make another great profit. - -When he spoke of this plan to his men they were ready to go, for his -sake. Thereupon Bunkichi bought up a cargo of salted salmon, and, -putting it on board, waited for the return of better weather. Nor had he -long to wait. As a reaction, as it were, to the stormy westerly wind, in -a few days an east wind began to blow, and, availing himself of the -first opportunity, he hoisted sail. He soon entered the harbor of Osaka, -and there he again made a profit of tens of thousands of _rio_. - -Every speculation he had planned was crowned with success, and in little -more than a month he had amassed the enormous sum of near upon a hundred -thousand _rio_. He was aided in this success largely by the exertions of -Kichidayu, and gave him one thousand _rio_ out of the profit, while he -handsomely rewarded every one of the crew, who were all greatly -delighted at their good fortune. - -Captain Kichidayu, taking his money with him as a present to his family, -returned to Sakai, his native town, where he met again his dear wife and -children after his long absence, and then went back to Osaka. Thence he -accompanied Bunkichi to Kumano-Ura. - -At Kumano the news of his safe arrival at Yedo had been received at the -Daikokuya and by the townspeople with the liveliest satisfaction. They -had been waiting eagerly for his return. Sure enough, Bunkichi had come -back on board that very _Iurei-maru_, and the people, whether they were -personally known to him or not, flocked round him with their -congratulations. - -From that day the master of the Daikokuya treated him as his guest, -while the people of the town respected him as a gentleman, and no one -called him the Wanizame-Kozo any more. - -On his arrival home Bunkichi recounted all his transactions to the -master of the Daikokuya, and then went at once to the merchants from -whom he had bought the fruit that he sold in Yedo. “I thank you for the -cargo of oranges you sold me some time ago at such a cheap price,” said -he. “I made a great profit by that cargo, but I don’t like to be only a -gainer myself while you all are losing your money, so I’ll give you -double what I then paid you for the oranges.” - -On account of this unexpected liberality they were very grateful to him, -and his fame went abroad all over the province of Kii, and everybody -began to know him, and whenever he wanted to invest in any goods, he had -no difficulty in getting all he wished. - -The day came at last when Bunkichi determined to go up to the great city -of Yedo to make his name famous in the whole of Japan by trading on a -large scale. With this resolve, he negotiated with some of the big -merchants of Kumano as to whether they would make a contract with him to -send up all their oranges and timber to his shop as their only agency in -Yedo. As they were already under a debt of obligation to him, every one -of them agreed to do his best to keep Bunkichi’s store in Yedo well -supplied. Bunkichi was greatly rejoiced, and, on this occasion traveling -overland, he arrived at Yedo in due time and established himself in the -Hatcho-bori district, under the name of Kinokuniya.[28] This happened in -the second year of the Sho-o era (1653 A.D.), when he was nineteen years -of age. Then he changed his name Bunkichi into Bunzayemon (his father’s -name), and began to trade on a large scale in timber and oranges from -Kishu, selling them to the whole city of Yedo. Thus his prosperity -increased. - -Footnote 28: - - House of the Kino Kuni (country of Kii). - -One day a master carpenter, who had the entrée to the house, came to see -Bunzayemon, saying: “I have come to consult with you on a rather strange -matter. How would you like to engage a man for your business?” - -“Well, it all depends on what kind of a man he is,” was the reply. - -“He is rather an eccentric sort of fellow. If I tell you plainly about -him there will be little chance of your employing him; but the strange -thing is that he wishes me to do so. ‘If Bunzayemon will employ me, -good; if he will not employ me, he is a fool, and I don’t want to be -employed.’ Those were the very words he said to me, and added, to my -surprise: ‘As for you, if he hasn’t the sense to engage me, you needn’t -regret losing such a customer as he is.’” - -“I don’t wonder you were surprised,” replied Bunzayemon; “but what has -he been hitherto?” - -To this question the carpenter replied: “He is the second son in a -warrior family; but as far as I can see he is an idle, lazy man. There -are many of his kind in the world, as you know; but he is rather an -extreme type of the class. He doesn’t like to get up early nor to move -about at any time. In spite of his being dependent on me for his -support, he doesn’t hesitate to demand to live in luxury. And then he -has the impudence to request me to recommend him to you.” - -Bunzayemon meditated awhile and then said: “It’s rather interesting, -what you tell me. At all events, bring him here.” - -“Do you really mean to engage him? You had better give him up.” - -To which the merchant replied: “When I see him I shall decide whether I -shall engage him or not. Bring him here first!” - -Then Seihachi, the carpenter, went home, fearing inwardly lest he should -lose his customer by bringing this man to Bunzayemon’s notice, though he -could not help acceding to the man’s request. - -After a time Bunzayemon heard high words in the front of the shop. One -of the voices he recognized as that of Seihachi, who was exclaiming: -“Chobei San, you ought not to go in by the front door; manners should -compel you to go to the back door. And don’t give yourself airs here; if -you do I shall be disgraced.” - -To this the other replied: “What are you talking about? We are not dogs; -why should we go round to the kitchen?” And so saying, the young man -stalked up to the shop called Kinokuniya, in spite of Seihachi’s -remonstrance, and asked somewhat loudly: “Is the master at home?” - -Hearing him, Bunzayemon entered the shop from the inner room. - -No sooner did Seihachi see him than he began to apologize: “Master, I am -more sorry than I can tell you, and I beg your pardon for this fellow’s -rudeness.” As he spoke he was holding Chobei by the sleeve. - -Bunzayemon, without heeding the apology, civilly welcomed the strange -guest, saying: “Come in, sir.” - -The young man stalked into the inner room, while Seihachi, feeling like -a fish out of water, followed him. Bunzayemon ushered the guests into -one of the finest rooms in his house. Seihachi was troubled at heart, -for the man’s clothes were muddy, and said: “Sir, I fear we shall soil -your floor.” - -Without even listening to Seihachi’s words, or showing that he had heard -them, the host courteously said: “I am Bunzayemon of the Kinokuniya; and -what is your name?” - -“My name is Chobei,” answered the youth somewhat haughtily. - -“I’m glad to make your acquaintance.” - -Seihachi kept making signs to Chobei as to his behavior, but the latter -did not take the least notice. - -Seihachi in his distress said to Bunzayemon: “Please, sir, I beg your -pardon for his unmannerly behavior. I think he must be a little out of -his mind. I’m sorry to have brought such a fellow.” - -Meanwhile Bunzayemon and Chobei sat with the _tabakobon_[29] between -them and looked into each other’s face. For a while neither of them -spoke, while Seihachi, whose trouble of mind was increased by this state -of affairs, tried to extricate himself from this uncomfortable position -and said: - -Footnote 29: - - A tobacco-tray. - -“Chobei San, we had better take our leave now.” Then, turning to the -host, “Sir, you won’t engage him after all, will you, sir?” - -At this Bunzayemon, speaking somewhat loudly, said: “Oh, yes, I’ll -engage you, Chobei San, and take you on as one of my men, if that is -your wish.” - -“Then do you really engage me?” And as he spoke Chobei quickly moved -backward a little and bowed to the floor, in the act of showing respect -and thanks to his superior. - -Bunzayemon then put on a lordly air and asked him: “Chobei, are you -skilled in working the abacus?”[30] - -Footnote 30: - - The Chinese reckoning-board, consisting of beads or balls strung on - wires or rods set in a frame. - -“I don’t know much about it,” he replied, as he placed both his hands on -the matting in the attitude of respect, “because I was bred in a warrior -family.” - -“If that is so you’ll be of no use in the shop,” said the master, -scornfully. “What can you do, then?” - -To which Chobei answered, “I know how to turn a lot of money, sir.” - -“That’s interesting!” replied the master. - -The carpenter, stricken dumb with astonishment while the negotiation was -going on, said at last, when Chobei had gone, “Sir, have you really -engaged him? I can’t tell you how relieved I am. I’ve been greatly -troubled by the thought that I should be disgraced on account of him. -Please tell me why were you so civil to him at first?” - -“You don’t understand, I see,” said Bunzayemon, laughing. “Before I -engaged him he was my guest, and as he belongs to the warrior class, his -social rank is entitled to consideration. But when I have once engaged -him, then I am his master, and he is my servant, and I must treat him -accordingly.” - -“I see, I see,” said the carpenter. “That is a fine way of looking at -it. Well, then, suppose I go to another man’s house, I may act in a like -haughty manner myself before I get engaged!” - -[Illustration: - - “Bunzayemon then put on a lordly air” -] - -“Certainly; but if you do, you may get disliked instead of engaged”; at -which reply the carpenter was profoundly puzzled. - -Early the next day the new employee begged his master to advance him -some pocket money, which was promptly given him; and having got it, off -he went, no one knew whither, and did not return even for the midday -meal. - -Then the other employees warned their master, saying: “Sir, what is the -use of that sort of man? We don’t know where he has come from. It’s -really unsafe to have that sort of fellow about the house, sir.” - -But the master paid no heed to their warnings. “Not a bit of it! No -matter where his birthplace is, so long as the man is worth having, my -purpose is served. I can see he has plenty of common sense, and I’ll -warrant he’ll be of good service some day. Whenever you plan on a large -scale you must have good assistants: there were four kindly men under -Yoshisune, the great general, and twenty-eight generals under Shingen, -the great lord of the middle ages. Such men we look to for our examples. -Since the days of old every distinguished man has attached to himself -able supporters. Merchants should do the same, and, as certain as the -day dawns, success will come to the business man who employs many good -hands under him. Wait and see. Chobei will do some noteworthy things!” -Thus he instructed his servants in his principles. - -Toward the evening of that day Chobei came back, but with a downcast -countenance. Bunzayemon did not ask where he had been, nor did Chobei -volunteer any information. The next day again, and the next, he asked -for more money, and went out early in the morning, coming back late at -night. He continued in this way for about half a month. The others once -more warned their master, but he still refused to listen to them. - -One day Chobei came to his master and said: “Sir, you import a lot of -timber from Kii Province and try to sell it at once among the people of -this city. But Yedo is a place where fires are so frequent that, if you -buy up a lot of timber at a time when the price is low and keep it, it’s -certain you will make a great profit when some big fire occurs. But to -find a good place for keeping timber,” he went on, “is one of the chief -difficulties, because, as you are well aware, if you keep it near at -hand, in the heart of the city, there’s danger of its being destroyed by -fire, and if you keep it in a river or the sea, either it rots or is -eaten by worms. Now, every day I have been going about looking for a -good place to keep it, and at last I have found one at Kiba in Fukagawa. -Keep timber in the water of that place, and, on account of the quality -of the water, worms will not eat it, but the wood will become shiny and -improve by keeping. Besides, no danger will come to it from fire.” And -he concluded his far-sighted plan with, “For these reasons, I hope you -will soon construct a reservoir for timber in that place.” - -The master clapped his hands in admiration and joy, saying: “Upon my -word, that’s a capital idea! I thought you must have been planning -something, but I never thought you were looking out for a place to keep -timber. I myself had turned the matter over in my mind some time ago, -but on account of my many other duties I hadn’t the time to see to it -myself, and I thank you for undertaking it for me.” And then and there -he intrusted the building of the timber reservoir to Chobei. - -Chobei lost no time in going to Fukagawa and buying ten thousand -_tsubo_, or about forty thousand square yards, of ground near the temple -of Susaki. He built a large reservoir there and removed to it all the -timber imported by his master from Kii Province. Besides, Chobei got his -master’s permission to send out men to the neighboring mountains to buy -up timber where it could be got cheap, and having deposited it all at -Fukagawa, waited contentedly for the time to sell. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER IX - - THE GREAT CONFLAGRATION—THE CHARITY “BENTO” - - -IT was on the 18th of January in the third year of the Meireki era (1657 -A.D.) that a bitterly cold north wind, much colder than usual, was -blowing hard. As the wind increased in strength, the foot-passengers, -even in the busy streets, became fewer. From the hour of _ne_, or the -snake, which is the same as ten o’clock A.M. in our modern reckoning, it -had become a regular hurricane, raising clouds of dust and even whirling -pebbles into the air. It seemed as if the heavens and the earth were -creaking and shaking under the rage of it. At this juncture the people -of the city were alarmed by the repeated hasty ringing of several -fire-bells in the direction of the Hongo district, the northern part of -the city. Everybody went up to his fire-lookout and saw the ominous -black smoke rising in the shape of a vast eddying cloud over the part of -the city called Maruyama in Hongo.[31] - -Footnote 31: - - Hongo precinct of the Maruyama Mountain. - -It happened that, a few days before, Bunzayemon, with five or six young -men and a plentiful supply of money, had gone into the mountains of the -neighboring country to buy lumber, leaving the management of his -affairs, in his absence, entirely to Chobei San. - -So when Chobei hurried up to the lookout to ascertain where it was that -the fire had broken out, he glanced up to the heavens and said to -himself: “From the appearance of the sky this wind will not fall for -some time, and in all probability the whole city will be burned down, -because the houses are quite dried up by the continued fine weather we -have been having lately. This is the time to save many people, and it is -also a very good time to make a great deal of profit!” - -Saying this, Chobei made for the shop and issued orders in excited haste -to the men. “Now, you men must form yourselves into two bands: one to go -straight to Fukagawa and get a huge iron pot and a quantity of rice to -be boiled, and make preparations for a charity lunch for the poor; the -other to stay here and put together all the goods in the shop that we -may transfer them without loss of time to Fukagawa.” Though the men -complained against his hasty decision to retreat before the distant -fire, they could not resist the order of the chief man in the shop, so -they reluctantly began to pack up the goods in preparation for -departure, though they thought it would only prove necessary in the end -to brush the dust and soot from off them. Seeing how they were employed, -the neighbors, too, jeered at the hurry they were in; but consternation -soon spread even among these neighbors when the sparks, carried and -fanned by the wind, had started fresh fires—one at Kanda[32] and another -at Nihonbashi, the business part of the city. - -Footnote 32: - - A precinct of Yedo. - -By this time Chobei had already closed the shop and sent off some -valuables and some furniture on carts to Fukagawa, escorted by the men -of the shop, while he had all the timber floated down the river to the -same place, to be put with the other timber which had already been -stored there. Chobei was much delighted to find that all the -preparations for the charity luncheon for the destitute had been carried -out by those who had gone before them. “For our first work is the saving -of the people,” he exclaimed. - -So saying, he engaged a few coolies to assist the men in boiling the -rice and so forth. Having wrapped the boiled rice in broad bamboo -leaves, together with pickled _daikon_,[33] he contrived a luncheon for -many thousands of the poor in no time. - -Footnote 33: - - Large white radishes. - -The stronger the wind grew the farther the fire spread: it devastated -the city with such rapidity that noontide of that day saw even the -districts of Hachobori and Shiba reduced to heaps of smoldering ashes. -Those who were burned out had not had time to put away their furniture, -but only escaped with their lives, and were seeking in vain to find -shelter in the houses of their relatives, who had suffered a like fate -with them and could not assist them. Not knowing where to turn, they -wandered about in terror the whole day, and their misery was such that -they could not even get themselves food. - -While this was the state of things, a band of coolies came among them -with a rectangular bamboo basket with _bento_[34] in it, and one of them -held aloft a paper flag with huge characters on it, which read as -follows: “Kinokuniya Bunzayemon’s Charity Luncheon!” - -Footnote 34: - - Luncheon. - -The coolies distributed this _bento_ among the men and women who were in -distress. Every man and woman, therefore, whether young or old, who was -sore oppressed by hunger, was glad to get hold of this food and was -relieved by it, though it was only for a time. With admirable sagacity -Chobei quickly hired many more coolies and prepared more luncheons, -sending them to every quarter of the city; and so wherever men went they -saw the selfsame flag flying for charity, and the whole city was -surprised, and praised the generosity of this Kinokuniya Bunzayemon. - -In this great fire even those large palaces of the _daimios_,[35] which -stood in the line of the fire and which could in ordinary days call up -many hands to keep the fire off, were not able to escape from the -disaster. Even the nobles of high rank and their retainers knew not -where to find shelter, but stood bewildered in the corners of their big -gardens and waited for help, but in vain. For such personages Chobei -ordered men to prepare _bento_ in nice packages of _sasaori_[36] and to -present it to those nobles and their households in the name of -Kinokuniya Bunzayemon. In consequence, even the servants of these nobles -were grateful to the coolies, and received the presents on behalf of -their masters. - -Footnote 35: - - Feudal lords, or the nobility of Japan. - -Footnote 36: - - Boxes made with bamboo leaves. - -Then, too, Chobei ordered the men of Kinokuniya to put up wooden -inclosures round about the grounds of those nobles to protect them from -robbery or trespass. - -The fire raged through the whole night of the 18th and through the whole -of the next day, so Chobei engaged yet more coolies, and ordered them to -make more charity _bento_ for the relief of the poor. - -There was a certain man named Kamada Matahachi, who was well known for -his physical strength. He had always kept a large portable closet, about -six feet by three, and five feet seven inches in height, in which to -carry his furniture in case of fire. When he thought his house was in -danger, he put all his belongings into this box, placed a sheet of -matting on the top, and carried all these on his back by the means of a -rope specially prepared for the purpose. Carrying a long, heavy stick in -his hand, he walked unconcernedly and steadily among the crowd like an -elephant among dogs. Every one marveled at his size and strength, and -was forced to make room for him to go by. When he came to Fukagawa to -escape from the fire, he saw there a large sign which read: - - Day laborers are wanted for carrying the charity _bento_. Let - all who wish to be engaged call at the timber reservoir of - Kinokuniya Bunzayemon at Fukagawa. Three meals will be given, - and one _kwan mon_[37] will be paid daily for wages. - -Footnote 37: - - A sum about equal to one dollar. - -As he had nowhere to go at the time, he was glad to find some work. He -went to the timber reservoir of Bunzayemon, where he found a bustle and -hurry of men and women, hundreds in number, for the preparation of -luncheon. Some were preparing a quantity of rice in large iron pots, -others were cutting up some pickles, while a third set of men were -wrapping these up in bamboo leaves. - -[Illustration: - - Matahachi in the great fire at Yedo -] - -Many bands of coolies with their paper flags were carrying out the -luncheons in the baskets, while others were coming back with empty ones. - -Matahachi, with that big closet on his back, drew near to the place and -thundered out: “Is this the place where hands are wanted?” The people -turned, and without giving any answer simply looked at one another in -astonishment at his curious appearance. - -Once more he called out: “I’m one Kamada Matahachi; I come to assist -your charity work for the rescue of the people.” - -The voice apparently penetrated even to the inner room, for Chobei came -out and was also surprised by the man’s appearance, but said: “Nothing -can be more fortunate for us than to have the assistance of Mr. -Matahachi, who is noted in the whole of Yedo for his physical strength. -Please help us in our work by distributing the _bento_ in this big, -light-wood chest.” - -With ready acquiescence Matahachi laid aside the heavy baggage on his -back. “This is my furniture,” he said; “please keep it for me.” The -rattling sound of iron and china in the chest made those near by wonder -at the forethought with which he had made provision against the -contingency of a fire, and by which he had been enabled to move away at -once with all his household goods. - -Having safely stowed away his possessions, Matahachi lifted the big -wooden chest, now packed with _bento_, and by means of a rope put it on -his back, and, holding the big pole of hard oak-wood in his right hand -and the paper flag in his left, started forth to the scene of ruin, with -one coolie to assist him. - -As he called out in a loud, deep tone of voice to announce the charity, -the people turned to him in astonishment and soon came flocking around -him. The attendant coolie, standing behind, distributed the _bento_ from -the chest on Matahachi’s back with no inconvenience. So these two -finished their task in less time than it would have taken five or six -men to do it with ordinary methods. On their way back to Kinokuniya, -when they came to a crowded place Matahachi put forth his staff, and by -pushing the crowd to one side made his way through without any -hindrance. - -In one of those crowded places he heard the shrieking cry of a girl. -Forcing his way to the spot, he found a girl of twelve or thirteen years -of age who could not get up on account of being trodden down by the -crowd. Being naturally of a chivalrous character, he soon helped the -girl up and asked whether she had not her parents with her. - -She sobbed, and said: “We all ran away when the fire broke out, and I -became separated from my parents!” - -As he could not leave her there, he said: “That cannot be helped. If you -wander about here you may be trampled to death. I will take you to a -better place if you will get into my empty chest.” So the coolie helped -her in, and they hastened on to Fukagawa. - -At another time he saw an old woman of about threescore years, half -dead, lying by the wayside with her dress partly burned. He felt he -could not leave her behind in such a state, so she, too, was put into -the bamboo basket by the side of the girl. - -Having got back to Fukagawa, he said to Chobei: “I rescued these two on -the way home. Give them the treatment which is suited to their need.” He -handed them over to the acting master, who thanked Matahachi, and thus -addressed the other bands of coolies: “To give away the _bento_ alone -does not cover the whole work of charity; whenever any of you are coming -back with empty chests, you, too, had better bring people home, if such -help is needed as these two received.” And a cordial reception was given -to the old woman as well as to the young girl. - -During such a fire there were naturally many lost children and aged -persons who might have been trodden down under foot. Having understood -Chobei’s instructions, the other bands from that time were sure to bring -back two or three who needed help. To any who were thus brought in -Chobei gave proper treatment, and as he gave the coolies prizes they -worked with great zeal and diligence. Kamada Matahachi went in and out -of the fire ruins many times a day and repeated the same charitable -work. The five or six hundred coolies did their best, also, and, in -consequence, at the reservoir there was a continuous trooping out with -the _bento_ and trooping in of the people; and by the night of the 19th -there were 2800 rescued persons, old and young, all told, who had been -brought to this temporary shelter. - -Even on the night of the 19th there was no sign of the abating of the -fire. The strong northwest wind was still raging, and within two days, -the Hongo, Kanda, Nihonbashi, Kyobashi, and Shiba districts were all -swept by the fire. And now the fire was burning down Takanawa with such -terrific force that the very sea-line seemed to recede before it. But -that night the wind suddenly changed to the south-east, and the fire -turned backward and licked up all the houses on both sides of the great -river Sumida and those that had survived at first in Asakusa and round -about Yushima. Then at last it was got under control near to Senju about -noonday on the 20th. And since the morning of the 18th, within three -days and two nights, the whole city of Yedo had been reduced to ashes -and as many as 108,000 people were lost. It was one of the most terrible -of fires. - -Indeed, such a disastrous fire had never before and has never since -occurred in Yedo, and even now it is sadly referred to by the people as -the “Furisode-Kwaji”—the long-sleeved fire—quite as often as it is -called the great fire of Hongo-Maruyama. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER X - - AMBITION SATISFIED—THE MERCHANT PRINCE - - -KINOKUNIYA BUNZAYEMON, who unknowingly had left such a big fire behind -him and sought the mountainous districts of the neighboring provinces as -his field of action, went over to Sagami Province the same day, and -negotiated with the chief owners of forests there and made a contract -with them, paying them guaranty money in advance. The next day he -crossed over to Awa Province and visited in turn the owners of mountain -forests in Kazusa, Shimo-osa, and Musashi, and struck bargains with them -to buy all their salable timber. Four or five days only were occupied in -these rapid negotiations, at the end of which time, as the rumor of the -big fire of Yedo had got abroad to these neighboring provinces, Kibun -hastened on his way back to Yedo. As he was passing amidst the -smoldering ruins on the way to his depot at Fukagawa, he continually -heard the people talking of himself. Every time he stopped and listened. -“Well, Genbei San, Kinokuniva Bunzayemon is a fine fellow, isn’t he? One -would think he had foreseen the fire and prepared that enormous amount -of _bento_ beforehand; otherwise he could not possibly have given it out -to the people so readily. I and others had nowhere to find food, so we -supported ourselves for three days on that _bento_.” - -“Is that so, Hachibei San? I also received it every day. For three days, -wherever one went among the ruins one was met with his charity. It’s -said that within three days no less than two thousand _koku_[38] of rice -were given away. Had it not been for that charity nearly the whole -population of the city would have famished. Moreover, Genbei San, the -charity was extended even to the mansions of many _daimios_, and the -nobles and their families ate of his _bento_.” - -Footnote 38: - - Ten thousand bushels. - -“To be sure. Even the nobles with their heaps of gold and all their -power couldn’t buy a single grain in the general consternation! Really -that Kibun, whoever he may be, is a sagacious fellow!” Thus the men -talked who had received his alms. - -While Bunzayemon, who listened to this current talk, was inwardly -rejoicing that Chobei had managed his affairs so admirably, he passed -two women who were talking. - -“Oh, Haru San, when I lost sight of my child in the crowd,” one of them -was saying, “I became almost mad in my search for her; but as I could -not find her in the hurry and bustle, I gave her up for being trodden to -death or else for being suffocated in the heat. In my grief I lost all -care for my own life. But then I heard the people say that some -thousands of strayed children had been taken to Kibun’s country place at -Fukagawa. I ran there at once, and lo! I found my little girl there -among the children. My joy, of course, knew no bounds. Let people say -what they wish, Kibun must be a merciful man; in such a fire as this -naturally there are a lot of strayed children, and therefore he sent out -his men to every quarter of the city, ordering them to bring such to his -house. In three days a thousand or more people were rescued, they say. -Henceforth I will always have a niche for Kibun Sama in my heart.” - -“I will, too. Your case was not so bad as mine. For my part, when I lost -sight of my mother, no words could express my anxiety. If she had been -in sound health, I would have felt a little easier, but she has been -laid up since last winter on account of her great age. At first we -thought we were safe from the conflagration, as the fire had passed by -us toward Takanawa; but then by the change of wind the sparks started -the fire afresh at the very next door to our own. The men belonging to -the house had gone to Takanawa to help a relative of ours there, and I -thought it would be a shame to me if by my indecision the fire should -cause the death of my mother; so, holding mother’s hand, I dragged her -from the house. - -“After two or three _chos’_[39] run, mother was out of breath and -consequently couldn’t walk a step farther. I put her on my back and ran -on, but we were both soon suffocated by the smoke, and then I tumbled -down. I couldn’t get up for some time because other people who were -running to escape from the flames trod on me. - -Footnote 39: - - One _cho_ equals about one hundred and twenty yards. - -“In another minute the sparks set fire to my dress and my whole body was -nearly burned. However, I braced myself up and got on my feet, being -very anxious about my mother. I looked round, and she was not there. I -knew she couldn’t possibly have run away, owing to her helplessness; so -I looked around me, being sure she must be either in a ditch or -stupefied by the smoke. The fire, however, was too quick for me. I -couldn’t stay to make further search, so I ran away. I have been weeping -since at the thought of mother’s death, when yesterday I heard a report -that mother was safe at Fukagawa. I flew to the place and met her. When -I asked how she had got there she told me that she had been rescued by -the coolies of a certain Kibun, and after being brought there had -received the most kind treatment. Henceforth I’ll not sleep with my feet -toward Fukagawa.” - -Hearing this, Bunzayemon was further struck by the excellent management -of Chobei. On his way home through the desolation and ruin he also -passed by many of the _daimios’_ palace-grounds, when he saw his own -trade-mark on all the boardings put up as temporary inclosures. - -As he was wondering at this new proof of Chobei’s energy and wisdom, two -_samurai_, or retainers, came by talking. - -“Look, my friend! The inclosure of this mansion, too, seems to have been -put up by Kibun’s people. The man is wonderfully ready for everything! -And no doubt the fact that he has put up the temporary inclosure means -that the rebuilding will be put into his hands, and no better man could -probably be found.” - -“You are right. If we employ him he’s certain to lose no time about it.” - -Bunzayemon, who overheard this conversation, clapped his hands in -admiration, and, turning to his attendants, said: “How now, my fellows! -You didn’t think much of Chobei at first, did you? Well, what do you -think of him now?” - -The attendants looked at one another and said: “Really, he is very -clever—even more clever than you, sir! Yes, unless a man employs some -men cleverer than himself he can never become great!” - -With unbounded joy Bunzayemon soon arrived at his depot at Fukagawa. No -sooner did he catch sight of Chobei than he held out his hand to him, -saying: “Ah! I have no words in which to express my thanks to you. I -have been hearing from the chance talk of the people on my way home of -all you have been doing in my absence, and have been much struck by your -sagacity. Indeed, I have never felt so much joy as I experience to-day!” - -Bunzayemon, who was not accustomed to show joy or sorrow in his face, -could not suppress his emotion on that day. - -Almost all the houses in the city of Yedo were destroyed by the fire. -Warriors and merchants had to build their abodes afresh, and because all -the timber in the city was reduced to ashes, the price at once went up -tenfold. Now Kibun alone, at this juncture, had already a great stock of -timber on hand at his depot at Fukagawa, and he had fresh supplies -constantly being sent in from the mountains in the near-by country, -being the timber he had lately bought. The profit which he gained by -selling all this material was something enormous. - -[Illustration: - - “‘I have no words in which to express my thanks to you’” -] - -Moreover, on account of his alms and the inclosures he had put up for -various great feudal lords, they too became his customers and asked him -to rebuild their mansions. By these orders he again made a great profit. -He ascribed this good fortune entirely to Chobei, to whom he gave a -great sum of money as a token of appreciation of his services. Besides, -he handsomely rewarded the other men and boys in his employ. - -He also sent for that chief carpenter, Seihachi. - -“Well, Seihachi, this is the prize which I give you.” - -Thus saying, he put a box which contained one thousand _rio_ in front of -him. - -The other was frightened out of his wits. - -“Oh! do you say there’s a gift of a thousand _rio_ for me in this -packet? Isn’t it empty?” - -“No, it’s not empty. Lift it and see.” - -Whereupon Seihachi tried to lift it and said: “Truly, it’s too heavy; I -can’t lift it! Isn’t this a dream?” said he, as he pinched his knee. - -Bunzayemon laughed. “It is not a dream. It’s a reward to you, sure and -certain, and you had better take it home with you.” - -“Really, I thank you, sir. In the time of the fire I carried charity -_bento_ only three times, for I was working at other things; therefore -I’m not worthy of so great a reward!” - -“It isn’t a reward for that.” - -“Then for the inclosure which I did for Sendai Sama, the _daimio_; for -that work my assistants came late, so I couldn’t finish it till late in -the evening. The work ought to have been finished much earlier.” - -“It isn’t for that.” - -“Not for that, either? For what is it, then, sir?” - -Bunzayemon pointed to Chobei, who was then in the shop, and said: “You -brought me that excellent article, there. It’s for that.” - -The carpenter misunderstood him and said: “Is that so? I see, for that -article. That’s an article rarely found, and I thought it would be a -great loss if it was burnt, so before other things I sent it down on a -raft from Hachobori to Fukagawa. Then on the way it collided with a ship -and the raft was nearly broken to pieces.” - -“What are you talking about?” - -“You mean that hinoki plank, do you not, of eight inches both in breadth -and thickness?” - -“No; you don’t understand me, yet. It is your prize for bringing Chobei -to me.” - -“You mean Chobei San. Ah, I see, I see! I did not understand you. I -wondered why you gave me such a handsome reward. But Chobei San has -certainly proved to be an excellent man. I thought he was a hopeless -fellow. Shall I bring you another Chobei San? I have a lot more.” - -“What sort of Chobei is he?” - -“The next idlest fellow who depends on me for support.” - -Bunzayemon laughed, saying, “No, thank you; I don’t want another Chobei -of that kind.” - -In this wise, Bunzayemon, by the help of Chobei, undertook various -important schemes and accumulated great wealth. Thus in time his fame -had sounded through the whole of Japan and he had built a big -establishment at Honhachobori,—a street in Tokio, near the heart of the -city,—which covered one _cho_ square. Always strenuously pushing forward -his business, he at last, as had been his ambition, became the leading -merchant in the whole of Japan. As the old verse says: - - - The heavy gourd from slender stem takes birth, - From strenuous will spring deeds of weighty worth. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - ● Transcriber’s Notes: - ○ Missing or obscured punctuation was silently corrected. - ○ Typographical errors were silently corrected. - ○ Inconsistent spelling and hyphenation were made consistent only - when a predominant form was found in this book. - ○ Text that was in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_) - - - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK KIBUN DAIZIN *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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