Tokyo Bay

by Anthony Grey

  ‘Perhaps three or four days from now,’ replied the first officer. ‘They are trying to delay as much as possible.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because they can think of nothing better to do...’

  ‘Did you understand that, master?’ asked Sentaro in an excited whisper, scrambling up beside Eden with his pole and empty baskets. ‘They say it is rumoured that your President’s letter will be accepted.’

  ‘Yes, I understood: replied Eden, placing a calming hand on Sentaro’s shoulder. ‘Go steady. We don’t want to draw attention to ourselves.’

  Despite the warning, some small clods of earth disturbed by the castaway cascaded down the inner bank of the rampart and one of the samurai officers, noticing the movement from the corner of his eye, turned in their direction. Ducking to conceal their faces, they swung away to scramble down from the earthwork out of sight; but something in their manner had aroused the officer’s suspicion and he barked out a sharp order.

  ‘Wait! What are you doing?’

  After hesitating for a moment Sentaro turned back and mumbled a response. ‘If it pleases you, sire, we were enlarging the fortification as ordered.’

  ‘No work was ordered on this section tonight,’ snapped the samurai. ‘These ramparts were finished yesterday.’

  ‘Our apologies, sire: stammered Sentaro. ‘We misunderstood our instructions. We will go now to work on another section.’

  Eden had already slithered halfway down the inner bank and he tugged at Sentaro’s sleeve, urging him to follow The castaway bowed hurriedly towards the samurai, then stumbled down the slope behind the American.

  ‘Stop!’ roared the officer. ‘You must have been eavesdropping.’ He waved forward half a dozen men who had been standing guard nearby with spears and shields. ‘Restrain those two for questioning!’

  Eden grabbed Sentaro’s arm and pulled him bodily down the slope into the fort. ‘Run as fast as you can,’ he ordered in a fierce whisper, pointing towards the central arsenal. ‘There are a few cavalry horses tethered by the ammunition stores.’

  They hurled aside their carrying-poles and rushed headlong towards the group of wooden buildings. Because the pursuing pikemen were encumbered by their long weapons and their shields, they were unable to move quickly and they began shouting and gesticulating for others to help cut off the fleeing pair. Alerted by these cries, other members of the garrison began to give chase.

  ‘We can’t escape, master,’ gasped Sentaro, looking about in despair. ‘We’re surrounded!’

  ‘Keep running!’ urged Eden, still clutching his arm. ‘If we can reach the horses, we can get clear.’

  He increased his pace, forcing Sentaro along with him, and the shouts of the pikemen grew louder on realizing that they were heading towards the half dozen horses tethered beside the magazine.

  ‘Ride straight over the bank at the rear of the fort: gasped Eden. ‘Don’t make for any of the gates or you’ll be stopped. .

  Disturbed by the growing commotion, the short, sturdy horses were already tossing their heads and straining at the tethers when Eden reached them. Because their pursuers were closing fast, he reached behind his shoulder to snatch his cutlass from its makeshift sheath of sailcloth. With a flurry of quick slashes he cut free all six horses and urged Sentaro into the saddle of one of them.

  ‘Go!’ he yelled in Japanese, slapping the horse’s rump sharply with the flat of his sword. ‘I’ll catch you up.’

  As the startled animal shot away, with Sentaro clinging frantically to its mane, Eden flung himself onto a second horse, still clutching the reins of two other mounts in his free hand. The shouts of the armed men closing in all around were loud in his ears as he dug his heels fiercely into the animal’s sides and turned its head towards the rear rampart.

  ‘Stop, I command you,’ shouted one breathless pikeman, hurling himself into the horse’s path, with his pike raised in both hands. ‘Stop and dismount!’

  Yelling an unintelligible battle cry of his own, Eden tried to swerve his own horse and the two he was leading past the yelling footsoldier. But the pikeman dropped to one knee and swung his weapon towards them with furious energy. The heavy axe-shaped side blade sheared through the neck of Eden’s mount, decapitating it at a stroke and, as the animal collapsed beneath him, Eden plunged heavily to the ground. One of the two spare horses broke free and bolted, squealing with fear, but Eden clung fiercely to the reins of the other and struggled to his feet beside it, brandishing his cutlass defensively in front of him. The broad hat of woven sedge had been knocked off in the fall and, as he stood defiantly bare-headed beside the horse, the lanterns carried by those closing in all around him illuminated his tall, broad-shouldered figure, his brown hair and pale Anglo-Saxon features.

  For a second or two there was a strained silence; nobody spoke and nobody moved as the circle of armed men stared disbelievingly at the first foreign barbarian they had ever seen. Only six feet away, the pikeman who had brought him down stood rooted to the spot, holding his bloodied weapon uncertainly in front of him.

  ‘Shu-i!’ he grunted at last, when he found his voice. ‘Hideous, alien!’

  ‘Banzoku!’ growled a second man. ‘Barbarian bandit!’

  ‘Kill the banzoku!’ yelled a third voice - and others immediately took up the cry.

  ‘No! Let’s take him alive!’ urged the soldier with the bloodstained pike. After a moment of hesitation he began moving warily towards Eden again.

  The American officer calmly retrieved his hat as he watched the pikeman approach - then with a cry he sprang into the saddle of the remaining horse. Swirling his sword above his head Eden kicked his mount into action, this time riding straight at the pikeman. The Japanese began to step aside, and lifted his pike in both hands to make another thrust at horse and rider. But Eden was upon him quickly, and he parried the threatened blow so fiercely with his blade that the pike’s wooden shaft broke clean in two.

  Riding furiously, Eden set the horse at the earthwork embankment, and sped up and over it without looking back. Shouts of rage grew in volume behind him as the horse slithered down the outer bank and he heard voices begin chanting ‘Shu-i’ and ‘Banzoku’ in unison as the soldiers began to give chase. At the foot of the bank Eden could at first see no sign of Sentaro, but to his delight the castaway emerged suddenly from a clump of nearby trees and galloped towards him.

  ‘Which way shall we go?’ demanded Eden urgently, as the sounds of shouting drew nearer to the embankment above them.

  ‘I’m not sure, master said t1e Japanese. ‘But whichever way we go, we must go quickly!’

  Glancing up, Eden saw that the light of the rising moon was strengthening. In that split second he also caught sight of something else: in the far distance, above the trees, the shimmering peak of Mount Fuji had become faintly visible, glowing palely against the darkness of the night sky.

  ‘We’ll try this way he cried impulsively, spurring his horse onto a track that led through the trees in the direction of the sacred volcano,. ‘Follow me!’

  16

  AS MATSUMURA TOKIWA led her horse gingerly along a narrow footpath that wound like a coiled serpent through flooded rice fields, she, too, caught sight of the towering magnificence of Mount Fuji’s white summit. In the distant heavens to the north, the volcano’s dominating snowcap seemed to draw all the gentle light of the crescent moon to itself like a magnet, leaving the range of lesser- mountains below cloaked anonymously in shadow In the higher darkness above and beyond Fuji, countless brilliant stars had become visible and, despite her anxiety to push on as fast as possible, Tokiwa stopped her ungainly horse several times to wonder in silence at the beauty of the night.

  The pale moonlight was making it easier for her and the horse to follow the deserted footpath which she had taken in preference to the busier main causeway. This meandering trail had led her into another quiet, narrow, rice-growing valley- flanked by thick woods and, as she began to climb again from the valley bottom
into a new fold of hills, she heard the subdued roar of a waterfall somewhere ahead.

  The rushing water seemed to offer a consoling promise of refreshment to her tired mind and body, and when she came to a tiny track leading upward through the trees towards the sound of the cascade, she guided the horse onto it without any hesitation.

  ‘That could be her: said Prince Tanaka softly, as he watched the tiny, solitary figure turn uphill with the packhorse and disappear among the trees. ‘Our search could be over.’

  A few minutes earlier he had reined in his own mount beside those of Gotaro and two other guards at a bend in a tree-lined road that snaked high across the head of the valley. Gun-carriages and carts laden with arms and provisions were being trundled southward through the darkness, and endless streams of porters were scurrying by, bearing heavy burdens slung from poles. But Tanaka took no notice of this activity because, from that lofty vantage point, hundreds of feet above the rice paddies, he could scan the whole valley below arid his eyes had narrowed with an intense interest the moment he spotted the slender, silhouetted figure leading a pack- horse down the open moonlit path. He had watched in silence as the figure moved steadily in his direction, but had said nothing at all to his escorts until the horse and its owner finally went out of sight among the trees.

  ‘That path, I am sure, leads up to this road we are on - but further to the south, O Kami-san,’ said Gotaro, the exaggerated deference in his voice reflecting his embarrassment at failing earlier in his guard duties. ‘We could ride quickly ahead to the junction, and lie in wait at the top.’

  ‘Yes, we could,’ said Tanaka thoughtfully, still scan- fling the wooded hillside. ‘But I think I see a temple among those trees - and there may even be a farm or two. Someone may have to descend and search those places . .

  Gotaro followed the arm Tanaka had lifted to point, and saw the curved eaves of a small temple, reflecting the moonlight, above the wooded skyline of a raised knoll. The darker geometrical outlines of thatched farm buildings were also visible here and there among trees.

  ‘Perhaps the other two guards could wait at the head of the path, while I go down to search in the woodland: suggested Gotaro quickly. ‘I am most anxious to make amends for my error, O Kami-san.’

  Tanaka did not respond at once but continued staring down into the valley. ‘To be certain of success, somebody else would need to ride down this steep hillside, then follow the path up through the trees - in case she decides suddenly to retrace her steps.’

  ‘Yes, you are quite right, O Kami-san.’ Gotaro looked dubiously at the wooded escarpment that fell away precipitously beside the road. ‘That would be the very best of plans . .

  ‘And I will take on that last task myself,’ said Tanaka quietly. ‘You, Gotaro, ride to the path with the others. Then post two men at its top, and descend yourself to search. Whether we find her or not, we will all reassemble afterwards where the path meets the road.’

  Gotaro and the other two samurai had turned their horses southward when a sudden commotion of galloping hoofs and raised voices reached their ears. They heard loud male shouts of ‘Banzoku! Banzoku! - Barbarian bandit!’ repeated again and again and Tanaka immediately lifted his hand in a cautionary gesture that prompted his men to draw back into the side of the road.

  As the noise grew louder, they saw a group of armed horsemen approaching, riding north as fast as they were able amongst the congestion of porters, carts and gun-carriages. The men were shouting at the top of their voices, hurling questions at the bewildered carters and porters as they passed. When the front group of riders caught sight of Tanaka and recognized the aristocratic crests of the Kago clan emblazoned in gold on his jimbaori, they reined in their horses at once and bowed low from the saddle.

  ‘May I respectfully ask, O Kami-san, if you’ve seen anything on the road north of here?’ enquired their leader breathlessly, bowing again. ‘Anything at all suspicious?’

  ‘What are you looking for?’ asked Tanaka calmly

  ‘A banzoku - a foreign barbarian bandit! At least one, O Kami-san. Perhaps two.’

  Tanaka’s eyes widened a fraction, but he showed no other sign of the astonishment he felt at the news. ‘I’ve certainly seen no banzoku on this road. Please explain yourself further.’

  ‘We think he might come from the black ships in the bay, O Kami-san,’ said the leading rider. ‘He was disturbed while spying at a fort on the coast... He disarmed one pikeman with his sword, then stole horses to flee with a companion.’

  ‘What does he look like?’

  ‘He is very tall, he has wide shoulders, reddish hair and a pale face. But you would probably have difficulty recognizing him as a banzoku because he is wearing the peasant clothing of our country He is accompanied by a smaller man also dressed as a peasant - but he could be banzoku or Nihon-jin. Nobody has yet seen his face.’

  ‘Are they riding together?’

  ‘Yes, O Kami-san - and both drive their horses very hard,’ said the leading rider eagerly. ‘Do you think you’ve seen anybody matching these descriptions?’

  ‘No.’ Tanaka shook his head. ‘Nobody of that appearance has passed us on this road.’

  ‘Strange!’ exclaimed the rider, exchanging puzzled glances with those around him. ‘Further back we had several reports of them heading this way...’

  Tanaka glanced up at the forested hilltops. ‘Perhaps they have entered the forest some-where, to escape detection.’

  The leading rider nodded. ‘Yes, that is possible. I will send some of my men back to search the area where they were last seen. I’ll send men on ahead, too, in case they rejoin the road later.’

  He turned away to issue crisp commands, and the group of horsemen immediately split into two. Half of them spurred their mounts back the way they had come, while others set off northwards at a furious gallop. Turning back to Tanaka, the leading rider bowed low once more.

  ‘I’m very grateful to you, O Kami-san. It is an honour to receive assistance from such a distinguished nobleman.’

  Tanaka made a dismissive gesture. ‘I wish you success in your search. But before you leave I’d like to ask what your precise orders are.’

  ‘My orders from the commandant of the fort are to alert all fighting brigades and all civilians in this region to the presence among us of a dangerous banzoku. I must also use whatever means are necessary to capture him, dead or alive.’

  ‘It would be far better to try and take the banzoku alive,’ said Tanaka quietly. ‘I’m sure you know that the bakufu wishes to avoid bloodshed at all costs - and we might be able to gain important knowledge from them as captives.’

  The man before Tanaka bowed low in his saddle. ‘I will bear in mind what you have said, O Kami- san. But the banzoku appears to be a ferocious fighter.

  If he tries to resist capture, it may be impossible to avoid spilling his blood...’

  He lifted one arm in salute and, wheeling his horse, galloped rapidly away, heading back along the road to the south. Tanaka watched him until he was out of sight then turned to his escorts. ‘Follow now the plan we have already made - but keep a careful watch for the banzoku at the same time.’

  When they had gone, Tanaka urged his own horse over the edge of the steep scarp. The animal shied and whinnied in fear at first, but he quickly calmed it and began to weave his way skillfully down through the closely packed trees, heading for the path hundreds of feet below onto which he had seen the straw-hatted figure of Matsumura Tokiwa lead the broken-down packhorse.

  Through intermittent gaps in the trees, Tokiwa could see white skeins of water tumbling ceaselessly down a glistening rock face as she climbed the steep hillside. The cascades frothed a brilliant white in the moonlight, and she felt herself drawn ever more strongly to the waterfall each time she caught a glimpse of it. She fancied she could taste the cool freshness of the spray in her throat while she was still a long way off, and the heavy warmth of the summer night seemed suddenly more bearable. Her grimy cotton cl
othes were sticking to her skin and she began to anticipate how good the water might feel splashing against her naked body. Even the tired, stumbling horse which she was leading seemed to scent the nearness of the water too, and it began to pick its way with greater purpose up the forested slope.

  When Tokiwa came in sight of the waterfall she found that it was pouring down smooth, dark rocks to form a sparkling pool on a small plateau. Natural stepping-stones, roughly circular in shape, formed a path leading towards the main cascade. Other rocks rimmed the pool to funnel its waters down the hillside in a frothing stream, and Tokiwa guided the horse to the quietest edge and released its leading rope. When the animal had drunk its fill, she tethered it to a tree in the shadow of the rocks, twenty or thirty yards away, and returned alone to the waterfall. For a moment she hesitated, peering round among the dark trees that ringed the pool. Seeing no sign of movement, she quickly removed her wide hat, the straw sandals, the blue trousers and the rough cotton shirt. Dropping them onto the rocks by her feet, she unpinned her long hair and let it fall loose down her back.

  Entirely naked she stepped onto the path of stepping-stones and walked slowly across the pool towards the main cascade. When she moved beneath it, the sharp chill of the mountain spring-water made her catch her breath. But a little cry of delight escaped her lips too, and she closed her eyes, threw back her head and lifted her face to feel better the caress of the tumbling spray.

  Other cascades bounced and splashed down the rock face, and Tokiwa began to wade towards the back of the shallow pool, passing under each rivulet of water in turn. She imagined that she could also feel the softness of the moonlight rippling against her naked body, and she stretched her arms above her head, luxuriating by turns in the gentleness of the light and the sharp, stinging sensual pleasure of the icy water that rushed down over her breasts, her back and the curve of her loins.

  Because the noise of the water filled her ears, Tokiwa remained oblivious to the distant sounds of carts, horses and men passing along the road that crossed the head of the valley. The sounds of other men and horses advancing more cautiously and stealthily through the forest also went unheard. Surrounded by the gentle roar of the waterfall, Tokiwa felt a sense of detachment and peace steal over her.