James Clavell - Gai-Jin

"All right, all right, wot's the bloody rush, eh?" While the Purser laboriously entered the shipment in his ledger, Tyrer peeked at Sir William who had moved under the oil lamp and was squinting at the paper. While he watched, the face contorted, the lips began to mouth profanities, men nearby backed off in shock, not because of the language but merely because it was so unexpected. He groaned and turned his back.

The document was from the roju, signed Tairo Nori, curt, without the usual flowery phrases, and addressed impudently, To the Leader of the Gai-jin, so he had translated it as best he could in the same fashion, interpolating it where necessary: The roju congratulates you and other gai-jin on your escape with your lives and little else from fires started by malcontents and revolutionaries.

Tomorrow the Kanagawa Governor will send 500 coolies to assist in your evacuation of Yokohama in accordance with clear warnings from the gods, and according to wishes of the Emperor given to you many times. When you return, if you return, give us a long warning. Accommodation will be provided for selected gai-jin at Deshima, in the port of Nagasaki, from where, as in the past, all future gai-jin trade and business will be conducted. A cordial communication.

"Tyrer!"

He pretended not to hear, kept his back to Sir William and accepted the receipt from the Purser, the impatient men in the line calling out with degrees of rudeness, "Hurry up for God's sake, do you want all night ... hurry, there she is!"

The empty cutter, returning from the Belle, was docking. Tyrer noticed Jamie was not aboard. The Bosun leaned out of his cabin and bellowed, "All aboard wot's going aboard!"

In the heightened bustle Maureen joined him.

"Phillip, when will Jamie be back?"

"Certainly with the last ferry, if not before," he said, not sure if Jamie had told her of their scheme. "There's an hour or more yet."

"Tyrer!"

"Sorry, got to go. Yessir?" he called out, took a deep breath, mentally girding his loins and hurried off.

"In half an hour, Phillip," Sir William began, almost cross-eyed with rage, "in half an hour I'll need you to translate a reply for me, extremely bloody accurately indeed."

"Yes sir, by the way s--"

"Go and find... ah, there he is, thought I saw him." One look at Sir William's face was enough to cause the crowd to fall silent and part for him instantly, all ears. "Pallidar, get the Dragoons, I want you to deliver a cordial communication to the Kanagawa Governor--at once."

"Tonight, sir?" Pallidar gaped at him, saw the expression on his face and added hastily, "Oh! Yessir, sorry sir, right away Sir." his'scuse me, Sir William," Tyrer said in a rush before Sir William could leave, "No time to tell you before but I helped two Japanese students aboard who wanted to travel, to visit England, they saved my life last night, hope that's all right."

"That they saved your life? I wonder." The eyes bored into him. "If you've turned travel agent on Her Majesty's time, I suppose there will be a satisfactory answer should I require one. Pallidar, arrive in strength in an hour and deliver my message rather rudely, by God!" He stalked off.

Pallidar blew his nose, his cold still bad.

"What the hell's up with him?" Tyrer leaned closer and told him about the ultimatum. "My God, no wonder. What bloody cheek!

Actually it's bloody good, now there'll be some action, all this hanging around inflames the General's neck along with his piles." He laughed, more from nervousness than the old chestnut.

At that moment, Hoag arrived puffing, still wearing his operating frock coat, the sleeves and chest stiff with ancient blood, and burdened with top hat, suitcases and packages. "I thought I was going to be late. What's the joke?"

"You've plenty of time," Tyrer said and, with Pallidar, wondered what was in Angelique's letter that Sir William had witnessed, and Hoag carried to Hong Kong in reply to the letter, also still a mystery, given to Angelique when Hoag was sure she was not bearing Malcolm's child. Since the first day Hoag had arrived back, the outlines of Tess's ultimatum were common knowledge and the subject of heated, private debate. "Hope you have a safe trip. It's India next, isn't it?"

"Yes, I'll be there next month." The ugly face split with a smile. "Can't wait, come and visit me, you'll love it."

Pallidar said, "India's my next posting, in fact I've just been told, the Frontier, Hindu Kush, Khyber Pass."

Though he spoke lightly Pallidar secretly hated the idea. Too many deaths in that special hell, too many killings, a bullet from nowhere, a dagger out of the night, wells poisoned, no glory there, only slog and kill and try to stay alive in that barren, festering rock landscape where nothing grew but death. And yet vital to the Empire, for there lay the historic invasion route to British India, for Mongol, Persian, or Russian hordes. A sick premonition swept through him and he could not resist adding, "No sea burials there, Doc."

"No, none, not at all," Hoag replied and, misreading him, put a warm, friendly arm on him. "You're a good fellow, Settry, if I can help in India I'm easy to find. You'll love it, good luck!" He strode off to greet Angelique and Gornt.

"What was that about?" Tyrer asked. He had noticed the sudden change in Pallidar.

Pallidar shrugged, cursing his anxiety and lapse and abrupt envy of Hoag. "Doc Hoag told me he doesn't like sea burials, said he was glad to miss Malcolm's in Hong Kong." He smiled crookedly. After he had reported to Sir William about Hoag's curious behavior over the coffins at Kanagawa that the Sergeant had witnessed, on instructions and sworn to secrecy, unobserved he had switched the coffins after checking them. No difference between them that he could see. So the coffin sent by Prancing Cloud to Hong Kong had contained Malcolm Struan and the one Hoag, Angelique, Jamie and Skye had buried was that of the villager, as Sir William had ordered.

"Pity Malcolm got chopped," he said, his voice raw. "Life's curious, eh? You never know when it'll happen."

Tyrer nodded, Pallidar's depression unusual. Liking him, his own guard slid away. "What's up, old man?"

"Nothing. You were bloody lucky last night, weren't you, getting out of--"

Shadows rushed over Tyrer's face and Pallidar swore at himself for his stupidity.

"Sorry, Phillip. Didn't mean to upset you, don't know what's got into me tonight."

"You heard about... about..."

For the life of him Tyrer could not say Fujiko's name, his grief scalding, driving him down in quantum depths where he had never been before. His mouth said, trying to sound brave, "When something like that, something awful happens, my Old Man used to... I had a sister who got measles and died when she was seven, such a pretty little girl we all loved... my Old Man always used to say, "These things are sent to try us.

You cry and cry and... and you pick yourself up and say it was God's will and try not to hate Him."

He felt the tears running down his cheeks and did not care. His feet took him away down to the shore and there, alone with the surf and the sky and the night, he thought about Fujiko truly, remembering her with all his passion, then put her into a little box and put the box safe beside his heart.

Aboard Atlanta Belle Captain Twomast was saying, "All right, Jamie, I'll give them passage, whatever Mrs.Struan decides, but you know her, she's not given to largess."

"Just give her my letter when you arrive Hong Kong." Jamie had told Twomast the truth about Otami and his cousin, not wanting to get his friend into trouble, and had gone surety for their passage money, there and back, if Tess did not agree to his proposal: to advance it to them, with prudent introductions in England and Scotland-- against a fifty-fifty joint venture he would form and run to take advantage of anything he could create from them on their return.