James Clavell - Gai-Jin

During a writing lesson yesterday, he checked rumors he had heard, he asked him with signs and words Poncin had given him, to write the characters for "war," senso, and "soon," jiki-ni. Then he combined his crudely written attempts as "war, in Nippon, soon.

Please?"' He had seen a sudden change and surprise.

"Gai-jin toh nihon-go ka?"' Foreigners and Japanese?

"Iy`e, Ukiya. Nihonjin to nihonjin." No, Ukiya, Japanese and Japanese.

The man had laughed suddenly and Tyrer had seen how good-looking he was and how different from the other gardeners, wondering why he was seemingly so much more intelligent than the others, though, unlike the British equivalent worker, most Japanese could read and write. "Nihonjin tsuneni senso nihonjin! Japanese are always fighting Japanese," Ukiya had said with another laugh and Tyrer laughed with him, liking him even more.

Tyrer grinned at Pallidar. "Come on, what's new? Not business, for goodness' sake, Angelique?"

Pallidar grunted. "Oh, are you interested in her?" he asked flatly, greatly savoring the joke inside himself.

"Not at all." Tyrer was equally flat, equally teasing, and they chuckled together.

"Tomorrow's the engagement party."

"Lucky Malcolm! Thank God I'm released, marvelous! I'd hate to miss that party. How is she?"

"As pretty as ever. We had her as guest of honor at the mess. She arrived looking like a goddess, escorted by the frog Minister, pompous ass, and that Andr`e Poncin chap--don't like either of them. It was--"

"Andr`e's rather nice actually--he's helping me a lot with my Japanese."

"Perhaps he is but I don't trust him. There's a long article in the Times about the coming European conflict: France and probably Russia against Germany. We'll be dragged in again."

"That's one war we can do without. You were saying?"

An immense grin. "It was a terrific evening. Had one dance with her. It was smashing. A polka--danced my heart out. Close up her, well, without being disrespectful, I have to say her bosoms are like milk and honey and her perfume ..." For a moment Pallidar was reliving that heady moment, the center of attention on the hastily constructed dance floor, gorgeous sparkling uniforms, she the only woman present, candles and oil lamps and the Guards Band playing lustily, dancing on and on, the perfect couple, everyone else consumed with jealousy. "Don't mind admitting I envy Struan."

"How is he?"

"Eh? Oh, Struan? Slightly better so the story goes. I haven't seen him but they say he's out of bed. I asked Angelique and she only said, He's much better." Another beam.

"The new doctor, Dr. Hoag, their family doctor has taken over. I hear he's pretty damn good." Pallidar finished his beer.

Another appeared from the ever attentive Chen, smiling and round and a pattern of Lim, equally a plant, and also a distant cousin of the Struan compradore. "Thanks." Pallidar sipped it appreciatively. "Damn good beer."

"It's local. Ukiya says Japanese've brewed it for years, the best from Nagasaki. I imagine they copied some Portuguese beer years centuries ago.

What else's new?"

Pallidar looked at Tyrer thoughtfully.

"What do you make of Hoag's assassin story?

The operation and mysterious girl?"

"Don't know what to think. I thought I recognized one of them, remember? The fellow was wounded in exactly the same place. Everything adds up. Pity you and Marlowe didn't catch him. Ironic if one of our side cured him, so that he can murder more of us." Tyrer dropped his voice, always servants nearby and soldiers.

"Between you and me, old boy, Sir William's sending for more troops and ships from Hong Kong."

"I'd heard the same. It'll be war soon, or we'll have to intervene if they start fighting amongst themselves..."

Hiraga was listening carefully as he weeded and hoed, and though he missed many words he caught the marrow and their news confirmed his own, increasing his worries.

After setting the Utani mansion on fire, he and his friends had reached their nearby safe house without incident. Todo and others wanted to return to Kanagawa as soon as the barriers opened at dawn, and left. He, Joun, and Akimoto decided to remain in hiding at separate dwellings, to await an opportunity to attack the Legation.

That same dawn with eerie, unprecedented speed the Bakufu doubled the barriers on the Tokaido, and extended their grasp on all the four main trunk roads and all roads, paths and even tracks leading out of Yedo. With stepped-up surveillance, this effectively locked them in, along with all shishi and other antagonists throughout the capital.

Four days ago the mama-san Noriko sent a letter from Kanagawa, saying that with all the increased, hostile activity, this was her first opportunity, relating about Ori and Sumomo and the gai-jin doctor, and ended: Still no sign of Todo and the other two shishi-- they have vanished without trace. We know they passed the first barrier but nothing more. We fear they were betrayed and you are betrayed. Escape while you can. Ori is much stronger every day, his wound still clean. I have sent him to safety near Yokohama--the last place the Bakufu will expect him to go. Your Lady refuses to leave without your order--send it at once for I fear that my House is being watched. If we are attacked seek word from Raiko, the House of the Three Carp at Yokohama. News of Utani's assassination speeds throughout Nippon, and terror with it. Sonno-joi!

He began to write a reply but her messenger was very afraid. "Getting here was terrible, Hiraga-san. Barrier guards are ordering everyone to strip completely, men women even children, in case messages are hidden in loincloths. It happened to me, Sire."

"Then how did you escape?"' The messenger pointed to his bottom.

"I enclosed the letter in a small metal tube, Hiraga-san. I do not want to risk that again, some guards are very wise in the ways of smugglers.

Please trust me with a spoken message."

"Then give your mistress my thanks and hopes and tell Sumomo-san to report to Shinsaku at once." Hiraga had used his father's private name that only she would know, and would therefore be sure the order to return home had come from him. He paid the man. "Be careful."

"Karma."

Yes, karma, Hiraga thought and began to concentrate again on the foreign words, glad that Ori was alive, enjoying the joke that indeed a gai-jin had saved Ori to kill more gai-jin, as he himself would kill these two. During their retreat, during the confusion of leaving I could do it, if not both then one of them, whoever is the first target. Eeee, all gods, if you exist, watch and guard Sumomo. Good that she resisted her parents, good she journeyed to my parents' home in Choshu, good she came to Kanagawa, more than good that she dares to join me in battle--she will be a worthy mother to my generations, if that is my karma. Therefore much better she goes home to safety. Better she is in Choshu far from danger...

His ears caught the word "Shimonoseki."

The gai-jin officer was talking volubly and seemed quite excited, and though most of the words were lost, Hiraga gleaned that cannon had fired on some ships in the Straits, had killed some sailors, and that all gai-jin were furious because the Straits were essential to their shipping.

Yes, it is, Hiraga thought with grim amusement, which is exactly why you will never have our Straits. With the cannon we have even now we can close them and keep them closed to any barbarian fleet--and soon our Dutch-built and designed armament factory will be casting sixty-pounders, completing three a month, with gun carriages!

The tide has turned in our favor at long last: Lord Ogama of Choshu, alone of all daimyo, obeys the Emperor's wish to attack and expel the gai-jin; correctly he and Choshu troops firmly hold the palace gates; Katsumata is gathering all shishi to ambush and destroy the Shogun, unbelievably winkled out of his lair, on the way to Kyoto; and now our grip tightens on the gai-jin's citadel, Yokohama...