Gensai Murai

“ 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.” ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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 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. ”

“ 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.” ”

“ 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 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. ”

“ 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.” ”

“ 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 stronger the wind grew the farther 139the 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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 27certainly 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. ”

“ 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.” ”

“ The coolies distributed this bento among the men and women who were in distress. Every man and woman, therefore, 140whether 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. ”

“ 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 32enemy. The knights of old faced the dangerous issues of life or death as often as they went out to battle. ”

“ 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 158the 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!” ”

“ 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.”
26“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.” ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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 47top 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.” ”

“ 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?” 125And 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?” ”

“ 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 11young, 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. ”