Shank's Mare Read online

  After putting things straight, as it was still before dawn they went to sleep again, though not before Kita, half in fun, had composed the following poem: —

  The turtle bit his finger till it bled

  From bashfulness when getting in his bed.

  Yaji also, in spite of the pain, composed this: —

  Bitten by turtle, he in pain is bound,

  And like a tortoise tramples on the ground.

  But soon it was dawn and there could be heard the sound of the temple bells tolling for prayers and the cries of the hungry crows on the neighbouring roofs. Then, when everybody had got up, breakfast was brought from the kitchen.

  'Where is the other gentleman?' asked the maid while they were busy with their preparations.

  'Yes, where's Jū gone, I wonder,' said Kita.

  'He's probably about somewhere,' said Yaji. 'We won't wait for him.'

  Accordingly they began to eat their breakfast. But Jūkichi, after his usual custom, had left the inn early by the back door, and they might wait for him as long as they liked, he would never return. Yaji went out to look for him and came back with a puzzled face.

  'I say, Kita,' he said, 'what's happened to Jūkichi? I don't understand it. His bundle and umbrella have gone. Looks as if he had started off while we were asleep.'

  'Eh?' said Kita. 'Is there anything missing?'

  They looked round but could see nothing gone.

  'Nothing's wrong' said Kita.

  'Yes, there is,' said Yaji, and he pulled out his belt from his sleeve and shook it. A packet fell out with a rattle, and when they opened it they found it was filled with pebbles.

  'Oh! Oh! Oh!' cried Yaji.

  'What's the matter?' asked Kita.

  'What's the matter?' cried Yaji. 'The money's all turned to stones.'

  'Oh, how awful!' said Kita.

  'That rascal must have changed it,' said Yaji. 'Here, girl, call the landlord, quick, quick.'

  In great excitement the maid went to call the landlord, who came in in his nightgown.

  'I have just heard about it,' he said. 'What a terrible thing!'

  'Look here,' said Yaji. 'You're the landlord, ain't you? We can't stand this. What do you mean by letting a thief into your inn? Do you get a share? Why did you let him start before us without telling us?'

  'That's an extraordinary thing to say,' said the landlord. 'Didn't he come in with you last night? And as for his leaving this morning, I didn't know anything about it. I suppose he went out by the back door.'

  'What did he leave by the back door for?' shouted Yaji. 'That's not the way to go out. You've got to bring him back, I tell you. What do you take me for? You ask up in Edo and you'll find all the friends of Yajirobei Tochimenya of Hatchō-bori, Kanda, know him quite well. You make fools of us and we'll pull your house down about your ears and turn the place into a drying-ground. Look sharp. Bring that thief back quick.' 'That's impossible' said the landlord. 'I'm really very sorry for you..."

  'Sorry? Sorry my eye! I'm tired of your sorry. Come, bring out that Sorry.'

  'Who do you mean?' asked the landlord.

  'That Sorry you let stop here,' yelled Yaji. 'You're in league with him, aren't you?''You are insulting,' said the landlord. 'I never let any person named Sorry stop at my inn.'

  'Never let him stop?' screamed Yaji. 'Didn't he come here last night, and didn't he sleep here, and didn't he go away this morning?'

  'Sorry?' said the landlord.

  'Yes, Sorry... No, no, not Sorry, that thief.'

  'Come, Yaji,' interposed Kita. 'Calm yourself a bit. It ain't the landlord's fault. We're in the wrong for bringing him here last night. I don't see what we can do but grin and bear it.'

  'Yes, yes,' said the landlord. 'If he'd come alone I should have been to blame, but as he came with you, you have only yourselves to blame for your carelessness.'

  'There can't be any doubt about that,' said Kita. 'Come, Yaji, it won't do any good to get excited again.'

  Yaji saw that Kita was right and was silent, though his heart sank.

  'Let's have breakfast, at any rate,' said Kita.

  'I don't want anything more to eat,' said Yaji. 'Look here Kita, it's like this. If we can get to Fuchū I may be able to get some money there, but we've got to get along without any till we get there.'

  They collected what few coppers they had about them and managed to pay the inn bill, and with the little they had left as their sole means of subsistence they set off on their travels again. Everywhere they went they inquired for the thief, but nowhere could they hear any news of him. All their jokes and idle talk were gone now and they trudged along in silence.

  'Yaji,' said Kita, 'you mustn't take it so much to heart.'

  'Ithink I shall become a priest,' said Yaji.

  'Don't say such awful things,' replied Kita.

  'What do you say to going back to Edo,' continued Yaji.

  'We've got to get to Isé even if we have to beg our way,' said Kita, 'or our reputation will be clean gone.' 'It's all very well,' groaned Yaji, 'but I'm so hungry that I can't walk any more.'

  'Well, wait a bit,' said Kita, 'there's the money that was entrusted to me in Edo,—those twelve coppers, you know. We'll buy some rice-cakes with that when we get further on.'

  As they went limping along with the aid of sticks, the letter-carriers came up from the opposite direction, shouting 'Ei-sassa, ei-sassa, ei-sassa!'

  'Those chaps are like Idaten,' said Kita. 'Look how fast they can go.'

  'I wish I'd got their strength,' groaned Yaji. 'They must get a lot to eat.'

  'You talk as if you were a beggar,' said Kita.

  'Ei-sassa, ei-sassa!' cried the carriers.

  'Look out,' said Kita. 'You'll get knocked down. Come more this way.'

  'Ei-sassa, ei-sassa!' cried the letter carriers, and as they passed the corner of the letter box gave Yaji a knock on the head.

  'Oh! Oh! Oh!' yelled Yaji.

  But the letter-carriers passed along unconcerned, calling 'Ei-korya, ei-korya, sassa, sassa.'

  'Oh!' groaned Yaji. 'How it hurts! What a dreadful fate is mine! How I wish I were dead!'

  'Don't talk like a fool,' said Kita. 'Look out, there's a horse coming.'

  'Postboy,' called Yaji. 'Is it much further to the next stage?'

  'Oh no,' said the postboy. 'It's quite near.'

  'How far is it?'

  'Oh, only about nine miles,' said the postboy.

  Yaji groaned.

  Thus trudging along they came to Kamagafuchi. Being on the road again they could not refrain from falling into their old trick of punning on the names of the places they passed through, though their verses now savoured of their misfortune.

  Here they got some rice-cake to allay the pangs of hunger a little, and by giving each other encouragement when they began to lag, at last they reached Numazu. There they entered a small teahouse at the end of the town to rest their legs.

  'Ye're welcome, travellers,' said the maid. 'Would your honours like to have a meal?'

  'No, no,' said Kita. 'We ate our fill at the last stage.'

  While they were resting, a samurai, travelling with an attendant and a couple of carriers, entered the teahouse. His hair was dressed in the fashion of his province and he wore a cotton cloak of a blue pattern.

  'Please have some tea,' said the maid.

  'What time is it?' asked the samurai.

  'Two o'clock, your honour,' said the maid.

  'If you've got any good sake,' said the samurai, 'let me have a little.'

  'Shall I bring you some at thirty-two coppers, your honour?' asked the maid.

  'Have you got any a little cheaper than that?'

  'We have some at twenty-four coppers, your honour.'

  'Just mix both together, half and half,' said the samurai, 'and give me a bottle.'

  The maid accordingly brought the wine-heater from the kitchen, together with cups and a dish of savouries.

  'How much are these?' asked
the samurai, pointing to the savouries.

  'Thirty-two coppers, your honour,' answered the maid.

  'And these?'

  'Twelve coppers, your honour.'

  'Um!' said the samurai. 'Here, Densuké, you have a drink too.'

  'Thankee, your honour,' said Densuké.

  'That girl over there attending to the fire is very like Okuda's wife, isn't she?' said the samurai.

  'Indeed she is, your honour,' said Densuké. 'That girl laughing over there ain't bad looking either.'

  'Which, which?' asked the samurai. 'Yes, yes, and that one by the side of the post is a fine girl. Here, you can drink the rest, Densuké.'

  'Thankee, your honour,' said Densuké.

  'Now let's see what we've had,' said the samurai. 'How much is it? No, no, I didn't have any of those.'

  'Yes, your honour. Then it'll be forty-two coppers,' said the maid.

  'Very well,' said the samurai, and telling his attendant to pay the bill he went out. Kita and Yaji, who had been drinking tea, also started again at the same time.

  'Come along,' said Kita.

  'Much obliged,' said Yaji.

  'Ye're very welcome,' said the maid.

  Going along the two passed and repassed the samurai several times, while indulging in all sorts of talk, till they reached Nara-no-saka and Sembon-no-matsubara. Here Kita composed a poem, on hearing which the samurai was struck.

  'Excellent, excellent!' he cried. 'I suppose you gentlemen are from Edo.'

  'Yes, your honour,' said Kita. 'We had the misfortune to be stuck by a prig at the place where we stopped last night and are in great trouble.'

  'I'm very sorry to hear it,' said the samurai. 'It must have been very painful to be stung by a pig.'

  'No, no, your honour,' said Kita. 'Stuck by a prig,—that is a sneak.'

  'A sneak?' said the samurai. 'What's that?'

  'A sneak is a pickpocket, your honour,' said Kita.

  'Aha, I see,' said the samurai. 'You call a person who takes other people's things a sneak?'

  'Yes, your honour,' said Yaji.

  'And a sneak you call a prig. I see, I see.'

  'Yes, your honour,' said Kita, 'and I'd like to ask you a favour. As I said we met this thief last night and he took all our travelling money so that we are in great distress. We shall be all right when we get to Fuchū, but till we get there we shall be in great trouble. Just to get a bit of money to help us along the road I'd like your honour to buy this.'

  He took off a leather purse that was hanging to his girdle and showed it to the samurai.

  'I don't like buying things on the road,' said the samurai, ' but as I feel great sympathy for you in your trouble I don't mind helping you. How much do you want for it?'

  'I'll let your honour have it for three hundred coppers,' said Kita.

  'Oh, that's too dear,' said the samurai.

  'Well, I'll let your honour have it a little cheaper.'

  'I don't mind giving you sixty coppers for it,' said the samurai.

  'Oh, that's too cheap, your honour,' said Kita.

  'Well, I'll give you sixty-one coppers, then,' said the samurai.

  'Please give a little more, your honour.'

  'Well, I'll make it sixty-two coppers then.'

  'Really . . .'

  'It's rather like making up your mind to jump over the precipice at Kiyomidzu emple,' said the samurai, 'but I'll even go so far as sixty-three coppers.'

  'Really, your honour,' said Kita, 'if you go up like that, only one copper at a time, we! shall never make a bargain. If you named a round sum now.'

  'Well, what do you call a round sum?' asked the samurai.

  'A round sum is one like a hundred,' explained Kita. 'So if your honour says a hundred coppers I'll accept it.'

  'Oh, a hundred is a round sum, is it?' said the samurai. 'Well I'll give you a round sum for it then.'

  'Thank you very much,' said Kita.

  The purse and the money accordingly changed hands.

  'It's very cheap, your honour,' said Kita. ' Including the fastener it's worth four or five hundred coppers.'

  'Well, I have two sons,' said the samurai, ' and I thought it would be a good present for the elder.'

  'Your honour looks too young to have two sons,' said Kita. ' They must be a great pleasure to you. If it isn't too rude may I ask your age?'

  'Give a guess,' said the samurai.

  'Let me see,' said Kita. 'I should think your honour was about thirty-seven or thirty-eight.'

  'I'm forty-two this year,' said the samurai.

  'You don't look it, your honour.'

  'It's very kind of you to say so,' replied the samurai, 'and it's quite true that among my companions Sonohara Sakunoemon, Yonekizu Jindaifu and the others, all born in the same year, I look the youngest.'

  'Certainly you do, your honour,' said Kita.

  'Then again the young girls say I'm as handsome as Sawamura Sōjurō.'

  'Is that so?' said Kita.

  'By the way, how old are you?' asked the samurai.

  'Give a guess, your honour,' said Kita.

  'Um! Your age? Let me see. I should think you must be twenty-seven or twenty-eight.'

  'No, it's a round figure, your honour,' said Kita.

  'A round figure? What, a hundred?'

  'No, no, it's this,' said Kita, and he held up three fingers.

  'Aha, three hundred. Quite a young man yet,' said the samurai.

  At this they all laughed.

  Thus diverting themselves they passed Ko-Suwa and Ō-Suwa and quickly arrived at Hara. There they parted company from the samurai.

  'Let's have some macaroni with the money we've just got,' suggested Kita.

  'Ah, that's a good idea,' said Yaji.

  So they went into a macaroni shop, where Kita gave an order and the keeper of the shop brought two bowls.

  'It's big macaroni, isn't it?' said Yaji. 'All the more to eat. Kitahachi, shall we have another bowl each after this?'

  'No, no,' said Kita. ' It won't do to spend all the money at once. Let's go on further and then have something else. Drink plenty of the hot water.'

  'Here, young fellow,' said Yaji to the shopman, ' give me some more of the hot water.'

  'Ay, ay,' said the shopman.

  'Ah, that's delicious,' said Yaji. 'Kita, won't you have some? Here, give me another. Oh, oh, I've burnt my mouth. It's too hot. Just put a little macaroni in it to cool it.'

  'Here, young fellow,' called Kita. 'Sorry to trouble you so much, but as I'm taking medicine I'd like another cup of the hot water.'

  'Ay, ay,' said the shopman.

  'That's enough,' said Kita. 'But look here, my medicine won't work unless there's some sauce in it. Sorry to trouble you my man, but just put a little sauce in. Ah, that's good.'

  Kita gulped it down like a fish, and then proposed that they should go on.

  'Ah,' said Yaji. 'I feel very much better now.'

  From there they went on to Shinden, which is famous for its eels, and their noses were tickled by the appetising smell of broiled eels coming from every house.

  Passing Motoyoshihara they reached Kashiwabashi, where you get the finest view of Mount Fuji, and at Yoshihara, the next stage, the shrill voices of the teahouse girls on each side of the way greeted their ears.

  'Please walk in,' they cried. 'Try our wine. Try our real rice. Konnyaku and onion soup served here. Walk in, walk in.'

  'Kago sir. Have a kago,' called the carriers.

  'How about a horse, master?' asked a postboy. 'I'll carry you cheap as I'm going back.'

  'We've been riding so much,' said Yaji, 'that we thought we'd have a stroll for a change.'

  'I thought you said we were having a fall for a change,' said Kita. 'Gave me quite a shock.'

  At the end of the village they came upon a man wearing an old broken hat, who looked something like a rōnin. He was waving a fan and singing,

  Come, let us eat and drink our fill,

  While
autumn flowers on every hill.

  Miscanthus and the bell-flower gay,

  Starwort and aster, what are they?

  'I've fallen ill upon the way and am in great distress,' he said. 'Kindly contribute towards my travelling expenses, gentlemen.'

  'Well, you see,' said Kita, 'we had all our money stolen by a thief last night and haven't got a penny left for ourselves. If you could spare us a bit of your savings we should be very much obliged.'

  'Get out,' said the man and quickly made off.

  Yaji and Kita went on laughing and just outside the next village came upon a little shed by the wayside, in front of which was hung a scroll of Kwannon. A priest dressed in a torn hempen gown was dozing outside. Directly he saw the travellers he rang his little bell and commenced to pray.

  'This is the Sutra of the Lotus of the Pure Law,' he prayed. 'The children of darkness see the light, for the sound of the samisen is loud and continuous in their ears and the feasting of yesterday means the sickness of to-day and utter misery, till the neighbouring doctor is called and compounds medicines which take effect and make the stomach swell. Listen to the holy words.'

  Here he rang his bell, adding, 'All contributions devoted to filling up the empty hole beneath the nose. Your kind assistance is requested.'

  'Ah, that's a good prayer,' said Kita. 'Let's make a contribution.'

  'Thank you very much,' said the priest. 'What name shall I put down?'

  'Just put Yajirobei,' said Yaji.

  'Very well,' said the priest. 'Your name on earth was Yajirobei.'

  'Here, I'm not dead yet,' said Yaji.

  'Eh? Not dead yet?' said the priest. 'Well then, I'll pur down any heavenly name you like.'

  'Oh, anything will do for the sake of Buddha,' said Kita. 'There's a copper for you.'

  They passed on and by-and-by came to a place among the pinetrees where an urchin of fourteen or fifteen had made a place on the embankment for a kettle and had laid out some cakes. He was partly amusing himself and partly trying to sell the cakes.

  'Come and rest, come and rest,' he was calling out.

  'What do you say, Yaji?' said Kita. 'Shall we have some cakes?'

  'Let's rest a bit,' said Yaji.

  They sat down on some matting spread on the bank and both began to eat the cakes.

  'How much are these cakes, boy?' asked Kita.

  'Those are two coppers each,' said the boy.