Part 3 (1/2)
CHAPTER IV
For us teachers there was a duty of night watch in the school, and we had to do it in turn. But Badger and Red s.h.i.+rt were not in it. On asking why these two were exempt from this duty, I was told that they were accorded by the government treatment similar to officials of ”Sonin” rank. Oh, fudge! They were paid more, worked less, and were then excused from this night watch. It was not fair. They made regulations to suit their convenience and seemed to regard all this as a matter of course. How could they be so brazen faced as this! I was greatly dissatisfied relative to this question, but according to the opinion of Porcupine, protests by a single person, with what insistency they may be made, will not be heard. They ought to be heard whether they are made by one person or by two if they are just. Porcupine remonstrated with me by quoting ”Might is right” in English. I did not catch his point, so I asked him again, and he told me that it meant the right of the stronger. If it was the right of the stronger I had known it for long, and did not require Porcupine explain that to me at this time. The right of the stronger was a question different from that of the night watch. Who would agree that Badger and Red s.h.i.+rt were the stronger? But argument or no argument, the turn of this night watch at last fell upon me. Being quite fastidious, I never enjoyed sound sleep unless I slept comfortably in my own bedding. From my childhood, I never stayed out overnight. When I did not find sleeping under the roof of my friends inviting, night watch in the school, you may be sure, was still worse. However repulsive, if this was a part of the forty yen a month, there was no alternative. I had to do it.
To remain alone in the school after the faculty and students had gone home, was something particularly awkward. The room for the night watch was in the rear of the school building at the west end of the dormitory.
I stepped inside to see how it was, and finding it squarely facing the setting sun, I thought I would melt. In spite of autumn having already set in, the hot spell still lingered, quite in keeping with the dilly-dally atmosphere of the country. I ordered the same kind of meal as served for the students, and finished my supper. The meal was unspeakably poor. It was a wonder they could subsist on such miserable stuff and keep on ”roughing it” in that lively fas.h.i.+on. Not only that, they were always hungry for supper, finis.h.i.+ng it at 4.30 in the afternoon. They must be heroes in a sense. I had thus my supper, but the sun being still high, could not go to bed yet. I felt like going to the hot-springs. I did not know the wrong or right of night watch going out, but it was oppressively trying to stand a life akin to heavy imprisonment. When I called at the school the first time and inquired about night watch, I was told by the janitor that he had just gone out and I thought it strange. But now by taking the turn of night watch myself, I could fathom the situation; it was right for any night watch to go out. I told the janitor that I was going out for a minute. He asked me ”on business?” and I answered ”No,” but to take a bath at the hot springs, and went out straight. It was too bad that I had left my red towel at home, but I would borrow one over there for to-day.
I took plenty of time in dipping in the bath and as it became dark at last, I came to the Furumachi Station on a train. It was only about four blocks to the school; I could cover it in no time. When I started walking schoolwards, Badger was seen coming from the opposite direction.
Badger, I presumed, was going to the hot springs by this train. He came with brisk steps, and as we pa.s.sed by, I nodded my courtesy. Then Badger, with a studiously owlish countenance, asked:
”Am I wrong to understand that you are night watch?”
Chuck that ”Am-I-wrong-to-understand”! Two hours ago, did he not say to me ”You're on first night watch to-night. Now, take care of yourself?”
What makes one use such a roundabout, twisted way of saying anything when he becomes a princ.i.p.al? I was far from smiling.
”Yes, Sir,” I said, ”I'm night watch to-night, and as I am night watch I will return to the school and stay there overnight, sure.” With this parting shot, I left him where we met. Coming then to the cross-streets of Katamachi, I met Porcupine. This is a narrow place, I tell you.
Whenever one ventures out, he is sure to come across some familiar face.
”Say, aren't you night watch?” he hallooed, and I said ”Yes, I am.” ”Tis wrong for night watch to leave his post at his pleasure,” he added, and to this I blurted out with a bold front; ”Nothing wrong at all. It is wrong not to go out.”
”Say, old man, your slap-dash is going to the limit. Wouldn't look well for the princ.i.p.al or the head teacher to see you out like this.”
The submissive tone of his remark was contrary to Porcupine as I had known him so far, so I cut him short by saying:
”I have met the princ.i.p.al just now. Why, he approved my taking a stroll about the town. Said it would be hard on night watch unless he took a walk when it is hot.” Then I made a bee-line for the school.
Soon it was night. I called the janitor to my room and had a chat for about two hours. I grew tired of this, and thought I would get into bed anyway, even if I could not sleep. I put on my night s.h.i.+rt, lifted the mosquito-net, rolled off the red blanket and fell down flat on my back with a bang. The making of this b.u.mping noise when I go to bed is my habit from my boyhood. ”It is a bad habit,” once declared a student of a law school who lived on the ground floor, and I on the second, when I was in the boarding house at Ogawa-machi, Kanda-ku, and who brought complaints to my room in person. Students of law schools, weaklings as they are, have double the ability of ordinary persons when it comes to talking. As this student of law dwelt long on absurd accusations, I downed him by answering that the noise made when I went to bed was not the fault of my hip, but that of the house which was not built on a solid base, and that if he had any fuss to make, make it to the house, not to me. This room for night watch was not on the second floor, so n.o.body cared how much I banged. I do not feel well-rested unless I go to bed with the loudest bang I can make.
”This is bully!” and I straightened out my feet, when something jumped and clung to them. They felt coa.r.s.e, and seemed not to be fleas. I was a bit surprised, and shook my feet inside the blanket two or three times.
Instantly the blamed thing increased,--five or six of them on my legs, two or three on the thighs, one crushed beneath my hip and another clear up to my belly. The shock became greater. Up I jumped, took off the blanket, and about fifty to sixty gra.s.shoppers flew out. I was more or less uneasy until I found out what they were, but now I saw they were gra.s.shoppers, they set me on the war path. ”You insignificant gra.s.shoppers, startling a man! See what's coming to you!” With this I slapped them with my pillow twice or thrice, but the objects being so small, the effect was out of proportion to the force with which the blows were administered. I adopted a different plan. In the manner of beating floor-mats with rolled matting at house-cleaning, I sat up in bed and began beating them with the pillow. Many of them flew up by the force of the pillow; some desperately clung on or shot against my nose or head. I could not very well hit those on my head with the pillow; I grabbed such, and dashed them on the floor. What was more provoking was that no matter how hard I dashed them, they landed on the mosquito-net where they made a fluffy jerk and remained, far from being dead. At last, in about half an hour the slaughter of the gra.s.shoppers was ended.
I fetched a broom and swept them out. The janitor came along and asked what was the matter.
”d.a.m.n the matter! Where in thunder are the fools who keep gra.s.shoppers in bed! You pumpkinhead!”
The janitor answered by explaining that he did not know anything about it. ”You can't get away with Did-not-know,” and I followed this thundering by throwing away the broom. The awe-struck janitor shouldered the broom and faded away.
At once I summoned three of the students to my room as the ”representatives,” and six of them reported. Six or ten made no difference; I rolled up the sleeves of my night-s.h.i.+rt and fired away.
”What do you mean by putting gra.s.shoppers in my bed!”
”Gra.s.shoppers? What are they?” said one in front, in a tone disgustingly quiet. In this school, not only the princ.i.p.al, but the students as well, were addicted to using twisted-round expressions.
”Don't know gra.s.shoppers! You shall see!” To my chagrin, there was none; I had swept them all out. I called the janitor again and told him to fetch those gra.s.shoppers he had taken away. The janitor said he had thrown them into the garbage box, but that he would pick them out again.
”Yes, hurry up,” I said, and he sped away. After a while he brought back about ten gra.s.shoppers on a white paper, remarking:
”I'm sorry, Sir. It's dark outside and I can't find out more. I'll find some tomorrow.” All fools here, down to the janitor. I showed one gra.s.shopper to the students.
”This is a gra.s.shopper. What's the matter for as big idiots as you not to know a gra.s.shopper.” Then the one with a round face sitting on the left saucily shot back: