Part 3 (1/2)

Behind Sano, the captain laughed nastily. oThe Des.h.i.+ma guards. They should be executed for letting the barbarian escape.

One guard, apparently wanting to avoid this fate, drew his sword. With a blood-chilling yell, he plunged it into his belly. Hirata gasped. Sano looked away, shaken.

oWelcome! Through the crowd, a black-robed official hurried toward them. Porters, guards, and palanquins followed. Bowing deeply, he said, oA thousand pardons for this inconvenience. We'll take you to the governor now.

THROUGH THE WINDOWS of his palanquin, Sano watched the sights of Nagasaki move past. He rode like a visiting dignitary, with Hirata and the captain in palanquins behind him, while their Nagasaki escorts walked ahead to clear the way. Sano might almost believe he wasn't a prisoner of the captain, who would soon transfer him to the governor's custody and deliver Chamberlain Yanagisawa's orders concerning him.

The palanquin tilted as the bearers ascended Nagasaki's narrow, crowded streets. Crammed closely together, the shops and houses of the merchant district clung precariously to the hillside. Stone staircases were built alongside the steepest roads. People scurried up and down these, and through the mud from a heavy rain last night. Merchants and peddlers hawked sake, food, and housewares; children gathered around a juggler; an old woman told fortunes. A fishy tang laced the bright morning air. And through the normal everyday bustle, Sano saw news of the Dutchman's disappearance spread.

Mounted samurai in full armor barked questions and orders at pedestrians: oHas a foreign barbarian pa.s.sed this way? Report any sightings at once!

Footsoldiers ransacked houses and shops, shouting, oAnyone caught harboring or aiding the barbarian will die!

Sano feared they might begin slaughtering innocent townspeople if the missing trader wasn't found soon. Trapped in his cus.h.i.+oned vehicle, he longed to run off and join the search. But the captain would kill him if he did, then probably collect a reward from Chamberlain Yanagisawa. And without the governor's sanction, Sano had no right to interfere. Clenching his teeth in frustration, he forced himself to sit still for the ride.

The palanquin crossed a wooden bridge over a river that flowed between high stone embankments. Here, above the merchant district, the streets were wider, less crowded, and populated mostly by samurai. Tile-roofed mansions, enclosed by long barracks with barred windows, lined the streets. Sano saw the crests of Kyshdaimyo on guarded gates. Troops streamed through these, searching for the Dutch barbarian. Finally the procession stopped before an ornate portal with a double tile roof. From beyond the barracks came men's angry shouts, and the stomp and neigh of horses.

oI've brought the shogun's envoys to Governor Nagai, Sano heard the Nagasaki official announce.

Guards admitted them into a courtyard jammed with men. Mounted troops and footsoldiers marched past Sano as he stepped out of the palanquin. A commander issued orders to his squadron: oSearch the hills. If you find him, capture him alive. We don't want an international incident.

In a stall by the gate, guards checked men in and out, hanging a wooden name plate on a board to indicate someone's entry, or taking one down when someone else left.

oIf you will please come this way? Sano's escort led him, Hirata, and the captain into the rambling, two-story mansion with half-timbered walls and latticed windows. They left their shoes and swords in the entryway and walked down a corridor past chambers where officials argued loudly as they pored over maps and secretaries drafted reports about the disaster. At the corridor's end, by the open door to a garden, stood two men.

One was perhaps fifty years of age. Broad across the shoulders and chest, he exuded an air of elegance even as he paced in agitation. Two ornate swords hung at his waist. His rust-colored silk kimono, patterned with gold ginkgo leaves, emphasized his ruddy complexion. The graying hair drawn back from his shaved crown was glossy with oil.

oIt will be very bad for us if we don't find him at once, he fumed. Despite his anger, his voice had a mellow, melodious tone ”like that of an actor feigning emotion in a Kabuki drama. He wiped his sweating forehead with his sleeve. oWhat a fiasco!

The other man was a spare, plainly dressed samurai with ashen hair and a stiff posture. Sano, approaching with his party, heard him mutter, o... never would have happened if...

oAnd what's that supposed to mean? The first man's smooth voice tightened. oYou ” Then he spied his visitors.

oGovernor Nagai, may I present the shogun's envoys. Deftly the escort managed the introductions.

oI'm here to perform an inspection of Nagasaki, Honorable Governor, Sano said when his turn came.

Shrugging off his agitation like a discarded robe, Nagai bowed in a relaxed, courteous manner. The lines of his face smoothed into a pleasant expression. His coa.r.s.e features ”broad, porous nose, thick lips, and fleshy jowls ”had an agile mobility that lent him a semblance of handsomeness.

oWelcome to Nagasaki. You had a pleasant journey, I hope? Yes. Well. The words issued from Governor Nagai in a honeyed flow. oI apologize for the temporary state of confusion. But everything is under control.

Sano had heard Nagai mentioned in Edo. His admirers praised the administrative skills that had raised him from lowly provincial inspector to commissioner of finance, then won him Tokugawa Tsunayos.h.i.+'s favor and a prestigious Nagasaki governors.h.i.+p. His detractors said he abused his power to enrich himself, and got away with it because of his talent for pleasing the right people.

Governor Nagai gestured to his companion. oThis is Ohira Yonemon, chief officer of Des.h.i.+ma. He was just leaving to make sure no more barbarians disappear.

Ohira wordlessly bowed his farewells. On him would rest the major blame for any problem on Des.h.i.+ma, Sano knew. His square jaws were clenched, his pale lips compressed, and he looked physically ill. His skin had a blanched pallor, with purplish pouches under the eyes as if he hadn't slept in a long time. As he walked away, his rigid shoulders trembled.

The captain stepped forward. oThe Honorable Chamberlain Yanagisawa's orders, he said, handing Governor Nagai a scroll case.

Governor Nagai read the enclosed doc.u.ment with a neutral expression, and his geniality didn't waver when he addressed Sano again. oYes. Well. Come, let's go to my private office and discuss your plans for the inspection, he said.