CHAPTER VI

THE GREAT HAZARD—A PERILOUS VOYAGE

THE cargo of fishing-tackle which had been sent from Osaka had already arrived at Kumano and was awaiting his return, so Bunkichi took his goods to the fishing villages round about Kumano for sale. The people vied with one another in buying them, on account of their being sold by Mr. Shark-Boy. Owing to the price of tackle being then much higher than at other times, as a result of the scarcity of the supply, he made such a good sale that the profit doubled the cost of his outlay.

Taking care not to waste the money thus obtained, he next opened a trade in oranges, buying them at a cheap rate from the owner of the orange farm and retailing them at Kumano when the market value was high. By this means he made another good profit; still he stayed on in the Daikokuya as his temporary home, and applied himself to business. Thus by the end of the next year he had saved several times the amount of his original capital.

Meanwhile Kichidayu, the sailor to whom he had given kind help, came to him after he had completely recovered. Bunkichi asked the master of the Daikokuya to employ him. He consented, and committed to him, in the capacity of captain, the management of a big ship.

Now Kichidayu’s devotion to Bunkichi was so great that he was ready to sacrifice his own life for his sake if occasion should arise. “I admire your determination immensely, and as I owe my life to you, you may count on me for any assistance in my power,” said the sailor to the boy one day.

Bunkichi rejoiced on hearing this and said, laughingly: “When the time comes in which I shall make my fortune, such property as the Daikokuya possesses I will create in ten days.”

* * * * *

Four years had passed, during which time Bunkichi had done well in his business, trading in various articles, and a portion of his profit he now and then distributed among the poor people in the district. He was now eighteen years of age. It was the autumn of the year, and from the beginning of the month of October a westerly wind had been blowing many days. As a consequence, the shipping trade at Kumano-Ura was entirely stopped. Yet a cargo of oranges bound from Kii Province for Yedo[24] was accumulating at Kumano-Ura and beginning to rot away on account of the warm climate of the province. From Yedo had been received vain messages, by the _hikiaku_, or running postmen, urging them to send up the oranges, the necessary fruit for the _Fuigo Matsuri_, or bellows festival, which was then at hand. Yet the sea became rougher every day as the wind grew stronger, while the frowning autumn sky hung overhead. The people could not possibly put out any ship nor do anything but stare and grumble at the rough sea and the lowering clouds.

Footnote 24:

The old name of the great Japanese city now called Tokio.

Every day Bunkichi went down to the seashore also, and looked at the dark sky as every one else did, yet he alone had a certain expression of suppressed joy in his face. The others said, “We hope this stormy weather will come to an end soon,” while he answered, “I hope it will do nothing of the kind.”

They were surprised at this and said, “Why, what’s the matter with you?”

“Who can tell?” he answered, laughing. While he was thus engaged in casual talk, Kichidayu, the sailor, came to look at the condition of the sea. On seeing him the lad beckoned him aside by a tree and said: “Kichidayu San, when do you suppose this wind will cease?”

“I wish it would stop soon,” he answered, “but it doesn’t look like it, I fear.”

“No, I shall be greatly disappointed if it stops within two or three days.”

“Well, there’s not much chance of its doing so,” was the sailor’s answer.

“That’s good,” the boy replied. “Before it stops what do you say to having a sail in a boat from here to Yedo? It would be fine, wouldn’t it?”

Kichidayu stared at Bunkichi in astonishment and said: “Don’t joke, please. If we were to put out a boat in this rough sea, it would capsize in no time.”

“That’s just where the interest lies. Wouldn’t Kichidayu San like to try it for once?” said the lad, while the other replied, laughing, “Don’t carry your joking too far!”

Bunkichi became serious. “Kichidayu San, I’m not joking. If it was an east or a north wind it would be difficult, of course, but being a west wind, it’s a fair wind toward Yedo, however strong it may be, and so there is no reason why we should not be able to get to Yedo.”

Kichidayu, who thought that Bunkichi was saying rather a strange thing, answered: “If we should have good luck, I don’t say that it’s impossible; however, I do say it could only be a question of good luck.”

“That’s just where the interest lies,” said the lad again. “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. So, if we can buy at a price ten times lower than the usual rate, and sell at a price ten times higher than the usual rate, naturally a hundred _rio_ will make ten thousand _rio_. There isn’t likely to come such a good chance twice in a lifetime. As to the ship, I will ask the master of the Daikokuya to let me have a big one, and if he does, will you captain it for me? I intend to take out in it a large cargo of oranges to Yedo while this bad weather prevails.” The lad thus for the first time revealed his ambitious scheme.

Kichidayu folded both his arms on his breast in contemplation. Then, as he lifted his head, he said: “I will make the attempt—yes, even to Yedo, for your sake; I don’t grudge even my life. What if my ship gets wrecked? I don’t care. But are you thinking of coming on board?”

“Of course; if I don’t go, the business can’t be effected,” said Bunkichi. “Trading is the same as a battle. In one of the battles of old the warrior Yoshisune set us an example by attacking the army of the Hei clan in the province of Shikoku by sending out the war vessels from Daimotsuga-Ura on a stormy night. If we lose courage in such weather as this, we cannot possibly accomplish any great scheme. We shall enter upon it resolutely. Should we die, let us die together. If I gain my object, I will handsomely reward you.

“We shall have to offer sailors ten times their usual pay,” continued Bunkichi; “you may then, perhaps, find fellows who will be willing to come. Will you be responsible for finding them?” So saying, he gave the captain money for the purpose, and, having intrusted the matter to him, at once went home to the Daikokuya and saw the master.

“Danna,” said he, “among your ships the oldest is that _Tenjin-maru_[25] of one thousand _koku_ burthen, is it not?”

Footnote 25:

A Japanese junk.

The master, who was somewhat startled by the abruptness of the question, said: “Yes, she is getting to be an old vessel now, and I am thinking of breaking her up.”

“Will you sell her to me?”

To which the master answered: “If you want her, I don’t mind making you a present of her; but what use will you put her to?”

“I’m thinking of taking a cargo of oranges to Yedo,” was the lad’s reply.

“When the bad weather is over, I suppose?” said the master.

“No; while this stormy weather is prevailing,” was the reply.

The master was startled, but gazing on the boy for a moment, merely remarked: “What an extraordinary idea!”

After a little hesitation, Bunkichi drew nearer to the master. “Pray, master, sell her to me,” said he; “I am again going out on a trading battle.”

Then the master understood his real intention and said: “Well, if you are so minded, you may not be afraid of this storm; but the _Tenjin-maru_ is in any case a dangerous ship for this weather; so I will lend you one which is more seaworthy.”

“No, thank you, sir; I have no wish to borrow,” replied the lad. “This undertaking is a matter of fate. If I am wrecked on the way out I cannot give you your ship back again; so I shall not borrow things of others, for I wish to do everything on my own capital.”

The master knew the boy’s nature and made no further objection, but said: “Very well, I will sell her to you. You will surely succeed. Come back again laden with treasure!”

Chocho, the master’s daughter, who was now sixteen years of age, overheard the conversation between the two and was much surprised, and expressed her anxiety as well as her sorrow in her face, and said: “Does Bunkichi go to Yedo in this storm?” The mother, too, longed to stop him, but could not well interfere, because her husband had already yielded his sanction to the boy’s scheme. She only said, loud enough to be heard by both, as she answered her daughter: “Yes, Cho, it is most dangerous to go out to sea in this great wind and storm!” To which the girl responded: “Yes, mother!”

Bunkichi, having paid the price of the _Tenjin-maru_ to his master, went to the wholesale stores which were best known to him and bought up their oranges. The merchants, as they were sore oppressed by the rotting of the fruit, were in the state of “panting blue breath,” as they say. Bunkichi, in a somewhat off-hand manner, said to one of them: “Do the oranges rot every day?”

“Yes, every day we are much troubled about it; they rot away continually. Already half of the stock we have is spoiled; if it goes on at this rate, within another ten days our whole stock will be lost.”

Whereupon the lad said: “Are you really prepared to sell them at whatever price you can get for them?”

“Oh, yes, gladly; for how much better would it be to sell even at a loss than to pay for throwing the rotten stuff away!”

To which Bunkichi answered: “If that is the case, I will buy from you at sixteen _mon_ per box as much stock as you have.”

The merchant was taken aback at the reply, and said: “Isn’t that _too_ cheap?”

“But if they rot away, you will get nothing. I am not over-keen to buy,” said the lad, coldly; “so if you don’t wish to sell, we need not have any further talk.”

“Just wait a minute,” and the merchant stayed the lad as he was about to leave. “I will sell at sixteen _mon_ a box if you will buy up my whole stock.”

“Yes, the whole lot,” said Bunkichi. “I will buy as many thousand boxes as I can put into a large ship.” Thus he bought up the whole stock of that store and then went on to another, buying up the whole stock of each at a very low price. Then he sent a man to the orange farm and collected some more. Having procured a large stock, he put it all on board the _Tenjin-maru_ so that, albeit the ship was one of a thousand _koku_ burthen, its keel sank deep into the water.