Seas of Fortune(138)
Lord Matsudaira raised his eyebrows. “Won’t the Bay be too dangerous for small boats? Look what it did to the Sado Maru.”
“The ebb current was very strong in the Golden Gate, because there was so much water rushing through so narrow an opening. The San Francisco-Oakland gap is perhaps three times as wide, and only the waters of the South Bay will ebb through it. Anyway, we can observe the tides for several days and launch when the waters are slack.”
Lord Matsudaira rolled up the map, and placed it back in its storage cylinder. “So. We have two choices. Start walking, but if we do, we must walk the whole way, mining gear and all. Or trust ourselves to the water once again.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Lord Matsudaira turned to his lieutenant. “Do you have a recommendation?”
“My lord, I do. Let us remember that it does us no good to reach the gold fields, and dig up a bag full of nuggets, if we cannot bring word of our victory back to the shogun. For that we need a ship that can cross the Pacific, and I doubt that this boat the captain has in mind will do. Will it?” The captain waved his hand in front of his face, a sign of negation.
“What I propose is that we send a party overland to Monterey—”
“Enough! I will not go begging to my father-in-law to come and rescue me. That would be a most ignominious end to this adventure; I would sooner commit seppuku here and now!”
The lieutenant kowtowed. “Forgive me for being unclear. I meant that we should split our forces. The miners should be sent by water to the gold fields, as the boat will make it easier to transport the equipment there and the gold back. In the meantime, a land party should be sent to the colony at Monterey, to demand that a new ship be put at your disposal. Didn’t your nephew, the shogun, decree that the grand governor was to give you his full cooperation? You are not begging, you are merely receiving your due.”
“Well.” Lord Matsudaira paused. “Since you put it that way. . . . Yes, that’s reasonable. It will save time if the new ship can be summoned while the miners are en route. How long do you think it will take for the land party to reach Monterey?”
Shigehisa shrugged. “A month? Two months? Three?”
“My lord,” said the captain, “we need to act quickly if we are to salvage as much of the ship’s cargo and timber as we can.”
“Yes, yes, proceed.” The captain hurried off to give orders to the remaining sailors, and Shigehisa summoned the samurai to help with the task.
Lord Matsudaira watched them go. He then went looking for his wife.
* * *
“Iroha-hime, we must talk.”
Iroha and Koya were above the high water mark, collecting wood that was dry enough to burn for the campfires. Some distance above them, two samurai stood guard. So far, no native had been sighted.
“Of course, Husband. How are you feeling? Have you rested at all?”
“My feelings are what you might expect, and I will rest when there is time to do so. Leave us, Koya.” The maid hurried downslope.
“Our party is splitting up. Some to go north to seek out the gold for the shogun, and my true redemption, and some to go south, to Monterey.
“When I invited you to join me on this voyage, I thought that you would have the comforts, albeit limited, of our ship at least until we reached the mouth of the Sacramento, and most likely to where it meets the American River. But now we have no ship, and our largest boat was crushed beyond repair by a falling spar.
“All that the party going to the gold field will have are two small boats. Not even a captain’s launch. There will be no privacy worth mentioning. It is unthinkable for me to permit a woman of your station to travel that way—and my promise to the shogun requires me to lead the party going upriver.”
“But . . . But Tadateru . . . We were separated so long. Are we to be forced apart again? Surely, we have sailcloth to spare; a curtain can be rigged to give Koya and myself what little privacy we need.”
“Privacy is not the only issue . . .” He closed his eyes for a moment. “I am well aware that your father considers my mission to be a challenge to his own authority in New Nippon. I am not confident that your father will send a ship to aid us if you are not present to insist he does. So you must go to Monterey.”
Iroha stood in silence, head downcast. “If I must . . .”
“Iroha-hime, I know I have not always chosen wisely. But a man does not find a place in history by being cautious.
“The wind and wave were not mine to command, and so matters cannot be as either of us would have liked. As your husband, and the commander of this expedition, I could insist you go, but I prefer that you go willingly.”