Seas of Fortune(150)
The following morning, Jiro and Saburo were loaned horses by the commander at Niji Masu. They rode south along the coast, and by dinner time they were in the presence of Date Masamune at Kawa Machi/Salinas.
They were the first to carry word to the grand governor of the debacle at the Golden Gate; the other pair of messengers, the ones who were to follow the coast to Monterey, hadn’t made it. They were presumed dead.
* * *
Captain Haruno and “Tenjiko” Tokubei, still recuperating from their exploration of the Vancouver area, received an urgent summons to Date Masamnune’s still ramshackle fort.
“Success brings rewards, but also punishments,” he told them.
They smiled uncertainly.
“Those who achieve great things are expected to move on to even greater accomplishments,” he explained.
That sounded even more ominous.
“In this case, I need you to sail at once to San Francisco Bay. You are to go first to the south end, where my daughter Iroha-hime and her companions are encamped. They were shipwrecked by the Golden Gate last September. You will then head north, exploring as you think best, but you must be at the mouth of the Sacramento River by July, to meet her husband, Lord Matsudaira Tadateru. If he does not show up by the end of August, you will return here. Iroha-hime is to come back here with you, with or without him. Even if she protests.”
Tokubei and Haruno exchanged glances.
“Great Lord,” Haruno replied, “we will of course act as best serves you and your daughter’s interests. However, it will not help your daughter if we are lost at sea. The encyclopedia revealed that in northern California, the rainy season is October to April.
“And it is not just the rainy season, it is the season of great storms, with high winds and therefore powerful waves. As we experienced on our passage south to Monterey. Hence, I would recommend that we not leave until April or even May.”
“That’s a long time to wait,” said Masamune. “Is it truly hopeless to leave any sooner?”
“Hopeless, no,” said Haruno. “Dangerous, yes. And with the First Fleet departed, this is the only ship you have. If it’s lost, you will have to wait until the Second Fleet comes, next fall, to have another chance.”
“I think it is perhaps a mistake to place too much faith in what the encyclopedia says. For all we know, the climate has changed over the years. Please take your ship up to the Golden Gate this month. Judge firsthand whether it is safe to proceed through the strait. If it isn’t, return and try again in April.
“I must trust your judgment, as you have already proven your ability by your exploration of the northlands.” He paused. “But if you succeed in passing the Golden Gate this year, you may expect additional rewards, befitting the risks you have taken.”
* * *
After Haruno and Tokubei left, Masamune summoned Jiro and Saburo.
“The rescue mission is being prepared. Missions, I should say. I am so sorry, but I must split you up. Jiro-san, you will go by sea, with Captain Haruno and Tokubei-san, as soon as their ship is refitted.
“Saburo-san, you will go by land, and you will leave this week. You will guide a troop of samurai, and they will bring extra horses, enough for all of Iroha-hime’s party.
Each of you may wait up to a week for the other to arrive, but no more. Iroha-hime’s safety is paramount.”
South Bay, near Alviso, California
The local Indians had become friendly with Iroha’s party, and had brought them food: acorn mush, berries, fish, and so forth. However, she had been running out of small gifts to reward them with, and she and Matsuoka were worried as to what would happen once they were no longer able to reciprocate. There were hundreds, if not thousands, of Indians in the area. If they became hostile, they could make short shrift of the small Japanese party, despite the superior skills and equipment of the two Japanese samurai who had remained with her. Quantity has a quality all its own.
Banks of the American River
“Dispose of the body,” said Lord Matsudaira, who then cleaned and sheathed his katana. He walked away from the corpse without a backward glance.
The victim of the samurai lord’s rage was not the former captain of the Sado Maru, but one of the miners. The unfortunate man had been executed for insolence. His crime had been to say that their search for gold was a waste of time just as Lord Matsudaira passed within earshot.
Kiyoshi reflected that if the man had only had the wits to hold his tongue, he would probably have lived longer in America than if he had remained in Japan. He was not a real miner; he was a convict who had been sentenced to a life term working in the mine, draining the lowest levels one bucket at a time.