Seas of Fortune(153)
Tokubei tapped his shoulder, and pointed at Richardson Bay, which had come into view on the port side.
“Looks lovely,” Haruno acknowledged, “but I can’t sail closely enough into the wind to take advantage of it.”
“We could set out the other boat and warp ourselves in,” Tokubei suggested.
“True. But unless you see our longboat hiding there, I think it best to look for an anchorage downwind. We have to head southeast to rescue Iroha-hime, anyway.”
The captain ordered a course set to take them between Angel Island and Alcatraz. This required that they sail close-hauled, but they were still enjoying the assist of the flood tide.
As they sailed deeper into the Bay, Captain Haruno ordered that the ship be brought around, first to an easterly heading, then southeast, then south. It was now the Ieyasu’s Maru’s turn to pass between Yerba Buena and Clark’s Point, and when they did so, a cry went up. “The boat, the boat!”
“A fair anchorage,” said Tokubei.
Captain Haruno nodded. “We’ll pass the night here, and greet her ladyship tomorrow.”
* * *
The next day, they were ready to sail out of Yerba Buena cove and proceed south. Unfortunately, Susanoo the Wind God had other ideas. Over the course of the night, the wind had veered, from northwest to northeast to southeast. It was impossible to sail out of their anchorage.
Kinzo and Jiro requested permission to take the longboat south, to bring word to Iroha-Hime that help was on the way. The longboat, after all, could be rowed.
Captain Haruno refused. “I need the longboat to scout ahead and take soundings.”
In the evening, the wind died down altogether, but by the second day after their entry into the Bay, it had picked up again, and blew once more from the northwest. By noon, they were at the southern tip, and the longboat was winding its way through the sloughs toward Iroha-Hime’s camp.
South Bay
Much to both Iroha and Matsuoka’s relief, the Ieyasu Maru had sailed into sight before the deadline Matsuoka had set had passed.
But its arrival sparked a new debate. Who was to board the Ieyasu Maru, and who would be escorted back by the land route? Iroha of course wanted to rejoin her husband, and she pointed out that the Ieyasu Maru could afford her and her maid the privacy she would have lacked on Tadateru’s little boats. Matsuoka thought that she would be safer on the Ieyasu Maru, than on an overland route exposed to Indian attack, and hence was no longer willing to insist on her immediate return. Of course, if she went, so would he, and her other personal guardsman.
Jiro and Saburo, reunited, thought that it might be their duty to their lord to rejoin him, even though they would much rather be on horseback than on a ship again. Matsuoka sensed their discomfort, and eased their conscience by ordering them back to Monterey.
Hachizaemon was anxious to be back on a ship again, even with a strange new captain. The other shipwrecked sailors had decided that San Francisco Bay was unlucky, and they wanted no more of it. . . . Even if the alternative was getting on top of a horse.
Hence, it was just Iroha, Koya, Matsuoka, his junior samurai, and Hachizaemon who boarded the Ieyasu Maru, and the rest rode, whether happily or painfully, for Monterey Bay. They would bring word to Date Masamune that his daughter was safe on board the Ieyasu Maru.
Near modern Oakland, California
Captain Haruno lowered his spyglass. “I saw no sign of this supposed cairn.”
“It isn’t easy to find stones to pile up if you land on a marsh,” Tokubei pointed out. “And even if you find them, the pile would probably sink.”
“I suppose we had best send out search parties,” said Haruno. “We want to make sure that Lord Matsudaira made a successful crossing.”
“If he didn’t he might be stranded on Angel Island. Or even on Alcatraz.”
“That is so. Tokubei, you take one boat; have Hachizaemon take another. Explore a half-day’s march inland, and return. In the meantime, I will take the Ieyasu Maru around Angel Island and see if any stranded Nihonjin put in an appearance.”
“You are sure you want to split our forces in three?”
“I think it is an acceptable risk. The Monterey Bay colony has not had any violent confrontations with the local Indians, and Iroha-hime found the South Bay Indians to be helpful. In any event, we aren’t moving far apart. If you need help, fire a gun. The sound should carry well enough over the water.”
* * *
Each of the two search parties included several of the Ieyasu Maru’s miners; Haruno had figured that since they had to search the countryside anyway, they might as well keep their eyes open for something useful. Iwakashu was with Tokubei’s contingent. Tokubei had allowed his men to spread out, provided they stayed within hailing distance.