CHAPTER XI.
A FAIRY HISTORY OF JAPAN.
The shop in which Ned had discovered the object of his search was welldown toward the water front, and the course of the sailor was now towardthe center of the city. The two passed the customs quarters and theofficial offices of the city--Yokohama is the old-time treaty port ofJapan--and so on to wide streets lined with shops, still alight, thoughthe hour was getting late.
Such quaint little shops Ned had never seen before, and more than oncehe stopped to look at lacquered ware of rare quality, bronze work, andfancy embroidery. Directly the sailor led the way from the wide streetsto the old-time narrow ones in the native quarter, which were not farfrom the old canal which virtually makes an island of the town.
After proceeding, with hesitating steps, down a particularly dark andfoul-smelling street, the sailor paused at a corner, glanced up at awindow in a tea-chest of a house which stood flush with the alley-likethoroughfare, and began the ascent of a flight of stairs which swayedunder his weight.
On the corner below the tea-house was still open, and the invariablegraphophone was grinding out some indistinguishable tune. When the twopassed up the dark stairway an attendant slipped out of the public room,walked to the foot of the stairs, and observed the two mounting figures.When the sailor opened the door to as miserable a room as the sun of theOrient ever shone on, the attendant slipped back to the public room andconferred with a keen-eyed, slender man who sat there--a man garbed inthe native costume, but bearing in manner and face the stamp of aEuropean!
The sailor closed the door of his room and set a match to a candle whichhe found on a shelf hanging to a wall. There was nothing in the room,nothing but mats, as it seemed to Ned. There was no table, no chair.Only the mats to sit on and sleep on. The walls were of paper, and Nedsaw with pleasure that the whole front of the room, which faced thealley, might be rolled up at will!
The sailor dropped on the floor and fumbled in his clothing for acigarette.
"Have you got the makings?" he asked, giving up the search at last.
Ned shook his head.
"I have need of all my wits," he said, "and never befuddle my brain withtobacco. It's the curse of the age."
"I've got to have a cigarette," the sailor said. "I'll go crazy if Idon't have one! I won't sleep a wink, either!" he whined.
Ned handed him a dime and pointed to the door.
"Go and buy some," he said, knowing that the fellow would be in fightingmood if he was not supplied with the narcotic. "Come back here andsmoke."
The sailor looked at the dime sorrowfully, scorning the small piece ofsilver because it wasn't a dollar, as Ned concluded--pitying himself,too, because it would not buy what he wanted most--liquor!
Ned handed him a quarter and bade him hasten back. With the man's nervescrying out for accustomed stimulants, the boy knew that he could donothing with him. He must get him into a companionable mood if possible.He dreaded the night, which seemed about to be passed in the fumes oftobacco and liquor, but there was no help for it that he could see.
Presently the sailor came back with a package of cigarettes, gin in abottle, and a jug of water. He arranged the articles in a half-circleabout him when he sat down on a mat. It seemed pitiful to the boy, thesailor's dependence on the nerve-destroying things he looked upon asnecessary to his comfort. Only for these, only for their constant usefor years, the man might have been honored and respected and possessed ahome among his kind instead of being an object of contempt in a foreignport.
"Here's to the Flowery Kingdom!" the sailor said, the bottle at hislips. "Here's life to you, not existence! What's your name?" he added,stopping in the midst of a grin which wrinkled his dissipated facehorribly to cast a glance of suspicion on the boy sitting in pity beforehim. "My name," he added, without waiting for Ned to reply to hisquestion, "is Brown--B-R-O-W-N."
"Glad to make your acquaintance, Mr. Brown," Ned said. "One is alwaysglad to meet Americans in a place like this. Now," he went on, resolvedto have his talk out before the sailor became too befuddled to talkcoherently, "you spoke about wanting to get back to New York. Well, the_Fultonia_ leaves for New York by way of Manila, to-morrow afternoon,and I may be able to arrange a passage for you. I'm a friend of thecaptain's."
"Not on your life! Not by way of Manila!" the sailor cried. "I wouldn'tgo back to Manila for all the gold there is in Standard Oil! I'm goingto lose myself on a wind-jammer! Manila's unhealthy for me!" he addedwith a wink.
"I wasn't thinking of remaining there," said Ned. "I'm going back to NewYork."
"Wind-jammer for mine!" Brown insisted. "Why," he added, swinging hisbottle of gin in the air, "do you know that I'd like to get inside aboat with wide white wings and sail about the Orient forever! The more Imix with Englishmen and Americans the more I think of the Japs. It wasan American that threw me down to-night. I did something for him, and--"
The sailor paused, gave a slight shiver, and looked down at his righthand. Then he brushed it, as if trying to wipe something away that wasobstinate and hard to get rid of--some stain like the stain of blood!
"And he left you stranded?" Ned continued "I'm glad I happened along,"he added, not caring to say how glad he was, nor how much the meetingmight mean to him!
"I did his dirty work!" the sailor went on, his tongue loosened by theliquor. "I did for him what I never did before, what I never will doagain! And he went back on me! He threw me down! I'd like to meet him onRoosevelt street, New York! I'd provide against his throwing anyone elsedown!"
"What did you do for him?" Ned asked, with as innocent a manner as hecould assume.
"That's my business!" Brown answered, with a sly wink. "That's betweenthe two of us! If I had him here I'd cut his heart out, and show you howblack it is."
The sailor was fast coming under the influence of the gin, and Ned knewthat he must keep him talking or he would drop off into drugged slumber.He sounded him on half a dozen subjects, intending to lead him back tothe man's connection with the plot, but he would not talk until thesubject of Japan was brought up. He seemed to be infatuated with theFlowery Kingdom.
"I know the history of Japan," he said, with a brightening of the eyes."In the beginning, the world was like an egg in shape. The white becameheaven, and the yolk became earth. You may read about it yourself in thebook called "_The Way of the Gods_." Then two Gods descended fromheaven, and a son called Omikami was born to them, and his body was sobright that he flew up into the sky and became the sun.
"What do you think of that? He became the sun. And a daughter was bornto the two Gods, and she became the moon. The moon you see when the sungoes down. Then the children that were born after these became strongand founded the Empire of Japan. And the original inhabitants were hairyon the body and ate raw meat. You see I know all about it!"
"And Japan may in time acquire all Asia," Ned said, desiring to lead thesailor back to within reaching distance of the subject he was mostinterested in. "In time the Philippines may belong to Japan."
The sailor winked at Ned mysteriously and flourished his bottle of gin.
"I know!" he cried. "I know! If Japan gets the Philippines she'll haveto fight a thousand tribes and the monkeys in the trees! She'll have tofight also the crocodiles in the brooks. 'I could a tale unfold whoselightest word would harrow up thy soul--cause thy two eyes, like stars,to start from their spheres, and thy--.' Say," he said with a laugh,"what do you think of me anyway? You think I've got a jag on, don't you.Never was soberer in my innocent life!"
"If you'll describe this man that threw you down," Ned said, anxious tohave done with the by-play, "and tell me where to look for him, I'll goand see what I can do for you. How much was he to give you?"
"Barrels!"
The sailor paused and stretched his hands above his head, the bottleglistening in one of them. "He was to pile the greenbacks up sohigh--for me to wade in, and wipe my feet on. You can't find him."
There was a stealthy movement on the stairs, and a movem
ent not sostealthy at the door. Ned heard a hand moving over the bamboo, and madeready for a spring. He had no idea who the visitor might be, but hismanner of approach showed him to be no friend of the sailor's.
There were no more sounds at the door, and Ned glanced casually in thatdirection. The candle on the wobbling shelf gave forth little light, andthat seemed to grow more shadows than rays of illumination. The shadowsseemed deepest and most uncertain of form at the door, but, at thecenter of the odd-shape panel in the middle of the door he thought hesaw a malevolent eye looking forth into the room.
He wondered if an eye was really there, or if, his imagination stirredby the weird scene and the fairy history of Japan which the sailor hadrepeated, he was seeing things not present to the senses!
In a moment there was no doubt, for the malevolent eye left the apertureand there was again a fumbling at the door. Ned made no motion, but satas if unconscious of any intruder being there. He knew that the personat the door was there to watch the sailor, to see that he did not talktoo much, to see that he did not leave Yokohama until the trap oftreason had been fully set and baited.
There was no doubt in the mind of the boy now that he had found the manhe had set out in quest of. Of course the man who had planned theconspiracy, who was doubtless assisting the tribes to arms andammunition by way of the unpatrolled China Sea, was the one he aimed toreach in time. The sailor was only a link in the chain which led to theobject sought.
The mind of the boy was not at that time much concerned with thoughtsfor his own safety although he could never be in more deadly peril thanhe was at that moment when he was looked at through the opening in thedoor. His one idea was to get a view of the spy, and with this object inview he arose and stepped toward the door.
"You're getting sleepy," he said to the sailor, "and I'll go out and geta little fresh air while you sleep. I shall not be far away."
"You're a good fellow," Brown cried, already half asleep. "When I getout of this I'll tell you something that'll make your fortune. Bringback another bottle of gin. Thish mos' gone!"
Ned stood by the door for a moment in order to give the spy time to getback to the bottom of the stairs. He could see no profit in a strugglein that place, and there was certain to be one if he permitted the spyto know that his movements had been observed.
Finally he heard soft footsteps on the stairs. He waited only an instantafter this before passing out into the narrow hall. The staircase wasclear, but a door opening into it from the public room below was openand a broad zone of light lay on the floor of the passage and on thewall.
Ned stood in the doorway and looked out on the street, now and thenturning his eyes in the direction of the public room. At a table welltoward the back end of the place he saw the man he was looking for. Hewas seated at a table with two men who appeared to be American sailors.While he stood there, wondering at the inefficiency of the disguise theman wore, at the nerve which prompted him to wear that fragment ofnative costume when his face, manner and accent bespoke the culturedAmerican another sailor came swaggering into the place.
This sailor was unquestionably intoxicated. He swayed back and forth ashe walked, and would have fallen to the floor at the very door only forthe restraining hand of a boy who accompanied him. Immediately on hisappearance waiters rushed forward to attend to his wants, to give him achair and a table, and to pay him all sorts of little attentions.
In such places in all foreign ports the American sailor is the easymark. He drinks--when he drinks at all--until he is past all wisdomregarding the expenditure of money, with the result that he literallythrows it away. In the appearance of this sailor the attendants saw arich harvest, not only for the place but for themselves.
But Ned saw more than this. He saw the freckled face and sparkling eyesof Jimmie McGraw, steering the drunken sailor to the table pointed outfor him. The boy was in high humor, for he joked with the blunderingsailor, and instead of sitting down at the table--brought into use therebecause the foreigners insist on not drinking sitting on the floor--hesat down on it and swung his feet downward.
"Look at the kid!" one of the men at the table Ned was watching said."Looks like he was on South Clark street, Chicago."
"Don't get gay, now!" Jimmie retorted. "I'm playin' I'm a tug towin'this 'ere sailorman to bed."
"You've got a job on your hands," the other said, and then the three atthe table bent their heads forward and talked in whispers. Now and thenthey faced toward the doorway, but Ned was then too far toward thestreet for them to observe him.
They did not seem at all suspicious of Jimmie, and Ned concluded thatsuch occurrences were not uncommon there. Jimmie seated his companionmore firmly in his chair in a moment and passed out, stopping at thedoorway where Ned stood.
"You duck!" the boy said. "That man in there with the sailors followedyou here, an' I followed him here. You duck!"
"I haven't got the information I'm after yet," Ned said. "How in theworld did you get here?"
"Followed the chap that followed you," was the quick reply. "Out here Icome upon that beery sailor and took him in tow!"
"Good idea," Ned said. "Now, you slip past me and go up stairs, to theroom in front, and see if the man there can be gotten away. I want tosize up the men in there. I can see them by poking my head outoccasionally, but they can't see me."
"Well, you keep your gun ready," Jimmie warned. "This ain't New York,with a cop every half block an' a taxicab always within reach. This isYokohama! Don't you forget that!"
"Don't remain up there long!" said Ned.
Jimmie hastened away, and Ned stood leaning against the casing of thedoorway. Then Jimmie came down the stairs at a jump, making no pretenseof secrecy, and behind him there was a rush of feet and a jumble offoreign words.
The three men Ned had been watching sprang up from their table anddashed toward the front of the place, and all was confusion in aninstant. The sailor who had come in with Jimmie attempted to leancarelessly back in his chair and toppled over on the floor, where he laywith the slippered feet of the attendants striking him in their rush forthe door.
"Run!" Jimmie cried as he approached Ned. "Hot foot! The man you sent meto is dead, and there's a bunch of ruffians after us. Run! Beat it!"