But his armies had failed and soon retreated in ignominy--as in previous eras, centuries before, two other Japanese attempts had failed, equally in disaster, the throne of China a perpetual lodestone.

"Such shame needs to be eradicated--like the shame the Sons of Heaven have suffered because of the Toranagas who usurped Nakamura's power when the man died, destroyed his wife and son, levelled their Osaka castle, and have pillaged the heritage of the Son of Heaven for long enough!

Sonno-joi!"

"Sonno-joi!" they had echoed.

Fervently.

In the dusk the youths were tiring, their headlong flight racking them. But neither wanted to be the first to admit it so they pressed on until they were at the threshold of woods. Ahead now were paddy swamps on either side of the Tokaido that led to the outskirts of Kanagawa just ahead, and to the roadblock. The shore was to their right.

"Let's... let's stop a moment,"

Ori said, his wounded arm throbbing, head hurting, chest hurting, but not showing it.

"All right." Shorin was panting as hard and hurting as much but he laughed. "You're weak, like an old woman." He picked a dry patch of earth, sat down gratefully. With great care he began to look around, trying to regain his breathing.

The Tokaido was almost empty, night travel being generally forbidden by the Bakufu and subject to severe cross questioning and punishment if not justified. Several porters and the last of the travellers scurried for the Kanagawa barrier, all others safely bathing or carousing at the Inns of their choice--of which there was a multitude within the post towns. Throughout the land, trunk road barriers closed at nightfall and were not opened until dawn, and always guarded by local samurai.

Across the bay Shorin could see the oil lamps along the promenade and in some of the houses of the Settlement, and amongst the ships at anchor. A good moon, half full, was rising from near the horizon.

"How is your arm, Ori?"

"Fine, Shorin. We are more than a ri from Hodogaya."

"Yes, but I won't feel safe until we're at the Inn." Shorin began massaging his neck to try to ease the pain there and in his head.

Katsumata's blow had stunned him. "When we were before Lord Sanjiro I thought we were finished, I thought he was going to condemn us."

"So did I." As he spoke Ori felt sick, his arm throbbing like his heaving chest, his face still afire. With his good hand he waved absently at a swarm of night insects. "If he... I was ready to go for my sword and send him on before us."

"So was I but the Sensei was watching very closely and he would have killed both of us before we moved."

"Yes, you're right again." The younger man shuddered. "His blow almost took my head off.

Eeee, to have such strength, unbelievable! I'm glad he's on our side, not against us. He saved us, only him, he bent Lord Sanjiro to his will." Ori was suddenly somber. "Shorin, while I was waiting I... to keep myself strong, I composed my death poem."

Shorin became equally grave. "May I hear it?"

"Yes.

"Sonno-joi at sunset, Nothing wasted.

Into nothing I spring."

Shorin thought about the poem, savoring it, the balance of the words and the third level of meaning. Then he said solemnly, "It is wise for a samurai to have composed a death poem. I haven't managed that yet but I should, then all the rest of life is extra." He twisted his head from side to side to the limit, the joints or ligaments cracking, and he felt better. "You know, Ori, the Sensei was right, we did hesitate, therefore we lost."

"I hesitated, he's right in that, I could have killed the girl easily but she paralyzed me for a moment. I've never... her outlandish clothes, her face like a strange flower with that huge nose more like a monstrous orchid with two great blue spots and crowned with yellow stamens--those unbelievable eyes, Siamese cat eyes and thatch of straw under that ridiculous hat, so repulsive yet so, so attracting." Ori laughed nervously. "I was bewitched. She is surely a kami from the dark regions."

"Rip her clothes off and she'd be real enough, but how attractive I... I don't know."

"I thought of that too, wondering what it would be like." Ori looked up at the moon for a moment.

"If I pillowed with her I think... I think I'd become the male spider to her female."

"You mean she'd kill you afterwards?"

"Yes, if I pillowed her, with or without force, that woman would kill me." Ori waved the air, the insects becoming a pestilence. "I've never seen one like her--nor have you. You noticed too, neh?"

"No, everything happened so fast and I was trying to kill the big ugly one with the pistol and then she had fled."

Ori stared at the faint lights of Yokohama. "I wonder what she's called, what she did when she got back there. I've never seen--she was so ugly and yet..."

Shorin was unsettled. Normally Ori hardly noticed women, just used them when he had a need, let them entertain him, serve him. Apart from his adored sister, he could not remember Ori ever discussing one before. "Karma."

"Yes, karma." Ori shifted his bandage more comfortably, the throbbing deepened. Blood seeped from under it. "Even so, I do not know if we lost.

We must wait, we must be patient and see what will happen. We always planned to go against gai-jin at the first opportunity--I was right to go against them at that moment."

Shorin got up. "I'm tired of seriousness, and kami and death. We'll know death soon enough.

The Sensei gave us life for sonno-joi. From nothing into nothing--but tonight we've another night to enjoy. A bath, sak`e, food, then a real Lady of the Night, succulent and sweet-smelling and moist..." He laughed softly, "A flower, not an orchid, with a beautiful nose and proper eyes. Let's--"

He stopped. Eastwards, from the direction of Yokohama came the echoing report of a ship's signal cannon. Then a signal rocket briefly lit the darkness.

"Is that usual?"

"I don't know." Ahead they could just see the lamps at the first barrier. "Through the paddy is better, then we can skirt the guards."

"Yes. Better we cross the road here and go closer to the shore. They won't expect intruders that way, we can avoid any patrols, and the Inn is nearer."

They ran across the road, keeping well down, then up onto one of the paths that transversed the fields recently planted with winter rice.

Suddenly they stopped. From the Tokaido came the clatter of approaching horses and jingling harness. They ducked down, waited a moment, then gasped. Ten uniformed dragoons, armed with carbines, and led by an officer cantered out of the curve.

At once the soldiers were spotted by samurai at the barrier, who called out a warning. Others rushed from the huts to join them. Soon there were twenty lined up behind the barrier, an officer at their head.

"What shall we do, Ori?" Shorin whispered.

"Wait."

As they watched the senior samurai held up his hand. "Stop!" he called out, then nodded slightly instead of a bow, correct etiquette from a superior to an inferior. "Is your night travel authorized? If so please give me the papers."

Ori's fury soared as he saw the open insolence of the gai-jin officer who halted about ten paces from the barrier, called out something in his strange language and imperiously motioned to the samurai to open it, neither dismounting nor bowing courteously as custom demanded.

"How dare you be so rude! Leave!" the samurai said angrily, not expecting the insult, waving them away.

The gai-jin officer barked an order. At once his men unslung their carbines, levelled them at the samurai, then on an abrupt second order, fired a disciplined volley into the air. At once they reloaded and now aimed directly at the guards almost before the sound of the volley had died away, leaving a vast ominous silence throughout the landscape.