His ears caught the word "Shimonoseki."
The gai-jin officer was talking volubly and seemed quite excited, and though most of the words were lost, Hiraga gleaned that cannon had fired on some ships in the Straits, had killed some sailors, and that all gai-jin were furious because the Straits were essential to their shipping.
Yes, it is, Hiraga thought with grim amusement, which is exactly why you will never have our Straits. With the cannon we have even now we can close them and keep them closed to any barbarian fleet--and soon our Dutch-built and designed armament factory will be casting sixty-pounders, completing three a month, with gun carriages!
The tide has turned in our favor at long last: Lord Ogama of Choshu, alone of all daimyo, obeys the Emperor's wish to attack and expel the gai-jin; correctly he and Choshu troops firmly hold the palace gates; Katsumata is gathering all shishi to ambush and destroy the Shogun, unbelievably winkled out of his lair, on the way to Kyoto; and now our grip tightens on the gai-jin's citadel, Yokohama...
Abruptly all attention in the forecourt went to the barred and guarded gates as shouting erupted.
Hiraga's stomach turned over. A samurai officer at the head of a patrol under the banners of the Bakufu, and personal insignia of Toranaga Yoshi, was loudly demanding entrance, the redcoated soldiers telling him, as loudly, to go away. Just behind him, bound and battered and cowed, was Joun--his shishi comrade.
A bugler sounded the alarm. All troops inside the walls rushed to action stations, some with half-buttoned uniforms and hatless but all with rifles, full magazines and bayonets, all gardeners were on their knees, heads into the earth-- Hiraga, caught off guard, remained standing for a moment then hastily followed suit feeling totally naked. Warriors, massed in the square, began collecting ominously.
Shakily Tyrer got to his feet. "What the devil's up?"
With studied slowness Pallidar said, "I suppose we'd better find out." He got up leisurely, saw the Captain in charge of the Legation guards at the doorway queasily opening his holster. "'morning, I'm Captain Pallidar."
"Captain McGregor. Glad you're here, yes, very glad."
"Shall we?"
"Yes."
"How many troops do you have here?"
"Fifty."
"Good, more than enough. Phillip, nothing to worry about," Pallidar said to reassure him, outwardly calm but his adrenaline circulating strongly. "You're ranking official, perhaps you should ask him what he wants. We'll escort you."
"Yes, yes very good." Striving to appear calm, Tyrer put on his top hat, straightened his frock coat and walked down the steps, all eyes on him. The dragoons watched only Pallidar, awaiting his orders. Five yards from the gate he stopped, the two officers just behind him.
For the moment all that he could think of was that he wanted to urinate. In the silence he said haltingly, "Ohayo, watashi wa Taira-san. Nan desu ka?" Good morning, I am Mr. Tyrer, what you want please?
The officer, Uraga, the big bearlike man who was at the shishi ambush of Anjo outside the castle, glared at him, then bowed and held the bow. Tyrer bowed back but not quite as low--as Andr`e Poncin had advised--and said again, "Good morning, what you want please?"
The officer had noted the less than respectful bow and exploded in a rush of Japanese that totally swamped Tyrer whose dismay mushroomed. So did Hiraga's because the officer was asking for immediate permission to search the Legation and grounds, and to interview all Japanese there at once because it was probable shishi assassins and revolutionaries were amongst them: "like this one," he finished angrily, pointing at Joun.
Tyrer searched for the words. "Wakarimasen.
Dozo, hanashi wo suru noroku." I don't understand, please to speak slowly.
"Wakarimasen ka?"--You don't understand? the officer said with exasperation, then raised his voice, believing like most people when talking to a foreigner that loudness made his words clearer and more understandable, and repeated what he had said, the guttural language sounding even more threatening, and ended with, "It won't take much time and please understand it is for your own protection!"
"So sorry, not understand. Please you to speak English or Dutch?"
"No, of course not. It should be clear to you.
I only want to come in for a little while. Please open the gates! It's for your protection!
Look, your gates! Here, I will show you!" He stepped forward, grasped one of the bars and rattled the gates loudly, everyone inside shifted nervously, many safety catches came off and Pallidar ordered loudly, "Safety catches on! No firing without my order!"
"I don't know what the hell he's talking about," Tyrer said, a chill sweat running down his back. "Except it's obvious he wants us to open the gates."
"Well we're not bloody doing that, not to that armed rabble! Tell him to go away, that this is British property."
"This...." Tyrer thought a moment, then pointed at the flagstaff and Union Jack, "this English place... no to enter. Please to go!"
"Go? Are you mad. I have just explained, this is for your own protection. We have just caught this dog and we are sure another is here or hiding near here. OPEN THE GATES!"
"So sorry, not understand..." Helplessly Tyrer looked around as more Japanese words surrounded him. Then his eyes focused on Hiraga not far away. "Ukiya, come here," he called out in Japanese. "Ukiya!"
Hiraga's heart almost stopped. Tyrer shouted at him again. With pretended terror in a stumbling, grovelling run, Hiraga put his head in the dirt at Tyrer's feet, his rump towards the gate, his coolie hat covering most of him.
"What man say?" Tyrer asked.
With much feigned shaking, all senses razor-edged, Hiraga replied softly, "He's a bad man... he wants to come in, to... to steal your guns."
"Ah, yes, come in. Why?"
"He... he wants to search."
"No understand. What mean "ser'ch"?"
"Search. He wants to look at your house, everywhere."
"Yes, understand come in. Why?"
"I told you, to search--"
"You, gardener," the officer shouted and Hiraga jerked as anger flowed over him. For the first time in his life, out there the center of attention, on his knees in front of a gai-jin, knowing that under his hat he wore a rough turban, if that was taken off it would reveal the shaven pate and topknot of a samurai, he was suddenly sick with fear.
"You, gardener," the man shouted again, rattling the gates, "tell the fool I only want to search for assassins--shishi assassins!"
Desperately Hiraga said softly, "Taira-sama, the samurai wants to come in, to look at everyone. Tell him you are leaving, then he can come in."
"No understand. Ukiya go there!" Tyrer pointed at the gates. "Say go away, nice go away!"
"I cannot. I cannot," Hiraga whispered, trying to get his mind working and overcome his nausea.
"Phillip," Pallidar said, the sweat staining the back of his uniform. "What the devil's he trying to tell you?"
"I don't know."
Tension soared as the officer battered the gates again, once more demanding entrance, his men began to surge forward and grip the bars to assist him. Goaded into action, Pallidar went closer.
Coldly he saluted. Equally coldly the man bowed. Then, slowly Pallidar said, "This is British property. You are ordered to leave in peace or accept the consequences."
The officer stared at him blankly then, again, with words and actions, told him to open the door--and quickly.
"Go away!" Without turning his back Pallidar called out, "Dragoons only!
Prepare volley!"
Instantly the ten dragoons rushed forward in unison, formed two ranks just in front of the gates, in unison the front rank knelt, all ten safety catches came off, shells went into the breech and they aimed. In the sudden silence Pallidar slowly unbuckled his holster.