Musashi - Eiji Yoshikawa [177]
“Why not?” the youth snapped back. Now he was the one who wanted to laugh, and laugh he did. “Yoshioka has a big house and a lot of prestige, so I imagine Kempō must have been a great swordsman. But they say neither of his sons amounts to much.”
“How can you be so sure before you’ve actually met them?”
“Well, that’s what the samurai in the other provinces say. I don’t believe everything I hear, but almost everybody seems to think the House of Yoshioka will come to an end with Seijūrō and Denshichirō.”
Tōji longed to tell the youth to hold his tongue. He even thought for a moment of making his identity known, but to bring the matter to a head at this point would make him appear the loser. With as much restraint as he could manage, he replied, “The provinces seem to be full of know-it-alls these days, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the House of Yoshioka is being underrated. But tell me more about yourself. Didn’t you say a while ago you’d figured out a way to kill swallows on the wing?”
“Yes, I said that.”
“And you did it with that great long sword?”
“That’s right.”
“Well, if you can do that, it should be easy for you to cut down one of the sea gulls swooping down over the ship.”
The youth did not answer immediately. It had suddenly dawned on him that Tōji was up to no good. Staring at Tōji’s grim lips, he said, “I could do it, but I think it would be silly.”
“Well,” said Tōji magniloquently, “if you’re so good that you can disparage the House of Yoshioka without having been there …”
“Oh, have I annoyed you?”
“No; not at all,” said Tōji. “But no one from Kyoto likes to hear the Yoshioka School talked down.”
“Ha! I wasn’t telling you what I thought; I was repeating what I’d heard.” “Young man!” said Tōji sternly.
“What?”
“Do you know what is meant by ‘half-baked samurai’? For the sake of your future, I warn you! You’ll never get anywhere underestimating other people. You brag about cutting down swallows and talk about your certificate in the Chūjō Style, but you’d better remember that not everybody is stupid. And you’d better start taking a good look at whoever you’re talking to before you start boasting.”
“You think it’s only bragging?”
“Yes, I do.” Thrusting out his chest, Tōji came closer. “Nobody really minds listening to a young man boast of his accomplishments, but you shouldn’t carry it too far.”
When the young man said nothing, Tōji continued. “From the beginning I’ve been listening to you carry on about yourself, and I haven’t complained. But the fact of the matter is that I am Gion Tōji, the chief disciple of Yoshioka Seijūrō, and if you make one more disparaging remark about the House of Yoshioka, I’ll have it out of your hide!”
By this time they had attracted the attention of the other passengers. Tōji, having revealed his name and exalted status, swaggered off toward the stern of the ship, growling ominously about the insolence of young people these days. The youth followed him in silence, while the passengers gaped from a safe distance.
Tōji was not at all happy about the situation. Okō would be waiting for him when the ship docked, and if he got into a fight now, there was bound to be trouble with the officials later. Looking as unconcerned as possible, he propped his elbows on the rail and gazed intently at the blue-black eddies forming under the rudder.
The youth tapped him on the back lightly. “Sir,” he said, in a quiet voice that showed neither anger nor resentment.
Tōji did not answer.
“Sir,” the young man repeated.
Unable to keep up his show of nonchalance, Tōji asked, “What do you want?”
“You called me a braggart in front of a lot of strangers, and I have my honor to uphold. I feel constrained to do what you challenged me to do a few minutes ago. I want you to be a witness.”
“What did I challenge you to do?”
“You can’t have forgotten already. You laughed when I told you