Musashi - Eiji Yoshikawa [326]
After promises had been formally exchanged, Kojirō knocked on the door of the shanty. The door was gingerly opened and the mill hands peeped out.
“There must be some wood you don’t need around here,” Kojirō said gruffly. “I want to put up a sign. Find me a suitable board and nail it to a post about six feet long.”
While the board was being planed, Kojirō sent a man for brush and ink. Materials assembled, he wrote the time, place and other details in an expert hand. As before, the notice was being made public, for this was a better guarantee than a private exchange of oaths. To dishonor the pledge would be to bring on public ridicule.
Musashi watched the Yoshioka men erect the signboard at the most conspicuous corner in the neighborhood. He turned away nonchalantly and walked rapidly to the Yanagi Riding Grounds.
All alone in the dark, Jōtarō was fidgety. Eyes and ears were alert, but he saw only the occasional light of a palanquin and heard only fleeting echoes of men singing songs on their way home. Dreading the thought that Musashi might have been injured or even killed, he eventually lost patience and started off at a run toward Yanagimachi.
Before he had gone a hundred yards, Musashi’s voice came through the darkness. “Hey! What’s this?”
“Oh, there you are!” the boy exclaimed with relief. “It took you so long, I decided to go have a look.”
“That wasn’t very smart. We might have missed each other.”
“Were there lots of Yoshioka men outside the gate?”
“Um, quite a few.”
“Didn’t they try to capture you?” Jōtarō looked quizzically up at Musashi’s face. “Nothing at all happened?”
“That’s right.”
“Where are you going? Lord Karasumaru’s house is this way. I bet you’re eager to see Otsū, aren’t you?”
“I want to see her very badly.”
“At this time of night, she’ll be terribly surprised.”
An awkward silence ensued.
“Jōtarō, do you remember that little inn where we first met? What was the name of the village?”
“Lord Karasumaru’s house is much nicer than that old inn.”
“I’m sure there’s no comparison.”
“Everything’s closed up for the night, but if we go around to the servants’ gate, they’ll let us in. And when they find out I’ve brought you, Lord Karasumaru himself may come to greet you. Oh, I meant to ask you, what’s wrong with that crazy monk Takuan? He was so mean it made me sick. He told me the best thing to do with you was leave you alone. And he didn’t want to tell me where you were, though he knew perfectly well all along.”
Musashi made no comment. Jōtarō prattled on as they walked.
“There it is,” said Jōtarō, pointing at the back gate. Musashi stopped but said nothing. “See that light above the fence? That’s the north wing, where Otsū’s staying. She must be waiting up for me.”
As he made a quick move toward the gate, Musashi gripped his wrist tightly and said, “Not just yet. I’m not going into the house. I want you to give Otsū a message for me.”
“Not going in? Isn’t that why you’re here?”
“No. I only wanted to see that you arrived safely.”
“You must come in! You can’t leave now!” He tugged frantically at Musashi’s sleeve.
“Keep your voice down,” said Musashi, “and listen.”
“I won’t listen! I won’t! You promised to come with me.”
“And I did come, didn’t I?”
“I didn’t invite you to look at the gate. I asked you to visit Otsū.” “Calm down…. For all I know, I may be dead in a very short time.”
“That’s nothing new. You’re always saying a samurai must be prepared to
die at any time.”
“That’s true, and I think it’s a good lesson for me to hear you repeat my words. But this time isn’t like the others. I already know I don’t have one chance in ten of surviving. That’s why I don’t think I should see Otsū.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“You wouldn’t understand now if I explained. When you grow older, though, you will.”
“Are you telling