Young Samurai _ The Way Of The Dragon - Chris Bradford [39]
‘I’m so sorry. I had no idea the mare would bolt like that.’
‘Forget about it,’ Jack wheezed, though he was surprised Takuan had let go of the lunge line in the first place.
Sensei Yosa ushered everyone back to the edge of the track.
‘Jack-kun, I think until you’re more competent riding, you should use my training horse to practise Yabusame,’ Sensei Yosa suggested kindly. ‘You’ll find it far more docile.’
‘Thank you, Sensei,’ replied Jack, rubbing his ribs. ‘But isn’t your horse a little big for me?’
A few of the students looked enviously at Jack and then at Sensei Yosa’s magnificent steed.
‘No, not this horse,’ she smiled. ‘That one.’
Sensei Yosa pointed to the corner of the field where a target had been set up. Beside it was a wooden dobbin complete with saddle. The class burst into laughter, while Jack stared in dismay at the model horse.
15
BŌ RACE
‘It’s humiliating!’ said Jack as he and the others made their way through the picturesque gardens of the Eikan-Do Temple to their bōjutsu class.
Up on the hillside, the spire of the Tahoto pagoda poked through the tree canopy like a tiered crown. The leaves surrounding it were still green, but with autumn not far off these would soon turn into a glorious blaze of red, gold, yellow and orange. Then the gardens would fill with people to experience the wonders of momiji gari, the maple-leaf viewing ceremony.
‘I have to sit on a wooden toy, while everyone else rides around on real horses!’ he protested.
‘It won’t be forever,’ consoled Yamato.
Suppressing a grin, Saburo added, ‘No, I’m sure Sensei Yosa will put some wheels on it soon.’
Yamato and Saburo convulsed with laughter.
Jack glared at them. ‘Kazuki hasn’t stopped taunting me about it all week. I don’t need you two rubbing salt into the wound!’
‘But Takuan’s still helping you learn to ride, isn’t he?’ asked Akiko, trying to maintain a straight face herself.
‘Yes,’ Jack admitted, glancing ahead to where Takuan was chatting with Emi and her friends, Cho and Kai. The girls were giggling behind their hands at something he’d just said. ‘But I don’t altogether trust him.’
‘Why not?’
‘He let go of the leading rein when my horse bolted.’
‘Why would he do that?’ said Yamato, suddenly serious.
Jack shrugged. ‘To show me up in front of the class. To prove gaijin can’t be samurai.’
‘I think you’re being overly suspicious, Jack. He’s been nothing but friendly and courteous towards us,’ insisted Akiko. ‘He actually mentioned to me how responsible he feels.’
‘I’m sure he’d tell you anything.’
‘What do you mean?’ asked Akiko.
He immediately regretted his rash comment. He knew Akiko was only trying to help.
‘Oh… nothing really,’ said Jack, quickening his pace to get ahead of his friends.
Yori caught up with him.
‘Are you all right?’ he whispered.
Jack shook his head. ‘Not really,’ he confessed. ‘The Yabusame training is making me look a fool in front of everyone.’
‘Everyone’s got to start somewhere,’ said Yori. ‘And you can’t be the hero all the time.’
‘I didn’t mean it like that,’ said Jack, sighing. ‘But Takuan’s so good at Yabusame. Everyone’s talking about it – he’s even impressed Sensei Yosa. And he seems to be spending a lot of time talking to Akiko.’
‘He spends a lot of time talking to everyone,’ said Yori. Studying Jack with a serious eye, he then pronounced, ‘Beware the tiger that tears not only its prey but also its own heart.’
‘What does that mean?’ said Jack, utterly perplexed.
But Yori only raised his eyebrows in an all-knowing Sensei Yamada-like way and walked on.
Sensei Kano rapped his long white staff upon the ground, ending the student’s bō kata.
‘Now you’ve warmed up with your staffs, we’ll move on to honing your balancing skills,’ he announced in his booming voice.
Big as a mountain bear, with a short crop of black hair and a fuzzy beard, Sensei Kano was a formidable samurai. He strode over to a wooden jetty at the edge of the Eikan-Do’s central pond. The confident manner in which he walked gave no indication he was blind. Only his eyes hinted