We were, however, diverted from these thoughts by the announcement
that we were to change our quarters as soon as the fine weather set
in. Accordingly, on the first of April, we were removed to a house
which was some distance off, and not far from the coast. Yet this was
not by any means the commencement of our final liberation, but of a
still longer imprisonment, though it was to be in a milder form and
more healthy place. At any rate, we thus interpreted the remark of the
commander-in-chief, that we must now look upon the Japanese as
brethren and countrymen. However, we had so little desire to claim any
relationship that we set to work in earnest to make preparations for a
flight. The first thing we did was to examine into the condition of
our new abode.
The house in which we now found ourselves, lay near the southern gate
of the fort, between a wall and a steep rock, at the foot of which lay
the town. It was surrounded by a large court-yard and a high wooden
fence. Another fence divided the yard into two parts, of which the one
nearest the house was set apart for our own use. As there were three
or four trees in this enclosure, the Japanese, when they were pointing
out to us the advantages of our new residence, dubbed it a garden, but
we found that if we wished to get along without wounding their vanity,
we must call a pool of water that was in one corner of it, "a lake,"
and a heap of mud in this pool, "an island." This so-called garden was
connected with the other court, by means of a little door, which was
always kept shut, except when the captain of the guard visited us, or
we were permitted to take a walk, which now frequently happened. A
gate which was kept carefully closed during the night, led from the
second court into the street. Our house was divided into two parts by
a lattice work which ran through it in the direction of the fence
separating the two court-yards, with one of which each division was
connected. In the first of these divisions were three chambers,
separated from each other by screens, which were appropriated to our
use, and in the second dwelt soldiers armed with guns, javelins,
swords, and daggers. In this way they could easily watch us, and their
commander generally sat by the lattice and looked into our rooms. A
gallery ran round our apartments, from which we could look out upon
the sea, and a shore which lay opposite.
Our present habitation was in reality far better than the former one,
for we could now at least enjoy the sight of the heavens, walk round
the court-yard undisturbed, and inhale the fresh air and cool breeze.
Our food, also, was much improved. Yet when we came to reflect on the
last words of the governor, we knew not whether to rejoice or be sad.
He had told us, in the plainest terms, to consider the Japanese as
brethren and countrymen, without striving to cheer us, as he was wont
to do, with the prospect of returning to our native land. What could
this mean, but that we were now domiciliated in Japan, and must in
future give up all thoughts of returning home? Yet we were now more
determined than ever, either to free ourselves by force, or escape on
some favorable opportunity offering. After mature deliberation, we
determined on attempting flight, hoping that ere our absence was
discovered we should have time to reach some mountains, in the north
of the island, where we could lie concealed until an opportunity
offered of seizing some kind of a vessel along the coast, in which we
could make a journey from island to island, and so reach the nearest
Russian port. Having thus made our plans, the first thing we
determined to do was to divert the attention of the Japanese from us,
by assuming a cheerful demeanor, and suffering no complaint to escape
us. To our great joy, we were successful. It is true that the
soldiers, who mounted guard, did not sleep at their posts during the
night, but they troubled themselves less about us than formerly, and
sat round the fire, smoking their pipes and playing at draughts. The
officer still went the rounds every half hour, with his men, but he
then sat down in a corner, and amused himself by reading. In the
meantime, we sought to provide ourselves with such things as were
indispensable to our flight. Every day we put aside some of the rice
broth, which continued to be our usual food, and having dried it
during the night, put it into bags, which we tied to our girdles, or
under our arms. One day, whilst we were walking outside of the town,
one of the sailors found a fire-steel. He immediately put his foot
upon it, and stooping down under pretence of pulling up his stocking,
slipped it into his pocket. We stole some flints from our attendants,
and made tinder by burning an old shirt. "Necessity is the mother of
invention," says an old proverb, which, in our case, spoke truly, for
by untiring perseverance we succeeded in constructing a compass,
which, though of course imperfect, answered every purpose. After many
entreaties, we procured from our attendants a couple of needles, under
pretence of mending our clothes. Pretending that we had lost them, we
devoted them to the manufacture of our compass. Through repeated
rubbings on a magnetic stone, which Chleb Nikow had found, and which
we kept carefully concealed in a corner of the yard, we succeeded in
rendering one of them magnetic, and then fastened it to a little sheet
of copper, which we loosened from the roof of our house. We undertook,
besides this, to manufacture some weapons for our defence, in case of
need, and in this attempt fortune again favored us. We found, among
the grass in the court-yard, a large and sharp chisel, which, most
probably, the carpenters had used in the construction of the house,
and forgotten. We put it carefully by, in order that we might fasten
it to a pole, and use it in the moment of our flight as a spear. We
found, also, a spade in the court, which we hid, that it too might
serve as a weapon. Besides this, the sailors, on the night when we
made the attempt, were to arm themselves with some long poles, which
had been used in drying our clothes.
After we had finished our preparations, we noted carefully, whenever
we took a walk, the road and footpath which led to the mountains. On
the twenty-third of April, having gone farther than usual, we induced
our attendants, under the plea of curiosity, to show us a temple,
which lay directly in the way we must take in our flight. Whilst we
were gathering, as usual, leeks and herbs for our own use, we observed
accurately the whole neighborhood, and then set out on our way home.
When we arrived there, we went to bed. A half an hour before midnight,
two of the sailors, who had taken a couple of knives from the kitchen,
which adjoined our rooms, slunk into the garden just after the guard
had made the twelfth round, and hiding themselves under the steps,
began digging a hole under the hedge, whilst we put a bundle of
clothes into each of their beds, that it might appear as if they were
still there.
After they had happily finished their task, without being discovered,
we all went out, and one after the other crept through the hole. When
it came to my turn, I stumbled, but got through, striking my knee,
however, as I did so, against a small post, which was nearly buried in
the ground. The blow was violent, but the pain soon disappeared. We
now found ourselves in a very narrow footpath, between the hedge and
the wall of the fort, which we followed, and after some trouble,
reached the principal street of the town. We hastened along, keeping
among the trees, and at the end of a half hour found ourselves at the
foot of a high mountain, which we were obliged to ascend.