ARRIVAL IN JAPAN.
The great ship steamed onward, day after day and night after night.
There was no storm to break the monotony; no sail showed itself on the
horizon; no one left the steamer, and no new-comers appeared; nobody saw
fit to quarrel with any one else; and there was not a passenger who
showed a disposition to quarrel with his surroundings. Stories were told
and songs were sung, to while away the time; and, finally, on the
twentieth day, the captain announced that they were approaching land,
and the voyage would soon be over.
[Illustration: FRANK STUDYING NAVIGATION.]
Our young travellers had found a daily interest in the instruments by
which a mariner ascertains his ship's position. Frank had gone so far as
to borrow the captain's extra copy of "Bowditch's Navigator" and study
it at odd intervals, and after a little while he comprehended the uses
of the various instruments employed in finding a way over the trackless
ocean. He gave Fred a short lecture on the subject, which was something
like the following:
"Of course, you know, Fred, all about the mariner's compass, which
points towards the north, and always tells where north is. Now, if we
know where north is, we can find south, east, and west without much
trouble."
Fred admitted the claim, and repeated the formula he had learned at
school: Face towards the north, and back towards the south; the right
hand east, and the left hand west.
"Now," continued Frank, "there are thirty-two points of the compass; do
you know them?"
Fred shook his head; and then Frank explained that the four he had named
were the cardinal points, while the other twenty-eight were the
divisions between the cardinal points. One of the first duties of a
sailor was to "box the compass," that is, to be able to name all these
divisions.
"Let me hear you box the compass, Frank," said Doctor Bronson, who was
standing near.
"Certainly, I can," Frank answered, and then began: "North, north by
east, north-northeast, northeast by north, northeast, northeast by east,
east-northeast, east by north, east--"
"That will do," said the Doctor; "you have given one quadrant, or a
quarter of the circle; I'm sure you can do the rest easily, for it goes
on in the same way."
"You see," Frank continued, "that you know by the compass exactly in
what direction you are going; then, if you know how many miles you go in
a day or an hour, you can calculate your place at sea.
"That mode of calculation is called 'dead-reckoning,' and is quite
simple, but it isn't very safe."
"Why so?" Fred asked.
"Because it is impossible to steer a ship with absolute accuracy when
she is rolling and pitching about, and, besides, the winds make her
drift a little to one side. Then there are currents that take her off
her course, and sometimes they are very strong."
"Yes, I know," Fred replied; "there's the Gulf Stream, in the Atlantic
Ocean, everybody has heard of; it is a great river in the sea, and flows
north at the rate of three or four miles an hour."
"There's another river like it in the Pacific Ocean," Frank explained;
"it is called the Japan Current, because it flows close to the coast of
Japan. It goes through Behring Strait into the Arctic Ocean, and then it
comes south by the coast of Greenland, and down by Newfoundland. That's
what brings the icebergs south in the Atlantic, and puts them in the way
of the steamers between New York and Liverpool.
"On account of the uncertainty of dead-reckoning, the captain doesn't
rely on it except when the fog is so thick that he can't get an
observation."
"What is that?"
"Observing the positions of the sun and moon, and of certain stars with
relation to each other. That is done with the quadrant and sextant; and
then they use a chronometer, or clock, that tells exactly what the time
is at Greenwich. Then, you see, this book is full of figures that look
like multiplication-tables; and with these figures they 'work out their
position;' that is, they find out where they are. Greenwich is near
London, and all the tables are calculated from there."
"But suppose a sailor was dropped down here suddenly, without knowing
what ocean he was in; could he find out where he was without anybody
telling him?"
[Illustration: WORKING UP A RECKONING.]
"Certainly; with the instruments I have named, the tables of figures,
and a clear sky, so as to give good observations, he could determine his
position with absolute accuracy. He gets his latitude by observing the
sun at noon, and he gets his longitude by the chronometer and by
observations of the moon. When he knows his latitude and longitude, he
knows where he is, and can mark the place on the map."
Fred opened his eyes with an expression of astonishment, and said he
thought the science of navigation was something wonderful.
The others agreed with him; and while they were discussing the
advantages which it had given to the world, there was a call that sent
them on deck at once.
"Land, ho!" from the lookout forward.
"Land, ho!" from the officer near the wheel-house.
"Land, ho!" from the captain, as he emerged from his room, just aft of
the wheel. "Where away?"
"Dead ahead, sir," replied the officer. "'Tis Fusiyama, sir."
The boys looked in the direction indicated, but could see nothing. This
is not surprising, when we remember that sailors' eyes are accustomed to
great distances, and can frequently see objects distinctly long before
landsmen can make them out.
But by-and-by they could distinguish the outline of a cone, white as a
cloud and nearly as shadowy. It was the Holy Mountain of Japan, and they
recognized the picture they had seen so many times upon Japanese fans
and other objects. As they watched it, the form grew more and more
distinct, and after a time they no longer doubted that they looked at
Fusiyama.
"Just to think," Fred exclaimed, "when we left San Francisco, we steered
for this mountain, five thousand miles away, and here it is, right
before us. Navigation is a wonderful science, and no mistake."
As the ship went on, the mountain grew more and more distinct, and
by-and-by other features of Japanese scenery were brought into view. The
western horizon became a serrated line, that formed an agreeable
contrast to the unbroken curve they had looked upon so many days; and as
the sun went down, it no longer dipped into the sea and sank beneath the
waves. All on board the ship were fully aware they were approaching
land.
[Illustration: VIEW IN THE BAY OF YEDDO.]
During the night they passed Cape King and entered Yeddo bay. The great
light-house that watches the entrance shot its rays far out over the
waters and beamed a kindly welcome to the strangers. Slowly they steamed
onward, keeping a careful lookout for the numerous boats and junks that
abound there, and watching the hundreds of lights that gleamed along the
shore and dotted the sloping hill-sides. Sixty miles from Cape King,
they were in front of Yokohama; the engines stopped, the anchor fell,
the chain rattled through the hawse-hole, and the ship was at rest,
after her long journey from San Francisco. Our young adventurers were in
Japan.
With the first streak of dawn the boys were on deck, where they were
joined by Doctor Bronson. The sun was just rising when the steamer
dropped her anchor, and, consequently, their first day in the new
country was begun very early. There was an abundance of sights for the
young eyes, and no lack of subjects for conversation.
Hardly was the anchor down before the steamer was surrounded by a swarm
of little boats, and Frank thought they were the funniest boats he had
ever seen.
[Illustration: JAPANESE JUNK AND BOATS.]
"They are called 'sampans,'" Doctor Bronson explained, "and are made
entirety of wood. Of late years the Japanese sometimes use copper or
iron nails for fastenings; but formerly you found them without a
particle of metal about them."
"They don't look as if they could stand rough weather," said Fred. "See;
they are low and square at the stern, and high and sharp at the bow; and
they sit very low in the water."
"They are not in accordance with our notions," replied the Doctor; "but
they are excellent sea-boats, and I have known them to ride safely where
an American boat would have been swamped. You observe how easily they go
through the water. They can be handled very readily, and, certainly, the
Japanese have no occasion to be ashamed of their craft."
[Illustration: A JAPANESE IMPERIAL BARGE.]
Frank had his eye on a sampan that was darting about like an active
fish, first in one direction and then in another. It was propelled by a
single oar in the hands of a brown-skinned boatman, who was not
encumbered with a large amount of superfluous clothing. The oar was in
two pieces--a blade and a handle--lashed together in such a way that
they did not form a straight line. At first Frank thought there was
something wrong about it; but he soon observed that the oars in all the
boats were of the same pattern, and made in the same way. They were
worked like sculls rather than like oars. The man kept the oar
constantly beneath the water; and, as he moved it forwards and back, he
turned it partly around. A rope near his hand regulated the distance the
oar could be turned, and also kept it from rising out of the water or
going too far below the surface.
Nearly every boat contained a funny little furnace, only a few inches
square, where the boatman boiled his tea and cooked the rice and fish
that composed his food. Each boat had a deck of boards which were so
placed as to be readily removed; but, at the same time, were secured
against being washed away. Every one of these craft was perfectly clean,
and while they were waiting around the ship, several of the boatmen
occupied themselves by giving their decks a fresh scrubbing, which was
not at all necessary. The Doctor took the occasion to say something
about the cleanliness of the Japanese houses, and of the neat habits of
the people generally, and added, "You will see it as you go among them,
and cannot fail to be impressed by it. You will never hesitate to eat
Japanese food through fear that it may not be clean; and this is more
than you can say of every table in our own country."
[Illustration: JAPANESE GOVERNMENT BOAT.]
The steamer was anchored nearly half a mile from shore. English, French,
German, and other ships were in the harbor; tenders and steam-launches
were moving about; row-boats were coming and going; and, altogether, the
port of Yokohama presented a lively appearance. Shoreward the picture
was interesting. At the water's edge there was a stone quay or
embankment, with two inner harbors, where small boats might enter and
find shelter from occasional storms. This quay was the front of a street
where carriages and pedestrians were moving back and forth. The farther
side of the street was a row of buildings, and as nearly every one of
these buildings had a yard in front filled with shade-trees, the effect
was pretty.
Away to the right was the Japanese part of Yokohama, while on the left
was the foreign section. The latter included the row of buildings
mentioned above; they stood on a level space which was only a few feet
above the level of the bay. Back of this was a range of steep hills,
which were covered nearly everywhere with a dense growth of trees and
bushes, with little patches of gardens here and there. On the summits of
the hills, and occasionally on their sides, were houses with wide
verandas, and with great windows capable of affording liberal
ventilation. Many of the merchants and other foreigners living in
Yokohama had their residences in these houses, which were far more
comfortable than the buildings near the water. Doctor Bronson explained
that the lower part of Yokohama was called the "Bund," while the upper
was known as the "Bluff." Business was transacted in the Bund, and many
persons lived there; but the Bluff was the favorite place for a
residence, and a great deal of money had been expended in beautifying
it.
The quarantine officials visited the steamer, and after a brief
inspection she was pronounced healthy, and permission was given for the
passengers to go on shore. Runners from the hotels came in search of
patrons, and clerks from several of the prominent business houses came
on board to ask for letters and news. Nearly every commercial
establishment in Yokohama has its own boat and a special uniform for its
rowers; so that they can be readily distinguished. One of the clerks who
visited the ship seemed to be in search of somebody among the
passengers, and that somebody proved to be our friend, The Mystery.
The two had a brief conversation when they met, and it was in a tone so
low that nobody could hear what was said. When it was over, The Mystery
went below, and soon reappeared with a small satchel. Without a word of
farewell to anybody, he entered the boat and was rowed to the shore at a
very rapid rate.
There was great activity at the forward gangway. The steerage passengers
comprised about four hundred Chinese who were bound for Hong-Kong; but,
as the steamer would lie a whole day at Yokohama, many of them were
preparing to spend the day on shore. The boats crowded at the foot of
the gangway, and there was a great contention among the boatmen to
secure the patronage of the passengers. Occasionally one of the men
fell into the water, owing to some unguarded movement; but he was soon
out again, and clamoring as earnestly as ever. In spite of the
excitement and activity, there was the most perfect good-nature. Nobody
was inclined to fight with any one else, and all the competitors were
entirely friendly. The Chinese made very close bargains with the
boatmen, and were taken to and from the shore at prices which astonished
the boys when they heard them.
The Doctor explained that the tariff for a boat to take one person from
ship to shore and back again, including an hour's waiting, was ten
cents, with five cents added for every hour beyond one. In the present
instance the Chinese passengers bargained to be taken on shore in the
morning and back again at night for five cents each, and not more than
four of them were to go in one boat. Fred thought it would require a
long time for any of the boatmen to become millionnaires at this rate.
Our travellers were not obliged to bargain for their conveyance, as they
went ashore in the boat belonging to the hotel where they intended to
stay. The runner of the hotel took charge of their baggage and placed it
in the boat; and when all was ready, they shook hands with the captain
and purser of the steamer, and wished them prosperous voyages in future.
Several other passengers went ashore at the same time. Among them was
Captain Spofford, who was anxious to compare the Yokohama of to-day with
the one he had visited twenty years before.
[Illustration: YOKOHAMA IN 1854.]
He explained to the boys that when the American fleet came to Japan in
1854, there was only a small fishing village where the city now stands.
Yokohama means "across the strand," and the city is opposite, or across
the strand from, Kanagawa, which was established as the official port.
The consuls formerly had their offices in Kanagawa, and continued to
date their official documents there long after they had moved to the
newer and more prosperous town. Yokohama was found much more agreeable,
as there was a large open space there for erecting buildings, while the
high bluffs gave a cooling shelter from the hot, stifling air of summer.
Commercial prosperity caused it to grow rapidly, and made it the city we
now find it.
They reached the shore. Their baggage was placed on a large hand-cart,
and they passed through the gateway of the Custom-house. A polite
official, who spoke English, made a brief survey of their trunks; and,
on their assurance that no dutiable goods were within, he did not delay
them any further. The Japanese duties are only five per cent. on the
value of the goods, and, consequently, a traveller could not perpetrate
much fraud upon the revenue, even if he were disposed to do so.
"Here you are in Japan," said the Doctor, as they passed through the
gate.
"Yes, here we are," Frank replied; "let's give three cheers for Japan."
"Agreed," answered Fred, "and here we go--Hip! hip! hurrah!"
The boys swung their hats and gave the three cheers.
"And three more for friends at home!" Fred added.
"Certainly," Frank responded. "Here we go again;" and there was another
"Hip! hip! hurrah!"
"And a cheer from you, Frank," remarked the Doctor, "for somebody we saw
at the railway station."
Frank gave another swing of his hat and another cheer. The Doctor and
Fred united their voices to his, and with a hearty shout all around,
they concluded the ceremony connected with their arrival in Japan.