Botchan | Page 8

With a long, sonorous whistle the steamer which I was aboard came to
a standstill, and a boat was seen making toward us from the shore. The
man rowing the boat was stark naked, except for a piece of red cloth
girt round his loins. A barbarous place, this! though he may have been
excused for it in such hot weather as it was. The sun's rays were strong
and the water glimmered in such strange colors as to dazzle one's sight
if gazed at it for long. I had been told by a clerk of the ship that I was to
get off here. The place looked like a fishing village about the size of
Omori. Great Scott! I wouldn't stay in such a hole, I thought, but I had
to get out. So, down I jumped first into the boat, and I think five or six
others followed me. After loading about four large boxes besides, the
red-cloth rowed us ashore. When the boat struck the sand, I was again
the first to jump out, and right away I accosted a skinny urchin standing
nearby, asking him where the middle school was. The kid answered
blankly that he did not know. Confound the dull-head! Not to know
where the middle school was, living in such a tiny bit of a town. Then a
man wearing a rig with short, queer shaped sleeves approached me and
bade me follow. I walked after him and was taken to an inn called
Minato-ya. The maids of the inn, who gave me a disagreeable
impression, chorused at sight of me; "Please step inside." This

discouraged me in proceeding further, and I asked them, standing at the
door-way, to show me the middle school. On being told that the middle
school was about four miles away by rail, I became still more
discouraged at putting up there. I snatched my two valises from the
man with queer-shaped [B] sleeves who had guided me so far, and
strode away. The people of the inn looked after me with a dazed
expression.
The station was easily found, and a ticket bought without any fuss. The
coach I got in was about as dignified as a match-box. The train rambled
on for about five minutes, and then I had to get off. No wonder the fare
was cheap; it cost only three sen. I then hired a rikisha and arrived at
the middle school, but school was already over and nobody was there.
The teacher on night-duty was out just for a while, said the janitor,--the
night-watch was taking life easy, sure. I thought of visiting the
principal, but being tired, ordered the rikishaman to take me to a hotel.
He did this with much alacrity and led me to a hotel called
Yamashiro-ya. I felt it rather amusing to find the name Yamashiro-ya
the same as that of Kantaro's house.
They ushered me to a dark room below the stairway. No one could stay
in such a hot place! I said I did not like such a warm room, but the maid
dumped my valises on the floor and left me, mumbling that all the other
rooms were occupied. So I took the room though it took some
resolution to stand the weltering heat. After a while the maid said the
bath was ready, and I took one: On my way back from the bathroom, I
peeped about, and found many rooms, which looked much cooler than
mine, vacant. Sunnovagun! They had lied. By'm-by, she fetched my
supper. Although the room was hot, the meal was a deal better than the
kind I used to have in my boarding house. While waiting on me, she
questioned me where I was from, and I said, "from Tokyo." Then she
asked; "Isn't Tokyo a nice place?" and I shot back, "Bet 'tis." About the
time the maid had reached the kitchen, loud laughs were heard. There
was nothing doing, so I went to bed, but could not sleep. Not only was
it hot, but noisy,--about five times noisier than my boarding house.
While snoozing, I dreamed of Kiyo. She was eating "sasa-ame" of
Echigo province without taking off the wrapper of bamboo leaves. I

tried to stop her, saying bamboo leaves may do her harm, but she
replied, "O, no, these leaves are very helpful for the health," and ate
them with much relish. Astounded, I laughed "Ha, ha, ha!"--and so
awoke. The maid was opening the outside shutters. The weather was
just as clear as the previous day.
I had heard once before that when travelling, one should give "tea
money" to the hotel or inn where he stops; that unless this "tea money"
is given, the hostelry would accord him rather rough treatment. It must
have been