nese
cabinets.

We went on board about dark, and a few friends came to dinner.

_Sunday, February 11th_.--About 7 a.m., two Japanese officers came on
board with a message which nobody could understand. When we went on
deck, we saw that all the ships were dressed, and concluded that we
had been asked to do the same; but we thought it better to send ashore
to ascertain positively. The next difficulty was to get a Japanese
flag. Tom went on board the 'Thabor,' a Japanese ship, to borrow one,
and found everything was in bustle and confusion, news having arrived
from Kiusiu that the rebels were mustering in great force, and that
they had seized some ships. The 'Thabor,' 'Mihu Maru,' and three
others, are therefore to go through the Inland Sea to Nagasaki this
afternoon.

The Japanese admiral sent word early this morning that he would come
on board at two o'clock with some of his captains, and the French
admiral also expressed a hope that it would be convenient to receive
him and his captains at three. Their visits occupied nearly all the
afternoon. We afterwards landed with the French admiral, paid some
farewell visits, and went to look at a collection of old lacquer and
Satsuma china, before we returned to the yacht.

CHAPTER XXI.

THE INLAND SEA.

_Dipped in the lines of sunset, wreathed in zones,_
_The clouds are resting on their mountain thrones;_
_One peak alone exalts its glacier crest,_
_A golden paradise above the rest._
_Thither the day with lingering steps retires,_
_And in its own blue element expires._

_Monday, February 12th_.--Fires were lighted at 4 a.m., and by six we
were steaming slowly out of the beautiful bay of Kobe. It was a cold
bright morning, with a strong head wind, increasing every moment as we
proceeded, until, in the straits of Akashi, it became almost
impossible to make any way against it. There was not much sea, but the
wind impeded our progress so much, that it was at last reduced to one
mile instead of nine an hour. The straits are very fine, and the old
castle presents an admirable specimen of the architecture of a
Daimio's residence.

We proceeded across the Harima Nada, where we were more or less
exposed to the open sea, and where we took more water on board than we
had done in the gale before arriving at Yokohama. There were no big
waves, but we rolled tremendously, and the spray came over us, though
the mere force of the wind seemed to keep the