my lid, and thus I started off for the town, lying in this box,
flat on my stomach, rocked by one wave, roughly shaken by another, at
moments almost over-turned; and through the half-opened door of my
rat-trap I saw, upside down, the two little creatures to whom I had
entrusted my fate, children of eight or ten years of age at the most,
who, with little monkeyish faces, had however fully developed muscles
like miniature men, and were already as skillful as any regular old
salts.

* * * * *

They began to shout; no doubt we were approaching the landing-place.
And indeed, through my trap-door, which I had now thrown wide open, I
saw quite near to me the gray flag-stones on the quays. I got out of
my sarcophagus and prepared to set foot for the first time in my life
on Japanese soil.

All was streaming around us, and the irritating, tiresome rain dashed
into my eyes.

No sooner had I landed, than there bounded towards me about a dozen
strange beings, of what description it was almost impossible to make
out through the blinding showers--a species of human hedge-hog, each
dragging some large black thing; they came screaming around me and
stopped my progress. One of them opened and held over my head an
enormous closely-ribbed umbrella, decorated on its transparent surface
with paintings of storks; and they all smiled at me in an engaging
manner with an air of expectation.

I had been forewarned: these were only the _djins_ who were touting
for the honor of my preference; nevertheless I was startled at this
sudden attack, this Japanese welcome on a first visit to land (the
_djins_ or _djin-richisans_, are the runners who drag little carts,
and are paid for conveying people to and fro, being hired by the hour
or the distance, as cabs are with us).

Their legs were naked; to-day they were very wet, and their heads were
hidden under large shady conical hats. By way of waterproofs they wore
nothing less than mats of straw, with all the ends of the straws
turned outwards bristling like porcupines; they seemed clothed in a
thatched roof. They went on smiling, awaiting my choice.

Not having the honor of being acquainted with any of them in
particular, I choose at haphazard the djin with the umbrella and get
into his little cart, of which he carefully lowers the hood. He draws
an oil-cloth apron over my knees, pulling it up to my face, and then
advancing near, asks me in Japanese something whi