pturned canoe. Up the beach
was his hut--I have seen many a stye a king to it--and in the doorway
his--wife must I call her? Curious I suppose like all her sex she came
down the strand to get a look at the white-skinned, light-haired
stranger, and was rewarded for temerity in a most summary manner. The
man, at first, seemed to expostulate with her, and so far as I could
judge, ordered her back to her domicile; but as the lady did not seem
prompt to obey the mandate, he further emphasised his meaning and
accelerated her movements by flinging a billet of wood at her with all
the irresponsible and unrestrained force of a savage nature. In the face
of this can I agree with Miss Bird? My first feeling was one of
indignation and an angry twitching of my ten digits to form themselves
into bunches of fives, but on second thoughts, seeing that the poor
woman took the chastisement as a matter of course, and that she was
seemingly used to such like gentle reminders, my indignation cooled down
to matter of fact surprise.

This place is the exile home of one of the banished daimios I spoke of
in a former chapter.

From Endermo we retraced ours steps to Hakodadi, where, during a short
stay, we had some amusement in the shape of messes pulling for bags of
"spuds" (the potatoe of the non-sailor world) and other comestibles.

July 30th.--The date of the most important event of the commission.
Referring to my "journal" I find recorded below this date that word of
terrible import, "stranded." Yea, truly are we. And this is how it all
came about. We had sailed from Hakodadi with a fair wind, through the
strait of Sangar and out into the sea of Japan, shaped our course for
Aniwa bay, in Sagalien, with--except that the atmosphere was rather
hazy--every prospect of a fair and quick passage.

Off the south western corner of Yezo, and about ninety miles from
Hakodadi, lies the small island of O'Kosiri, in the track of vessels
going north. By morning we had reached its neighbourhood--it could be
seen in fact--when suddenly a thick fog enveloped it, us, and the
surrounding sea. We were to have gone outside the island, though the
inner passage is navigable, still, to avoid any possibility of an
accident, it was deemed best to go to seaward of it. At 4 a.m., whilst
steaming at six knots, the look out man reported land dead ahead. The
officer of the watch, seemingly pretty confident as to his whereabouts,
altered course a point or so, and kept o