eat rejoicing, and with the assurance that our
affairs were prospering, and that our innocence was beginning to be
universally acknowledged. The Bunjo too declared that after our
assertions, and written defence, he now viewed the attack made on
Japanese property by the Russian vessel, in an entirely different
light, and that he was fully convinced of our entire innocence. It was
true that he had not the disposing of us; that remained with the
Emperor, but he would do all in his power to bring our affairs to a
happy termination. In the meantime we must not be discouraged, but
pray to God. This reference to God, which the Bunjo never failed to
make when he examined us, always gave us pleasure, for by it we
recognized with joy, that the people into whose power we were fallen,
had at least some notion of a Supreme being who cared for man.

After this the ropes were taken from us, at which all the Japanese
heartily rejoiced; indeed, some were so much moved as to have tears in
their eyes. We thanked the Bunjo and officers for their kindness, and
for the first time, returned unbound to our prison, where we found
every thing so altered that it was unaccountable to us, how the
Japanese had accomplished the work in so short a space of time as that
during which we were absent. The lattice work of our cages had been
removed, and the gloomy passage was transformed into a roomy and
cheerful apartment, in which we could all move about conveniently.
Round a hearth on which was boiling tea in copper kettles, they had
made a kind of wooden frame, on which each of us found a cup, pipe,
and tobacco pouch, and instead of the oil lamp which had formerly
given us light, we were now treated to candles.

Hardly had we somewhat recovered from our astonishment, when some of
the officers came with their children to pay us a visit. They
congratulated us on this happy change in our condition, sat down with
us by the fire, smoked and chatted. In a word, we were no longer
treated as prisoners, but as guests. Our supper was now brought to us,
not as usual, in cups, but on new and handsome plates. They gave us
also, plenty of beer. The hopes of again seeing our native land was
awakened within us anew, and this night was the first since our
imprisonment, in which we enjoyed a calm sleep.

But, alas our joy lasted only a few days. Old suspicions reviving,
gradually made our situation worse and worse. Our food was changed
back to what it was formerly, a