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And now, I suppose, it would be only fair to tell you how I was
victimised by a similar piece of roguery. I had not been in Japan long
enough to distinguish the good shops from the bad, nor to know the
proper methods of collecting curios. I was attracted one morning by
a graphic representation of a woman sitting on a dragon, the whole
evidently the work of a Japanese sculptor. The colour of the image, a
rich dark brown, was what particularly struck my fancy. The keeper
of the shop informed me that it was a rare piece of art, that it was
made of a certain sacred wood, and that the price was thirty dollars. I
did not buy that morning. In the evening we took a walk through one
of the busy streets, and lo! here was an itinerant merchant with my
dragon at his side, anxiously looking for a customer. I quickly
stepped up to him, and listened to the same tale I had heard in the
morning, with one important exception,—the price was now eighty-
five cents. Perhaps because I thought I was getting a bargain,
perhaps out of curiosity, I purchased the statue, had it done up in
paper, and departed with my treasure. Before I showed it to my
friends I thought I would wash it a little, as it had a very dusty look,
and would be improved by a bath. I was somewhat startled to see
the rich dark brown colour fade away and leave me a pure white
dragon of a cheap Japanese material resembling plaster-of-paris. I
called in the guide, who gave a broad grin as he surveyed the
melancholy object before me. He kindly told me that it had been
“dipped in medicine,” and I made him a present of the curiosity for
his information. He bore it away with a satisfied air, and that was the
last I saw of my dark brown dragon,—though by no means the last I
heard of it.
These are only a few of the ways in which the influence of the
West can be traced in Japan. It will be interesting to watch what the
next few years will bring about; whether the kimono will triumph over
the trousers, the tea over the beer, or whether there will be a gradual
mingling into a new type. The whole thing may be but a temporary
mania, a passing aberration of a quickly assimilative people; and
perhaps in a few years the progressive Japanese will see the folly of
his ways, and learn that he can best advance after a manner of his
own.
CHO AND EBA.
THEY were surely not the most distinguished friends we made
while we were in Japan. As far as worldly considerations went, they
were very humble indeed; but they possessed other qualifications
which entitled them to our favour, and the youthful Eba particularly
has left a lasting impression on our minds. Throughout our stay they
were our companions; we could never visit a temple without their aid,
nor climb a mountain without their words of advice and
encouragement. On many a shopping expedition did they faithfully
act as our guides, and many a quiet hint would they give us as to the
commercial wiles of their countrymen.
Cho and Eba belonged to the most insignificant class of oriental
society. In a land where caste is of such importance, I know that any
of our aristocratic Japanese friends would be horrified to learn that
we entertain so kindly a remembrance of these paltry creatures, to
whom the haughty noblemen of the East would hardly deign to give
a passing glance. Perhaps it was because we treated them
differently that they repaid us with such tender regard and would
apparently sacrifice any happiness of their own to give us a
momentary satisfaction. For our humble friends were jinrikisha men,
and, more than that, they belonged to the despised class of the
coolies. Before you have travelled long in Japan you will become
very familiar with the two-wheeled conveyance which has become
an institution of the country, and will take a patriotic interest in it, for it
is reported to be the invention of an American. It is a low carriage
with shafts, in which a toiling coolie acceptably fills the place of a
horse, and it is preferred by the Japanese to the most elaborate
coach-and-four of the West. It was for this position in the world that
Cho and Eba were born, and in this capacity they proved
indispensable to us.
It was at our landing that we met them for the first time, and had
our first jinrikisha ride. As you step upon the soil of Japan, you will
see a long row of these carriages with shafts resting on the ground,
and at the same time a corresponding row of unobtrusive natives
who accost you with a most respectful air. They have been sitting
between the shafts, with their hands around their knees, patiently
awaiting the landing of the boat, when they know their services will
be required to conduct the passengers to the Grand Hotel. They
have spent the time in laughing at each other and cracking Japanese
jokes, for the amount of merriment they can get out of life seems
without end. If the air is cold, they will be wrapped up in blankets,
and will remind you of our western Indians; but oftener their covering
consists of the simple blue tights which will become so familiar to
you in the days to come. If you are so unfortunate as to land on a
rainy day, they will throw this aside for a covering of straw with bare
feet and legs; but the weather will not affect their spirits at all, and
they will sit with the water pouring down upon them, and crack the
same old jokes, and laugh with an appreciation to which the
sunshine can add nothing. They wear the regulation mushroom hat,
with their name and number inscribed across the front.
You will, of course, immediately call to mind the hackmen of the
West, but more by way of contrast than comparison. The duties of
each are in a large measure the same, but here they are exercised
in a way that is entirely different. The Japs have none of the
disagreeable aggressiveness of their western contemporaries; they
are quiet and polite, preferring, indeed, that you should take the
initiative in the transaction. It is very interesting to watch the outcome
of a rivalry that sometimes occurs when two of the coolies hit upon
the same patron. The angry dispute to which many of us are
accustomed never takes place; they treat each other to smiles
instead of scowls, and the unsuccessful aspirant leaves with a laugh
to find a more appreciative customer. During my stay in Japan I
hardly ever saw a discontented or angry jinrikisha man, and if a
genial smile and gentle manners are an indication of inward
happiness, they are the happiest mortals it has been my lot to meet.
All this is very well, and yet it is with some hesitation that you
decide to surrender yourself into the care of one of those
unpromising equipages, and it was my first impulse to look around
and see if something less oriental could not be had; but I quickly
reproved myself, and remembered that I was in Japan. Meanwhile,
my companion had arranged the matter, and I saw a little old man
smilingly approaching, dragging the dreaded jinrikisha behind him.
His face was sadly wrinkled, his moustache was small and grizzled,
and when he lifted his hat I saw that his hair was white. His spirit,
however, seemed very buoyant, and not to have suffered from the
many years of toil that would occasionally make his step a little
unsteady. I felt a natural hesitation about permitting this little old man
to drag me about the city; but the almost paternal air with which he
assisted me into the carriage made me feel more at ease. Glancing
at his cap, I saw that my new acquaintance bore the name of “Cho.”
I had hardly been comfortably seated when I saw my companion
ride past, borne by much nimbler and more youthful legs than those
of my poor old Cho. Riding in Japan is the most unsocial thing in the
world. Each traveller has a jinrikisha to himself, and the carriages are
compelled by law to move in single file, so that the streets may not
be blockaded. It is true that they will sometimes hold more than one
person; but these conveyances are meant for the Japanese alone,
who are so light that two can be carried by one man. The constant
parade of the jinrikishas, therefore, through a large thoroughfare, is
very interesting. It makes no difference how many people there may
be in your party; one must follow another in regular order, or your
offending coolie may find himself in the lock-up before the day is
over. You can easily see the disadvantages of this state of affairs; it
makes conversation almost impossible,—and who can travel with
pleasure if he cannot talk?
Both for this reason and for another, which I afterwards learned, I
soon lost sight of my companion, whose more sprightly attendant
speedily left my veteran in the background. Cho made little effort to
gain a position ahead of his fellows, but leisurely fell into line, and
trotted along with the contentment of old age. As I knew that my
forerunner was looking for rooms, I was not greatly annoyed.
I arrived at last, bringing up the rear; and as we stood there
congratulating ourselves, the younger man slowly approached us.
Eba had a face of unusual intelligence, and his eyes sparkled in a
way that contrasted forcibly with the dreamy blinking of Cho. His
whole appearance was less conservative. Under his kimono he wore
something that had a resemblance to western trousers, and he had
discarded the mushroom-hat for a peaked cap like that of a college
student. His every feature bore evidence of a keen though kindly
disposition; his hair was thick and wiry, his eyebrows heavy, his
mouth large and firm. He had a way of darting sharp glances at you
that immediately let you know that here was a man who was not
likely to bring up last in a ’rikisha or any other race.
He bowed profoundly, with a smile, and said,—
“Please you have me to-morrow.”
My companion murmured that he might if he was a good man.
“Oh, yes; me very good man. Can run fast.”
“What is your name?”
“My name Eba; can run very fast.”
He had already given evidence of this, and he was told to be on
hand the next morning. He bowed again, and moved on. But he had
an unsatisfied air, and in a hesitating way he turned around and
approached us once more.
“Cho, you know,” he said, with an anxious though somewhat
downcast face, “Cho very good man too.”
And he looked at me appealingly.
“Yes,” I returned, “Cho is a very good man.”
“Cho not quick like me,” he returned, somewhat reassured; “but
a very good man. Cho old.”
After he had given us this information he waited for a few
moments, meditatively digging his bare toes into the sand. Finally he
came to the point.
“Me bring Cho to-morrow? Very good man. My friend.”
We told him that we would be very glad to see Cho also; and
with a face beaming with smiles, and the most exaggerated of bows,
Eba took his leave.
This was the beginning of our acquaintance with these two
friends, and we grew to be very fond of them during the weeks that
followed. They were most assiduous in their attentions, devoting to
us all their time. The first thing we saw every morning as we glanced
out of the window, were the forms of our coolies gracefully reposing
in their shafts, waiting until it was our pleasure to take a ride. Eba
was of a light-hearted temperament, and was always laughing and
joking with Cho, who received his advances with a sedate air more
suited to his greater age. We had already had a touching example of
the filial care with which the younger looked after the older man, and
this was only one of many. I tried several times to learn whether
there was any particular relationship which necessitated this
attention, but never discovered that there was anything beyond a
congenial sense of comradeship. We may be sure that Cho was not
the only one who profited by this, for Eba was of a more impulsive
nature, which might have done many foolish things had it not been
for the sage advice of his senior. He always treated him with the
utmost respect, and his attentions were those of an affectionate son.
SAYONARA
Transcriber’s Notes
Punctuation, hyphenation, and spelling were made
consistent when a predominant preference was found in the
original book; otherwise they were not changed.
Simple typographical errors were corrected; unbalanced
quotation marks were remedied when the change was obvious,
and otherwise left unbalanced.
Illustrations in this eBook have been positioned between
paragraphs and outside quotations.
The illustration on page 180 is shown with a light grey
background because removing that background also removed
the delicate structure of the content.
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