The Samurai and the Long-Nosed Devils Read Online Free PDF

normal and comfortable. He had been half expecting the foreigners to live in a dark, cavernous mansion made of stone, like the devils in a children’s tale.
    Nevertheless Matsuzo decided that the place had a distinctly foreign feel. Perhaps it was the smell, although he wasn’t sure what exactly made the smell different. It was probably a combination of the incense in the religious vessels, different foods cooked in the kitchen and different fabrics used in the clothing and furnishings. Matsuzo wasn’t sure whether he liked the smell or not, but it was exotic and rather exciting.
    Some of the furnishings had a very foreign look indeed. When Pedro took the two ronin to Father Luis’s room, they found the priest seated on top of a small table with his back against an upright piece and his two arms resting upon low railings on either side. His legs dangled straight down in front and his feet rested flat on the floor. Matsuzo realized that this small table was a “chair,” something which he had seen only in Chinese paintings.
    In one corner of the room was another table, but very large and piled with blankets, with a thick cushion at one end. It took Matsuzo a moment to realize that this table was used as a sleeping couch. Why would the Portuguese want to sleep on this raised platform instead of resting in comfort and security on the floor? One could roll off the platform during sleep and get hurt! Perhaps Portugal was a country overrun with rats and other pests that made sleeping on the floor too dangerous.
    Meanwhile Pedro was speaking to the priest in his own language, obviously explaining the presence of the two ronin. When Pedro finished, Father Luis rose to address them. Although Matsuzo couldn’t understand a word, he guessed that Father Luis was welcoming them and expressing his thanks for their intervention.
    While the priest was speaking, Matsuzo couldn’t help gazing curiously around the room. In addition to the chair and the sleeping couch, there was a table, about waist high, piled with books bound in leather. Hanging from one wall was a large wooden cross. The priest wore a small metal cross on a chain around his neck, and Matsuzo had heard stories—he was sure it was mere superstition—that the cross was a charm against weapons and disease. This large cross, however, had a carved wooden figure nailed to it by its hands and feet. There was so much agony in the expression of the figure that Matsuzo shuddered and turned away hastily.
    The priest noticed his glance and gave him a singularly sweet smile. He said a few words in dismissal and made a gesture. Matsuzo decided that even if the gesture had no magical powers, it was kindly meant.
    The room assigned to the two ronin was large, airy and pleasantly cool. To Matsuzo’s relief, a girl was laying out thick, soft sleeping quilts for them on the floor. They would not have to sleep on top of a raised platform after all. The staff, too, seemed to be composed of their own countrymen, and they would not feel isolated.
    When the girl had finished making the beds and left, the two men looked thoughtfully at each other. “This Pedro must have some decent instincts, to order a bath and this comfortable room prepared for us,” Matsuzo admitted. “And the priest looked like a gentle sort of person.”
    â€œThey are not only decent and gentle,” said Zenta. “They impressed me as brave men. Pedro held himself well when he was in danger from Lord Fujikawa’s samurai. I think that it might even be possible to become friends with these Portuguese.”

Chapter 5
    Â 
    Â 
    â€œAnd you say that his family is from the north?” asked Nobunaga.
    â€œZenta doesn’t talk about his family,” said Hambei. “Apparently it’s a painful subject. But from his accent and his knowledge of the area, my guess is that he is from the northern part of the country.”
    â€œHas it occurred to you