The Way of the Traitor: A Samurai Mystery Read Online Free PDF

Dutch East India Company officials lived like prisoners in a heavily guarded compound. From the water surrounding the island's rocky foundation rose tall poles bearing placards that read, ABSOLUTELY NO BOATS PAST THIS POINT! A high wooden fence, topped with sharp spikes, enclosed the compound. Sano craned his neck, but saw only thatched roofs and pine trees within. He could see nothing of the barbarians who had captured his youthful imagination, but his disillusionment with his own country only intensified his desire to know about the outside world.

The ferry bobbed over the waves, then glided up on the beach.

Sano climbed out and saw troops fanning toward the city and hills in search parties. Commanders barked orders. One, arms waving wildly, berated a group of kneeling samurai.

Behind Sano, the captain laughed nastily. oThe Deshima guards. They should be executed for letting the barbarian escape.

One guard, apparently wanting to avoid this fate, drew his sword. With a blood-chilling yell, he plunged it into his belly. Hirata gasped. Sano looked away, shaken.

oWelcome! Through the crowd, a black-robed official hurried toward them. Porters, guards, and palanquins followed. Bowing deeply, he said, oA thousand pardons for this inconvenience. We'll take you to the governor now.

THROUGH THE WINDOWS of his palanquin, Sano watched the sights of Nagasaki move past. He rode like a visiting dignitary, with Hirata and the captain in palanquins behind him, while their Nagasaki escorts walked ahead to clear the way. Sano might almost believe he wasn't a prisoner of the captain, who would soon transfer him to the governor's custody and deliver Chamberlain Yanagisawa's orders concerning him.

The palanquin tilted as the bearers ascended Nagasaki's narrow, crowded streets. Crammed closely together, the shops and houses of the merchant district clung precariously to the hillside. Stone staircases were built alongside the steepest roads. People scurried up and down these, and through the mud from a heavy rain last night. Merchants and peddlers hawked sake, food, and housewares; children gathered around a juggler; an old woman told fortunes. A fishy tang laced the bright morning air. And through the normal everyday bustle, Sano saw news of the Dutchman's disappearance spread.

Mounted samurai in full armor barked questions and orders at pedestrians: oHas a foreign barbarian passed this way? Report any sightings at once!

Footsoldiers ransacked houses and shops, shouting, oAnyone caught harboring or aiding the barbarian will die!

Sano feared they might begin slaughtering innocent townspeople if the missing trader wasn't found soon. Trapped in his cushioned vehicle, he longed to run off and join the search. But the captain would kill him if he did, then probably collect a reward from Chamberlain Yanagisawa. And without the governor's sanction, Sano had no right to interfere. Clenching his teeth in frustration, he forced himself to sit still for the ride.

The palanquin crossed a wooden bridge over a river that flowed between high stone embankments. Here, above the merchant district, the streets were wider, less crowded, and populated mostly by samurai. Tile-roofed mansions, enclosed by long barracks with barred windows, lined the streets. Sano saw the crests of Ky®shdaimyo on guarded gates. Troops streamed through these, searching for the Dutch barbarian. Finally the procession stopped before an ornate portal with a double tile roof. From beyond the barracks came men's angry shouts, and the stomp and neigh of horses.

oI've brought the shogun's envoys to Governor Nagai, Sano heard the Nagasaki official announce.

Guards admitted them into a courtyard jammed with men. Mounted troops and footsoldiers marched past Sano as he stepped out of the palanquin. A commander issued orders to his squadron: oSearch the hills. If you find him, capture him alive. We don't want an international incident.

In a stall by the gate, guards