280 EXPEDITION TO JAPAN. 



purpose of giving such an answer, winch he accordingly did at once, j^et while yielding each 

 point, he still pertinaciously insinuated all sorts of trivial ohjections to the Commodore's plans. 

 He said that the coal would not he safe on shore, as the natives would prohahly steal it ; in 

 answer to which he was told that the government of Lew Chew would he held responsihle for 

 every lump of it. The mayor was then ready with another objection, stating that typhoons 

 blew very severely on the island, and would no doubt sweep away the coal depot ; and thus, to 

 the very last, while forced to grant all that was asked, the authorities still clung to their 

 prevaricating policy, as if deceit was so much a part of their nature that they practiced it for 

 its own sake alone. 



During the few days in which the steamers remained at Napha a party of the officers and 

 artists of the expedition, at the suggestion of Commodore Perry, availed themselves of the occa- 

 sion to visit the ruins of the castle of Tima-gusko. The Commodore had requested them to take 

 their supplies with them, that they might be entirely independent of the natives for the satisfac- 

 tion of their wants. They accordingly set out well provided with a supply of ship biscuit, and 

 some American said, which Japanese word was now pretty generally accepted as the generic 

 term for all that was intoxicating and potable. Trusting to the general direction that the castle 

 was situated at the southern end of the island, and constantly repeating with an interrogatory 

 tone, whenever they met a native, the word "Tima-gusho?" the party proceeded on their way. 

 Passing from the little village, on the southern side of Junk river, they got upon a narrow paved 

 road leading eastward along its banks. By the way they reached a large village, where they 

 were hospitably entertained at tea, in a handsome Kung-qua, embowered in fruit-bearing lime 

 trees, and succeeded in making friends with the Lew Chewan host, and a party of his neighbors, 

 who just dropped in to get a glance at the strangers, and to share in their supplies of ship 

 biscuit and foreign saki, which were liberally dispensed by the American officers, and highly 

 relished, as usual, by the Lew Chewans. 



Tima-gusko? Tima-gusko? which was about the extent of the limited vocabulary of the 

 Americans, seemed quite intelligible, and the'interrogatory repetition of the word was responded 

 to by an offer on the part of the Lew Chewan tea party to act as guides. They were, undoubtedly, 

 some of the spies who swarmed everywhere, but it was thought advisable, as it seemed quite 

 impracticable to get rid of them, to turn these fellows to some good purpose, and their services 

 as guides were accordingly accepted. In spite, however, of their assistance, it was a long time 

 before the right road was discovered, and then only after a very tedious tramp through rice fields 

 flooded with water, and the climbing of a steep hill, from which a beautiful view, however, of 

 the palace of Slmi and its groves, and Napha with its white tombs and red tiled houses, and its 

 inner and outer bays, and of the whole amphitheatre of the verdant hills of the island, proved 

 some compensation for the labor lost. 



The true road was only reached at last by turning back, in accordance with the direction of 

 the Lew Chewan guides, or rather spies, in whom it would have been better to have trusted from 

 the first ; but these timid-hearted natives had become so impressed with the obstinacy of the 

 self-willed Yankees, and their resolute determination to have their own way, wherever it might 

 lead, that they seemed half afraid of urging the right, when they knew the Americans were 

 pursuing the wrong. It was thus, from the apparent distrust in their own knowledge on the 

 part of the Lew Chewans, that the party from the shijj had followed their own bent, but finding 

 at last that it was wrong, they trusted to the leadership of their guides. 



