82 HUNTING THE SEA OTTER. 



The last step called for a rather sharp remonstrance, but 

 our protest was answered so politely, that they would tow 

 us to their vessel, that it was useless to resist. Having 

 lived some years amongst these people, and liking them, as 

 we could not fail to do, their vagaries when assuming the 

 manners and dress of Europeans still struck us as very 

 ridiculous ; and, aware that we had done nothing of which 

 they could complain, we quietly submitted. It was plain 

 now that this was either the forerunner of that expedition 

 which we had been warned was to take more formal posses- 

 sion of the island and put a stop to otter hunting, or that 

 we were at length to find a key to the obstructions offered 

 to our leaving Hakodate and to the conduct of the Governor 

 of Nemoro. On boarding the steamer, which we had already 

 recognised as the Japanese gunboat Capron Maru, we 

 were shown into a small deck-saloon aft. Seated at a table 

 which almost equally divided it were a number of Yakonins 

 in native costume, and when in one of them we identified 

 the portly form and ill-favoured visage of the Governor of 

 Nemoro, we began to foresee trouble ; for, although within 

 our rights in what we had done, it was hardly likely, now 

 that he considered he had the whiphand of us, that he 

 would forgive our high-handed but necessary proceedings 

 at our last meeting, and the small deference paid to his 

 authority. 



We were, however, under the American flag, whose 

 prestige is almost as great as that of the English. Its 

 power was as well-known to our captain as to ourselves, 

 and any insult to the one was as sure to be resented as 

 any want of respect to the other. Our apprehensions, too, 

 were allayed by the consciousness that both nations were 

 represented at the time in these regions by tw r o of the 

 ablest ministers ever sent out by their respective govern- 

 ments, and in the course of our examination all our fear 

 subsided. It would be impossible to give all the details of 

 this examination, or rather conversation, for the interpreter's 

 knowledge of the English language was limited; and, though 



