HUNTING THE SEA OTTER. 187 



companions with regret, as I was anxious to reach England 

 by Christmas, I booked a passage in the Japanese passenger 

 steamer Sakura. But, at the last moment, to oblige friend 

 Thompson, our kindly host and builder, shifted my 

 belongings to the Hokaido, the topsail schooner which he 

 had been building when we started on our cruise, and now, 

 rather shorthanded, there being only two Europeans on 

 board, skipper and mate, was just starting on her maiden 

 voyage to Yokohama. 



It was fortunate that I did so, for, on reaching our 

 destination ten days later, we learned that the Sakura 

 had been lost with all hands in another typhoon, which, 

 extending as far as Hong Kong, had done an enormous 

 amount of mischief both there and at Yokohama. At both 

 these places I found the hatoba, or sea front, as if it had 

 been bombarded, with houses unroofed and wrecked, while 

 several large steamers lay piled up on the roadway. 



Our own voyage in the Hokaido was sufficiently eventful, 

 as we experienced the full fury of the storm. Most of our 

 time was passed lashed to the rigging, with tackles on to 

 the lanyards, tightening the shrouds ; which, being new, 

 stretched so much as to continually endanger the masts. 

 We had started with the deadeyes about eight feet apart, 

 but when our short voyage was over there was not eight 

 inches between them. 



A few days after landing I took the train to Tokio to bid 

 some friends good-bye, and, when entering the station-yard, 

 the native pointsman cleverly shifted the lever when the 

 train was about half over the points. Beyond being thrown 

 from one end of the carriage to the other on the top of a 

 stout old gentleman travelling with two little boys, all the 

 occupants of our carriage escaped unhurt. But we had to 

 dig the fireman from under the tender, and the carriage in 

 front of ours was reduced to matchwood, the framework 

 alone remaining half-way down the embankment. Many 

 were killed and injured. Later in the day, returning in a 

 wagonette, as the line was still interrupted, the horses took 



