116 FINE VIEWS. Chap. VII. 
dinner, I tried to induce them to remain and finish 
it, telling them I was only going for a short walk, 
and that I would soon return. This they would 
not listen to, so I let them have their own way, and 
we all set out together. My chief object was to 
get upon the top of a hill in the vicinity, in order 
to have a good view of the country. A few minutes 
brought me to the top, which formed a kind of 
table-land, uncultivated, but having here and there 
a few groups of lofty trees. This forms the hunting- 
grounds of his Imperial Majesty the Tycoon. It is 
here that on certain occasions he watches the flight 
of the falcon in pursuit of the heron of Japan — a 
bird held sacred by the Japanese, and rigidly pre- 
served by the authorities. There is also on this 
hill an archery-ground for the Imperial soldiers, 
and a refectory for preparing a repast for his 
Majesty’s retinue. 
The view from the top of this eminence was 
exceedingly fine. To the northward, a highly culti- 
vated agricultural country lay spread out. It was 
the period of the rice-harvest, and the fields were 
now yellow with the ripening grain. The young 
crops of wheat and barley, already several inches 
above ground, were of the liveliest green, and 
contrasted well with the yellow rice-fields. The 
country was well-wooded, and a little river was 
seen winding through the valley on its way to the 
head of the Yedo bay. Taking the place as a 
whole, his Majesty the Tycoon could scarcely have 
found a more pleasant hunting-ground. 
