284 
A CI-DEVAXT TAILOR STANDS POST. 
A\as equal to all the other boys in the ship as far as 
juvenile rascality and activity were concerned. 
The fog clearing oft' at noon, we left the “old John*' in 
high glee and commenced the work. West Point proved 
to be about lialf-way between IIa-k.o-da-di and tlie larger 
city of ^latsmai, and was reached toward the close of 
the second day, Avhen we pitched tent for the second 
time, and amused ourselves by breaking one of the 
agreements appended to the treaty by shooting several 
ftnely-fiavoured Avild ducks, Avith red legs and feet and 
pointed bills. AVhen subsequently spoken to about 
thus breaking the treaty, I threw the blame on the 
Japanese officers themselves, Avho, probably from a desire 
to see how our guns carried, had strongly advocated the 
act by unmistakable signs and gestures. It is astonishing 
how Avell people can make themselves understood upon 
agreeable subjects, though unable to speak a Avord of 
each other’s language. In this case we understood them 
perfectly. 
Our first night at camping out AA^as one of some excite- 
ment. We had been refused permission at Si-mo-da to 
do the very thing in which the launch Avas tlien engaged, 
and, from a most unpleasant custom of the Japanese, — ix, 
the seizure and binding of strangers, and their removal 
to Yeddo, — Ave entertained reasonable fears of at least 
being disturbed in our slumbers. In order therefore to 
avoid as much as possible all communication with the 
natives, our tetit AA^as pitched at least three miles from 
any visible habitation, A large fire AV'as soon kindled 
Avith drift-AAmod, supper cooked and dispatched, and a 
ci-devant tailor (armed to the teeth) placed upon post- 
