80 
IN FORBIDDEN SEAS 
us not to make a disturbance, and they would only 
ask us to do one thing more. Calming down some¬ 
what, and recognizing I had been very foolish to 
lose my temper, I apologized for my roughness, and 
we resumed our seats. 
“.Will you acknowledge that you have received 
notice that you are not to hunt in Japanese waters, 
as it is prohibited by the Japanese Government ?” 
I replied : “Certainly; why did you not ask this at 
first, instead of keeping us all here for hours, making 
us lose half a day’s fine hunting weather ?” 
After signing the document, the Governor said 
through the interpreter : “ You may now go to your 
vessel, but you must leave the coast at once.” 
“ Thank you,” I replied; “so you do not intend 
to take us to Hakodate ?” “ No, not this time.” 
We then returned on board the schooner, which was 
anchored near by; and a light breeze having sprung 
up, we got under way and stood out to sea. 
We afterwards learned that before coming to us 
the Governor and his party had fallen in with an 
American schooner, the Sanborn , had taken eleven 
skins from her, and towed her out to sea. She gave 
up hunting, and sailed back to San Francisco. In 
those days, in dealing with the Japanese, there was 
nothing like being strenuous. If you were only 
sufficiently persistent, you could nearly always gain 
your point, as I proved on several occasions. Later 
on we heard that the Capron boarded some other 
hunting vessels, but without effecting very much, 
except to cause them to avoid running into places 
where they were likely to meet the steamer again, a 
plan followed by ourselves. 
One night in August, about nine o’clock, we were 
