The guards firmly escorted Sano out of Kiyoshi’s cell, and the warden bolted the door. “Wait,” Sano protested.

Suddenly a huge boom rocked the prison. Sano’s heart lurched; his ears rang. Fragments of plaster rained down from the ceiling as a shocked silence fell over the jail. Then the prisoners began shouting again, louder, pounding on the doors and begging, “Let us out!”

“What in heaven was that?” the warden said. “Thunder? An earthquake?”

Dawning comprehension horrified Sano. “The Dutch ship,” he said, and bolted for the exit.

25

二五

Sano’s guess proved unfortunately correct. From outside the jail, he saw the Dutch ship moving down the harbor channel with ominous majesty. Black smoke drifted out of cannon protruding from the lower decks. Flames blazed aboard a nearby patrol barge whose stern tilted below the water. The Dutch captain had entered the harbor before the two days were up, firing on troops who had tried to stop the ship. Sano’s worst fear had become reality: His failure to resolve the barbarian’s murder had brought war to Japan.

He leapt astride his horse and galloped downhill toward the harbor. Past him streamed noisy crowds seeking shelter, while braver, curious souls ran for the waterfront. Gawkers peered from balconies and roofs. Foreign merchants, concerned for their anchored craft, poured out of the settlements in raucous hordes accompanied by frantic Japanese guards. Shouts and cries filled the streets.

“The barbarians will kill us all!”

“Run for the hills!”

Dōshin tried vainly to maintain order. Troops, armed with bows, arquebuses, swords, and spears, rode and marched toward the harbor. Then a second boom shuddered the sky and echoed across the hills. A fountain of smoke and water burst from the sea near the wrecked barge. Another wave of panic rose.

“Move,” shouted Sano, maneuvering his horse through massed bodies and trying not to trample anyone. He must somehow undo the harm he’d caused. The Dutch captain might be rash enough to risk dying in battle against Japan’s more numerous forces, and with his superior firepower, he could ruin the city.

The waterfront promenade was already awash in troops when Sano reached it. Sentries manned small boats around Deshima, preventing contact between the Dutch crew and their imprisoned compatriots. Beyond the beach, survivors of the wrecked barge swam for shore while waves swallowed their craft. From the harbor patrol station, more barges, packed with troops, sped toward the Dutch ship, which loomed larger and closer. Scarlet war banners fluttered on the clifftops above the harbor. Sano hastily secured his horse outside the station and rushed down the pier.

“Wait!” he cried, waving at the last departing barge.