This ambiguous reply didn’t bolster Sano’s confidence. He ascended a ladder attached to the ship’s hull, thankful for the presence of the guards who followed. Then he stepped onto the ship’s deck, and as far into the outside world as he would ever go.

The smooth planks were solidly stable under his feet, but the masts and yards creaked; the sails flapped; the rigging groaned. The ship seemed alive, like a great beast. Then Captain Oss and the two East India Company officials came to meet Sano, and their smell hit him: a foul, animal reek of sweat, urine, dirty hair, and a rancid scent he attributed to their diet of milk. From his two months at sea, he knew the discomfort of bathing on board ship, in cold salt water. Yet he’d done it daily, and so had Hirata and the crew. The barbarians stank as though they hadn’t washed since leaving home! Sano’s stomach roiled.

“Captain Oss.” Feeling awkward and intimidated, Sano decided to accept Iishino’s statement that the Dutch disliked formality, and get straight to the point. “Permit me to explain why I’m asking you to delay landing.”

As Iishino translated, at least a hundred sailors watched from the decks, the yards, and the rigging. They scratched themselves constantly. Studying the three leaders, Sano saw flea bites on their necks. Didn’t the barbarians know that regular washing eliminated vermin? Oddly, their clothes seemed clean, down to their knee-length black trousers, black stockings, and shiny black leather shoes with square silver ornaments over the insteps—and high heels. To support their dog feet? They awaited Sano’s explanation, regarding him with their eerie eyes, which were as clear and bright a blue as the ocean.

“I’m sorry to say that Trade Director Jan Spaen disappeared last night,” Sano said. “Until we find him, no other Dutchmen can enter the country, so you must wait here.” Sano hoped that Iishino would accurately convey his direct, courteous explanation. “I apologize for the delay, but it can’t be helped.”

An immediate outcry greeted Iishino’s translation. Shouting sailors waved their fists and bared broken teeth. A thrill of fear clenched Sano’s spine as he remembered that these dirty, bestial creatures were fierce warriors. The Dutch had resisted Spanish takeover of their homeland, then replaced the Spanish Empire as the world’s greatest maritime power. More recently, he’d heard rumors that they’d scored victories over the English, who were challenging their trade monopoly. They had quelled native rebellions in the Banda Islands and now ruled the world’s sole source of nutmeg. They’d secured the pepper monopoly by battling and defeating tribal kings and English rivals on Java. By seizing the colonies of Malacca and Ceylon, they’d ended Portuguese domination of the East Indies trade. Dutch relations with Japan had so far been peaceful—but the past guaranteed nothing.