At last the morrow came, and early in the morning Bunkichi bade farewell to the men of the Daikokuya and put on his white suit, which was made by the daughter of the house, and went out to the seashore. The master, as well as his wife, with their daughter, Chocho, and all the employees in the shop, followed him in order to see him off. Having heard of his departure, some of the townspeople with whom he was acquainted, and those poor people who had received his alms, flocked together from the four corners of the town to bid him good-by.
Having bade farewell to the people, Bunkichi entered a small boat and soon got on board of the Iurei-maru. Those who came to see him off, as they stood around the shore, raised their voices, calling out for Bunkichi, lamenting his departure. Bunkichi gave a signal for the anchor to be weighed and the sail to be hoisted; then the ship soon stood out to sea. Both the men on the shore and those on board the ship waved their hands till their forms had become indiscernible, while the ship, driven by the strong west wind, soon became lost to sight among the big waves.
Though the Iurei-maru had her sail up only seven tenths of its whole length, she sailed on eastward with the speed of an arrow, owing to the strong wind. In a very short time she passed the Sea of Kumano, and then soon was in the Sea of Isè. As she came to the noted Yenshiu-nada on the evening of that day, the wind grew stronger and the rain came down in torrents. As the huge waves, mountain-high, came rushing from the far ocean and the ship was tossed like a tree-leaf, the crew felt as if they were flung down into the abyss of darkness when she got into the trough of the waves. Those six robust men, who had hitherto worked with steady and fearless courage, suddenly gave in before this state of the sea and lost all heart for labor. Nevertheless Captain Kichidayu, as steady as ever, ran about here and there, stirring the crew up to their work.
Among the eight men all told, the one most unaffected by the dreadful state of the sea was Bunkichi, the Wanizame-Kozo, and he, with the captain, lent a helping hand to the tired crew, calling out occasionally: “Hurrah! This is fine! We shall get to Yedo within the next day. Work hard, all of you, and you sha’n’t want for pay!” And then he doled out money to the crew, who were encouraged by this and braced themselves up and labored their best.
Meanwhile night fell and the storm continued. Though nothing was visible to the eyes, the awful sound of the waves, and the wind, which shook masts and rigging, deafened the ears; and the heaven and the earth seemed to be swallowed up by the waters.
By degrees the crew’s courage began again to fail and one of them muttered: “This is just the sort of night for some big monster like a wanizame to appear!” To which another said: “Yes; I feel a bit nervous, too.”
“Come, men; a little more perseverance!” shouted out Bunkichi. So saying, he again gave them an extra wage and continued: “You fear the wanizame, do you? I rather think the wanizame will be afraid of me because I’m the Wanizame-Kozo. Take heart, all of you! Don’t be afraid!”
The men were cheered up and said: “Truly enough, you once killed the wanizame. We needn’t be afraid! Now, all right, sir; we’re rid of our fears!”
However, their courage was of but short duration; when they gazed at the dark, angry sea they again lost heart, saying: “But, sir, what shall we do if the umi-bozu[[27]] comes up—if it is true, as the people say, the monster lives in this ocean?”
[27]. An imaginary giant of the sea.