“Bunzayemon then put on a lordly air”
“Certainly; but if you do, you may get disliked instead of engaged”; at which reply the carpenter was profoundly puzzled.
Early the next day the new employee begged his master to advance him some pocket money, which was promptly given him; and having got it, off he went, no one knew whither, and did not return even for the midday meal.
Then the other employees warned their master, saying: “Sir, what is the use of that sort of man? We don’t know where he has come from. It’s really unsafe to have that sort of fellow about the house, sir.”
But the master paid no heed to their warnings. “Not a bit of it! No matter where his birthplace is, so long as the man is worth having, my purpose is served. I can see he has plenty of common sense, and I’ll warrant he’ll be of good service some day. Whenever you plan on a large scale you must have good assistants: there were four kindly men under Yoshisune, the great general, and twenty-eight generals under Shingen, the great lord of the middle ages. Such men we look to for our examples. Since the days of old every distinguished man has attached to himself able supporters. Merchants should do the same, and, as certain as the day dawns, success will come to the business man who employs many good hands under him. Wait and see. Chobei will do some noteworthy things!” Thus he instructed his servants in his principles.
Toward the evening of that day Chobei came back, but with a downcast countenance. Bunzayemon did not ask where he had been, nor did Chobei volunteer any information. The next day again, and the next, he asked for more money, and went out early in the morning, coming back late at night. He continued in this way for about half a month. The others once more warned their master, but he still refused to listen to them.
One day Chobei came to his master and said: “Sir, you import a lot of timber from Kii Province and try to sell it at once among the people of this city. But Yedo is a place where fires are so frequent that, if you buy up a lot of timber at a time when the price is low and keep it, it’s certain you will make a great profit when some big fire occurs. But to find a good place for keeping timber,” he went on, “is one of the chief difficulties, because, as you are well aware, if you keep it near at hand, in the heart of the city, there’s danger of its being destroyed by fire, and if you keep it in a river or the sea, either it rots or is eaten by worms. Now, every day I have been going about looking for a good place to keep it, and at last I have found one at Kiba in Fukagawa. Keep timber in the water of that place, and, on account of the quality of the water, worms will not eat it, but the wood will become shiny and improve by keeping. Besides, no danger will come to it from fire.” And he concluded his far-sighted plan with, “For these reasons, I hope you will soon construct a reservoir for timber in that place.”
The master clapped his hands in admiration and joy, saying: “Upon my word, that’s a capital idea! I thought you must have been planning something, but I never thought you were looking out for a place to keep timber. I myself had turned the matter over in my mind some time ago, but on account of my many other duties I hadn’t the time to see to it myself, and I thank you for undertaking it for me.” And then and there he intrusted the building of the timber reservoir to Chobei.
Chobei lost no time in going to Fukagawa and buying ten thousand tsubo, or about forty thousand square yards, of ground near the temple of Susaki. He built a large reservoir there and removed to it all the timber imported by his master from Kii Province. Besides, Chobei got his master’s permission to send out men to the neighboring mountains to buy up timber where it could be got cheap, and having deposited it all at Fukagawa, waited contentedly for the time to sell.