As ’twere a careless trifle.”
Or as Decitas said of Anthony:-
“He is dead,
By that self hand,
Which writ his honor in the acts it did.”
NEAR YEDO.
The commodore promised that the two steamers should only go up in sight of Yedo, and without dropping anchor, return. This quieted their apprehensions considerably. About twelve o’clock, when we had gotten a distant view of the great city, the water suddenly shoaled so as to prevent our further progress, when the boats that had been sounding ahead were recalled, the steamers put about, and the whole squadron proceeded directly down the bay to the anchorage off Nati Sima, or as called by us, Webster island, with the exception of the Mississippi that was sent to the assistance of the Lexington, but that ship having kedged off, we towed her to where the remaining ships had anchored.
Poor Namura Gohachiro, the third interpreter, who was aboard of us during the day’s movements, looked the while like a man whose time had come. He evinced no interest in anything that was going on around him, and during the day did not look over the side. He complained of sickness, and Jamaica ginger gave him no relief; he put aside his two swords, and lay on the cabin sofa; his great inquietude lasted until we had dropped anchor off Webster island, when he experienced the greatest relief, going over the side into his boat, which we had towed during the day, looking like one from around whose neck the halter had been taken.
The yearly number of those who now commit the Hari Kari, or “happy despatch,” in Japan, is estimated at four hundred.