Inouye agreed with the landlord, and, while that worthy was giving change to a servant girl, he slipped up-stairs. He found Kano still asleep, and sat down before his hibachi thinking deeply. There was absolute silence in the room, save when he knocked the ashes out of his pipe.
It was quite dark when Kano awoke. “What, is it so late!” he said as he looked out on the balcony, and saw the lights of the ships in Yokohama harbor. “I thought I would sleep for an hour or so, and here I have taken a whole afternoon!”
“I am glad of it,” replied Inouye. “After supper we must stroll to the beach, for I have much to tell you. I do not think that there will be so very much difficulty in carrying out our plans. But it is best not to speak of them here.”
Kano nodded, and clapped his hands as a signal to serve up supper. They spoke about the food, and joked with the servants. After having satisfied their appetites, they strolled to the beach.
It was a calm, bright night; the only noises disturbing the almost oppressive silence, came from the ships in harbor, or from the shrill whistle of the blind shampooer, as he offered his services in the way peculiar to that trade. Kano led the way until they came to a little hillock where they could notice the approach of strangers. He sat down, and courteously motioned Inouye to take a seat by his side. Inouye did so, and at Kano’s request related his conversation with their landlord.
He then suggested that Kano should apply for the position of house servant of the barbarian physician, while he, Inouye, would try to secure work at Yokohama. But Kano would not hear of this. “No!” he said. “This physician seems to be a good man; you must go there, and I shall mingle with those rude people at Yokohama. But on ichi-roku nichi[50] we must meet here at eight o’clock, and communicate each other’s experiences. But what shall we do with our swords? They would betray us at once?”
“That, certainly, is a difficulty, but not a serious one. Let us think it over, we are sure to find some way out of it.”
The two samurai then returned to their inn and retired.