The 47 Ronin Story (18 page)

They continued to walk slowly back to the house as the day became warmer and the cicadas began to hum. Oishi was reminded of the last meeting with his wife when he had given her the letter of divorce and he recalled her promise to pray for him. He hoped the faiths of both the women in his life would be justified. So much sacrifice had to be compensated for in the end.

When they reached the front of the house, Oishi, out of habit, checked to see if the spy was still across the way. There was a so-called komuso on duty as always and Oishi's forehead wrinkled as he muttered an oath under his breath.

Okaru's heart went out to him in sympathy. She knew what a strain he was under and especially how concerned he was about Hara, who continued to refuse to answer his messages. She tried to think of

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some way to help. What could be done to throw his enemies off her lover's trail once and for all? If she thought it would serve any purpose, she would pretend to be a spy and send out false messages. But if she were found out, suspicions would be aroused to such an extent that Oishi's position would be more difficult. So that was not a good plan.

She knew the spy force had been reduced since she had come to live at Yamashina, but merely reducing it was not enough. Although the steady drip of raindrops will pierce even stone, perhaps more water from another source was needed. Anyway, it was worth discussing with Oishi. Sometimes two minds were better than one.

It was early one morning in late summer when Fujii, the spy, arrived outside the house at Yamashina to take up his post.

He was yawning when he stopped before his basket-headed subordinate and asked for a report on the night's activities.

"Nothing," came the muffled answer. "No one in or out all night long."

Fujii frowned. This had been the pattern for several weeks now. And there had been very little movement discernible during the daytime. Was Oishi sick? Could he be worn out from all the partying in Kyoto? The lack of activity made Fujii suspicious and apprehensive. His reports to Chisaka nowadays sounded like Oishi had retired completely. But was this really the case? Or was it a trick, as he suspected the taking in of Okaru was a trick?

Thoughtfully, he dismissed his man and took up the guard post himself. It was hot inside the straw

basket on his head and he knew it was going to get hotter before the day was over. If only something would happen to relieve the monotony.

Everything inside the house was apparently harmonious. On several occasions he had seen Oishi and Okaru come out for short walks in the garden and they had always seemed attentive to each other. Oishi's young son also seemed to have found a fitting companion in the little maiko and showed no signs of restlessness either. It was altogether too quiet from all standpoints. Something had to happen.

What did happen that morning was something he would never have been able to imagine. At a very early hour, Oishi came out of the house alone, carrying some unfamiliar implement. Fujii looked closer and saw that it was a hoe! And he was not only carrying it but looked like he was going to use it! Fujii tipped back the basket on his head for a better look. Oishi was actually starting to prepare the soil in a little plot in front of the house. He was getting it ready for fall planting, of all things! Fujii was just getting used to this notion when Okaru came out the front entrance to watch. She had a few suggestions for Oishi as to just how to manage the hoe and what area to cover, and Fujii had to blink hard to make sure he was not dreaming. Was this the great warrior, the samurai he had been hired to follow to prevent a bloody uprising? He could never have imagined such a scene of domestic tranquilhty in connection with the ex-chief retainer of the house of Asano.

As the day grew warmer, Oishi, stripped off his outer garment and went on working in his underclothes like any poor farmer. The heat affected Okaru, too, and she became more shrill in her comments and suggestions.

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"That's not the way—you have to dig deeper than that!"

Oishi made no discernible reply, but kept on digging.

A little later, she spoke out again.

"Do you think that's a large enough area? We've got a lot of things to plant if we want our own fresh vegetables every day."

Oishi grunted and tried to keep digging but the perspiration was running into his eyes and he stopped to wipe it away with his hand.

"Don't stop now," she said loudly. "Let's finish up before it gets any hotter."

"I'd get through a lot sooner if you'd go in the house and shut your mouth," he shouted back at her.

She stood aghast for a moment at the way he had talked to her and then turned with a sob and ran into the house. Oishi cursed loudly to himself and set to work with a vengeance. And Fujii watched it all in amazement.

When he was reheved from his post, he quickly dashed off a letter to Chisaka informing him of these unexpected developments and because of it he was shortly thereafter summoned to Edo.

Chisaka stopped his pacing in front of Fujii as he caught the spy in a furtive yawn.

"Am I boring you?" he asked sarcastically.

"No, no," Fujii boomed out hastily. "It's just that we've been short handed and I haven't gotten much rest lately."

"If what you tell me is true," and here the oily little man stopped as he saw the tall samurai's hand fall lightly onto his sword. "What I mean is, if it is

true that Oishi has indeed retired for good from active life, then you'll have plenty of chance to rest."

Fujii took a deep breath.

"I know the evidence points to his retirement as final, but I still have a feeling that all is not what it

seems."

"I appreciate your sentiments. You've been on Oishi's trail for so long now, you probably don't want to give up. But /am the one who interprets the facts of your observations as you report them. And on the basis of the reports, I don't see how I can justify the expenditure of any more funds to Lord Uesugi."

Something in the way Chisaka said this made Fujii uneasy. He hoped he had not offended this little man who was in a position to do him good or harm.

"I am a soldier," he said simply. "I follow orders to the best of my ability and do not question my assignments. I accept your interpretation."

Chisaka smiled at this acknowledgment of his superiority, then cleared his throat and turned away.

"You have been a very valuable assistant, Fujii," he said finally. "And I intend to reward you for your services."

"All I ask is to be allowed to continue the privilege of serving the house of Uesugi," Fujii said with a humbleness he did not feel.

Chisaka turned to him and folded his arms. "That is something I wanted to talk to you about." He caught a gHmpse of the thin man's eyes narrowing and hastily added, "Not that I don't want you for one of our bowmen—I know that you're an excellent archer —but there are other considerations. Financial, for one. You know how much this spying has cost' our treasury in the past few months. And, as you know,

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the cost of supporting even one more fighting man has gone up tremendously, especially considering that we live in times of peace. I shouldn't tell you this, but we've had to reduce our forces lately and let men go that have been with the house of Uesugi all their lives. So you see it would look strange to bring you in."

Fujii could keep still no longer. "But don't you see that if you call off all spying and let Oishi come and go as he pleases, you will have only one last defense for Lord Kira, and that will be a large force of well-trained troops."

"I think we have a sufficient number of those," Chisaka said calmly.

"What is it you have against me to treat me like this?" Fujii burst out, standing to his full height as he spoke.

Chisaka was thoughtful for a moment. "Why, only the fact that you remind me of the whole wretched Asano affair," he finally said matter-of-factly. "And I prefer to consider the matter closed."

Fujii closed his eyes. He had taken this dirty job because it promised him a chance to break away from the despised position of ronin. But now all that, along with his interview, was at a bitter end.

It was Okaru who first learned the good news. She had gone out of the house early to water the little plot of vegetables and sensed that something seemed out of place. She looked around, puzzled, uncertain for a moment what it was.

Then she looked out the gate toward the road and realized the truth. The spy was gone!

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Quickly she hurried in to Oishi's bed and knelt beside him. He opened his eyes sleepily to look at her and then opened them wider as he saw her excited expression.

"What would you like more than anything else in the world?" she asked teasingly.

He smiled and reached out for her but she took his hand to help pull him to his feet. Then with a broad smile she led the mystified Oishi to the front entrance. He looked out and gasped.

For the first time since they had come to Yamashina there was no basket-headed komuso watching the house. Oishi flashed her a quick smile of gratitude, then let out a great shout that brought the others running and soon they were all chattering in excitement.

They soon discovered the cook was gone, too, and Oishi and Kataoka winked at each other as the others slowly realized that he had been another spy. Now there was real cause for celebration and Okaru and the little maiko took over in the kitchen to prepare a feast. The time of waiting was over and the men of Ako could move at last!

In Edo, Kira was not in a mood for celebrating. When the reports from the spies stopped coming, he went to call on Chisaka to find out what had happened. Chisaka, rubbing his bald head, told him simply that the expenses had become too great and the spying had been terminated.

"But what protection do we have ..." began Kira, his frown lines deepening.

"Oh, don't worry so much, interrupted Chisaka with a forced laugh. "We've kept this up for months

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now—I think it's obvious they're not going to do anything."

"I'm not so sure," said Kira, shaking his head.

"The time for action would have been when the castle was confiscated—don't you agree? And since then they've made no move that could be called suspicious. Even when their leader came to Edo and you hid in your mansion, there was really nothing to worry about. He came to visit his master's grave, that's all."

"But I'd feel so much safer if . . ."

"Look, Lord Kira," Chisaka interrupted again, "I've arranged, with Lord Uesugi's permission, to assign guards to your house who will be instantly available in case of attack. This has meant extra work for me and extra expense for the house of Uesugi. Even though it seems unnecessary we are willing to continue this schedule indefinitely. But to ask for more ..."

Kira suddenly understood two things. First, that if he wanted additional protection he would have to bribe Chisaka to furnish it. This he was unable to do from lack of funds now that his income had been reduced because of his retirement. He also saw that Chisaka was continuing to avoid the matter of taking him into the castle of Uesugi, and he felt the need to speak out.

"There was some discussion at one time about my moving into the castle ..."

"No room," said Chisaka quickly, "and no necessity. You're just as safe where you are, believe me. We're close enough so that if there is trouble you can send for help, and I'll guarantee you reinforcements— although you're so capable a swordsman yourself, I don't see why you'd need them."

Kira was far from satisfied, but he saw there was nothing he could do but protest directly to the lord of the house and this he was reluctant to do because of the position occupied by his grandson. So he bade Chisaka good-by and went home.

He would have been far more disturbed if he had known that Horibe had received a message from Hara telling him that the rumors about Oishi's behavior in Kyoto were true and that the time had come to take matters into their own hands. Horibe, in a flurry of excitement, immediately left for Osaka to confer secretly with his new leader. In view of the circumstances they did not think there would be much difficulty in getting the majority of the men behind them.

It was at the archery school in Osaka later that same month that the decision to launch an attack on Kira was made, but in an unexpected manner.

Hara had called a night meeting of all the men in the area, explaining that in view of Oishi's scurrilous behavior he was no longer to be considered their leader. He announced that he was taking over, with the help of Horibe, and they intended to waste no time in planning and executing an attack on Kira's mansion in Edo. Many declined to accept Hara's invitation, still beheving that their leader was capable, but a sizable number did turn out, and Hara was pleased to see that there were enough to give them a chance.

In the dark gallery, lit only by a single torch, Hara had taken the floor and was explaining why he felt justified in calling such a meeting on his own, when there was a sudden knock at the door.

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Hara broke off and all the men held their breaths while the guard at the door opened it a crack and looked out. They were prepared to run or to fight, if necessary, but neither of these measures proved necessary. They all saw the guard catch his breath when he recognized the visitors and he closed the door again in a highly flustered manner to hurry over to speak to Hara.

"It's Oishi!" he whispered. "Oishi and Kataoka!"

Hara exchanged a quick glance with Horibe. There was a moment of indecision, then Hara spoke.

"Let them in."

Horibe was about to protest but Hara's look silenced him. After all, Oishi was still their official leader and they had no alternative but to admit him if he requested it.

The guard hurried back to the door and opened it. Oishi, in a broad-brimmed peasant hat, entered with quiet dignity. He was followed by Kataoka, who was also dressed in the manner of a man of the fields. Oishi walked through the room, past the gay red-and-yellow archery targets that contrasted so strongly with the somber mood of those present, and finally came to a stop facing them all. He picked up a stray arrow from the floor and stripped the feathers from it as he spoke.