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252
BONDA THE SAMURAI.
sort. Yet there was something even more surprising
to be known. When the Yedo officer caught sight
of it he gloated over it, clapped his hands with de-
light, saw promotion in rank and income for himself,
suicide, decapitation, poverty, orphans,
on the other side.
and widows
Let us see why Renzo gloated.
Watanab6 had found that Japan, by her long iso-
lation, was far behind the nations of Christendom,
and, in searching into the secrets of the difference,
found it in the dissolute morals and low ideals of his
countrymen. He therefore went to the Dutchmen
at Nagasaki and asked them about the Bible and
Jesus Christ. He obtained from them a brief Life
of Christ, which he got a scholar named Oze'ki to
translate for him. As the book was put into Japan-
ese page by page, Watanab6 read it with surprise
and delight, taking full notes of it and intently pon-
dering every sentence. The translation was nearly
finished when the sleuth-hounds of the law reported
their evidence to the Yedo officer. All this was but
six months after the publication of the " Dream
Story," of Takano Choye'.
The rest of the story of this noble band of schol-
ars a galaxy of stars that scattered a few rays of
light
in the darkness before the dawn of 1868 is
soon told. Watanabe", the daimio's counselor, was
seized and thrown into prison. To save his wife
and children from punishment and disgrace he committed
suicide by hara-kiri. According to law and
custom, when a gentleman did this his own fault was
expiated and his memory and his family honored.