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Uo said, "Well, I'm not a Christian, as well you know, but, so sorry, it seems to me the Anjin-san's a good man, please excuse me, and better than the Christian Father who stank and cursed and frightened everyone. And he's been good to us, neh? He treats his people well - some say he's Lord Toranaga's friend, must be with all his honors, neh? And don't forget Kiku-san honored him with her Golden Gully. "

"It's golden all right. I heard the night cost him five koban!"

"Fifteen koku for one night?" Ninjin spluttered. "Eeeeeee, how lucky the Anjin-san is! His karma's vast for an enemy of God the Father, Son, and Madonna."

Mura said, "He paid one koban - three koku. But if you think that's a lot..." He stopped and looked around conspiratorially to make sure there were no eavesdroppers, though of course in this rain he knew there would be none - and even if there were, what did that matter?

They all stopped and moved closer. "Yes, Mura-san?"

"I just had it whispered to me she's going to be Lord Toranaga's consort. He bought her contract this morning. Three thousand koku."

It was a mind-boggling figure, more than their whole village earned in fish and rice in twenty years. Their respect for her increased, if that were possible. And for the Anjin-san, who was therefore the last man on earth to enjoy her as a courtesan of the First Rank.

"Eeee!" Uo mumbled, hard put to talk. "So much money - I don't know whether I want to vomit or piss or fart."

"Do none," said Mura laconically. "Dig. Let's find the swords."

They obeyed, each lost in his own thoughts. Inexorably, the pit was deepening.

Soon Ninjin, whipped by worry, could contain himself no longer, and he stopped digging. "Mura-san, please excuse me, but what have you decided about the new taxes?" he asked. The others stopped.

Mura kept on digging at his methodical, grinding pace. "What's there to decide? Yabu-sama says pay, so we pay, neh?"

"But Toranaga-sama cut our taxes to four parts out of ten and he's our liege Lord now."

"True. But Lord Yabu was given back Izu - and Suruga and Totomi as well - and made overlord again, so who is our liege Lord?"

"Toranaga-sama. Surely, Mura-san, Tora-"

"Are you going to complain to him, Ninjin? Eh? Wake up, Yabu-sama's overlord as he always was. Nothing's changed. And if he puts up taxes we pay more taxes. Finish!"

"But that'll take all our winter stocks. All of them." Ninjin's voice was an infuriating whine but all knew the truth of what he said. "Even with the rice we stole-"

"The rice we've saved," Uo hissed at him, correcting him.

"Even with that, there won't be enough to last through winter. We'll have to sell a boat or two-"

"We sell no boats," Mura said. He jabbed his shovel into the mud and wiped the sweat out of his eyes, retied the string of his hat more firmly. Then he began to dig again. "Work, Ninjin. That will take your mind off tomorrow."

"How do we last the winter, Mura-san?"

"We still have to get through the summer."

"Yes," Ninjin agreed bitterly. "We've paid more than two years' taxes in advance, and still it's not enough."

"Karma, Ninjin," Uo said.

"War's coming. Perhaps we'll get a new lord who'll be fairer, neh?" another said.

"He can't be worse - no one can be worse."

"Don't wager on that," Mura told them all. "You're alive - you can be very dead very quickly and then no more Golden Gullies, with or without the forest." His shovel hit a rock and he stopped. "Give me a hand, Uo, old friend."

Together they fought the rock out of the mud. Uo whispered anxiously, "Mura-san, what if the Holy Father asks about the weapons?"

"Tell him. And tell him we're ready - that Anjiro's ready."

CHAPTER 42

They came to Yokose by noon. Buntaro had already intercepted Zataki the previous evening and, as Toranaga had ordered, had welcomed him with great formality. "I asked him to camp outside the village, to the north, Sire, until the meeting place could be prepared," Buntaro said. "The formal meeting's to take place here this afternoon, if it pleases you." He added humorlessly, "I thought the Hour of the Goat would be auspicious."

"Good."

"He wanted to meet you tonight but I overruled that. I told him you'd be 'honored' to meet today or tomorrow, whichever he wished, but not after dark."