The Samurai and the Long-Nosed Devils by Lensey Namioka Page B

sight of people buying rice dumplings made Matsuzo realize that his huge meal at the restaurant with Hambei was fully digested. He purchased a skewer of sticky rice dumplings dripping with syrup. Turning around to share them with Chiyo, he found himself under the scrutiny of a hard-faced samurai. After a moment the man turned away.
    Matsuzo now looked carefully around the dense crowd and saw that there were a great many soldiers among the pleasure-seekers. “Chiyo, are these Kagemasa’s men searching for Kotaro?” he asked.
    Chiyo followed his glance. “No, I think they are Nobunaga’s men. Hambei said that some people in the city might use the Gion Festival as a cover to start a disturbance. Nobunaga has sent these men to see that no insurrection is being planned. He is a very careful man.”
    Matsuzo saw that Chiyo still looked depressed and troubled. “You don’t have to worry about the Mt. Hiei monks at any rate,” he said. “With so many of Nobunaga’s men around, you will be quite safe.”
    â€œThe monks will not dare to attack me openly in the streets,” said Chiyo, “but they might try to reach me secretly. Only yesterday one of them came to Lord Fujikawa’s house disguised as a gardener.”
    Watching a toy seller arrange his wares, Matsuzo did not understand the full implication of Chiyo’s statement at first. But the word “gardener” touched off a memory. “You mean the false gardener was a Mt. Hiei monk in disguise?” he cried. In spite of the July heat, he felt himself growing cold. “That man was spying on us when Pedro, Zenta, and I went to inspect the gap in the fence. This means that there is someone on Mt. Hiei who will recognize Zenta as a bodyguard of the Portuguese!” Chiyo stared back. “It’s too late to stop Zenta,” she said slowly. “He must have arrived at the monastery already. What shall we do?” “I must go and warn him,” said Matsuzo.
    â€œThere may still be a chance that he hasn’t been recognized.”
    â€œNo!” said Chiyo. “Your face is even better known to the monks because of your fight at the eel stand. If you join Zenta, you will draw attention to him all the sooner. You must get help.”
    â€œI know!” cried Matsuzo. “We can call together some of Nobunaga’s men here and ask them to come with me.”
    â€œNobunaga is hated on Mt. Hiei,” said Chiyo. “His men will not be allowed to get close to the monastery.” She thought for a moment. “The shogun is considered a neutral. Why don’t we go to Kagemasa? He might help us.” “Do you really think he can help?” asked Matsuzo, feeling dubious. He didn’t like Kagemasa’s foppish manners, nor did he think much of the man’s abilities. If all of the shogun’s supporters were like this, it was small wonder that he had become a figurehead. On just one point Matsuzo had found himself in agreement with Kagemasa. They had both believed that Kotaro was the murderer of Lord Fujikawa. And now it seemed that they were both wrong.
    â€œKagemasa is our best hope,” said Chiyo. “He was favorably impressed with Zenta, I could tell. He would want to help.”
    Chiyo was insistent and Matsuzo, who could think of nothing else to do, agreed to her plan. Kagemasa’s residence was in the western part of Miyako, on the opposite side of the city from the Yasaka Shrine. As Matsuzo fought his way desperately through the dense crowd, he felt that the laughing, carefree faces of the people were mocking at him.
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    Zenta found the climb itself not difficult. In traveling from the northern part of the country to the capital city, he had climbed mountains much steeper than Mt. Hiei. What he had not foreseen was the exhausting effect of the heat. After the thunderstorm, the air had cleared and lost its suffocating humidity, but the sun now blazed