Shogun - Clavell James - Страница 69
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"He was paid for his maps, yes. That's their custom, that's how they reward a man. Not with a title or land, only money. Holland's a republic. Of course, senhora, my country and our allies, Holland, are at war with Spain and Portugal and have been for years. You'll understand, senhora, in war it's vital to find out your enemies' secrets."
Mariko turned and spoke at length.
"My Lord says, why would this archbishop employ an enemy?"
"The story Pieter Suyderhof told was that this archbishop, who was a Jesuit, was interested only in trade. Suyderhof doubled their revenue, so he was 'cherished.' He was an extremely clever merchant - Hollanders are usually superior to Portuguese in this - so his credentials weren't checked very closely. Also many men with blue eyes and fair hair, Germans and other Europeans, are Catholic." Blackthorne waited till that was translated, then added carefully, "He was chief spy for Holland in Asia, a soldier of the country, and he put some of his people on Portuguese ships. Please tell Lord Toranaga that without Japan's trade, Portuguese India cannot live for long."
Toranaga kept his eyes on the map while Mariko talked. There was no reaction to what she had said. Blackthorne wondered if she had translated everything.
Then: "My Master would like a detailed world map, on paper, as soon as possible, with all the Portuguese bases marked, and the numbers of ronin at each. He says please continue."
Blackthorne knew he had made a giant step forward. But the boy yawned so he decided to change course, still heading for the same harbor. "Our world is not always as it seems. For instance, south of this line, we call it the Equator, the seasons are reversed. When we have summer, they have winter; when we have summer, they're freezing. "
"Why is that?"
"I don't know, but it's true. Now, the way to Japan is through either of these two southern straits. We English, we're trying to find a northern route, either northeast over the Siberias, or northwest over the Americas. I've been as far north as this. The whole land's perpetual ice and snow here and it's so cold most of the year that if you don't wear fur mittens, your fingers'll freeze in moments. The people who live there are called Laplanders. Their clothes are made out of fur pelts. The men hunt and the women do all the work. Part of the women's work is to make all the clothes. To do this, most times they have to chew the pelts to soften them before they can stitch them."
Mariko laughed out loud.
Blackthorne smiled with her, feeling more confident now. "It's true, senhora. It's honto."
"Sorewa honto desu ka?" Toranaga asked impatiently. What's true?
Through more laughter, she told him what had been said. They also began to laugh.
"I lived among them for almost a year. We were trapped in the ice and had to wait for the thaw. Their food is fish, seals, occasionally polar bears, and whales, which they eat raw. Their greatest delicacy is to eat raw whale blubber."
"Oh, come now, Anjin-san!"
"It's true. And they live in small round houses made entirely out of snow and they never bathe."
"What, never?" she burst out.
He shook his head, and decided not to tell her baths were rare in England, rarer even than in Portugal and Spain, which were warm countries.
She translated this. Toranaga shook his head in disbelief.
"My Master says this is too much of an exaggeration. No one could live without baths. Even uncivilized people."
"That's the truth-honto," he said calmly and raised his hand. "I swear by Jesus of Nazareth and by my soul, I swear it is the truth."
She watched him in silence. "Everything?"
"Yes. Lord Toranaga wanted the truth. Why should I lie? My life is in his hands. It is easy to prove the truth - no, to be honest, it would be very hard to prove what I've said - you'd have to go there and see for yourself. Certainly the Portuguese and Spanish, who are my enemies, won't support me. But Lord Toranaga asked for the truth. He can trust me to tell it to him."
Mariko thought a moment. Then she scrupulously translated what he had said. At length: "Lord Toranaga says, it is unbelievable that any human could live without bathing."
"Yes. But those are the cold lands. Their habits are different from yours, and mine. For instance, in my country, everyone believes baths are dangerous for your health. My grandmother, Granny Jacoba, used to say, 'A bath when you're birthed and another when laid out'll see thee through the Pearly Gates.'"
"That's very hard to believe."
"Some of your customs are very hard to believe. But it is true that I've had more baths in the short time I've been in your country than in as many years before. I admit freely I feel better for them." He grinned. "I no longer believe baths are dangerous. So I've gained by coming here, no?"
After a pause Mariko said, "Yes," and translated.
Kiri said, "He's astonishing - astonishing, neh?"
"What's your judgment of him, Mariko-san?" Toranaga asked.
"I'm convinced he's telling the truth, or believes he's telling it. Clearly it would seem that he could, perhaps, have a great value to you, my Lord. We have such a tiny knowledge of the outside world. Is that valuable to you? I don't know. But it's almost as though he's come down from the stars, or up from under the sea. If he's enemy to the Portuguese and the Spanish, then his information, if it can be trusted, could perhaps be vital to your interests, neh?"
"I agree," Kiri said.
"What do you think, Yaemon-sama?"
"Me, Uncle? Oh, I think he's ugly and I don't like his golden hair and cat's eyes and he doesn't look human at all," the boy said breathlessly. "I'm glad I wasn't born barbarian like him but samurai like my father, can we go for another swim, please?"
"Tomorrow, Yaemon," Toranaga said, vexed at not being able to talk directly to the pilot.
While they talked among themselves Blackthorne decided that the time had come. Then Mariko turned to him again.
"My Master asks why were you in the north?"
"I was pilot of a ship. We were trying to find a northeast passage, senhora. Many things I can tell you will sound laughable, I know," he began. "For instance, seventy years ago the kings of Spain and Portugal signed a solemn treaty that split ownership of the New World, the undiscovered world, between them. As your country falls in the Portuguese half, officially your country belongs to Portugal - Lord Toranaga, you, everyone, this castle and everything in it were given to Portugal."
"Oh, please, Anjin-san. Pardon me, that's nonsense!"
"I agree their arrogance is unbelievable. But it's true." Immediately she began to translate and Toranaga laughed derisively.
"Lord Toranaga says he could equally well split the heavens between himself and the Emperor of China, neh?"
"Please tell Lord Toranaga, I'm sorry, but that's not the same," Blackthorne said, aware that he was on dangerous ground. "This is written into legal documents which give each king the right to claim any non-Catholic land discovered by their subjects and to stamp out the existing government and replace it with Catholic rule." On the map, his finger traced a line north to south that bisected Brazil. "Everything east of this line is Portugal's, everything west is Spain's. Pedro Cabral discovered Brazil in 1500, so now Portugal owns Brazil, has stamped out the native culture and legal rulers, and has become rich from the gold and silver taken out of mines and plundered from native temples. All the rest of the Americas so far discovered is Spanish-owned now-Mexico, Peru, almost this whole south continent. They've wiped out the Inca nations, obliterated their culture, and enslaved hundreds of thousands of them. The conquistadores have modern guns - the natives none. With the conquistadores come the priests. Soon a few princes are converted, and enmities used. Then prince is turned against prince and realm swallowed up piece meal. Now Spain is the richest nation in our world from the Inca and Mexican gold and silver they've plundered and sent back to Spain."
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