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

called a biwa to accompany some ballads. It bore a vague resemblance to a guitar. Pedro had eagerly tried it out, but to his disappointment it had only four strings and was totally unsuited to European music. Father Luis, he knew, had ordered some viols and even a virginal to be sent, but it would be months before they arrived. Pedro was not optimistic about the effect of Japanese weather on the instruments.
    Finally he rose from his clammy bed and went to the room of the two bodyguards, hoping to find them still awake. Through the thin rice paper paneling, he could see that the lamp in their room was still lit, and he ventured to slide open the door an inch and look in.
    He found the two men hunched over a low square table made of a very thick slab of wood mounted on four stubby legs. The two ronin were concentrating upon the top of the table, which contained a configuration made up of a large number of little black and white stones.
    Without looking up Zenta said, “Come in and join us.” Then he took another white stone from a small bowl and added it to the design on the table.
    Pedro entered and looked curiously down at the table. He had seen it before in the room of one of his staff, but had thought that it was just another piece of furniture. Now he saw that the little stones were arranged on a grid of fine lines drawn upon the top of the table. Evidently a board game of some sort was in progress. “What are you playing?” he asked.
    â€œIt’s a game called go,” replied Zenta. Turning to Matsuzo he said, “You agree that we are finished?”
    â€œThere is no point in playing any longer,” said Matsuzo, looking resigned. He separated the black stones from the white and put them back into their containers.
    Zenta invited Pedro to sit down and, taking out a few of the stones, began to explain the game. “The object is to occupy territory, and you invade your opponent’s territory by capturing his men. A man, represented by a stone, is captured when he is completely surrounded.”
    To Pedro, the rules sounded elementary and even childish when compared to those of chess. He didn’t understand how two intelligent adults could enjoy such a game. His thoughts must have shown, for Zenta smiled and said, “The game is more interesting than you think. It’s supposed to develop strategic thinking, and that’s why it’s so popular among members of the warrior class. Why don’t you try it? You take the black stones and I’ll take the white. Let me show you how it goes.”
    In a very short while Pedro discovered to his amazement that no matter how hard he tried, he could not save a single one of his black men from capture. His opponent’s men, on the other hand, remained completely invulnerable. Then Zenta proceeded to demonstrate some tactics, how to strengthen one’s position against attack and how to launch an invasion. Pedro became so engrossed that he didn’t even notice when the first welcome breezes began to blow into the room.
    Finally a loud rattling of bamboo leaves outside the door attracted their attention. “Ah, at last,” sighed Matsuzo, taking a deep breath of the fresh and cool air. Suddenly a great gust of wind blew out the lamp in their room.
    Pedro stood up and pushed open the sliding door that led to the garden. He stepped out on the wooden veranda and stretched himself, enjoying the cool wind. There was a bright flash in the sky, followed a moment later by thunder. After a minute there was another bright flash which lit up the whole garden so that for an instant he could even see the roof of Lord Fujikawa’s house. The thunder that followed was ear-splitting.
    Soon, however, Pedro’s sweat-dampened clothes began to feel uncomfortable in the wind. He shivered. Once more a flash of lightning gave the scene an instant of strange blue radiance. The crack of thunder this time was not only loud, but it seemed to