Monsters and Magicians by Robert Adams Read Free Book Online Page A

such a way as to keep his head and upper body out of the water ... or, at least, that is what those who questioned those who found him later conjectured.
    "But back in Japan, he was given cause to wish that he too had gone down with the ship. His superiors made it abundantly clear to him that, having lost the ship and all her crew, he was in disgrace . . . and that in order that the disgrace be his alone and not that of his family and clan, as well, he must perform the act of seppuku in the tradition of his class.

    "Obediently, he put his affairs in order and made the necessary arrangements, being offered the use of a cousins antique swords, his own equally venerable and treasured blades by then resting and rusting beyond recall on the floor of the Yellow Sea. An old friend sadly agreed to serve him as his kaishaku, the man who would behead him with the katana after he had himself slit his own abdomen with the wakizashi.
    "What a hideous thing to force someone to do to himself, Pedro. What sort of people would, could, order such an enormity?"
    Now it was the dark man who shrugged. "Just your ordinary, run-of-the-mill, savage, bloodthirsty human being, Danna. Mankind was always more vicious than the prey he hunted or even the bestial predators with which he competed. That's why there're so few beasts left in this world that is bursting with humans.
    "But, that aside, go on with the tale. It's fascinating. Mr. Hara lost his nerve at the sticking-point, eh? He found he couldn't go through with it, did he?"
    Once more the woman rubbed briskly at her forearms, saying, "Oh, no, he did go through with it . . . rather, he did his level best to do so. Pedro, this is where the really weird part starts.
    "On the chosen day, at the chosen place, with a dozen witnesses present, Mr. Hara prepared to go about his suicide. But when he put his hand to the cloth-shrouded wakizashi, the ancient but tough and razor-sharp blade shattered into countless pieces like length of fragile glass struck with a hammer! After a few minutes of consternation, one of the official

    witnesses provided his own wakizashi to replace the inexplicably broken one, that he still might see the will of the high command properly done in the ritual manner. But no sooner had Mr. Hara touched the point of the blade to his bare belly-skin than that point and a handspan length of the fine steel behind it snapped off cleanly.
    Next, his friend, on Mr. Haras frantic signal, whirled his blade up and swung it at the back of Mr. Hara's neck—but that longer blade, the kaishaku, shattered as it was swung through the air, and the poor friend landed flat on his face between his intended victim and the ranks of witnesses.
    "At that juncture, another of the official witnesses drew, aimed, cocked and fired a Colt pistol at Mr. Hara. The priming-cap fired, but the charge of gunpowder did not, so the officer cocked and fired again . . . and yet again and again and again until he had tried vainly to shoot five of the six loads in his pistol. With a look of shock on his face, he pointed it at the floor and squeezed the trigger—to see the bullet penetrate the mat and the muzzle-blast set fire to it.
    "The frustrated kaishaku had, by then, borrowed another katana, taken his preassigned post and indicated to Mr. Hara that he once more was ready to accomplish his bloody, painful, but agreed-upon chore. When on this occasion he whirled up the long sword, however, the tang impossibly came free of the hilt and the blade went flying through the air, through a paper wall and was later found sticking in a floor.
    "Another try was made with the reprimed and reloaded pistol, an equally futile try. They . . . Can you credit any of this, Pedro? It's unbelievable, com-

    pletely unbelievable, yet Mr. Hara is completely convinced that it's all true, to the last word/'
    "There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy," quoted the dark man, nodding and attesting. "If Mr.