Shōgun полностью

Temple bells throughout the castle and the city tolled the beginning of the Snake and he was pleased with his accuracy. He noticed a small stone on the battlement floor. He went forward and picked up the stone and placed it carefully on a ledge of an embrasure in the sun, then leaned back once more, propping his feet comfortably, and stared at it.

Grays were watching his every movement. The captain frowned. After a while he said, "Anjin-san, what's the significance of the stone?"

"Please?"

"The stone. Why stone, Anjin-san?"

"Ah! I watch stone grow."

"Oh so sorry, I understand," the captain replied apologetically. "Please excuse me for disturbing you."

Blackthorne laughed to himself, and turned his gaze back to the stone. "Grow, you bastard," he said. But as much as he cursed it, ordered it, or cajoled it, it would not grow.

Do you really expect to see a rock growing? he asked himself. No, of course not, but it passes the time and promotes tranquillity. You can't have enough wa. Neh?

Eeeeee, where's the next attack coming from? There's no defense against an assassin if the assassin is prepared to die. Is there?

Rodrigues checked the priming of a musket he had taken at random from the rack beside the stern cannon. He found the flint was worn and pitted and therefore dangerous. Without a word he hurled the musket at the gunner. The man just managed to catch it before the stock smashed into his face.

"Madonna, Senhor Pilot," the man cried out, "there's no need-"

"Listen, you motherless turd, the next time I find anything wrong with a musket or cannon during your watch, you'll get fifty lashes and lose three months' pay. Bosun!"

"Yes, Pilot?" Pesaro, the bosun, heaved his bulk nearer and scowled at the young gunner.

"Turn out both watches! Check every musket and cannon, everything. Only God knows when we'll need 'em."

"I'll see to it, Pilot." The bosun shoved his face at the gunner. "I'll piss in your grog tonight, Gomez, for all the extra work an' you'd better lap it up with a smile. Get to work!"

There were eight small cannon amidships on the main deck, four port and four starboard and a bowchaser. Enough to beat off any uncannoned pirates but not enough to press home an attack. The small frigate was two-masted, called the Santa Luz.

Rodrigues waited until the crews were at their tasks, then turned away and leaned on the gunwale. The castle glinted dully in the sun, the color of old pewter, except for the donjon with its blue and white walls and golden roofs. He spat into the water and watched the spittle to see if it would reach the jetty pilings as he hoped or go into the sea. It went into the sea. "Piss," he muttered to no one, wishing he had his own frigate, the Santa Maria, under him right now. God-cursed bad luck that she's in Macao just when we need her.

"What's amiss, Captain-General?" he had asked a few days ago at Nagasaki when he'd been routed out of his warm bed in his house that overlooked the city and the harbor.

"I've got to get to Osaka at once," Ferriera had said, plumed and arrogant as any bantam cock, even at this early hour. "An urgent signal's arrived from dell'Aqua."

"What's the matter now?"

"He didn't say-just that it was vital to the future of the Black Ship."

"Madonna, what mischief're they up to now? What's vital? Our ship's as sound as any ship afloat, her bottom's clean and rigging perfect. Trade's better than we ever imagined and on time, the monkeys're behaving themselves, pigarse Harima's confident, and-" He stopped as the thought exploded in his brain. "The Ingeles! He's put to sea?"

"I don't know. But if he has…"

Rodrigues had stared out of the great harbor mouth, half expecting to see Erasmus already blockading there, showing the hated flag of England, waiting there like a rabid dog against the day they'd have to put to sea for Macao and home. "Jesu, Mother of God and all saints, let that not happen!"

"What's our fastest way? Lorcha?"

"The Santa Luz, Captain-General. We can sail within the hour. Listen, the Ingeles can do nothing without men. Don't forget-"

"Madonna, you listen, he can speak their jibberish now, eh? Why can't he use monkeys, eh? There are enough Jappo pirates to crew him twenty times over."

"Yes, but not gunners and not sailors as he'd need 'em-he's not got time to train Jappos. By next year maybe, but not against us."

"Why in the name of the Madonna and the saints the priests gave him one of their dictionaries I'll never know. Meddling bastards! They must've been possessed by the Devil! It's almost as though the Ingeles is protected by the Devil!"

"I tell you he's just clever!"