"The Taikō had all the Fathers collected at Nagasaki, ready to ship them out to Macao with written orders never to return on pain of death. Then, as suddenly, he left them all alone and did no more. I told you Japmen are upsidedowners. Yes, he left them alone and soon it was as before, except that most of the Fathers stayed in Kyushu where we're welcome. Did I tell you Japan 's made up of three big islands, Kyushu, Shikoku, and Honshu? And thousands of little ones. There's another island far to the north-some say it's the mainland-called Hokkaido, but only hairy natives live there.
" Japan 's an upside-down world, Ingeles. Father Alvito told me it became again as though nothing had ever happened. The Taikō was as friendly as before, though he never converted. He hardly shut down a church and only banished two or three of the Christian
"Do you have many converts here?"
But Rodrigues did not seem to hear, lost in his own half-consciousness. "They're animals, the Japaners. Did I tell you about Father Alvito? He's the interpreter-Tsukku-san they call him, Mr. Interpreter. He was the Taikō's interpreter, Ingeles, now he's the official interpreter for the Council of Regents and he speaks Japanese better'n most Japanese and knows more about them than any man alive. He told me there's a mound of earth fifty feet high in Miyako-that's the capital, Ingeles. The Taikō had the noses and ears of all the Koreans killed in the war collected and buried there- Korea 's part of the mainland, west of Kyushu. It's the truth! By the Blessed Virgin, there was never a killer like him-and they're all as bad." Rodrigues' eyes were closed and his forehead flushed.
"Do you have many converts'?" Blackthorne carefully asked again, wanting desperately to know how many enemies were here.
To his shock, Rodrigues said, "Hundreds of thousands, and more every year. Since the Taikō's death we have more than ever before, and those who were secretly Christian now go to the church openly. Most of the island of Kyushu 's Catholic now. Most of the Kyushu
"That's not possible!" Blackthorne immediately cursed himself for interrupting the flow of information.
"Why should I lie? There was a census ten years ago. Father Alvito said the Taikō ordered it and he should know, he was there. Why should he lie?" Rodrigues' eyes were feverish and now his mouth was running away with him. "That's more than the population of all Portugal, all Spain, all France, the Spanish Netherlands, and England added together and you could almost throw in the whole Holy Roman Empire as well to equal it!"
Lord Jesus, Blackthorne thought, the whole of England hasn't got more than three million people. And that includes Wales as well.
If there are that many Japanese, how can we deal with them? If there's twenty million, that'd mean they could easily press an army of more men than we've got in our entire population if they wanted. And if they're all as ferocious as the ones I've seen-and why shouldn't they be-by God's wounds, they'd be unbeatable. And if they're already partially Catholic, and if the Jesuits are here in strength, their numbers will increase, and there's no fanatic like a converted fanatic, so what chance have we and the Dutch got in Asia?
None at all.
"If you think that's a lot," Rodrigues was saying, "wait till you go to China. They're all yellow men there, all with black hair and eyes. Oh, Ingeles, I tell you you've so much new to learn. I was in Canton last year, at the silk sales. Canton's a walled city in south China, on the Pearl River, north of our City of the Name of God at Macao. There's a million of the heathen dog-eaters within those walls alone. China's got more people than all the rest of the world put together. Must have. Think of that!" A spasm of pain went through Rodrigues and his good hand held onto his stomach. "Was there any blood seeping out of me? Anywhere?"
"No. I made sure. It's just your leg and shoulder. You're not hurt inside, Rodrigues-at least, I don't think so."
"How bad is the leg?"
