Free Tokyo Bay by Anthony Grey Page A

fierce male face that had appeared so startlingly in the mirror in place of his own. Although this face was not identical to the one in his dream, Eden could only stare in surprise, and Prince Tanaka - now disguised in the plain brown kimono of a lower- ranking samurai - found himself equally fascinated by this first real glimpse of a foreign barbarian officer.
Their eyes remained locked on each other for several seconds, then with a gentle flick of his wrist, Eden threw the scroll down towards the boat, aiming it for the same seated samurai who had only to lift his right arm to catch the scroll cleanly. Tanaka’s watchful expression did not change and, after returning the document to the grave - faced interpreter seated behind him, he continued to stare steadily back at Eden.
At his side, however, the green-robed official grew more furious at this summary rejection of his demand, and above the uproar of the Susquehanna’s churning wheels he began ye ll ing one word over and over. ‘Nagasaki! Nagasaki! Nagasaki!’ ‘They’re trying to indicate, I think, Commodore, that we should return five hundred miles to Nagasaki,’ called the voice of Samuel Armstrong. ‘Do you wish to give any response?’
‘None whatsoever,’ roared Perry. ‘My orders stand: Continue to ignore all improper communication and allow no encroachment whatsoever on our ships!’ Watching tensely through his gunport, Eden saw that the rejection of the scroll had induced a new frenzy of movement around the Susquehanna and the other three warships. A number of fortified junks had appeared, their high fore and aft decks crowded with fighting men bearing spears, lances and cross- bows. More of the sleek guard-boats, which seemed to skim effortlessly across the surface of the bay under the skilful manipulation of their standing oarsmen, were putting out from the shore to augment the throng of craft closing around the American ships. The shouting that had gradually become audible above the pounding of the steam engines increased suddenly, and at that moment Eden saw three guard- boats peel off from the encircling ring of craft and begin darting towards the bows of the slow-moving flagship.
‘Here they come,’ called the voice of Lieutenant Rice from the bridge rails. ‘All hands steady now’
As the guard-boats arrived under the moving bows of the Susquehanna, lines tipped with grappling hooks snaked out to find lodging points. One caught in the fixed rungs of a ladderway beneath an entry port and moments later half a dozen Japanese guards, wearing only loincloths, began swarming up the ropes, still shouting as they came.
‘Use only minimal force to dislodge them!’
Robert Eden shouted this order in a firm voice, and drew his sword. With a flourish of the weapon he urged his squad for w ard to block the threatened entry port. Bracing themselves in an arc across the opening, the small knot of American gunners grasped their pikes firmly and thrust them outward to form a glittering thicket of steel points.
‘Wait!’ called Eden sharply. ‘Wait for the right moment!’
The leading Japanese were scra m bling hand - overhand up the iron rungs bolted below the entry port, and their wild shouting grew suddenly louder as they caught sight of the threatening pikestaffs. For a second they hesitated, then, with renewed roars of anger, they continued climbing. When the first Japanese climber came within range, the brawniest American gunner let out a roar and leaned as f a r as he could through the entry port, preparing to jab the point of the pike into his face.
‘Stand back!’
Eden lunged forward with his outstretched sword and knocked the pikestaff aside. The startled sailor recoiled in astonishment as Eden sheathed his sword and wrenched the pike from his hands. Turning the weapon swiftly end over end, he planted the butt of the shaft squarely against the chest of the Japanese, who by now was reaching for the top rung of the gang - ladder. With a single