Shogun - Clavell James (бесплатные полные книги .TXT) 📗

Another chorus of agreement and van Nekk broke in, "That's right. Damned silly kimonos - you look like a woman, Pilot - or one of those half-men! God-cursed fags, eh! Lot of Jappers are fags, by God! One was after Croocq...." There was much shouting and obscene banter, then van Nekk continued, "You'll want your proper clothes, Pilot. Listen, we've got yours here. We came to Yedo with Erasmus. They towed her here and we were allowed to bring our clothes ashore with us, nothing else. We brought yours - they allowed us to do that, to keep for you. We brought a kit bag - all your sea clothes. Sonk, fetch 'em, hey?"

"Sure I'll fetch them, but later, eh, Baccus? I don't want to miss nothing."

"All right."

Jan Roper's thin smile was taunting. "Swords and kimonos - like a real heathen! Perhaps you prefer heathen ways now, Pilot?"

"The clothes are cool, better than ours," Blackthorne replied uneasily. "I'd forgotten I was dressed differently. So much has happened. These were all I had so I got used to wearing them. I never thought much about it. They're certainly more comfortable."

"Are those real swords?"

"Yes, of course, why?"

"We're not allowed weapons. Any weapons!" Jan Roper scowled. "Why do they allow you to have 'em? Just like any heathen samurai?"

Blackthorne laughed shortly. "You haven't changed, Jan Roper, have you? Still holier than thou? Well, all in good time about my swords, but first the best news of all. Listen, in a month or so we'll be on the high seas again."

"Jesus God, you mean it, Pilot?" Vinck said.

"Yes."

There was a great roaring cheer and another welter of questions and answers. "I told you we'd get away - I told you God was on our side! Let him talk - let the Pilot talk..." Finally Blackthorne held up his hand.

He motioned at the women, who still knelt motionless, more abject now under his attention. "Who're they?"

Sonk laughed. "Them's our doxies, Pilot. Our whores, and cheap, Christ Jesus, they hardly cost a button a week. We got a whole house of 'em next door - and there's plenty more in the village-"

"They rattle like stoats," Croocq butted in, and Sonk said, "That's right, Pilot. 'Course they're squat and bandy but they've lots of vigor and no pox. You want one, Pilot? We've our own bunks, we're not like the monkeys, we've all our own bunks and rooms-"

"You try Big-Arse Mary, Pilot, she's the one for you," Croocq said.

Jan Roper's voice overrode them. "The Pilot doesn't want one of our harlots. He's got his own. Eh, Pilot?"

Their faces glowed. "Is that true, Pilot? You got women? Hey, tell us, eh? These monkeys're the best that's ever been, eh?"

"Tell us about your doxies, Pilot!" Sonk scratched at his lice again.

"There's a lot to tell," Blackthorne said. "But it should be private. Less ears the better, neh? Send the women away, then we can talk privately."

Vinck jerked a thumb at them. "Piss off, hai?"

The women bowed and mumbled thanks and apologies and fled, closing the door quietly.

"First about the ship. It's unbelievable. I want to thank you and congratulate you - all the work. When we get home I'm going to insist you get triple shares of all the prize money for all that work and there's going to be a prize beyond..." He saw the men look at each other, embarrassed. "What's the matter?"

Van Nekk said uncomfortably, "It wasn't us, Pilot. It was King Toranaga's men. They did it. Vinck showed 'em how, but we didn't do anything."

"What?"

"We weren't allowed back aboard after the first time. None of us has been aboard except Vinck, and he goes once every ten days or so. We did nothing."

"He's the only one," Sonk said. "Johann showed 'em."

"But how'd you talk to them, Johann?"

"There's one of the samurai who talks Portuguese and we talk in that - enough to understand each other. This samurai, his name's Sato-sama, he was put in charge when we came here. He asked who were officers or seamen among us. We said that'd be Ginsel, but he's a gunner mostly, me and Sonk who-"

"Who's the worst pissing cook that-"

"Shut your God-cursed mouth, Croocq!"

"Shit, you can't cook ashore let alone afloat, by God!"

"Please be quiet, you two!" Blackthorne said. "Go on, Johann."

Vinck continued. "Sato-sama asked me what was wrong with the ship and I told him she had to be careened and scraped and repaired all over. Well, I told him all I knew and they got on with it. They careened her good and cleaned the bilges, scrubbed them like a prince's shit house - at least, samurai were bosses and other monkeys worked like demons, hundreds of the buggers. Shit, Pilot, you've never seen workers like 'em!"

"That's true," Sonk said. "Like demons!"

"I did everything the best I could against the day . . . . Jesus, Pilot, you really think we can get away?"

"Yes, if we're patient and if we-"

"If God wills it, Pilot. Only then."

"Yes. Perhaps you're right," Blackthorne replied, thinking, what's it matter that Roper's a fanatic? I need him - all of them. And the help of God. "Yes. We need the help of God," he said and turned back to Vinck. "How's her keel?"

"Clean and sound, Pilot. They've done her better'n I'd've thought possible. Those bastards are as clever as any carpenters, shipwrights, and ropemakers in all Holland. Rigging's perfect - everything."

"Sails?"

"They made a set out of silk - tough as canvas. With a spare set. They took ours down and copied 'em exact, Pilot. Cannon are perfect as possible - all back aboard and there's powder and shot a-plenty. She's ready to sail on the tide, tonight if need be. 'Course she hasn't been to sea so we won't know about the sails till we're in a gale, but I'll bet my life her seams're as tight as when she was first slipped into the Zuider Zee-better 'cause the timbers're seasoned now, thanks be to God!" Vinck paused for breath. "When are we off?"

"A month. About."

They nudged each other, brimming with elation, and loudly toasted the Pilot and the ship.

"How about enemy shipping? There any hereabouts? What about prizes, Pilot?" Ginsel asked.

"Plenty - beyond your dreams. We're all rich."

Another shout of glee. "It's about time."

"Rich, eh? I'll buy me a castle."

"Lord God Almighty, when I get home..."

"Rich! Hurrah for the Pilot!"

"Plenty of Papists to kill? Good," Jan Roper said softly. "Very good."

"What's the plan, Pilot?" van Nekk asked, and they all stopped talking.

"I'll come to that in a minute. Do you have guards? Can you move around freely, when you want? How often-" Vinck said quickly, "We can move anywheres in the village area, perhaps as much as half a league around here. But we're not allowed in Yedo and not-" "Not across the bridge," Sonk broke in happily. "Tell him about the bridge, Johann!"

"Oh, for the love of God, I was coming to the bridge, Soak. For God's sake, don't keep interrupting. Pilot, there's a bridge about half a mile southwest. There're a lot of signs on it. That's as far as we're allowed. We're not to go over that. 'Kinjiru,' by God, the samurai say. You understand kinjiru, Pilot?"

Blackthorne nodded and said nothing.

"Apart from that we can go where we like. But only up to the barriers. There's barriers all around about half a league away. Lord God . . . can you believe it, home soon!"

"Tell him about the doc, eh, and about the-"

"The samurai send a doctor once in a while, Pilot, and we have to take our clothes off and he looks at us...."

"Yes. Enough to make a man shit to have a bastard heathen monkey look at you naked like that."

"Apart from that, Pilot, they don't bother us except-"

"Hey, don't forget the doc gives us some God-rotting filthy powdered 'char' herbs we're supposed to steep in hot water but we toss 'em out. When we're sick, good old Johann bleeds us and we're fit."