Darkening Sun: The Search for Adrian

By Kurt Philip Behm

As daunting as Everest was, his search for Adrian would be even more challenging.



He would cross two continents and travel through six hostile countries in his quest for her return.



Duty and honor had been his call-to-arms, but this search would be different.


This was about finding the only woman he had ever loved.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Nov 13, 2014
• ISBN: 9781496950680

Kurt Philip Behm

Best selling author and renowned poet, Kurt Philip Behm, has been writing both poetry and prose since 1971. In this sixth installment of his historical fiction series, The Sword Of Ichiban, William Broderick Simpson III (Cutty) takes a radically new and dangerous approach to turning the tide of World War 1.

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© 2014 Kurt Philip Behm. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 11/12/2014

ISBN: 978-1-4969-5067-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-5069-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-5068-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014919382

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CONTENTS

Book One

Leaving Japan

Chapter 1: Sayonara

Chapter 2: The Steamship To Osaka

Chapter 3: Entering Osaka Harbor

Chapter 4: The Chinese Junk

Chapter 5: Something Wasn’t Right

Chapter 6: The Seen And Unseen

Chapter 7: Life At Sea

Chapter 8: Both Captivating And Alluring

Chapter 9: Hui Zhong Revealed

Chapter 10: The Letter To The Emperor

Chapter 11: The Last Prisoner Exchange

Chapter 12: The Message To The Emperor

Chapter 13: The Plan

Chapter 14: The Search For Tai Sing

Chapter 15: The Burial Of A Brave Warrior

Chapter 16: Saying Goodbye To Hui Zhong

Chapter 17: Setting Sail To Chongming

Chapter 18: Two Days At Sea

Chapter 19: Captain Nagata

Chapter 20: The Celebration Of A Brave Warrior

Chapter 21: The Rescue Plan

Chapter 22: By The Light Of The Moon

Chapter 23: His Name Was Choba

Book Two

China To Tibet

Chapter 24: Going Ashore

Chapter 25: The Pang Yuen

Chapter 26: In And Out Of Shanghai

Chapter 27: From The Boat To The Train

Chapter 28: Boarding The Train

Chapter 29: The Dark Night West

Chapter 30: Disembarking The Train

Chapter 31: Loose Ends In The Dark

Chapter 32: The Buddha Boat Captain

Chapter 33: Making Ready To Leave

Chapter 34: The River West

Chapter 35: Chongqing And The Train To Lhasa

Chapter 36: Tickets West

Chapter 37: To Again Travel Alone

Chapter 38: The Walls Close In

Chapter 39: The Pullman Surprise

Chapter 40: Familiar Soil In A Foreign Land

Chapter 41: Into Lhasa

Chapter 42: A Man’s Best Friend

Chapter 43: The Kyichu Hotel

Chapter 44: To Eat And Run

Chapter 45: A Most Unpleasant Evening

Book Three

Lhasa To Beirut

Chapter 46: Through The Darkness To Quxu

Chapter 47: An Even Stronger Attraction

Chapter 48: A Troubled Sleep

Chapter 49: Clearing The Trail

Chapter 50: Closing The Back Door

Chapter 51: The Words He Had Longed To Hear

Chapter 52: Mountain Monsters

Chapter 53: Camped, Awaiting The Troop

Chapter 54: Out Of The Twilight

Chapter 55: Racing Against The Clock

Chapter 56: The Will To Survive

Chapter 57: Back In Friendly Territory

Chapter 58: Guns To New Delhi

Chapter 59: Ominous Sounds From The Shadows

Chapter 60: A Rolling Fortress

Chapter 61: A Table Turned (Part A)

Chapter 61: A Table Turned (Part B)

Chapter 62: A Hero’s Welcome

Chapter 63: The Most Wonderful Surprise

Chapter 64: A New Normalcy

Chapter 65: Beirut At Last

Book Four

Beirut To Lisbon

Chapter 66: The Hms Majestic

Chapter 67: Breakfast With A True Hero

Chapter 68: When Play Turns Real

Chapter 69: Lost At Sea

Chapter 70: Final Preparations

Chapter 71: A Familiar Face In A Strange Land

Book Five

The Search For Adrian

Chapter 72: The Search Begins

Chapter 73: Starting Where It Had Last Ended

Chapter 74: Capitao Tavares

Chapter 75: First Contact

Chapter 76: An Amended Plan

Chapter 77: Back In His Lair

Chapter 78: The Lure

Chapter 79: A Murder In Lisbon

Chapter 80: Second Thoughts

Chapter 81: One Way In?

Chapter 82: Gentle Persuasion

Chapter 83: Adrian Is Alive

Chapter 84: First Contact

Chapter 85: Appearances Are Everything

Chapter 86: The Other Half Of Evil

Chapter 87: From Out Of The Darkness

Chapter 88: Aquele Que Não Pode Ser Morto

Chapter 89: To Die, As He Had Lived

Chapter 90: The Celebration

Beyond Honor and Duty

The Love Of A Woman Would Now Compel

UMA VIDA DE SERVIÇO

A Life Of Service

It had become a legacy of honor and duty. His entire life had been spent fulfilling a great dream that only nobility could have preordained.

As a young boy in New York City, he had slain imaginary dragons and pirates in Central Park.

His family then moved to England, where he developed into the most prodigious young swordsman the Continent had ever seen.

He had spent his holidays in Spain training with the great El Cristo, a man who would become his second father and whose murder he would have to avenge. The price of that vengeance had been dear. The killing of El Cristo’s bastard son Elligretto had cost him the life of his best friend Ivan.

El Cristo had dealt the final blow to his bastard son, but Cutty had already mortally wounded Elligretto with a strike to the neck, severing both his cape and his carotid artery.

In spite of the many challenges, he forged ahead. His years at West Point and service with Colonel Roosevelt in Cuba had strengthened his determination to push forward. Being awarded The Congressional Medal of Honor only tempered that resolve.

As a reward for his great military service, he had become the military attaché to Ambassador Alfred Eliab Buck. His great adventure across the American West and then transoceanic steamship passage to Japan had set the stage for this diplomatic career.

Captain William Broderick Simpson III would serve the Japanese Emperor and his son as a consultant on modern military warfare and tactics. Called Cutty by his friends, in The Land Of The Rising Sun he would be called something more …

Something Much More

On a quiet and dark afternoon, his bravery and skill would save a besieged royal family from extinction and earn him the name by which he would be forever known.

ICHIBAN

As the adopted Prince Of Japan, he would become the only foreigner ever so honored.

His Saber, the one made by the great Spanish Master, Montovoya, would hang in the Imperial Palace above the ancestral Japanese Katana that hung below.

He now had to return to his past, to the continent where his great skill had been developed and where his soul had been forged. He had to get there quickly before all hope was lost …

Adrian Had Disappeared Without A Trace

The Sky Went Dark

As A Father Cried

A Legacy Gone

With The Darkening Sun

Book One

Leaving Japan

War Knew But One Nationality …

And That Was Blood

CHAPTER 1: SAYONARA

Cutty looked into the tearful eyes of his new father. This was the third man in his young life to have taken on that role.

Farewell, Ichiban, the Emperor said. Take the heart of this Emperor and all of Japan with you as you go. Please return soon and come back to us safely. You will never return to Japan as a visitor again but as the favored son of a nation forever in your debt. My heart is sad with your departure, but I know you must leave.

It was May 3, 1902 as Cutty stepped onto the big ship. His new life in Japan was being left behind for a path into uncertain darkness. Adrian had never been far from his thoughts, and her whereabouts and safety were in doubt. This present chapter of his life would have to close before the search for Adrian could begin.

As the ship headed out of Tokyo Harbor, Hattori was displaying his most inscrutable look. He had been assigned by the Emperor to accompany Cutty as far as Osaka. He was to make sure that he booked safe passage on the Chinese Junk to Shanghai.

The Emperor Had Arranged This Personally

Cutty looked out across the water to the Imperial Palace. Beneath its tiled roof his warrior spirit had been divided in two and its transformation sealed in blood. If his life ended today, his brief time in Japan would have been his greatest triumph.

He Couldn’t Focus On That Now

Fate was calling to him again, and this time its message was personal and heartfelt. On the wind’s blowing out of the west he could hear: Come for me, William; I wait for you.

I WAIT FOR YOU

CHAPTER 2: THE STEAMSHIP TO OSAKA

It was onboard this ship that he had met Hattori for the first time. He remembered thinking that day: He is the strangest looking man I have ever seen. Looking at him now everything had changed. In many ways Cutty had become Japanese.

In Many Important Ways

That first night, Cutty knew he wouldn’t sleep. His mind was racing to formulate a plan on how to traverse the Chinese mainland. Following the Yangtze River west toward Tibet looked to be the most direct route. He had sent a telegram to Colonel Bristol telling him of his tentative plans.

The Colonel had been re-assigned to one of his old Lancer divisions in India, and Cutty had not heard from him in over four months. He hoped the British Consulate in New Delhi would forward his telegram on.

He needed to see the Colonel again. His advice was trusted and absolute, and his iron will and strength of character would serve to reorient his determination.

The ship gently rocked on the night sea as Cutty’s mind raced in anticipation.

He went over and over in his memory all of the events that had led up to the murder of his best friend Ivan and the killing of Elligretto. Could any of that have had anything to do with Adrian’s disappearance, he asked himself? He didn’t see a connection.

In a fleeting moment he wondered: Am I still truly in love with Adrian, or is it only her memory that I love? Four years apart is a long time. His heart then wrested control of his psyche, and all such notions were thrown into the sea.

His Mind Had Questioned What His Heart Would Never Doubt

Tonight her apparition seemed to come alive and reach out to him through the darkness.

Yes, it was love and one that he knew he would never feel again. In the stillness of his darkened cabin, he could smell the fragrance of lilac that she always wore.

Would his letter of recommendation from the Emperor be enough to book safe passage on a train across China? He had been warned to trust no one and to rely solely on his own instincts.

The recent Boxer Rebellion—although unsuccessful—had changed everything in China. All of the old western liaisons were now being subjected to both suspicion and treachery. If exposed as an American diplomat, he might be seen as a western imperialist and an enemy to the new China.

He vowed to stay apolitical and to get across China as fast as the train would take him. Still, he had that same old nagging feeling at the base of his neck, portending that something he could not foresee was getting ready to happen.

He looked out the porthole window and could see the sun coming up on the Eastern horizon. Had night really passed that quickly, he thought? May the rest of the journey go as fast, he prayed….

As He Closed His Eyes

CHAPTER 3: ENTERING OSAKA HARBOR

In what seemed like an instant, Cutty heard a knock on his cabin door. Ichiban-san, Ichiban-san, he heard in a strong voice coming from outside in the hall. It was unmistakably Hattori.

It never mattered what day it was or the season, the time or the circumstance. It was dawn, and that brought with it the obligation to practice the ancient Art Of Bushido or that of the warrior.

They walked in silence to the foredeck, where they had first met almost two years ago. In the emerging light they bowed and began to practice the great ritual of Kenjutsu.

The Art Of The Sword

With swords in hand, they faced each other for the last time. With swords in hand, they expressed the love that only those who have faced death together can share. With swords in hand, they said their final goodbye.

Hattori had been one of the most decorated of the Emperor’s Bushido Warriors. His lineage was Samurai, and it dated back over a thousand years. Cutty would miss his directness and purity of heart. He would also miss his great skill.

As Hattori Kiai’d one last time announcing that their session was over, the ship’s great horn gave out three loud blasts. It was alerting all onboard that they had just passed the channel marker and were entering the great Osaka Harbor.

Hattori and Cutty had agreed to remain on the ship for one last meal with the Captain. His ancestors had all been Samurai, and he wanted to honor them both.

Cutty looked southeast, toward the great body of water that he would be crossing tomorrow. With a lingering trepidation but with excitement in his heart, he reconfirmed his solemn vow to find Adrian no matter the cost.

Tomorrow He Would Be On A Much Smaller Vessel

When Cutty looked back at Hattori he was bent at the waist. His sword was held out and extended with both hands. Cutty addressed him in Japanese, in the way of the warrior. Hattori-san, you honor me; but why?

Hattori answered with his head still bowed. Ichiban-san, you have been the greatest of all the Japanese swordsmen. Please accept my humble sword in tribute to what you are about to do.

Cutty lifted Hattori upright with both arms as he took the sword. You have been more than my friend, Hattori-san; you will forever be my brother.

With those words, The Empress Of Japan docked; and a new chapter in Cutty’s life began.

CHAPTER 4: THE CHINESE JUNK

With typical Samurai efficiency, Hattori escorted Cutty through Japanese Customs and located the Chinese sailing vessel, the Hu Zhua (Tiger’s Claw). He then presented Cutty’s papers to the deck hand—bowed quickly—and disappeared into the mist of a Japanese coastal night.

Saying goodbye to Hattori had been the hardest part. It added finality and closure to his epic time in Japan.

The Chinese deck hand spoke no English and seemed very nervous.

He walked away from Cutty without a welcome or even an acknowledgement that he was to come aboard.

The recent conflict between China and Japan had halted most trade between the two countries, with Japan the emerging power on the world stage. Korea was in Japanese hands as were the water routes between Shanghai and Tokyo. In spite of all this, the Japanese still needed their tea and much of that came from China.

The Tiger’s Claw had been sailing the eight hundred mile route between Shanghai and Osaka for over twenty years. Its Captain knew the waters and more importantly who controlled them. The deck hand finally signaled for Cutty to come aboard. All indications were that the boat had only been waiting for his arrival to get underway.

Osaka looked entirely different when viewed from the waterline.

The Tiger’s Claw was a one hundred and eighty foot long Chinese Junk, with bamboo sails. It was much smaller and lower than the great steamship: The Empress of Japan.

Will there not be at least one person to converse with in English, he wondered? Cutty guessed they were making close to six knots as they silently made their way out of the harbor.

Bound For Shanghai

At this speed, the sail to Shanghai will take every bit of five days, he mused. When you factor in the tide and the weather: the voyage will most likely take a week. We will need to continue south around the Island of Japan before turning west into the East China Sea. The waters seem calm, but as in most oceans—and the Pacific is certainly no exception—you just never know what it might throw at you.

The deck hand led Cutty down a long passageway to his cabin. It was spacious and accommodating and located amidships on the port side. It had a water closet and a large window that opened to the sea. There was a gallery shelf with a small library of books in several languages on the aft wall. Three of the books were in English, and one was The Virginian by Owen Wister.

Written just a few years earlier, it was one that Cutty had not read. He looked forward to reading it during the long slow days of the passage.

Once unpacked, Cutty decided to turn in. He normally slept well at sea and was hoping for a dreamless night. Before retiring, though, he decided to take a quick walk around.

Topside, there was a man at the helm he hadn’t noticed when boarding earlier. He looked to be in his mid-thirties and had a patch covering his left eye. No other crewmembers were visible—and other than a wooden block swinging loose in the high rigging—the ship made no sounds as it cut through the water.

Cutty gave a short wave to the helmsman, but he did not wave back. Strange, he thought to himself. His knowledge of the Chinese was limited to what he had read in books and the few things that Ambassador Buck had shared with him during their weekly meetings in Japan.

Cutty looked out into the Pacific and then south toward the Philippine Sea. It would take two full days to round the Island Nation of Japan before setting course for Shanghai.

A Good Night’s Sleep Was What He Needed Most

He waved to the helmsman again before entering the aft companionway that led back to his quarters. The man looked straight ahead—and as before—he did not wave back.

CHAPTER 5: SOMETHING WASN’T RIGHT

Cutty fell into a deep sleep. He had started to dream, and his sunconscious mind was racing across the American West. He was back in Utah on the train and headed for San Francisco. All at once the train stopped abruptly causing him to wake up. He realized after rubbing his eyes and allowing them to adjust to the dark that it was actually the Junk that had stopped.

On deck, he could hear muffled voices talking in a foreign language. It must be Chinese, he thought. The two who are speaking together have a very familiar tone. Cutty heard loud thuds above as if someone were jumping onto the boat. He decided to take a closer look.

In his satchel was the Colt .45 Revolver that he had bought while in Colorado. He kept it loaded for a just in case moment. He decided that this moment qualified. He stuffed the revolver into his waistband and reached for his Tanto (short sword). Silently, he moved along the dark passage that led to the companionway above. When he got to the main deck, he was both suspicious and confused.

There Was Another Ship Alongside

The other vessel was steel and appeared to be over three hundred feet long. It looked military in the dark mist. Men were being exchanged from its main deck onto the Junk. Once arriving on the Tiger’s Claw, the men from the steel ship would stand at attention in a well-formed line.

They were all wearing grayish blue uniforms that Cutty had never seen before. He thought he heard Japanese being spoken, but he couldn’t make it out.

Cutty knew enough about logistics and protocol to recognize it when he saw it—even in the dark—this was definitely military!

Once the transfer was complete, the man with the eye patch started to bark out instructions to the assembled onboard. It was obvious to Cutty that these men were going back to Shanghai onboard the Tiger’s Claw.

Cutty knew this operation was clandestine. Why else would they be doing it so late at night and so far out to sea? He decided to keep his knowledge of this secret, to be acted upon later with maximum value.

He slowly retraced his steps down the companionway back to his cabin. Through his porthole window, he could hear the steam engine move the large ship off in a southerly direction.

For the rest of that night he couldn’t sleep. He had been hoping for an uneventful voyage to Shanghai and had been sure that any problems or intrigue would not start until there. He couldn’t help but think …

Is there no one onboard I can trust? I have that same old premonition again: the one I get just before everything explodes. I feel like I’m back in Seville—walking down that dark alleyway looking for Ivan—only now everything is foreign and strange.

There was a hasp on the outside of Cutty’s door that accepted a lock. He had one inside his satchel and had last used it while on the train to San Francisco. He had kept his orders and letters of introduction to the Japanese Emperor locked inside a trunk and stored below his sleeping berth on the train.

He decided to lock his cabin door whenever he was on deck or when taking his meals. It might trigger a negative reaction among the crew, but the upside would outweigh any suspicion it might create.

Tomorrow, he would see if there was anyone onboard whom he could trust or confide in.

Why was this boat being used to transfer military personnel between Japan and China? Were they in fact military, or could they be something else?

Why—after the brutal defeat the Japanese had just inflicted—would they be transferring anyone back to China?

Why?

CHAPTER 6: THE SEEN AND UNSEEN

Cutty was to lay awake that entire night, questioning over and over in his mind the purpose of the transfer. Was the warship from China or from some other country? Was this a regular occurrence, or was something big getting ready to happen? He needed to find out all he could about the Captain and crew of the Tiger’s Claw.

He knew only too well what this could possibly lead to. He could feel himself being pulled into something that was not part of his mission, but his sense of duty and honor would not allow him to look the other way. He felt he owed too much to his Emperor Father. In the very depths of his soul, he was now at least in part, Japanese.

The next morning, Cutty arose early and proceeded topside to practice his Kenjutsu. The main deck was again empty, with just one man at the helm. This was a different man from the night before. Cutty still had not met the Captain, and his stomach had started to growl. Fifteen hours had passed since he had last eaten.

As he started his first Kata, he heard a voice boom out from the entrance leading to the companionway below. It was coming from a very large man. He had a mustache that circled his lip and extended down both sides of his chin, and he was motioning for Cutty to follow him below deck.

He had just started his first form but reasoned he should probably follow and see where this man would take him. As he approached the big man to go below, the man grunted something to the helmsman and started down the stairs. Cutty followed.

They walked forward down a long passageway on the starboard side of the boat. Cutty’s cabin was on the port side. Halfway down the passageway there was a closed door on the left. As the big man opened the door, Cutty was overwhelmed with smells that were both new and exotic. They had entered the ship’s galley.

The room was twelve feet wide by eighteen feet long, with a rectangular table in the middle that could seat up to ten. Three men were sitting and eating quietly, and there was a very small man with a long ponytail standing in front of an iron stove against the far wall. He was cooking something in a pot that was bigger than he was. The large man motioned for Cutty to sit down.

The Large Man With The Mustache Was The Crew Boss

In a strange language, the big man said something to the cook. With a round ladle the man with the ponytail filled a small bowl and placed it in front of Cutty on the table. The tiny man motioned for him to eat. Cutty stared into the gray broth. The smell was unlike anything he remembered from his time in Japan. The large man with the mustache then said: "Congee—you eat—you eat"!

These were the first words in English that Cutty had heard since stepping onto the boat. With his eyes half closed and hoping for the best, he put some of the broth into his mouth with the ceramic spoon. His reaction was unexpected….

This Congee or whatever it’s called is good, Cutty thought to himself. It was loaded with noodles and vegetables, and it looked to have dates or some type of small fruit mixed in. Fruit was always welcome on a boat because of the ever-present threat of scurvy, caused by a lack of Vitamin C.

Cutty finished the first bowl and asked for another. This seemed to please the cook, and even the large man with the mustache had what passed for a smile on his face. When Cutty had finished the second bowl, the large man again motioned for him to follow.

They continued down the long passageway to a cabin that was directly under the very bow of the ship. This must be the Captain’s quarters, he thought, as they arrived at a heavily paneled mahogany door. The large man knocked on the door, and Cutty was quite taken by surprise….

A Woman’s Voice Answered

A cabin boy opened the door from the inside. The large man stood aside and Cutty was escorted through the doorway. Seated behind a small desk at the back of the cabin was a very beautiful woman who looked to be in her mid to late twenties. In perfect English she invited Cutty to sit down. Her speech was even tinged with a bit of the King’s accent.

She introduced herself as Hui Zhong (pronounced hoy-zong) and asked Cutty if he would like some tea. After graciously accepting her offer, he asked if she was the Captain? Yes, she said.

I have been Captain of the Tiger’s Claw since the end of the Japanese invasion of my country. I now transport tea and other things from Shanghai to the many ports of Japan. Cutty asked if her name was translatable into English.

How was your breakfast, Hui Zhong asked as she rose to stand?

It was excellent and far better than I expected, Cutty replied. "Yes, our cook does make a wicked Congee when we are able to get him all of the ingredients."

Beautiful and smart, the Captain said. Cutty looked back confused as she again repeated, beautiful and smart. He still had a questioning look on his face, so she said it one more time: beautiful and smart.

My name, Hui Zhong, means beautiful on the outside and smart on the inside. I’m sorry if my translation is not good enough, and I am still confusing you. Not at all, Cutty said back, your translation is perfect. He then whispered to himself: VERY BEAUTIFUL ON THE OUTSIDE!

Her cabin walls were a dark mahogany, with panels that had been reclaimed from something much older than the boat. She had a round wooden table to the left of her desk that was covered with maps. Hui Zhong looked at Cutty as he glanced at the maps. So, what do you hope to do upon arriving in China, Captain Simpson?

My sole purpose is to get to Lhasa as quickly as possible, Cutty answered. I hope to arrive in Portugal within two months time.

Ah, but the trip across China may not be as easy as you think, Captain. Because of the recent upheaval, most foreigners are now seen as agitators or spies.

SPIES!

The word had first entered his mind when the large warship had pulled up alongside last night. For now, he would remain quiet about what he saw.

The trip to Shanghai will take another eight days if seas are calm. You are welcome to the use of my small library and to explore most of the boat. I ask that you not go down to the very bottom deck, below the waterline. We have a few dangerous men locked up down there, and I wouldn’t want any harm coming to you before you are delivered safely to port. I promised the Emperor that you would arrive in good order.

So, she knows the Emperor, Cutty thought to himself. He decided to leave all of his questions unanswered until he knew exactly how they should be asked. He had learned with Orientals that there was a proper time and place for such things.

Now Was Not The Time

CHAPTER 7: LIFE AT SEA

Cutty thanked the Captain again for her hospitality and walked back to his cabin. He wondered what the conditions in China were really like now that the rebellion was over. For diplomatic reasons—based on the Ambassador’s request—the Emperor had kept him isolated and in the dark about the conflict.

Cutty’s main role in Japan had been an honored one. He had been given supreme authority over the Imperial Guard. Over fifty-five hundred men had been under his command to protect the Emperor and his family. Most of these men were descendants of proud Samurai warriors, and any one of them would have gladly died in service to the great Ichiban.

For Two Years He Had Trained And Commanded Them

Ambassador Buck had explained to Cutty that their embassy had to remain neutral militarily. He knew that the United States would eventually have to deal with both China and Japan. For now, he would have Cutty concentrate his efforts on Japanese internal military security (The Imperial Guard), as he concentrated on Japanese-American trade.

The allied effort to protect the Legations at Peking in 1900—which Japan had been part of—had left very hard feelings in much of China toward both westerners and the Japanese. The Department of State did not want to worsen these feelings by openly meddling in any ongoing Sino-Japanese relations.

If exposed as a military officer and diplomat, Cutty could face serious problems in many of the rural Chinese provinces. His true identity would cast doubt on his story about being an innocent American traveller on his way to Tibet.

Cutty always prayed for Yoshi’s safe return, when he would leave to quell Chinese agitation that had made its way onto the Japanese mainland. Over the Ambasador’s warnings, Cutty would have readily served the Emperor in these efforts; but Yoshi always told him: Ichiban, you are being saved for much bigger things.

Hui Zhong had asked him to have dinner with her this evening in her cabin, and he had politely accepted. His mind was overflowing with questions, and he hoped his sense of duty would be appeased by her answers.

Cutty went topside again with his long sword and began his exercises. Kata one through eight went quickly, and he noticed there were now three men on deck. They were all intently watching him as he wielded his sword in the late morning sun.

The men all looked to be Chinese, but he couldn’t be sure. In peasant garb, all Orientals tended to look the same to him. He would need to learn as much as he could about Chinese culture and dress in the coming days. His very life could depend upon it.

When he finished his exercises, he bowed ceremoniously and returned to his cabin. He had forgotten his promise to lock the door and vowed not to make that mistake again.

He settled into bed with the copy of The Virginian that he had placed on his side table last night. As he started to read, he felt a strong and immediate kinship with the hero that Owen Wister so eloquently describes within its opening pages….

When You Call Me That, Smile

CHAPTER 8: BOTH CAPTIVATING AND ALLURING

Cutty was totally immersed in The Virginian, when he heard the footsteps outside his cabin door. As he slid his legs off the bed to stand up, he saw a note being passed under the door’s brass plate. He picked up the note and unfolded it. It was written on white parchment and had been creased in the middle….

Dinner In The Captain’s Quarters, Seven P.M.

Cutty wondered what he should wear to such an affair. He decided that overdressing was the safer alternative.

It was past six in the evening when he put The Virginian back on his side table and removed his dress uniform from the closet door. He had lost all track of time as the novel had transported him back to the plains of Colorado and Wyoming. These were places he had dreamed of and fantasized about as a young boy, only to become real to him on his train adventure through the Great Plains just three summers ago.

The Hands On His Grandfather’s Patek Philippe Said 6:42

Cutty was going to arrive for this dinner in his best military attire. He had hung his dress uniform outside the closet, hoping that the salt air would remove the wrinkles. It was still in a semi-rumpled state but he said to himself: This will have to do.

After shining his boots and belt buckle, Cutty put on the dress blue uniform of a United States Army Captain; it was now 7:00 p.m. He brushed his wavy black hair before leaving, remembering this time to put the lock on the door. He headed forward to the Captain’s quarters and knocked three times on the large mahogany door.

Please come in, he heard from a voice that he now recognized. As he opened the door, he saw the young Chinese cabin boy setting the small round table for dinner. It had been cleared of all the maps that had covered it earlier. It was being set with traditional Chinese ceramic ware, which was decorated with lovely flowers that Cutty had never seen before. The cabin boy placed two more small bowls on the table and then left.

MY, AREN’T WE DASHING AND HANDSOME TONIGHT, CAPTAIN!

Cutty was unable to take a breath. Hui Zhong was standing before him in a Mandarin silk dress, and her hair was now down and flowing to below her waist. The only ornamentation she wore was an ivory hair beret and a small ring on her right pinky finger. It looked to Cutty like a black pearl. Her captivating beauty took his breath away. He stood there motionless in the candlelight, not sure of what to do or say next.

Raising her eyes and motioning with her right hand, she said: Please, Captain Simpson, please sit down. You honor me this night by having dinner with me in my cabin. I hope you will not be disappointed when you leave.

Cutty was totally lost within the vision of Hui Zhong. His powers of sight were no match for her great beauty. Time and place seemed frozen together until the image of Adrian appeared in his mind.

The thoughts for her safety and where she might be at this very moment, reoriented his mindset; and he was able to sit down with a new sense of equanimity and calm.

Cutty sat down at the small round table with his back to the cabin wall. He removed the embroidered napkin from its engraved whalebone ring and unfolded it onto his lap. Hui Zhong took the seat across from him and did the same.

The cabin boy knocked once on the door before coming back in. He was carrying what looked to be a bottle of red wine and two glasses.

Central China has a very old and established wine region, Captain. Records show, it dates back many thousand’s of years. I hope it is to your liking. She then filled both glasses half way to the top. Cutty noticed the glasses had an etching on them that matched the embroidery on the napkins.

Hui Zhong raised her glass off the table, as she toasted her guest. May your journey be safe, Captain, and may your life be long. Cutty nodded back in appreciation and then tasted the wine. It was beyond anything he had expected. How out of character this all seems, he marveled.

He was far out at sea on a Chinese Junk and about to be served a formal dinner. Sitting across from him was someone so beautiful that it bordered on the unreal. It was surreal at the very least. Cutty’s imagination had been expanded during the past several years, but dinner tonight pushed it into an entirely new dimension.

The cabin boy returned for a third time and was carrying on his tray a large bowl of soup. This is my mother and grandmother’s favorite recipe, Hui Zhong said with pride. Cutty saw her eyes mist over as she mentioned them both. She insisted on taking the soup from the cabin boy and serving it to Cutty herself.

Following Chinese tradition: Hui Zhong had gone into the galley that afternoon and prepared it personally. Cutty tasted the soup and it was excellent. It was a light broth filled with seafood and vegetables, and it had just the slightest touch of ginger mixed in. He watched her walk back to her chair as he again tried to regain control of his emotions. Hui Zhong moved with a lightness and grace that he had never seen in a woman before. She went on to describe the entree’….

One of the benefits of these long ocean crossings is the availability of fresh fish that can be caught every day. The fish I am serving tonight is Asian Halibut, and it is native to all of the waters between Shanghai and Japan. It is possible to run out of fresh water on these long ocean voyages, but we will never be without fresh seafood as long as someone onboard is willing to drop a line.

Next to be served was the halibut itself. It had been skewered and steamed on two long steel rods. The rods had been placed side by side on a long narrow dish in the middle of the table. Hui Zhong motioned for Cutty to eat first. He removed three pieces of halibut from the first skewer and placed them on Hui Zhong’s plate. He then did the same for himself.

He could tell she was charmed and honored that he had served her first. It was strictly a western tradition.

Very gently, she picked up the first piece of fish with her fingers and put it into her mouth. Cutty was relieved to see that using your fingers was the accepted protocol. For the next fifteen minutes they ate in silence, each occasionally stealing a glance when they thought the other wasn’t looking. After what seemed like an eternity to Cutty—Hui Zhong spoke.