When visiting the south of Japan lately I paid a second visit to the Kuniagawa River in the Kumamoto Ken, or what was formerly known as the province ut Higo, and thoroughly enjoyed the descent by boat from Hstuyeshi to Yatsoshira for a distance of over thirty-seven miles, passing a succession of forty-five wonderful rapids, all of which were important enough to have name given to them, to say nothing of unimportant ones that bore no designation. Of these forty-five rapids there are four that lie just. below Isho-ji, or about nine miles below Hstoyoshi, which are really formidnble, and are named respectively Shivi-noseiy Aba-no-sei, Take-no-sei and Yuta-rash When I passed down the river the weather was beautifully fine though very warm, and asthore was not overmuch water in the river there was no danger in shooting any of the rapids, though there was no lack of excitement in doing so. When there is a spate in the river the rapids are impassable and it is the duty of special officials at Hstoyoshi to forbid the passage of boats, so that due care is taken that no danger is rashly courted. On this occasion my trip down the entire course of the river took exactly eight hours, but under more favourable conditions of wind the trip can be done in something under that time. I stayed quict-Inago the next day, the weather being very sultry and uncomfortable, and there was every indication that a change of weather was approaching. Fearing that equinoctial gales ight prevent my crossing Shimabara Gulf if T'waited too long, I determined to start the next morning for the the gulf, and from there walk up to Uren Shimabara shore on the opposite side of
and thence to Nagasaki.
I sterted in small sailing boat at 8.10 a.m. on the! morning of the 22nd, and there being at that time no breeze at'all the buxtmen had to yuloh for fully avi until we caught a breeze from the north-east the high hills that shut in Iago, We, did not make very rapid progress before reaching the islands lying between Misumi and Amakusa xbout midway across, though the breeze freshened rapidly and clouds began to! gather. When we were clear of the islands shortly after noon we went along fast enough, the wind and sea increasing more than was quite pleasant, so that I was not sorry to react the Shimabara shore in the neighbourhood of Tamachi at 2.10 p.m, or exactly six hours after leaving Inago. " It took.me fully an hour to engage a pack horse and get the baggage secured on the animal, and I then made a start for Unzen along the rad that leads up to and crosses the extensive moor below Congou-dake, the southward peak of the Unzen range, the entire distance being three mountain n, or about ten miles, After proceeding one vi it was evident that the pack-horse I had procured was not fit to clothe journey, so at a village we came to I transferred the baggage bullock. it was then 4.30 pain, and it was evident that a storm was gathering, I was anxious to reach Unzen before dark, so left my Japanese buy to complete the loading of the bullock, and I myself pushed on ahead. As I approached the moor that I was bound to cross, the weather looked worse and worse, anda few drops of rain fell, but being unwilling to turn back I kept on as rapidly as possible, and had got well on the exposed moor when the storm burst upon me. The wind gathered up in wonderfully quick way and before long blew in such gusts that it was absolutely dificult to stand against it, and the heavy rain that fell was so forcibly driven against my face that each drop as it struck felt like a prick of a needle. It is needless to say that Iwas wet through in a very few minutes. I came across some natives going in the same direction and they showed me a path which was a trifle more sheltered than that I was about to follow, but still the gale increased in fury whilst the angry clouds that enveloped the peaks of Unzen and the frequent mutterings of thunder showed that there was still worse to come. It was now fully half-past five o'clock, and I feared that I could not reach my destination before dark. My native guides here left me to take shelter in a hut situated some little distance from the road, and I went on alone. Very soon the bridle path that did duty for a road took an abrupt turn and led up a rather steep hill. In the gathering gloom I mistook my location. and fancied T was within sight of the junction with the Obama road with which I was well acquainted, and I rejoiced accordingly, but my spirits fell to zero when I gradually came t" the conclusion that Iwas mistaken. To make matters worse I suddenly discovered that the narrow path I was fullowing ceased, and that I was on a wild desolate moor which was unknown to me for I had only crossed it once last year on the way from Unzen down to Tamachi. Darkness was fast approaching, the wind was blowing harder than ever, the rain falling in torrents, while thunder and lightning were making the evening more terrible, and at this moment I was forced to the dreadful conclusion that I had lost the road. 1 rushed backwards and forwards for a few minutes that almost seemed hours but could see no trace of a path, nor could I discover that by which I had come. Reasoning that I must have borne too much to the left under the mistake that I was near the Obama road, I walked steadily but yet despairingly, in the opposite direction for about fifty yards until I struck what looked like a rain washed gully, and in the hope that this might lead m in the right direction I followed it up the hill, till I discovered to my great joy that it was indeed the road, a particularly rugged and steep one that led right over the summit of the hill. T pushed on as rapidly as I possibly could, in the to 200, and luckily for me T soootaplished hope of passing this before it. was too dark
this purpose, and reached the well-known Obama road just as it fell too dark to distinguish a step of the way. [had the narrowest escape of being left out vt: the open moor that dreadful night, and do not care t" think what the consequences would have been of such a catastrophe, As it was, difficulties were not over. I had intend to take the road to Shin-vii, but in the darkness followed that to the right, leading to Kojigoku, which is mostly a steep descent and throughout extremely rough. How Tmade my way at all in the darkness and heavy. rai wonderful, but I did not escape without several severe falls. It was not until I reached the stream that crosses this rough road that T recognised where 1 was, a vivid flash of lightning enabling me to take in the scene, I wadi through the stream, as it was impossible to see the stepping stones, thankful to know that a few more yards would bring me to the village and beyond that tothe Shimada, hotel. Tarrived at the hotel safely and was there hospitably received and provided with a dry yvkuta, or Japanese dressing gown, garments, There were two Shanghai guests which Tgladly exchanged formynow dripping at the hotel, but I could not join them in the scanty rig I was reduced to, 80 had to take my dinner in my bedroom, The storm lasted with violence throughout the night, but towards daylight next morning subsided, and about nine o'clock my boy and the bullock with the baggage appeared, 80 that I was able to obtain a change of clothes. It appears that he had reached the edge of the moor, when the storm burst out, but the driver of the bullock wisely refused to proceed further, so they turned back until they reached a house on the road where shelter was obtained for the night. The wind blew with considerable force throughout the 24th, and boats were unable to cro from Obama to Aba, so to avoid any n of detention I made up my mind to walk to Nagasaki from Unzen vid Isehaiy ise tance in all of about thirty-five mil Taccomplished in two days, cing it easily. and arrived at Nagasaki in the afternoon Tslept at Techaiya on the night of the 25th, of the next day, having enjoyed every step of the trip from Unzen, as the road passes through very pretty scenery all the way.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.