“You are right. If we employ him he ’s certain to lose no time about it.”
Bunzayemon, who overheard this conversation, clapped his hands in admiration, and, turning to his attendants, said: “How now, my fellows! You did n’t think much of Chobei at first, did you? Well, what do you think of him now?”
The attendants looked at one another and said: “Really, he is very clever—even more clever than you, sir! Yes, unless a man employs some men-cleverer than himself he can never become great!”
With unbounded joy Bunzayemon soon arrived at his depot at Fukagawa. No sooner did he catch sight of Chobei than he held out his hand to him, saying: “Ah! I have no words in which to express my thanks to you. I have been hearing, from the chance talk of the people on my way home, of all you have been doing in my absence, and have been much struck by your sagacity. Indeed, I have never felt so much joy as I experience to-day!”
Bunzayemon, who was not accustomed to show joy or sorrow in his face, could not suppress his emotion on that day.
Almost all the houses in the city of Yedo were destroyed by the fire. Warriors and merchants had to build their abodes afresh, and because all the timber in the city was reduced to ashes, the price at once went up tenfold. Now Kibun alone, at this juncture, had already a great stock of timber on hand at his depot at Fukagawa, and he had fresh supplies constantly being sent in from the mountains in the near-by country, being the timber he had lately bought. ‘Lhe profit which he gained by selling all this material was something enormous—indeed, a huge fortune in itself.
Moreover, on account of his alms and the inclosures he had put up for various great feudal lords, they too became his customers and asked him to rebuild their mansions. By these orders he again made a great profit. He ascribed this good fortune entirely to Chobei, to whom he gave a great sum of money as a token of appreciation of his services, Besides, he handsomely rewarded the other men and boys in his employ.
He also sent for that chief carpenter, Seihachi.
“Well, Seihachi, this is the prize which I give you.”
‘Thus saying, he put a box which contained one thousand rio in front of him.
The other was frightened out of his wits.
“Ohl! do you say there ’s a gift of a thousand rio for me in this packet? Is n't it empty?”
“No, it's not empty. Lift it and see.”
Whereupon Scihachi tried to lift it and said: “Truly, it’s too heavy; I can’t lift it! Is n’t this a dream?” And he pinched his knee.
Bunzayemon laughed. “It is not a dream. It’s a reward to you, sure and certain, and you had better take it home with you.”
“Really, I thank you, sir. In the time of the fire I carried charity bento only three times, for I was working at other things; therefore I ’m not worthy of so great a reward!”
“It is n’t a reward for that.”
“Then for the inclosure which I did for Sendai Sama, the daimio; for that work my assistants came late, so I could n’t finish it till late in the evening. The work ought to have been finished much earlier.”
“It is n’t for that.”
“Not for that, either? For what is it, then, sir?”
Bunzayemon pointed to Chobei, who was then in the shop, and said: “You brought me that excellent article, there. It ’s for that.”
The carpenter misunderstood him and said: “Is that so? I see, for that article. That ’s an article rarely found, and I thought it would be a great loss if it was burned, so before other things |I sent it down on a raft from Hachobori to Fukagawa. Then on the way it collided with a ship and the raft was nearly broken to pieces.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You mean that hinoki plank, do you not, of eight inches both in breadth and thickness?”
“No; you don't understand me, yet. It is your prize for bringing Chobei to me.”
“You mean Chobei San. Ah, I see, I see! I did not understand you. I wondered why you gave me such a handsome reward. But Chobei San has certainly proved to be an excellent man. I thought he was a hopeless