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BLACK CLOUDS. 335
ness of Japan, and the impossibility of breaking
treaties when once made. He saw clearly that these
men were as frogs in a well that know not the great
ocean; while the foreigners were masters of the sea
and of the forces of nature. In a few years these
narrow and ignorant patriots would have their vision
enlarged, but now they were as
unreasonable as
crying children.
Since matters had arrived at a crisis and nothing
seemed to interest the samurai the one class which
formed public opinions except the mad scheme of
war with the aliens, the prince of Echizen saw that
his work was done. He resigned his position as
dictator. He left Kyoto quietly and came to Fukui,
while his trusty counselor, Professor Koba, went
back to Higo to set in motion that train of young
students, who have since, in Europe and America,
won the secrets of science, and the moral and social
forces born of Christianity.
About the first of June the Tycoon and his high
officers again visited the Mikado at court, and the
date for commencing war against the foreigners and
sweeping them out of Japan was fixed for June 25.
The disagreeable duty was imposed upon the bakufu
of notifying all the clans of this solemn act of tomfoolery,
and this was accordingly carried out on
paper, though the Yedo government knew that the
contract could not be fulfilled. The next step in
the absurd program was that the Mikado should go
in triumphal procession to the shrine of Hachiman,
fifteen miles from Kyoto, and there present a sword