He  supported  himself,  like  a  trouvere,  by  his  profi-
ciency in  verse.  He  carried  his  works  along  with  him,
to  serve  as  an  introduction.  When  he  reached  a
town  he  would  inquire  for  the  house  of  any  one  cele-
brated for  swordsmanship,  or  poetry,  or  some  of  the
other  acknowledged  forms  of  culture  ;  and  there,  on
giving  a  taste  of  his  skill,  he  would  be  received  and
entertained,  and  leave  behind  him,  when  he  went
away,  a  compliment  in  verse.  Thus  he  travelled
through  the  Middle  Ages  on  his  voyage  of  discovery
into  the  nineteenth  century.  When  he  reached  Nan-
gasaki he  was  once  more  too  late.  The  Russians  were
gone.  But  he  made  a  profit  on  his  journey  in  spite
of  fate,  and  stayed  awhile  to  pick  up  scraps  of  knowl-
edge from  the  Dutch  interpreters — a  low  class  of  men,
but  one  that  had  opportunities  ;  and  then,  still  full  of
purpose,  returned  to  Yeddo  on  foot,  as  he  had  come.
It  was  not  only  his  youth  and  courage  that  supported
him  under  these  successive  disappointments,  but  the
continual  affluence  of  new  disciples.  The  man  had
the  tenacity  of  a  Bruce  or  a  Columbus,  with  a  pliabil-
ity that  was  all  his  own.  He  did  not  fight  for  what
the  world  would  call  success  ;  but  lor  "  the  wages  of
going  on."     Check  him  off  in  a  dozen  directions,  he


1 80  YOSHIDA  -  TOKAJIRO.
