Friday, February 2nd.—­I was called at five o’clock, and at half-past six Mabelle and I started for the market.  It was blowing a gale, and our four oarsmen found it as much as they could do to reach the shore.  The Shanghai mail-boat was just in, and I pitied the poor passengers, who were in all the misery of being turned out into the cold of the early morning, with the spray breaking over them as they sat in the small boats.

The market at Yokohama is one of the sights of the place.  There were large quantities of birds and game of all kinds—­pheasants with tails six feet long, of a rare copper-coloured variety, ducks, pigeons, small birds, hares, deer, rabbits.  The fish-market was well supplied, especially with cuttle-fish.  They are not inviting-looking, but are considered a delicacy here.  A real octopus, in a basket, with its hideous body in the centre, and its eight arms, covered with suckers, arranged in the form of a star, is worth from a dollar to a dollar and a half, according to its size.  I was not tempted, however, to make any purchases.

From the market we went to one or two small shops in back streets, and thence over the bluffs, in the teeth of a bitterly cold wind, to a nursery garden, to examine the results of the Japanese art of dwarfing and distorting trees.  Some of the specimens were very curious and some beautiful, but most were simply hideous.  We saw tiny old gnarled fruit-trees, covered with blossom, and Scotch firs and other forest trees, eight inches high, besides diminutive ferns and creepers.

It being now half-past nine o’clock, we went to the hotel to meet the rest of the party for breakfast, and at one o’clock we returned to the yacht.  At half-past one Lady Parkes and several other friends from Tokio came on board to luncheon.  They told of three disastrous fires that had taken place in Tokio yesterday, by which the Home Office—­one of the finest old Tartar yashgis—­and several smaller edifices had been destroyed.

After the departure of our guests we paid another visit to the shore, and saw the foxhounds.  They are a nice pack, and have good kennels outside the foreign settlement.  They were out this morning at 6.30, but unfortunately we did not know of it.  There are plenty of foxes, and some very fair country not far from here; so they expect to have good sport.

We weighed anchor at 8.30 p.m. and proceeded under steam.  At 11.30, when off Touraya-saki, we set some of the head canvas.  It was a cold night, with sleet and snow, though it was not blowing as hard as during the day.

CHAPTER XX.

KIOTO, LATE MIACO.

    Manners with fortunes, humours change with climes,
    Tenets with books, and principles with times.

Saturday, February 3rd.—­The occasional glimpses of the coast scenery through the sleet and snow were very fine.  We passed Rocky Island, Lady Inglis rocks, and Matoya.  But Mabelle and I spent most of the day in bed; she suffering from a blow from the boom, which had produced slight concussion of the brain, and I having a wretched cold, which has been gradually getting worse the last few days, and which has quite taken away my voice.