The Barbarian and the Geisha Page #2

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I have sympathy for a man alone

in a strange country.

Alone, yes. But I have with me

the spirit of many million Americans.

Your Excellency,

if word does not come soon...

I might be tempted to go to Edo to get it.

You'd never get past the barrier.

Outside the gate of the Forbidden City

are the skulls of many uninvited guests.

I've crossed some thousands of miles

of sea and storms to get this far.

Do you think a few skulls will deter me

from going 100 miles more?

Ask her what she's doing here at this hour.

- Well?

- Our friend Tamura sent her.

She is here to make our existence

less troublesome.

Thank her, and send her home.

Wait. She can be useful.

The Governor wants to know about us,

and we want to know about Japan.

The room in the back, she can use that.

Tell her she can stay.

And then tell her to lift her head.

I waited for his footsteps...

the door to open upon the huge man.

My heart was beating with terror,

but all was silent.

It was a house of many mysteries.

I hurried to Baron Tamura.

I told him about the seeds, the shells.

The machine that made the winds blow

could cause typhoons.

I begged him to let me go back

to the geisha house.

But the Baron grew angry.

He said I was a stupid girl.

There was no machine

that could cause typhoons.

It was Harris-san who was dangerous.

The barbarians were planning

to invade us.

It was my duty to go back. I was a geisha.

I knew men.

I was to please Harris-san in every way...

and watch his every move.

Was she born in Shimoda?

No, she's from a village

on the road to Edo.

Another country girl sold

into a geisha house.

Sold?

She was 14, a poor family.

Later she would be able to help them...

when some man paid her "pillow money,"

as they call it.

Any sisters?

Her sisters were all returned to the gods.

She was lucky to be born in a year

when the rice crop was good.

You know, Henry, I've seen some pretty

attractive dancing girls from Siam...

singsong girls from China...

but I think I prefer the geisha of Japan.

I agree with you, sir.

I'll get drunk.

She wants to know

if she can do some small feats of magic...

for the Honorable Consul.

Please let her go ahead.

Very good.

Now let me show you one.

This is a dollar.

No, dollar.

They can't say "L's," sir.

Sure they can. An American dollar.

I'm afraid we're gonna have to do

some work on her English, Henry.

Now watch closely,

nothing up my sleeves.

You like that? It's yours.

What?

She's asking if the eagle on the dollar

is one of our gods.

Well, not exactly, but very powerful.

Negotiable, too.

She'd like you to do it again, sir.

Well, my first success in Japan.

Now watch closely.

No, here.

Malice against the foreigners

was growing.

They were plagued constantly.

Henry, will you take Okichi into the house?

My hat.

Let him have it, Henry.

It didn't fit you anyway.

- It was a happy accident.

- How's that?

If your foot hadn't slipped,

you might have harmed the little fellow.

Please.

Thank you.

- Good?

- Yes, indeed.

Well, you're in good hands now.

- Also "yes, indeed"?

- Yes, indeed.

The women of the village

had turned against me.

To them,

I had become the concubine of Harris-san.

I was not fit to bathe with them.

"In simple language, Mr. Secretary,

I am up against a stone wall.

"So far, we have been unable

to make contact with the Shogun.

"It seems that they are undecided

and are playing fast and loose.

"I am not giving up by any means.

"But I feel that it might be some time...

"before I can report real progress.

I will keep you informed. "

Just sign it "respectfully yours".

It's wonderful,

the things she can do with flowers.

Mr. Harris.

Mr. Harris.

Bring the flag, Henry.

An honor, Your Excellency.

Mr. Harris, you must take down that flag.

The flag is a signal to that ship that

there's a consul here ready to serve it.

Must I repeat? There is no consul here.

Shimoda is closed and guarded.

The ship shall not land.

If you wish to serve it,

take down that flag.

The cannons are loaded, Mr. Harris.

Ahoy, messenger! Welcome!

Harris! Harris, American Consul!

Stand away, sir. Stand away.

We have cholera aboard.

Why aren't you flying the yellow flag?

It went overboard with a mutineer.

- Have you a doctor here?

- No. No doctor.

God help us.

We're three dead and five sick...

and it's nine days to Hong Kong.

Set sail, weigh anchor.

Have you a gun, sir? Shoot them!

They must not reach shore!

Keep back! Keep back, men.

Damn you, keep back!

Ashore there, don't touch those men!

Don't touch them!

They carry sickness!

Stay away from those sailors.

Don't go near them.

They have a bad disease.

Don't go near those men.

Can't you understand?

Cholera.

It swept the village like wildfire.

Almost everyone was stricken.

The sick were everywhere.

Harris-san did everything he could...

but he fought the sickness in his way.

My people fought with their old ways.

Prayers, chants, and paper images

of the red demon of sickness.

The dead were sealed in barrels,

taken to the sacred grounds to be burned.

Harris-san worked day and night...

but the new way was as weak as the old.

The demon of death went

from door to door.

Mr. Harris. Mr. Harris.

Very sorry, Harris-san.

What do you think, sir?

We don't know much

about cholera, Henry.

We do know

that only fire and frost will kill it.

And only God can bring a frost.

Make him understand, Henry,

fire is the only thing that'll save them.

Get him out of here!

Have you not brought enough sorrow

on my people?

Must you burn their houses?

We've given them money

to build new houses.

You must be mad.

It's the only way to stop cholera.

By fire. Sanitation.

He says we are their prisoners.

If we resist them, they will kill us.

We are to be sent home on the first boat.

I think we can go to bed now, Sam.

She's sleeping. It's not cholera, thank God.

Put it away, Henry.

I thought that perhaps some

of those hotheads out there...

We're 5,000 miles away from home.

If they wanna cut our throats...

there's nothing we can do about it.

- Shall we have a drink, Henry?

- Yes.

If they had given us another week,

we might have licked this thing.

Now they'll go on chopping up effigies

and dying like flies.

Well, Henry...

we were sent out here to establish

diplomatic relations with Japan.

So far, we have let in a cholera ship,

started an epidemic...

burned down half the town,

and been taken into custody.

A wonderful record. Let's drink to it.

The fires had burned away the cholera.

The time of dying had passed.

The village returned to its quiet ways.

Once again,

the fishing boats put out to sea.

I, too, was recovering.

Okichi, let me have that.

You'd better take it easy for a while,

until you get your strength back.

Thank you, Henry.

I didn't realize

we had brought so much junk.

Harris-san take books?

I'm leaving, Okichi.

- Going Edo?

- Going home.

The first sensible thing

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