CHAPTER XXXV
BON MATSURI
It was the 18th of August—the last night of Bon Matsuri.
Under a sky splendid with stars, the hills about Nagasaki were gemmed with colored lights. Ten thousand colored lanterns adorned the terraced cemeteries, and towards dawn each lantern would be fixed to a tiny boat of straw, freighted with a few small coins, and some small offering of fruit, to stay the souls of the dead on their long journey home.
M’Gourley had come out to see the fairy-like spectacle, for he knew that Mr. Initogo, that faithful old Pagan gentleman, was amidst the rejoicers on the hillsides, and had lit two lanterns, and freighted two small boats, for the souls of two friends he had known on earth.
Just as the morning breeze began to blow, and before the first star had paled in the dawn breaking over the Pacific, the gazers from the ships and the shore drew their breath, for suddenly the whole hillsides seemed inmotion, shifting and glittering down to the water’s edge, till the ripples became surrounded by a zone of rose-colored fire.
Then the water itself became dyed with the glow of ten thousand lanterns, each bravely upborne on its little ship of straw, whose sails took the Eastern breeze.
As the fairy flotilla sailed away, spreading the harbor with light and color, ship after ship took fire, and ship after ship was lost.
M’Gourley, hat in hand, stood watching till the last spark had vanished in the lilac of the dawn; then, with a sigh that spoke of things that were not, but might have been, he turned slowly home.
Transcriber’s Note:Throughout the dialogues, there were words used to mimic accents of the speakers. Those words were retained as-is.Errors in punctuations and inconsistent hyphenation were not corrected unless otherwise noted.On page 17, a quotation mark was removed after “Lord sakes!”On page 29, a superfluous quotation mark was deleted.On page 29, a quotation mark was moved one space to the correct position.On page 47, a period was added after “as fraunk as mysel’”.On page 81, “Lesile” was replaced with “Leslie”.On page 120, “perfumed hair” was replaced with “perfumed hair”.On page 128, “acros” was replaced with “across”.On page 150, a quotation mark was added after “Lord and also the empire of the birds.”On page 243, “though” was replaced with “through”.On page 264, “horor” was replaced with “horror”.On page 272, “Baudelaires” was replaced with “Baudelaire’s”.On page 281, “jewelery” was replaced with “jewelry”.
Transcriber’s Note:
Throughout the dialogues, there were words used to mimic accents of the speakers. Those words were retained as-is.
Errors in punctuations and inconsistent hyphenation were not corrected unless otherwise noted.
On page 17, a quotation mark was removed after “Lord sakes!”
On page 29, a superfluous quotation mark was deleted.
On page 29, a quotation mark was moved one space to the correct position.
On page 47, a period was added after “as fraunk as mysel’”.
On page 81, “Lesile” was replaced with “Leslie”.
On page 120, “perfumed hair” was replaced with “perfumed hair”.
On page 128, “acros” was replaced with “across”.
On page 150, a quotation mark was added after “Lord and also the empire of the birds.”
On page 243, “though” was replaced with “through”.
On page 264, “horor” was replaced with “horror”.
On page 272, “Baudelaires” was replaced with “Baudelaire’s”.
On page 281, “jewelery” was replaced with “jewelry”.