They are exactly like
a magnified grain of rice, with legs and a bill. I hope I shall take
them home alive, as they have borne the cold very well so far. We have
also some mandarin ducks on board, and some gold and silver fish with
two tails. Our sailors have over a hundred birds of their own, which
never appear on deck, except on very sunny days. I don't know where
they can keep them, unless they stow them away in their Japanese
cabinets.
We went on board about dark, and a few friends came to dinner.
_Sunday, February 11th_.--About 7 a.m., two Japanese officers came on
board with a message which nobody could understand. When we went on
deck, we saw that all the ships were dressed, and concluded that we
had been asked to do the same; but we thought it better to send ashore
to ascertain positively. The next difficulty was to get a Japanese
flag. Tom went on board the 'Thabor,' a Japanese ship, to borrow one,
and found everything was in bustle and confusion, news having arrived
from Kiusiu that the rebels were mustering in great force, and that
they had seized some ships. The 'Thabor,' 'Mihu Maru,' and three
others, are therefore to go through the Inland Sea to Nagasaki this
afternoon.
The Japanese admiral sent word early this morning that he would come
on board at two o'clock with some of his captains, and the French
admiral also expressed a hope that it would be convenient to receive
him and his captains at three.
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