He Was The Only One Among Them All Who
Showed The Slightest Curiosity Regarding My Things.
He looked at
my scissors, touched my boots, and watched me, as I wrote, with the
simple curiosity of a child.
He could speak a little Japanese, but
he said he was "too young to tell me anything, the older men would
know." He is a "total abstainer" from sake, and he says that there
are four such besides himself among the large number of Ainos who
are just now at the fishing at Mombets, and that the others keep
separate from them, because they think that the gods will be angry
with them for not drinking.
Several "patients," mostly children, were brought in during the
afternoon. Ito was much disgusted by my interest in these people,
who, he repeated, "are just dogs," referring to their legendary
origin, of which they are not ashamed. His assertion that they
have learned politeness from the Japanese is simply baseless.
Their politeness, though of quite another and more manly stamp, is
savage, not civilised. The men came back at dark, the meal was
prepared, and we sat round the fire as before; but there was no
sake, except in the possession of the old woman; and again the
hearts of the savages were sad. I could multiply instances of
their politeness. As we were talking, Pipichari, who is a very
"untutored" savage, dropped his coat from one shoulder, and at once
Shinondi signed to him to put it on again.
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