ls in the harbor, three of which had been captured from the
Russians.

Our next point for landing passengers was Tukehare, in the narrowest
part of the Inland Sea, with the Pass of Oudo in Sato-See. Here
something unexpected occurred, as the steamer ran aground; and, after
persistent efforts to effect our release, a naval craft came to our
assistance and had to tow the steamer through.

The scene now widened so that the shore seemed distant; this gave leeway
for shipping of various kinds, large and small, and at one time I
counted forty-five craft around us. Small sampans with three or four
sails predominated. Our interest now centred not so much on shore as on
boldly defined islands that occasionally came into view. In another
place there were five promontories apparently in a direct line,--the
first, dark green; the next, pale green; the next, brown in tint; the
next, rocky; the fifth, foliage,--a veritable poem in color. We stopped
for passengers three times before reaching our destination.

Our lovely trip on the Inland Sea ended at the little port of Onomichi,
where, you will remember, we passed the night at a Japanese inn. We left
at once, and visited some of the temples for which Onomichi is famous.
We first went to a very old Buddhist place with an equally ancient
pagoda, Sinkokuji; this was at quite a height above the street, and was
in decay. Interest centred chiefly in the Senkiji Temple, rudely formed
of huge blocks of granite which seem to spring from the soil; to reach
this, we climbed a succession of tiers of stairs, each landing affording
an extended view of the hamlet. The shrine and the details of this
rock-bound temple were very simple, but there was a weird impressiveness
about it.

At five we took the train for Kobe, arriving there at nine, this time
staying at the Mikado Hotel. Having been there twice before, the visit
was simply in order to break the trip to Yokohama; so a jinrikisha ride
and a visit to a few shops the morning following sufficed in the
sight-seeing line; and in the evening we took the night train for
Yokohama, arriving there early on the morning of June 12th. Yokohama was
to be our headquarters until the homeward sailing, June 29th.

[Illustration: _Islands of the Inland Sea_]

I have before spoken of the beauty of the bay and the fine location of
the city. The heights reminded me of Hong-Kong; but on this third visit
the scene seemed to have gained new interest, for all Nat