unpowder.

The next gift of Europe to Japan was that of the Christian faith. On
Pinto's return to Malacca he met there the celebrated Francis Xavier,
the father superior of the order of the Jesuits in India, where he had
gained the highest reputation for sanctity and the power of working
miracles. With the traveller was a Japanese named Anjiro, whom he had
rescued from enemies that sought his death, and converted to
Christianity. Xavier asked him whether the Japanese would be likely to
accept the religion of the Christians.

"My people will not be ready to accept at once what may be told them,"
said Anjiro, "but will ask you a multitude of questions, and, above all,
will see whether your conduct agrees with your words. If they are
satisfied, the king, the nobles, and the people will flock to Christ,
since they constitute a nation that always accepts reason as a guide."

Thus encouraged, Xavier, whose enthusiasm in spreading the gospel was
deterred by no obstacle, set sail in 1549 for Japan, accompanied by two
priests and Anjiro, the latter with a companion who had escaped with him
in his flight from Japan.

The missionary party landed at Kagoshima, in Satsuma. Here they had
little success, only the family and relatives of Anjiro accepting the
new faith, and Xavier set out on a tour through the land, his goal being
Kioto, the mikado's capital. Landing at Amanguchi, he presented himself
before the people barefooted and meanly dressed, the result of his
confessed poverty being that, instead of listening to his words, the
populace hooted and stoned him and his followers. At Kioto he was little
better received.

Finding that a display of poverty was not the way to impress the
Japanese, the missionary returned to the city of Kioto richly clothed
and bearing presents and letters from the Portuguese viceroy to the
emperor. He was now well received and given permission to preach, and in
less than a year had won over three thousand converts to the Christian
faith.

Naturally, on reaching Kioto, he had looked for the splendor spoken of
by Marco Polo, the roof and ceilings of gold and the golden tables of
the emperor's palace. He was sadly disenchanted on entering a city so
desolated by fire and war that it was little more than a camp, and on
beholding the plainest and least showy of all the palaces of the earth.

Returning to the port of Fucheo for the purpose of embarking for India,
whence he designed to bring new laborer