ABSTRACT
In one case, of which I have a vivid memory, it was necessary to level off a large tract of land for a school building. This operation took place next to our home in Kobe. Starting at the top of the sloping hillside, a miniature railway was laid down on the ground to carry the earth in trucks called t01'okko to the lower boundary of the lot. A tall embankment was thus formed of soft earth at the lower end of the hundred-yard stretch of tracks. My brother and I discovered that a number of empty trucks were always chocked up at the top of the hill, when the workmen left in the evening. All we had to do to enjoy a series of rides was to place rocks under the wheels of the second truck in line, hop on the first one and allow gravity to do the rest. At first the speed was nothing to worry about but, having no brakes, the acceleration was very rapid. At the end of the run we leaped off into the soft earth as the truck shot off the end of the tracks and fell down the embankment. We had to walk back for the next ride just as any boy is obliged to do with a sled, but the workmen had to retrieve a number of t01'okko in the morning before resuming operations. Their displeasure over this extra work was shown when we were halfway down the run one
evening. A coolie was hiding behind some bushes armed with one of the long heavy poles used for carrying things over the shoulders. His timing was fortunately inaccurate, for we sped by just before he reached the track, but he kept coming after us in hot pursuit. We were standing on each side of the truck, and when we came to the embankment both of us jumped off, slid to the bottom and streaked for home. Our lead was short as we passed through the back gate, but we had time to dodge into an outhouse before our pursuer charged up to the back door. It was dinner time, and our prettiest maid, named Kiku San (Miss Chrysanthemum), happened to be in the kitchen and answered the door. Japanese servants are noted for their loyalty. Kiku San saved the day after listening to the man's long harangue by using an Oriental variation of Mae West's famous line. It was,
"Itsuka asobi ni irrashai."
