Chapters Sixty and Sixty-One Summary

In chapter sixty, Blackthorne arrives at Yokohama and finds the wreck of his ship. The ship is near the shore and he is horrified at the total loss. He is told that the men who were supposed to be guarding her have been executed and that a rogue wave had shoved the ship, tilting the oil lanterns and causing the fire. Blackthorne goes alone down the beach, still bemoaning the loss, with Vinck at his side. Suddenly Vinck seems to go crazy at the thought of being stranded in Japan and pulls a gun on Blackthorne. Blackthorne buries him on a hill overlooking the wreck of the Erasmus and prepares to again set out in the galley for Yedo where Toranga is waiting for them. Just as they are preparing to leave, a carrier pigeon arrives, barely...