My brother-in-arms,

As I sit here with quill in hand, the wind dances across the back of my neck, my night candle flickers, and the stars begin their nightly debut. It is a cool night and it seems that pulling my cloak a bit tighter to warm me is necessary as I review your letter while setting ink to paper for this reply. The days and nights have been quite filled since my return from the Orient. My fellow officers and I have been travelling around this mad continent speaking to diplomats about our journey and our dealings with the Japanese.

It seems that I will even be speaking to several members of Congress regarding our journey. Moreover, should rumors be true, I will even be speaking to the President and his advisors, in hopes of convincing them to further their trade with our Asian friends. All this, I agreed to upon acceptance of commissioned passage aboard the Continental Navy ship Majestic. As you know, the General has had great confidence in my ability and intuition when it comes to determining whether those in my presence are trustworthy or not. In addition, with the case of the Japanese, I think we have found kindred spirits.

However, I speak before recounting my adventures! Of course, I need not tell the long and short of my long journey upon the seas (as you know, I am not fond of sailing) for the description of which, I feel, is best left to one sentence: "We set sail, our journey continued for quite some time, we arrived, and I kissed the wonderful beach sands upon my arrival."

Our first days were spent in the formal presentation of gifts and proper diplomacy between our Captain and their leaders. There seemed to be feuding in the countryside, the common people seemed ill-nourished and it was rather apparent that the Samurai were somewhat like constables or knights of valor, like those from which my father's father descended.

It was my assigned task to evaluate these people through two main methods of contact. The first was through the courtly discussions and the second was through social contact. Since, we (you and I) had previous contact with Orientals in La Salle d'Armes of our Maestro Nadi, the foremost distinguished Cavalleggeri di Alessandia, it was determined that I would be best able to judge their honest intent. (Ah, my brother, I remember our early days with great joy and regret. Joy with camaraderie, lessons our Maestro shared and the atmosphere of tenacity, which shaped us. Regret that once growing older, wiser and a bit more skilled we should find it necessary to leave behind our brethren of that training hall.)

In courtly affairs, as you know well, I have been bred to act with great decorum and to assess those about me by their simplest actions. If it is at all possible to imagine, their courtliness is even more formal then the days we spent with several of the Kings of France, Spain, and England. It was without doubt that there was more unsaid then said, and that they were discerning our true intentions.

Well, my brother, there is so much more to discuss and so little space to write it. Now, I post this to you and vow my next letter will discuss my encounter with the Japanese maestro (sensei), Toda-san.

- - Antonio de Bari

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