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One of his comrades pertinently remarked that it was all very well for Toda to die, but that it was a pity he had not chosen to die honourably in battle rather than die the death of a dog as he had done. After Toda’s death his men made the best of their way through the hills and woods of Itorup towards Kunashir. They suffered great hardships on the way, having for three days nothing to eat except such roots and berries as they could find. Some un-hulled rice boiled in one of their helmets was thought a great luxury. From the western end of Itorup they crossed over in boats to Kunashir, and from there they afterwards returned to Hakodate.
The Russians could not at first believe that the Japanese had really abandoned their Castle. They feared an ambush, and waited till morning before entering. They then carried off all the rice, sake and shoyu they could find, and, what hurt the vanity of the Japanese more than anything else, the ornamental spears and halberds set up at the entrance to the Castle. Their next step was to burn everything,—the Castle, the barracks, the brewery, even the huts of the Ainos. The desolation was complete—nothing was left. They then returned to their ships leaving behind two unfortunate men who had got drunk and had fallen asleep in a shed. Here they were afterwards discovered by the Ainos, who with the help of a Japanese who had not joined the general flight transfixed the poor fellows with spears as they lay asleep. Their heads were afterwards salted and sent to Hakodate along with their clothing and arms.
The news of the Itorup affair spread rapidly throughout Japan. The officials on duty at Hakodate wrote reports of it in their letters to their friends at Yedo. These letters were some times addressed to a large circle of acquaintance and were at any rate eagerly copied and passed from hand to hand. Among persons who had not access to such authentic sources of information, the wildest rumours were rife. One account raised the number of Russians to 500 men; another made them all 11 or 12 feet high; while reports of Russian ships being seen at various points along
