taken from them. Handa, if only for the sake of his father, who had been forced to steal rice, felt he could not stand still and suffer any longer.
III
On October 13th the following notice was posted up.
“Workers! The pledge which you tendered to the strike leaders—‘If I betray the strike, I hereby promise to pay a fine of 500 yen’—is not legally binding. Workers! You are absolutely free. Should anyone try to claim 500 yen from you, the company will gladly undertake all court proceedings for you. Workers! You must act according to your own free will! You are absolutely free.”
The contents of the pledge had been kept a dead secret. How then did the company find out?
Who was the spy?
Suspicion fell everywhere, but it was risky to be too sure.
Ever since the founding of the union, Yamaguchi had quarrelled with his uncle and cousin. They felt honoured at being given the rank of assistant manager and foreman by Uematsu, and sided with him. In fact, all Yamaguchi’s relatives united in a chorus of criticism and abuse against him.
“Damn them! D’ye think I’ll give it up, no matter what they say!”
Struggling against a deep sense of isolation, he pitted all his strength against Uematsu. Relatives
