A little while later, the parade stopped.
"Let's stay in here," whispered Mandy.
Vinnie nodded.
The children hid behind the silk curtain and peeked outside.
They were stopped in front of a large open gate.
The same symbol of two birds was mounted above the gate.
They heard someone walk up to their box.
"Uh-oh," whispered Vinnie.
Between the curtains he saw a long skirt and a huge sword.
A man stuck his face through the curtains.
"Come out," he ordered.
Outside, the children noticed the man was only about seventeen.
His hair was pulled back and tied up.
People carrying bundles stared at the children.
"Who are you?" the young man asked.
The children introduced themselves.
At that moment, an older man in a dark purple kimono appeared.
People bowed to him and backed away respectfully.
"What is the trouble, Haruki?" the man called out.
"Daimyo Masamune," Haruki said, bowing deeply.
"These children were riding in one of your palanquins."
Daimyo Masamune stared at the children.
Vinnie and Mandy gasped.
He had only one eye!
"Is your father a missionary?" he asked.
"A Dutch trader?"
Vinnie and Mandy were too scared to say anything.
"You're afraid of me, aren't you?"
He touched his missing eye and laughed.
"But it's clear, you have traveled to Sendai on one of my palanquins.
No one saw you.
No one stopped you.
You have courage, like a samurai."
"A samurai?" Vinnie finally spoke. "Cool!"
Daimyo Masamune said to Haruki, "You will look after them until I return.
I must pay a visit to Shogun Ieyasu."
Then he added, "Do not let them leave my castle."
"Come this way,"
said Haruki to the children, leading them through the gate.
"Are you a samurai?" asked Vinnie excitedly.
"I am being trained as a samurai," Haruki replied.
"What is a daimyo?" asked Mandy.
"A daimyo is the master of the samurai.
Each daimyo is given a district by the shogun.
The samurai living in that district serve the daimyo."
Then Mandy asked, "What is a shogun?"
"The shogun is what you Europeans call a general," explained Haruki.
Vinnie and Mandy walked along a high stone wall.
The castle was huge with many houses and courtyards of different sizes.
Haruki climbed two low steps that led into the first house.
Vinnie and Mandy did the same.
Sliding doors separated the different rooms.
Vinnie peeked inside one of the rooms as they passed.
"Hey!" he shouted, staying behind.
"What is it?" asked Mandy.
"It's a dragon!"
Vinnie cried, pointing into the room.
Mandy's eyes grew big.
A large frightening creature stood there wearing a suit of armor.