Page:Brinkley - Japan - Volume 4.djvu/115

 do thieves succeed in guaranteeing themselves against interruption by terrorising the inhabitants of the locality where they ply their trade. In Tokugawa days an innkeeper or a merchant often saw a customer shadowed by robbers, yet did not venture to warn the victim, and it was owing to such enforced collusion that kago-carriers were able to supplement their legitimate business by that of highway robbery. The kago-carrier and the baggage-coolie acquired the name kumo-suke (vagrant) in allusion to their hand-to-mouth existence and lawless habits. It was a common practice of theirs to carry or lead a traveller to some lonely place and strip him of everything he possessed. The roadside hostelries knew these ruffians, but dared not inform against them, or take any steps to prevent an evidently contemplated crime. Such things are no longer possible. The burglar and the thief of modern time have become commonplace villains, not at all novel or interesting. They despoil the people to the extent of about three million yen yearly, and the police manage to recover nearly one-half of the stolen property. It is worth noting that, contrary to a generally entertained opinion, the number of persons killed or wounded by armed burglars is very small. Deaths under such circumstances do not average two yearly in Tōkyō, and injuries total from nine to ten.