They remained an hour or more on the mountain, and then began the descent. It was far easier than the upward journey, but was by no means a pleasurable affair. The boys slipped and fell several times, but, luckily, received no severe hurts; and in little more than three hours from the top they were at the spot where the horses were waiting for them. Altogether, they had been through about twelve hours of the hardest climbing they had ever known in their lives. Frank said he didn't want to climb any more mountains for at least a year, and Fred quite agreed with him. As they descended from their saddles at Muriyama, they were stiff and sore, and could hardly stand. They threw their arms around each other, and Frank said: "The proudest day of my life--I've been to the top of Fusiyama." "And it's my proudest day, too," Fred responded; "for I've been there with you." As they rested that evening, Frank thought of some lines that he had seen somewhere, which were appropriate to the journey they had made, and he wound up the day's experiences by repeating them. They were as follows: "As we climb from the vale to the high mountain's peak, We leave the green fields far below; We go on through the forest, beyond it we seek The line of perpetual snow. Cold and thin grows the air, the light dazzles our eyes, We struggle through storm-cloud and sleet; With courage undaunted we mount toward the skies, Till the world spreads out at our feet. "We are journeying now up the mountain of life, The green fields of youth we have passed; We've toiled through the forest with unceasing strife, And gained the bright snow-line at last. We are whitened by frost, we are chilled by the breeze-- With weariness hardly can move; But, faithful to duty, in our work we'll ne'er cease Till we look on the world from above." CHAPTER XV. EXECUTIONS AND HARI-KARI. The return to Yokohama was accomplished without any incident of consequence. Fred was a little disappointed to think that their lives had not been in peril. "Just a little danger for the fun of the thing," he remarked to Frank; and at one time on the way he was almost inclined to gloominess when he reflected on the situation. "There hasn't been any attack upon us," he said to himself, "when there might have been something of the kind just as well as not. Not that I wanted any real killing, or anything of the sort, but just a little risk of it to make things lively. It's really too bad."