At the Fall of Port Arthur Part 15

"You keep a civil tongue in your head," he said, sternly. "Unless you do, I'll put you down on hard-tack and water." And thereupon Semmel became sullenly silent.

Towards evening of the day upon which Larry had the conversation about wars.h.i.+ps with Captain Ponsberry a Chinese junk, heavily laden with gra.s.s-covered boxes, was pa.s.sed. n.o.body on board could speak English, so the hail that was sent over the water brought no results.

"We are getting closer to the coast s.h.i.+pping," said the master of the _Columbia_. "I suppose we'll meet quite a few vessels from now on."

During the night an unexpected gale came up and the schooner was blown far out of her course. The gale came from the westward, so the vessel was blown to the east.

"This will make the trip a day or two longer," grumbled Grandon, after the gale had spent itself.

"Yes, but as we didn't lose a spar or a rag of canvas we can be thankful that it is no worse," responded Larry, who was always ready to look on the bright side.

The gale subsided after a blow of twenty-four hours and then the bow of the _Columbia_ was once more set towards her destination. Only a few knots had been covered when the lookout reported a vessel in sight.

"It's a steamer!" cried Larry, for the smoke from the craft's funnels was plainly to be seen.

"Maybe she's a wars.h.i.+p," returned Tom Grandon, who was beside him. "If so, I hope she's a j.a.panese."

The steamer was coming along at a good rate of speed and soon they made her out to be a British vessel. She was a "tramp," that is, a vessel going from port to port, picking up whatever cargo can be found.

"Ahoy, there!" cried Captain Ponsberry, as the tramp slowed up. "What s.h.i.+p is that?"

"The _Lord Duffield_," was the answer. "What s.h.i.+p is that?"

"The _Columbia_."

"Where are you bound?"

"For Nagasaki. And you?"

"For Hong-Kong."

A little more talk followed, and the captain of the _Lord Duffield_ vouchsafed the information that he had sighted a Russian wars.h.i.+p the day before.

"A wars.h.i.+p!" murmured Larry.

"Which way was she bound?" asked Captain Ponsberry, anxiously.

"I can't tell you. She stopped us and asked a few questions and then slipped away in the darkness."

"What wars.h.i.+p was she?"

"The _Pocastra_, from Vladivostok. I think she used to be in the merchant service and was built over for the navy."

The captain of the British steamer could give no further information, and so resumed his course, and the master of the _Columbia_ did likewise.

"Ain't very nice news, is it?" said Tom Grandon.

"It's very unpleasant news," returned Captain Ponsberry, with a shrug of his shoulders.

"What are you going to do about it?"

"What can we do, Tom? Trust to luck that we get into Nagasaki harbor, or some other port, in safety."

"We'll have to keep a sharp lookout for anything that looks like a wars.h.i.+p, unless, of course, she flies a j.a.panese flag."

Word was pa.s.sed around to those who could be trusted, and all day long one of the mates and a foremast hand were kept on the lookout, taking turns at looking through the best gla.s.s the schooner possessed.

"This is almost as exciting as being in a war," said Larry, when he was on duty with Luke. "Don't you know how we looked for the Spanish s.h.i.+ps?"

"Yes, lad; but if we sight a Russian wars.h.i.+p it will be small fighting we'll do, to my way of thinking."

"Oh, we won't be able to fight at all. We'll simply have to rely on our wits to keep us out of being gobbled up as a prize of war," responded the young second mate.

CHAPTER XI

AN ORDER TO LAY-TO

When taking on his cargo at Manila, Captain Ponsberry had considered the possibility of being captured by a Russian wars.h.i.+p, and had talked the matter over with the agents of the Richmond Importing Company and with a j.a.panese official who was doing business on the sly in the Philippines.

The j.a.panese Government was willing to pay for the cargo, whether it was delivered or not--presuming it was "gobbled up" by the Russians, but was not willing to pay for the s.h.i.+p if the vessel was taken as a prize of war.

"That is a risk you must take yourself," said the j.a.panese official. "We are willing to pay a high price for the cargo--we cannot do more." And so the risk--so far as the schooner went--was divided equally between the Richmond Importing Company and Captain Ponsberry and the other owners of the _Columbia_.

As nearly the captain's whole wealth was tied up in his share of the schooner, he was naturally anxious to make a safe trip, and he often came on deck to aid the lookouts in watching for the possible appearance of an enemy.

"If you see the least thing that looks suspicious, tell me at once," was his order, and it was strictly obeyed. As a consequence they ran away from two steamers that afternoon and another steamer the next morning--all too far off to show exactly what they were.

"This isn't bringing us much nearer to port," said Larry to Cal Vincent, who was using the gla.s.s at the time. "I don't believe we have made a dozen knots since yesterday."

"Well, the old man is a bit nervous," responded the boatswain, in a low voice. "And I don't blame him. It's no small matter to lose your craft and be thrown into prison in the bargain."

"Would they dare to throw us into prison?"

"To be sure,--if they could prove that we were aiding the j.a.ps."

"Well, they'll have hard work proving that."

An hour went by and it began to grow misty. Then came a call from the bow.

"Sail in sight!"

"What is it?" demanded the captain instantly.

"A big steamer o' some sort."