At the Fall of Port Arthur Part 23

The majority of the staterooms aboard of the _Mimora Juri_ were occupied by the officers of the cruiser, but one small room was turned over to Captain Ponsberry, and a larger apartment was turned over to Tom Grandon and Larry. At Larry's solicitation Luke Striker was allowed to "bunk in"

with the first and second mates.

"This 'ere s.h.i.+p is jest about next to a palace," was Luke's comment.

"Ain't seen nothing so fancy in a long time."

The j.a.panese wars.h.i.+ps were bound for the nearest naval station with their prize. They could readily have made eighteen knots an hour, but the crippled Russian cruiser could not make over ten, and so this was the rate of speed set for all three.

The Americans were allowed the freedom of the s.h.i.+p and Larry and Luke spent many hours in inspecting the guns and other equipments, and in watching the j.a.panese jackies in the gun and cutla.s.s drills, their physical exercises, and in their drills to fight fire and to lower the small boats. Everything on board ran as smoothly as clockwork, much to their delight.

"I can tell you what, Luke!" cried Larry, enthusiastically, "this beats the Russians all hollow! I never saw anything so well done!"

"Almost beats our own navy, doesn't it?"

"Well, I don't know about that. But it is certainly just as good. That drill to fight fire is immense, and their physical exercises ought to make each man's muscles like iron."

"They are a st.u.r.dy lot, lad, no two ways about that,--and they understand just how to keep themselves in the pink of condition." Luke rubbed his chin reflectively. "Do ye know what I have in mind to do?"

"I think I can make a pretty good guess," came quickly from Larry.

"Well?"

"You're thinking that you'd like to join the j.a.panese navy, just to have a mix-up or two with the Russians."

"You've struck the nail on the head, lad. And why not, seeing as how we are out here in fighting waters, and with no s.h.i.+p of our own to go aboard?"

"Well, I feel a good bit that way myself. Ben is in the army, and so is Gilbert Pennington. If they can make a record for themselves why shouldn't I do the same? As it was I came close to joining the army with Ben."

"So you told me before. But you're a born sailor, Larry, not a soldier."

"I don't deny it. I'd rather be on board of a s.h.i.+p than on land any day."

"Yes, to a fellow as gets used to the sea the land seems a strange place."

From the j.a.panese on the wars.h.i.+p who could speak English our friends learned much concerning the war. They were told that Admiral Togo's fleet was keeping a strict guard over the harbor approach to Port Arthur, and that a portion of the j.a.panese army was hemming in the city on the land side and had lately captured several hills of importance.

From Captain Tonkaka the Americans obtained permission to station themselves in one of the fighting tops, and here they spent hour after hour, on the lookout for the _Columbia_. Captain Ponsberry was particularly anxious to find his vessel, and kept scanning the j.a.pan Sea through a fine spygla.s.s the j.a.panese captain loaned him.

"If I can gain possession of that s.h.i.+p, I am going to fix Semmel and Peterson," said the master of the _Columbia_.

"Both of them declared that they took possession of the s.h.i.+p for the sake of the Russian Government," said Larry. "That being the case, they should be treated as prisoners of war."

"Exactly my idea, Larry."

"Semmel is a thoroughly bad egg," came from Tom Grandon. "He will lie out of his troubles if he can possibly do so."

"It will be a shame if we don't find the _Columbia_ again," went on Larry. "Think of those rascals taking her to Vladivostok and getting their share of the prize money! It makes me sick!"

"Captain Tonkaka tells me that other j.a.panese wars.h.i.+ps are in this vicinity," said Captain Ponsberry. "They may fall in with the schooner even if we don't. But what they will do with her, in that case, there is no telling. They might claim her as a prize also, and if they did, I'd have some trouble in getting my property back."

What the j.a.panese captain had said was true. In order to counteract the doings of the Russian squadron which was raiding the northern and eastern coasts of j.a.pan, the Mikado had sent out a flying squadron of six or seven vessels, all of which, though not large, had good sailing powers.

Owing to the heavy mists, the flying squadron became separated, and two of the vessels fell in with the _Pocastra_, as already described. Of the other s.h.i.+ps some proceeded up the coast to Korea and caught two Russian colliers loaded with coal and another s.h.i.+p carrying steel rails for the Manchuria railroad. The remainder of the squadron put further to sea, and on the fourth day out caught sight of two Russian steamers loaded with munitions of war. A chase ensued, lasting three days, and several shots were exchanged at long range. But a mist, coming up one night, put an end to the chase, and chagrined to think that the enemy had given them the slip after all, the j.a.panese turned back once more, to look for the other vessels of the flying squadron.

CHAPTER XVII

THE RETAKING OF THE "COLUMBIA"

"We are in for another storm!"

It was Larry who made the remark. He was in one of the tops with Luke, gazing anxiously to the westward, where the black clouds were beginning to pile up.

"Right you are, lad--and it's going to be a heavy one, unless I miss my guess."

The storm broke half an hour later, and the wind and rain were so furious that our friends were glad to leave the top and go below. But some of the j.a.panese sailors did not appear to mind the las.h.i.+ng of the elements and remained on deck as if nothing out of the ordinary was occurring.

"These chaps beat me!" said Larry. "They are certainly as tough as pine knots. I never saw their equal."

"I'm beginning to think that the j.a.panese are a wonderful nation," put in Tom Grandon, seriously. "I used to look at them as something like the Chinese. But there is a wide difference between them and the c.h.i.n.ks."

"A Chinaman isn't in it alongside of a j.a.panese," came from Captain Ponsberry. "The j.a.panese are up-to-date and very progressive; the Chinese are about a hundred years behind the times."

The storm continued for the best part of half a day. There was but little thunder and lightning, but the wind blew a perfect gale. Yet even the _Pocastra_ did not seem to mind the wind, and all three of the wars.h.i.+ps proceeded on their way at only a slightly reduced rate of speed.

"Such a gale as this will play havoc with the sailing vessels," said Larry. "I wonder how the old _Columbia_ is making out?"

"I was thinking that same," rejoined Captain Ponsberry. "To tell the truth, I'd rather have her go to the bottom than see her taken to a Russian port as a prize."

When the storm cleared away, Larry was one of the first to go on deck, to get a whiff of "washed air," as he called it. The others followed.

"I see a sail!" cried the youth, a moment later, and at that instant came a cry from the lookout. Far to the eastward was a sailing vessel flying a signal of distress.

"She looks familiar to me!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Captain Ponsberry, and ran to get Captain Tonkaka's gla.s.s. One glance through the instrument was enough.

"The _Columbia_!"

"Are you sure?" cried Larry.

"She certainly is the _Columbia_," said Tom Grandon, after a look through the gla.s.s. "She has lost her fore topmast and part of her bowsprit."

"And a part of the stern rail is gone," added Larry, after he too had used the gla.s.s. "Let us tell Captain Tonkaka," he added, starting to go below.

The news that the _Columbia_ was in sight was soon circulated throughout the s.h.i.+p, and Captain Tonkaka at once signaled to the other wars.h.i.+ps that he was going to her a.s.sistance. Then the _Mimora Juri_ steamed away on her new course.

As they drew closer to the schooner they could see that the storm had treated the gallant old s.h.i.+p roughly enough. Many of the sails were in ribbons, and not only the fore topmast but also half a dozen of the spars were gone. One end of the forecastle was stove in, and a part of the stern was a wreck.