TheNorthPacific 10109483 PDF

T O M Y F R l EN D
C O M M A N DE R W I L L l A M H H
. . S O UT HE RL A N D, U S N
. . .
T HI S BOO K I S D E DI CAT E D
C O P Y R I G HT , 1 90 5
BY
E . P D U T T ON
. CO .
P u bl i
s h e d, Sep e mber
t , 1 90 5
t h e Tk n l c ke r b o c ke r p r ess , me w
PRE F AC E .
S in the preparation o f N avy B l ue and Cl e a r ed

f o r A c ti
o
,
n the author h as taken gr eat pai ns to
verify the m ain facts o f the present story s o far as ,
they are concern ed with th e incidents o f the great

stru ggle still in progress between the em pires o f the
E ast and the W est . H e ackn owledges m ost gr ate
fully the assistance received from the o ffi ce o f the
Secretary of the N avy from ex Secretary J ohn D
,
- .
Long and from Com m ander W H H So uther

, . . .
land n ow command ing th e U S Cru iser Cl e ve l a n d

, . . ,
Commander Au st in M K n ight President o f the

.
,
i
Board o n N aval O rdnance and Chief Engineer E d

,
-
ward Farm er ret ired

, .
W B A . . .
B O S T ON J u n e 1 90 5
, , .
CO N T E N T S
CHA PT E R
I . T HE T R I AL O F TH E RET VI ZA N
II . M AN O VE RB O A RD !
I II . D O R DE RS
S E AL E
IV U N CL E S AM S P A C K I N G
'
.
V O T O s S T RA N G E VI S I T
’
.
VI A S C RA P I N M AL T A
.
V II O H A N A S AN S P AR T Y
’
.
- -
V II I A B AT C H OF L E TT E RS
.
A T TH E C Z AR S C O MM A N D
’
I! .
X T H E F I RS T B L OW
.
! I I N TH E M I K A D O S C A P I TA L
'
.
X II B E T W EE N T w o F I RE S
.
X III W Y NN I E M A K E S A B LU N DE R
.
X I V T H E A TT A C K OF TH E O CT OP U S
.
X V U N DE R TH E R E D C ROSS
.
XV I T H E L A S T T R AI N FRO M PO RT A R THU R
.
XV II D I C K S OU PE S A D VE N T U R E
.
’
XV I I I O S H I MA G O E S A F I S H I N G
.
-
X I X A M ON G TH E C LO UD S
.
! ! T H E D O GGE R B A N K A FF AI R
.
XX I T H E F A LL OF P O R T A RTH U R
.
XX II O N B O AR D TH E K U S H I R O
.
vi
i
vi
ii CON T E N T S
CH A PT E R
XX III . T R A PP ED N M ANC H U R I A
I
XX I V . T H E L I TT L E F A TH E R
XXV . L A R K I N R E T I R E S FRO M B U S I N E SS
XXV I . T H E D E S T I N Y OF A N E M P I R E
XXV II . O R DE R ED H O ME
I L L U S T R AT I O N S
M AN OV ER B OA R D
OT O C LI M B ED TH E R AIL LI K E A M O N K EY
I N S T RAN GE W AT E RS
PI C K ED U P B Y TH E S EAR C HL I G HT
T H E S I N KI N G OF TH E P ET ROP A VL O V S K ”
T HE E ND O F TH E T RA I TO R
ON TH E D OGGE R BA N K
T HE O S AKA BA IB ES
T HE N O RT H PA C I F I C .
C HAPT E R I .
T HE T R I A L O F T HE R E T VI ZA N .
T w as a clear cool aftern oon in early September

, ,
196 1 .I n the cou ntry th e tawny hillsid es were

warm ed t o gold by the glow of th e autum n s u n ,
while here and there a maple li fted i

, ts crimson torch
as if the forest were kindling where the rays were
the h ottest Brown golden an d S carlet leaves
.
, ,
floated slowly d ownward t o the gro un d ; fl ocks O f

dark winged b irds drifted across the s ky o r fi i
-
tte d
silently through the sha dows Of the deep wo od ; the
call o f the harvest er t o his strain ing team sou nded
—
across the fields fo r a m oment then all was still
again But fo r the creak o f a waggon the d istant
.
,
bark Of a do g the fi tfu l wh isper and rustle O f the

,
wind in the boughs overhead the whirring chatt er

,
o f a squ irrel the world seemed lost in a day dream

,
-
o f peace .
2 T HE N OR T H P A CI F I C .
O nly a few m iles away the air was rent by a

clam ou r O f discordant sou nd Ponderous hammers .
beat u pon plates o f iron and brass ; m achinery

ru mbled and shrieked and hissed at its work ; a
thousand men lab ou ring as if for their lives pulled
, , ,
pushed li fted pou nded shouted orders warnings

, , , , ,
replies above the din that beat upon the ear like a
’
blacksm ith s blows up on an anvil From the tall .
chimneys poured endless volumes Of black smoke

that were reflected in the blu e waters O f the river
an d m im icked by innu m erable pu ffs O f steam The .
place was like a volcano in the fi rst stages Of e r u p

t ion A vast upheaval seemed imm inent Yet the
. .
countless t oilers worked secu rely and swiftly fash ,
ioni n g that dread fl oat ing citadel O f m odern warfare ,
the Battleship .
O n this same afternoon at the outer gate O f the

,
Cramp Shipb u ilding Works two strangers applied ,
fo r adm ission presenting to the watchman a properly

,
accred ited pass They were young m en u nder the

.
,
average stature dark S kin ned and al most notably

,
-
,
qu iet in appearan ce and m anner Although their .
dress was that O f the Am erican gentlem an a very ,
slight accent in their speech their j et black hair ,

-
,
and a trifl ing obliqu ity in their eyes wo uld have at ,
once betrayed their nationality t o a carefu l observer .
H e would have known that they were O f a people

fam ous for their shrewdness their gentle manners, ,
T HE I
T R AL OF T HE
“
R E T VI Z A N .
”
3
their bravery their qu ick perceptions and their

, ,
profou nd patien ce and t ireless resolut ion in ac c o m

p l is h i
n g their ends —the “
Yankees O f th e O rient
the J apanese .
The watchman glanced at them carelessly rather

, ,
impressed by the visitors imm aculate attire—b oth ’
wore silk hat s an d black coats o f c orrect Broadway

cut —and asked if they wanted an attendant to show
them abou t the works They said N 0 thank you.
, , .
We shall remain b ut short t im e We can fi nd o u r .
”
ways ; and b owing passed into the yard
, ,
.
Their curiosity seemed very slight as t o the ,
bu ildings and machinery With light qu ick steps .

,
they passed through o n e or two O f the m ost i m

portant shops then tu rned t o the river sid e an d
,
-
,
halted beside the huge ship that was o n the stocks ,
almost ready for lau nch i n g H ere for the fi rst t im e .
the i r whole expression became alert their eyes keen ,
and flashing N obody paid m u ch attent ion to them

.
as they p assed along the walk scrut inising it wou ld , ,
seem every individ u al bolt an d plate

, .
“ ’
A couple O Dagos ! remarked one workman t o
an other nodding over his S hou lder as he carried his
,
end O f a heavy steel bar .
At the gan gway the visitors met their fi rst O b

stac l e . A man in u ndress u niform with a fu ll beard ,
“
and stern countenance waved them back ,
NO .
adm ittance to the deck he said briefly , .

4 T HE N OR T H PA CIFIC .
The two J apanese b owed blandly and spoke a ,
f ew words together in soft u ndert ones and g utte r al s ,
as incomprehensible t o a Western ear as the lan

guage O f the O j ibways Then they bowed again
.
,
“ ”
sm iled and said Thank yo u s i r and m oved away , , .
The Ru ssian O ffi cer watched them sharply u ntil they

disappeared arou nd the b ows O f the vessel m utter ,
ing t o himself u nder h is bushy m ou stache .
O nce out o f sight the langu or and m ild i n diffe r

ence o f the strangers van ished They spoke swiftly .
,
with e x cited but graceful gestures Then o n e Of

, .
’
them pointed t o the sno w y cu rve O f the battleship s
prow ab ove their heads There gleam ing in the
,
.
,
sunse t light shone the word in gold letters

, , ,
B N 3 A H b
F
P E T
R E T VI Z A N , m u rm ured the other R E T VI '
ZA N. Adding in h is o w n language S he will ,
have her trial trip late in O ctober sailing from ,
Boston Then —w e shall s e e

.
“ ”
We shall s e e .
'
S ag/m a m R e l w zcm I
,
said the first speaker
with j u st a trace O f m ockery in h is t on e as the two ,
t u rned toward the gate As they passed through

.
,
o n their way o u t they b owed and sm iled to the

,
gate keeper O nce m ore they were suave langu id

-
.
,
little gentlemen Of fashion travelling for pleasu re , .

6 . T HE N OR T H PA CIFIC.
H ullo Larkin you here ?

, ,
called o ut o n e .
—
Better go ashore wh ile there s t ime you l l be ’ ’
sea S ick when we get o utside !

-
“
I never yet was sick O f seeing ! ret ort ed the
“
you ng man The B ul l e tin m u st have a good st ory
.
’
o n t o day s trip
- .
“ ’
Why did n t they send a reporter that knew h is
business ? j ested an other .
“
D on t yo u s ay anything Alderm an or I ll fix
’
, ,
’
u p an account O f you that will make you tu rn pale

”
when yo u read it t o m orro w m orn ing - said the ,
j olly reporter ; and O ff he went followed by a choru s ,
O f laughter .
Fred L arkin was o n e O f the m ost valu ed reporters

on the Boston D a ily B ul l e ti n H e had risen to his .
present position from that o f m ere space writer by

, ,
S heer determ inat ion plu ck and hard work which

, , ,
characteristics backed by fi n e Character and a su nny

,
good hu m ou r m ade h i
-
, m a favou rite with both his
su periors and his comrades o n the sta ff Three .
years before this sea trip Fred had been sent to -
Cu ba as war correspondent for the B u l l e ti n h ad per ,
form ed o n e o r tw o remarkable feats in j ou rnalism ,
had been capt ured by the Span iards and o n the ,
very day when he expected t o be e x ecu ted in San

tiago as a spy had been e x changed and set free .
M eanwhile o n this same perilou s j ou rney inland ,
he had m et a young Span ish girl named I sabella

T HE I
T R AL OF T HE
“
R E T VI Z A N .
”
7
Cu eva who subsequ ently appealed t o him for pr o

,
te c ti
on and whom a few m onths later h e m arried
, , , .
They n ow had o n e bright little dark haired b oy a -

,
year Old n am ed Pedro

,
.
H e s a wonderful child L arkin would assert

’
, .
Talks Spanish like a native and cries in E nglish ! ,
Besides the company o f invit ed gu ests o n the

R e tv i
za n the O ffi cers Of the ship b u ilding com
,
-
pany and the Russian crew there were a number

, ,
o f su p e rnu meraries — butlers cooks an d stewards , , ,
O f variou s nati onalities .
About a week before the ship was t o sail from

Philad elphia two J apanese b oys applied for a posi
,
t ion o n b oard as stewards They were dressed .
neatly after the Custom O f their race b u t their

, ,
spotless clothes were threadbare and as they ,
seemed needy an d brou ght the best o f references

from Washin gt on fam ilies they were h ired at once
, .
I t w as tru e that they seem ed u nable to speak o r t o

u nderstand m ore than a few words O f English b u t ,
their S light knowledge Of th e language appeared t o

be su fficient for their d ut ies and the J apanese are ,
known t o be the neatest qu ickest m ost e ffi cien t

, ,
little waiters that can be procu red Many Of them .

,
as their employers knew were e n gaged in this ,
hu mble service o n U n ited States war ships where -

,
they gave complete satisfaction .
A s the great vessel swu ng o u t upon her co urse ,

the two b oyish J aps appeared They had com e o n .
b oard in Philadelphia and were soon equ ipped for

,
their work with white aprons an d dark su its H av

, .
ing with some diffi culty made the head steward

understand when and for what they had been e n
gaged they had ent ered at once u pon their d uties
, .
N obody took m u ch n ot ice O f the little fellows as ,
they glided silently to and fro giving deft t ou ches ,
t o the lu nch table o r assist ing a stout alderm an to

,
d on his overcoat O nly once did they seem d iscon

.
c e rted That was when a Russian u nder O ffi c e r

.
-
,
with b u shy beard and m ou stache pu t his head i

'
n ,
side the cabin d oor O n e Of the J apanese started

-
.
S O n ervou sly that he n early upset a water carafe o n -
the table As he adj usted it he spoke a few words

.
,
in a low t on e to his companion and both remained ,
with their backs to the door although the Russian ,
su mm oned them roughly .
“ ’
Why d id n tyou go when he called ? demanded
the head steward crossly a m in ute later when he , ,
had himself given the O ffi cer the glass o f water he

wanted .
“
N O speak Ru ssian N O s aid the
.
little J ap with a meek gest ure .
Well you m ight have known what he asked

,
“
,
”
for retorted his su perior L ook S harp n ow and .
,
’
attend t o you r bu siness You ain t here fo r fu n .
,
yo u !
T HE I
T R AL OF T HE
“
R E T VI Z A N
.
”
9
The steward addressed shot a qu ick glan ce at the

other bu t neither s aid a word as they resum ed
, ,
their t asks .
The R e tvi za n m oved prou dly n orthward throw ,
ing o u ta g reat a e o n each side o f her wh it e prow

and leaving a wake o f t ossing foam stretching far
astern The harbou r islands were n ow d im in the
.
distance and the shore Of the m ainland m ight have

been that o f Pat agonia for all the sign O f hu man ,
life it showed N o w indeed the vessel drew I n

.
, , ,
or,
rather the coastline veered eastward as if t o
,
intercept her in her swift cou rse The M agn olia

‘
shore came in sight with its t oy cottages and hotels

, ,
as deserted as au tu m n b irds nests N orman s W o e ’

- .
’
w as left behind backed by dark p ine forests and

, ,
Gloucester n estling in its snu g harb ou r peered o u t

, ,
at the passing m onster Almost directly in front .
’
the lights O f Thatcher s I sland reared themselves ,
tw o priestly fingers raised in blessing over the toilers
o f the sea .
N O W the battleship began to qu iver as the i n ,
creased throbbin g O f her engines the m onstrou s ,
fore waves and the volumes Of black smoke ru shing

-
,
from her stacks told the excited passengers that S he

w as settl ing down t o her best pace fo r the cru cial
test o f speed A government t ug was passed an d

.
,
for ten m iles th e R e tu i

e a n ploughed her way fi ercely
northward n ever deviating a foot t o right or left

, ,
T HE N OR T H PA CIFIC .
crushing the waves into a bo iling cauldron O f seeth

ing foam dashing the spray high int o the sunshine
, .
,
u ntil the secon d stake boat O ff Cape P orpoise was -

, ,
passed and with a long sweep outward she tu rned

, ,
t o retrace the ten m ile co urse m ore swiftly than ever

-
.
Fred Larkin pervaded S O t o speak the sh ip , , .
N ote b ook in hand he interviewed th e O fficers

-
, ,
cha ffed the Russian J ackies d arted in and o u t O f ,
the cabins and ranged boldly through the hidden

,
passages below I n process of tim e he reached the

.
engine room sm earing himself with Oil o n the way

-
, ,
from every steel rod he tou ched .
N O sooner had he entered the room than he was

pou nced upon by one O f the three o r four engineers ,
naval and civil who were bu sily watching the work

,
O f the great pulsi ng heart Of the vessel

, .
Larkin ! H ow are yo u Old fellow ? And his ,
hands were grasp ed and wru ng over an d over r e , ,
g ar dl s o f Oi
l.
“
H olmes ! Well I did n t gu ess yo u were here ! ’
Shake again ! “if !
I t was Lieu tenant Commander H olmes Assistant -

,
Engineer who with several subordinate o ffi cers

, , ,
two o f them from the Academy h ad been detached ,
by the N avy Departm ent to watch the trip o f the

R e tuiza n an d report up on it They m ingled freely .
wit h the Ru ssian engineers and compared n otes ,
thetrial progressed
with th e n
ma
‘
s .
T HE T R AL I OF T HE
“
R E T VI Z A N .
”
I I
N orman H olm es explained this to the you ng r e ’
port er who was an O ld an d t ried friend

, .
“ ”
Where is Rexdale stat ioned ?
H e s doing shore d uty in Wash ingt on j ust n ow
’
.
’
Between yo u and m e Fred I th ink h e 11 be a , ,
lieutenant comm ander before long and may c o m

-
,
m and o n e Of the smaller vessels o n this stat i on —a

despatch boat o r something o f the kind I only
-
.
wish I cou ld b e assigned t o the S am e S hip ! Y o u

know Dave and I were chu ms in the A cademy .
“
1 know And the trifl ing circu mstance O f each
.
marrying the other s S ister has n ttended to produ ce

’ ’
’
a coldness I su ppose ! But is n t that an awfully
,
qu ick prom otion for Rexdale ? The last I heard O f

him he w as only a lieutenant .
’
Well we v e bu ilt s o many n ew ships lately
, ,
said H olmes with his eye o n the steam gau ge

, ,
”
that it h as been hard work t o m an them Two .
o r three classes have been gradu ated at the Academy
tw o years ahead o f time and prom ot ions have been ,
rapid all alo n g the line The m an that commanded .

’
the gunboat Osp r ey for instance is n ow o n an ar

, ,
mou red cru iser taking the place O f an o ffi cer who has
,
been m oved u p t o the battleship A r iz o n a and so o n , .
Why in the cou rse Of ten years o r m ore I m ay be a

,
commander— who knows ? he added wi th a laugh , .
“
I s uppose you hear from Sandy and — what d id ‘
y o u fellows call T i
c ke rs o n ?
‘
G i rlie Oh ,
yes I hear from them Both are , .
’
in the East som ewhere Sandy s last letter was from .
Gu am H e s a lieu tenant n ow and S O is T i ”

’
. c ke r s o n , .
“ ’
Well I m u st n t stay here b othering you
, , .
There S a qu eer crowd o n board a m i

’
x ed lot -
.
Seen those little J aps ?

“
N O What are they here for ?
.
O h j u st waiters
’
, But it s o dd t o see J apan ese

.
on a Ru ssian man O iwar considering th at —hullo - -

, ,
’
here s o n e Of them n ow ! ,
Su re enough a small white aproned fi gure cam e

, ,
-
daintily picking his way down int o the j arring ,
clanging Oily engine room , H e seemed a b it -

.
troubled t o fi nd two o f its occu pants regard ing him

intently as he stepped u pon the iron fl oor
, .
“ ’
M ist J ohnson n o here ? he asked innocently ,
gaz ing around him .
“
J ohnson ? N O n o t that I kn ow O f replied
, ,
“ ”
H olm es W hat S his p osition
.
’
.
H e —h e from Boston
“ ”
said the J ap after a , ,
S light hesitat ion .
“
L ook here ”
broke in L arkin in his o ffhand
, ,
“ ’ ”
way what s your name you ng fellow ?
, ,
’
The steward looked into the reporter s frank ,
”
kindly face then answered O tO , ,
.
” ” “ ’
O tO repeated Fred
,
That s a n ice easy .
n am e to pronou nce if it i s J apanese Well O tO ,

.
, ,
h ow about you r ch um —what s his nam e ? ’

14 T HE NOR TH PA CIFIC .
as if fo r action M ost Of the visitors had withdrawn

.
from the keen w ind t o the shelter o f the cab in ,
where doubtless the qu estion Of luncheon was

, ,
already exciting interest Beneath the fi gh ti ng.
top was the bridge where the highest O ffi cials o n

,
the ship were watching her progress J u st beyond .
was the forward tu rret with its proj ect ing guns , ,
their m u zzles peacefully closed i

.
The vessel n ow r e ac h e d th e first stake boat once -
m ore and t u rn ing again start ed over the cou rse at

, ,
half speed for the tediou s process Of stan dardisin g

-
,
the screw ; that is determ ining how m any revolutions

,
went to a given rate o f speed The engineers were .
busy with their calculat ions L arkin j oined the .
hu ngry crowd in the cabin giving a last look at the ,
blu e s e a the m isty S hore line and the d im bu lk O f

, ,
Agam ent ic us reared against the western s ky .
When the R e tvi za n p assed Cape Ann on her ,
’
homeward trip th e great lam ps o n Thatcher s Island
,
were alight and the waves sparkled in the glow I t

, .
’
was n early n ine o clock that even ing when the chains
rattled through the hawse holes in the lower har -
,
bo ur as the battleship cam e to anchor M any had

, ,
.
been the gu esses as t o her speed H ad she com e up .
t o her bu ilders expectat ions ? H ad S he passed the

’
test successfully ? These were the qu estions that

fl ew t o and fro am ong the passengers crowding ,
abo ut the gan gwa ben e ath w h i c h the tug was soon
y
T HE I
T R AL OF T HE
“
R E T VI ZA N . I 5
rising and falling At the last m oment the appr o x i

.
’
mate resu lt O f the engineers calculat ions was given
o ut
. The S hip had responded n obly to the dem and
u pon her m ighty m achinery Splendidly bu ilt
.
througho ut perfectly equ ipped fo r m an slau ghter

,
and fo r the pr o te c tiOn o f her crew obedient t o the ,
lightest t ou ch o f the m aster hand that sho uld gu ide

-
her over the seas in warfare o r in peace the R e to i zan ,
had shown hersel f to b e o n e o f th e swiftes tand m ost

powerful war S h ips in the world F o r twenty m iles
- .
,
in the open ocean s h e had easily m ade a little over

,
eighteen kn ots an hou r .
I n the con fusion o f going o n board the tu g and

disembarking in the darkness n o o n e observed the
,
two J apanese waiters who m ust have forgott en even

,
t o ask for their wages Cert ain it is that O to an d

.
O shim a were am ong the very fi rst t o lan d o n the

Bost on wharf and to disappear in one O f the gloomy
,
cross streets that branch O ff from Atlantic Aven u e

-
.
C H APT E R I I .
M AN O VE R B O A R D !
’
ELL we r e o u to f the harb ou r safely Cap
, ,
”
tain said Executive O ffi cer Staples with
,
a sigh O f relief as he S pread o u t the chart of the

,
“ ”
Massachu setts coast and glanced at the tell tale -
“
com pass . N o m ore trou ble t ill we get down by
”
the Pollock Rip Shoals .
“
Anybody would think you had b ee n taking a
’
battleship o ut from u nder the enem y s gu ns ,
laughed Lieutenant Commander D avid Rexdale

-
.
“ ’ ‘ ’ ’
D on t talk abo ut trouble Tel while it s day , .
,
l ight O ff a hom e port in good weather !

, ,
The two were standing in the chart room j ust -

,
behind the bridge o f the U S gunboat Osp r ey as . .

,
the vessel leaving Boston O uter L ight behind

, ,
headed slightly t o the south o f east Rexdale as .

,
his o l d chu m H olmes had predicted was n o w in ,
command of the Osp r ey and was taking her t o ,
Washington for a pract ice trip o n which the crew ,
would be drilled in variou s m an oeuvres including ,
t arget pract ice

- Lieutenant Richard Staples his
.
,
16
‘
M AN 0 VE R B OA R D I 7
’
executive had been the captain s classmate at A n
,
nap olis . H e was lanky and tall and at the Academy ,
had soon gain ed the sobriqu et o f Telegraph Pole ,
or Tel for short ; a nam e that had stu ck t o him

.
,
thus far in his n aval career H e was a Californ ian .

,
and while very qu i

,
et in his m anner was a dangerou s ,
m an when aro used —as the u pper class cadets had -
‘ ”
discovered when they undert ook t o ru n him 6
.
Rexdale was from the rural d istricts o f N ew

H ampshire and was known t o h is classm ates as
“
Farm er a term wh ich was n ow seldom applied
,
t o the dign ifi ed lieutenant commm ander - .
—
The Osp r ey to complete o u introd uctions was
r —
’
a lively little m ember o f U ncle Sam s n avy m ou nt ,
ing several S i x pounders and a fou r inch rifled gun

- -
,
besides smaller p ieces for close qu arters She had .
taken part in the blockade of Sant iago and while ,
n ot as m odern in her appo intments as som e O f her

b igger and you nger sister S hips had given a good -
,
accou nt o f herself in the st irring days when C e rv e r a s ’
fleet was C ooped u p behind the Cuban hills and ,
made their fi nal hopeless dash fo r freedom Rex .
dale was in love with h is little vessel and knew ,
every spar gun plate and b olt as if he had assist ed

, , ,
in her b u ild ing .
O n the way d own th e harbou r they had passed ,
the E s s e x an d L a n c as te r saluting each with a b ugle

,
call. Besides the two O ffi cers mentioned it should ,

18 T HE NOR TH PA CIFI C .
be added that there were o n board Ensigns D obson

and L i ddo n the former a good natu red little fellow
,
-
,
barely tall en ough to m eet naval requ irem ent as

to height ; the other a fi nely educated and elegant
yo ung gentleman who had atten ded a m ed ical c o l
lege before enlisting and whose fu nd o f scient ifi c
,
and historical kn owledge was su pposed t o be i n ex
h au s ti ble ; H e wore glasses and had at on ce been

,
du bbed D octor o n entering the N aval Academy

”
, .
These with Paymaster Ross Assistant Su rgeon

, ,
Cutler and Engineer C l afl i

, n m ade u p the O flic e r s
,
’
mess o f the Osp r ey .
I t was a fair clay in J u ne 1903 The su nlight , .
sparkled on the sum mer s e a O fficers and men were

.
in the best o f spirits as the gunboat her red w h ite , , ,
“ ”
and blu e com mission pennant streaming from
her masthead sped southward past the long ragged
, ,
”
t oe o f the M assachusetts b oot .
At n oon Rexdale d ined i n solem n and solitary

state in h is after cab in The rest o f the O ffi cers
.
m essed together in the ward room below decks -

, ,
and doubtless D ave would have been glad to j oin

them ; b ut d iscipline requ ired that the comm anding
O ffi cer however fam iliarly he m ight address an old
,
acqu aintance in private S hould h old aloof at m eal

,
t im es H e was waited u pon by two S m all J apan ese

.
m en o r b oys who had easily Obtained the situ ation

, ,
when the vessel went int o comm ission at the Charles

“
M AN 0 VE R E OA R D I 19
t own N avy Yard where s h e had remained for som e

,
m onths d ocked for overhauling and thorough te

,
pairs . The two cab in stewards were gentle and

pleasant in their m anners conversant with al l their ,
duties and spoke English flu ently Their nam es

, .
.
’
were o n the ship s papers as O to an d O sh ima .
“
O to said Rexdale when the d inner was fi n
, ,
“ ”
ish e d call the orderly
,
.
“ ”
Yes s ir ,
.
The m arine w as pacing the deck ou tside the cab in

door O n receiving the summ ons he entered and
.
saluted sti ffly .
“
O rderly as k M r Staples t o step this way if he
, .
,
”
h as fi nished his dinner .
An other salute and the man t u rned o n his heels

,
and m arched o u t
M r Staples said the comm an der as the form er
.
, ,
‘
came in at fou r bells we will have man overboard
,
’
drill We shall anchor t o n ight about ten m iles o ff

.
-
N antu cket I shall come on the bridge and con the

.
S hip myself when we sight the Shovelful Lightsh ip ,
and I shall be glad to have yo u with m e passing the ,
Shoal The n ext time we go over th is course I shal l

.
let you take the ship through the passage yourself .
“
V ery well s i r And the execu tive being in
, .
,
sight o f the waiters and the orderly as well as the ,
surgeon who j ust then passed throu gh the cab in

, ,
s aluted f o rm all y and retired .

On deck forward an d in the waist o f the ship the

, ,
men were bu sy at variou s tasks b u rn ishing brass ,
work m aking fast th e lashings o f the guns overhaul

, ,
ing rigging and su ch naval apparatu s as the warrant

O ffi cers knew would be needed o n this short cru ise .
— —
But few O f the crew over a hu ndred in all were b e
low altho ugh only the watch were act ually on duty
, .
I n passin g o n e o f the seamen who was poli shing ,
the rail O shima o n h is way to the galley accident

, , ,
ally hit the m an with his elbow .
”
Clear O u t will you ? said the seaman with an
,
oath At the same t im e he gave the little J ap a

.
S hove that sent him reeling .
“
O h take a fellow O f you r S i z e Sam !
, cried o n e ,
o f the watch stand ing near .
H e ran into m e ! I 11 take him and you t oo if ’
, ,
”
you say m u ch retorted the fi rst speaker m orosely
, .
Two o r three of the men pau sed o n hearing the

angry words The little stewards were favourites on
.
board although the enlisted men looked down o n

,
their call ing .
O sh im a s dark eyes had flashed at the rough

’
p ush and the sneering reply of the sailor He .
’
b rushed his n eat j acket where the form er s han d
“
had t ou ched it Then he said qu ietly .You can ,
strike Sam Bolles as an ass can kick But you

, ,
.
”
could n o t throw m e t o the deck .
“ ’
Could n t I ? snarled Sam dropping his hand ,
T HE N OR T H P A CI F I C .
Lieut Commander Rexdale pacing th e qu arter

.
,
deck and congratulating himself on the fi ne ru n the

Osp r ey was making was suddenly aroused from his
,
professional meditations by the soun d O f cries from

the forward part Of the ship Annoyed by this .
breach O f d isciplin e he called sharply to on e o f the

,
ensigns who was stan ding near watching a d istan t

, ,
“
steam er through h i s glass M r D obson step for
, .
,
ward please and fi nd o u t what that dist urbance is

, ,
am ong the men

Bu t before D obson co uld reach the head of the
ladder another con fu sion O f shouts arose followed ,
im med iately by a rush o f fo otsteps At the sam e .
tim e the commander felt the trem or o f the screw s ’
m otion die away u nder his feet

, .
M an overb oard ? exclaimed Rexdal e with a ,
“
vexed frown .I gave orders for the drill at four
bells and three bell s were stru ck only a few m inutes
,
”
ago Where is Mr Staples ?
. .
The executive O ffi cer was at that m oment seen

h u rrying aft bu t the J ackies were before him
,
.
They t umbled u p the steps like mad and flu ng ,
themselves into the starboard quart er boat which -

,
h ad been left swinging outside from the davits fo r

the pu rposes of drill Already the m an o n watch
.
at the ta ffrail had cu t away the lashings o f a patent

life preserver and sent i
- t into the s e a where it ,
floated with signals erect far astern The propeller

, .
“
M AN O VE R B OA R D 23
was lashing the water into foam with its reversed

m otion The Osp r ey shook as s h e tried t o overcom e
.
her m omentu m ; then as th e screw was stopped

, ,
forged S lowly ahead .
“
L ively n o w me n ! L et go ! Fend o ff ! sho uted
, ,
D obson wh ose station w as in that boat at the m an

,
” “ ”
overboard signal O ars ! Let fall ! Give way !
.
And O H went the boat plunging and foam ing over

,
the waves in th e direct ion o f th e life preserver -

,
which was n o w a qu art er Of a m ile astern .
V ery well done M r S taples said Rexdale ‘
.
, ,
“
approvingly But why
. he added in a lower,
“
tone d id yo u have the drill at this hou r instead
, ,
”
o f at fou r bells as I ordered ?
,
Drill ? This is n o drill S i r ! ,
N O drill ? ”
There i s a man overboard sir O n e o f the , .
J apanese waiters fell over the rail somehow I .
gave n o orders for th e drill bu t that bugler is a ,
qu ick fe l low and kn ows his b usiness The men like .
”
the little J ap an d it p ut a heart into their work
, .
When O shima struck the water h i s early training
( which will be referred to before long) stood h im in

good stead .H e rose t o the su rface and gave a few
qu ick strokes t o ensu re safety from the propeller ;
then he t u rned o n his back an d tried to fl oat .
There w as to o m u ch ripple o n the water fo r this ,
and he was obliged to t u rn back u pon his chest and

24 T HE N OR T H PA CIFIC
.
m aintain his position with as little exertion as pos

sible n o t struggling t o reach the ship which was
, ,
d rawing rapidly away H e had seen the m an

.
”
overboard drill m any tim es and was o n the look ,
o u t fo r the life preserver which was thrown j ust as

-
,
he turned fo r the second t ime Hi s clothes dragged

.
downward heavily b ut in three m in utes h e reached

, ,
the b u oy and clu ng t o it kn owing that by th is t ime

,
the m en were in the b oat an d casting o ff .
I t was perhaps ten m in utes fr om the m om ent o f

his falling int o the sea when the wh ite b oat drew u p
alongside and p u lled b oth him an d the l ife preserver -
o u t o f the water Five m in utes later—the ship

.
having reversed her screw again and backed t oward ,
the boat —h e was scrambling over o n to the deck

and making for the little cab in he shared with O to .
O n the S h ip s log it was S im ply recorded that the

’
“ ”
b o y had fallen overb oard O shim a was sharply
.
questioned by the o flic e r s b u t he co uld n o t be i

,
n
du c e d t o tell how the accident happen ed Sam .
knew there were n o talebearers am ong h is m ates

and felt safe H e made a su rly apology to the little
.
chap saying he was mad at having be e n thrown

, ,
an d that he had n ot m eant t o drown him O shima .
thereu pon b owed in a dignifi ed way and went abou t

his work serving the commander in his cab in that
,
n ight as u sual .
Passing the H andkerchief Lightship the Ospr ey ,

“
M AN O VE R B OA R D 25
dropped anchor with the lights o f N antu cket twink

ling far o n her beam t o the so uth and west The .
next morn ing preparat ions were m ad e fo r target

practice .
The target t owe d o u t an d anchored by a whale

,
boat consisted o f a triangu lar raft O f boards su p

,
port ed at each corner by an empty barrel O n this .
w as stepped a m ast twelve feet high with a small ,
red flag at the to p Three leg O f m utton sails o r .

- -
,
“
wings gave the craft the appearance at a dis
, ,
t an ce of a small catboat und er sail The Osp r ey

,
.
now took her posit ion —the d istance an d co urse

being plotted by o ffi cers in two boats — an d steam ed
at half speed p ast the target at a d istance o f ab out
-
sixteen hundred yards .
The gu n crews were summ oned t o qu art ers an d

-
,
the fi ring begun with a s i x pou nder o n the fore -
castle followed by two three pou nders o n the sam e

,
-
deck .
The big four inch gu n was then loaded the -

,
o flI c e r s p utt ing cott on in their ears t o avoid inj u ry .
The first S hot weighing between thirty and forty

,
pounds w as dropped a little t o the right o f the

,
target ; the second fell j u st beyond it and t o the

left.
Fire o n the to p o f the roll caut ion ed the cap ,
tain o f the gu n crew which comprised fou r o f the

-
,
best gu nne r s on the ship .

26 T HE NOR TH PA CIFIC
.
The third shot fell short and was duly so te ,
corded in a m emorandum to be included i n a report

,
t o the Departm ent .
As the disappointed gu nner stepped back he s aw

O to who being a sort o f privileged character was
, , ,
lingering close by S hake his head slightly , .
“
Perhaps yo u th ink yo u could do better J ap ! ,
said the m an S harply .
O to nodded b ut rem ained m odestly silent , .
“
What did you ever fi re a heavy p iece o f ord
,
nance ? asked L iddo n stand ing near to watch the ,
pract ice .
O to nodded again I could hit that target he .

,
added simply touching his cap and turn ing away

, .
Stop said the O ffi cer H e stepped toward the

”
, .
“
bridge and saluting said : The J apanese yonder
, , ,
says he is u sed t o firing a nd could hit the target ,
si r . Shall I let h im try ?

Rexdale who was closely n oting the practice
, ,
hesitated it being th e strict rule that n o o n e o u t

,
side the gu n crew sh ould fi re H e sp oke in a low

- .
t one t o Staples who laughed and said : All right , ,
S ir I t S only o n e shot wast ed in any case

’
,
.
Let the boy S ight the p iece an d fi re ”

ordered , ,
the commander .
O to t ou ched his cap an d adj usted the S ighting ap

paratu s t o his shoulder H is sm all h ands fl uttered .
a m oment arou nd the del icate machinery ; then he

“
O VE R B OA R D I
!
M AN 27
swung the great m u zzle slightly u pward and t o the

right The ship rose o n a long swell and j u st as it
.
,
hung o n th e crest cam e the roar o f the great gu n .
An instant s pau se was followed by a cheer from

’
the m en ; for as th e smoke drifted away behold , ,
there was n o target t o be seen !

“
H e m ust have s tru ck the base o f the m ast tru e ,
as a hair ! exclaime d Rexdale scann ing the wreck ,
“
o f the target through h is glass Well done O to ! .
,
The m en crowded aroun d the little fellow clap ,
ping him o n the back .
“ ”
J ust his lu ck ! growled Sam wh o w as o n e o f ,
the gu n crew-
.
“
O h let u p Sam ! The b o y has m ade a fi r s t
, ,
“
class shot said a grizzled old gu nner
,
Wai t t ill .
you have su ch lu ck you rself !

“
Y o u will send a boat o u t to p ick u p what is left
”
o f the target Ordered Rexdale return ing h is
, ,
“ ’
glasses to their case We v e n o m ore t im e for
.
practice to d ay Get all yo u r boats in an d proceed

.
,
”
if you please M r Staples
, . .
That night he sent for the execut ive and had a

long talk with h im There was something queer
.
about those tw o J apanese b oys Rexdale said D i d , .
Staples o r any o f the O ffi cers kn ow anything about

them ? Inqu iries were m ade and the waiters them ,
selves were closely qu est ioned bu t n o in formation ,
o f importance cou ld be gained I t was learn ed .

,
ind eed that o n e O f the ordinary seamen D ick

, ,
“ ”
S c u pp by nam e was m ore chummy with O to
,
and O shima than any o n e else on board H e was .
a simple long legged awkward young fellow from

,
-
,
n orthern M aine who had enlisted at the outbreak

,
of the Span i s h War and had served before Santi

,
ago in the blockad ing squ adron

, H e had taken a .
fancy t o O shim a particu larly and it was he who

, ,
’
had rebuked Sam s rough treatment of his J apanese
friend j ust before the wrestling match
, H e knew - .
nothing however O f the previou s lives O f the two

, ,
little foreigners .
Rexdale wou ld hardly have b een surprised at

O t o s skill in gu nnery had h e kn own that th is m eek
’
and gentle J apanese lad had passed through the

wh ole course at the N aval Academy at Annapolis ,
grad uating—under h is fu ll n am e Makot o O wari ,
in the first third o f h is class j u st seven years before

,
D ave received his o w n com m ission !

T HE N OR T H PA CIP IC .
D u r ing the aftern oon land was n ear o n both sides

o f the vessel as S he pu rsu ed her cou rse to the
,
north west between Mar tha s V ineyard and the

-
’
mainland N o b s ka H ead and three hours later

.
, ,
Gay H ead were sighted and passed Then the

, .
Osp r ey stood d irectly for Cape Charles J u st at .
su nset a heavy fog S hu t down .
“
Three qu art ers speed ! ordered E nsign L i
-
ddo n ,
w h o was o n the bridge .
“
Three quarters speed sir r e sp onded the qu ar
-
, ,
‘
te r m as te r th r o w i
,
n g the ind icat ors which conn ected ,
with the engine room arou n d to that p oint At -

, .
about twelve knots an hou r or fi fty fi ve revolutions ,

-
o f the screw to a m inute the ship crept st ead ily ,
southward with her whistle going twice a m inute

, .
At ten O clock full speed was resumed for the stars

’
were o u t again .
The next day was fair and the s u n shon e brightly ,
o n the broad ocean on the wh ite ship and o n th e , ,
“
great steel gu n which bore the inscript ion Beth
lehem ”
— the place where it was cast “
After all .
,
it S a good peacemaker said L ieut enant Staples

’
, ,
as he m ade his inspect ion tou r accompan ied by ,
D r Cutler
. There s thirty S i x h u nd red po unds
’
-
Of peace he added patt ing the breech o f the g un

, ,
.
O n the deck n ear by a kitten was t u mbling ab ou t

, ,
in th e su nshine The m en wer e engaged in mend .
ing writing letters and sm oking idly

, ,
.
SE A L E D OR D E R S .
3 1
At abou t n oon the lightship o ff Cape M ay was

left behind and the Osp r ey start ed u p Chesapeake
,
Bay When S h e had proceeded t o a point sixteen

.
m iles below the m outh o f the Po tom ac s h e brought ,
u p fo r the night a light fo g rendering n avigat ion

,
d i fficult in those crowded waters Early the next .
morning the gunboat weighed anchor and got

u nder way J ust as S he w as t u rn ing int o the Poto
.
m ac s h e S ighted the battleship I n a i an a outward ’
bou nd with midshipm en o n b oard in large n umbers .
Staples immediately gave an order an d a string ,
o f gay flags fl utt ered at the yard arm above the -
Osp r ey s decks Th e S ignal was answered by the

’
battleship an d the execut ive report ed to Rexdale

, ,
Perm ission t o proceed S ir When two sh ips O f

, .
the navy m eet this perm issio n m ust always be O h

,
tai n e d from the o n e commanding o ffi cer who ranks
the other .
U p the broad placid river the Osp r ey m oved

, ,
seem ing t o gain in size as the stream d im in ished ;

past wooded banks where cabins nestled in the
greenery o r statelier homes li fted their white pillars ;
,
past the littl e cove where Booth the assassin Of Pres ,
iden t Lincoln landed after crossing the P otomac in

,
his mad flight ; o n toward Washington At the Prov .
ing Grou nd a boat was sent ashore with a telephon e

m essag e to Alexandria ordering a tug boat t o m eet
,
-
the war ship for two o r three m iles t ow t o her d ock ’

-
.
T HE N OR T H P A CI F I C
.
When the Ospr ey was opposit e M ou nt V ernon a ,
m ou rn fu l strain from the bugle fl oated over the

water from the shi p s forwar d deck The ensign
’
.
was half m asted every man on board faced the

-
,
S hore and st ood at salute while the b ell t olled ,
slowly u ntil the sacred sp ot the hom e Of the great ,
American was passed

,
.
N ot long afterward the t ug appeared m ade fast t o ,
the gu nboat and towed her t o the n avy yard wharf

,
-
,
where she was t o await orders for fu rther m ovem ents .
D u ring the week that followed two events t ook ,
place which were dest ined to exert an important i n
fl u e n c e u pon the su bsequ ent history of the Osp r ey .
The fi rst was the appearance o f a n ew m ember o f

the m ess M idshipman Robert Starr
, H e was a .
cheery good nat u red yo u ng fellow fi nishing his

,
-
,
Academy c ou rse ; fu ll O f fu n and a great j oker , .
Wh ile the original ward room m ess were at fi rst dis

-
p osed t o regret if n ot t o resent th is addit ion t o

, ,
their fam ily they soon liked him thoroughly and

, , ,
indeed he becam e popular from o n e end of the ship

,
t o the other .
The other even t o f importance was a d inner given

by L ieut Commander Rexdale o n board his ship
. .
Am ong those who received invitations were the

Comm andant o f the Yard with h is wife and daugh ,
ter ; o n e o r two O flic e r s from a torpedo destroyer

'
-
then docked and o u t o f com m ission ; Fred Larkin ,

33
who happened t o be in Wash ington ; and two

young girls n ieces o f a Govern ment O fficial O f high
,
standing E th e l w yn and Edith Black aged r e s pe c

, ,
tiv e l y si x teen and n ineteen These fair you ng .
Anglo Saxons wer e the gu ests o f the commandant

-
,
and o n fi nding that they were inclu ded in the in

vi tati o n expressed their delight by seiz ing u pon his
daughter M a r y an d executing a sort o f triple walt z

aroun d the room for fully five m inu tes .
“
Y o u s e e dear panted the younger M iss Black
, , ,
adj u sting an amber p in which had fallen from her

“ ’
su nny hair t o the floor we v e n ever b een o n a
,
’
war ship and have n t the least idea what it S like
-
’
.
’
I s n tthat Captain Rexdale a dear !
“
There there Wynn ie do s i
, , t down an d keep ,
”
st ill fo r tw o m in u tes laughed her qu ieter hostess
, .
“
Y o u v e j ust ab out shaken m e t o b its
’
Yes .
,
Lieut Commander Rexda l e is n ice and so are the

.
,
rest O f the O ffi cers o f the Ospr ey You 11 like M r .

’
.
”
Li ddo n I kn ow , .
And will your m other go ?

O f cou rse s h e will H o w could we accept if
.
,
S he were not t o take care o f us ?

’
I d on t need anybody t o take care O f m e r e ,
Y o u 11s e e h o w n icely
’
m arked Wynn ie dem u rely .
I
’
l l —
behave l ike the kittens in th e poem
‘
Spoons in right paw cu ps in left , ,
I t was a pretty sight !

T HE N OR T H P A CI F I C.
”
You witch ! said M ary giving her a squeeze , .
’ ‘
I v e seen you behave n icely before now !
”
M other will have her hands full for once .
Who are the other O ffi cers ? asked Edith from ,
the sofa .
O h there
, s E nsign D obson — ’
h e is n t very
’
’
lively but he s n ice ; D r C utler who w il l talk
, .
,
with papa all the t im e abo ut qu arantine regulat ions

and the Red Cross ; and M r Ross th e paymaster .
, ,
I su ppose O h and I believe there s a little m id

.
,
’
S hipm an from the N aval Academy —I don t know ’
h is nam e for he has j ust been assigned to the ship

, .
Wynn ie s eyes danced ’ “

H e 11 be dreadfully .
’
bashfu l I kn ow I shall consider it my d uty t o

, .
entert ain him p oor little thing !

,
The dinner proved a great success Larkin o f .

,
course kept his end o f the table in a sho ut while

, ,
young S tarr was by n o m eans too bashfu l t o appr e

ciat e E th e l w yn s fu n D oc L i ’
ddo n talked poli . .
t ics with the civilian rep orter n avy yard gossip with ,
-
M rs Com mandant international complications with

.
,
her husband and n onsense flavou red with dry wit

, , ,
with Ed ith D obson t ol d the story O f his rescu e

.
from the ha z ing party at the Academy and brought ,
down the ho use as he d escribed h is position when

N orm an H olmes and D ave Rexdale cam e on the
scen e — standing on his head with his torm ent ors ,
p ouring cold water down his trousers leg - .

SE A L E D OR D E R S
.
35
Then Dave himself was called o n for the tale o f

his boat wreck o n the lonely D esertas n ear M adeira
-
, ,
“ ”
when he and Sandy barely escaped with their
lives.
The cabin o f the Osp r ey was prettily decorated

with ferns and flo w ers and there was little t o s u g
,
gest warfare the roar o f cannon the cries o f the

, ,
fi erce combatants in its dainty app ointm ents I t

,
.
fell abou t however that as was n atu ral the c o n

, , , ,
versati on at len gt h t u rned to the navies o f the great

nations and i n comparison that o f th e U n ited
, , ,
States .
“
Where do we stand among the other Powers ,
”
in point o f naval strength I mean ? asked som e o n e
, .
The comm andan t had excu sed himself o n the

plea o f im port ant duty and had retu rned t o his ,
O ffi ce o n the Yard O ddly en ough it w as the C ivil

.
,
ian that answered the question before any o n e else ,
could recall the figures

“
We are fi fth in rank s aid Larkin helping him , ,
s elf t o a banana I f we carry o u t o u r presen t

.
rather indefi nite plans we shall be by 190 8 th e , ,
third in strength possibly the second with only

, ,
England ahead of u s .
“
D O yo u happen t o remember th e approximate
n umber O f large S h ips in the English navy ? asked
D obson .
“
I m sorry to s ay I do n o t replied the reporter
’
, .
I do put in E nsign L i
,
ddo n who had had tim e ,
to collect his thoughts an d statistics England .
has two hu ndred and o n e n ot cou nt ing gu nboats , ,
torpedo boats and other small craft

-
,
“
Small ! D O yo u call this ship small ? cried
E th e l w yn indignantly .
She d look like a kitten beside her m other if a

’
fi r s t class battleship ranged alongside

- l aughed ,
“
Li ddo n .Well I was ab o u t t o add that France,
has n inety six b ig ships Ru ssia fi fty nine and Ger

-
,
-
,
many seventy three The U n ited States has only

-
.
S ixty fi v e -
.
“
H ow m any has J apan ? inqu ired Rexdale
S igni fi cantly J ust beh ind h is S houlder a pair O f
.
dark obliqu ely set eyes flashed at the qu estion

,
- .
“
F o r ty fou r I believe She would have a poor
-
, .
show at sea against Russia s fi fty n in e ’

-
.
O shima there does n t see m t o agree with

’
, ,
”
y ou ,
said D r C utler lightly nodding in the di
. re c ,
t ion O f the steward .
All eyes were tu rn ed t o the little J apanese who ,
drew back m odestly .
“
Well b oy speak you r m ind for once
, ,
said ,
“
Rexdale What do you think abo ut the chances
.
o f N ippon against the Ru ssian Bear ?

”
“
I was t inking said O shima whose English
’
, ,
“
was n o t qu ite as perfect as h i s c o m rade s
’
o f m an ,
”
behind gu n .
3 8 T HE NOR TH PA CIFIC .
renewed the conversat ion which had been broken

O ff when the girls rose from table .
“
I f we are t o keep u p with foreign Powers said ,
“
D r C utler striking h is hand upon h is knee m uch
.
, ,
m ore if we are t o pass any o f them in n aval rank ,
we m ust hurry up o u r ship b u ild ers Germany ex

-
.
e c ts her battlesh ip in comm ission in three years

p
and a hal f from the day when the keel is down .
We have o n e u nder constru ct ion n o w that was

”
begu n over five years ago .
What does a m odern battleship cost ? asked the

older lady wh o was one o f the qu arter deck group
,
-
.
“
Ab out eigh t m illion dollars replied Re x dale
, .
And a right lively war costs the coun try a m illion

d ollars a day in rou nd numbers
, .
“
And all o f it absolutely consum ed bu rn t u p , ,
”
eaten thrown away
,
added the d octor
, I t is .
n ot like expenses for construction ; it is all for

”
destru ction .
“ ’
My idea O f a good sized navy s m ission is t o
-
”
keep the peace S O that there 11 be no war pu t in
’
, ,
Staples who had been rather silent thu s far

,
.
“
Staples was the only man in o u r Plebe class wh o
”
actu ally fought a battle with a second year man -
,
lau ghed Dave I like t o hear h im preach peace !

“
Perhaps yo u remember said the other grimly, ,
that n o m ore fights were necessary O n e good .
u pper cut o n that fellow s j aw w o n peace fo r the

-
’
39
whole crowd I f D ewey had n t su nk the Span ish

.
’
fleet at Man ila we m ight have been fighting the

D ons to this day .
Will the J aps fight Ru ssia do you think ? ,
“
asked Larkin I f they d o that may mean a jo b
.
,
‘
for you rs truly .
’
“
Cert ainly it looks like trou ble over there said ,
“
Rexdale soberly The Ru ssians are steadily ad
.
v an c i
ng t o the P ac ifi c — already they have one han d
o n V l adi vo s to c k and the other o n Po rt Arthu r .
J apan crowded in its little grou p O f islands j u st out

,
o f sight o f K orea feels the danger and th e m enace

, .
Both nat ions have been preparing for a big war for
”
years I am told
, .
“
B ut Ru ssia en orm ously outn u mbers the J apan
“
ese, said D r Cu tler She has an army they
. .
,
say O f fou r and a half m ill ion m en against J apan s

, ,
’
si x hu ndred th ou sand
A ye b ut where are those fou r m illions ?

, p ut in
“
Rexdale warmly Separated from th e fi ghting
.
lin e which we can call K orea and the coast o f

,
M anchu ria by S ix thou sand m iles with only a

, ,
S ingle track railroad between M oscow and P ort

-
Arth ur The J aps could handle them o n e at a tim e

.
like the Spart ans at—at—where w as it ? ”
”
Therm opyl ae sir remarked D oc L i , ddo
n, wh o .
,
had pau sed a m oment in his walk attracted by the ,
comm ander s earnestness ’

.
40 T HE N OR T H P A CI F I C .
Thanks —G reek history never was my strong

point at school ! said Dave with a good hu m ou red -
“
laugh Then resu m ing : A S t o the Ru ssian navy
.
, ,
matters would be j ust as bad H alf her ships at .
least m ust be in the Baltic to p rotect her hom e

ports
Before he could proceed fu rther an interru ption ,
occurred An orderly m ounted the steps to the

.
quarter deck and with the u su al sti ff salut e handed

-
“
Rexdale a letter marked I mportant and I mm e ,
d iate .
The comm ander broke open the envelope He .
had n o sooner read the few lines it contained than

he sprang t o h is feet .
“
Madam he said abru ptly bu t courteou sly
, ,
and gentlem en I am sorry to bring o u r pleasant

,
party to an end b ut my o r ders leave m e n o choice

,
.
M r Staples I m ust see you and the rest o f the

.
,
o fficers at once i n my cab in O rderly atten d the .

,
ladies through the Yard Good night all ! .

-
,
H u rriedly the girls ran below for their wraps ,
wondering what th e mysteriou s orders could be that

compelled them t o ret ire so early and brought that
’
new ring to the commander s tones They bade .
good n ight to the you ng O ffi cers who wo u ld fain

-
,
have escorted them to their hom e b ut Rexdale was ,
obliged to refuse his perm ission .
“
G ood night ! good n ight !
- W e shall see y o u -
41
”
again soon ' called the girlish voices from the
wharf while their late compan ions swu ng their hats
,
gall antly on the deck of the Osp r ey .
”
Gentlemen said Rexdale in grave earn e st
, ,
ton es when they were all gathered once m ore in

, .
“
the cab in I have important news for you
,
We .
are ordered t o coal an d take o n stores and am m u n i

t ion for sea withou t delay sailing o n e week from ,
t o day if possible Y o u will s e e that th is is d on e

-
,
.
promptly and that every m an repor t s for d u ty t o

,
”
morrow al l shore leave being withdrawn
, .
N ot a m an there bu t longed t o ask What is ,
o u r port O f dest ination ? b ut disciplin e prevailed .
Their lips remained closed They were no longer a .
party o f you ng fellows Chatt ing and laughing gaily

as they performed their pleasant social dut ies and
j oked with their m err y gu ests ; they were o flic e rs
in the U n ited States N avy ready for the duty at ,
hand ; willing t o go t o the ends o f the earth t o ,
encou nter danger in its m ost appalling forms t o ,
give their l ives i f need be for their cou n try

, Si , .
lence settled for a m om ent over the grou p .
“
I f I could I would tell you with ou t reserve ,
where we are bou nd ; bu t I d o n o t kn ow myself ,
“
added Rexdale There are n ew complicat ions in
.
the far E ast — that is all I kn ow We Sail u nder .
sealed orders t o be open ed at s e a twe n ty fou r

, ,
-
”
hours o u t .
T HE N OR T H P A CI F I C .
H e rose from his chair to signify that the inter

,
view was ended As the O ffi cers fi led o u t t o their

.
respect ive qu arters the pantry door which though

, , ,
n o one n ot iced it had been slightly aj ar C losed

, ,
n oiselessly Behind it were two J apanese grasping

.
,
’ ’
each other s hands and looking into each other s
eyes. Their breath cam e qu ickly ; their eyes
glowed .
“
B a n za i! they whispered T ei
ko ku Oan za i’
. .
L ong live the Emp ire !

C HA P T E R IV
’
U N CL E S A M S P A C K I N G .
H E N the fam ily O f a cit iz en in privat e li fe

makes u p its m ind to a long j ou rney t o
foreign shores great is th e con fu s ion an d m u l ti
, tu ,
di n o u s th e errands an d m inor p urchases for the trip ;
t ru nks half packed block the sitt ing room and

,
-
,
-
h all ways ; Polly fl ies u p stairs and d own dis

- -
tr ac te dl y M olly spends h ou rs u nco u nt ed ( but n ot

,
’
uncharged fo r) at the dressm aker s D ick b urns
-
,
m idnight o i l over gu ide b ooks and itineraries and

-
,
even paterfam ilias feels th e restlessness and t u rm oil

o f the tim es and declaims against extravagance as
,
the fin al packi ng discloses the calls that are to b e

m ade u pon his bank accou nt .
I f a vacat ion trip for a single fam ily is prod u ct ive

o f s uch a m onth o f bu sy preparation what m u st be ,
the comm otion o n a war ship star ting for the Far
-
E ast with a crew O f o n e o r two hu ndred m en and

,
only a week allowed fo r packing !

The o ffi cers and enlisted men O f the Osp r ey had
43
their hands full in the days that followed the ban

que t
I n ord inary t imes it takes one hu ndred S killed
m en a fu ll week t o stow away provisions supplies , ,
amm u nition coal and the thousan d and o n e m in or

, ,
articles that are needed o n b oard one o f the larger

’
war ships The ship s crew lend a hand b u t they
- .
,
Operat e only u nd er the direction O f the sta ff o f

trained stevedores which i s kept o n dut y at the
N avy Yard .
Everythin g m u st be p u t away sn u g and ship

S hape ; and goods are stowed sn ug where they
” ”
occupy the least possible space for every inch ,
c ou nts in the narrow l im its o f a ship Then to o .

, ,
they m ust be s o stevedored that they will keep their

origin al posit ions du ring the rolli n g and pitching o f
the vessel in a seaway .
M ore than this is requi red There m ust be per .
fe c torder with the greatest degree o f safety attain

able . I n fl am m ab l e or e x plosive su bstances m ust
n ot be stowed together and the arrangement m u st
,
be su ch that any art icle needed can be reached on

the instant E m e rge n i
. c e s Often arise in which the
safety o f the ship itself is dependent on having

needed appliances o r m aterial in the hands of certain
O fli
’
c e r s withou t a m oment s delay I t m ay b e .
n othing m ore than a case o f oil o r it m ay be the ,
d uplicate o f som e broken r o d bolt or plate o f the , ,

Yarm outh bloaters cann ed o x t ongues canned , ,
tripe canned m utton canned chicken canned t u r

, , ,
key canned so u ps condensed m ilk canned pickles

, , , ,
vinegar salt pepper canned m u shrooms m acaron i

, , , , ,
verm icelli lau ndry soap t oilet soap s apo l i

, o starch , , ,
an d blu e insect powder candles safety matches

, , , ,
stationery rope and twine sm oking pipes t u bs an d

, , ,
washboards chloride Of lim e amm onia alcohol and

, , ,
paints shoe blacking sewing m ach ines

, , .
From this part ial list an idea may be form ed of

the extent and variety o f the s upplies that go t o a
m odern war ship The clothing med ical and m e
-
.
,
c h an i c al departm ents of the Osp r ey s outfit are n ot

’
included and each in itsel f would m ake a long roll

, .
O f course the delicaci es ment ioned above are for the

O ffi c e r s
’
u s e alone W hen in p ort o r o n a short
.
cru ise the sailors get fresh m eat bread fru it v e g e , , ,
tables and m ilk O n a long voyage their staple is

.
“
salt horse hard tack and b oot leg wh ich b eing
, ,
-
, ,
t ranslated is corned beef o r p ork with crackers an d

, ,
black co ffee They receive frequently to o oatm eal

.
, ,
and rice hot rolls and tea

, .
I t will b e noted that the impo rtant item s o f ice

an d fresh water d o n ot appear in the list o f supplies .
N either is taken aboard from the o utsid e The ship .
condenses fresh water pu mped in from the sea by

ingeniou s m ach inery contrived for the pu rp ose and ,
the su pply is limitless From this fresh water ice is .

UN CL E ’
SA M S P A CK IN G
.
47
m anu factured i n any quantity desired and n o ,
properly appointed m odern war ship is n ow withou t -
its ice plant I t is for the man u fact ure O f ice that
- .
ammonia is so largely S hipped .
I n the general d i sposit ion o f the stores an d su p

plies the art icles likely t o be needed for immediate
u se are u sually stored forward under the b erth deck .
S u ch stores as cloth and m ade u p wearing apparel -
go in the lower hold and there are als o n early all

,
the maga z ines gu ncott on and torpedo heads if the

, ,
-
,
sh ip carries them .
The coal b unkers o n the Ospr ey were located b e

t ween the engines and boilers and the hu ll o f the
vessel at a point a little abaft O f m idship Thu s
,
.
the coal a fforded protect ion to the m achinery from

proj ect iles aimed at the m ost vital part o f th e ship .
Su ch inflammable liqu ids as o i l and alcohol are

never stowed below .
“
Allusion h as been m ade t o the li fe centre of
the vessel This has been well described as the
.
throbb ing heart o f every w ar ship in the navy ; th e

-
wires rad iat ing from it like veins and arteries through
which fl ow the life an d intelligen ce which d irect the
m ovem ents o f ship and crew .
I n n umerable electric lamps light the cab ins ,
engine room s maga z ines conn ing t owers an d decks

-
, , ,
while a fi n g e r s pressu re o n a knob o r the t u rn o f a

’
tiny handle throws a flood o f radiance stream ing o u t

,
into the black n ight disclosing the enemy an d ren ,
dering fut ile h is attack o r escape as the case m ay be .
O ther wires operate telegraph telephone an d signal , ,
from the bridge o r m ove com partm ent d oors

, ,
m assive guns and o n a battle ship the huge tu rr ets

, ,
-
themselves .
With a ship elaborately wired o n e chan ce shot o f

the e nemy m ay thu s prove fatal I f a shell should .
happen to force its terrible way int o the dynam o

room and explode there the guns wou ld cease fi ring , ,
‘
every light would be extingu ished every o flic e r c u t ,
o ff from rapid comm un ication with his men ; and the
delay consequent on this derangem ent wou ld give

the enemy qu ivering with light an d life tim e t o
, ,
pou r her tons o f steel proj ectiles into the helpless ,
groping victim u nt il S h e fo undered .
At the end o f the sixth day the Osp r ey was ready ,
for sea H er m en her stores supplies coal and

.
, , ,
amm un iti on were o n board well st owed Rexdal e , .
drew a l ong breath o f relief and Paymaster Ross ,
another as the last accou nt was fi led that n ight

, .
The commander wrote a long letter t o h is wi fe ,
H allie before retiri ng She was visiting friends in

, .
the West and he had n o opport u n ity t o s e e h er

,
before starting on what w as dou btless to be a cru ise

t o the other side o f the world This is a part O f a .
naval O ffi cer s life ’

D etached from this place t o
.
,
that from o n e ship or one d uty t o an other says

, , , ,
UN CL E SA M
’
S PA CK IN G .
49
the brief n aval report The o fficer receives his

.
written orders an d if his heart aches a l ittle u nder

, ,
h is blu e u n iform n o o n e kn ows it but th e one who

,
receives th e good bye letter h u rriedly sen t by the

-
,
d espatch boat or the orderly ; and he is ready for the

-
n ew post .
Paymaster Ross m eanwhile is bu sy with hal f a

, ,
h u ndred lists and receipts and accou nts H e it is .
who kn ows accurately the pay Of every m an o n

board Look over his shou lder and read in h is
.
Reg ister o f cu rrent date the salaries that o u r N a

tio n al U ncle pays to his nephews for naval se rvic es
ON S E A DU T Y .
d i r l e rge D ewey)
A m a (G o
R e a r d i rals
A m
S ec nd
o N in e
Co m m an der s
L i e te n a n t C m m a n der
u -
o s
L i e te n a t
u n s
L i e te n an t
u s J u ni r G rade
, o
I t is t o be remembered that in addit ion t o the ,
amo u nts given in this table all th e O ffi cers m en ,
ti o n e d ( below the grade of rear adm iral are entitled

) -
“
by the present laws t o ten per cent u pon th e fu ll .
yearly pay o f thei r grades fo r each an d every peri od

4
50 T HE N OR TH PA CIFIC .
of fi ve years S ervice as increase for length o f serv

’
‘
ice o r longevity pay
,
Still thirty fiv e hund red
.
’
,
-
dollars even with that add ition al longevity pay

, ,
d oes n ot seem a very large salary for the commander

o f a battle S hip at sea and perhaps under fi re from
-
day to d ay !
W arrant O flic e r s nam ely b oatswains gu nners
, , ,
carpenters sailmakers pharmacists and warrant

, ,
m achin ists are paid ( fo r sea d u ty ) from $ 12 00 a year

for the fi rst three years after date Of appointm ent ,
’
t o $ 1800 after twelve years service .
Chief petty O ffi cers includ ing Chief M aster at ,

-
’
arm s Chief Boatswain s Mate Chief Gu nn er s M ate
, ,
’
Chief Yeoman H osp ital St eward Bandm aster and

, , ,
a few others draw pay ranging from $ 50 to $ 70 a

,
m onth The pay of fir s t class petty O fficers o f

.
-
,
whom there are abou t twenty variet ies is from $ 3 6 ,
t o $6 5 a m onth ; that o f second class petty Offi cers -
a trifle less ; and that o f third class petty O ffi cers -
$3 0 a m onth .
F irst class seamen receive $ 2 4 seamen gunners

-
,
“ ”
$ 2 6 and fi remen $ 3 5 Second class or ord inary
, .
-
seamen dra w $ 19 a m onth an d third class seamen ,

-
,
including apprent ices and landsmen have to b e ,
c ontent with $ 16 .
O to and O shima as regular cabin stewards were

, ,
paid $ 50 a month ; and the wages for this sort O f

service on a war ship ru n from that s u m d own to
-
UN CL E SA M S ’
PA CK IN G
.
5 1
the pay Of the m ess attend ants which is the sam e ,
as that o f apprentice seam en .
J ust as Dave Rexdale finished h i s letter t o H allie
the orderly entered and ann ounced Fred Larkin ,
who had been u ne xpectedly detained in Wash ingt on .
“ ’ ”
I v e been m aking inqu iries D ave said th e , ,
“ ’
report er when the m arine had retired and I can t
, ,
s e e any reason fo r you r su dden orders A nu mbe r .
Of o u r S hips are t o rendezvous at K iel n ext week ,
to take part in a n aval review I t m ay be that you .
are bound to German waters I f so give my r e .

,
s pe c t s t o the K aiser !
Rexdale shook his head I don t believe K iel is

.
’
“ ’
o u r port O f dest ination Fred he said
,
There d , .
hardly be t im e for u s t o get over there before the

end o f the review even if we made a regular
,
‘
Or eg o n
’
voyage of it I m afraid it s a longer
.
’ ’
cru ise than that Who knows what i

. s going o n at
St Petersburg o r in Toki o ?
”
Right yo u are acqu iesced Larkin
,
I .
S hou ld n t be surprised t o receive orders myself

’
any day to start for J apan o r K orea O f cou rse I

, .
shou ld go by way o f San Francisco I f there S t o .

’
b e any lively u npleasantness over there the B ul l e ti n ,
wants a front seat su re ! ,
“
Well I hope we S hall meet there o l d fellow
, , ,
laughed the command er though the Un ited States

,
w ill o f course have n othing t o d o with the scrap .

5 2 T HE N OR T H PA CIFIC .
’ ’
Still it s as well t o have a few o f U n cle Sam s war
,
ships o u that stat io n o r —

near b y say at Cavite .
“
I f war breaks o u t between Russia and J apan ,
said Larkin rising after a little m ore conversat ion

, ,
“
O f this sort the big E u ropean Powers m ay be i
,
n
volved any day with Chin a as an uncertain force

,
j ust behind the scene s You know France is b ound

.
t o take a hand if two n at ion s attack Russia an d ,
England has the sam e agreement with J apan China .
’
will do lots of m ischief if s h e does n t play in her
,
”
o w n back yard .
At daylight the Osp r ey cast O ff her m oorings an d ,
dropping d own the qu iet P otomac start ed o n her ,
long voyage .
A half su ppressed cheer broke from the circle o f

-
blu e coat ed o ffi cers arou nd the cabin table as Re x

-
,
dale conclu ded his read ing .
“
There s n othing said abou t amm u n iti on o h
’
served Stapleton sign ifi cantly , .
“
The D epartm ent knows that o u r m aga z ines are
” “
well provided said Rexdale ,
I report ed on all .
classes o f am m u n ition j ust before we sailed from

”
Boston .
t?—that s the
“
Shall we have a chance t o u se i ’
qu est ion p ut in the you ng m idshipman

, Oh I .
,
do h O pe there 11 be a S crimmage ! ’
“ ’
We r e at peace with every nat ion o n the globe ,
“
remarked Paym aster Ross with emphasis H ow .
can there be a fight ? We v e nothing to do with ’
the quarrel between J apan and Russia .
’
I hope the little fellows wi l l win o u t if there s ,
“
war com ing exclaimed D r Cu tter heart ily
, I m . .
’
always in favo u r of the u nder dog .
“
Who is the u nder d og ? The J aps have the
enorm ou s advantage Of a hom e base said Staple ,
“
to n . I d on t know enou gh of the situ at ion t o be
’
sure which to sympathise with big sturdy R ussia , ,
with all Asia between h im and St Petersb urg o r .

,
snappy shrewd little N ippon

’
,
Perhaps there won t .
be any war after all , .
“ ’
I don t see that we are in it anyway said , ,
“
Rexdale rising ,
Probably all ou r ship will have
.
OT O
’
S ST RA N GE ISI T
V .
55
to do will be t o han g round o n guard and protect

, ,
American interests
“
And be ready for squ alls ! fi nished the irre
pressible Starr as the grou p fi led o u t o f the cab in
, ,
while the commander repaired t o his stateroom t o

plot the cou rse for Gibraltar .
The fact that the Osp r ey was b ou nd for P aci fi c

waters soon spread through the ship M ost o f the .
j ackies were delighted and were enthu siastic over

,
“ ”
the prospect of a scrap with somebody they d id ,
n ot m u ch care whom A heated discussion arose

.
,
forward as t o the merits o f the two nat ions which

,
were su pposed to be preparing for war I n the .
m idst o f the excited talk a black and wh ite kitte n - -
mad e her way into the grou p an d gave a careless

little lap with her rough tongue at a hand wh ich
was braced against the deck The hand a rough .
,
an d kn otty o n e t aking n o n ot ice Of her attent ions

, ,
s h e drew her sharp little claws playfully across i t .
This t im e the owner o f the hand who w as n o ,
other than Sam Bolles start ed so suddenly that ,
he alm ost rolled over ; then vexed at the laugh ,
ter wh ich greeted him he cau ght the kitten u p,
savagely and swung h is arm as if abou t to throw it

overboard .
N o w Snee z er the kitten was a special pet o f

, ,
D ick S c u pp D ick gave a roar at seeing the danger

.
Of the an imal and fl un g himself bod ily u pon Sam

, ,
who went over backward in a heap relinqu ishing ,
the kitt en ( fort u nately for her) as he did S O .
“
Well I n ever seed sech kids fer
,
said
Old M art in the gunner ph ilosophically watching
, ,
the two men as they rolled abou t the deck scatter ,
ing kits and boxes an d bringing up against the S hins

Of m ore than o n e o f their comrades C om e o ff .
,
Sam and let the you ngster alone ! Let go will you
, ,
( for Sam was p ulling D ick s stringy l ocks with ’
vigou r) ? H ere comes J immy Legs L et him u p .

,
”
D ick !
“
J immy L egs wh ose real n am e was H iram
,
Deering was chief master at arms The d ut ies o f

,
- - .
his Offi ce o n a war ship are perhaps m ore m ulti

,
-
,
far i o u s than that o f any m an o n b oard H e is an .
enlisted m an rated a chief pet ty O ffi cer and wears

, ,
the eagle rating badge Forward o f the m ainm ast

-
.
his word is law at any ho u r o f the day or n ight .
Aft his word is taken by the com mander the e x

, ,
e c ut ive an d by all other O ffi cers

, .
“
The m ettle in a chief mast er at arms or J immy - -
,
L egs as he is u n iversally kn own among the men

, ,
is always thoroughly kn own aft before he is rated .
H e need n o t be a bully b ut he m ust be a natural ,
“
m aster o f the situ at ion and o f men i n an emer
, ,
g e n c y as well as I n the rou tine o f navy life The .
L egs is pri v ileged t o take m atters into his o w n

hands u p forward when occasi on dem ands
, ,
If .
OT O S
'
S T R A N GE ISI T
V .
57
necessity arises for him t o knock a m an down it is ,
th e bu siness o f Legs to know how to do it with
science an d despatch .
The m aster at arm s o f an Am erican war sh ip is

- - -
always a man who h as seen many years of service in

the navy and passed through m ost o f the in ferior
,
rat ings o f the enlisted m en H e is a m an whose .
blu e j acket experience has taught him every trick o f

-
th e n aval sailor every phase Of forecastle life

, .
H iram co uld neither be caj oled n or outwitted H e .
w as ste m with evil doers b ut was the m ost p opular

-
,
m an forward in the Osp r ey

, .
At dawn J immy L e gs s d uti es begin when the men

’
t u rn o u t t o clean S hip The ch ief b oatswain s m ate

.
’
“
is nom i n ally the boss o f the j ob b ut it i s Legs ,
who sees that the m en do n ot growl o r qu arrel at their

work as sleep y m en will at su ch an hou r and task
, .
Mess gear for breakfast is piped The m en ru sh .
t o the tables A blu ej acket with shoes o n steps o n

.
the foot of the blu ej acket who i s S hoeless Bi ff .
’
bang ! The Legs m ay be way aft o n the poop
watching the after gu ard sweepers at their work ;
-
bu t he i s a m an o f instinct I n a dozen bounds he.
is at the scen e o f the scrap .
“ ”
Chu ck it ! The Legs ! is the word there .
The scrappers break away an d when the Legs ,
shows u p they are seated side by S id e at their mess

table qu ietly taking m orn ing co ffee
, .
I t is the bu siness o f J immy L egs t o make a tou r

“
o f inspection through the ship j ust before m orn ing
quart ers. The ship is then s upposed t o be in
shape fo r the comm and ing o ffi cer s approval an d ’
’
the m en s wearing gear all stowed away in d itty
-
bags I t never is There is always to b e fo u nd a

. .
S hirt hast ily thrown here a shoe lying loose there

, ,
a n eckerchief and lanyard hanging over a d itty b ox -

.
This gear the Legs gathers in im partially no m atter ,
t o whom it belongs and thrusts int o the Lu cky

,
Bag ( wh ich is generally known by a far m ore o p

ri
p r o b o u s ep ithet )
, wh ich he keeps for that purpose .
The only way the owner o f the gear may get it

back is by repo rt ing h imself at the m ast that i s to , ,
the commanding O ffi cer for rem issness in stowing

,
gear wh ich m eans generally a loppin g O ff of liberty

, , ,
privileges . Every month the content s o f the bag O f

gear thu s accum u lated are sold ab oard at au ction to
the highest bidder am ong the j ackies .
Finally there is hardly a day in port that the

,
L egs is n ot sen t ashore along toward n oon to hu nt

u p derelicts These are liberty breakers carou s ing
.
-
in t own regardless o f the fact that their services

ab oard are n eeded and that pu n ishm ent awaits
,
them when they return fo r overstaying their leaves .
J immy Legs is called fo r by the c ommander and

gets a list of the m en t o be ret u rned .
I nto the steam cutter hops Legs and away he

-
,
OT O
’
S ST RA N GE ISI T
V .
59
goes after the derelicts H e gen erally retu rn s with

.
them H e m ay b e gon e fo r some hou rs o r fo r a

.
,
day bu t when h e comes o ff to the ship in shore

, ,
boat o r cutter he h as the m en he went after along

,
w ith h im .
So m u ch for J immy Legs whose n ever ending an d ,

-
varied duties H iram D eering a grizzled o l d man O ,

-
’
w ar s m an perform ed m ost adm irably o n the Osp r ey

, .
The tw o m en were p ulled apart and the others

had hardly gathered u p their scattered ditty bags -
and personal belongings when a comm ot ion was

obse r ved am ong the o ffi cers o n the bridge They .
were gazing through their glasses at a p u ff o f smoke

on the n orth western horiz on
- I n the cou rse o f .
fi fteen m in utes it had gr own to a sm all sized clou d -
“
She m ust have legs t o overhau l u s in this way
, ,
Observed Ensign D obson with his bin ocular at his ,
“
eyes . H o w m u ch were we m aking at the last log ,
qu arterm aster ?
“
Fi fteen st rong sir , .
Then that fellow s doing a good twenty added

’
the O ffi cer Can yo u make him o u t M r L i

. ddo n ? ,
“ ‘
I t looks to m e like a destroyer replied th e ,
“ ’
other readj usting the lenses o f his glass
,
It s a .
rath er small black craft w alking u p o n u s hand

, ,
”
over fi st .
called D obson to a m an w h o stood

n ear o n the lower deck .
60 T HE N OR TH PA CIFI C .
Yes S ir ! ,
Set the ensign .
”
Aye aye sir ! , ,
There goes h is flag ! ”

said D obson e x citedly , .
’
I can t make o ut what it is b u t we 11 soon ,
’
”
kn ow Shall I slow down a bit sir ? he asked the
.
,
lieutenant comm ander w h o had j oin ed the other

-
,
o ffi cers o n the bridge .
“
N o t yet
”
said Rexdale, W e can t a fford to .
’
t ie u p fo r every fellow that wants t o speak u s Let .
him com e u p H e 11 S ignal his business soon if

.
’
’
he s really after u s .
The stranger approached rapidly and co uld n ow ,
be seen with the naked eye as was attested by the ,
watch o n deck li ning the bu lwarks There was n o .
apprehension as the U nited States had n o enem ies

,
afloat ; still the appearance so far o u t at s e a of an , ,
unknown vessel bearing down swi ftly o n the Osp r ey ,
was enough t o attract the lively attent ion o f fore

castle as well as cab in .
The kitten episode w as qu ite forgotten as the ,
m en thronged t o the rail .
“ ”
Ah ,
exclaimed a brawny I rishman waving his ,
“ ’
bare arm in the d irection o f the stranger w o ta ,
pity it ain t war to i ’

m e s n o w ! Su re it s a lovely bit
-
’
av a fo i g h t we d b e lookin for wid’

that sm oker !
’
“ “
War n othin ’
retorted the o l d gunner I m .
’
willin to keep m e arm s and legs o n fu r a while

’
62 T HE NOR TH PA CIFIC.
O tolifted the binocular to h is slanting eyes and

p icking up the approaching steamer gave it a swift
glance A m oment su ffi ced Then he ret u rned the
. .
glasses t o the commander h is face alight ,
“
J apanese sir ”
he said S imply
, ,
That the .
”
flag of J apanese navy .
“
D obson s o far forgot his d ign ity as to S lap his
thigh .
“
e x claim ed
’
That S I remember it
wel l enough now W hat o n earth can a J ap t orped o
.
”
destroyer want in these waters ?
“
We shall soon fi nd ou t — where s that boy ? ’
Gone already ? O f cou rse it e x cites him t o s e e a

part of his own navy so near Stand by for sign als .
,
M r D obson
. H ave you r man ready and get o u t ,
’
you r book D ave s eyes were again scrutin ising
the approaching vessel as he gave the orders .
When the stranger was within about half a

m ile she ro unded to a cou rse parallel with that o f
the Osp r ey S howing her long vicious hu ll black
, , ,
and low in the water ; an d slowed down to keep

from ru n ning away from the Am erican ship Pre .
sen tl y a line o f sm all flags fl uttered u p to her

m asthead .
D obson e x am ined them closely through the glass ,
O n e —three
“
then tu rned t o h is signal book - .
— — —
seven fiv e here she is the K i —
E u that S J ap for
’
Chrysanthemu m is n t it ? Ru n u p the answering

,
’
OT O
’
S S T R A N GE I I
V S T . 63
pennant S ignalman Then h aul it down and set

, .
”
o u r n umber .
The introdu ction having th u s been politely per

form ed the K i ku fi rs t answering the Osp r ey s n um
’
, ,
ber hoisted an other line o f flags .
H m they have o u r signals pat

’
, m uttered ,
“
D obson turn ing the leaves o f his book
,
H ere it .
is Captain
,
Wish t o comm un icate H ave m es
‘
.
sage for for whom I wonder ? Answer signal ,
man There goes the second hal f o f the signal

.
‘ ’ ’
m an o n b oard you r ship Well that S cool ! .
,
W hat shall we reply s ir ? ,

”
Send boat with m essage —hurry ‘ ’

Answer :
“ ’
said Dave frown ing I do n t like t o stop b ut
, .
,
’
the m essage m ay be important I su ppose it s for .
’
m e only the J apanese don t know en ough t o say
,
”
so Slow down qu art erm aster ,
.
”
Slow s i r A n d the indicat o r swung to that
, .
mark .
“
H alf speed .
H al f speed S i r ,
N o w full stop ,
Full stop s i r and the engines O f the Osp r ey

, ,
were st ill .
The K i ku had taken sim ilar measu res and Chang ,
ing her course approached t o with in a hu ndred ,
rods .
D own came her starboard qu art er boat with -

,
b e atiti precision The oars fell t ogether as the

fu l .
b oat left the ship s S ide and started toward the

’
A ladder was thrown over but the J apanese ,
stopped abru ptly backing w ater when two or three

,
’
boats lengths d istan t and t u rn ing rowed a slow
, ,
stroke t o keep abreast the gangway o f the gu nboat ,
which had not lost her way The o ffi cer in charge .
rose to his feet and raised h is cap cou rteou sly .
“
Y o u have J apanese on board s i r nam e O to ? , ,
h e called ou t .
“
Yes s i
,
r What o f it ?
.
M y captain wish t o s e e h im .
Rexdale gave a little start o f irritat ion L eave .
you r message for the b o y he shou ted “

He s
, .
’
my cabin steward I can t hold my ship for h im t o

.
’
”
visit you .
While this conversation was in progress a slight , ,
dim in ut ive figure had glided in to the crowd of m en

overhang i ng the rail on the deck below O n hear .
’
ing R e x dal e s answer he called o u t a few rap id
words in his o w n language t o the o flic e r in the boat
‘
The latter ans wered an d the b oat lay u p al ongside

,
.
Before any o n e realized what O to w as about he had ,
climbed the rail like a m onkey an d dropped int o the

strange boat w hich imm ed iately headed for the
‘
Ki
ku .
shou ted Rexdale angrily , ,

What are
OT O C L I M BE D T HE R AI L L I KE A M O N KE Y ”
.
OT O
’
S ST R A N GE I I
V S T . 65
you about ? Bring back that b o y ! H e belongs t o

my ship
The J apanese O flic e r hal f turned in his seat waved ,
his hat m ost co u rt eously and spoke to his men ; ,
with the result thatthey p ulled harder than ever .
“
Start her ! cried o u tRexdale furiou s with rage ,
.
Start her s i r repeated the phlegmatic qu arter

, ,
m aster throwing over the electric ind ic a

,
tor .
“
Full speed ahead !
Full speed ahead S ir , .
”
N ow port you r helm ! Look sharp !
”
Port s i r , .
But by the t ime the Osp r ey had fair steerage way -
the stranger veering in to S horten th e d istan ce had

, ,
picked u p her boat and was p ouring volu mes of

black S moke from her fu nnels as s h e t oo forged
ahead . H er bows slowly swun g t o the n orthward .
The captain o n her br idge waved h is hat .
“ ’
Dave set his teeth hard I d like to send a .
shot across her bows ! he m u ttered glaring at the ,
audaciou s d estroyer wh ich was plainly ru nn ing away

from them The j ackies looked u p eagerly at him
.
,
with their hands on the breach o f the fou r inch rifle ; -
not a few fists were shaken at th e depart ing stranger .
I t was a temptat ion bu t the com m an der over ,
came it .
“
I t won t do t o open fi re j u st for a steward he
’
, ,
said t o h is subordinates wh o were standing at his ,

side with scowling faces O n her cou rse quarte r .

,
”
master !
“
O n her cou rse s i r East by south quart er
, .
,
”
south .
“
I t s a regular insu lt stormed L i
’
ddo n for once , ,
’
shaken o u to f his regularly calm dem eanou r It S .
’ ’
abduction o n the high seas ! I t S p iracy that s ,
what it is !
“
M ore like the press gang said D obson -
, ,
lacon ically
“
Well said Rexdale after a pau se
, J apan will , ,
have to apologise for that little performance when

’ ”
we v e reached a cable port .
I s O to an American cit i z en ? enqu ired L i ddo n .
I m afraid n o t I never heard h im speak o f

’
.
natu ralisation .
“ ’
Then I supp ose it s hardly an internat ional ep i
sode said the other recovering his usual dign ity
, ,
“
O f speech Perhaps the b o y is an escaped crim inal .
At worst I m afraid the captain o f the K i

,
’
ku has
”
only been gu ilty o f bad m an ners .
“
I shall report the incident to the D epartm ent at
the fi rst Opport u nity said the commander de ,
“ ”
cisi ve ly They can d o what they like abou t it
. .
But Rexdale did no t m ake the report The next .
m orn ing he was waited u pon to his utter bewilder ,
ment by O to himself obsequ ious deft and silent

, , , ,
as o f O l d !
The little J ap sprea d h is arms in d eprecation , .
V ery S orry said he hu mbly

,
I t was all m is .
take Captai n O sara wanted to give me m essage

. .
H e d id not wish m e to leave sh ip All m istake . .
So I com e back Captain O sara say he apologise .
H ere his letter and he handed a sealed m issive to

,
the comm ander who im pat iently t ore open the

,
daint ily folded S heet It was covered with J apanese

.
characters .
“
Read it t o m e said Dave handing the letter
, ,
to O to who translated as follows :

,
H I P K I KU
S ,
’
R OY A L N A V Y O F J A P A N .
To the H on o u rable
D A VI D R E ! D A L E ,
Comman ding U S Ship Osp r ey . . .
Am desirous to t ender m ost humble apologies

t o you r august presence for having taken to my ship
the m an O to whom I restore tremblingly to yo u
, .
Augustly condescend to grant you r forgiveness and ,
accept my j oyfu l congrat ula tion o n you r august

health an d the beauty and maj esty o f you r ship .
Respectful venerat ion ,
“
O SA R A .
W ell said R exdale sm iling in spite O f h is

, , ,
“
vexation at the langu age Of the apology
,
what ,
”
was the message ?
But neither threats n o r persuasion cou ld ind uc e
A S CR A P I N M AL T A . 69
O to t o d ivu lge the n atu re O f the comm u n ication

which had been o f su ffi cient importance to take a
n aval vessel o u t o f her way and to lead her com
m ander to play such a daring trick —fo r su ch it evi
de n tl y was in s pite o f his polite phrases —o u a
'
Un ited States war ship O shim a in h i s tu rn was

-
.
Closely qu es tioned b ut professed en tire ignorance

,
o f the m atter .
’
I v e n ot a part icle o f doubt said Rexdale , ,
“
talking it over with Staples that it has som e con ,
n e xio n with the strained relations between Ru ssia
and J apan . H e s a dangerou s fellow t o have o n

’
board this O to with his skill at gu nnery his high

, , ,
bred man ners and h is mysterio us disappearances

,
and appearan ces When we reach H ongkong I

.
shall dism iss both J aps They m ight get u s int o a

.
heap o f trouble .
St aples qu ite agreed with D ave and with a care , ,
ful record o f the episode in the S hip s log the a ffair ’
was closed .
Two weeks later the Osp r ey drop ped her anchor

o ff the qu ay in th e inner harbour o f V aletta the ,
principal seaport o f Malta R e x dal e s fi rst care .

’
was t o cable h i s arrival t o the D epartment ; next ,
to mail h is report o f the voyage ; third to send ‘

,
a long letter t o H allie h is wife wh o would be , ,
waiting even m ore anxiou sly than th e Secretary o f

,
the N avy t o hear from him At the telegraph

, .
7O T HE N OR TH P A CI F I C .
O ffi ce he found a dispatch from Wash ington order ,
ing him t o hold the Osp r ey at V aletta u nt il further

instruct ion s from the D epartm ent H e knew that .
he would need t im e for coaling and in formed t he ,
other O ffi cers O f the sh ip that they would probably

spend at least a week at their presen t anchorage ,
which had been designated by the harbou r master -

.
The next two days were busy ones All hands .
worked hard and becam e grimy from head to foot

with coal d ust At length the j ackies forward heard
.
the welcom e order : Shift in t o clean blue the ,
liberty party ! Working in th e intense heat o f a

M ed iterranean J uly the men had been stripped t o
,
their waists N ow they slu iced one another down

.
with the hose and gladly slipped o n their spru ce

,
shore going t ogs With strict inj u nctions to b e on

-
.
board before dark thirty o f the crew were perm itted

,
t o land .
M idshipman Starr went ashore with Ensigns Lid

d on an d D obson .
’
There s only o n e thing I want to see an ,
’
n o u n c e d Starr and that S a real genu ine Maltese
, ,
cat pro udly standing o n her nat ive soil I suppose

, .
the streets are full o f em H e and D obson had

’
.
“ ”
never before visited the city o f V aletta b u t D oc , .
Li ddo n was well informed as to its h istory and

attractions having spent several weeks there before
,
he j oined the N aval Academy .

A S CR A P I N M AL T A .
7 1
The m oment the three you ng O flic e r s s e t foot o n

the qu ay they were beset by vendors o f all sorts o f
,
trinkets especially those o f silver fi l i

, g r e e work - .
“ ”
What sort o f m oney do they u s e here ? asked
D obson .
“
English O f co u rs e replied L i
, ddo n The , .
island is o n e o f the choices t j ewels in the Brit ish

crown and ,
“ ’
Lend m e a dollar s worth o f shillings will you ? ,
“
interru pted the other and tell m e abo ut the j ewels ,
‘
later D oc I wan t t o b uy that bracelet for the
, .
’ ’
girl I left b eh ind m e if the price is n t t oo high , .
The seller parted with the pretty ornam ent for

o n e shilling and the trio waving aside the rest o f
, ,
the m erchants m oved o n , .
“
Where S hall we go fi rst ? asked L iddo n .
J ust show m e o n e good cat began Bob ,
earn estly and I l l ,

’
“
h
O drop you r cats B ob ! Take us t o the b est ,
view to begin with L i

,
ddo n , .
“ ’
Well let S go up t o Fort St Elmo That
, ,
. .
overlooks b oth harbo u r basins .
Whew ! H ot s the word ! ”

’
exclaimed Bob
Starr wiping his bro w as they gain ed the rampart s
,
“
o f the Old fortress N o w while we are cooling o ff
.
, ,
tell u s abou t this aged ru in which the Osp r ey could

make over int o cracked stone for a macadam ised
road in ab ou t five m inutes .
’
I t is n t a ru in yet young m an said the e n , ,
sign taking o ff his cap t o enj oy the breeze and

, ,
’
the Osp r ey s rifled fou r inch would have to toss a -
good many shot u p here to produce road material I ,
can tell yo u B u tthree hundred an d odd years ago

.
- -
in 5 5
1 6 t o
, b e e x a c t— th is Old fort held O ff a big
'
fl eet and land force fo r fou r m onths The K nights .
o f St . J ohn defended it in great style Sultan .
Solyman wh o had driven the K n ights from Rhodes

,
thirty four years before m ade u p h is m ind that

-
,
M alta was t oo good for them H e brought about .
a h undred and forty vessels and an army of thirty

O dd thou sand men to give them a thorough going
,
-
house warm ing

-
.
“
Were there any cats began Starr ; bu t the
lect urer proceeded with out n oticing the interrupt ion .
These forces were reinforced i f I remember ,
“
rightly ( Cries
-
o f O h y o u do ! yo u do , from
the aud ience) — were afterwards increased by a l o t
“
o f corsairs from Algiers and p irates from Tripoli .
When the fort seemed o n the point o f breaking u p ,
after fou r m onths battering the few K n ights that

’
were left entered that little chapel over there r e ,
cei v e d the rites O f the Chu rch — the o ia tio u I n — and

went o ut t o start on their last j ou rney They were .
cut t o pieces by the T u rk s ; but tw o out w orks still

resisted and fought o ff the besiegers u nt il help
arrived from S icily O ut o f eight or n ine thousand
.
A SCR A P IN M AL T A .
73
defenders only s i x hu ndred were left to j oin in the

,
T e D e u m ( you kn ow the K n ights were a religious

order) as the T urks sailed O ff .
“ ”
O m y look at this ! ,
Starr su ddenly broke in .
I s n ts h e a de af !
’
The o ffi cers looked u p an d s aw an extrem ely

pretty girl approaching attended by a m aid ,
.
“
What on earth i s that thing o n her head ?
“
queried D obson under his breath I t looks like a .
’ ’
stu n sail !
“ ’
I t s a f al el e tta said L iddo n M ost O f the
, .
lad ies the n at ives I m ean wear them

, , , .
The yo ung m en rose from their seats o n the

b astion and raised their hats as the girl p assed
, .
She fl ushed and bowed then looked down dem urely , ,
and hu rried on .
What language do they speak ? demanded Bob ,
“
h astily I f I only knew I could as k her ab out
.
,
M alt ese
D on t get agitated my s o n said L i
’
ddo n , , ,
“ ’
calmly and don t address any young ladies with
,
o u t an introduction As for their langu age it s

.
,
a mixtu re Of Portuguese and Arab ic

’
That 11 do groaned Bob with a heavy sigh
, , .
There s no danger o f my breaking o u t in her

’
’
nat ive t on gu e What s n ext o n the programm e ?
.
“
Well we l l take a st roll thro ugh the principal
,
’
street and visit the Church o f St J ohn which w as .

,
74 T HE N OR T H P A CIFIC .
b u ilt by the K n ights a few years after the

siege .
The street itself was full o f interest to the young

—
Am ericans Sau ntering along themselves attract
.
ing n o little favourable a ttention in their natty white

u n iform s — they met cabmen driving their little
horses at fu l l speed English lad ies elegantly dressed
,
side by side with the n atives in their huge black

o n e sided hoods
- fl ocks of goats to be m ilked at
, ,
the doors o f cu stomers smart British O ffi cers , ,
swarthy faced H indoos and beggars withou t end

-
, .
“ ”
This is the Church o f St J ohn said L i ddo n .
, ,
as the n aval party entered an imposing portal ,
“
flanked by two h uge towers H ere the K n ights
.
u sed to worship when they were n ot other w ise

,
engaged
To wit in fight ing ! interpolated Starr
,
W ell .
,
I m u st s ay those o l d fellows d id well wha tever they

undertook Look at those marbles and paintings !
.
With h ushed voices the three young m en passed

d own the long aisle to one of the chapels where
,
they were shown various relics wh i ch L i ddo n said , ,
had been held in the deepest v enerat ion by the

b u il ders Of the church in those strange O l d days .
There were som e o f the bones o f St Thomas of .
Canterb u ry o n e o f the stones cast at St Stephen

,
.
,
th e right foot Of Lazarus and a thorn from the ,
sacred crown H owever sceptical the American s

.
coat o f mail o f the leader O f the corsairs who as

- -
sisted the Tu rks in the fam ous siege of Fort St .
Elm o ; the trum pet which sou nded the retreat o f

the K nights from R hodes in 1 52 3 ; and a cann on ,
made of a copper tube and wound with tarred rope ,
u sed by the T urks L i ddo n said during their siege

, ,
of that isl and .
Com pare it with on e of the twelve inch t u rret -
rifles o n o u r m odern battle ships ! exclaimed D ob -
“ ’
so n .
!
Why I d rather have a good n avy revolver
,
to fi ght with than this ropy thing !

For two o r three hou rs m ore ( a rest being taken
at a small restau rant ) the offi cers wandered ab ou t
the streets o f V aletta L i ddo n regaled his com .
pan ions with details o f its history includ ing its ,
capt u re by N apoleon in 1 79 8 the su bsequen t tw o ,
years siege when the M altese had risen in revolt

against their captors and its formal cession t o the ,
English in 18 14 .
“
I t s no use b oys I m u sed up
’
,
said D obson
,
’
“
at length I m o ff for the ship ; yo u can com e or
.
’
”
stay as you like
, .
“
O h we 11 go along to o said Starr I should
’
, , ,
have left an hou r ago bu t I wanted to s e e how long,
Li ddo n e o ul a keep it up before the p um ps su cked

’
.
,
H e d m ake his fortu n e as a fi l i

’
b u s te r e r against an
u npopular bill in the Senate !
They passed along the Strada Reale Royal
A SCR A P I N M AL T A .
77
Street —fo r the last t ime an d were j u st turning ,
d own toward the harbou r when a slight c omm otion

o n the sidewalk ahead attracted their attention A .
kn ot of people had gathered aroun d a gr oup in

which some sort Of altercation w as going o n .
H old o n a m in ute cried the m idshipman

, ,
’ ’
let s see what s
The three inseparables pu shed their way into the
crowd the o uter portion o f which was composed O f
,
good natu red Maltese and a variety o f street

-
lou ngers Within this circle were a dozen sailors

.
from a small Ru ssian cru iser in port They in .

,
their tu rn had corralled a couple o f sm all brown

,
men whom their torm entors were hustling rudely as

if t o provoke a resistance which would a fford an
excu se for rougher t reatm ent .
The o ffi cers from the Osp r ey S im ultaneously

recogn ised th e V ictims o f this assau lt and with a ,
“
howl o f indignation from Bob and a stern Stan d ,
”
aside men !
, from L iddo n they pulled O ff the ,
Russian blu e j ackets and t ook their stand beside

-
the Japanese w h o were n o other than O to and

,
O shima .
“
A mer ika n s kiI snarled the sailors as they n oted
the u n iform s o f the intru ders an d closed in again ,
while the throng o f idlers increased

’
What S the matter my lads ? said Dobson to,
th e stewards who seemed in no wise d iscomp osed

, ,
78 T HE N OR TH PA CIFI C .
b ut stood qu ietly awaiting a fav ou rable m oment fo r

withdrawal .
“
We do n o harm said O sh ima when b oth had
, ,
given the n aval sal ut e These m en these Ru s

.
,
sians —”
( i
t is impossible t o describe the t one o f lo fty
contempt with which he pronounced the word ,
looking around at the bu rly tars each a full head ,
taller than himself) they stop u s here I n the street

and call u s bad names and dare us to figh t—the big
m en —cowards
Perhaps it was fortu nate fo r the l ittle J ap that the
Ru ssian sailors cou ld not u nderstand a word O f
English ; b ut th e general tenor o f his remarks was
only to o plain from his tones and gestu res The .
assailants closed in again with a volley of i n c o m pr e
hen si b l e explet ives and u nm istakably threatening

gestures L i
. ddo n was vio l ently shoved aside This .
was m ore than he could stand

Take that yo u b ully !
,
he cried planting a ,
qu ick n ervou s blow straight be tween the eyes O f

,
th e fellow who had j ostled h im .
—
Th e man fell over against his com rades the street
was too crowded t o allow h im t o drop o utright
and the inner circle enlarged ; bu t only for a m o
ment The sailors hal f o f whom were intoxicated
.
, ,
ru shed forward with a roar o f rage Before they .
reached the o fficer s whose prospect s o f gaining

,
t h eir shi p in s afety see med de c idedly poor O to ,

A C
S RAP I N M AL T A .
79
spoke a swift word t o his chu m and each dart ed ,
u pon a Russian I t w as like a terrier charging a

.
bloodhound ; b ut with a lightn ing like grasp and -
twist o f the arm the d im inut ive assailants brough t

to the ground their bulky adversaries scream in g ,
with pain Then the J apanese d u cked u nder the

.
arms O f the nearest bystanders and d isappeared as

if by m agic .
Another m omentary diversion had been e ffected

by this quick and un expected d isplay o f jiu ji tsu -
,
bu t now the sailors were abou t t o charge again .
The u narm ed you ng O flic e r s stood o n gu ard their ,
fi sts advanced .
“
Y o u take that big chap with a black beard ,
”
Bob ,
said L i ddo n h ast ily and I l l engage the ,
’
brute next t o him D ob you look o u t fo r the

. .
,
beauty with red hair Steady n ow fellows here .

, , ,
they come !
But before the tw o part ies fairly clashed a ring ,
ing shout ren t the air .
H o o r o ar byes it s a scrap !
’
, sh outed a j ovial
,
vo ice well known to the Am ericans Then the tone .
changed .
“
Ah —h sure it s the dar l i
nts of en
’
sign s an d the m iddy from the Osp r ey ! Come o n ,
’
byes let em have it !
,
The Offi cers were glad enough Of rein forcem ents

to overlook the slight to their dign ifi ed rank on
board ship I n a m om ent the a ffair was over
. .
H alf a do z en Russian s were rolling in th e d ust while ,
the rest fell back in disorder before the onslaught of

’
the Osp r ey s j ackies led by Pat Ryan and D ick
,
S c u pp who it afterwards t u rned o u t had been

, , ,
d irected t o the spot by O to and had rushed ahead ,
with no clear idea o f what was the m atter until they

caught sight o f th e wh ite d uck and gold braid o f
’
their o w n O ffi c e r s u n iforms .
“ ”
D own to the boats in a hu rry lads ! sh outed ,
Li ddo n leading the way as he heard cries o f

, ,
“ ”
Police ! Police ! o n the outskirts of the throng .
A rush for the qu ay and the Osp r ey m en scram

,
bled into thei r b oats taking th e two J apanese with

,
them The Ru ssians gathered o n the steps shaking

.
their fists at the A m e r i kan s ki b u t n o further ,
“
harm was done and in a few m in utes the liberty
,
party ”
, O ffi cers and all were safe on board the ,
gunboa t
T was a lively brush s i said Ensign L i
’
r ddo n
, , ,
“
reporting the a ffair t o Rexdale ; b ut I think
nothing will com e o f it We m ust keep away and .
,
keep o u r men away from Russians j ust n ow when

, ,
their feeling against Americans is ru nn ing pretty

high .
“
V ery tru e said the lieutenant comm ander
,
-
,
“ ’
sm iling I m glad it was n o worse An d O to
. .
,
O shima n o m ore shore leave for you while the

, ,
N e va is in port !
A SCR A P I N M AL T A . 81
Li
ddo n proved to be right in his conj ect ure .
Th e police arriving j ust t oo late t o witness the

,
a ffray and seeing that trouble had arisen between

,
sailors o f di fferent nationalities h ardly went through ,
the form o f pu r S I I i
n g the partic ipants and let the ,
whole m atter drop ; su ch squ abbles being c omm on

in every large seaport where war sh ips lie in the -
stream and their crews have liberty ashore .
The N e va sailed for the Baltic two days later and ,
with in a week Rexd al e received orders from the

D epart ment to proceed eastward Then cam e a .
su ccession o f wonderfully beautiful days and n ights

o n the blu e M ed iterranean the Ospr ey t ossing the
,
foam from her stem in showers O f sparkling S ilver ,
and startling the flying fi sh that flashed from wave

t o wave u ntil the low tawny shores o f Africa cam e
, ,
in S ight .
“
T o think that I m act u ally gaz ing u pon E gypt !
’
exclaimed Bob Starr as he st ood o n the bridge o n e

‘
fair J u ly m orning Those are really the sands of
.
’
the desert and that scraggy looking feather du ster
,
- -
is a palm !
Small vessels with great ru ddy lateen sails hovered
about the war ship as she advanced A shark s
-
.
’
black sickle like fi n drifted carelessly astern while

,
-
the fierce fi s h all alert belo w the su rface watched

, ,
for prey .
N ow Dam ietta was reached and Port Said The , .
6
82 T HE NOR TH PA CI FIC .
Osp r ey, awaiting her tu rn m eekly entered the C anal ,
in th e rear o f a big D utch m erchant steamer There .
w as little for the o ffi cers o r m en to do and t hey ,
clu stered at the rails and on the qu arter deck ga z

,
-
,
ing o u t over the m arshes and plains of Egypt th e —

crew blankly for the m ost part ; the m ore highly
,
edu cated graduates o f Ann apolis with thoughts o f

the great dim Past t o which this storied land o f the
,
Pharaohs bore silent witness H ere Ab raham wan .
dered from U r o f the Chaldees ; across those sands

,
marched th e hordes of Rameses I I go ing u p against .

,
the Syrians .
N o w and then the ship h alted in basins c u t fo r

‘
the purpose like railroad sidings to allow n orth

, ,
bo u nd vessels to pass N early every ship was fly .
ing the U n ion J ack for three qu arters o f all the

,
-
t onnage that passes through the Canal belongs t o

G reat Britain N ext in order o f frequ ency came
.
the French D utch an d Germ ans

, ,
.
Su re it s hungry I am fo r the Stars and

’
Stripes said Pat gaz ing gl o o m ily at a bro ad Ger

'
, ,
m an ensign atI s m al i a half way across the I sthm u s -

.
“
I m t ired o ju m pi
’ ’
lions and two headed aigles
'
n -
and rid crosses !

O nward aga in H ere a little v i
. llage o f m u d h uts -
,
”
with its clump o f feather d usters as Bob per -
,
sisted in calling the palms ; there a caravan plodding

along the marshes against the sky line F l o c i o f -
.
S CR A P I N M AL T A . 83
water fowl faring gracefully over the broad pools

-
gave place to yellow sands and the sands again to

,
clear green water and sighing reeds .
At last th e good ship em erged from th e

narrow lonely sl uggish stream int o the sparkling
, ,
waters o f the I ndian O cean .

C H A P T ER V I I .
’
O -H A N A - S A N S PA R T Y .
—
H ANA S A Nwas t o give a party She .
annou nced the fact with pride to her S c h o O l

mates who with the frankness peculiar t o Ch ild
, ,
hood eagerly dem anded inv i

,
tat ions H ad they .
been Older , they would have called on the lady

who was to entertain and after flat te r ing her and
, ,
making their personal regard fo r h er as prom inent

as possible would have brou gh t th e conversat ion
,
rou nd t o the party in order to S how that they knew

,
all abou t it and O f cou rse should expect an invita

t ion Being little girls th ey j u st said o n e and all
.
, , ,
O h d o as k m e to com e H ana !
, ,
M iss Blossom ( for that i s th e English equ ivalent

for her nam e) considered .
“
I can only invit e twelve she finally ann ounced , .
” “
Twelve girls s h e concluded
,
with a sigh ; n o ,
boys .
“
Why n o t? demanded one o f the larger boys ,
“
pushing forward Y o u m ust as k m e anyway
.
, ,
”
H an a !
86 T HE N OR T H P A CIFIC .
J apan. H e longed to fight for the Em pire which ,
he adored with all the passionate worsh ip o f the

tru e J apanese H e was an adept at seamanship in
.
,
a small way before h e was fo u rteen ; perfectly at

,
hom e in the water or on it ; and p ossessed with an

ardent ambi ti on to j oin the navy which his cou ntry
was then b u ilding u p i n wonderfu l new ways taught ,
by the pale faced folk of the other hem isphere

-
.
H is father could give h im b ut little hope o f attain

ing his wish es for he could n ot let the l ad serve as
,
a com m on sailor n or could he a fford to give him the

,
higher education n ecessary for an O ffi cer .
’
O to s boon com panion since childhood was
O sh ima th e son o f a rich fam ily who occu pied a
,
handsom e villa o n th e outskirts o f th e t own .
O sh i m a s gran d father had been o n e of the fam ou s

’
S a m u r a i wh o carried two swo rds

,
When the edict .
had gone forth suppressing the order o r depriving ,
it of its essent ial characterist ics he had j oined a ,
band of Sam u rai who refused to Obey th e imperial

command and in a fi ght which followed he had lost
,
his life O s h im a s father was a peaceful m an wh o

.
’
cared little for war b ut the boy himsel f had i

,
n
h e ri
te d his grand father s love O f battle and m ade
’
u p his m ind t o enter the army The t wo b oys .
talked with each other o f their plans and hopes ,
Often and earn estly .
By the time the lads had reached the rocky shore

O- H A N A - SA N S '
PAR T Y . 87
j ust n orth o f the village they had forgotten all ,
abou t little Blossom an d h er party O H ana San .

- -
was a great favou rite with O to it is tru e b ut when , ,
once the topic o f the n avy was raised all other ,
thoughts fled t o the win ds .
“
L et u s swim sai d O shim a at length when
, ,
several prospective battles had been fought o u t o n ,
“
s e a an d land I m as warm as if I had been
.
’
—
marching from Fusan to Seo ul where I shall m arch
som e day .
“
G O yo u and swim i f yo u want to replied O to , .
I have a plan here t o work o u t fo r m an oeu vring a ,
battle ship in the face o f th e enemy with the t id e

-
,
sett ing o u t from land and ,
O h bother you r tides !

, laughed O shima H ere .
’
goes fo r a dip i nto them I 11 com e o u t i n ten .
m in utes .
H e was soon in the water at a good d istance from

shore gamb oling like a porpoise swimm ing on h is
, ,
back treading an d perform ing all sorts o f antics

, , .
O to had drawn a piece o f paper from his pocket

and was absorbed in tracing a d iagram o f a s e a figh t -
.
After a while he glanced u p carelessly ; then he

sprang t o his feet with a wild cry .
“
Come in ! come i n O sh im a ! Qu ick ! There s,
’
a shark after yo u
At fi rst O sh ima d id not u nderstand ; b u t he s aw
’
the other s gestu re and looked over h is shoulder
, .
There n o t a hu ndred yards away was the dreaded

, ,
black fi n gl isten ing in the afternoon s u n drif ting

, ,
rapidly toward him like the sail o f a child s t oy b oat ’

-
.
The swimm er struck o u t fo r the shore with all his

m ight H e was i n a littl e bay and O to springing
.
, ,
down headlong over the rocks perceived that his ,
friend was a little nearer the southern po int o f land

than the central beach from which he had started .
“
—
M ake fo the p oint the point !
r
”
he shrieked ,
gest icu lat ing wildly .
O shima veered to the r ight an d the black fi n ,
followed O to plunged into the s e a and swam

.
straight t oward the shark There was n o m ore .
shouting n ow ; only two dark heads bobbing in the

waves and th e li ttle black sail dancing toward them
, .
O shim a n ow began t o beat the water with his

hands m aking a trem en dou s splash ing The great
, .
fish startled by the comm otion paused and the

, , ,
ugly fi n seem ed irresolute O shim a was now swim .
m ing m ore slo w ly You nger than O to and far less

.
,
rob ust he w as becom ing exhau sted

,
Every mo .
ment he expected t o feel the clutch O f those terrible

j aws H e stru ck ou t m adly b ut m ade little progress
.
,
.
The shark m eanwhile mad e u p h is m ind T he

, ,
.
new m orsel was com ing directly toward him while ,
the first seemed in a fair way o f escap ing to shallow

water i f not to the land itsel f The m onster with .
,
a twist of his tail t urn ed again and made for O to

, ,
O shim a m eanwhile p u rsu ed h i s studies at the

M ilitary I nstitu te in Yokohama and received in ,
du e time his appointm ent as s u b lieutenant in the -
J apanese army E ntru sted with an important secret

.
m ission a few years later th e two comrades went t o

America performed their d ut ies faithfully and in
, , ,
p u rsuan ce of direct orders from high authority con ,
c e al e d their identity by retu rn ing as cabin stewards ;
the men o f the Osp r ey little dreaming that the

”
meek gentle boys whom they ordered t o an d fr o
, _
on m en ial errands were o fficers older and o f h igher ,
rank than themselves in the I mperial Army an d ,
N avy O f J apan .
Thus the party o f little O H ana San led to i m - -
portant results ; for had n ot O to applied t o her for

an invitation and gone o ff to th e S hore sulking b e
,
cause O f her refus al O shima would n ot have had

,
h is eventfu l swim the shark wou ld n ot have been

,
d isappointed in a meal O s h i
’
m a s father would not
,
have felt the im pulse O f gratit u de which infl u enced

h im t o best ow a naval edu cat ion u pon his neigh
b ou r s s o n ; in short th e R e to i
’ ’
z a n s plans would
n ever have been laid before the naval secret service
authorities o f T oki o n or i n all likelihood would
, , ,
D ave Rexdale have been S O we l l served i n the ab ,
sence o f h is two faithfu l J apanese stewards on th e ,
ou tward cru ise o f the Osp r ey

As fo r O H ana San s h e had her party and a gay
- -
, ,
0- H A N A - SA N S ’
PAR T Y .
9 1
one it was as gai ety was reckoned in those parts

,
.
The little hostess duly sent o u t her invitations and ,
received her gu ests with all form ality H er dark .

,
glossy hair was drawn back raised in fron t an d , ,
gathered into a dou ble loop in which a scarlet b it O f,
scarf w as coquettishly twisted She wore a blu e .
fl owered silk kim ono with sleeves t ou ching th e

,
ground ; a blue girdle lin ed with scarlet ; and a fold

o f th e scarlet scarf lay between her neck and th e
kim on o O n her little feet were white ta bi socks

.
,
o f cotton cloth with a separate place for the great

,
t oe ( wh ich was a very small o n e n evertheless) s o , ,
as t o allow the scarlet covered thongs o f the fi nely

-
lacqu ered clogs which she wore wh ile s h e st ood on

,
the s teps t o receive her guests and afterward r e

m oved t o pass between it an d the sm aller toes All
, .
the other dim inu tive ladies were dressed in the sam e
style and truth t o s ay looked like a company o f
, , ,
rather expensive little dolls .
Well when they were all assembled s h e an d her

, ,
gracefu l m other squatt ing before each presented

, ,
tea and sweetm eats o n lacqu er trays ; and then they

played at qu iet and polit e little games u nt il du sk ,
when the party broke u p and O H ara San ( Spring) ,

- -
,
O Yuki San ( Sn ow ) O K iku San ( Chrysanthem u m )

- -
,
- -
,
and th e r est bobbed n ice little bows and said qu ite ,
“
after the fa s h io n o f their elders that they had had ,
s uc h a nice t im e and went hom e

, .
I n th e years that followed O H ana San the

,
- -
,
Blossom and the prettiest girl in the t own had bu t ,
little chan ce t o invite O to t o her parties n o r could ,
the gallant you ng J apanese take her to the Academy

hops ; bu t he wrote t o her constantly and n ow as , ,
the Osp r ey cu t th e wat ers o f the I nd ian O cean with

her snowy stem he thought O f the dark eye d
,
-
Blossom in the far o ff little village of N ippon ; and

-
,
as he tripped to an d from the pantry and ret urned ,
with delicacies for the cab in table balancing himsel f

,
gracefully against the rolling and pitching O f th e

vessel wondered how soon he should stand before
,
her o n the qu arter deck o f his o w n sh ip clad in the

-
,
brilliant u n iform of his rank A s for O shim a he

.
,
h ad been wait ing eleven years fo r a good chance t o

give his life fo r O to !
when we were at Shanghai) and I did n t want my ’
liberty stopped s o I let them go an d Sam Bolles

, ,
b ought them at the au ction afterward for n ineteen

cents That is all I have t o s ay at present
. .
“
From you r loving s o n
R I CHA R D .
[F r o m O to Ow a r ito O H a n a S a n - -
.
]
T
r an s l a t
ea.
'
A S E B O J an uary 2 1904 S , , .
The exalted letter wh ich yo u augustly con de

scended t o send m e o n the 1 3 th day of the l o th
m oon fi lled me with great felicity t o know that ,
y ou are in ever increasing august rob u st ness as you

-
,
were torm ented with light fever when I worshipp ed

you r eyebrow !
a S hort time before I d o not .
know where I shall go n ext I s e e O sh im a alm ost .
daily at the barracks A new ship is fitting out at

.
the d ocks the F ujzya in a and it m ay be that I shall

, ,
have an app ointment to her or it may be that I ,
shall have t o go u n de r th e w ate r Y o u will u nder .
s t and later I am n o w awaiting orders Although

. .
the war cloud in the west is dark the people in

-
,
Tokio celebrated N ew Year s D ay with rej oicing ’
and festivity as u sual The houses and shops

, .
,
O shima t old m e were covered with fru its and

,
flowers an d the streets decorated w it h flags and

,
”
M e tyo u .
A BA T CH OF LE T T E R S .
95
lanterns M any bands o f m en marched through

.
the city singing o l d war songs Of the Sam u rai All -

.
the fairs were crowd ed Pray condescend t o take .
august care o f you r exalted health I kn ock my .
head agai nst the floor .
“
Rem em brance an d respectfu l veneration .
( 6
T o O HA N A SA N
- - .
[ H a ll i
e to L i
e u t Co rn D a v i
d R e x da.l e U S N ] .
, . . .
E xt
r ac t
s .
B OSTON ,
N o v e m ber 1 5 , 1 90 3 .
D e ar D ave
“ ’
Yo u
can t tell how anxiou s I am t o hear from
you You r last letter mailed at Su ez w as a very
.
, ,
short one You t old m e you had a despatch from

.
Washington ordering you t o Shanghai instead o f

H ongkong and I ought to have received a letter
,
’ ’
from that city ; b u t I have n t and I m worried
’
abou t yo u I f i t d id n t cost s o m u ch I would
.
cable instead o f writing D o write t o m e at once . .
I f anyth ing sho uld happen t o you

I n September I had a little visit with the H olmes .
N orman has been detached from the Brooklyn

Yard and appointed to the Vul tur e which probably ,
will j oin th e Asiatic squadron this winter or in the

exd ale h a i n i ted th a t
M rs R . s s s som e p rti n
o o s Of her le tter in ter ,
e tin g n l y t her h u b an d h all be

s o o s ,
s o m i tted .
early spring O u r o l d friend T ic ke r s o n has received

.
his comm ission as lieu tenant ( first grade) an d his

wife writes m e gleefully o n the increase o f pay as
well as glory D O you remember wh en you intro
.
‘
duc e d me to her at Annapolis ? They s ay Girlie
,
is j ust as prou d O f her as he was in the Old days ,
when the other cadets ( all bu t yo u o f course D ave ! ) , ,
‘ ’ ’
used t o envy h im as he walked d own Lover s with
her .
“
Y o u would be interested in the football situ ation
this fall if yo u were here O if only
, .
,
“
Well as I was abou t to s ay H arvard is o f co urse
, ,
strain ing every nerve to get into condition fo r Yale .
The gam e comes o ff in abou t ten days and I m ,

’
going over t o Cambridge t o see it Who d o yo u .
su ppose is going to take me ? Why dear o l d U ncle ,
Richard who happen s to be spending a few weeks

,
E ast on bu siness Little H allie H olm es is the

, .
’
d earest baby in the world Was n t it lovely in .
An em on e t o insist o n n am ing her for m e ? Au nt

Let itia is trem endo usly interested in tw O things
anti vivisection and the Ru sso J apanese trouble
- -
.
She has attended several hearings at the State

H ouse and at o n e o f them s h e S poke her m ind ou t
,
so forcibly that o l d J ed bless his heart m ade a , ,
great racket pou nding on the floor an d s e t every

b ody applauding H e had sneaked in withou t.
’
Au nt s knowing it and o n reaching home was ,
F o m F r e d L a r ki o L i p
[ r n t e ute n an t S ta l es .
]
u
S AN F R A N CI S C O , D ec e m ber 2 9 , 1 903 '
MY D E AR L I EU T E N AN T :
‘
I f yo u get there before I do ,
’
Tell them I am com ing t oo !
As I expected the B ul l e tin does n t propose to
,
’
get left on any u npleasantness in the Extrem e East ,
n or even to take its chances in a synd icat e I t .
wants real news straight from the front and

, , ,
n aturally it hits u pon You rs Truly t o pick it u p I

, .
wrote to Rexdale j u st before leaving Boston s o it ,
is probably n o su rprise to you that I have crossed the

cont inent and am abou t to embark for Yokohama .
I ndeed I m ay make my bow t o yo u on the qu arter

deck o f the Osp r ey before you receive this letter !
The papers are full of correspon dence and abstracts
O f diplom atic papers from St Petersb urg and Tokio . .
The langu age of these comm u n icat ions between the

State D epart m ents o f the two cou ntries is bland
and m eek as the coo o f a dove o r the baa O f a lamb ;
bu t mark my words my boy —there s going t o b e
,
’
a war and a big o n e

, There m us t be to j u stify my
.
,
going o u t t o report it ! D O you remem ber how a

reporter in H avana in 1 89 7 is said to have cabled to
‘
the home O ffi ce o f a certain yellow j ou rnal n ot
u nknown to fam e N O war here What S hall I
,
‘
.
do ? And the editor o f the newspaper cabled back ,

A BA T CH OF LE T T E R S .
99
‘
Stay where you are an d send full repo rts I l l , .
’
’
provide war Well ou r venerable and sagaciou s
.
,
friend Marqu is I to t ogether with the am iable bu t ,
‘
distracted Ru ler O f all the Russi as will provide ,
war fo r m e t o write u p and that before m any

’
days And the l ittle J aps will strike first s e e if

.
,
’
they d on t ! Tell Rexdale please that I m o n my , ,
’
way I f anything good happens before I s e e you

.
,
‘
make a n ote o n and give it t o m e for a B ul l e ti
’
n ,
st ory .
Yours ever ,
L A R KI N .
[ F r o m L i
e u te n a n t Co m ma n de r R e x dal e to H a l l i
e ] .
T E P I D e c e m ber 2 1903 C AV I , .
, .
From Shanghai we were ordered t o

this port where we have been lying fo r nearly a
,
m on th doing gu ard d u ty N ext Th ursday we sail

,
.
for Chefoo the Chinese seaport n o t far from Wei

,
hai wei where Pechil i Strait Opens into th e Yellow

-
,
Sea At that station we shall be qu ite near K orea

.
and Port Arthu r and if there is any trouble we ,
shall be spectat ors though alm ost cert ainly n o t ,
part icipants s o you need n o t worry when yo u s e e

,
by the naval despatches at hom e that we are o n the

’
outskirts o f the Debatable Land I t is hard I V e .
,
n o doubt f or yo u t o realise how th e w ar f e v er i

, s -
growing o u t here I am t old that the J apanese

,
.
have been stead ily preparing for this fi nal trial o f

her strength with Ru ssia fo r years past Y o u m ay .
be interested in the m ake u p o f the J ap army -

. .
U nder the present law all males are subj ect t o

conscription at the age o f twenty There is n o .
distinction O f class and there are n o exemptions

,
except for physical disab ilitie s or becau se the con ,
script is the sole su ppo rt O f ind igent parents a ,
student in certain schools o r a member Of cert ain

,
bran ches O f civil service .
“
The fi rst term o f service is between the ages o f
twenty an d twe n ty three Then the soldier enters
-
.
the fi rst reserve where he serves between the ages

,
o f twenty three
- an d twenty six After that he -
.
goes t o the second reserve where h is service is b e

,
tween the ages O f twenty s i x and thirty o n e ; and

- -
then to th e gen eral national reserve wh ich inclu des ,
all m ales between the ages O f seventeen and forty

n ot already in act ive service .
I was called o ff yesterday aftern oon

, ,
from my writing and later in th e day I learn ed

,
that there is trouble in Seoul the cap ital o f K orea , .
There are lots o f J apan ese and Ru ssians there and , ,
with the K orean natives hat ing all foreigners there ,
is material for a good deal o f dist urbance Several .
riots have occurred in the streets and it is said that ,
o u r m inist e r h as c abled to W ashin t o n askin for a

g g
C HA P T E R I X .
’
AT T HE C ZA R S CO M M A N D .
V A N I V A N O V I TC H l ived o n the ou tskirt s o f

a sm all village abo ut one hundred m iles n orth
east o f M oscow L ike his father and grandfather
.
and m any generat ions before he was a m o uji E, ,
a peasant with this di fference : they had been serfs ;

,
I van was freeborn H is father now own ed the hut

.
in which he lived with his fam ily of wife and three

children — two girls besides Ivan ; he also owned a
,
sm all patch of land and an acre o r two o f tillable

,
soil had been allotted t o him when the serfs were

emancipated with a cond ition o f slow paym ent to
,
the Government a few rou bles at a t ime

, .
U p to the aut u mn O f 190 3 Ivan worked in the

fi elds bare headed and blue bloused besid e his
,
- -
,
fa ther The girls worked too for the father was

.
, ,
lam e and needed all the help he could get He .
had leaned u pon I van m ore and m ore as the years

went by an d his s o n grew from boyhood to st u rdy
yo ung manhood Every even ing th e fam ily knelt
.
before the cru cifix o n the wall o f the living room -

,
102
A T T HE CZ A R ’
S COM M A N D . 103
and prayed for them selves their co untry and their , ,
Little Father the Czar who spent all his t ime in

, ,
far o ff St Petersb urg they were su re in thinking

- .
, ,
“
o f his children the people o f the great Emp ire
, ,
and loving them a n d plann ing for their good I n .
retu rn they alm ost worshipped h im as they d id ,
the figure o n the cru cifix .
“
Soon yo u will have t o serve as a soldier Ivan , ,
said his father o n e day The Old er man had a great .
’
t awny beard and man e O f hair like a lion s ; I van r e
sembled him m ore and m ore
“
That is tru e my father , .
”
You are nearly o f age .
Tru e my father , .
But pu t in h is m other an x iously su rely o u r

, ,
b o y will n ot have t o fight ?

“
N ay M ato u s c h ka said I van tenderly bu t m an
, ,
“ ”
fully if the Czar commands my life is h is !
, ,
T w o m onths later he rep orted at the barracks at

M oscow and was duly enrolled in the 1 1th Regi
,
men t o f I n fantry Third D ivision First Reserves, , ,
o f the I mperial Army .
At first the n ovelty w as am using and Ivan e n ,
j oyed the companionship O f h i s comrades in the

ranks the smart u n iform an d big fu r cap the m usic
, ,
O f the band when they paraded in the great squ are

,
and the crowds gathered to s e e But the drill d ri l l

'
.
, ,
drill became tedious and it w as with rather a sense ,

o frelief that in the latter part o f the following J an

u ary he heard that the regiment was to leave M o s
c o w for the Far E ast .
There was n o t ime t o say good bye to his parents -

,
n or cou ld he have paid his fare to and from the

village had perm ission been given S o Ivan t ook .
“
o u t his little brass cross his ikon which like
, , ,
every other Russian soldier he carried in his b o ,
so m ,
and m u rm u red a prayer for father and sisters
and the little m other Then he b uckled on his belt
.
,
adj usted his clum sy cap sh ouldered his m usket ,
and was ready .
Where are we going comrade ? he asked o f his

”
,
n ext neighbou r in the ranks as they marched to the ,
railway station .
“
I do n o t know They say there is to be war
. .
War —against whom ?

”
The J apanese .
J apanese ? Who are they ? Are they savages

”
o r white like u s ?
“
I can t tell yo u I van We shall know when we
’
, .
s e e them .
Why do we fight against them ? Where do they

”
live ?
But his comrade cou ld only shru g his shoulders .
H e had n o t the least idea o f the answer to either

qu estion ; n o r had any man in the company only a ,
half dozen o f whom could read or write

-
.
106 T HE NOR TH P A CI F I C
.
overcrowded S iberian Railway the black cord that ,
stretched across a continent to P ort Arthu r and

V lad ivostok seven thousand m iles away
, But .
whether it was seventy m iles o r seven thousan d the

rank and fi le o f the army hardly knew o r cared .
Cold hungry sti ff from constrained position they

, , ,
bore all privat ion s with calm ness and even a sort O f _
j ovial good humou r At night every soldier fum

-
.
bled u nder his fu rs and heavy winter coat for h is

ikon and his bearded lips m urm u red the sacred
,
N am e .
At length the rugged shores o f L ake Baikal were

reached in Farther Siberia H ere there was another
, .
halt for the railway itself cam e t o an end and the

, ,
troops were ordered o u t o f the t rain at early dawn .
H ow can we go on ? asked I van stu pidly B e .
fore him a white plain stretched away t o the horizon

line To the right were m ou ntains ; t o the left
.
,
m o untains The ice bou n d surface of the lake was

.
-
swept by a b itt er gale which heaped up huge drifts ,
and fl ung them away again ) like a child at play .
Behind the regiment o f fu r capped sold iers huddled -

,
o n the frozen shore was home ; before them what

, ,
seemed an Arctic s e a The snow fell heavily and .

,
”
drifted arou nd their feet H o w can we go o n ? .
asked Ivan ; and a subaltern breathing through his ,
“
icy m ou stache replied : I do not know private
, , ,
” ’
b ut we m ust advance I t is the Czar s command . .
A T T HE CZA R S COM M A N D
’
. 107
Wh en Ru ssia determ ined to establish a port o n

,
the open s e a though it were thousands o f m iles

,
from her capital b u ilt the great Trans Siberian Rail

,
-
way she progressed rap idly with her fragile light

, ,
rail single track r Oad u ntil she cam e t o Lake Baikal

,
- .
H ere N atu re had placed what m ight well be deemed

an impossible Obstru ction : a huge inland lake fo ur
hu ndred m iles in length eighteen hu ndred feet deep
, ,
bordered with m ou ntains whose sheer gran i te Cli ffs

,
rose from the water t o a height o f fi fteen hundred

feet and in their t urn were overshadowed by snow
,
capped peaks The lake at this point is forty m iles

.
wide N O bridge could span its storm swept s u r

.
-
face no t unnel could be driven beneath i

,
ts sombre
depths H ow was the Obstacle to b e surm ou nted ?

.
A weaker nat ion would have given u p the task as ,
the French t ired o f working at the Panama Canal ;

Russia ponderou s t ireless determ ined alm ost irre
, , , ,
sistib l e m oved o n
,
I n the science o f Physics the
.
,
m om entu m o f a m oving body is thu s analysed and

expressed : M m ! v I n other words it equ als
.
,
the m ass o f the body m ultiplied by its veloc ity I f .
either fact or be increased the m omentu m becomes ,
correspond ingly greater When Ru ssia m oves the .

,
velocity is slight bu t th e mass is enormo us When

, .
the soldier in the t ime worn anecdote tri ed t o stop

,
-
,
with his foot the slowly rollin g spen t cann on ball -

,
it snapped his leg like a pipe stem The nat ion that -
.
I o8 T HE NOR T H PA CI FI C .
Opposes Russia m u st itself be o f iron m ould o r it ,
will snap Lake Baikal was a trifle a m ere incident

.
,
t o the civil engineers who laid out the Trans Siberian -
Railway .
I n the sum m er tim e hu ge steam ferry b oats plied

- -
from shore t o shore transferring passengers and

,
freight from the western t o the eastern o r Trans

Baikal section From N ovember to April the lake
.
is frozen over b ut d uring at least half o f that t ime

,
en orm ou s ice breakers like the heaviest ocean going

-
,
-
tu g boats crashed through the ice an d kept open a

-
,
canal from S ide t o side .
These were t emporary expedients The engineers .
m eanwhile had not b een idle They attacked the .
cli ffs b ordering the southern end o f the lake and ,
began c utting a path through the solid rock fo r ad

v an c in g Russia Twenty seven t u nnels were to b e
.
-
bored and have since been completed While Ivan

, .
waited by the shore a d ull boom cam e n ow and then

t o his ear from the blasting I t was th e relentless
, .
,
’
unfaltering tread Of Russia s iroriheel .
But o ther m eans had to be provided in that ter ,
rible winter o f 190 3 for the passage o f troops and

,
supplies for although the great m ass o f soldiers did

,
n ot understand their leaders and the co un sellors o f

,
state in St Petersbu rg knew there was u rgent need

. .
A railroad was begun u pon the ice itself an d before ,
March was in ac tu al operation A thou san d feet Of .

d isordered ranks slipped and stu mbled against one -
another W ith the m ercu ry 2 3 belo w z ero and a

.
°
,
n ortherly gale hurled down the ent ire fo u r hu ndred

,
m iles Of u nbroken expanse O f the lake the cold was ,
fright ful .
Ivan t urn ed his head s ti

ffi y t o m um ble som eth ing
td his n eighbou r i n the ranks H e was n o longer .
there The subal tern who had answered h im o n the

.
shore was also m issing Like scores o f others he .
had w andered o ff the line O f m arch to fall and d ie ,
u nseen .
I van bent his head t o a fi erce blast m uttering ,
Co urage comrades ! ”
N O o n e replied t o h im as
,
“
he staggered u ncertainly onward Cou rage c o m .
,
rades ! shou ted I van again H is voice was lost in .
the ceaseless roar o f the gale I van p eered o u t .
from under the m ask o f ice wh ich had form ed across

his eyes from his S haggy brows t o h is m o ustache
, .
N o o n e was near him H e was alon e with the

.
storm .
I t seemed an easy thing to li e d own in the snow and

go t o sleep I t would be a jo y m erely to drop the
.
heavy m u sket N obody knew where he was ; the

.
lake would swallow him u p and who wou ld be ,
the wiser ? Ivan halted a m om ent pondering in his ,
d ull way Su ddenly he remembered That would

. .
H is O flic e r had said

’
be d isobedience O f orders .
,
”
I t is the C z ar s command ! ’
What madness t o ,
A T T HE CZ A R S COM M A N D
’
. I I I
think o f disobeying the Little Father at St Peters .
b urg ! The peasant soldier gripped his breast where

-
,
the ikon lay and taking his course as well as he

, ,
could from the d irection o f the wind staggered ,
o n.
Whether it was five m in utes o r an hou r he could

'
not tell ; bu t n o w he saw dim figu res aroun d him ,
plodding silently onward Whether they were com .
rades o f his o w n regimen t h e n either knew n or cared .
H e was once m ore after that m om ent o f indi

,
vi du al i
ty a part O f the Ru ssian army and m oved
, ,
m echan ically forward with it .
The m en huddled t ogether like sheep as they ,
m arched When o n e o f their n umber staggered

.
aside and disappeared they closed the gap ; when

o n e fell they stepped sti ffly over him
, .
“
H alt !
Each man stopped by stu mbling abruptly against

the o n e before him They asked n o qu est ions
. .
They remained standing as they had m oved by , ,
sheer inertia lett ing the b utts O f their m u skets rest

,
o n the ice .
The colu mn had halt ed by a rest house m arking -

,
hal f way across the lake A few o ffi cials o f high

-
.
est rank a n ewspaper m an o r tw o half a dozen

, ,
m erchant travellers with special passes refreshed ,
themselves wit h sou p and steam ing tea A steady .
stream o f open sleighs passed slowly by the silent ,

imm ovable colum n The troops were fed where

.
they stood withou t S helter from the fi erce blast

,
and whirling snow .
Soon the order came d o w n the line Forward ! ,
O nce more the fearfu l march across the ice was

resu med At long intervals there were more halts
.
,
when tea was served ; b ut the cold increased T he .

-
m en n ow began t o su ffer less

‘
Som e O f them .
hoarsely roared o u t a snatch o f song ; these soon

dropped o r wandered away When the winter .
storm o f Siberia fi rst assau lts it is brut al in its

blows its p iercing thru sts its agon ising rack
, ,
t ormen t o f cold Gradu ally it becomes less rude

.
and m ore dangerou s Its wild shriek o f rage b e

.
comes a crooning cradle song ; it strokes away the

-
angu ish from the knotted j oints o f hand and foot

an d limb I t n o longer repels it invites
.
, .
When the long column o f staggering ice covered ,

-
forms reached the eastern shore o f the lake its

numbers had lessened by fi ve h undred who would ,
never face the u nknown enem ies o f the Far E ast .
I van was am ong the su rvivors H is huge frame .

,
his iron constitution his allegiance t o the Czar had

, ,
carried him through .
H e found his c om pany hal f a verst ahead and as ,
night fell he j oined a group o f grim fi gures arou nd

a blaz ing cam p fi r e -
Tea w as made and served out
.
,
’
with regular army ration s The m en s drawn faces .
C H APT E R X .
T HE F I R ST BL O W .
N the even ing o f February 8 th a fleet o f dark

hulled ships m oved silently westward across
the Yellow Sea I n the harbou r o f Port Arth u r
.
lay the pride o f the Ru ssian navy m ost o f the ships ,
riding peacefully at anchor in the ou ter roads .
They comprised the battle ships P e tr opa vl o vs k -
( flagship ) ,
P e r s e v i
e,
t Cz a r e v i
tck R etv i
z a n an d , S e ,
bas topo l and the cru isers N o v i

,
le B oya r i n B aya n , , ,
Di a n a R a l l ada A s ko ld and A u r o r a
, , , O f the O ffi cers .
,
many were o n shore enj oying the hosp italities O f

,
the port and drinkin g the health o f the Czar The .
crews were below decks o r sm oking idly and talk ,
ing in the l o w gutt urals of their language o f hom e

, ,
and friends far away Secu re I n their sense o f their

.
m ighty domain and the power that reached from

the Baltic to the Pacific they sang snatches O f rud e
,
forecastle songs or j oked and laugh ed at the pros

,
“
p e c ts o f a war with the J apanese those little ,
”
m onkeys who d ared dispute even in m ild diplo
,
macy with the Great Empire And as they laughed .

,
1 14
T HE FIR S T BL O W . 1 15
and the smoke curled upward from their bearded

lips and the l ittle waves o f the peacefu l harbour
,
lapped so ftly against the huge floating forts the ,
black hu lls from the eas t crept nearer through the ,
darkness .
N ine years had elapsed since the J apanese had

invaded K orea and M anchuria I n 1 89 5 victor
.
,
over the Chinese fi rmly established with his troops

,
o n the main land with his fleet riding in the har

,
b our O f Port Art hu r which his army h ad taken by

,
storm the M ikado had been compelled by the

,
powerful comb inat ion o f Russia France and Ger , ,
many to give u p th e m aterial fru its o f his victory ,
and J apan to o exhausted to fight for her rights

, ,
withdrew sullenly t o her is l and E mpire .
Three years later Russia obtained from Chin a a

twenty five years lease o f P ort Arthu r w h i
-
’
ch sh e ,
.
“
claimed s h e needed for the d u e protect ion o f her
navy in the waters o f N orth China ”
H er next .
m ove was t o secure right to bu ild the Manchu rian

Railway connecting her two Pacifi c ports V ladi
, ,
vo s to c k and Port Arthu r with her western capital

, .
She had at last reached the open s e a V lad i .
v o sto c k at the south eastern extrem ity o f her o w n

,
-
p ossessions in the n orth was blocked by ice and

,
shu t O ff from the ocean every winter ; Port Arthu r

O ffered a safe and open roadstead for her navy and
me r cantile mari n e thro u ghout the year .
I 16 T HE NOR TH P A CI F I C .
Du ring the years that followed Russia strained

every nerve t o establish her customs her power , ,
and her people in Manchuria J apan saw the

.
danger to herself bu t was powerless t o prevent it

, .
Recru iting from the expenditu res Of the Chinese

war she prepared for the greater struggle that was
,
inevitable She b u ilt u p one o f the m ost form idable

.
n avies the world had seen ; she trained her o fiic e rs ’
and crews by the m ost m odern m ethods ; S he r e

organised her army and laboured t o perfect it as a
fi ghting machine . By wise laws an d enlightened
counsels she fostered her resou rces u ntil her treasury
was plethoric with gold At last early in 190 3 s h e
.
, ,
calmly rem inded Russia that the st ipulated term O f

her occupat ion o f M anchu ria save at Port Arthu r
, ,
had expired ; that her excu se for remaining there n o

longer existed ; that her pledges O f rem oval m u st b e
kept .
Ru ssia winced u nder the word m ust the key

word O f her o w n domes tic polity when applied by
,
the n obles to the masses it n ow had a strange and

,
u nwelcome sound .She redou bled her e fforts t o

pou r troops int o the province provisioned and fort i
,
fi e d Port Arthu r for a year s siege established a

’
railroad guard o f sixty thou san d m en and ,

-
blandly prom ised to retire in the following O ct ober .
J apan was no less alert O n e by o n e the d ivisions

.
o f her reat arm wer mobilised They were drilled

g y e .
I 18 T HE NOR TH PA CIFIC .
approaching Port Arthu r j ust forty eigh t hou rs

,
-
after M K urino had m ad e his farewell bow at the

.
court o f the Czar was O to O wari N O o n e who

, .
had seen him o n the Osp r ey meekly serving his

,
comm ander with sliced cu cumbers and bro iled

ch icken would have recogn ised the trim alert little
, ,
figure I n the blue u n iform h is visor drawn l o w over

,
hi s sparkling eyes his whole bearing erect m anly

, ,
and marked with intense resolve as he conned his

vessel through the channel toward the doomed fleet
o f the enemy .
When the Am erican ship arrived at Shanghai O to ,
had at once procu red his o w n d ischarge and that o f

O shima w h i
, c h w as an in form al m atter they n o tbeing
,
enlisted men bu t m erely cabin servants Rexdale .
was glad to let them go The little J aps were

.
too mysteriou s and secretive personages to render

their presence welcom e on a war S hip where the com
-
mand er should kn ow all that is going o n above ,
board and below D ave m ore than half suspected

.
that h is stewards were o f m ore importance in their

o w n country than their men ial o ffi ce would indicate ;
and while he could n ot exactly regard them in the

light o f spies—J apan being friendly to the U n ited
States —h e felt m ore com fortable when they had
taken their little grips and m arched ashore to m ingle
with the heterogeneous populat ion O f the Chinese
port .
that could be trained on the audaciou s enemy

“
pou red its h ail o f steel shot u pon them O utside .
the harbou r with in easy range lay the heavier v e s

, ,
sels o f the J apanese which opened fi re o n the forts

,
and the town from their great t u rret gu ns I n the -

.
m idst o f the u proar and con fusion the torped o boats -
which had inflict ed su ch t errible damage retired to

the shelter of th e outer b a ttle ships and cru isers u n
-
,
hurt The R e tv i
. z a n limped over t o the entrance o f
the harbou r and rested o n the rocks The Clea r e .
vi toli was towed out o f further danger The storm .
o f J apanese shot and shell d im inished and at length
ceased altogether as the attacking fleet withdrew

, .
The assault had occup ied less than an hou r ; at o n e

o clock all was S ilent again save where the wou nded
’
were being cared for o n the ill fated R e tvi

, za n and -
her S ister ships and the crews o f every vessel in the

,
harbou r talked hoarsely as they stood to their guns ,
with decks cleared for fu rther act ion The fi rst sea .
— —
battle if such it can be called O f th e twentieth
cent ury was over J apan had stru ck and struck
.
,
fi ercely Russia was st u nn ed by the blow A l

. .
though s h e did n ot then real ise it her s e a power in ,

-
the Pacifi c was at an end for years to com e ,

.
S ayo n a r a R e tv i
,
za n / said Comm ander O to
O wari grimly as he headed his ship for the open
,
sea .
The m idn ight attack w as b ut the fi rst outbu rst o f

T HE FIR S T BL O W . 12 1
’
the storm Before noon the M ikad o s fleet r e
.
turned as the U n ited States ships cam e back at

,
th e battle o f M an ila and once m ore the huge twelve

,
inch rifles th u ndered and the S hore fort s replied .
The st ill u n inj ured vessels o f the Ru ssians cam e

bravely o u t t o meet the foe b ut reeled u nder the ,
t errible fire that was concentrated u pon them For .
an hou r the bolts fell thick and fast Then the

J apanese drew back an d th e Russian s d az ed b e
, , ,
wildered thu nderstruck at the swi ftness and m ight

,
o f the assault again cou nted their losses

, .
By o rder of V iceroy A l e x i e ff reported the ,
“
command ing O ffi cer to St Petersbu rg I beg t o
.
,
’
report that at about eleven o clock in the m orn in g
a J apanese squadron consisting o f abou t fi fteen
,
battle ships and cru isers approached P ort Arth ur

-
,
and opened fire .
At ab out m idday the J apanese squadron

ceased i ts fire and left proceeding south , .
“
O u r losses are two naval O ffi cers an d fi fty o n e -
m en killed .D uring the engagem ent th e

battle ship P o l ta va and the cru isers D i
- a n a A s ko ld ,
and N o v i E were d am aged o n the water line -

.
Three battle ships and fou r cru isers p u t o u t o f

-
act ion in a single day ! B ut m ore was to follow .
I n the harb our of Chem ulpo a cross the neck o f ,
the Yellow Sea lay the Russian cru isers Va r i

, ag and
K or iete in company with several war ships o f othe r

,
-
12 2 T HE N OR T H PA CIFIC
.
n at ions including the U S gunboat Vi

,
c ks bu r
. .
g .
O n the even ing before the assau lt on Port Arthu r

the commanders o f these two cru isers were notified
by the Rear Adm iral U riu comm anding a J apanese
-
,
squadron which lay j u st o utside that o n the follow

, ,
ing day they wo uld be attacked at their m oorings

if they did not qu it the port by noon O ther fo r .
ei g n ships in the harb our were warn ed to withdraw

from the line o f fi re .
Early the next m orn ing the Va r i ag and K ori ete
cleared for act ion and with their bands playing the
, ,
Ru ssian nat ional anthem slipped their cables and

,
m oved slowly o u t o f the harbou r t o su re de s tr uc

t ion amid the cheers o f the crews o f other nations
, ,
who appreciated their splendid bravery an d the de

vo t i o n of the men to the Czar at whose command ,
they were ready for death in its m ost terrible form .
At a range of nearly four m iles the battle began .
The J apan ese squ adron Opened fire u pon the ad

v an c i n g Russians who replied as p romptly as if they
,
were the forefront o f a fleet o f a do z en battle ships -

,
instead o f a cru iser and gunboat as abs olutely help

less as two spaniels encou ntering a pack o f wolves .
Five shells stru ck the Va r i ag in rapid succession ,
wh ile shrapnel swept th e crews repeatedly from her

gu ns A single shell killed or disabled all save o n e
.
o f the gunners on her forecastle ; another stru ck one
o f her s i x inch rifles ( the largest in her armam ent )

-
,
the ship g radu all y fill e d At five a su ccession of .

,
small sharp explosions were heard The Ru ssian

, .
captain fearing that the J apane s e would arrive

, ,
begged the comm ander O f a British war ship t o fire -
at her water line b ut he refused

-
, .
The list to p ort becam e m ore and m ore m arked ,
and flames b u rst ou t from the s ides and stern Of the

beautifu l S hip wh ich like the R e tviza n had b een
, ,
the pride O f the b uilders in Cramp s Philadelph ia ’
s hipyard a few years before .
’
The ship s gu ns remained fast t o the end b ut ,
there was a trem endou s clatter and roar o f gear fall

ing to leeward At last with a slow and m aj estic
.
,
plunge the Va r i
, ag sank all her t u bes charged with ,
torpedoes and her great r ifled gu ns pointin g u p

,
ward Soon afterward the mail boat S u ng a r iwas

.
-
fi red and the flam es sen t their red glow over the
,
harbou r o f Chem ulpo u ntil it and all the ships

seemed embayed in a s e a O f blood while the ,
wou nded and dying men m oaned below decks So .
ended the fi rst terrible day o f the war an d n ight ,
fell as So ftly as gently as o n the hills O f Palestin e

, , ,
long ag o when the holy Bab e lay in the manger

“
and the angels sang Peace on earth good will—
t o men !
C H A P T E R XI .
’
IN T HE M I KA D O S C A PI T A L .
N the even ing after the event n arrated in the

last chapter a grou p o f foreigners s at o n the
pleasant verandah o f o n e o f the largest h otels in
Tokio They were easily distingu ishable from the
.
nat ives that thronged the street and square n o t ,
only by the O ccidental costu m es —o f the latest and

m ost fashionable styles—which adorned the ladies ,
bu t by th e bright and animated faces with which

they looked o u t o n th e stran ge scene before them ,
and d iscussed the ast ounding news which had j u st

“
been displayed ,
in real tea chest letters
- Edith ,
said o n the n ewspaper bulletins

, .
Edith an d E th e l w yn Black had been invited by

’
their father s Old friends Colonel an d M rs Selb orn e .
to j oin them in a trip arou nd the world The two .
you ng girls were delighted with the pro s pect and ,
with some relu ctance Maj or Black consented to the

plan. H is wife had died five years before and a ,
widowed sister kept hou se fo r him ; s o althou gh the

,
se paration b ore hardly u pon th e j olly maj or—from

12 5
I 26 T HE NOR TH PA CIFIC .
whom W ynn ie m ust have inherited her u n fail ing

—
fl ow o f spirits there really was n o good excuse fo r
letting th e girls m iss such an Opportu n ity t o enlarge
their horizon mental and physical The party left
,
.
N ew York in D ecember spent Christmas in San

,
Francisco and late in J anu ary landed in Yokohama

,
.
Af ter a brief tou r inland they went t o Tokio arriv ,
ing j ust before the assault O f the J apanese o n the

ships in the harbo u r o f Port Arthu r .
O n this special evening T okio was a blaze o f light .
N ot only were lanterns strung over every shop door

and the porches o f private houses bu t in groups o f ,
twos and threes the golden and crimson globes

veered wildly through the streets born e by children ,
as well as by their j ubilant elders N ewspaper boys .
ran to and fro with extras their li ttle bells j ingling

,
and their shrill cries sou nding above the roar o f the
crowds The naval cadets o f J apan in their neat
.
u n iform s m assed in a solid column and their cheer ,
rang o u t lo ud and clear : B a n za i! D a i N i

,
pp o n
ba n za i!
, B a n za i
, ba
n za i
, ba n za i!
’
E dith clasped her hands as she listened It s .
“
like a H arvard cheer ”
s h e e x claimed ;
, only it S ’
m ore real !
“
Yes said the Colonel blowing out a whi ff o f
,
’
sm oke . I t s life and d eath instead o f a m ere ,
football V ictory I wish I c ould ge t th e lat e st

.
news
12 8 T HE N OR T H P A CI F I C .
b ullets at all These blessed J aps b ow and sm ile

.
and prom ise from dawn t o su nset b ut som ehow

, ,
’
there s always som e hitch when it comes t o actu al
” ’
perm ission t o start I f I don t get my pass soon.
,
he added lowering his voice

, I shall get a m ove ,
on, perm ission o r n o perm ission .
As he spoke both girls n odded to a man who

,
b o w ed low as he passed them and entered the open

door Of the hotel L arkin following the d irect ion
.
,
o f their glances stopped short A pu zz led e x pres

, .
sion came into h is face .
“ ”
Pardon m e he said qu ickly m ay I as k you
, ,
”
the nam e O f the gentleman wh o bowed t o yo u ?
“ ’
That ? O h that s Se nor B e l l ar do
, replied ,
W y n nie carelessly H e s a Span iard I believe

.
’
, ,
travelling for his health but he speaks E nglish very ,
n icely .H ave yo u m et him ? ”
“
There s som ething fam il i
’
ar abou t his face ,
m used Fred “
—
b u t I can t remember a Span iard
,
’
did you say M iss E th e l w yn ?

,
—
I think yes I kn ow he is for he allu ded t o his
, ,
’ ’
estates n ear Barcelona That s in Spain is n tit ? .
,
I t certainly is assented the war correspondent

, ,
bu t that fellow —excuse m e ; that gentleman

looked m ore like a —well I think the air o f Tokio , ,
o r the pleasu re of fi nding old friends here m ust ,
S O we 11 let the S e i
’
have gone t o my head ior .
’
drop Y o u 11 be s urprised when I tell yo u o f an

.
’
I N T HE M IK A D O S CA P I T A L
’
. 12 9
o ther frien d o f yo u rs who arrived here th is very

”
day !
”
O h who is it ? Tell u s !
,
exclaim ed the girls .
’
Perhaps you v e forgotten him said Fred w ith , ,
a s l y glance at W ynn ie “
I declare there h e i s . ,
now ! H ulloa there ! Ship ahoy ! he cried beck

, ,
oning t o a t rim looking lad wh o was pass ing o n the

-
other side o f the street .
“ ’ ”
Why it s M r Starr !
,
said Wyn nie with a.
,
gladness in her voice that proved she had not fo r

gotten her companion o f the Ospr ey banquet .
“
Come u p here young m an ! called o ut Larkin , ,
“
rising from his seat I wou ld have brought you .
here to m orrow anyway bu t my go od intent ions

-
, ,
”
are frustrated by you r u nt imely appearance .
By this t ime the m idshipman recogn isi ng the ,
faces o f the tw o girls had reached the verandah with ,
a bou nd H e was presented to Colonel Selborn e

.
,
and then cam e su ch a rapid fi re Of qu est ions and

answers as m ight have been expected .
Bob explained that he had been t emporarily de

tac h e d from the Osp r ey t o carry important d ocu
m ents and messages from the com manding o ffi cer
o f the battle ship squadro n f which the gu nboats
-
( o
formed o n e division ) o f the Asiat ic fleet t o the

U n ited States naval a ttac ke at Tokio H e had ’
arrived that m orn ing o n the U S Ship Z afi r o . .

,
wh ich had immed iately steamed away again u nder

9
3
1 0 T HE N OR TH PA CIFIC .
orders to retu rn for him at some futu re day t o be

appointed H e had ru n across Fred L arkin o n the
.
wharf that enterprising gentleman being o n the

,
look out fo r news from the fleet and any scraps o f

information the Z afi r o m ight have picked u p as
t o the m idnight assau lt o n P ort Arthu r Starr s .
’
O ffi cial d ut ies had occupied h is attent ion m ost o f the

day an d he was o n his way to see the crowds at the
,
park when he was hailed from the hotel verandah .
“
Well this is hom elike he exclaimed with great
,
satisfaction as he settled back in his chair next

,
’
Wynn ie s .
What is the latest war news ? inqu ired the

Colonel .
O h the Russians have got it in the —have su s

,
tai n e d a severe defeat said Bob cutt ing short his

, ,
Academy Slang “
The J aps have blown up sunk
.
, ,
o r disabled hal f a dozen o f the fi nest ships in their
fleet This af tern oon Adm i ral U ri u fi n ished O ff the

.
Var i ag and K o r i et z j u st outside Chem ulpo The .
naval a ttac ke go t it d irect from the comm ander o f

’
the Vic ks burg I tell yo u the o l d academy made

.
,
itself felt when those Russian ships steamed ou t o f

the harbou r !
“
Made itself felt ? Why what academy M r , , .
”
Starr ? asked Colonel Selborne who was himself a ,
West Point man .
“ ’
D id n t you know s i r that the J apanese A d
, ,
I 3 2 T HE NOR TH PA CIFIC .
enl ighten h im an d the gay bad inage and laughter

,
‘
o f the you ng people was resum ed while the far o ff ,

-
clam ou rs O f the crowds were ren ewed as fresh details

o f the victory appeared o n the illum inated bullet ins .
“
The piazza party at th e Grand H otel w as pro
longed t o a late hou r when Fred and the m idship
,
man t ook their leave prom ising to call early the

,
n e x t forenoon in order to S how the you ng ladies

some o f the sights o f Tokio .
When the correspondent reached his lodgings he

cu dgelled his brain t o recall the tim e and place in
which he had m et that stranger whose voice a ffected
him s o u npleasantly H e gave it u p at last but
.
,
h is last waking thought was a resolve t o follow u p

the mystery an d establish that black beard ed Span -
iar d s ident ity before he left Tokio

’
.
The next m orn ing the tw o you ng men appeared

promptly at the appointed hour together with three ,
“
j in r i
k i
s l t
a s ( or rickshaws as foreigners
, call them )
Of the m ost gorgeou s d escription I t being Sat u r .
’
day the M ikado s private pleasure grounds the -
,
Fukiage Gardens were thrown open t o the public

, .
and here the American par ty wandered fo r an hou r ,
observing and discussing the broad smoothly ,
cropped lawns the cascade the masses O f dark

, ,
evergreen t rees —u n fortu nately the plum was n ot

yet in blossom —and m ost interesting of all the
, ,
carelesss bare headed qu aintly dressed good

,
-
, ,
I N T HE M IK A D O S CA P I T A L
’
. I 33
nat ured people who thronged the grounds O f the .
si x thousand p olicemen in Tokio n ot o n e was visible
in the Garden yet everybody was well behaved an d

,
-
cou rteou s .
I n the afte r ri
o o n Larkin t ook his daily tramp t o
the War O ffi ce The sentry o utside allowed him to

.
pass with what Fred could n ot help interpreting as

a sardon ic gleam in h i s dark eye The m an had ad .
mi tte d many n ewspaper m en d uring J an uary and ,
Febru ary and had seen them depart bearing

, ,
gloomy and disappointed faces and using strong

langu age which fort u nately he cou ld n ot u nder
stand Any boy or m an who has ever drilled will
.
remember the wearying performance called m ark

”
ing t ime when the soldier goes through all the
,
m ot ions of marching tramp tram p tram p bu t , , , ,
never gets ahead o n e inch A n oted American war .
correspondent contributed to h is j ournal at this

“
period a series o f papers called M arking Time in
Tokio ”
.N o term could b e m ore expressive .
Larkin found half a dozen o f his brothers O f th e - -
craft in the War O ffi ce There were besides in the .

,
large bare room two uni formed orderlies and t wo

, ,
o r three grave elderly courteou s generals each

, , ,
apparen tly doing nothing by him self and although ,
politely interested in the welfare o f the foreign

visitors u nable t o spare time t o d iscuss the war
,
with them .
Perhaps said one O f these O ffi cials t o Fred a

, ,
column will leave soon for K orea I t wou ld give .
m e exalted pleasure to allow yo u t o accompany

them N O I cannot tell when o r where M ust
.
, .
”
y o u go ? Good d ay ! -
The days passed qu ickly Larkin did his best t o .
pick u p scraps o f information and cable o r writ e ,
them o u t for the B ul l e tin

, H is leisure m om ents .
he spent with the Blacks and Bob Starr w h o was ,
their u n failing escort in all excu rsions O nce they .
cam e u pon B e ll ar do in full daylight and Fred ,
studied his face b ut had t o co n fess himself b afll e d

, .
A rather dark complexion full black beard and an , ,
o dd m ispronu nciation o f English — these peculiarities

he n oted ; in the tw o m inute interview with the
-
young ladies he co uld make o u t nothing m ore nor ,
did he even secure an introd u ct ion B e ll ar do e x c us ,
ing himself o n the plea o f an engagement and

, ,
m oving away j u st as Fred j oined the grou p .
The correspondents O f the great Am erican Eng ,
lish French and German dailies becam e m ore and

, ,
m ore impatient Som e o f them gave up or were

.
,
recalled and went home The certainty that J ap

, .
anese troops were being taken across in transpo rt s

m ade the situ at ion the m ore aggravating N ews .
o f variou s sea fig h t s and skirm ishes o n land was

-
, ,
posted by the newspapers I t was evident that the .
war was proceeding j ust as if there were n o war

,
left the house early in the even ing taking the S mall
,
bag which constituted all his luggage .
With a heavy heart — for variou s reasons Bob

went o n board the Z afi r o the next m orn ing and ,
the little despatch boat pu t o u t to s e a

- .
C H AP T E R ! I I .
BE T WE E N T WO F I RE S .
SA Y,
’
Farm er can t we have a little t arget
,
practice and h it something accidentally —even

that Chinese j unk over there would d o s o as to—
”
stir u p som e sort o f a scrap ?
L ieutenant Staples addressing his comm an der
,
fam iliarly by the o ld Academy n icknam e yawned ,
an d stretched h is arms in most u n di g n i

fi e d fashion
as he spoke The two O ffi cers were o n the bridge
.
o f the Osp r ey which lay at anchor o ff Chefoo

,
A .
gentle breeze barely st irred the placid waters o f the

bay and the su n gave a hint o f the t orrid d ays that
,
were t o com e .
“
I m tired of sitt ing here like a toad in a pu ddle
’
, ,
’ ”
are n t yo u ? added the tall lieutenant straighten ,
’
ing himself u p a little as a boatswain s mat e crossed
the Open deck below h im .
“
There is a kind o f a sameness about it laughed ,
“
Rexdale adj ust ing a pair o f fi e l d glasses
, What -
.
sort of a craft is that yonder Tel ? ,
H m —something u nder steam anyway

’
Can , .
”
y o u make her o u t thro ugh the glass ?
I 37
U nless I m m istaken it S the Z afir o said the

’
,
’
“
commander working the glasses for a focus
,
Yes .
,
it s the despatch boat bringing Starr back from

’
-
,
Tokio no doubt , .
Ten m inutes later Bob scrambled up over the rail ,
foll owed by a young man in civilian s clothes ’

.
“ “
Fred Larkin ! exclaimed D ave Ho w o n .
earth did he get on b oard the Z afi r o 5 ’
As soon as M idshipman Bob had reported him

self the war corresponden t stepped u p with a genial
,
sm ile and shook h ands warmly with the o ffi cers on

the bridge .
Fact i I m a stowaway Dave ’

s , said he , , .
That gay you ng lieutenant o n the gu nboat wou ld

’
have p ut m e in irons if it had n tbeen for Bob Starr .
H e s a good fellow and stood by m e when I d is

’
closed myself o u the Z afi r o ab out twenty m iles out .
“
Well what am I t o d o with yo u —that s the
,
’
question ? said Rexdale laughing in sp ite of h im ,
“ ’
self at the reporter s n onchalance Strictly speak .
ing
’
Strictly speaking I v e n o busin ess o n o n e Of ,
U ncle Sam s war ships without a perm it from the

’
-
Secretary o f the N avy o r the admiral o f the fleet , ,
”
at least said Larkin with utm ost good hum ou r
, ,
-
.
“ ’
Therefore we won t speak strictly unt il I v e had
,
’
t ime t o look abou t a little being u nder arrest , ,
”
theoretically .
They talked o f Boston friends and o f the progress

o f the war concern ing which Rexdale co uld a fford
,
his friend b u t l ittle enlightenm ent All sorts o f .
” “
reports are afl oat said he ,
I see in the hom e .
pa pers —b y the way there s a bun ch of them at ,

’
you r disposal —that Chefoo is called a fake fact ory ‘

-
,
’
working over t im e - .
N ot bad said Larkin

, Bu t s o called fakes .
-
o ften prove to be facts after all H as any attack , .
yet been made u pon V l adi vo s to ck?
Apparently n ot They say the whole sea front

.
-
,
up there is a network o f subm arin e m ines

, J ap .
torpedo boats and destroyers are patrolling the s e a

-
in every d irection and have picked u p o n e or two

,
vessels with contraband goods I believe there was .
a b ombardment o f the port early in the m onth but

,
,
”
it am ounted t o n othing .
“ ”
And o n land ?
Well the Russians are said t o have ab ou t fou r
,
hundred thousand men in M anchu ria and they are ,
arriving by the railroad at the rate of a regiment a

day The J aps probably have at least half that
.
n umber o n the m ainland They are swarm ing .
across the K orean Pen insula and will have Port

”
Arthu r isolated before long .
I f that is so m used Fred ,

I m ust m ove ,
”
qu ickly .
M ove —w h ere ?
BE T WE E N T WO FIR E S . 14 1
I m going into Port Arthu r my b o y

’
, .
’
Port Arthur ! Yo u 11 never get there alive
don t try it L arkin
’
exclaim ed Staples earn estly
, .
’
There s a close bl ockade and you ll either be sunk ,
’
in the bay o r af the very best be taken prisoner

if yo u reach the shore .
‘
I t s j ust that very best that I m reckon ing
’ ’
“
upon rej oined the reporter coolly
,
I wanted to .
s e e you fellows before I went in s o you can allu de ,
’
t o my whereabouts if I d on t show up in a week or
tw o . I m an Am erican c iti z en D ave and don t
’
, ,
’
’
you forget it Y o u may be sure I won t let Russian
.
o r J ap whichever o n e captu res m e forget that

, ,
’
little fact There s n o danger of my being h ung as
.
a s py fo r I have my passport and credentials and

, ,
’
the worst they can d o when they v e m ade their ,
investigation is to fi re m e o u t All this is su ppos

, .
‘
ing I actu ally reach o n e fi r i n g line o r the other -
.
I v e s at round in Tokio and looked at lantern s and

’
spidery letters u nt il I m t ired o f it The B u l l e ti n

’
.
sent m e o u t here t o get news and I m n o t going ’
to d isappoint the o l d m an .
The day passed pleasantly enou gh with stories , ,
talk o f o l d t im es and discussions o f war incidents .
The rout ine dut ies Of naval life filled the intervals
in the conversation Lat e in the aftern oon the O f .
fi c e r s m issed their j olly com pan ion and enqu ired for ,
h im , b ut n o o n e knew w here he w as A s e venin g .

cam e o n they realised that the daring you ng r e

p orter had kept his word and left them it was ,
impossible t o ascertain when or by what m eans

’
I hope he won t get int o seriou s trouble said ,
the commander anxiously .
“
O h Larkin can take care Of himself
, replied ,
Li ddo n who had j oined in the useless search

, He .
has been through on e war besides inn umerable ,
’
scrapes in which he cam e o u t on t op That s why .
the B u ll e ti
n chose him for this service .
“
Even ing colours ! sang o n e bugle after an other ,
o n the war ships ; and all hands sto od with bared

-
heads while the flags fl uttered d own from sta ff and

peak .
Shortly afterward a dull b oom sou nded across the

waters O f the bay But little attention was paid t o
.
it by the men o n the Osp r ey su ch dist urbances b e ,
ing o f daily occurrence That shot however m eant

.
, ,
m uch to Fred Larkin .
Abo ut half an h our before he was m issed t h at ,
’
afterno on he had slipped over the sh ip s side into
,
a Chinese sampan or small fis h i ,

n g boat which had -
,
com e alongside to dispose o f its fare o f fi s h F fe d .
t ossed a coin t o the Chinaman who was seated in

the ste m and p ulled a broad piece o f matt ing over
himself in the bottom O f the boat All this was .
d one in less t ime than it takes to tell it I f any o f .
the Osp r ey s jack i

’
e s s aw it he said nothing The ,
.
watchfulness o f the blockaders for with in less than ,
an hour from leaving port the m en o n the j u nk per

cei v e d a torpedo boat destroyer bearing d own on
-
them The skipper calcu lated h is chances o f safe

.
“
ret urn and decided to keep all o n
,
for Port
Arthu r I n twenty m in utes the black h u ll o f th e
.
pursu er could be plainly m ade o u t and soon after ,
the sou nd o f a gu n was heard The Chinamen .
working the j unk g o t as far down o u to f danger as

possible i n their clu msy craft and Fred followed
, ,
su it H e had n o desire t o be killed o r m aimed n or

.
,
did he wish to be captured and sent back to Tokio .
H e was beginn ing to despair Of the successfu l

issu e o f h is adventu re when a S hout from the sailors
,
called his attention to an obj ect dead ahead I t .
w as a colu m n o f dense black smoke arising from the
sea in the d irect ion o f P ort Arthu r .
A cheer rang o u t from the Chinam en as they ,
perceived the sm oke There cou ld be n o doubt

.
that it arose from a Ru ssian war ship com ing o u t -

,
u nder full head o f steam to m eet the destroyer .
Again the J apan ese gun sp oke and this tim e the ,
shot stru ck th e water within a few feet of the j unk .
“ ’
They v e got o ur range said Fred t o himself
,
“
grimly Trust th e J aps fo r scient ifi c work when
.
,
it comes to firing ! I m ight as well im prove the

t im e though
,
! And drawing his n ote b ook from -
his pocket he began t o take n otes .

BE T WE E N T WO FIR E S . 14 5
The j unk kept o n its course foam ing throu gh ,
the water u nder pressu re o f her great sail u ntil the

lee rail alm ost went u nder Clou ds had arisen in .
the west and it was n early dark A search light o n .

-
the mainland fl ai r e d o u t su ddenly and a broad ray ,
wavered over the waves u ntil it p icked u p the J ap

anese boat n ow within less than a m ile o f the
,
fl eeing j unk A deep b oom sou nded ahead The

. .
Russian had at last spoken and a b ig lu mp o f steel

,
swirled through the gloom over the great t r iangular

,
sail
. The Chinese craft was between two fi res .
The J aps shrewdly kept her in lin e with themselves

and the enemy S O that the latter dared n ot fi re l o w
, .
The destroyer fired stead ily and fi ercely hulling the ,
j unk m ore than once I t was evident that a crisis

.
was at hand .
Crash ! A sol id s i x pou nd shot struck the stern

-
o f the lab ouring Wki te D r ag o n knocking her rudder

,
t o bits and kil l ing the skipper who had remain ed ,
bravely at the helm The j u nk yawed wildly and

.
fell O ff before the wind The sailors shrieked and

.
ran t o and fro calling upon their gods t o help them

, .
An other shot and the mast went by the board

, .
B ut the Russian cru iser was n o w close at hand and

engaged the J apanese boat savagely .
Fred was watching the fight and looking for a

chance to hail the Russian when a splinter stru ck
,
him and he w as kn ocked headlon g into the s e a .

C HAPT E R ! I I I .
WY N N I E M A KE S A B L UN D E R .
DI T H an d Wynn ie found Tokio rather lonely

after the two you ng m en had gon e I t was .
the loveliest season o f the J apan year ; the trees

were pink with blossoms an d every street and squ are
carpeted with fallen petals Save in the govern
.
m ent o ffi ces and at the railway stat ions there was

little o utward sign o f war All over the empire
.
alm ond eyed girls an d wom en were working qu ietly

-
fo r the soldiers arranging bandages picking lint

, , ,
preparing scrap b ooks for the hosp itals ; b ut this

-
made n o st ir The rickshaw coolies pattered along

.
the city streets and grou ps O f strangers clu stered

ab out the shop windows as in the t im e O f peace
-
.
N o w and then the tap o f a drum was heard an d a ,
column o f dark faced little soldiers passed at qu ick

-
step their faces s e t with st e m resolve the su nrise

, ,
flag float ing before them For a m oment the

.
crowds t u rned to look then retu rned to their

,
m oney making or sight seeing o r shopping

- -
.
Se nor B e l l ar do becam e m ore attentive to the

14 6
about for pen and ink and began writ ing hu rriedly
,
o n a blank sheet which lay on the t op Of a p ile o f
d ocuments The orderlies ga z ed in bewilderm ent at

.
the pretty v ision o f the girl in a pictu re hat occupy ,
ing the chair of thei r venerated head o f departm ent .
Before Wynn ie could fi n ish her n ot e h owever , ,
the owner o f the chair appeared with profuse apolo ,
gies fo r h is delay Wynn ie crum pled u p the slip o f

.
paper u pon wh ich s h e was writing and d ropped it ,
into the waste basket as S h e rose t o pay her respects

-
t o the war O fficial Th e rest of the party advanced

.
and j oined in the m u tu al farewells and regrets As .
they stood by the desk E dith was su rprised to s e e

,
the Span iard stoop take Wyn nie s half written n ote
,
-
from t he basket and bestow it in an inner pocket

, .
H o w sentimental ! she thought rather contem pt ,
u o us l y. She start ed t o speak to her sister abou t

it o n the way h ome but something in th e street
, ,
took her attent ion an d s h e forgot all ab ou t it

, .
The Blacks had exp ected to leave n ext m orn ing

for Yokohama where they were t o go o n board a
'
steamer for H awai i and San Francisco I n the d is .
tu r b e d state of a ffairs o n the Chin ese coast Colonel ,
Selborne had conclu ded n o t to risk inconven ience

o r danger and t
, o give u p the rest O f the trip Early .
in J uly the whole party would be at h ome once

m ore But their plans were interru pted by an u n
.
foreseen and asto u nd ing incident I t w as n o less .

W YN N IE M A KE S A B L UN D E R . 149
than the d etention o f all fou r by the J apanese

Governm ent .
They had hardly reached the hotel o n their r e ,
tu rn from the War O ffi ce when a dapper little

.
,
gentleman stepped u p to the Colonel and said a few

words in a l o w tone .
“
What ! exclaimed the A merican I m possible . .
”
We start for hom e to m orrow m orn ing E dith -
.
,
he added turn ing to h is young gu ests who were

, ,
“
j u st behind with Se nor B e l l ar do this m an says we ,
are not to leave the hot el till further n otice Special .
orders from the War O ffi ce !

“
Why what can be the reason ? What h as
,
”
happened ?
The J apanese O flic e r shrugged his shou lders an d
m urm ured an apo l o gy A docum ent o f grea t
‘
valu e has been lost he said I t is necessary t o

,
.
detain every on e who h as visited the Offi ce d u ring

the afternoon I t is m ere form . H on ourably d o .
n o t be annoyed —a thou san d regrets for you r i n
conven ience !
Colonel Selb orne underst ood J apanese m ethods
well enough to kn ow there was a hand o f iron u nder
the velve t glove H e su bm itted with what grace he
.
could m u ster .
“
Search o u r rooms he said I t is absurd to
, .
su ppose
interru pted the emissary from the W ar
”
Ah,
1 50 T HE N OR T H P A CIFIC.
O ffi ce eagerly we su ppose n oth ing I t is m ere

, .
form To n ight t o m orro w n ext day you will

.
-
,
-
, ,
surely be at liberty to depart I f you are p ut t o .
extra expense by rem ain ing longer than you had

”
planned the Government will repay all .
At the C olonel s u rgent request the room s were ’
searched and Of cou rse nothing was found The

,
little man withdrew walking backward and apolo ,
g is in g over and over ; b ut he did n o t leave the hotel .
H e sent a message t o the O ffi ce and in form ed th e

Blacks that n oth ing fu rther cou ld b e done u nt il th e
next day .
’
I t was ten o clock in the even ing when the r e c o l
’
lect ion o f Wynn ie s half written n ote flash ed across -
’
Edith s m ind She alm ost fl ew t o her u ncle s do or
’
and rapped Th e good m an had n ot retired ; h e

.
was too mu ch annoyed and trou bled to sleep .
“ ’
U n cle U ncle I v e someth ing im portant t o tell
, ,
”
you . I t m ay be a clu e ! And s h e described
’
Wynn ie s act o f th rowing away the piece o f paper
and its su bsequ en t recovery by the Spaniard .
I thought he j u st wanted a bit o f W yn s writ .

’
“
ing s h e said her lip curling a little
, ,
I t m ay b e .
”
there was something deeper in it .
“
But the paper was p erfectly blank ; there was
nothing on it but two o r three lin es I had written
”
when General K afuro cam e in said Wynnie who , ,
had j oined them .

1 52 T HE NOR TH P A CI F I C .
DO you remember how M r Larkin looked at .
”
him ?
“
Yes and he said ,
’
I can t stop my dears broke in the Colonel
, , .
I l l enqu ire for t he Span iard at once and fi nd him

’
if he is i n the hotel D O you kno w where his l o dg

.
ings are in Tokio ?

N either O f them knew Singu larly eno ugh the .
,
man had never m entioned his lodging place H e -

.
always dined at the h otel .
Colonel Selborne fo und the J apan ese o ffi cial on

the verandah and at once took him into his c o n fi
,
dence They m ade enqu iries and looked into every

.
public room in the hotel B e ll ar do w as n ot there . .
”
Leave the m atter n ow with m e said the secret ,
“
service man qu ietly My men are near and I will
.
,
contin u e the search I n the m orning yo u shall

.
know the resu lt and I hope to be able to relieve

,
you from further su rveillance .
Early the next m orning the rep ort was m ade by

the chagrined but ever polite O ffi cer The bird had -
.
fl own Se nor B e l l ar do s lodgings were known as

.
— ’
were those of every stranger in the city to the —

police They were V isited before m idnight and
.
,
fou nd empty The police in every seaport were

.
notified by telephone and ordered t o arrest a tall ,
wel l dressed m an claim ing t o be a Spaniard with

-
, ,
dark complexion and black beard and m oustache .

W YN N IE M A KE S A B L UN D E R . 1 53
H is C lothes were described as well as a certain ,
shi fty look in his eyes H is h e ar i. n g was that o f o n e
who had been trained in a m ilitary o r n aval S chool .
Colonel Selborne and h is party m ade aflfidav i ts
before the Ame r ican consul telling everything they ,
knew abou t the m atter As General K afuro r e

.
m embered leaving the paper o n the very pile from

which Wynn ie had taken her S heet there seem ed to ,
be no dou bt that Edi th s sto ry accou nted for the

’
theft O ther papers o f valu e had been m issed from

.
t ime t o tim e since the war broke o u t and it w as b e ,
li e v e d at the O ffi ce that the s o called Span iard was -
a dangerou s spy in the pay o f the Ru ssians .
Gen eral K afuro congrat ulated E th e l w yn o n hav

ing forced the man s hand and at th e request o f the
’
, ,
consul declared the Am erican party free to leave

,
Tokio whenever they wished .
Colonel Selborn e lost n o t im e in availing himself

o f the perm ission and with his wife and the two
,
young ladies sailed from Yokoham a tw o days later

, .
O n the even ing o f the sam e day when the Ci ty ,
of P e ki n was heading eastward wi t h the Am ericans

o n board , a small sailboat put o u t from a v illage on
the west coast of the island Besides the sailors it .
had one passenger —a gentleman with smooth face ,
light complexion and red hair The boatm en had

,
.
agreed fo r a large s u m t o land him at the nearest

, ,
point in K orea u nless they sh ould previously fall in

,
with a Ru ssian war ship The latter c ontingency

- .
actually cam e to pass as the boat was driven n orth

,
ward by a southerly st orm an d p icked u p by o n e ,
o f the V l adi vo s to c k squ adron then cru ising for ,
pri z es .
From V l adi vo s t o c k where he was safely landed

,
o n the following day the red haired gentlem an pro

,
-
c e e de d by rail t o H arbin J u nction and then sou th ,
ward t o Port Arthu r n ow nearly c ut O ff by

,
N o g is troops
’
Trains however were still ru n
.
, ,
n ing regularly between the beleagu ered port and

M oukden .
Strangely en ough the hair o f the mysteriou s

,
gentlem an was now rap idly tu rning dark By the .
t ime he reached Po rt Arthu r it was qu ite black A , .
st ubbly beard and m oustache t oo began to S how , ,
themselves o n h is sall ow face The man spoke .
Russian brokenly and u sed English when he cou ld

, .
N ever a Span ish word cam e from his l ips and the ,
Barcelon a estat es proved veritable castles in Spain ,
fading from his m em ory .
As the man passed u p the street O f Po rt Arthu r ,
under escort o f a corporal s guard he laid his hand ’
triumphantly on h is breast I n an inner pocket .

,
beneath it reposed a sheet of rice paper o n o n e

, ,
side o f which were scrawled a few lines in a girl ,
ish handwriting O n the other were drawings o f

.
m oats counterscarps and a medley o f fortifi cati ons

, , ,
C H APT E R ! IV .
T HE A T T A CK O F T HE O CT O P U S
I N C E the Ston e Age when long haired men,

-
,
half bru tes fou ght wi th battle clu bs m ade by

,
-
lashing a ru dely shaped lump o f st one in the cleft

end of a club and with arrows and j avelins t ipped
,
with hamm ered fl int through all the su ccessive

,
generat ions o f fi ghters hu man ingen u ity has been

,
exercised t o its utm ost t o devise new implements O f

warfare and n e w d efen ces to protect against them
, .
A long stride was taken when the fi rst elaborately

carved bell m outhed cann on roared at Cressy and
,
-
Po i ctie r s ; an other when iron balls were s ubst it uted
fo r stone and still a third when the idea flashed

,
u pon som e belligerent invent or to m ake his iron

shot hollow an d transform them into explosive
shells and death dealing shrapnel
-
.
From shells t o t orpedoes was an easy transition ,
and the t orpedo boat becam e necessary duly fol

-
,
lowed by the torpedo boat destroyer At the sam e

- .
tim e the arm ou r o f the largest fightin g sh ips was

increased in thickn ess from two o r three in ches to a
1 56
T HE A T T A CK OF T HE
“
O C T OP U 1 57
foot over the vital part s o f the battle ship and

,
-
cru iser the primary batteries o f which n ow inclu ded

,
huge rifled gu ns throwing a steel proj ectile o f well

’
n igh half a t on s weight .
The torpedo is a terrible b ut u ncertain weapon .
The modern search ligh t m akes daylight Of the

-
darkest n ight and rend ers the approach o f a

,
torpedo b oat within striking distan ce exceedingly

-
d i ffi cult I f det ected the boat is doomed for a

.
, ,
concentrat ion o f fi re from th e l ar g e r ship beats the ‘
n ecessarily small assailant t o death in a m oment .
M oreover it is by n o m eans su re that the torpedo

will do its work when lau nched at the enemy even ,
if it su cceeds in piercing the wire net that is s us

pended t o entangl e it at a safe distance from the
hu ll o f the vessel attacked .
Sum m ing u p all the obs tacles to su ccessfu l tor

ped o attack it m ay be reckoned that o n ly o n e in
,
tw e l ve reaches its m ark explodes and accomplishes

, ,
its p urpose .
I t remained for the twent ieth cent u ry t o produce

a terrible figh tin g m achine — Often foretold bu t never
-
perfected until the Ru sso J apanese war — which

should approach the enemy u nseen d ischarge its ,
t orpedo with careful aim at the m ost vulnerable

par t o f its huge adversary an d wh ile the latter was
, ,
floating in fancied secu rity on the Open s e a strike a ,
blow which sho uld be instantly fatal S u c h is the .

marvellou s submarine t orpedo boat o f this day and -
generat ion .
The id ea o f a b oat that shall m ove u nder water

and discharge its m issile at a hos tile ship is by n o
m eans a new on e I n 1 7 76 a yo ung m an named
.
D avid Bushnell o f N ew H aven Connecticut con

, ,
structed a submarine b oat resembling two tu rtle

backs screwed together She was so sm all that .
only o n e m an could occupy her Air was su pplied .
“ ”
t o last half an hour The crew . who was ex ,
p e c t e d t o work by han d the propelling screw was ,
also su pposed to be able t o pum p in and ou t wat er

ballast t o enable her to descend t o the desired
depth t o m aint ain the craft o n an even keel when
,
subm erged and t o detach two hu ndred p ounds o f

,
ballast weight s in order to r ise again to the su rface .
An explosive m in e containing o n e hu ndred an d

fi fty pounds o f gun powder was t o be towed along
’
side u n til the bottom o f the enemy s ship was
reached when the m ine having been fastened t o
, ,
the hull a clock work arrangement set by the

,
-
,
operator would explode the charge

,
N oth ing .
pract ical resu lted from the you ng Yale m an s f
scheme b ut it is evident that h is b oat was the

,
original m odel for every submarine t orpedo b oat -
wh ich has since been invented .
I n 1 800 Robert Fu lt on t urning h i

s attent ion from
,
s t e a m en gines fo r a while modell e d a b o at w h ich

,
1 60 T HE N OR T H PA CIFIC
.
surface within o n e m in u te after the order t o dive

was given When s h e was submerged three feet the
.
p ilot obtained a view over the water by means o f a

c a m e r a l uc i da in a t ube that proj ected above the
su rface.
When J ules V erne wrot e T w e n ty T h o us a n d

L e ag ues un de r tke S e a in 1 8 7 3 his N a u ti
,
l us w as
,
deemed by the reader untaught in n aval c o n s tr u c

’
t ive hist ory a wild creat ion o f the au thor s fancy ,
like his passenger car shot t o the m oon from an

-
enorm ou s cann on To d ay there is n ot a naval

.
comm ander wh o would n ot look grave and c o n

sider an imm ediate withdrawal o f his sh ip when
’
told an enemy s su bmarine was cru ising in his
neighb ou rho od .
I n the face o f Open danger visible t o eye and ear

, ,
‘
n o O fli c e r o f the navy blenches The submarin e i
. s
o u t O f sight . I t m ay be within a hu ndred yards o f

the S hip when the rep ort is brought A man who .
will stand u p against a wild beast o r a band O f

savages witho ut a trem or will tu rn wh ite an d shriek
with terror if wh e n he is in th e water the cry of
, ,
“
Shark ! is raised The shark betrays its presence
.
by its black d orsal fi n ab ove the su rface o f the sea .
When the fi n disappears the d anger increases b e ,
comes t errible ; the fear O f the s wimm er in the

vicinity of that black u nseen peril overmas ters him
,
.
The submarine sinks like the shark to attack, ,

.
T HE A T T A CK OF T HE O CT OP U S ”
. 16 1
I tsgleam ing back surm ou nted by the sm all rou nd

, ,
conning t ower d isappears am id a swirl o f foam A

,
.
single sta ff at t he stern betrays its presence fo r a

m oment ; then that too glides beneath the surface
, , .
N o t a m an o n the battle sh ip b ut shu dders at the

’
-
thought o f that h idden m onster u nd er the waves ,
driven by the skill and hatred o f the hum an brain .
O nly tried and absolutely reliable m en are chosen

for the crew o f the su bmarine They m ust be ready .
t o endure extrem e discom fort and hardship and

m u st hold their lives in their hands A well aimed .
-
shot from a war ship o r a defect in th e delicate m a

-
,
chinery o f th e boat and all is over A submarine

, .
n ever i s wrecked ; it sinks with all o n board ; it is ,
obl iterated .
The J apanese have been am ong the first t o realise

the terrible e ff ect iveness o f this f orm idable engine
o f war N o o n e o utside a hand fu l o f men near the
.
’
M ikado s throne kn ows how m any s ubmarin e t or
pedo boats are included in the J apanese n avy n or
-
,
where they are station ed J apan ese naval o ffi cers .
and men form an ideal body from which the crews

o f these boats are t o be chosen I n conflict with .
the enemy whether o n land o r at s e a they reckon

, ,
their li ves as n othing They seek eagerly fo r a

.
gloriou s death at the hands o f the fo e an d wh en ,
that is denied them and defea t is inevitable they

prefer t o d ie by their o w n weapons o r by leaping ,
into the sea rather than prolong what wou ld be to

,
them a life o f disgrace .
O to O wari w as appointed o n the l 1th o f Ap r il

‘
in this eventfu l year to the comm and of the s u b

,
marine Oc top us then d ocked u nder a concealing

‘
, ,
roof at Saseb o Three n ights later he went on

, .
board with a p icked crew at m idnight and the ,
Oc top us fi rst gliding ou t o f the d ock and gathering

, ,
speed u ntil she reached open water su ddenly st opped ,
her engines and began to sink inch by inch I n , .
o n e m in ute a dark spot o n the sea and a patch o f ,
foam indicated the to p o f her conn ing t ower ; and

,
a m oment later she was o u t O f sight I n the act o f .
sinking her prow was toward the west

, .
E arly on the m orn ing of April 1 3 th the J apanese ,
fleet made a dem onstration in the direction o f Port

Arthu r Always ready to accept a challenge while
.
there was a shot in the locker th e Ru ssians steamed ,
o u t to m eet them There was b ut a brief exchange

.
of battle cou rtesies The Port Arthu r ships were

.
far Ou t nu mbered and out m etalled and Adm iral

- -
,
M akar o ff o n the P e tr op avl o vs k signalled for h is

, ,
squadron to retire .
The P e tr opavl o vs k was a fi r s t class battle S h ip O f - -
ab out tons with heavy arm ament o f twelve

,
inch gu ns and secondary batteries She had o n .
board the admiral the regular crew o f 6 50 men the

, ,
Grand D uke Cyril and as a S pecial gu est the

, , ,
164 T HE N OR TH PA CIF IC
.
rose o n the starboard side i n a trem endou s wave ,
and a roar like a broadside of a frigat e fi lled the air ,
followed by a rattling crashing discharge from the

,
magazines A huge gap appeared in the hu ll o f the

.
ship A cataract Of water poured in and slowly

.
,
t urning upon her side with o n e great hissing gasp

, ,
the Pe tr opa vl o vs k sank .
The other ships o f the squadron hastened to the

spot and almost before the fig h ti
,
n g tops O f the -
bat tle ship d isappeared their boats were foam ing

-
across th e water t o pick u p the su rvivors from the

ill fated vessel
-
.
T h e Grand D uke was saved as ,
were the lieutenant two other O flic e r s and abou t

, ,
fi fty sailors . Every other m an went to the bottom .
N ever again wou ld the guns O f Russia b oom ou t

their n oisy salu te t o the gallant adm iral ; and
V e r e s tc h ag i
n had made his last great study of
Death .
166 T HE NOR TH PA CI FI C
.
American Am I in Port Arthur then ?

.
,
You are near P ort Arthu r at L ao u w e i What ,

.
were you doing in the Chinese j unk which was sunk

by the J apanese ? dem anded the Ru ssian m ore
sternly .
“
I am a n ewspaper correspondent said Fred ,
boldly though in a weak voice

,
H is wou nd pained .
him m ore and m ore and he rightly guessed that the,
collar bone was fractu red

- I have been in Tokio .
,
and could not reach the f ront so I crossed over t o !
your side where th ey t ell me the press receives

, , ,
more considerat ion My credentials are in my i . n
side pocket .
—
The o fficer for su ch Fred deemed him t o b e
smiled grimly bu t made n o comment u pon this
,
speech .
“
You m ust be taken t o the hospital in the city ,
”
where they will s e t yo u r broken b one he said , .
“
M eanwhile yo u will pardon the discou rtesy o f
covering yo ur face .
A word of command was given and a light cloth ,
laid over the reporter s head H e was then placed ’

.
gently upon a stretcher and carried o n board som e

kind of a vessel Before long Fred heard the
.
clamou r o f a wharf crowd ; then felt himself lifted

again and born e through the streets o f a city wh ich
he knew m ust be Port Arthu r u p a rather steep ,
hill to a bu ilding where he was deposited on a c o t

,
ND E R
U T HE RE D CRO S S . 16 7
beside two other men The cloth was n o w r e

.
m oved and the fi rst obj ect which met his eye was
,
the kind good face o f a youn g woman o n whose

, ,
arm was bound a strip bearing a red cross With a .
feeling that he w as in a safe refuge he m eekly t ook

the medicine held t o his lips and fell int o a d eep
sleep .
Between his sleep ing an d waking the collar bone ,

-
w as s e t that aftern oon Fred only rem embered a

.
con fused sense o f gentle hands and rough voices ,
o f the smell of chloro form o f a general battered an d ,
“
want t o cry feeling ; and at last o f utter aban
- -
, ,
do n m e n t o f rest fuln ess The n ext morn in g he was

.
weak and a little feverish but he felt like a new ,
man . I n three weeks the surgeon t old him he , ,
would b e ab ou t again Fred m ade use o f h i . s first
ret u rn ing strengt h to cable to the B ul l e tin an d ask

for instru ct ions The censor passed th e m essage
.
without cutting The reply w as t erse . Rem ain °
Russian arm y .
The time passed pretty heavily with the d isabled

correspondent during h i s convalescence at the h o s
,
pital From the window o f his room he could look

.
down on the harbou r and see the Ru ssian war sh ips -

.
H is two room m ates J apanese o ffi cers from one o f

-
,
the stone laden hulks su nk in a vain attempt to

-
block the chan nel in H obson fashion had been sent ,
to prison soon after his arrival .

16 8 T HE N OR TH PA CI FI C
.
From tim e t o time he obtained scraps of in form a

t ion fro m other patients from the hospital su rgeon ,
sta ff and from his gentle little n urse M arie

,
K o po fs ky a nat ive of M oscow

,
N o t at the .
Czar s command bu t of her o w n free will s h e had

’
, ,
volunteered as had hun dreds o f J apanese women

,
on their side o f the s e a t o n u rse the sick and ,
wounded at the front under the banner o f the Red ,
Cross .
On the day before he left the hospital Fred was

walking idly through th e corridors t o his room ,
when his ear cau ght the sou nd of an u npleasantly

fam iliar voice I t recalled the prison at Santiago
.
,
where he had been confi ned at the close o f his dar

ing scou ting exped it ion d u ring the Spanish War .
I t recalled to o strangely enough the bright days

, , ,
he had recently passed at Tokio Su ddenly a light .
broke upon his m ind .
“
Stevens ! he exclaimed u nder his breath .
That mean traitor who tried t o bribe m e to betray

the secrets of the U nited States navy to the Spanish
—h e and Se nor B e l l ar do are the sam e m an ! I t was
the beard and the dark complexion that fooled m e !
”
What tricks is he u p to n ow I wonder ? ,
e a ders f Cl a d f A ti w i ll re m e m ber th e p re vi us c areer

R o e re or c on o
of th re n eg a de S te v e n
e H w a a gr a d uate f th e N ava l A ca de m y
s . e s o
atA n n ap l i a d o ub e u e n t
s, n l y tur n ed ag a in th i c u n try I a n
s s
q s s o . n
at te m p tt be tra y th e S p an i ard he w a de te c ted arre s ted a d thr w n

o s s , n o
,
in t p ri n atS an ti ag ju tbe f o re th e fall f th atc i ty

o so o s . o .
.
I 7O T HE NOR TH PA CI FI C
.
warning for any violation They can go anywhere in .
the fi eld and are barred only from the Russian fleet
,
.
said Fred as he read over the printed ,
“ ‘
rules fair enough though a simpl e statement o f
, ,
fact is hard lines on a flowery writer

’
I f my .
’
friends the J aps had been as liberal I should n t
have got into P ort A rth ur in a hu rry .
H e soon made the acqu aintance o f two or three

other newspaper m en from E u ropean capitals an d ,
managed t o get a few good cables through the

censor without their being mangled beyond recog
ni tion H e soon d iscovered S te v e n s s lodgings
.
’
where he learned that the traitor had the entr é e o f

Sta ff headquart ers and was kno w n as H enry B urley
, ,
o f Liverpool For the present Fred co uld s e e n o

.
spoke t o pu t in h is wheel for the interests o f the ,
U n ited Stat es w ere as far as h e kn e w in n o way

,
'
involved in the man s character o r actions Still .

,
“
as Fred soliloqu ised he would bear watch ing, .
The war proceeded with u nabated vigou r D u ring .
’
the second week of Fred s en forced idleness another
s e a tragedy t ook place in the Yellow Sea o ff K orea
-
, .
The J apanese transport K in s /am zll a r u was proceed

ing from N agasaki t o the K orean coast with am ,
m unit i on coal supplies an d in fantry

, ,
I n the , .
middle of the n ight several large ships loomed u p

’
throu gh the haze S u pposing them to be Togo s
.
fleet the K zn s i
'
zzu M a r a signalled I am bringing

'
, ,
UN D ER T HE RE D CRO S S . 17 1
yo u coal What was her comm ander s d ism ay t o

.
’
read the answer twinkling o u t in red and whit e

,
“ ”
A r do is lights Stop instantly !
, At the same
“
m oment the cry ran through the transport The ,
.
Russians ! the Ru ssian s !

”
Su rrender ! sign alled Adm iral Y e s z e n from ,
h is fl agship I t was the V l adi

. vo s to c k squ adron
o f form idable cru isers released at last from the ice

,
which for m onths had both protected and fettered

them .
I nstead o f surrend ering the crew o f the K in s /ain

,
l
M a m began to lower their b oats in mad haste ,
hoping to escape in th e darkness ; a Ru ssian steam

cutter captu red every boat b ut o n e wh ich was ,
afterward picked up by a J apanese schooner m any ,
m iles from the scene o f the d isaster .
The Russians boarded the transport and foun d ,
abou t o n e h u n dred an d fi fty soldiers who barri ,
c ade d themselves in the cabin and refused t o

su rrender Withdrawing to their ships the vi ctors
.
,
began to shell the doomed h ulk The J apa n ese .
soldiers swarm ed o n deck and discharged their rifles

in the direction o f the foe shouting o l d Sam u rai ,
battle songs Pierced and shattered the transport

-
.
,
settled lower and lower i n the water At last a .
Whitehead t orpedo exploding against the ship

, ,
t ore a great hole in her h ull ami dships an d s h e ,
plunged into the d epths o f the s e a U p to the last .

172 T HE N OR TH PA CI FI C .
m oment when the waves rolled over them the

, ,
soldiers sh outed their defi ance and steadily loaded

and fired W ith two hu ndred prisoners the Ru s
.
,
sian squadron ret u rned to V l adi vo s to ck .
O n land the J apanese advanced stead ily Gradu .
ally the long throttling fingers e x tended from east

,
and west t oward the railroad that m eant life or

death to the great fortress Then came the battle .
o f th e Yalu to the east The river was crossed

, .
,
the J apanese pou red i nto M anchuria an d the posi ,
t ion o f the Russian forces on the L iaotu ng pen insula

became st ill m ore crit ical Supplies were crowded .
int o the beleagu ered port and n o n combat ants ,

-
filled the n orthward bound trains t o overflowing

- .
Early in May it became evident that with on e m ore

clutch of the relentless hand o f N ippon all com
m un i c atio n between P ort Arthu r and the rest of
the world would be cut o ff .
Fred Larkin s aw tha the m u st decide wh ether to

m ove out at once or remain virtu ally a prisoner in
the t own M ost o f the other correspondents had
.
already gon e The inst ructions from the hom e

.
o ffice were amb igu ous H e tried t o cable again bu t

.
,
the wires were pre empted for m ilitary despatches

-
in those stirring days H e d ecided relu ctantly t o

.
, ,
abandon Port Ar thu r and j oin the Ru ssian army

n ow entrenched a few m iles n orth o n the line o f ,
the railroad .
1 74 T HE NOR TH PA CI FI C .
Perhaps I am said Stevens o r Burley again

, , ,
“
looking about him And zf I am I n eed one good
’
.
,
’
man I can depend on t o help m e in the j ob I t s ,
.
too big for o n e to handle and the city is s o full o f ,
spies that I would n t tru st a native rou nd the ’
corner Bu t how do I know you will do y ou r part

.
,
”
eh ? I
“
Try m e and s e e said Larkin with great fi r m ,
ness .
“
All right I l l try you ,
They were now walk
’
ing through o n e o f the side streets which was but ,
d imly lighted “
H ere are my lodgings Come in
. .
and we ll talk it over

’
H e opened the o uter door with a pass key and -

,
Fred followed h im u p tw o flights o f narrow stairs .
“
H ere we are ”
said Burley open ing a d oor
, , .
”
Step right in and I 11 light u p ,
’
.
Larkin entered b u t he was hardly over the ,
threshold when he was p ushed h eadlong t o th e floor ,
and heard th e door closed and locked behind him .
H elp
“
A l o w laugh sou nded from the entry .
’
m e out will you you pu ppy ? whispered Bu rley
, ,
through the keyhole Y o u 11 n ever help anyb ody .

’
o u t in this world
, Within ten m in utes this house
.
will be a heap of ru bbish and you will b e in king ,
d om come Good bye ! I 11report you at hom e !

.
-
’
H is steps echoed down the stairway and then the ,
house was still .

C H APT E R ! V I .
T HE L A ST T RA I N F ROM PO RT A R T H UR .
R E D LAR K I N S fi rst m ove o n fi nding h imsel f

’
trapped was a perfectly n at ural o n e

, He
scrambled t o his feet and rushed t o the door I t .
took him som e time t o fi nd th e knob in th e dark ,
ness and o n tu rn ing it and pulling with all his might

,
h e was not su rp rised to discover that it refused t o

yield .
’
I t s a bad scrape said the reporter t o him self
, ,
“ ’
breathing hard with his exert ions but I v e been ,
in worse ones unless that threat of blowing u p the

,
house is carried out .
H e had been fumbling in his pocket and now ,
drew from it a box o f wax vestas o n e of which he ,
struck The light disclosed a small room perfectly

.
,
bare A glance at the heavy door convinced him

.
that it was useless to attemp t a speedy escape in

that direct ion There were two l o w windows both
.
,
with the sashes fastened down and protected by

o utside shutters of wood .
Fred m ade short work o f o n e of th e sashes ,
I 7S
smashing it to b its with his foot H e then u m .
hasped the shutters and peered o u t The n ight was .
cloudy and he could d iscover n othing beyond the

fact that there was a sheer drop of at least twenty
fi v e feet t o a sort o f yard which m ight b e paved
,
with brick or l umbered u p with s ton es and iron

scrap for all he could see The bu ild ings beyon d
,
.
seemed to b e warehou ses o f som e sort ; not a light

gleamed from a single window H e shouted with
.
all his m ight for help b ut none came Although

, .
“
he did not believe the house would be a heap o f
ru bbish in ten min utes —three o f which had already
elapsed —h e was su ffi ciently in dou bt t o b e perfectly
willing t o leave it at on ce if there were any possible
,
way o f escape .
As he stepped back into the room the fl ooring

creaked under his foot Ligh ting another wax
.
m atch he foun d that a board was loose H e m an .
aged to get h is fi ngers u nder the end and throwing , ,
his whole weight u pward ripped o u t the board

, .
With the fi rst for a lever its neighbou r cam e u p

,
easily eno ugh I t was a cheaply b uilt hou se with

.
,
o u t a second layer b en eath the su rfac e fl oor The .
edgewise set planks on which the boards rested were

-
ab out tw o feet apart . Fred did not hesitate a m o

m ent but stamped hard u pon the u pper sid e o f the
,
ceiling of the apartment beneath his own H is foot .
went throu gh the lath and plaster with a smash and

had so long looked forward to eat ing was a D ead

Sea apple crumbling to ashes at the fi rst b ite
,
.
After his narrow escape from death at the hands

o f the Spaniards in Santiago he had engaged in
,
various qu est ionable enterprises o n the Cont inent ,
where a natu ral aptit ude for langu ages soon enabled
him t o converse fl u ently in Germ an French Italian , , ,
and Ru ssian H e was already master o f Span ish as

.
,
we have seen and he had received a fine edu cation

,
in applied mathematics physics and navigation at

, ,
the Un ited States N aval Academy Tall and rather .
well formed carrying himself well and conversin g

, ,
easily in the langu age of the country where he de

sired t o exercise his peculiar calling — that o f a pro
fe s s i
o n al spy — h e readily obtained adm ittance t o
many councils and o ffi ces closed to the general
public H e had correspondents in every cou rt in
.
E urope as well as in J apan and at Pekin

, .
When Stevens left Tokio in disgu ise with half a ,
dozen important papers in his breast pocket he felt ,
that he had achie v ed the crown ing glo ry of his life .
The docu ments were indeed gladly received at the

Russian headqu arters bu t the m an was des pised
,
and distrusted The blu ff gallant Stoessel pa i

.
,
d the
s py a large s u m witho ut hesit at ion ; b ut beyond ,
suggest ing another expedition —perhaps to the cam p

o f General N o i forces to Adm iral Togo s fleet
’ ’
g s o r ,
—h e had nothing m ore to s ay to him As the high .

T HE LA S T TRA I N FROM POR T A R TH UR .
1 79
m inded Russian turned t o h is sta ff o ffi c e r s whose -

,
bronzed manly faces bore witn ess to their honou r

,
able service under the Czar Stevens sneaked o ff , ,
his face sa l lower than ever to cash the o ffi cial draft

,
and to gnash h i s teeth at the cold contemptu ou s ,
treatment he had m et wi th when his secrets were all

d ivulged . I n this m ood plotting a n ew system o f
,
espionage up on the R ussians whom he hated h e , ,
had m et Larkin H e had already recognised the

.
reporter in Tokio and had thought himsel f well rid

,
o f him when he fled t o P ort Arthu r N o sight .
could have been m ore u nwelcom e t o him than that

o f Larkin s m erry honest shrewd cou ntenan ce
’
, , ,
’
rising before him like Banqu o s ghost when least ,
expected .
N ear S te v e n s s lodgings was an empty house o f

’
which he had the key and in which he had already

,
m et representatives o f tha tterrible class o f m en who

are n ow fou nd in all parts o f the civilised world ,
b ut m ost where the double eagle o f the Russian

flag proclaims the despotic rule o f St Petersbu rg .
—the N ihilists . Revolving in his m ind vari ou s

plans fo r gett ing rid o f Larkin with ou t act ually com
m itting m u rder he determ ined o n the spu r o f the
, ,
m oment t o lock him u p over n ight at this secret

,
place of rendezvou s H e even th ought vaguely o f

.
blowing u p the bu ild ing wi th a bomb which o n e o f ,
hi s f ri e nds w o uld su pply on demand H e shrank .

,
however from th is extrem e measure which would

, ,
put his o w n head in peril and cont ented himself ,
with giving the war corresponden t a good scare o ut ,
of pure m alice and with so dis posing of his person

,
that he would be kept o u t o f the way over n ight .
H e had n o doubt that Larkin wou ld gain his release

in some way the ne x t m orn ing b ut there would be ,
t ime meanwhile to don a n e w disgu ise an d perfect

, ,
arrangements for leaving the city H ow he failed .

,
we have seen Fred Larkin was n ot an easy man to

.
scare or to keep within fou r walls against his will

, .
The next m orning accord ingly both s py and r e

, ,
porter were atthe rail w ay stat ion eager t o take the ,
fi rst train for the north There was a dense crowd

.
o f refu gees struggling for places and n either of the ,
two men was consci ou s o f the other s presence on ’
’
board when the gu ard s whistle sou nded at last and ,
the long train — the last train for many a weary

,
—
m onth as it proved m oved o u t o f Port Arthu r .
’
It was six o clock on the m o rn ing of M ay 6 th .
The su n had b u rst throu gh the clo uds which had

rendered the preced ing night s o gloomy and the ,
country arou nd the city stretched o u t o n either side

o f the railroad in all the lovelin ess o f spring Fields .
an d hillsides fl ushed with bl ossom s o f alm ond and

apricot and opened fair reaches o f greensward as
,
the train rolled past I n sheltered n ooks by the

. ,
b anks o f dancin g strea ml e ts n estled those little ,

18 2 T HE NOR TH PA CI FI C
.
for J apanese cavalry which were known t o be scour

,
ing the country to the east the m ain body o f the ,
invaders having already made a substantial advance

from Dalny o n the eastern coast A train had been
,
.
fi red u pon only the day before at a point abo u t

, ,
forty m iles n orth of Port Arth u r There were .
rum ours that J apanese troops were landing in force

at Port Adams o n the west coast of the pen insula
, ,
near N ewchwang and that a strong detachm ent had

,
occupied H aicheng j ust south o f L iaoyang

, .
The engineer p ulled open the throttle as the train ,
stru ck a long straight piece o f road

, The cars .
rocked from side t o side and cries o f alarm from ,
invalids and wom en were heard The speed was .
frightful Larkin clung t o h is seat devoutly hoping

. .
that his j ou rnalistic career would n o t term inat e in a

smash u p o n the I m perial Trans Siberian Railroad
- -
.
J u st then a band o f horsemen was seen galloping

toward the road They drew u p sharply and cou ld
.
be seen t o unsling thei r m u skets P uf f No .
n oise could be heard above the roar o f the train ,
but the passengers were n ot left in doubt as t o the

c av al r m e n s intentions
’
y A d ozen windows . were

shattered by b ullets while the frightened inmates
,
o f the rocking cars crou ched low between the seats .
With a rush and a roar th e train clattered on leav ,
ing the assailants far beh ind .
O n and on thro ugh N ewchwang crossing bridges

, ,
T HE L A S T TRA I N FROM POR T A R TH UR . 18 3
which were soo n t o b e wrapped in flames rattling ,
over level plains windin g through narrow de fil e s

surm ounted with frown ing fort ifi cat ions un til at ,
last the t rain rolled into the stat ion at L iaoyang .
That aftern oon th é railroad was crossed by the

J apan ese the rails t orn u p bridges b u rn ed and tele
, ,
graph wires c ut P ort Arthu r was isolated from the

.
world I ts next telegram would be sent o u t eight

.
m onths later t o be recorded in the qu aint characters

,
o f the I sland Empire .
Fred Larkin little dream ing that h is captor o f

,
the preceding evening was in the sam e city at once ,
proceeded to m ake himsel f at hom e H e presented

.
his credentials at headquart ers secured lodgings

, ,
an d sent o ff a d ispatch to the B ul l e tin that very

n ight describing the last train from Po rt Arthu r
,
and the conditions as he had found them in that

city This final port ion o f his telegram wou ld have
.
occupied abou t half a colu mn o f his paper The .
gr im censor blu e pencilled it down to eight lines

-
an d a half !
C H APT E R X VI I .
D I C K S C U F F S A D VE N T U R E .
S PR E Y , or der e d H allie Re x
to C/ze m u lpo .
dale read the brief ann ou ncement in the list

of navy orders Asiatic fleet and wondered if her
, ,
Dave were su mm oned to new dangers While h is .
ship was stat ioned at Chefoo she felt com parat ively
easy about him ; but Chem ulpo the port o f Seou l , ,
K orea was alm ost o n the fi ring line

,
T o be su re .
,
the U nited States was as yet in n o way involved in

the conflict b ut su ppose the V l adi
,
vo sto c k fleet
should happen t o descend u pon Chem u lpo ? Shells

would fly and the Osp r ey could n o t T h e obscu re
, .
half line in the newspaper recording naval m ove

-
m ents and overlooked by all but on e in a thousand

,
readers carries j oy or dismay t o m any a wife and

,
sweetheart for whom the int erest in the whole

,
paper centres in that on e an n o u ncement H allie .
tore up the envelope s h e had already addressed and ,
added a few lines t o her lett er tearfu l ly bidding ,
bless her h e artl —her gallant commander to be “
”
careful .
h is m ates remembered seeing him enter a saloon in

Chefoo kept by a Chinaman o f more than doubt ful
,
reputation ; nothing fu rther could be ascertained

’
concern ing the seaman s m ovem ents Dave knew .
that sailors are loath t o betray o n e o f their nu mber ,
and qu estioned them sharply as D ick was to o valu ,
able a man to lose witho ut an e ffort for his recovery .
“
H e even delayed sailing while J immy L egs s pent
a couple of hou rs searching for the delinquent in the
lower quarters o f the town ; b ut no light was thrown
o n his disappearance The Chinese saloon keeper
.
-
,
Ah Fong declared that a sailor m an answerin g t o

,
-
’
S c u pp s descript ion had becom e partly intoxicated
o n the prem ises and had been summarily ej ected .
That w as the last seen o f him Lieut Commander . .

-
Rexdale could wait n o longer and pu t t o s e a log ,
“
ging the incident as D ick S c u pp O rdinary Sea ,
man disappeared i
,
n Chefoo Probably deserted
. .
At a little before n oon the Osp r ey was under way .
There was n o local pilot o n the bridge for each o f ,
the o ffi cers was su pposed to be perfectly capable of

taking the ship ou t and conn ing her across the gulf
to the port o f dest inat ion D u ring the long stay at
.
Chefoo Rexdale in particular had improved the

, ,
t ime by as carefu l a study of the currents channels , ,
t ides and beacons o n the Chinese coast as if he

,
were to pass an e x am ination in seam anship at

short notice .
DI CK S C UP P S
’
A D VE N T URE . 18 7
The gunboat was ab ou t five m iles o u t when the

attent ion o f Staples the execut ive was called t o a
, ,
large j u nk crossing her b ow ab ou t a m ile ahead .
’
There s som e sort o f a row o n board said the ,
lieutenant as h e eyed the lumbering craft through

,
“
his glasses It looks like a free fight among the
.
”
pigtails .
Rexdale and L i ddo n the o ffi cer o f the deck , ,
o 1n e d h im in scru ti nising the stranger whose decks

j ,
seemed t o be crowded with m en among whom a ,
struggle was evidently taking place .
S uddenly the comman der exclaimed : There

’
goes a man overboard and the scou ndrels don t ,
m ean to stop for him !

“
H e may be dead sugges ted Stap les coolly
, .
H e seemed to be m u flie d in black which is n t the ,

’
fashionable costu me for a Chinese coolie .
“ ”
We m ust pick him up said Dave with energy , .
H e s alive and struggling I can s e e h is head

’
.
n ow— I believe it s a negro

’
Port your helm a .
little M r Staples
, . H ead for the m an and get you r
lifeboat ready !
”
Port Quart erm aster !
, commanded the e xe c u
tive. Then raising h is tru mpet to his lips he
, ,
“
shouted Man the lifeboat !
,
I t shou ld be u nderstood that the Osp r ey like ,
m ost gu nboats o f her class carried t wo large ,
“
whaleboats These were kept ready for lowering
.
q uickly when the sh ip was at sea The o n e which

, .
happened to be o n the lee side at any given tim e

“ ’
was the lifeboat There is always a lifeb oat s
.
”
crew o n watch while at s e a permanently detailed
, , ,
all fully drilled in their d uties .
’
Staples s voice rang like a b ugle call throughout -
the ship and in an instan t every m an in the lifeboat

crew was on his feet an d racing for his stat ion .
“
Steady Q uarterm aster, commanded Re x dale , .
K eep her as she is Y o u r e heading straight fo r

’
.
him
Aye aye s i r !
, East n orth east s i
, r ! responded - -
,
the qu arterm aster .
“
I l l relieve yo u M r L i
’
ddo n said Staples
, .
, .
You go down and look o u t for the boat !

By this t ime the boat crew were clambering i n t o -
the lee whaleb oat led by M idshipman Starr who, ,
had cleared the wardroom ladder in a flying leap at

the first order from the bridge Within s i x ty .
seconds from the call Man the lifeboat ! the boat

was ready fo r lowering I n the stern sheets stood .
-
the coxswain steering o ar in hand with every nerve

, ,
alert and t ense ; the bow oarsman had cast o ff the

“ ”
end o f the s e a painter b ut kept a turn with it ,
arou nd the forward thwart The other m en were .
seated o n the thwarts two o f them with boat ho Oks ,

-
,
with which they were prepared t o pu sh the bo at o ff

’
from the ship s side while being lowered as the ,
.
The man in the wat er was n o w about tw o hu ndred

yards away .
“ ”
Stop both engines M r Staples ! , .
The execut ive who w as already standing with

,
his hand o n the lever o f the port ind icator swung ,
“
it sharply to S top while the qu arterm aster at
, ,
the starboard indicat or d id the same , .
“
H alf speed astern with both engines ! ”
com
“
m an de d the captain Stand by to lower M r.
, .
”
Staples !
Again the signal levers swu ng and the execut ive ,
called o u t Stand by to lower M r L iddo n as soon

, , .
,
as we stop backing !
The ship slowed down trembling u nder the r e ,
versed strokes o f the powerful screw and rolling

sheets o f wh ite foam from beneath each quart er .
“
Stop both engines ! ordered Dave .
Stop s i,
r !
Lower away M r Staples !

, .
Lower away s i r ! an d an instant later the b oat

,
sank t o the water was detached and was pulling

, ,
rapidly t oward the swimmer who when fi rst aban , ,
do n e d by the j u nk had paddled abou t irresolutely

, ,
b u t was now m aking his way steadily toward th e

b oat.
’
I t s a negro fast enough ,
observed Staples , ,
“
gazing through his binoculars H e s as black as .
’
”
the ace o f spades .
D I CK
’
S C UP P S A D VE N T URE . 19 1
Give her half speed M r Staples

- directed
, .
,
Rexdale whose whole m ind was n ow o n the man

,
“
ag e m e n t o f his ship and come rou nd t o p ick
,
them u p !
Again the sign al jingled in the engin e room and -
,
the ship with helm a starboard circled rou nd the

,
-
,
lifeboat .
“ ”
U p oars ! S h ove o ff ! commanded Starr in l o w
ton es as soon as the boat had detached itself from
,
“
the patent hooks Let fall !
.
The orders were repeated sharply b ythe coxswain ,
the oars dropped into the rowlocks and were b ro ught ,
level with the rail with blades horizontal

, .
“
Give way together ! and away went the boat
o n its errand of m ercy foaming over th e choppy
,
s e a toward the struggling swimmer .
Way en ou gh ! ordered the m idshipman as ,
they approached the black woolly head bobb ing ,
about in the water .
Bob stood u p in the stern sheets as the boat lost -

,
its headway S u ddenly a look o f wonder cam e int o

.
his face su cceeded by a su ppressed chu ckle to the

, ,
amazem ent o f the m en no o n e o f w hom however

, , ,
broke d iscipline by t u rn in g h is head .
“
I n bows ! called the c o s ai n in response t o ,
’ “
Starr s order Stand by there to pull the man in !
.
,
H old water ! Stern all !

Again a ripple o f am usem ent shot over the
192 T HE N OR T H P A CI FI C
.
m idshipman s j olly fac e w h i

’
c h grew red in h is at ,
f
tempts t o su ppress his em ot ions .
The next m om ent the bow oarsm an reached down

and with a great e ffort pulled the dripping cast
away i n over the side .
’
A roar of lau ghter rang o u t from the boat s crew .
“
A dog ! A big N ewfou ndland ! exclaim ed the
”
coxswain as the an imal sinking down in the b ottom

, ,
o f the boat with a low wh ine gave himself a shake ,
“
that sent the water flyi n g over the men Shall .
we throw him over again s i r? ,

”
No no, laughed Bob resum ing his seat

, , .
H e s too fi ne an an imal t o drown Get back t o

’
.
’
the ship That s en ough m en ! Silence !
.
,
Rexdale Staples and L i

,
ddo n had already m ade
,
“
o u tthe character of the su pposed m an overboard ,
and were s h aking with laughter when B o b retu rned .
The d uty remained however o f hoisting the boat

, ,
and resum ing the cou rse t o Chem ulpo .
’
Lead along and man the lifeboat s falls !
shouted the execu t ive .
The boat pulled u p t o the leeward side o f the

— —
ship the engines having been st opped and a line
was thrown to her This was deftly caught by the
.
bow oarsman and a tu rn taken arou nd the forward

thwart The boat by m eans o f this line and skilful
.
,
management of the steering oar in the hands o f the

coxs w ain was sheered in u nder her falls which had
, ,
194 T HE NOR TH PA CI FI C .
and t urning it so as to read som e ru de characters

,
apparently scratched with the point of a kn ife .
Dave glanced d own carelessly then sprang u p ,
the steps t o the bridge .
“
Starboard Quartermaster he ordered in sharp
, , ,
“
qu ick t ones . M r Staples head her dead for that
.
,
0
”
j unk !
Li ddo n was already by his side After the fi rst .
’
instant he did not wo nder at the commander s s u d
den change o f course H e too had read the two .
, ,
words scrawled on the dripp ing leather collar

,
S ka ng /za ze d— S c app
’
Both o ffi cers u ndersto od in a m oment the whole

’
story o f the seaman s mysteri ou s disappearance .
They reasoned with the qu ickness o f sailors and —

—
correctly as it afterwards a ppeared that S c u pp had
,
yielded to his one un fortu nate weakness a fondness ,
fo r liqu or during h is liberty on shore

, O nce inside .
the ru m shop he had been plied with spirits prob ,
ably drugged — for the Chinese are e x perts in the

use o f opium —and w hile insensible carried on board
the j unk to be shipped o n board a Ru ssian m an o f
,
-
war S o many men had d eserted for that purp ose

.
’
that there was little likelihood of the m an s obj ect
ing when he fou nd himself actu ally pressed ( o r
“ ’
shanghaied to u se an o l d sailor s term for this
,
sort of forcible enlistm ent ) and o ffered wages ,
dou bl e those he had been earn ing W hile the Ru s .

D I CK S C UP P S A D VE
’
N T URE . 19 5
sian navy would n ot instigat e su ch a daring breach

of the law o f n ations it was highly improbable that
they would rej ect a good seaman trained to h i s ,
work by th e U n ited States .
I n kidnapp ing M as te r Richard S c u pp however

o
, ,
the Chinese m ade a bad m istake N ow that he was .
sober D ick had n o idea o f desert ing his colours o r

taking service under a foreign flag H e came to h is .
senses j ust as the j unk cleared the chops o f the

harbo ur o f Chefoo and wi thin five m inutes he had
,
laid o u tthree o f h is captors and was himself knocked

d own .H e fou nd himself lying besid e a big do g ,
w h o licked his face and expressed h is willingness t o
aid his new friend so far as he was able to escape

, , .
Without defi nite p u rpose D ick scratched the two

’
words on the dog s collar with the point o f h is
sheath knife This act was detected by the o h
.
serv ant Chinese b u t they could s e e n o harm in h is

,
am using himse l f in that way and were rather glad

for the dog t o keep him o u t o f m ischief .
Abou t half an hou r later there was a com m otion

and a j abbering of tongu es am ong the pig tailed -
crew . D ick stood u p and caught sight o f the

Ospr ey heading t oward the j u nk at full speed Th is .
drove him wild again Bowling over the nearest

.
Chinaman he sprang fo r a spare spar int ending t o ,
j um p overboa r d an d take h is chances o f being

picked u p The crew crowded him back and the
.
,
.
do g , putt ing his forepaws on the rail barked jo y ,
o u s l y at the gu nb oat which poor Dick vainly longed
t o reach.
A thought stru ck the kidnapped sailor as he

watched the dog Before any one could stop him
.
he leaped to the side o f the j unk and tossed the

an imal overboard H e kne w the N ewfou ndla n d
.
could swim like a fi sh and providing a shark d id

, ,
n o t drag him u nder there was j ust a chance that

,
the o flic e r s o f the Osp r ey m ight s e e the do g and

'
,
picking him up read the message o n his collar

,
.
The plan as we have seen su cceeded adm irably

, ,
.
D ick had the satis faction o f watching the gu nboat

at it slowed down and sent a boat t o his fo ur footed -
messenger struggling in the sea The Chinese as .

,
he had expected were angry at the loss o f the dog

, ,
but did n o t dare risking a visit from the U nited

States war ship by throwing their boat u p into the
-
win d an d rescu ing the black swimm er .
’
They l l know where I am anyhow if they only , ,
read that collar sai d poor D ick to himself as the

, ,
j u nk rapidly drew away .
H e was n ow forced down on the deck behin d the

rail lest he should be made ou t through the glasses
o f his o flfic e r s which the Chinese knew m ust be
,
scrutinising the craft which had left beh ind such

a peculiar bit o f j etsam .
The Ospr ey qu ivered from stem to ste m u nde r ,

.
gone over all the mechan ism of the m ount and pro
vi de d revolvers and amm u n ition for all fou r ; N u m
bers Three and Fou r brought cartridges and swabs ,
and took positions in rear o f the breech of th e gu n .
Load !
The breech was opened a cartridge inserted and
, ,
the block swung back into place and clam ped The .
j unk was n o w only abou t o n e th ousand yards d is

tant The Ospr ey closing u p fr o m the south held
.
, ,
a course at an acute angle with that o f the fugitive ,
to head her o ff .
The best marksman o f the gun crew now stood at

-
the breech and with his shoulder against the padded

, ,
crutch slowly and carefully brought the Chinam an

,
with in the sight ing line .
“
D rop a shot across her forefoot ordered the
,
com mander .
“
Commence fi ring !
The gu n roared and a big splash j u st in front of
,
the j unk testified t o the correct aim of the pointer ,
and at the same tim e spoke in a lan guage that could

n ot be m isu nderstood The vessel veered rou nd
.
,
spilling the wind ou t of her great oddly shaped ,

-
sail which hung flapping from i

, ts huge yard .
The Osp r ey had now forged up within a few t imes

her own length and slowed down .
“ ”
Mr L iddo n said D ave with energy you will
.
, ,
t ake the starboard quart er boat and board that ves

-
DI CK S C I /P P S A D VE N T UR E . 199
sel Arm you r crew with cutlasses and revolvers

.
,
an d if her captain can understand English tell him ,
I l l blow him o u to f the water if he does n thand

’ ’
over my man .
“
A y ay s i ret u rn ed L i !
,
r ! , ddo n delight e d with ,
his comm ission .
F o r the second t ime within an h ou r the b oat

glided down from the davits and went t ossing over ,
the waves d riven by eight pairs of brawny arm s

, .
Before they cou ld reach the side o f the j u nk a ,
choru s o f shouts cam e from the gu nb oat they had

j ust left .
“
Man overboard ! M an overboard ! Stan d by t o
”
pick him u p !
The fact w as that when the Chin am en s aw that
the form idable war ship was really in earn est a
-
,
panic seized them They all shrieked and j abbered

.
t ogether as their vessel hove to an d D ick S c u pp

, ,
plainly s aw that more trouble w as com ing for him .
There seem ed to b e a dispute between tw o factions

on the j unk o n e of which screamed an d po inted
,
fi rst to D ick an d then to the Ospr ey and the other ,
p ointed as furio usly t o the h old o f the j unk Com .
prehending that they were d iscu ssing whether t o

restore him t o h is own ship or t o h ide him below ,
decks — possibly with a kni fe in his heart —and de

clare innocence the sailor m ade ready for action
, .
The party demanding his con cealmen t seemed t o

2 00 T HE N OR T H P A CI F I C .
have carried their point for a nu mber of them now

,
made a ru sh for D ick with fi erce eyes and with

,
daggers drawn . The seaman sprang t o his feet ,
catching o n e o f his gu ards with a blow u nder the

ear and tripping the other t o the deck Before a .
hand could be laid u pon h im he bou nd ed over the

rail int o the sea and began t o swim vigorously to
,
ward the approaching b oat .
All e fforts o f the crew o f the latter were now

directed t o saving the life of their comrade L i ddo n .
steered skilfu lly u p t o him and a m oment later he

was dragged in over the gu nwale gasping and sput ,
tering The j unk meanwhile caught the wind over

.
, ,
her bows and filled away again toward the north

east The Osp r ey waited t o pick u p her boat as
.
,
the Chinamen thought she would and an other chase ,
w as in prospect .
’
Stave her to bits ! I t s an insult t o the U n ited
States ! We can catch u p wit h her in five m inutes !
urged the j u nior offi cers of the gu nboat gathering ,
aroun d their commander forgetful o f discipline

, .
Rexdale shook his head though his teeth were s e t

,
“
and his face red with su ppressed anger We can .
’
prove nothing , he said They l l swear he w as
.
a deserter and concealed himself on board Uncle .
’
Sam does n t want t o take on China or anyb ody
else in this scrappy country j ust n ow We d be .
’
blamed and cou rt mart ialled if we shou ld sin k a

-
C H APT E R XV I I I .
OSHI M A GO E S A - F I S H I N G .
A PT A I N O S H I MA
( prom oted from l i
e uten
ancy for bravery o n the fi eld ) of the l o th ,
Regiment i n the Second J apanese Army u nder ,
General O dze r was fishing ,

Like m ost o f the.
J apanese soldiers he had brought from home am ong ,
other e ffects a sm all fis h i

,
n g lin e and several hooks
- .
There were hours and even days when he was called

u pon to perform n o active duty beyon d rout ine
drills and in mem ory of the days when he and O to
,
used to tramp the brook sides o f dear o l d J apan dis

-
,
playing their trophies at night t o gently adm iring

O H ana San and the other prim little maids o f the
- -
village he had determ ined to t ry his lu ck in this

,
strange war swept Manchu ria The hill t 0 ps m ight

,
-
.
-
.
be wreathed in battle sm oke and the pla i

- ns heaped
with dead and dying ; bu t in obscure valleys and
down slopes which had thus far escaped the tread
of martial forces the ploughshare of the steel shell
,
and the terrible harrow o f shrapnel streamlets ,
laughed and flowed blithely along their pebbled

20 2
O S HI M A G OE S A -P I S HI N G . 2 03
c ourses and tiny trout dart ed to and fr o as merrily

,
as in the dreamy days o f peace and plenty So .
O shima wen t a fis h ing -

.
U nrolling his line and attaching it to a neat little

pole cut in a n e arib y thicket h e t ook his seat o n a
, ,
boulder and dropped his baited hook in o n e o f the

qu ieter pools o f a brook that fed an u pper branch
o f the F aits e River I t w as warm an d O shima
.
,
took a fan from his pocket and fanned himself

gr avely as he fi shed Every J apan ese soldier i
. s
provided with a fan O shima had oft en looked

.
back o n his c ompany and on the colu m n trailing

,
behind o n a long march u nder the scorching Man

,
churian su n in J un e and had seen a thou sand little

,
fans fluttering beside the heads o f the m en .
The J apanese army are n ot only among th e

fi ercest fighters the world has ev e r known b u t they ,
are dainty in their appointm ents With the army .
go cam p followers who are allowed t o sell fans

-
,
handkerchiefs cigarettes tea soaps tooth brushes

, , , ,
-
,
and writing paper For the o ffi cers are carried great

-
.
iron kettles in nets two o n a pony ; these are used

,
in heati ng water for baths as well as to cook the

'
company mess o f rice A few squares o f straw mat

.
ting m ake a bath hou se and a big stone j ar i

- s the
,
tu b of c o m rt fo r the almond eyed campaigner -

.
M uch tim e is also spent in correspondence The .
fi eld post carried an immense am ount o f m ail every

.
day between Ant ung and the front Aro und the .
camp of O s h i
’
m a s regiment could b e seen in the ,
qu ieter hours o f the day hundreds of soldiers sitting

,
cross legged u nder the trees painting artistic epistles

-
,
to their dear ones at h om e with bru shes o n rolls o f

thin paper O shima him self had writ ten tw o letters
.
that day ; on e to h is m other and o n e to O H ana San - -

,
who was now a volu nteer n urse u nder the Red Cross
at a large seaport of the new cou ntry So h e went .
fishing .
H e caught three very small trou t within an hour .
Then he rose rolled u p hi s line and deposited it in

,
a neat packet stru ng the fish u pon a twig an d was

,
about t o retu rn t o camp when he noticed a Chinese

coolie act ing very peculiarly The m an was dressed .
as a Chinese lab ou rer with a helmet u pon his head

, ,
a coarse blouse and thick soled shoes like all o f his

-
,
caste H e was carrying two pails o f water which

.
,
he had j ust filled at the brook a few rods below ,
O shima This was n o u n usu al occupation for a

.
coolie alth ough it was surprisingly far from cam p ;

,
the peculiarity lay in the keenness with which the

m an surveyed the outworks o f the fortifi cations and ,
his manner in glancing n ervou sly over h is shou lder

as he walked o ff When he saw O shima looking at
.
h im he almost dropped his pails ; then hu rr ied d own

toward the cam p at a pace that soon carried him
o u t of sight .
.
Yo uare a Ru ssian soldier ? asked O shima .
I am an o flfic e r in the Third Siberian Reserves ,
answered the prisoner calmly in his o w n langu age , .
“
My name is Sergiu s J al o fs ky V olunteers were .
called for t o obtain information as t o yo ur forces

an d defences I was o n e of six to volu nteer The
. .
other five have I trust escaped I was t o retu rn

, , .
”
t o Liaoyang t o n ight -
.
“
Search him said the J apanese captain sternly
, .
From an inner pocket was produced a paper con

tain ing m easu rem ents figures and plans relating t o
, ,
the encampment The evidence was convincing

.
,
even if the s py seeing that escape o r concealment

,
was im possible had n ot made his full con fession

, .
H old the prisoner under gu ard ordered O shim a , .
We will hold a cou rt mart ial and settle this m atter

-
at once .
The captu re of the Ru ssian was report ed at once

to the colonel o f the regiment and a council o f ,
’
o ffi cers was co n vened Five m in utes deliberat ion
.
was su ffi cient .
“
You will die at su nset said O shima to the s py,
.
Y o u are a brave m an Y o u shall b e shot

. .
At a gestu re of the captain the gu ard led away

the prisoner whose cou ntenance had n ot changed
,
n or featu res relaxed in the slightest degree when

the sentence was pronou nced .
The s un w as alread y n earing the m ou ntain tops -

OS HI M A O
G E S A- I S F HI NG ’
. 2 07
in the west and the cool damp shad ows o f even ing
,
rapidly advance d .
A corporal s guard led the capt ive t o a ret ired

’
spot at a short d istan ce from th e c am p The m en '
form ed in line with loaded m u skets ready , .
“ ” “
Sir said the corp oral have you any requ est
, ,
t o make o r m essage t o leave ? Y o u are o n e o f th e

,
bravest m en I ever m et I give you my word you r .
m essage shal l be delivered .
F o r the fi rst tim e the Ru ssian s eyes m o istened

’
.
I thank you com rade said he ,

I have b ut ,
don e my du ty I t was at the Czar s command . I ’
have n o word —yet —I will ask yo u to send word to

my wife in I rkutsk that I died like a m an and a s o l
dier H e took h is ikon from his breast kissed it , ,
and bent his head over it a m om ent Then having .

,
given his wife s address t o the corporal who wrot e

’
it down carefully he folded h is arm s and stood erect , .
The corporal gently placed the folded arms d own

at the m an s side I t is well n o t to cover one s
’ ’
”
heart he said
,
D eath will be very qu ick
.
The Ru ssian b owed his head gravely I am .
ready he said
, .
“
Ready m en ! Aim ! Fire !
,
As the sm oke drifted away the Ru ssian looked ,
u pward an instant with a smile o n his bronz ed face ; ,
then m u rm u ring A t the Czar s —c ommand !

,
“
— — ’
he fell dead , .
.
D ay by d ay through the fi erce su mmer heats of

,
J u ne an d J uly the J apanese strengthened their hold

,
up on lo w er M anch uria and t ightened the cordon

,
about Port Arthu r .
N anshan H ill and M ot ie m Pass o n the east were

carried with the bayonet K i n c h o w h ad already
.
fallen the fi re of the J apanese fleet ann ihilating the

,
Ru ssian batteries in a two days battle - .
When the great Corliss wheel was set u p and the

“
massive m achinery assembled at the Centennial
Exposition at Ph iladelphia the m aker refu sed to ,
start his engine for a tri al before the Exposit ion

was o ffi cially opened .
“ “
I t will run he said
,
and ru n sm oothly and
,
perfectly . Every part is exact ; figures cannot

lie
.
I t was a great risk to take bu t the event proved ,
that the man u fact urer was right When the electric .
signal annou nced the formal opening of the Fair ,
steam was let o n The huge p iston o f the Corliss

.
engine start ed ; the en orm ou s wheel —the largest

ever made u p t o that t ime —began to revolve and
, ,
in a m oment every polished rod and valve and wheel

i n the great engin e was doing its part ru nn ing the ,
entire machinery o f the hall and perform ing its work

’
without j ar or n oise as sm oothly as a ch ild s water
,
wheel in a wayside brook .
So opera ted the wondrous complex m achin e of ,

.
had been pou ring troops int o the pen insu la for
m onths a port ion called the Third Army gathering
,
arou nd Port Arthu r u nd er General N ogi the r e

, ,
m ai n de r pressing northward on the heels o f the r e
treating enemy The obj ective o f the First Second

.
, ,
and Fo u rth Arm ies was L iaoyang The suprem e .
command of t he J apanese forces was n ow entrusted

t o Field M arshal Marquis O yama who had com ,
m an de d t en years before in the war against China

, .
The three arm ies ha v ing overcom e every o b

,
st ac l e were in t ouch before L iaoyang

,
They form ed .
a huge horse shoe with its ends resting on the

-
,
T ai ts e River on the south bank of which stood

,
Liaoyang The Ru ssians form ed an in ner h orse

.
shoe i n a similar position O n each side were over

.
two hundred thou sand m en n early half a m illion ,
hu man beings all an imated with the o n e desire to

,
kill !
O n the morning of August 3 o th at the fi rst grey ,
o f dawn a p u ff o f white broke u pward from the
J apanese lines and a shell fi lled with shrapnel fl e w

, ,
screaming across the peaceful plain — a dread m es

senger to annou nce the beginn ing of the longest and
greatest battle the world had ever kn own .
O n e battery after an other opened fi re throughou t ,
the entire front of n early forty m iles U nder cover .
o f the art illery attack the Ru ssians charged furiou sly ,
often drivi ng the J apanese before them at the point

O SHI M A O
G E S F HI NG
A- I S
'
. 2 11
o f the bayonet ; b u t n o sooner was a company or a

regiment annihilated than another took i ts place ,
and was hurled against the foe P ositions were .
taken and retaken The carnage was terrible

. .
N ever in the wor ld s h ist ory had su ch enorm ou s

’
m asses o f men thrown their lives away with u tter

abandon . O n each side a thousand cannon thu n
dered from m orning till night At noon of the .
second day a slow rain began to fall transform ing ,
the plain into a quagmire crossed and recrossed by ,
endless trains o f m en a part charging t oward the

,
front with wild shouts o f defiance a part halting , ,
crawl ing limping o r lying in carts seeking the hos

, , ,
p i
ta l
,
s where their ghastly wounds could be treated .
When the second night fell it was reported in every

capital in both hem ispheres that after two days of
desperate fighting K o u r o patki n had gained a decided
advantage .
Fred Larkin was in h is element Dashing t o and .
fro o n a shaggy little Siberian pony he gathered ,
news as if by instinct H is experience in the

.
Span ish American War served h im in good stead

-
,
an d he n ot only knew what deductions to draw from

certain m ovements o n both sides b ut what in form a ,
t ion was m ost desired by his paper and the great

reading pu blic at home I n Bost on the crowds .
in lower Washington Street read o n the bulletin

b o ar ds t h e des patches he dashed o ff in his n ot e b o ok -
.
and sent from the Liaoyang telegraph o ffice after

they had been duly censored .
Lat e in the after n oon on the second day of the

battle he was making his way back to the town
across the miry fi elds so uth o f Liaoyang The .
shaggy pony shook his m ane and snorted as the

rain fell but was to o tired to trot
,
.
”
To ugh d ay pony said Fred who himself was
, , ,
s o u sed up with his exert ions that he could hardly
si t upright in the saddle N ever m ind o l d boy

.
, .
I n half an hou r you will be in you r stable m unch ,
ing oats Y o u shall have an extra good su pper for

.
the hard work you v e —hallo ! be careful !

’
The pony had wandered a little from the m ain

road which the steady stream o f hospital and com
,
m issary waggons had m ade well n igh impassable -

,
and Fred had allowed him t o pick o u t h is own path

across the plain so long as his general d irection was
right The little animal n o w interru pted h im by
.
shying violently at an obj ect u pon which he had

almost trampled Peering down Fred s aw a soldier
.
stretched out u pon the sodden grou nd At fi rst he .
thou ght the man was dead bu t looking m ore closely

,
’
he s aw the soldier s hand move slightly as if t o ,
ward o ff a blow .
“
Poor chap ! ”
said Fred whose kind N ew Eng
,
land heart the horrors of war had by n o m eans

hardened I won t h urt you Are you wou nded ?
,
’
.
2 14 T HE N OR TH PA CI F I C .
H e found the town in a state of wild con fu sion ,
with heavy carts rum bling through the ill made -
streets crowds o f wo u nded m en o n their way to the

,
hospitals and the trains for M ukden ; refugees clam

o uri n g at the railroad station ho useholders removing
,
their goods and thou sands o f people hu rry ing t o

,
and fro like ants in a breached ant hill With m u ch - .
di ffi cul ty the reporter got a brief d ispatch through

t o the B ul l e tin and sought a well earn ed rest at his
,
-
lodgings near the stat ion .
N ight after night the cannon thu ndered and day ,
after day the battle raged The Russian front was

.
now crowded in from thirty m iles to less than eight .
At great risk O yam a resolved t o d ivide h is army ,
and attempt a flanking m ovement which proved ,
su ccessfu l O n the seventh day o f the battle K u

.
,
roki threw a strong force across the T ai ts e ten m iles ,
above the town This m ovem en t tu rned the scale

. .
K o u r o patki n gave orders t o fall back o n M ukden .
Larkin meanwh ile was doing the work o f half a

, ,
dozen reporters and a Good Samaritan besides He .
took his place beside the su rgeons an d n urses when ,
ever he could leave the fi ring line and laboured by ,
the hou r caring for the wounded especially the

, ,
Chinese who su ffered the fate o f those caught b e

tween two conflicting forces The losses o n both .
sides had been fearful an d the am ount of am m u n i

,
tion e x pended alm ost incredible I n o n e day of the .

O S HI M A O
G E S A- FI S HI NG '
. 2 15
battle the Ru ssian art illerists reported o n e hu ndred

thousand shots fi red .
Fred w as assu red at headqu arters o n the day o f ,
K u roki s flank m oveme n t that i n any case Liaoyang

’
wo uld n ot be eva c uated fo r forty eight hou rs ; s o he -
t oiled o n i n good faith m aking n o special provision

, ,
for his withdrawal from the front but intend ing to ,
accompany the Ru ssian army in its retreat The .
n ext m orn ing what was his s urprise o n em erging ,
from h is lodgings to fi nd the town d eserted by

,
K o u r o patki
’
n s forces J apanese flags were already
.
flying from alm ost every h ou se and shop o f the

Chinese inhabitants Shells were bu rsting in the
.
stree ts and the J apanese army was reported j ust

,
outside the gates .
H e h urried to the railway station only to fi n d ,
that the last train had go n e There seem ed n o way .
o f escape with out crossing the fi r e swept z one in

,
-
the rear o f the retreating army Fred reluctantly .
faced the conclu sion that he m u st retu rn to the

hospital and s ubm it t o ingloriou s capt ure if n o ,
worse at the hands o f the J apanese ; an d this when

,
“ ”
he was ordered to remain with the Ru ssian army
“
by his o w n Czar the chief o f the D a i
,
ly B ul l e ti
n .
The report er gro und h i s teeth as he stood i rre s o
lute in a sheltering doorway At that m oment he

, .
happened to glance u pward and a huge ungainly , ,
obj ect showing above the l o w roo fs o f th e s u r

,
.
rou nding b u ildings caught his eye ,

At fi rst it .
“
meant n othing to him The balloon sect ion have
.
”
run an d left their big gas bag behind them he said -
,
to himself mechan ically Throughou t th e fi ght a

.
balloon had hovered ab ove each o f the contend ing

arm ies the occu pants spying o u t the d isposit ions
,
’
o f the enemy s forces and telephoning from aloft to
the commanders headqu arters ’

I t was ev ident that .
the R ussians startled by th e h urried orders t o te

,
treat had obeyed so hastily as to leave their charge

,
beh ind t o fall int o the hands o f the J apanese

, .
A thought flashed across Fred Larkin s qu ick ’
brain as he gazed u pon the swelling expanse o f

tawny silk Qu itting the doorway where he had
.
taken refuge from the bu rsting shells and snatching ,
a J apanese flag as he ran he m ade for the balloon , .
I t was su spended over a small square held down ,
by a strong hemp cable To spring into the car .
was the work o f a m om ent H e drew his knife and .
was abou t to sever the rope when a shriek rang o u t

from a neighbouring street and a m an was seen ru n
n ing toward the square pu rsu ed by half a dozen ,
Chinamen .
“
H elp ! H elp ! They ll m urder m e ! scream ed
” ’
the man looking about wildly as he ran

, .
H is eye fell u pon Fred in the balloon and at the , ,
same m oment the reporter recogn ised him dis ,

;
gu ised m ud stained and dishevelled as he w as

,
-
, .
C H APT E R x1x
A M O N G T H E CL O UD S .
T the very m oment when the advent uro us c o r

respondent o f th e Boston D a ily B u l l e tin was
m aking his escap e from Liaoyang a m otley crowd ,
o f K oreans ,Chinese coolies J apanese and E uro , ,
peans were gathered u pon the platform o f the rail

way stat ion in Chem ulpo wait ing for the Seoul train
,
t o start Tidings of the great battle had reached

.
the po rt and the ann ou ncement o f the decisive vic

t ory of J apan and the evac u ati on o f th e city by th e
,
Ru ssians had set the people in a frenzy o f d elight

, ,
real or assum ed .
D ist ingu ished by their erect bearing and bright

n aval u n iforms two you ng m en pushed their way
through the throng and took their places in a fi r s t
class carriage o n the train .
“
Whew said B o b Starr pu lli n g o ff h is cap and
,
wiping his forehead this i s about as hot as K e y

,
West and St L ou is rolled into o n e

. H ow soon .
does the train start L i ddo n ?

,
“
I n about fi ve m inutes replied the dign ifi ed
,
2 18
AM ONG T HE CL O UD S . 2 19
young o ffi cer o f the Osp r ey cool and calm as ever ,

.
D on t complain o f the heat brother until you v e

’ ’
, ,
tramped through the interior o f Lu z on in J uly .
The two m essmates had applied for and obtained

leave t o ru n u p t o Seou l and d o a little sight seeing -
as well as som e shopp ing I t was believed that the .
ship would be ordered home soon and every o ffi cer ,
o n board wanted som e little knick knacks from the -
heart o f K orea Bob and D oc Li

. ddo n th ere .
,
fore had half a dozen comm issions t o execut e at

,
the capital as well as their own p u rchases to make

, .
“
N ow said the m idshipman lean ing back in his
, ,
seat by the open window as the train began to m ove ,
“ ”
let s have a few statist ics o n K orea o ld m an
’
, .
“
What do yo u want to kn ow abo ut it yo ungster ? ,
sm iled L iddo n who was well u sed t o this sort of

,
appeal .
O h I don t kn ow enough abou t the place t o

’
ask qu estion s rej oined h i

s compan ion langu idly
, .
“ ”
What is there interest ing abo ut it anyway ? ,
“
Well perhaps the m ost interesting feat ure of
,
the history o f this cou ntry has been up t o a very ,
recent date its exclusiven ess said L i

,
ddo n Yo u ,
.
know K orea has always been called The H erm it

‘
K ingd om
’
.
“
H ow big is K orea anyway ? interru pted
,
Bob gaz ing o u t at the tawn y waters o f the river

,
H an g kang -
.
2 20 T HE N OR T H PA CI P I C .
Almost exactly the size of M innesota—o r say , ,
the si z e of N ew England N ew J ersey and Mary , ,
land Wi th the sea on three sides and an u n in

.
,
habited wildern ess on the fourth this independent ,
little affair has been able to keep ou t foreigners u p ,
to a very recent day .
“
I ndependent ? I tho ught Ch ina
O h China holds a sort of suzerainty or pro
,
te c to r ate o ver K orea but practically it has governed

,
itself The K ing o r S ultan or whatever he calls

. , ,
—
himself has always been held sacred t o t ou ch him
,
with an iron weapon was su re death O f late years .
foreign merchants have gained a foothold in the

cou ntry and travellers have visited it Y o u know
, .
Wij u at the m ou th o f the Yalu was declared an

, ,
”
open port only last February .
’
What s the religion hereabouts ?
M ostly Con fucian ism Catholic m issionaries .
have made a tremendo us struggle to introd u ce

Christian ity and their history has been a long series
,
o f m artyrdoms Why in 1 8 6 6 th ere was a great

.
, ,
m assacre o f nat ive Christians and nearly ten thou ,
sand perished .
“
That fi nished the matter I suppose ? ,
N o t m u ch There are su pposed to be at least

.
forty fi ve thousand Roman Catholic Christ ians in

-
K orea to day J ust what will becom e o f them if

-
.
the country goes to J apan o r is d ivided u p among ,

The man n odded twenty t imes repeating S a ,
p e fe e ’ S upe Re ’
. and.calling three o r fou r coolies ,
gave them an ord er despatching them in di fferent

,
directions Then he gently drew o ut the Ameri

.
can s watch and pointing t o the open face held

’
, ,
o u t fi ve fi ngers .
“
That m eans h e 11 have the change ready in fi ve
’
” ”
m in utes I su ppose said L iddo n
, , .
“ ’
O f cou rse j ust as they d d o at hom e
, Sent .
round to th e bank for it probably L et s walk o n , .

’
a b it and com e back here when the t ime s up

,
’
.
They indicated o n the watch what their plans

were and with m any sm iles and nods and am iable
,
gestures o n both sides the o ffi cers proceeded on

their way .
There was n ot m u ch to see i n Seou l after all , .
The bu ild ings were for the most part m iserable little
one st ory a ffairs b u ilt o f wood clay and rice straw
-
, , ,
-
.
Som e o f th e m eanest dwellings were thatched bu t ,
in general this prim it ive protection had given place

t o tiles placed in rows along the j oints o f the boards
form ing the roof .
“ ’
Le t s go back and get o u r pocketful o f change ,
remarked Starr Then we 11 call o n the m in ister

.
’
hurry u p o u r shopp ing and get back t o the ship , .
’
I t s t oo h ot t o linger in this prou d capital all day .
”
I never was cut o ut for a h erm it anyway , .
O n the way back the queer expression ret urned

AM ON G T HE CL O UD S . 2 23
to L i ’
ddo n s face b ut he said n othing u ntil they
,
’
reached the shop Then he gave o n e look at Bob s
.
cou ntenance and bu rst into a roar o f laughter .
Bob was speechless There o n the fl oor lay his .
change su rro unded by perspiring coolies I t con

, .
sisted o f abou t ten b ushels o f copper coins each ,

’
pu nched in the m iddle and stru ng o n a wire The .
fou r labou rers m ust have worked hard t o get it there

within the allotted t ime .
“ ”
Well this beats m e !
, exclaimed the m idship
”
man at length I s this all m ine ?
.
E v ery s ape Re o f it said L i ddo n gleefully

, .
P ut it in you r pocket and j og along s o n ! ,
Fort u nately an interpre t er attracted by the n aval ,
u niforms happened t o be near and with m u ch diffi

, ,
culty the shopkeeper was m ade to u nderstand that

“
bu t a smal l portion o f the m ou ntain o f cash
would be needed P u rchases were made at e x o r b i
.
,
tant prices ; a pound or two o f the coins preserved

for keepsakes and the visitors departed
, .
“ ’
For fi fteen m in utes I v e felt like Rockefeller ,
“
said B o b sadly I never shall have so m u ch m oney
.
’
again I t s a dream !
.
“
When a fellow tells his very best girl in Seoul , ,
that s h e s worth her weight in specie it i

’
s n tm u ch
’
o f a compliment eh Bob ? laughed L i

, , ddo n .
Equ ival ent t o valu ing her at about th irty cents ,
I su ppose sighed the d isconsolate m idshipman

, .
2 24 T HE N OR T H PA CI FI C
.
What a copper m ine this place is ! I t beats

H elena M ontana all o u t!
,
”
,
They paid their visit of respect t o the Am erican

m in ister who insisted on their lu nching with him
, ,
’
an d laughed heart ily over Bob s fi nancial experience .
Late in the afternoon the o ffi cers returned t o Seoul

by train and were glad en ough to reach the deck o f
,
the Osp r ey fanned by the cool bree z es o f the Yellow

,
Sea .
As they d istributed the gifts they had brought ,
and recou nted their advent u res in the K orean

capital while Dave Staples an d D obson sho uted
, , ,
“ ’
at the m idshipman s wo ful face when the tempo
rary Rockefeller was described they little guessed ,
what was befalling their old friend the war corre

s po n de n t whom we left in company with the rene
,
gade Stevens ru nn ing away with on e o f General ,
K o u r o patkin s war balloons

’
.
’
Larkin s first m ovement as they rose ab ove the ,
roofs of Liaoyang was to throw o u t a whole bagful ,
o f ballast with plenty of which the air ship was

,
-
fortu nately stocked The two men crou ched low in .
c e th i p a r a gr ap h w wri tte n a de p atc h i th d ai l y p re f

S in s as s n e ss o
th U ni ted S ta te h a ann
e n ed that a h r t ti m e g a yn d i ca te
s s ou c s o a o s
of A m er i a n a pi tal i t w a f rm ed t b uy u p th
c c s s a h s ed b y o o e c s us
th en ati v e f C h i na an d ell it f th p re pp er ed i n th
s o , s or e u co us e
co in s. I th i w a y e n r m u p r fi t h av e bee n m a de i
n s o ti a i d b y
o s o s ,
s s ,
th ep r m ter f th
o o he m e a d th l a rger c i ti e f th E m pire
s o e sc ,
n e s o e
have bee n al m t tr ipp ed f m all h an ge

os s o s c .
presented the o dd appearance o f a shallow c u p ,
rather than o f a convex surface N ow and then .
the landscape was blotted o ut by a low lying clou d -
which travelling in a d i fferent c urrent was qu ickly

, ,
left b e h n d O n ce o r twice from a cottony p u ff o f

.
,
sm oke Larkin guessed that his big a e rial craft was

,
a target for J apanese r i fl e m e n ; b ut n o bu llet cam e

near t o corroborate his s urmise .
Stevens m eanwhile recovered ne r ve enough to

, ,
sit u pright and peer once or twice over the edge o f

the car ; b ut each t ime he sank back with a shudder .
“ ”
I always was giddy in high places he m uttered , ,
resum ing his former abj ect attitude .
Larkin glanced at the pallid face and felt a tou ch ,
o f p ity for the m iserable fellow .
“
N o wond er the n avy did n t su it you he said ’
, .
You look hal f sick Stevens Anyth ing special the

, .
matter with you ? H ungry ?

”
No said the other his teeth chattering again
, , .
’
I don t want anything to eat I have n t been .
’
well lately Those men who were after m e

. He
stopped abruptly and t u rn ed so white that Fred
thought he was going to fain t Recovering himself .
with an e ffort Stevens contin u ed : This balloon

,
’
business is getting o n t o my n erves I guess I s n t , .
”
it about tim e t o th ink of landing ?
“
Landing ! exclaimed the other N ot by any .
means We m ust put a little m ore real estate b e

.
AM ONG T HE CL O UD S . 227
’
tween u s and O yam a s front before we get d own t o
terra fi r m a B ut we r e going like an express train
’
.
n ow unless I am m istaken
, I t s hard t o j udge o u r .
’
’
speed becau se we r e j u st drifting with the cu rrent .
I can t say I like s o m u ch so uthing either As , .
’
n ear as I can tell we r e j u st abou t following the
,
line o f the railway —

See there it is —that long .
straight line !
But Stevens did n ot care t o look .
Why were those fello w s chas ing yo u if I may ,
”
as k ? demanded the reporter settling himself t o ,
a com fortable p osit ion in the car .
“
—
They I don t kn ow —well
’
said Stevens des ,
“
p e r a te l y if yo,u m ust know they were Boxers , .
“
Larkin started What the society that started
.
,
the trouble with the m issionaries two o r three years

ago and pretty nearly d id u p the foreign embassies
,
in Pekin ?
The renegade n odded I had t im e on my .
hands he m uttered
,
“
—
and and interested myself ,
i n their private matters I m eant to have made a .
good thing o f it in Pekin .
“
I se e said Fred looking at his compan ion
, ,
“
with unm it igated disgu st At yo ur o l d tricks o f .
,
’
course I m n ot su re that I would n thave started
.
’
without yo u if I had kn own , .
“ ’
Then it s fortu nate for m e that you did n t
’
“ ’ ’
said the s py with a sardonic grin , D o n t let s .
228 T HE N OR TH PA CI P I C .
Yo u v e saved my life and I won t

’
quarrel Larkin, .
,
’
forget it I t was a shabby trick I played yo u in Port

.
,
’
Arthu r b ut I really did n t mean yo u any harm
, .
All I wanted was time to get o u to f the city .
A ll right said Fred lightly

,
I m n ot a m an .
’
’
t o hold a gru dge ; b ut I wou ld n t try any m ore
tricks of the sort my lad They get t iresom e after
, .
,
a while Look here I m hungry and we have n t

.
,
’
investigated the comm issary departm ent o f the

balloon corps H ere goes ! .
D ipping into a pile o f packages at the bottom o f

the car he brought u p several cans of condensed
,
beef and some hard b iscu it which had evidently ,
been abandoned in the h u rried flight from Liaoyang .
There were also a cou ple o f bottles o f vo dka o r ,
Russian wh iskey u pon which St evens seized eagerly

, .
Larkin however wrest ed them from his grasp an d

, ,
threw them overboard .
“ ’
I hop e they won t d o any dam age when they

” ’
strike he said b ut they certainly won t do any in
, ,
this ship while I m captain

,
N o vo dka fo r you
’
.
,
my friend .
— —
What s this L in to n ade gaze n ze ah
’
<
' ‘
that fi lls the b ill ! Bottled lem onad e straight from ,
Paris — two pints for each o f us H ave som e ? .
And he opened a can of beef an d passed over a

bottle of lem onade .
Stevens scowled bu t accepted the s ituation and

, ,
th e two mad e a h e arty breakfast .

.
the other . W e r e heading straight f or it

’
he ,
added consulting a small compass that dangled from

,
’
his watch guard-
I f we can fetch that port there 11
.
be no m ore trouble But I d on t like this sinking

.
’
.
I t looks as if we had sprung a leak somewher e and , ,
don t you see m an ? there s only one bag o f ballast

’
”
left !
I n the cou rse o f an hou r they had descended to
within a few hu ndred feet o f the grou nd and Fred ,
reluctantly parted with the last pound o f sand .
The s e a could n ow be plainly discerned t o the ,
southward .
“
L ook—there are two of Togo s ships ! ”
ex ’
“ ’
claimed Larkin O h what a sight ! D on t I wish
.
,
I had a go od kodak !
Again the balloon dropped and Fred fl u ng o ut ,
every movable obj ect in the car They shot u p a .
thousand feet but the relief was of short d u ration

, .
“ ”
0 fo r a cou ple o f hu ndred weight o f ballast ! -
groaned Fred O r a gale o f wind t o take u s over

.
the water !
O nce more the ballo on gently descended The .
breez e seemed to be dying o u t They were n ow .
d irectly over the outworks o f the J apanese forces

besieging Port Arthu r .
Bang ! bang ! ra n g o u tthe guns far below The ,

.
great gas bag qu ivered and began to drop faster

-
.
“ ’ ’
They v e h it u s again ! said Fred We r e in .
A
T HE E N D O F T HE T R I T O R
.
.
flag caught the eye o f an o ffi cer wh o had j oined the

crowd and the reporter was roughly seiz ed blind
, ,
folded and hurried away to a prison cell

,
.
Early in the even ing he was visited by two o r

three o ffi cials o f rank who had him searched and
,
even stripped fo r evidence o f gu ilt

,
Am eri .
kansky said Fred over and over seemi ngly with

, , ,
o u t effect .
The next m ornin g however he was told that he

, ,
was t o be taken before General St oessel who wo uld ,
j udge his case The tones o f the o ffi cer m aking

.
this annou ncement were m u ch m ore blan d than on

the preceding evening and the prisoner w as given a
,
good breakfast before taking u p the march blind ,
folded across the city

,
.
The walk itself seemed interm inable D own one .
hill and u p another along street after street st um

, ,
bling over ro ugh pavem ents with the roar o f can ,
non constantly in his ears and an un pleasant ,
consciousness that a shell might fall in his imm e

diate vicinity at any tim e Fred w as cond ucted into,
’
the great man s presence .
General Stoessel recogn ised him at once an d ,
asked a good many questions all of which Larkin ,
answered prom ptly and fully except those pert ain ,
ing to the J apanese forces an d defences .
“
L ook here General he said I ve been called
,
”
, ,
’
a spy more than once since I landed in you r town .

AM O NG T HE CL O UD S . 233
N ow if I tell yo u all I know about the J apanese ,
you will have good reason t o believe that I shall

carry information t o them o n leaving Port Arthu r , ,
concern ing the Ru ssians This wou ld fairly rank .
m e as the mean th i —
h g I have been called a s py .
N ot a word do you get from m e s i r regard ing the , ,
J aps
But what if yo u never leave Port Arthur ? Why
”
shall I not order yo u h ung at once ?
“ ”
Because General Stoessel
, said Fred Larkin , ,
calmly I am an Am erican citizen inn ocent of any

, ,
offence against your cou ntry ; a j ou rnalist pu rsu ing ,
”
his profession an d represent in g a friendly nation
, .
“
The blu ff soldier gnawed his m oustache Yo u .
shall n ot stay here he said with decision

,
I do .
n ot want any n ewspap er m en in Port Arthu r .
“
I m ready to go said Fred the m oment you
’
, ,
open the door My arrival was u nintentional

.
,
and
Rest ore his papers and send him t o Chefoo
, ,
said the General rising , .
H ow s hall I go General ? asked Fred

, .
I n a j unk Y o u m ust take you r chances of safe

.
a r rival And m ind s i

. r yo u
, m u st not
, com e here
again Twice is en ough
.
!
“ “
I cert ainly will n ot said Fred if I can help it
, , .
General Stoessel a s ked a few m ore qu est ions con

’
cern ing the reporter s escape from Liaoyang .
.
I t was like a crazy Am erican he said m ore, ,
good h u m o u r e dl y Then he shook hand s with Fred

- . .
I hope yo u will have a safe voyage t o Chefoo .
Farewell !
With the sam e precautions against the corre
s po n de n t s discovering anything o f valu e t o report
’
outside the walls he was led back across the city and
,
the next m orn ing he left Port Arth u r in a dr o s c hka ,
o r light road waggon -

and still blind
,
folded — was
driven to a plain n ear Loisa Bay At th is point .
the bandage was rem oved from his eyes and he

scrambled down a hilly path to the shore where he ,
was locked u p in a small st one h ut until late in the

aftern oon when ,
—blind folded again — h e was led
over the beach to a sampan and taken o ff t o a j unk
—
,
o n e o f three which were getting under way a huge ,
dirty craft like that in which he had sailed o n h is

,
outward trip .
‘
A Ru ssian n aval o flic e r and boat crew a e com
p a n ie d h im to the ou ter roads where they
,
said
good bye entered their o w n boat and retu rned t o
-
,
the city Fred n ot iced the ban dage having now

.
,
been fi nally rem oved that the Cza r e vito/z R e tv i

,
za n , ,
and som e other damaged ships had been patched u p

an d were changing anchorage u nder their own
steam .
The next m orning th e daring reporter once more

s e t foot on the dock at Cheefoo .
2 36 T HE N OR TH PA CI FI C .
the battle ship P e tr opavlo vs k turned t u rtle in t ”

-
he ,
bay o f K orea and attacked by som e mysterious

, ,
agen cy which was generally su pposed to b e either a

Ru ssian o r J apanese submerged contact m ine sank -
,
with n early every soul on board .
The Oc top us which had m ade its way under cover

,
o f the darkness of the preceding n ight t o the west
ern extrem ity o f the Yellow Sea and was lying in ,
wait for its h uge adversary had remain ed awash ,
u ntil daylight Then closing the m ain hatch she

.
, ,
sank u ntil only the end o f the camera proj ected

above water This easily escaped observat ion
.
,
looking as it did like a b it o f float ing wreckage

, , .
According t o d irect ions from h is adm iral O to made ,
no m ove to attack the Ru ssian ships when they

were c oaxed ou t of their safe harbou r by the wily
J apanese it being deem ed best n o t to risk a hasty
,
assau lt at a t im e when th e enemy were fu lly alert

and in the best cond ition I n case their squadron .
shou ld escape from the J apanese force o utside

—
vastly su perior t o the Russians and sh ould retreat
towards Port Arthu r then the Oc top us was to strike
,
its blow qu ickly and decisively

, .
The resul t is kn own although naval authori ties ,
still dispute as t o the cause o f the P e tr opa vl o vs k s ’
destru ction O to conn ing the Oc top us throu gh the

.
,
camera observed the battle ship returning t o port

,
-
aft er the brief conflict in the open s e a H e t ou ched .

T HE D O GGE R E AN R
'
A FFA I R . 237
an electric knob an d the submarine qu ietly sank t o

a furth er depth o f s i x feet Being n o w entirely o u t
.
o f sight the t err ible war engine approached withou t

,
-
d i ffi culty to within less than a h u ndred yards o f the

Russian ship d isc h arged her t orpedo with u n erring
,
aim and accom plished her work

, The waters in .
the immed iate vicin i ty o f the hu ge vict im were vio

l e n tl y agitat ed as s h e careened in her dying agony ,
and the Oc top us hersel f lingering near t o inflict an

,
other blow i f necessary w as in danger o f being

,
drawn into the vort ex m ad e by the battle ship as -
she went down The li ttle submarine reversed her

.
engin e qu ickly enough however t o escape shari n g

, ,
the fate o f her prey and swiftly glided away t o r e

,
j oin the J ap anese fleet The agent o f destru ction

.
,
known only t o the admiral and the heads o f the War

O flic e w as n ot d isclosed in Tokio as it was d eemed
, ,
best that the Ru ssian Adm iralty and th e world at

large shou ld know n othing of the terrible p ower
J apan was wield ing beneath the waves .
O to remained o n duty in command o f the Oc top us

for several weeks longer and was then detached fo r
,
a m ore complicated task o n e requ iring an e x tr ao r

,
di n ar y exercise o f intelligence and adaptability as ,
well as co urage .
I t was known that the Russian s were preparing a

form idable fleet at home to take the place o f the
,
w ar sh i ps tha t had been p ut o ut o f act i o n in th e

-
.
E ast and t o establish the M uscovite power u pon

,
the seas I f this co u ld b e done it was conceded

.
,
’
in m ilitary circles that J apan s fat e would be
sealed With her imm ense army cut o ff from s u p
.
plies an d from re treat the Ru ssian ships could

,
ravage the coast o f th e I sland K ingd om and the ,
army in M anchu ria would b e compelled to come to

t erms I t was all im portant t o prevent the sail ing
.
-
o f the Baltic fleet if possible o r t o dam age it after

,
it had started o n its long voyage .
Th e Ru ssian secret service system has often been

-
called the m ost e ffective and far reaching in exist -
ence ; but the J apanese have lear n ed the methods

o f their huge neighbo u r and with O riental wit and
,
alertness have su rpassed their teacher At abo ut .
this tim e several accidents happened in the Russian

navy yards at the head of the Baltic O n e ship .
suddenly sank at her m oorings ; another was severely

damaged by an inexplicable explosion ; other strange
m ishaps b e fe l the n ewly organ ised fleet before they
left their m oorings Everybody read in the news
.
“ ”
papers the reports o f these accidents and every ,
body was pu zzled t o accou nt for them —everybody ,
except the auth orities at T okio !

I n spite o f every hindrance and disaster it became
evident that the fleet was nearly ready t o sail fu lly ,
equ ipped and m anned for the long cru ise which was
t o term inate accord ing t o general expectat ion in
, ,
from his cou ntrym an several despatches and e n ,
trusted to him a ret u rn m essage o f utm ost im port

ance O n the following day the n in e J apanese met
.
at the wharves by appointment A boat w as await .
ing them manned by a crew o f the sam e n at ionality

, .
I n the o ffing the b oat was taken u p by a small ,
rakish lookin g black steam er which som e observers

-
“ ”
declared t o be a t orpedo boat others a trawler -
, ,
as the ships o f the fi s h in g fl e e t were called-

What .
ever its nat ure the craft had heels for with black
, , ,
smoke pou ring from her shor t fu nnel s h e soon dis ,
appeared t o the n orthward There were those who .
averred that they had plainly seen the English e n

sign fly ing over her ta ffrail .
N ot t o m ake a fu rther mystery o f this o dd little

vessel i t m ay b e stated at once that s h e was n o
,
“
other than the K i Ru o r Chrysanthem um
,
the
sam e small war ship which had hailed the Osp r ey in
-
m id ocean in her o utward voyage and had received

-
,
and restored by a piece of incomparabl e n aval dex

te r i
ty the cab in st eward of the gunboat .
T he Ki Ric was a comb ination o f t orpedo boat and -
destroyer ; that is she was a sm all swift st eamer , ,
fitted with both t orped o tu bes and three inch rifled

- -
gu ns . H er effi ciency in attack wo uld depend largely

o n her s e e d w h i h was n o t less than twenty six
p c -
, ,
knots an hou r u nder forced pressu re F o r th is

, .
re ason t oo she was u sed as a despatch boat

, ,
- .
T HE D O GGE R BA NK A FFA I R . 24 1
D u ring the fi rst s i x m onths o f the war s h e was
coaled and provisioned at obscure ports often mak ,
ing long ru ns t o escape observ ation .
’
I n the weeks that followed O to s embarkat ion ,
the K i Ru s appearance w as changed in several i

’
m
portant particu lars She n ow m ight easily have
.
passed fo r o n e o f the trawling fleet that were fam iliar

t o every sailor in the N orth Sea H er torped o .
tubes were c oncealed by canvas sh ields painted ,
black and s o arranged that they could be easily

drawn aside in action H er gu ns were rigged o u t
.
o f sight and port holes closed so cleverly that only

,
-
a trained eye would discover them and that in ,
broad daylight At n ight the K i

. Ru was an inn ocent
fishing steamer pu rsu ing her honest avocat ion
,
under the protect ion o f Great Britain .
The sailing o f th e Baltic fleet had been again and

again an n ou nced and as often postponed V ice
, .
Adm iral R o je s tv e n s ky knew that he was surrou nded

by spies and m ore than half gu essed that danger
,
was awaiting h im when once the hom e s e a should

have been left behind At lengt h o n th e 2 1s t o f
.
,
O ctober the great battle ships and cru isers weighed

,
-
anchor in earnest and started for P ort Arthu r I f .
that stronghold was t o be saved the relieving force ,
c ould n o longer be delayed The J apanese were .
tighten ing their grip daily and with an enorm ou s ,
sacrifi ce o f life were taking posit ion after posit ion .
16
242 T HE N OR T H PA CI PI C .
K o u r o patki
n had made a vain attem pt t o march
southward and su ccou r the beleagu ered fortress and ,
had been beaten back Relief cou ld only come by

.
sea I t was believed at St Petersburg that Stoessel

. .
’
cou ld hold o u tu ntil Feb ru ary when R o je s tv e n s ky s ,
fleet would be at hand t o e ff ect a d1v e r s 1o n and open

the harbou r .
Slowly and m aj estically the ponderou s ships

m oved onward th e lookouts d oubled in n umber
, , ,
watching every susp ici ou s looking craft the o ffi cers

-
,
scann ing the s e a from the bridges with p owerful

, ,
m arine glasses J u st after su n set the fleet enter ed

.
the N ort h Sea and t urn ed their m assive prows to

ward th e south .
Bet w een latitu d e 54 10 and 57 2 4 N orth and

° ’ ° ’
,
° ° ’
longit u d e 1 and 6 7 East ( from Greenwich ) a ,
huge sand bank lies u nder the waters o f the N orth

-
Sea m id w ay between England and D enm ark I t

, .
is called the D ogger Bank and a ff ords extensive ,
fis h i
n
g grou nds
- wh ich are frequ ented by all sorts o f
craft from a wherry t o a thousand to n steam er

,
-
.
H ere the H ull fleet s e t their trawls and with ligh ts , ,
twinkling from bow and mast head toss and swing -

,
at their anchors thro ugh the long hou rs o f the n ight .
Every pilot in the U nited K ingd om and o n the ,
coasts of the adj acen t E uropean states kno w s of ,
these trawlers and plots his co urse t o avoid them in

crossing the N orth Sea The adm iral of the Baltic
.
.
The orders were in a strange t ongu e b u t varied ,
little from t h ose taught at the An napolis Academy .
Like some black kraken o f old crou ching for a ,
spring at i ts approaching prey the K i Ru silently ,
awaited the approach o f the Baltic war ships -

.
Across the wa ter from o n e o f trawlers came a

rough sea song from the English sailors at their
-
work .
N earer and n earer came the great battle sh ip lead -
ing the fleet th e fl ag ship o f the vice adm iral A

,
. - - .
m u ch sm aller vessel correspo nding in class t o the ,
Osp r ey sco uted at a little d istance to th e west

, .
Suddenly a glare illu min ed the water The .
scou t s search light was t u rned full o n the K i

’
-
Ru .
I nstantly the rattling report o f the gunboat s main ’
battery roared o u t followed by the heavier gu n s o f ,
th e ba t tle ship -
.
R o je s tv e n s ky who strange t o s ay; had been below

‘
, ,
d ecks n ow rushed t o the bridge an d caught sight

, ,
o f the black h ulls o f the t rawlers .
Fire into them Sink them ! Ahead full speed ! ‘
”
They are torpedo boats ! he ordered w ithout a -
’
m om ent s reflecti on .
The search light o f the flag sh ip picked u p a fi s h

“
- -
ing steamer and a m oment later a solid sho t passed

,
through the hull o f the u n fort unat e trawler below ,
the water line and s h e began t o sink

-
, .
A f ew mo re sho t s w e re fi red w i l dl y fr o m the

.
'
on board went with th eir vessel to the bottom of

, ,
the N orth Sea .
Driven away from the tra w lers by a fresh breeze ,
the J apanese su rvivors headed their boat westward

an d p u lled lustily Early the n ext aftern oon they
.
landed near Yarm ou th and m ade th eir w ay t o L o n

don Their leader kne w where t o send them in
. ,
that great city t o fi nd friends and within a week

, ,
they had shipped in variou s vessels for J apan O to .
h imself having sent a cipher despatch to T okio

, ,
t ook passage o n a Cu narder fo r N ew York and was ,
’
once m ore o n b oard a ship i n Togo s fleet in t ime
t o witness the fall o f P ort Arthu r .
To ant icipate the cou rse of this st ory and com ,
l ete that o f the D ogger Bank a ffair it m ay b e added

p ,
that for a tim e war between Ru ssia and England

seemed imm inent An agreem ent between the two
.
Powers however was fi nally reached by the terms

, , ,
o f which an internat ional inqu iry was t o be held ,
condu cted by a Comm ission of naval o ffi cers o f high

rank o n e Bri tish o n e Russian o n e French o n e
, , , ,
American and one t o b e selected by these four

, .
Evidence as t o the presen ce o f torpedo boats o n the -
Bank was widely confl icting b ut after m any pro ,
tracted m eetings the N or th Sea Tribunal as it w as ,
called fi nally ann ou nced i

,
ts decision which w as , ,
briefly that the Ru ssians had n o t in reali ty been

, , ,
attacked by t orpedo boa ts and that the vice adm iral

-
,
-
T HE D O GGE R BA N K A FFA I R . 2 47
was n o t j u st ifi ed in fi ring into the fis h in g fl e e t; -
“
that however u nder the circu m stan ces preceding
, ,
and following the inci dent there was such u n c e r

tainty concerni ng the danger to the squ adron as t o
o
”
warrant R o je s tv e n s ky in contin u ing his route .
They did not p osit ively condem n the Russian s for

firing b u t they decreed that they should pay an i
,
n
de m n ity t o E ngland for the property destroyed

, ,
and to aid the fam ilies o f the killed and wou nded
fi shermen .
There was m u ch criticism u pon this verd ict

through ou t the cou ntries represented u pon the
Comm ission ; but it was indeed impossible for the
j udges t o d etermin e where the fault really lay .
The trawlers test ifi ed o n e an d all that there was

, ,
n o torpedo boat present

- Cert ai n o ffi cers o f the
.
Russian sh ips o n the other hand testifi ed p oint

, ,
blank t o having seen the hostile craft an d the com ,
m ander o f th e K a m s c fia tRa stoutly alleged th at h e had

been fi red u pon by a t orpedo boat and had signalled -
,
the fact to the flag ship at the outset o f the a ffair

-
, .
O n th e whole the best comm ent u pon the verd ict

,
was m ade by Bob Starr o n the Osp r ey when h e , ,
read the despatch in the papers .
“
I t reminds m e o f the Western j u ry said the ,
“
m idshipm an wh o knew the prisoner well and
, ,
liked him t oo m uch t o convict him ; s o they bro ught

‘ ’
in a verdict of N o tgu ilty bu t d on t do it again ! ,
’
C HAPT E R XXI .
T HE FAL L OF PO R T A R T H UR .
T ab ou t the dat e o f the m iscarriage o f C o m

m ander O to O w ar is plans in the N o rth Sea’
the regiment in which his o l d friend O shima com !
m an de d a com pany was detached from O yam a s

’
army o f invasion and added t o the forces under

General N ogi besieging Port Arthu r
, .
I t will be rem em bered that Port Arthu r was com

p l e te l y isolated o n lan d when the Second J apanese
Army u nder General O ku capt u red N an shan H ill
, , ,
in the latter part o f M ay 1904 O n Au gu st 9th the , .
R ussians were driven int o their perm anent works ,
the real siege beginn ing three days later when ,
shells fell in the streets o f the city for the fi rst t ime .
The task before th e small brown m en o f N ippon

seemed an impossible o n e There were seventeen .
permanent forts t o be taken forty two sem i perm a ,

- -
T he C a p ta in O h i m a w h fi g re in the e p age m u t tbe m i

s o u s s s s no s
tak e n for L i e te n a n t G e n er a l O h i m a wh e g a ll a t erv i c e d u ring

u -
s ,
os n s s
the s i ege f P rt A r th r hav e alre ad y bee n c hr ni c led in th d ai ly

o o u o e
n ew paper f A m eri ca
s s o .
conqu eror o f Port Arth u r he is a m ighty force in ,
the J apanese army .
Within the c ity the Russian sold iers and what ,
was left o f the civilian population kept u p a brave ,
front The long h ours were passed by the lad ies in

.
m aking garments for the invalids The hosp itals .

,
u nder the care o f the Red Cross were beaut ifully ,
kept the lau ndry work being d one by poor women

,
’ “
and the soldiers wives in place of the regular wash
,
m en w h o had left m onths before Every day in

, .
the week a m il itary band played in o n e or another

o f the h osp itals ; one day in the N ew Ru ssian t own
’
and o n e in the N e w T o w n M rs Stoessel the kind

. .
,
heart ed w ife o f the comm and er in chief visited the - -

,
sick m en bringing su ch dainties as the lessening

,
fare o f the fort ress cou ld fu rn ish and speakin ge n ,
c o u r ag i
n g words F o r every thou sand invalids were
.
thirty trained nu rses in addition to volu nteer ,
helpers Every day cam e a s ad procession bring

.
,
ing wounded m en in litters from the outer works .
Every day the shells fell in the doomed city The .
streets were full o f grea t gaps where th ey stru ck ,
and exploded Before O ctober the O l d Town was

.
a wreck .
Every three days the m en at the front were r e

lie v e d and as their comrades took their places the
,
troops cam e m archin g back singing cheerfully , ,
although there were many vacant places in their

T HE FA LL OF POR T A R TH UR . 2 51
ranks When they overtook a l itter with a dying

.
comrade the songs would cease and crossing him ,
self each man walked with bared head u ntil he had

passed th e brave fellow ; then he don ned his cap
again and contin u ed his song N o t a m an o f them
.
would adm it that the J apanese co u ld ever take P o rt

Arthu r H elp wo uld come from K o u r o patki
. n or
from the sea So th e days wore o n the leaves fell

.
, ,
chill winter winds began to sweep over the gulf ,
O ctober gave place t o N ovember and st ill the ,
longed for relief was withheld ; st ill the terrible

-
artillery o f th e fo e roared from the surrou nding

heights and from the m ighty battle ships ; and day -
by day the th under was lou der the hospitals filled , ,
and the heart o f the gallant general grew heavy .
After the fut ile assaul t in Augu st the J apanese

settled down to the slow process o f m in ing and
sapping N o o n e realised m ore fu lly than General
.
N ogi the tremend ou s task that was before h im .
Batteries and forts n ot only commanded o n e another

with their gu ns but were connected by m eshes o f
,
barbed wire which m u st be cut in the fac e o f a de

v as tati
n g fi re before the assailants could advance .
I n places these wires were charged with electricity .
When the cutters attem pted to ply their n ippers

they fell in their tracks electrocu ted Th e ou ter
, .
slopes o f the fortresses were form ed o f slippery

con crete o r of loose sand in wh ich the J apanese
,
fl o u n de r e d
and sl id backward while the Russian ,
marksmen p icked them o ff with their rifles .
Buried in these form idable slopes were m ines and

torpedoes som e t o be exploded by the to uch o f an
,
electric button som e by m ere contact

, These .
h urled hu ndreds o f the assailing troops into the

air t orn an d m angled
, D eep m oats s urrou nded
.
the earthworks an d were s o constru cted that they

,
could be raked by m ach ine gu ns I n at least o n e -

.
instance the m oat was filled with comb u stibles

which were fi red as soon as hu ndreds of J apanese
had leaped down int o it They were burned alive
. .
Bu t every stratagem every defence every death

, ,
dealing m an oe uvre o f the besieged was m et and

overcom e by the relentless besiegers To approach .
the fort ifi cat ion s across the z one o f fi re they dug

zig zag t renches at night thro ugh which the troops
-
, ,
after great sacrifice o f life could get within striking

,
d istance and carry th is or that battery by sudden

assault .They t unnelled like m oles under the ,
moats and through the earthworks I t m ight take .
tw o days o r two m onths to advance a h undred feet ,
b ut the advance was e ffected .
When the soldiers o f the two nations actu ally

m et the s cene was terrib l e As the opposing ranks
, .
drew n ear the m en t ossed balls o f gu n cotton —an

,
- -
z
explosive t o which p owder is as a t oy cracker to a -
twelve inch t urret gu n —among the enemy They

-
.
T HE O S AKA BAB I E S .
T HE FA L L OF POR T A R TH UR . 2 53
screamed defi an ce They fought with swords with

.
,
bayonets and fi nally like wild beasts with claws

, , ,
and t eeth N o savage tribes o f D arke st Africa ever

.
grappled in m ore fright ful confl ict .
The J apan ese s et th eir h earts u pon taking Port

Arthu r o n the birthday o f their Emp eror O ctober ,
2 9t,
h an d the fi ercest assault of the siege t ook place
that day O n the evening before Captain O shima
.
,
rested with h is company in a trench which paralleled

the defen ces o f o n e o f the strongest o f the Russian
fo rts U nt il late at night his m en were b usy clean
.
ing themselves as best they could and changing ,
their linen They were preparing for death The

. .
J apanese m u st die spotless in b ody as well as soul ,
t o inherit etern al happinesss O shima sat under a .
“
b omb proo f prepared by pl ac m g t imbers across
-
th e trench and covering them with ea rth He .

‘
t alked calmly with h is line officers and explained ,
the plan of the com ing attack as he had received it ,
from headqu art ers .
At intervals came the sou n d o f th e h eavy siege

mortars two m iles away fi ring over their heads int o
, ,
Port Arth u r These huge eleven inch gu ns were

. -
“ ”
a ff ectionately dubbed O saka Babies because ,
they were b u ilt at th e O saka arsenal in J apan

‘
There were eighteen o f them d istribu ted abou t

Port Arthu r Each gu n was em placed o n a con
.
c rete f ou ndation eight feet deep wh ich requ ired ,

2 54 T HE N OR T H PA CI FI C .
three weeks t o b u ild The shells use d weighed a

.
qu arter o f a ton and each discharge cost J apan $400 .
The expense o f a s i x ho u r b ombardment was som e

-
thing over three hu ndred thousand dollars .
“ ‘ ”
The babies are crying observed O shima ,
dri l y as he pau sed a m om ent in h is instru ct ions

, .
—
To m orrow n ight who of u s will hear them ?
-
“
To m orrow n ight
- exclaimed a you ng lieu
,
“
tenant with enthusiasm they will cry no m ore, ,
u nless it be for j oy The fortress will be ours !

.
O shim a glanced at his j un ior o ffi cer from beneath

his dark eyebrows bu t said nothing , .
’
The n ight passed and the m orn ing o f the M ikado s
,
b irthday dawned u pon the beleagu ered city u po n ,
the fair h ill t 0 ps and the rippling s e a u pon the stern

-
, ,
bearded faces o f the defend ers and the eager brown

hordes cro uching in the trenches outside the fort .
Slowly the hou rs dragged past the S iege guns ,

-
dropping their shells int o the sand slopes and tear -
ing open great craters Then shrapnel was hu rled

.
at the parapets a h u ndred shots a m in ute N o t a

,
.
fort replied As silently as the Continental troops

.
at Bu nker H ill the Ru ssians awaited the approach

,
o f their foe .
'
At last th e s i g n al was given The little b rown .
m en swarmed o u t o f their trenches and u p the fatal

s l o pe
. Then at last the answer cam e in a blind ing ,
fl ash and st unn ing roar from the embrasu res When .
.
the entrance and dropped in their tracks pierced by ,
half a hu ndred bullets Their places were instantly

.
taken by another squad who reached the line o f ,
bayonets There was a fi erce hand t o hand fi ght

.
fo r a m in ute The open ing w as s o n arrow that

.
only a few could occu py it at the same tim e These .
few overp owered p ierced by the lunging bayonets

, ,
o f the Russians staggered backward and fell heap

, ,
ing the p ile o f slain before the redo ubt There was .
an instant s hesitat ion —then a do z en brown m en

’
dr oppe d tke i
r m us ke ts and ran in d irectly u pon the
bayonets which flashed in the sunshin e as they were

,
driven home Before they could be withdrawn from

.
the b od ies of their volu ntary victims the remainder

o f the J apanese company sprang in over the bodies
o f their comrades and the Russian defenders m et
the sam e fate Five m in utes later the flag o f the

.
su nrise floated from two corners o f the fort and the ,
amb ulance corps spread o u t over the o uter g l ac i s ,
succouring the few wou nded who su rv ived the awful

carnage .
Who were the gallant twelve who like Arnold ,
von Winkelried sheathed the bayonets in their

,
breasts to disarm the foe and so a fford an entrance

fo r their comrades ? Generations of schoolboys have
t old u pon the plat form how the brave Switzer fell :
M ake way for Liberty ! he cried !
M ade way fo r L iberty —and d ied ,
T HE FA LL OF POR T A R TH UR . 2 57
b ut few save the keeper o f the m ilitary archives

,
o f J apan know the names o f the twelve heroes o f

,
Fort K e e kw an .
The end was not yet N o sooner w as the fort .
occu pied by the J ap anese than the fi re o f two others

was concentrated u pon it The victors were in tu rn .
forced to evacu ate that deadly enclosu re and plying ,
their spades busily entrenched themselves j ust b e

,
low the parapets .
So assault after assau lt w as delivered and the ,
slain lay in heaps inside the fortificat ions and with

o u t and still Port Arthu r w as not taken ; bu t slowly
,
an d relentlessly the besiegers m oved forward a few ,
feet a single earthwork a point here and a point

, ,
there being occupied always nearer the heart of the ,
citadel .
The las t stage o f the defence began with the

captu re o f 2 03 Metre H ill o n N ovember 2 0th by
-
, ,
which the J apanese secured a posit ion from which

they cou ld search o u t with their shells every n ook
and corner o f the inner harb ou r where the last hope ,
“
o f the defenders the remnant o f their prou d Port
,
Art hu r Squadron had lain in comparat ive safety

,
since the actions in the earlier part o f th e war The .
patched u p hulk o f the R e tv i

- z a n was sunk at her
m oorings Again and again the other vessels in the

.
harbou r were stru ck The great K e e kw an M ou nt .
ain fo rt w as at last taken and held and o n D ecem ,

23
2 58 T HE N OR TH PA CI F I C .
h e r 3 o th the J apanese storm ed the key of the inner

defenc es E h r l u n g fo rt and p ut its weakened garri
, ,
son o f fi ve h u ndred m en t o the sword The h o s .
p ita l s o f th e city were crowded and m ed icines

lacking .
O n the last day o f the year G eneral Stoessel

ordered the remaining battle ships and cru isers to b e -
blown u p and the t orpedo boat destroyers with a

,
-
,
transpo rt contain ing eight hu ndred wou nded to ,
m ake a dash for Chefoo ; all o f wh ich w as s uccess

fully carried o ut .
J an u ary I 190 5 dawned pe acefully The b e

, , .
siegers prepared themselves for a fi nal rush before ,
the contem plated horrors o f wh ich the c ivilised

world stood aghast B u t it was not to be
. .
Early in the forenoon a m an bearing a white flag

was seen m ou nt ing the parapets and approaching
the J apanese lines H e was co u rt eously received
.
and condu cted t o headqu arters An h ou r later .
cheers rent the air through all the trenches arou nd

,
Port Arthu r The city had cap itu lated General

. .
Stoessel had su rrendered t o save his remain ing ,
half starved em aciated faltering b u t gallant troops

-
, ,
from su re destru ction What it cost that brave

.
heart to speak the word n o o n e can t ell I n th e , .
person o f her general Ru ssia knelt before the de

,
s pis e d islanders and su ed for peace I t was a ter .
rible hum iliat ion to him t o the army and t o the , ,

C H APT E R XXI I .
ON BOA R D T HE KU SH I RO .
FT E R the fall o f Port Arth u r cam e a lull in the

operat ions of both sides at sea and on land ,
.
The R ussians were st ill bu sy entrench ing themselves

in and south of M ukden the ancient M anchu rian
,
capital. H ere K o u r o patki

n had made his stand
after the disastrous defeat at L iaoyang I mm ensely .
strong works were thrown u p the defensive front ,
m ade apparently impregn able and St Petersb urg , .
breathed m ore freely alth ough variou s i nd icat ions

,
o f internal d isorders gave the co u rt concern .
O yam a s m en m eanwh ile prepared themselves

’
, ,
as best they m ight fo r a winter campaign They .
b urrowed in the hillsides and lived in d ug outs and -
shant ies almost within pistol shot o f the Russian

outposts . Supplies o f food and heavy clothing
reached the army by the Yalu River and from N ew
chwang over the railway to Liaoyang whence they ,
were forwarded in waggons t o the fro nt O shim a .
shared a small m ud b u t with two other lin e o ffi cers .
H is men cheerily cooked their rations of ri c e ove r

2 60
ON BOA RD T HE
“
K U S HI RO ”
. 26 1
little fi res in front o f their dug outs The scene - .
wou ld have resembled V alley Forge bu t that the ,
troops were well clothed and under absolute di s
ci
p l i
n e .
O n O ctober 2 n d, K o u r o patki
had issu ed a pr o
°
n
clamat ion declaring that the period o f retreats was

“
over . The army is n o w strong enough to advance
and compel the J ap anese to do ou r will This was .
the last effort to relieve P ort Arthu r—a forlorn

“
”
hope indeed A battle ensued the carnage and
.
,
desperate valou r o f which even exceeded those of

Liaoyang The Ru ssian losses alone were nearly
.
seventy thou sand killed and wounded

, After ten .
days o f terrific fight ing they were forced back to the

H un River where they held their o w n and settled
,
d own for the win ter with the J apanese facing ,
them .
The Baltic fleet u nder V ice Adm iral R o je s t

,
-
v e n s ky after the D ogger Bank a ffair

, resum ed its ,
voyage southward I t rou nded the Cape o f Good

.
H ope safely and proceeded t o N ossi B e a port at ,
the northern end o f Madagascar where it was wel ,
c om ed by the French with as m u ch cordiality as

they dared t o show their natu ral allies with out ,
Open breach o f n eutrality H ere the vice adm iral .

-
spent m any weeks cleaning provisioning and coal

, , ,
ing h is sh ips an d drilling his crews .
A second squ adron o f ships m eanwhile start ed , ,

.
from the Baltic fo r the E ast by way o f the M ed i ,
terranean and the Su ez Canal followed by st ill a ,
third d ivision N o one o utside the in ner circle of

.
,
the Ru ssian Adm iralty and War O ffi ce knew ,
where these three s qu adrons were t o u n ite Their .
p ort o f destinat ion after the captu re o f P ort Arth ur

, ,
could o f cou rse b e no other than V l adi

, , vo s to ck ,
where two p owerfu l cru isers d isabled by Togo in ,
August had been repaired and with a few sm al ler

, , ,
craft st ill form ed the n u cleu s o f a fleet

, .
Comm ander O to O wari had hastened at once to

T okio o n h is u nexpected ret urn from the N o rth
,
Sea where h is strategic attack u pon the Baltic ships

,
had so signally failed H e was acqu itted of blam e

.
,
by a court o f enqu iry an d was at o nce given th e ,
comman d o f the t orpedo boat destroyer K us lti ro -

,
then fi tt ing for serv ice in the Sasebo docks .
At this t im e O H ana San was a n u rse in the m il i

- -
t ary hosp ital at H iroshima

’
She knew o f O to s .
appointm ent and if the truth be told dreaded the

, ,
t im e when the K us fi ir o shou ld be pu t in comm ission .
O n e day early in M arch she wrote to her old play

mate that she and an other n u rse were to have a few
’
days leave o f absence and that o n e o f the hospital ,
surgeons with h is wi fe was t o take them o n an ex

, ,
c urs i
on t o Sasebo to see the navy yard — a privilege
not often accorded save t o those in the service,

.
O to was d elighted with the prospect o f seeing M iss

.
ab ou t this time and as the water is sm ooth t o day

,
I tho ught yo u wou ld enj oy the excu rsion .
I t is n eedless to say that after the fi rst sensation

o f fear the gu ests were delighted an d even the t im id
,
n u rses soon stood o n the qu arter deck su rveying the

-
,
scene and drinking in the cool s e a bree z e with qu iet -
happ iness .
O n a platform j ust in front o f them was a s i x
po u nder rifle fairly dazzling their eyes so beaut ifu lly

, ,
was it polished . Beh in d them was a screen shelter ,
“ ”
ing the after steering p osition .
Farther forward were the great n ostrils o f the

boat the torpedo t u bes and alongsid e them was a
,
-
,
hatch wh ich led t o the chief petty o ffi c e r s m ess -

’
room — a very sm all apartm ent clean and shin ing

,
with constant scru bb ing N o o n e can appreciate

.
n eatness better than a hosp ital n u rse and H an a ,
and her friends were lou d in their praises o f the

condition o f these h idden n iches in the vessel .
Going farther forward an d looking down another

’
hatch they s aw th e sh ip s cook in h is galley hard ,
at work preparing dinner H ere also was a dynam o

.
fo r su pplying electricity fo r the search light which -

,
was placed between the engin e room hatches o n -
deck .
“
H o w m any m en are there o n b oard Captain ? ,
asked the surgeon .
“
O u r complem ent i s fift y two replied
- O to, .
ON BOA RD T HE K U S HI RO ”
. 265
H ow can they ever fi nd room to sleep ! ex

”
claimed H ana .
“ ’
Well there s n o tm u ch room to spare laughed
, ,
“
the commander who seemed very happy, Som e .
sling their hamm ocks and others sleep o n the

lockers We shall seldom take a long cru ise like
.
,
those o f the larger ships H ere is a collapsible

.
” “
boat ,
he added We have two yo u s e e o n e
.
, ,
each side They are hoisted o u t by that derr ick o n

.
the m ast an d if we had t o aban don ship they would

,
take seventeen m en each as well as provisions an d,
”
water .
“
What is this deck covered with s i r? ,
A kind o f lin oleu m I t is fou nd t o answer o u r

.
pu rpose m uch better than wood and is used also in ,
regular torpedo boats H ere by the way are ou r

.
, ,
two s i x pou nder gu ns : these and the twelve pounder

- -
u p there constit u te o u r b o w fi re t o be used when ,
we are in chas e o f an enemy .
O H ana San shu d dered b ut said n othing

- -
,
.
“ ”
H o w large is this ship ? enqu ired the m edical
m an who was bent o n acqu iring stat ist ics
, .
“
Abou t two hundred feet long an d twenty feet ,
beam She draws abou t s i

. x H ere is o u r conn ing
.
tower with half inch steel arm our o n it We can

,
-
.
steer from here and in bad weather we have t o as

, ,
”
o n e would be washed o ff the bridge .
The d iminut ive J apanese lad ies peered insid e .

2 66 T HE NOR TH PA CI FI C.
There was j u st room for two people t o stand u p in ,
the t ower and it was fi tted with a c ompass steering

, ,
wheel t elegraph to the engine room and voice

,
-
,
pipes t o the to r ped o t u bes and various other parts

o f the ship .
O nly half an inch th ick ? qu eried the surgeon ,
“
exam ining the arm o ur plates H ow thick then .
, ,
” ’
is the ship s side ?
“ ”
Oh said O to with a sm ile ab ou t an eighth o f
, , ,
an inch I t s j u st as go o d as a foot u nless a shell

.
’
”
strikes it Will yo u step down here ? h e added
.
,
leading the way t o a lower deck .
The su rgeon and the lad ies t ipt oed daintily down
the short ladder and foun d themselves in a long , ,
low ceiled room with a table ru nn ing along the

-
,
centre fore and aft and two rows of lockers along

,
- -
,
the sides .
— ‘
This is the m ess deck o f th e s ailors th e J ackies -
,
’
”
Am ericans call them explained th e com mander , ,
who o f cou rse like every on e else o n b oard sp oke

, ,
“
only in J apanese We are now u n der the t u rtle .
”
backed forecastle deck you see -
, .
A few m en were d own here one st itching canvas , ,
another m ending hi s clothes one writin g a letter , ,
and o n e stretched o u t fast a sleep , .
Abou t twenty men live d own here a dded O to , .
These are their ham m ocks and that is the capstan ,
”
en gine H e pointed above his head as he spoke
. .
.
n orth o f the K us ki ’
r o s cou rse After a m om ent h e
.
p ut down the glasses

“
Port half a po int he said qu ietly
, .
”
Port half a p oint sir ,repeated th e quart er
,
m aster.
After a m inute Steady !

“
Steady sir, .
I think it is an Am erican war ship rem arked -

,
O to pleasantly t u rn ing to h is gu ests

, W e shall .
ru n d own n ear her that you m ay see h ow the

,
foreigner looks I I am qu ite fam iliar with the

.
-
Am erican sh ips myself .
The comm ander and O H ana San exchanged a - -
swift glance of un derstanding bu t n o fu rther allu ,
sion was m ad e to O to O w ar is former experience '
o f wh ich the little Red Cross n u rse was well aware

-
.
“
Ah, exclaim ed the s urgeon drawing a long ,
b reath o f delight as h e looked o ut over the sparklin g

waters o f the Yellow Sea I could alm ost wish t o
,
change p l aces with y ou Captain ! This is delicio u s

, ,
after the atm osphere o f the hosp ital th e so u nd o f ,
groans the odour o f antisept ics and an e sthet ics !

,
I do n ot wonder that yo u chose the n avy fo r you r

”
calling.
Well well
, , said O to with his gentle laugh
, ,
it d oes seem pleasant n o w especially [ here he ,
bowed gracefu lly] in su ch e xa lted soc iety Bu t .
come o ut on a cold wet n ight in J an u ary when a

, ,
ON B OA RD T HE
“
K U S HI RO ”
. 26
9
h eavy s e a is runn ing and yo u have t o hang o n t o

,
the rails o f the twelve po under here t o prevent

-
, ,
you rself being carried o ff you r feet ; when the waves

come pouring over the tu rtle back and fl ood the -
’
u pper deck ; when you r r e soaked to the skin ,
an d shivering and thinking o f — o f [ he glanced at

,
Blossom] thousands o n sh ore sn u g and warm and ,
fast asleep ; when the blind ing spray and sleet are
l ash ing you r face like whipcord s o you can hardly
'
open you r eyes to s e e the lights o f the vessel you

are watching ahead ; and when everything down b e
low in the wardroom is sliding abou t o n the deck
well I think a com fortable d ry room in the hosp i
, ,
tal would seem rather m ore attract ive than the

bridge o f the K us lzir o
The girls sm iled at h is eloqu ence bu t O H ana ,
-
San looked troubled and her slim brown han d

,
shook a little as she t u rn ed to accept her o l d friend s ’
invitation to inspect the engine room - .
“ ” ’
I m sorry said O to
’
,
that we r e going only
,
two hu ndred an d eighty revolutions n ow Y o u .
should s e e them at three hu ndred and fi fty with ,
forced draft !
The engine room was hot an d oily and not even
-
,
the fascinating sight o f the bright steel rods flashing

u p and d own and the cranks whirring at the rat e o f
four revolut ions a second —a m ere m ist o f m etal
c oul d lon g detain the part y They were rather
.
glad it m ust b e con fessed when a h ail from the

, ,
deck sent the comm ander flying u p the ladder and

the rest co uld follow hold ing their garments care
,
fully aloof from the glisten ing m etal work .
O n their reaching the deck a glorious sight m et

their ga z e Abo ut hal f a m ile away was a war ship
.
-
,
whit e as sn ow com ing t oward them The beaut i

, .
ful stars and stripes blew out over her ta ffrail and ,
a string o f flags fl u ttered from her yard arm The - .
S ignalman was j ust send ing u p an answer o n the
I t is the U nited Stat es gunb oat Osp r ey said ,
Comm ander O to with u n u su al excitement in h is

,
“
vo ice and a glow o n h is olive cheeks
, W e have .
invited her comm ander t o com e on b oard and he ,
h as graciou sly consented to do so although his ,
ship is o f a larger class than m ine kn owing that a

,
J apanese o ffi cer is forbidden to leave h is ship at s e a ,
o n any pretence i n war time

, See they are lower
.
,
ing a b oat !
The K us ki r o had already st opped her engines ,
and the Osp r ey wh ich had slowed d own several

,
m inutes before n o w followed her example

,
T he .
two vessels slowly approached each other u ntil they

were b ut a few h undred yards apart .
A boat was n ow Seen leaving the Am erican and ,
’
the dest royer s side was manned by j ackies t o
r e c ei v e th e visi tor w i
t h na v al honou rs I n fi ve .
.
t oward his sub ord inates showing that he d id n ot ,
care t o have all the events o f that voyage mad e

public .
W ith t ru e J apanese hosp itality he begged Re x

dale t o remain and j oin the party at lu ncheon ; bu t
Dave could n ot leave h is o w n ship s o long and after ,
’
a few m in utes conversat ion was obliged t o leave .
H e explained that the Osp r ey had been d ocked at

Cavite du ring the winter ; then detailed t o her o l d
stat ion as guardsh ip at Chemu lpo whence s h e was ,
now o n her way to Shanghai .
“ ’
I su ppose you heard this m orn ing s news ? he
said carelessly as he stepped to the gangway
, .
“ ”
What n ews ? asked O to with a keen look , .
R o je s tv e n sky s ships have been sighted abou t

’
half way between Chagos and Singapore steam ing

-
,
“
east at full speed said D ave in a lower to n e It
'
.
, ,
looks as if he were going to try th e Strait o f M a

lacca Forty two vessels reported i nclud ing trans
.
-
,
p orts and colliers Good bye ! .

-
The blu e j ackets of the K us /ti

- r o at the instigat ion ,
o f her execu tive gave the departi ng visitors three

,
cheers as the m en let fall their oars Sam Bolles .
and D ick S c u pp who happened to b e in the boat s

,
’
crew stared with open m ouths at the J apanese

, , ,
commander wh o nodded t o them in a friendly way

, .
A few m in utes lat er the foam gathered u nder the

’
Osp r ey s bows as she bore o ff t oward China and the ,
ON BOA RD T HE
“
K US HI RO ”
2 73
K us ki
ro making a gracefu l t u rn headed t oward
, ,
N agasaki both vessels dipping their colo urs in

,
salute .
The n ews which he had heard affected O to deeply ,
“
b ut he let n o sign o f his emotions appear to dim in
ish his cou rt eou s hospit ality t o his guests They .
’ '
d ined in the o ffi c e r s m ess room the captain s cabin -
,
being to o small fo r the purpose Everything passed .
o ff happily and gaily .
“
Going into the harbou r sir rep ort ed a boat , ,
swain to the commander as the repast w as fi nished ,

.
I n a few m inu tes the K us /ii ro approached her

d ock and made a near landing O to bade the visit .
o r s farewell O H ana San drawn by som ething in

.
- -
,
his dark eyes lingered j u st a m oment as he took

, ,
her han d in his o w n .
“
When you hear from m e again he wh ispered , ,
I shall have been in action The Ru ssian fleet is .
close at hand and we m ay be ordered so uth before

,
m orning Farewell O H ana San !

.
,
- -
“
O to ! O to ! S ayo na r a ’
.
18
C H APT E R XXI I I .
T RA P PE D IN M A N CH U R I A .
L E SS energetic an d determ ined individu al

than M r Frederic Larkin m ight well have
.
felt d iscou raged when s uccessively fired u pon by

,
the J apanese and rej ected by the Ru ssians he was ,
thrust o u t o f Port A r thu r and landed in Chefoo .
H is pass from the War O ffi ce at Tokio had been

taken from him when he first entered Port Arthu r ,
and had n ot been retu rned To present himself

.
again at General S to e s s e l s headquarters was o u t of

’
the qu estion even i f the means were p ossible

,
.
“
The balloon ro u te seems to b e inde fi n itely su s
pended , m used Fred as he rested o n the h otel
,
“
verandah in the Chin ese city an d with ou t m u ch ,
—
doubt I sh ould be d efi n itely s uspend ed b y the
n eck—i f the Russians caught m e a third time insid e
the fortress N o there s n o use in wasting t ime
.
,
’
( and a good serviceable neck) in t rying to car r y o ut

,
hom e orders I ll cable the B ul l e ti

’
n and as k fo r
instruct ions.
.
besides his o w n langu age a M anchu rian d ialect —a

—
very broken sort Of E ngl ish and J apanese L arkin .
had not liked h is looks b u t t ime w as pr e c io u s an d

’
he h oped t o get rid o f the m an after three o r fou r

days at th e u tm ost K an uka was u nder si z ed and
.
-
,
had a droop o f the head which gave his eyes a sort

o f m alevolent expression as he peered u pward ,
u nder his shaggy brows H e stooped slightly was

.
,
sallow faced and oddly en o ugh had grizzled cu rly

-
, , , ,
hai r and a full black beard like a Russian H e w as

, .
in reality as Fred afterward learned a nat ive of

, ,
Eastern Siberia though he dressed like a Chinaman

,
and spoke like a Manch u rian .
For a wh ile the little train proceeded in si lence ,
broken only by the sno rt in g k i cking p on ies and ,
the harsh guttu ral explet ives of the gu ide who

, ,
belabou red them with h is cu dgel u nti l Fred checked

h im .
“
These ponies m u st last fou r days my friend , ,
“
he su ng o u t I f yo u keep u p you r style o f c o r
.
rection there won t b e m ore than t wo h oo fs and an

”
ear left by the time we reach Liaoyang .
K anuka m uttered something Larkin cou l d n ot

u nderstand and pointed to a low lin e o f clou ds in
,
the west .
“
Wh at d oes that m ean —storm ?
The m an n odded .
Hm
’ ’
What s the nearest large town ?
.
TRA PPE D I N M A NCHURI A . 2 77
Feng Weng Chang

- - .
Th ere m ust b e something

’
That s t oo far .
nearer than that !

K anuka n odded again and m ade a gestu re toward
“ ”
the n orth Good place to stop near Yalu
.
, .
“
N ear the Yalu ? Bu t that s o ff o u r ro ute o l d ’
’
chap I gu ess we 11 push o n toward Feng Weng
.
-
Chang There m u st be som e villages along the

.
road.
The gu ide st olidly t urned and plodded o n with

o u t another word save a native oath o r t w o ad
dressed to the pony which responded with a squ eal

,
and a sidewise kick with o n e h ind foot -

.
The clou d s rose rapidly and the cold grew m ore ,
intense The sky was n ow entirely covered an d a

.
,
b iting wind swept d own through the valley o f the

Yal u At noon Fred called a halt in the shelter o f
.
a clu mp o f trees and a hasty meal was prepared

,
over a small fi re while the horses were given food

,
and drink The gu ide remained su llen an d tacit u rn

.
,
but perform ed h is d uties well Fred had a belt .
arou nd h is waist fi lled wi th gold p ieces as well as a ,
pocket full o f change .
“
Look here K anu ka he said as the cavalcade
, ,
resumed their march you bring m e to a house

,
where we can be decently com fortable for t o n ight -

,
and I l l hand yo u ten yen in add ition t o your

’
”
regu lar pay See ? .
.
The man shrugged h is shou lders u nder his shaggy

sheepskin cloak and pointed u p to the sky .
“
“
Snow soon he said g r uffi y
,
H ou se that .
”
way ; an d again he ind icated the n orth .
“ ’
Well we may have t o come t o it b ut I don t
, ,
want t o go a foot o ff th e main trail if I can help

it There are t oo m any loose characters floating
.
abou t these regions t o make the country healthy

for foreigners away from the m ilitary roads —eh
, ,
K anuka ?
’
A gleam cam e into the gu ide s d ark eye b u t ,
passed like a flash H e only shrugged his sh ou ld ers

.
again an d resu m ed the weary tram p along the

,
fro z en path .
N o w a sn ow fl ake fl oated downward an d alighted

-
’
o n Fred s coat sleeve H e su rveyed it with interest
-
. .
“ “
K an uka
’
he observed
, you r e a gen ius ,
'
Y o u d b e a valuable aid t o General Greely over in

’
my count ry forecast ing weather The sn ow has

,
.
arrived —a local area o f it anyway

‘
H ow long
’
, .
”
do yo u suppose it will last ?
“ ”
T w o days .
W hew ! I t s a p oor l ookou t for equ estrian

’
excursions to the ru ral districts ! H ere it comes in ,
dead earnest !
A gust of wind ru shed d own from the m ou ntains ,
and in a m inute the air was full o f fi ne dri ft wh ich

stu ng the faces o f m en and horses like needles .
Fred did n ot like this independent change o f

ro ute b u t going back was o u t of the qu estion and
, ,
he w as to o cold t o argu e with fi re shelter and , , ,
food close at hand .
“
All right h e said briefly
,
K eep o n W e 11 . .
’
”
t alk it over afterward .
Ten m in u tes later K an uka halted before the d oor

o f a rude hut wh ich comm u n icated with two or
,
three sm all wings o r out h ou ses I t was b u ilt of -

.
m u d and rough stones and thatched with straw .
There were several ho uses sim ilar in character farther

down the road The little settl em ent was in a shel
.
te r e d n ook between two high hills which as the , ,
valley ran east an d west protected the hut s or , ,
h ovels as they might well b e c alled from the full ,
force o f the gale .
Ka n u ka knocked at the d oor with h is club b ut it ,
was som e t im e before it w as opened although the ,
light b u rn ing within shin ing throu gh the small

,
window sho wed that the occupants were awake

, .
The gu ide was red o u bling his blows and sh out ing
in his o w n language when the door swung inward
, ,
and an o l d woman appeared in the opening A l o w .
coll oquy ensu ed and then K an uka t u rn ed to his

,
employer .
“
She says we m ay spend the n ight here he ,
S aid in better E nglish than he had yet u sed

, Go .
you in and get warm s i r I will care for horses

, . .
TRA PPE D I N M A N CH UR I A . 281
W ith som e di ffi culty Fred d ism ou nted and

stumbled in at the open d oorway H e fou nd .
h imsel f in a small low browed room s o fi lled with

-
,
sm oke that his eyes tingled and s o d irty that hard

, ,
ened traveller as h e w as he hesitated fo r a m omen t

,
before removing his heavy coat .
The aged crone paid n o fu rther attention t o her

visitor b ut resum ed her preparat ions for the even
,
’
ing m eal which had been interrupted by Fred s
,
appearance o n the scene There was a broad irreg

.
,
ular fireplace o n on e side o f the room and here a fi re ,
w as bla z ing wi th a black pot

, from wh ich rose a,
n ot unsavoury steam suspen ded over the flam es

, .
M umbling t o herself the m istress o f the h ut — for

,
su ch s h e seem ed to b e — occup ied herself in stirring

the conte n ts of the pot and in d ragging a s m all
,
wooden table t o the cent re o f the floor whic h like , ,
the table the chairs the walls and the o l d wom an

, , ,
herself w as grimy and redolent o f fi lth

, .
Accustomed t o adapt himself t o all sorts o f

strange surro un dings the reporter n ow removed
his outer garments and approached the fire with a
,
propitiato ry word to th e woman ; b ut s h e responded

m erely by p oint ing impatiently to a bench an d ,
tu rn ing her back u pon him N othing daunted Fred.
drew the bench nearer the fireplace and proceeded

t o tha w o u t his ben u mbed fi ngers with every o u t
ward appearance o f co ntent and sat isfact ion To .
.
please him self rather than h is h ostess wh o he knew ,
cou ld n ot u nderstan d a word he spoke he c on ,
ti n u e d t o soliloqu ise alo u d .
“
Y o u are n ot very sociable m a am
’
he said , ,
cheerfully spread ing o ut his hands to the bla z e

, ,
“
b u t acti o ns speak lou der than words an d the ,
‘
prospect o f that bo iled d inner in the kettle fu lly ’
com pensates m e for the lack o f convent ional atten

”
t ions Perm it m e !
.
H e saw that s h e was about t o lift the p ot from

the fi re and stepp ing in front o f her he proceeded
,
t o relieve her of the task t o which in truth , , ,
with her bent and aged form she h ardly seemed ,
e q u aL
A m inute later the contents of the pot were

heaped in a large wooden platter o n the tabl e At .
this interesting point K an uka entered from a rear

d oor sta mp ing o ff th e snow and t ook his place o n
, ,
the bench beside Fred .
’
D on t apolo gise brother said the latter with
, , ,
“
perfect good hu mou r -
I n great em ergencies all
.
men are free and equ al —as they were b orn See .
Constitution o f the U n ited States o f Am er ica line ,
3. Su ppose we draw this seat u p t o the board ,
”
which groans with the delicacies o f the seas on ?
K anuka assented with a gru nt and their hostess , ,
having su pplied each with a large wooden spoon ,
“
they proceeded t o eat from the dish ; the deli
K an uka spoke to the woman who withdrew fo r a ,
m oment She cam e back with two skins o n e o f a

.
,
reindeer and the other a shaggy pelt wh ich Fred

d id n ot recogni se She threw these d own in a
.
corner o f the room opposite the fi re , .
“ ”
There is yo u r bed said the gu ide , .
”
well .
“
Same t o y ou said Fred yawn ing
, Good , .
’
n ight m a am !
,
“
N either o f the M anchu rians paid the slightest
attention t o h im as h e spread the rugs and stretched
him self at full length between them The win d .
roared arou nd the little hu t and he could hear the ,
snow beat ing against its sides Before long K anuka .
and the woman left him alon e having carefully ,
covered the coals o f fi re with ashes j ust as he had ,
often seen his grandm other cover them in his N ew

E nglan d hom e Thinking ab ou t that hom e and
.
,
listen ing to the storm he was soon sou nd asleep

, .
The travel worn correspondent had a cu riou s

-
dream H e th ou ght h e was back o n the old farm in

.
B r o o kfi e l d h oeing corn There was sn ow b etween

.
the hills and instead o f drawing u p warm b rown

, ,
earth arou nd the six inch blades o f corn he packed

-
,
them n icely in sn ow sh ivering as he d id s o

,
There .
were icicles o n his h o e and he cou ld hardly have

kept at work had he n ot bee n aided by two M an
chu rian ponies wh o pawed the sn ow toward the
TRA PPE D I N MA NCH URI A . 285
hills and asked h im t o hu rry for a ballo on was

, ,
com ing for th em at precisely fou r o clock H e was ’

.
by n o means surprised to hear them speak espe ,
cial l y as o n e of them was dressed in a ragged gown
and the other in a sheepskin cloak .
What t im e is it ? asked the o l d woman pony -
sharply H e was too cold to look and both ponies

.
,
started t o fumble at h i s watch gu ard with their -
hoofs Their eyes flashed fi re

. H e began to be
.
afraid and m ade a tremendou s e ffort t o push them

,
back bu t he could not m ove a fi nger W ith a cry

, .
o f terror he awoke .
Awoke to fi nd himself bou nd hand and foot , ,
with the light o f the greasy lam p shin ing in his

face The o l d hag was stoop ing over h im and
.
drawing his watch from his p ocket By the d im .
light in the room he s aw half a d o zen wild looking -
men standing around him All were armed and.
their bearded faces were w o l fi s h K anuka knelt .
beside him tying the last knot in the rope that

bound his ankles together As he caught sight o f
.
’
Fred s wide open eyes fixed u pon him he uttered
-
an exclamat ion and drew a long kn ife from his belt .

C H APT E R XXI V .
T HE L I T T L E F A T HE R .
L T HO U G H the correspondent o f the B ul l e tin

was n ot aware of the fact when he started o n
h is event ful j ou rney n orthward active host ilit ies ,
had already begu n at the front The two i mmense .
arm ies as we have seen lay entrenched facing each

, , ,
other in lines extend ing n early o n e hu ndred m iles

, ,
fro m east t o west across t h e railroad south of

,
M oukden the ancient cap ital o f the M anchu s

, .
While the J a panese had thrown u p tem porary

earthworks here and there and o f cou rse had taken,
advantage of the confi gu ration o f the grou nd t o

secu re th eir posit ions against su rprise as well as t o ,
afford shelter for their troops against the inclemency

o f the M anchu rian winter the Russians were far ,
m ore strongly fort ified and were determined to hold

their grou nd Railroad tra i
. ns ru nn ing between ,
M oukden and H arb in their great m ilitary bas e

, ,
su pplied them with constantly renewed stores o f

amm unition fo od and clothing and m oreover
, , , , ,
remo v ed the sick and wou nded from t h e f r o nt and

286
.
repeated Assault after assault was delivered b ut

.
,
for a week the devoted band of M uscovites held

that little acre o f grou nd o n the h ill t op while -
,
regiment after regim ent of the soldiers o f N ippon

m elted away before the terrifi c fi re from the fortress .
I t was like wading u p stream s of m olten lava t o ,
fight a volcan o in full eruption The Russians

.
were n ever driven from the hill by d irect assault ;

b ut K o u r o patkin seeing his wings bent inward and
,
backward farther and farther and h is front once

,
m ore assum ing the t errible h orse shoe shape r e l u c

-
,
tan tly gave orders to h is brave m en to withdraw

from Pu ti l o ff an d fall back o n the line o f the rail
road .
I n the d ivision o f the J apanese troops to whom

the capture o f this hill —the keyston e o f K o u r o pat
kin s arch — was assigned was the regiment in which
’
’
O shima served . Thu s far O to s o l d frien d had
seemed t o bear a charmed life H e had fou ght in
.
battle after battle b ut had received n o wou nd o f

,
any m oment . H is company had been decimated

again an d again but the ranks had been fi lled and
,
the stern yo ung captain still held his place in front ,
as it wheeled into line when the regiment was called

u pon for n ew du ties .
U pon hearing the order t o m ove u pon L on e Tree -
H ill the m en set u p a cheer The o ffi cers burnished

,
.
their swords and stepped alertly to and fro align ,

T HE LI TTLE FA THE R . 2 89
ing the ranks an d glancing along the fi les t o s e e

that every equ ipm ent was in order and every man
ready This was in the early aftern oon
. I t was .
u nderstood that the art illery would open u p on the

h ill batteries at su ndown an d two hou rs later the
,
assault wou ld be m ade .
I mpat iently the compact mass o f small brown

men waited fo r the word The great siege guns .
,
brought with infi n ite labou r from Port Arthu r ,
roared and thu ndered P u ti

l o ff answered
. and ,
shrapnel b u rst over the J apan ese troops who bu r ,
rowed as best they m ight in trenches and holes and

behind every hillock w hile they hastily devou red
,
their scant fi eld rat ions The night cam e o n

.
,
dark and heavy At last the welcom e word w as

.
received .
“
Forward ! cried O shim a brand ishing his sword
,
so that it glittered in the flashes o f the cannon .
The regiment hurled itself u pon the slopes o f the

hill solid shot ploughing awfu l fu rr ows through
,
their ranks The su rvivors kept o n u ndau nted

.
, .
That night m eant fo r them v ictory o r a gloriou s

dea th N o o n e thought o f retreat
. .
As he s aw his men swept d ownward by the p it i

less hail o f steel O shima lost all sense o f danger and
, ,
the o l d spirit o f h is Sam urai ancestors bla z ed o u t .
“
Strike ! Strike ! he shouted t o h is m en spring ,
ing in front o f them as the broken line faltered for

19
a m oment . U p the hill ! I t is ou rs ! B an zaidai

N ippo n
With the wild cheer o f J apan u pon h is lips he
suddenly threw h is arms aloft and fell headlong to
the grou nd The colum n swept by an d over him
.
in the darkness Then two slightly wou nded men

.
raised their c aptai n h is hand st ill grasping his

M
sword and t ottered down the hill with him stu m

, ,
bling over the bodies of the fallen .
N o t far in the rear were Red Cross workers and -

,
the silent figu re of the brave o ffi cer was born e

swiftly to a h osp ital ten t where he part ly regained
,
conscio u sness .H e was shot through the b ody and ,
the su rgeon s shook their heads as they exam ined

the wou nd . Still there was a chance for his l ife
, ,
and O shima was despatched t o the coast the fi rst ,
part o f th e way in an ambu lance then by railway , .
At Antu ng he remained unt il th e h osp ital ship was

ready to sail with its sad freight of torn p ierced , ,
and m angled soldiers The stau nch vessel —painted

.
wh ite with a broad green stripe alon g its hu ll like

, ,
—
the sash o f a m ilitary surgeon conveyed h im safely
to H irosh ima where he w as place d in a c o t near an
,
eastern window K ind hands m in istered to him

.
,
and gentle faces b ent over him As he recovered .
full possession o f his senses he saw o n e sweet face

that was fam iliar to him .
H ana ! he whispered O H ana San is it you ?

“
.
- -
,
.
track separating t o allow a train t o roar through

,
their m idst shaking frenz ied fi sts at it as it passed

,
and left them beh ind ; fl inging away food clothing , ,
hou sehold treasures t o which they had thu s far

clung m echan ically ; shouted at by retreating bat
t alions whose progress they blocked and c ursed by ,
art illery m en as the horses sprang forward over the

-
clogged and m iry road o r crashed thro ugh the low

,
willows an d over m u d walls su rrou nd ing the hovels

-
o f the natives ; still o n and on through the black ,
n ight and the ch ill grey dawn the frant i c m ult i ,
tu de stream ed n orthward t oward H arbin and

safe ty .
At T ie Pass there was a halt H ere K o u r o patkin

.
m ade a desperate attempt to stand and d id su cceed ,
in checking the enemy u nt il the shattered Ru ssian

forces could reu n ite in t he semblan ce o f a disci
p l i
n e d army while,
the wou nded an d such st ores and ,
g u ns as had been saved from the disastrous defeat ,
were sent n orthward Then the army fell sullenly

.
back a few versts each day repu lsing the attacks

, ,
o f the exhau sted J apanese These attacks dim in

.
is h e d in n u mber and force u ntil K o u r o pat

,
ki n co uld
breathe more freely and even consider establishing

a n ew line o f perm anent defence Before however .
, ,
he could reorgan ise h is troops o r lay o u t a single

line o f fortifi cat ions a despatch flashed over the
wi r e s f ro m S t Petersb urg rem ovin g h im f ro m th e
.
T HE LI TTL E FA THE R . 29 3
su prem e comm and o f the army and appointing

General L i n e vi
tc h his form er subordinate in h is
, ,
place .
Like a b rave and generous soldier he n o t only

laid down his com mand wi thou t a word o f pro
test b ut at on ce pet it ioned for and obtained per
,
m ission t o serve under L i n e vi

tc h Truly the .
,
“ ”
Little Father had reason t o be prou d o f his
children !
But the Czar o f all the Russias in his white ,
palace o n the N eva had cares beyond even those

,
wh ich gathered bat winged arou nd the prospects

,
-
,
o f his army in the Far E ast Throughou t his vast

.
realm from the Caucasu s to the Balt ic from Sebas

, ,
t opol to the Arct ic Seas in th e rem ote provinces

,
and at the very gates o f his palace signs m ultiplied ,
that a long dreaded event was com ing to pass : the

-
Ru ssian peasant was awaken ing ! Aroused by pr o

c l am atio n s o f N ihilists by serm ons and appeals
,
from religiou s leaders by st inging words from such

,
patriots as Tolstoi and Gorky the p easant stirred ,
in his long sleep h e sm iled in his stu pid good

, ,
hum ou red harmless way ; h e grew graver as the

,
import of the fiery words that were borne o n every

breeze penetrated h is d u ll brain Cru elty —o ppr e s .
sion —inj ust ice —co uld it be tru e ? N ay the L ittle ,
Father wo uld pu t it all right They wou ld tell .
him abou t it ; they would go to him with these

wrongs as a little ch ild kneels at his bedside and

prays sleepily and trustfully t o his Father in ,
H eaven ; and he the Ru ler o f all the Ru ssias the

, ,
White Cz ar the father o f his people would listen

, ,
an d would hear their p rayer and grant relief if relief ,
were n eeded .
A great throng o f su ch peasants headed by a ,
priest fl ocked to th e city asking poor bewildered

, , , ,
souls to see the Cz ar and to be allowed to pray to

, ,
h im .They were rebu ffed and roughly ordered

back by m en with glistening bayonets Then still .
,
childlike and foolish they actu ally tried t o force

,
their way t o their father s house believing th at ’
although h is m inions m ight use them rudely he , ,
whom they loved with all their b ig ign orant de , ,
voted hearts wou ld su ff er them to com e u nto h im

, ,
and forb id them n ot .
An other su rge forward over the paved street t o , ,
“
the fatal bridge H alt ! D isperse ! ”
They would n o t Their priest leader held h is

.
cross aloft and waved them o n .
Then it came—a rattling crash like the n ear thun

der close u pon the lightn ing Sh r ieks an d m oans .
o f dying men and children Another volley and .

,
another And the L ittle Father was s o near —could

.
he n ot hear them ?
The people fled from the cruel st reets the red ,
pavement the hoofs o f the war horses an d the flash

,
-
.
squadron was also ordered to proceed eastward

across the I nd ian O cean at full speed and over,
take the Balt ic fleet if possible . Early in April

R o je s tv e n s ky s ships were sighted o ff A c h e e n at
’
the extreme n orth western point o f Su matra

-
.
C H APT E R ! ! V
L A R KI N RE T I RE S F ROM BUSI N E SS .
H E N Fred L arkin gras ped the full s i g n ifi

cance o f the sit u at ion in which he fou nd
himself o n awaking in th e Manch urian h ut he felt
, ,
that he was nearer death than ever before in all h i s
hardy adventu rous life At Sant iago in deed he

, .
, ,
had thou ght himself led o u t to execut ion b ut this ,
h ad pr o v e d t o be a m istake
. The Spaniards were .
bu t conducting him u nder a flag o f tru ce t o the

, ,
American lines where he was exchanged for a

,
prisoner o f war o n e o f their o w n co untrym en

,
In .
this lonely hovel in o n e of the rem otest and dr e ar i

,
est districts o f M anchu ria c ut o ff from all hope o f

,
help not only by the leagues that lay between him

,
and the travelled road t o Feng Weng Chan g b u t - -

,
by the storm which now shook the hut with its

fi erc e blasts ; surrounded by lawless men who
thirsted for gold an d cared n o t a wh iff from their
pipes fo r a hu man life ; trapped by the cu nn ing
gu ide and completely at the mercy o f h i
, s w o l fish
captors as he lay before them pini oned hand and

2 97
.
foot ; he realised in a swift flash of thought that he

cou ld be saved by little sho rt of a m iracle St ill he .
would t ry H e w as n ot a m an to give up while the

.
faintest shred o f hope remained .
What d o you want K an uka ? he asked qu ietly

, ,
looking his treacherous gu ide straight in the eye .
The villain hesitated and Fred knew h is life hung

,
by a hair The blad e d id n ot fall

. .
“ ”
We want everyth ing you have everything ! ,
“
said K an uka I f yo u resist we kill you
. .
“ ”
Y o u wou ld gain n othing by that said the ,
“
prisoner . I am perfectly helpless Who are .
you r friends ?
“
They are not my friends ; they are my men I f .
I lift my fi nger t o them you are d ead , I s it n ot .
so ? he added t urn ing t o the m otley crew and

,
speaking in his own t ongu e .
A low snarl wen t ro und the circle and they ,
showed their teeth They drew st ill nearer and

.
,
fingered the hafts o f their kn ives which Fred could ,
s e e sticking in their girdles Two of the men car

.
ried guns O n e o f the band you nger than the rest

.
, ,
seemed t o have n o weapons and remained in the ,
backgrou nd The o l d woman had su cceeded in

.
getting possession o f the watch and dangled it s o

that the light shone u pon it .
“
I don t dou bt you r word K an uka
’
observed , ,
“
Fred in the sam e calm even tones , Those fo l .
3 00 T HE N OR T H P A CI FI C .
’
Washingt on would n t Y o u know that as well as .
I do .
“ ”
What you propose ?
asked the chief .
’
Well as I said I can t help you r taking all my
, ,
worldly goods said the rep orter

, The next .
thing is t o get rid o f m e withou t im perilling you r

o w n head —o r limbs he added sign i fi cantly The
”
.
,
bandit shudd ered in spite o f himself H e had wit .
n e s s e d the execut i on o f a Boxer m u rderer n ear ,

.
Pekin . Fred went o n : I wou ld su ggest that as

soon as the storm will p erm it yo u t o m ove —I as
su re yo u I am ready t o take co nsiderable risk o n
—
the road you take m e blind folded if you wish t o , ,
some point from which I can strike o u t fo r the

settlem ents You m eanwhile with you r m en
.
, , ,
cou ld m ake t racks fo r parts u nkn own —o f which

there happens to be a good su pply within easy
”
reach o f this forsaken hole .
“
You would in form on u s growled the ex gu ide ,
-
.
We should have J apanese p olice o n o u r trail in

twenty fou r ho u rs
-
.
“
I wou ld give you my word of hon ou r
“
The rascal shru gged his shou lders I wou ld n o t .
trust you Y o u newspaper m en tell what stories

.
”
y o u like .
Fred fl ushed an d felt an overp owering desire to

,
’
plan t o n e good blow between the m an s sulky ,
sneering eyes .
LA RK I N RE TI RE S FROM B U S I NE S S .
3 0 1
Oh , well he said
, settle it you rself Y o u
, .
’
asked my advice and I v e given it When the .
Chin ese authorit ies are gett in g ready t o deal with

’ ” ’
you don t blam e m e that s all
, , .
‘
K anuka t urned to his m en and talked to them
rapidly and in low tones So far as Fred could .
j udge the o l d crone and the you ngest of the ban

,
d its w h o he afterward learn ed was her s o n were

, , , ,
advocat ing his liberation The rest clam oured for .
blood The ch ief seem ed u ndecided and fi ngered

.
,
hi s kn ife nervo u sly At last he spoke to h i

. s follow
ers sharply with an abrupt gesture o f dism issal

, .
'
T o Fred s relief they all fi led o u t leaving him alone ,
with the chief .
“
They think it would be foolish t o let yo u go ,
“
said the latter D ead m en t ell n o t ales But
. .
—
they are beasts pooh ! As yo u s ay I am an intel ,
lig e n t man Y o.u shall n o t d ie to n ight I n the -

.
m orn ing we shall s e e .
H e knelt again beside h is prisoner an d ru m maged

his pockets thorou ghly drawing o u t their contents
,
and su rveying them by the light o f the lam p The .
papers he threw contemptu ously into the fireplace ;

the silver change and small articles he thrust int o
h is o w n pou ch Fortu nately Fred had taken a
.
purse containing ab out fi fty dollars worth o f gold

p ieces t o use o n his trip T o the M anch urian this
, .
w as an e n o rm o us s um o f m oney and it d id n o t ,
3 0 2 T HE NOR TH PA CI FI C .
’
occur to h im t o exam i n e h is captive s belt w h ich ,
contained a m u ch larger am o u nt .
Look here o l d chap said Fred as K an uka rose

, , ,
“
to his feet with his plunder ease u p these ropes
,
a little will yo u ? They cu t m e and I want to

, ,
”
sleep .
The m an gave a contem ptu o us gru nt and b e , ,
stowing a kick o n the helpless prisoner ret ired ,
’
with out a word Again Fred s blood boiled but
.
,
h e realised his u tter helplessness and lay qu ietly , ,
trying t o concoct som e plan fo r escape o r for ,
action o n the following day

, .
I t was evident that he had fallen int o the hands

o f that dangerou s and as yet only partly u nderstood
p ower the Boxer element o f n orth east ern China

,
-
.
I n 190 1 these bandits o r highwaym en —fo r su ch

, ,
they really were and are —terrorised a d istrict ex

,
tending from N ewchwang t o K irin Their opera .
t ions were so systematic and su ccessful that Chinese

as well as foreign m erchants finally had com e t o
recogn ise their authority and it is said that an o ffi ce
,
was actu ally established in the port o f N ewchwan g

where person s desiring to import goods m ight secure
insu rance against m olestati on from the robbers .
When the insu rance was paid for the band it agent ,
gave the m erchant a docu ment and a little flag and ,
with this docu ment in h is possession an d the flag ,
nailed to his cart o r boat he travelled in safety

, .
the pain cau sed by h is bonds and the presence of

,
two bandits who had rem ained to watch the prisoner .
When he awoke it was broad d aylight The m is .
tress o f the hu t was occu pied in preparing an other

seething m ess over th e fi re exactly as she had been
,
when he entered the hu t Fred felt lam e and sore

.
from head t o foot and soon d iscovered m oreover

, , ,
that he had taken a severe cold H e was hot and

.
’
feverish and had a weak longing fo r his m other s
,
cool soft hands u pon h is b u rn ing forehead

, .
The old hag presently lifted the pot from the

fi re groan ing as s h e d id s o
, .
“ '
I wish I could help you m a am ,
said Fred ,
‘
t rying to assum e a cheerfu l t on e bu t circu m ,
’
stances over wh ich I have n o control you kn ow !
,
She seem ed t o gather the im port o f h is words

perhaps rem embering h is courteou s assistance on
the preceding n ight —an d dishing o u t a p ort ion o f
the nauseou s m ess o ffered it to h im When sh e .
saw that he was so t ightly bound that he cou ld n o t

help h imself to food she u ttered an exclamation in
which he recogn ised the fi rst hint o f pity am ong his
captors L ooking over her shou lder with eviden t
.
apprehension she freed h is right arm and when he

, ,
ind icated with a feeble sm ile an d shake o f his head

that it was ben u mbed s h e rubbed it with a n ot u n
,
womanly tou ch u ntil h e co uld u se it an d feed h im

self H aving forced down a little o f th e d istastefu l
.
L A RK I N RE TI R E S F R OM B US I NE SS .
3 5
0
food t o avoid hu rting her feel ings h e lay back o n

, ,
his cou ch and m otioned t o her t o lay the rope

lightly over his arm giving it its former appearan ce
,
of confi nement Th is s h e did at once and n ot to o

.
,
soon fo r the whol e gang o f seven m en including

, ,
K an uka trooped in fo r their bre akfast a m in ute later

,
.
The storm contin u ed through the day and Fred ,
fou nd his condit ion u nchanged save that he w as ,
allowed t o walk abou t the room a little under ,
guard o f three o f the ugliest looking o f the bandits-

.
As n ight cam e on once m ore h is feverishness in ,
creased H e felt faint an d giddy

. H e had n o .
d o ubt that h is drink w as drugged the day before ,
and it was qu ite possible that the process —though

for what pu rpose he could n o t gu ess —was being
kept up H e was too feeble t o care m u ch what he
.
ate o r drank All he wanted was t o be left alone

. .
At about m idnight o n the second n ight in the

hut as the sick m an w as tossing o n his filthy bed
, ,
the inner door o f the room Open ed softly and the ,
woman appeared shad ing the flam e o f the lam p

,
with her hand H er s o n who had been left o n

.
,
guard was stand ing silently by the wind ow gu n in

, ,
hand The aged cron e n ow knelt beside Fred and

.
,
no iselessly cast o ff the ropes which had been t ied ,
with less caut ion than at fi rst it being deemed i m ,
possible that the captive weakened as he was could

, ,
m ake his escape Fred managed t o gain h is feet

.
,
.
and st ood s ti t
fi y half su pported by the wom an
, .
She led him t o the ou ter door which s h e opened , .
The stars were shin ing and it was b itt er cold The
, .
you ng bandit n ow slipped around the corner o f

the house and presently reappeared with on e o f the
pon ies u pon which Fred managed to scramble
, .
The o l d wom an gave the reporter a so ft pat on the

back and whispered som eth ing t o her son who ,
stooped and kissed her ! Then s h e went into the

ho use wip ing her eyes o n her ragged skirt an d
, ,
leaving the two m en outside free , .
Fred so on fou nd that he could not sit u pright in

the saddle witho ut help and the bandit slinging
, ,
his gu n over his back pu t his arm arou nd th e rider

,
and s o held him on wh ile the pony picked his way

,
d own the m ou ntain trail I n places the drifts made

.
the p ath almost im passable The wi nd st i l l S wept .
fi ercely through the defi le although the n ight was,
clear O nce the young robber stopped su ddenly

.
and u nsl u ng his rifle ; b u t the n oise h e had heard

was b u t that o f a falling tree and he resum ed his ,
steady walk besid e the p ony .
H ow he su rv ived that n ight Fred never knew .
I t was a vagu e h orrible dream o f sn ow and ice o f

, ,
p iercing chills and fever heats o f m onotonou s plod ,
ding through the sn ow alternat ing with plunging

,
’
descents over rough grou nd th ats e e m e d t o j ar him

,
t o p ieces while every bon e and m uscle was a sepa

,
C H APT E R X X V I .
T HE D E ST I N Y OF AN E M PI R E .
N the m orn ing o f the twenty seventh of M ay a -
light fog hu ng over the Yello w Sea and the

Straits of K orea Gulls sailed in leisu rely fash ion
.
above the d ull green surface o f the water o r dropped

-
,
with su dden scream as their keen eyes d iscerned

som e float ing scrap o f food ; bu t the supply was
scarce fo r few ships had o f late passed that way
, ,
and the sea ordinarily alive with j u n ks and steam ers

,
and m odern sailing craft was as deserted as som e

,
far o ff Polar bay wh ich n o advent ur er s keel had yet

’
-
ploughed .
The gulls seem ed u n easy in sp ite o f th e desolate

,
/
n ess o f the b r o ad e x pan s e o f heaving swell Th ey .
called t o each other w ith warn ing cries as if som e

hidden danger were near What lay concealed b e
.
n eath th ose fl e e c y folds of m ist which already ,
began t o m ellow to golden in th e rays o f the rising

su n and t o drift southward before the light breeze
,
wh ich was springing u p ? What would be revealed

wh en t h e w h ite curtain should lift ?
08
3
T HE DE S TI N Y OF AN E M PI RE .
”
3 09
For many weeks since the day when the Ru ssian

,
fleet passed the Straits o f M alacca and had been r e

port ed from S ingapore the naval forces o f J apan
,
“
had seem ed hardly m ore than a myth Where is .
” “
Togo ? w as the qu estion o n every lip Will he .
proceed southward and m eet the en emy in the

China Sea ? Will he lie in wait for them between
Form osa and the mainland —that m ine strewn s e a -
where the fair I sles o f the Fishermen bristling with ,
fort ificat ions bait the Open trap ? Will he lure

,
them east wa rd past the Philippines t o the Pacifi c

, , ,
and attack them there o r will J apan allow her

,
enemy t o take refuge in her o n e port o f V l adivo
st ock there t o be brought t o bay and pulled down

,
as were her prou d battle ships and cru isers at Port

-
Arthu r ?
Back and forth under the s e a flashed the ques
tions and the appeals for n ews ; but J apan gave no
answer ; her adm iral was d umb H e and his ships
.
disappeared from view N ewspaper correspondents

.
b urdened the cables wi th su rm ises but n o news , .
Every n aval expert had his opin ion t o give—at

space rates —bu t hom e editors and the great wait ,
ing impa tient p ublic clam oured in vain fo r auth e n

,
tic inform ation .
At the War O ffi ce in Tokio a few m en sm all o f ,
stature and su ave in demeanou r b owed and sm iled ,
as o f o l d They were gentle courteou s m ild an d

.
, , ,
inscrutable They received and sent despatches

.
withou t a gleam o f em otion in their dark faces .
They s aw in these despatches the N orth Pacific

, ,
with each bay and port and headland the ap ,
p r o ac h i
n g M uscovite enemy and the leashed fleet o f
J apan as a c rystal ga z er h olds a far o ff scen e in the

,
- -
hollow o f h is hand O n e day their sm iles faded

.
,
for a m oment and their eyes grew stern as they

,
d ictated a new order They were cru sh ing an .
e mp ire .
I n the Winter Palace o f T s ar s ko e Selo a slightly -
b u ilt young m an with a dark beard and pale i r re so ,
l ute cou ntenance paced the m arble floor nervously .
H e had seen his proudest fortress i n the East te

du c e d t o subm ission ; h is arm ies whose watchword ,
“ ”
had been Ru ssia never withdraws driven back
, , ,
beaten overwhelmed by the sold iers o f desp ised

,
N ippon ; his war ships t ort u red by shot and s h ell

-
,
by enem ies u pon the s e a and beneath its waters ;

and he h ad read report after report o f their loss and
“
of the death o f countless t hou sands o f men at ,
the Czar s command

’
And n ow h is n ew fleet ,
brought together an d b u ilt u p at enorm ou s expense ,
b ut ill manned and ill managed had all bu t fi nished

- -
,
its long voyage and had entered hostile seas

,
.
U pon th is fl eet h ung all h is hope o f retrieving the

‘
disasters of the war O n e great n aval victory and

.
,
R u ssia would be wild with j oy The past would be .

silent unheard u nseen u ntil the su pplies of her

, , ,
harassed perplexed impat ient enemy once m ore

, ,
d im in ished and her bu nkers were again n early empt y .
At last driven t o desperation by the refusal of the

,
inscrutable invisible fo e t o emerge from the obscu r

,
ity where he lu rked R o je s tv e n s ky set the signal to

,
advan ce .H e h oped that the J apanese had been

m isled by rum ou rs o f his escape t o the open Pacifi c ,
and that by a d irect cou rse northward through the

K orean Straits he c o uld reach V l adi vo st o ck n o w ,
s o few m iles away after his weary seven m onths ’
voyage from the Baltic The fog o f the early

.
m orn ing was dense N o scout ship o f the enemy

.
-
was visible I t wou ld take t im e t o not ify Togo o f

.
any m ovement o f his adversary Form ing in .
double line with strict orders for silence through

,
out every ship the great flotilla got u nder way and
,
started northward through the early m orning m ist .
I n days gon e by the leader of an armed force

could Obtain in formation o f the m an oeu vres o f his
enemy only by m eans o f tru sty cou riers L ater .
,
written m essages were despatched by aides who ,
brought the news and conveyed orders riding hard ,
or traversing the s e a in swift b oats Centu ries .
passed an d the telegraph began t o play its part in

the transm ission of despatches to be su cceeded in ,
its t urn by the fi eld telephone Bu t as the Ru sso .
J apanese war brought into practical u se fo r the fi rst

T HE DE S TI N Y OF AN E M PI RE .
”
3 3
1
t ime the terrible submarin e t orpedo boat so it -

,
found a new and m arvellou s med ium for comm un i

cation between headqu art ers and Outposts o f an
a n ny o r fleet The ancient Sam u rai o f N ippon
.
fought with two swords ; their descendants in 190 5

wielded the submarin e and the wireless telegrap h .
’
As R o je s tve n s ky s sombre fleet m oved forward
there were n o armed scouts dashing across the
waves t o announce their com ing ; the electric cable ,
far below w as dumb ; b ut the very sky above the

, ,
waters that were ploughed by the black keels at ,
the m oment when the harassed Russians began to

breathe freely were betraying them
,
.
“
At exactly A M o n Sat urday
. .
,
M ay 2 7th , ,
a wireless message was received at the n aval base o f

the J apanese : T lie e n e my s s quadr o n is in S i
’
g/it .
’
Under shelter of the island o ff Fu san o n the east ,
coast of K orea lay sixty o r m ore grey ships their

, ,
fi res banked sm oke slowly floating from their

,
stacks They had lain thus for weeks waiting fo r

.
,
that message The instant it w as received the

.
decks of every vessel becam e alive with n imble

sailors Cables were slipped fi res scattered and
.
,
heaped high with coal amm u n it ion hoists handled

,
-
,
and garments fl u ng aside as the men stripped fo r

act ion The fleet slowly m oved eastward over the
.
waters o f the J apan Sea which roughened u nder

,
the wind that gathered for c e as day b roadened .

Eagerly the small brown fighting m en sprang t o

qu arters and p ointed to the east where the sky ,
grew golden with the emblem of their nation the ,
Rising S un .
Before noon wireless m essages brought news that

the Ru ssian fleet had chosen the eastern passage o f
the Straits between the Tsu I slan ds and J apan
, .
’
At two o clock the sm oke o f R o je s tv e n s ky s flag ’
ship blu rred the sou thern horizon I nstantly a line .
of signal flags fl uttered t o the yard arm o f the -
“
J apanese battle sh ip M i kas a
-
T b e des tiny of a n
e mp i
r e dep e n ds up o n tki
s ac t i
on Yo u a r e a l l e x .
”
pec ted to do yo ur utte r m os t.
Straight o n with superb cou rage cam e th e ar

, ,
m ada o f the White C z ar I n the d ou ble colu m n the

.
weaker sh ips held th e port p osit ions thu s o ffering ,
the least resistan ce t o attack on that side and at ,
the sam e t im e blanketing the fi re o f the heavier

t u rrent gu ns o f their o w n fi r s t class battle sh ips - -
.
A roll of sm oke b urst from the bows of the K n i az
S o uvar ofi followed alm ost instantly by a roar from

'
the huge twelve inch gu ns o f the I Wi

-
Ras a The .
greatest naval battle in the h istory o f the world had

begu n .
The action becam e general The Ru ssian ships .
at the open ing o f the fi gh tchanged their co u rse and

endeavoured to break through the envelop ing line
o f their fo e b u t were driven back at every point
,
.
S o the battle raged and vessel after vessel bear

, ,
ing the Russian flag was batte red t o pieces and ,
’
sent to the bottom while Togo s fleet seem ed t o
,
bear a charm ed life At last the m erciful n ight

.
,
that so o ften has laid its qu ieting hand o f peac e

u pon maddened struggling combatants by land and
,
sea brooded over the waters o f the Sea o f J apan

, .
The few ships from the Baltic that cou ld st ill m ove
u nder control crept n orthward in the vain hop e o f
reaching safety There was n o longer any d ream of
.
victory ; escape escape from this horrible relentless

, ,
foe was the only thought

, .
But while the heavier ships had been dealing

deadly blows th at fair M ay aftern oon the pack o f ,
smaller craft the torpedo b oats and destroyers had

,
-
,
been for the m ost part held back under the lee of
the islands ; held back with d i ffi culty for their ,
crews an d O ffi cers were wild t o enter the engage

m ent I n the conn ing t ower o f the F uji
.
yai
n a C o m
-
mander O to O wari chafed and fretted over the

forced inaction h is dark eyes bla z ing and hands
,
twitching Before m idn ight the signal cam e d own

.
the line t o advance .
Silently like wolves gathering abo ut a wou nded

,
herd crou ch ing low to the grou nd the pack gath

, ,
ered arou nd the ill fated shattered fleet Then the

-
, .
word was given and they rushed u p on their prey

,
.
Searchlights fl ashed from th e beleagu ered ships as ,

T HE DE S TI N Y OF AN EM PI RE .
”
3 7
1
they bravely t u rn ed at bay Again an d again th e .
wolves were driven back M ore than o n e o f the

.
fi erce ass ai lants never retu rn ed t o the charge ; bu t

the rest closed the gaps an d cutting o u t o n e after
,
an other o f the Ru ssians s e ttheir teeth o f steel int o

,
her ribs until with a great cry s h e su ccu mbed .
The F uji ya m a was forem ost in every r u sh and ,
staggered u nder the blows she received O to w as .
everywhere with his savage little ship launching

, ,
h is torp edoes at the biggest vess els of the enemy .
H e w as in full attack u pon the S i s so iVa l i

Ei o n e o f ,
R o je s tv e n s ky s fi nest battle ships when a great shell

’
-
,
exploded j ust in front o f the conning t ower o f the -
destroyer I t w as a fatal blow O to with a dozen

. .
,
others all of them wou nded was hurled int o the

, ,
s e a from which he w as rescu ed and taken o n b oard

,
the K as ug a insensible and therefore blissfully u n

, ,
consciou s that h i s ship had gone t o the b ottom .
The fi ght drift ed n orthward .
Sunday m orn ing dawned s o cool s o calm so , , ,
”
bright . The battle was resu med each flying sh ip ,
of the Ru ssians with three o r fou r o f the enemy

hanging about her and hamm ering her with shell
and solid shot As o n the preceding day and n ight
.
the terrors o f the Baltic crews were increased by the

evident presence o f subm arines Several o f the .
western ships with no host ile craft visible in

,
the open s e a had suddenly felt the impact o f an

,
.
awfu l blow from below followed by an explosion

,
that tore her hull t o p ieces while the un seen assail

,
ant dart ed o ff beneath the waves for fresh prey .
The terrible dram a was brou ght to a close by the

su rrender o f Adm iral N e b o gato ff s ships on S un ’
day afternoon o ff the rocks o f Liancou rt The

, .
n ext m orn ing the world stood th understru ck as it

heard o f the utter ann ih ilat ion o f R ussia s prou d ’
fleet S ix battle ships five cru isers and m any other

.
-
, ,
smaller vessels su nk and two battle ships with

,
-
,
several d efence ships or destroyers c ap tur e d I t , .
was this last item that was m ost significant Even .
Spain had gone down fight ing on the coast of Cuba ,
and o ff M an ila u nder the withering fi re o f D ewey

, ,
Sampson and Schley ; for the first t im e in modern

,
warfare a battle sh ip n ay two o f them had run u p

-
, , ,
the white flag Tru ly Ru ssia haughty Russia

.
, ,
“
wh ich never carried t o the front m aterial from
which to make a flag o f tru ce had been humbled ,
in the dust And in the W inter Palace o f T sarko e

.
Selo the pale yo u ng C z ar was weeping .

2
3 0 T HE N OR TH P A CI F I C .
’
What s u p n ow I wonder ? said Staples lead
, ,
ing the way to the commander s qu arters ’

.
O h another wildly excit ing cru ise to Woosung

,
o r Chem ulpo or Cheefoo o r som e other o l d Che

, , ,
sighed Starr I never was very fond o f cheese

.
,
anyway !
When they entered the cab in their u n di g n i
fi e d
deportment was laid aside .
H e evidently had
’
R e x dal e s eyes were sparkling .
im portant and ple asurable news to comm u nicat e .
“
Gentlemen said he , I have j ust received
,
orders from the D epartm ent The Osp r ey is t o .
change her station once m ore Bob groaned .
“
softly u nder h is breath
,
This tim e cont in ued ,
“
D ave , o u r port of dest inat ion is n ot Cavite or
Shanghai We are t o sail du e east We are ordered

. .
”
hom e !
Every o ffi cer sprang t o his feet H u rrah ! ”
.
shouted B o b forget fu l alike o f dignity and d is

,
”
ci l i
n e I beg you r pard on si
r he stammered
p .
, , ,
“ ’
the blood ru shing t o his cheeks ; bu t that s grand
’
news ! I f the Secretary were here I d hug him !
The commander n ow explain ed that the Osp r ey
was ordered t o proceed to M are I sland where s h e ,
would b e thoroughly overhauled ren ovat ed and , ,
practically rem odelled She was old fash ioned but

.
-
,
the D epart ment believed they cou ld m ake o f her a

valuable defence ship I n accordan ce with m odern
,
ORD E RE D HOM E .
3 2 1
ideas o f
sh ip b u ilding As soon as she should go
-
.
o u t o f comm ission her o ffi cers and crew were t o r e
port som e o n variou s war ships in the eastern

,
-
Paci fi c som e fo r shore d uty and still others includ

, , ,
in
g the three o ffi cer s o f highest rank at Wash ingt on , ,
’
wher e they would be assigned to n ew d ut ies Bob s .
face fell a little at th is an n ou ncem ent b ut h e was ,
happy in the thought o f a change and a soj ou rn in ,
hom e waters Little D obson was o n e of those w h o

.
were to go on shore and he had visions o f a leave of

,
absence which would give him tim e t o race across

the continent to h is o w n hom e and that o f a certain
commandant wh ose daughter was named M ary .
By the n ext mail letters went t o Wyn nie and Edith

Black from B o b Starr and L i
, ddo n respectively It .
is needless t o say that Dave wrote t o H allie within
two hours after the receipt o f the orders The .
n ews qu ickly spread through the ship and great ,
was the rej oicing .
While the Ru ssian fleet was irresol utely m oving

to and fro in Eastern waters and L i n e vi
tc h hav
, ,
ing s u c c é é de d K o u r O patki n was reorganising h is

,
shattered army and preparing for a new encou nter

with the victoriou s O yama so uth o f H arb in the ,
women o f J apan worked u nceasingly fo r home and

country .
The great m ilitary hospital at H irosh ima com

prised eight divisions with a total capacity pf
,
3 2 2 T HE N OR TH PA CI FI C
.
seventeen thou sand beds I n the largest o f the .
divisions a visitor merely passing the foot o f each

bed would walk s i x m iles N early all o f these beds.
were n ow occ u pied and Red Cross n u rses from the

,
U n ited States passed to and fro am ong the su ffer

ers side by sid e with their dark sisters of the
,
O rient in gentles tm in istrat ion

, .
'
Fred Larkin had soon recovered su ffi ciently to be

removed to private qu art ers from which pale and , ,
em aciat ed bu t with indom itable plu ck and retu rn

,
ing energy h e em erged a few weeks later Letters

, .
from the B u l l e ti n recalled him to M assachusetts;
an d he u nwillingly obeyed realising that the great ,
n aval battle was close at hand H e read the news .
o f the destru ct ion o f the Ru ssian fleet the day after
his arrival in San Francisco .
I n a small room —o n e o f those set ap art for

o ffi c e r s —a J apanese sold ier lay o n a c o tbed gazing ,
langu idly out o f the open wind o w toward the east .
Walls cou nterpane and the single garm ent —a

, ,
—
kim ono wh ich the patient wore were o f spotless ,
white . Beside the bed s at a little n u rse fann ing ,
the S ick m an who n o w an d then spoke to her in his

,
o w n language though so qu ietly that his attendant

,
co uld scarcely hear h im .
“
O H ana San
- -
Yes O shima I am here !

, ,
The t im e ?
3 4
st ooped pain fully and p l aced beside the fi rst post

another like m any in that village an d before oth er
, ,
homes all over J apan

, I t was black and bore the
simple inscripti on B r ave ry F o r e ve r
, .
O to , O to O wari ! I t is I ! See it is O H an a ,
-
San ! I h ave com e to help you —t o m ake you

well !
O to Opened his eyes and t u rn ed h i s bandaged
head o n the p illow H is little playmate o f years

.
gon e by was kneeling b esi de h i s c o t her great ,
brown eyes m oist and plead ing—pleading with h im

n o t to d ie n ot t o j o in O sh im a in the strange u n
,
known shadows to wh ich he had gone She was .
qu ite satisfi ed that her hero sho uld be d eprived o f

the inscript ion Bravery Forever —
“ ”
for the present
at least !
I t was a hard fi ght for l ife bu t the good su rgeon
,
’
o f the ward an d the girl s u n ceasing care and O to s
’
, ,
o w n fi n e const itut ion an d determ inat ion to live for
her w o n the victory Wh ile m any d ied o n every

, .
side and the mou rn ful stretch e rs cam e an d went

, ,
and the black posts increased in n u mber throughou t

the em pire the y ou ng commander stead ily grew
,
“
better u nt il h e was discharged well
, to take h is
plac e once m ore with higher rank o n the qua rter
, ,
deck o f a fi n e new cru iser O n the day when he .
le f t the hospital he married O H ana S an O n t h at - -

.
O DER RE D HOM E .
3 5
2
same day the fi fth o f September 190 5 the Treaty

, , ,
o f Peace between Russia and J apan w as signed by
the envoys o f the two cou ntries at Portsm outh ,
N ew H ampshire .
Two weeks afte r th e great battle o f the Sea o f

o
J apan a war ship with hu ll wh ite as sn ow was

-
, ,
ploughing the waters o f the Pacifi c with her prow

pointed du e east L and was st ill in sight astern
.
,
and over her ta ffrail fl oated the beaut ifu l Stars an d

Stripes The Osp r ey was h omeward bou nd
. .
T HE END.
B O O KS BY PA U L C RE S W I C I I
‘
RO B I N HOO D A N D HI S A D VE N T UR E S
8 vo , clo t
h , gil t to p 3
F ull y illu str ated in colors ,

an d b l ack an d W hi te by T .
H R OB I N S O N
. .
T o th e b o y m i n d th e re i
s no m o re i
ntere s ti n g su b je c t th an
R o b in H o o d .
. c
M r C re s w i k h as m ad e a th o r o u gh s tu d y o f h i s su b j e tf r o m c
c
al l s o u r e s an d w e b e l i e v e h e h as w r i tte n th e b e s t b o y s re n
’
d e r i ng o f R o b i n H o o d ye t p r o d u e d c .
HA ST I N G S , T HE P I RA T E
1 2 mo , clo th , g il t to p illu s tr ated ,
by T . H R O B I N SO N
. .
$ 1. 5 0
I N A L F R E D S D A YS
’
A S tory o f S a ga th e D ane . Illustr ated ,

1 2 mo , clo th .
ull
li fe ad fi R epr d u e th f pa t wi th vi vi d ne T h i l lu
al are uperi r A fi b k —C g g t h t
F of n re . o c s e ar s ss . e s
t ti
ra ons so s o . ne oo . on re a ¢o n a s .
Thi t ry w rthy th telli ng h be n tf rth wi th tirri ng w rd an d

s s o so o e as e se o s o s
vig r u pee h i n thi v lu m e p p i t l y b un d and illu trated Th i
, ,
o o s s c s o so a ro r a e o s s
m ake an ther plen d d gift b k w g Ch r h
.
s o s i oo . in u c .
UN D E R T HE B L A C K R A VE N
Illustrated by T H R O B IN S O N 1 2 m o clo th . . .
,
W ri ter f juveni le fi ti n are awaken i ng t th

s o n i u ne that th c o o e co sc o s ss e
ch arm e xer i e d up n en ti ve h i ldren b y S tt and erta i n th er elder
c s o s s c co c o
wri ter lie i n th very trangene f the ir tyle i n it rem val fr m th
s s e s ss o s s o o e
r an d th h l b k
,
ne w p s a e sc oo oo
aul Cre wi k give it i n a t r enti tled U n d er th B la k R aven
.
!
M r s c s s o e c
and re nting th deed f Sweyn wh en arm d b y A lfred he
.
,
c ou f g e s o ar a e , e
wentf rth t lai m h i w an d af ter m u h d fig h ting w t and m any
, ,
o o c s o n, c oo on I
an ther thi ng The i llu tra ti n are M R b n n an d are w rth y f
, , ,
'
T
b th tyle an d t ry —B t y al
o . s o s r. . o i so s o o
o s s o . os o n o u rn .
A p i rite d an d tri ki ng pi t re f l d e ti m e i n D enm ark bef re Ch ri

s s u o n s o s
d awned that land T h i n ter t f th t ry ent in th —
c o
on e es o e s o c r es e con
fl iti g la i m D ani h fa ti n T h R aven an d T h D rag n
.
c n f tw c s o o i g s o s, e s e o s s
nif g th e m blem under whi h they f ugh t
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—
'
n e s c o
e ry gi v a vi vid p i ture f th ru d e war e e Th
.
t s o es f m t tm c o e s o re o i s e
E . P . DUT T ON 8: CO .
, Pu b l i
s h e rs
3 1 W est T w e n ty -th i
rd S tr e e t, N e w Yo r k
R E TU RN T O t
he ci i
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on de s k o f any
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N O RTHE RN RE G IO NAL L I BRA RY FAC ILITY

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BO O KS MAY B E R E CALL E D A FT E R 7 DAYS

2 mo nt
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h l o an s may b e re ne w e d by c all i
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(5 10) 6 42 6 7 5 3
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1 ye ar lo ans may b e
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re c h arge d by b ri
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Re n e w al s and re c h arge s may b e made

4 days pri o r to due dat e
D D20 I S M 4 02-

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T O M Y F R l EN D

S in the preparation o f N avy B l ue and Cl e a r ed

verify the m ain facts o f the present story s o far as ,

they are concern ed with th e incidents o f the great

Long and from Com m ander W H H So uther

land n ow command ing th e U S Cru iser Cl e ve l a n d

Commander Au st in M K n ight President o f the

Board o n N aval O rdnance and Chief Engineer E d

ward Farm er ret ired

T w as a clear cool aftern oon in early September

196 1 .I n the cou ntry th e tawny hillsid es were

while here and there a maple li fted i

ﬂoated slowly d ownward t o the gro un d ; ﬂ ocks O f

bark Of a do g the ﬁ tfu l wh isper and rustle O f the

wind in the boughs overhead the whirring chatt er

o f a squ irrel the world seemed lost in a day dream

O nly a few m iles away the air was rent by a

beat u pon plates o f iron and brass ; m achinery

pushed li fted pou nded shouted orders warnings

chimneys poured endless volumes Of black smoke

place was like a volcano in the ﬁ rst stages Of e r u p

countless t oilers worked secu rely and swiftly fash ,

ioni n g that dread ﬂ oat ing citadel O f m odern warfare ,

O n this same afternoon at the outer gate O f the

Cramp Shipb u ilding Works two strangers applied ,

fo r adm ission presenting to the watchman a properly

accred ited pass They were young m en u nder the

average stature dark S kin ned and al most notably

qu iet in appearan ce and m anner Although their .

dress was that O f the Am erican gentlem an a very ,

slight accent in their speech their j et black hair ,

and a triﬂ ing obliqu ity in their eyes wo uld have at ,

once betrayed their nationality t o a carefu l observer .

H e would have known that they were O f a people

their bravery their qu ick perceptions and their

profou nd patien ce and t ireless resolut ion in ac c o m

The watchman glanced at them carelessly rather

impressed by the visitors imm aculate attire—b oth ’

wore silk hat s an d black coats o f c orrect Broadway

We shall remain b ut short t im e We can ﬁ nd o u r .

Their curiosity seemed very slight as t o the ,

bu ildings and machinery With light qu ick steps .

they passed through o n e or two O f the m ost i m

halted beside the huge ship that was o n the stocks ,

almost ready for lau nch i n g H ere for the ﬁ rst t im e .

the i r whole expression became alert their eyes keen ,

and ﬂashing N obody paid m u ch attent ion to them

as they p assed along the walk scrut inising it wou ld , ,

seem every individ u al bolt an d plate

end O f a heavy steel bar .

At the gan gway the visitors met their ﬁ rst O b

adm ittance to the deck he said brieﬂy , .

The two J apanese b owed blandly and spoke a ,

f ew words together in soft u ndert ones and g utte r al s ,

as incomprehensible t o a Western ear as the lan

The Ru ssian O fﬁ cer watched them sharply u ntil they

ing t o himself u nder h is bushy m ou stache .

O nce out o f sight the langu or and m ild i n diffe r

with e x cited but graceful gestures Then o n e Of

sunse t light shone the word in gold letters

R E T VI Z A N , m u rm ured the other R E T VI '

ZA N. Adding in h is o w n language S he will ,

have her trial trip late in O ctober sailing from ,