ON BOARD THE “COLUMBIA”
The steamer bound for Nagasaki left Chemulpo harbor early on the
following morning, with sixteen passengers and eight army officers on
board. The army officers were a fine set of men, and Gilbert soon got
well acquainted with all of them.
“Japan is simply fighting for her rights,” said one of the officers,
during the trip. “We want no Russian interference with our trade.”
“I cannot blame you,” was the ex-lieutenant’s answer. “I know Uncle Sam
would not allow any tampering with our commerce.”
During the talk it developed that three of the army officers had served
in China during the Boxer uprising, and they were surprised to learn
that Gilbert had been a lieutenant in the United States army at that
time, and was thinking somewhat of joining the Japanese forces.
“We shall certainly be glad to have you with us,” said one of the
Japanese. “We are raising such a vast army that we are rather
handicapped for capable officers.”
“Then you think I could get a commission?”
“Undoubtedly.”
“As what?”
“Perhaps as captain, and even higher.”
“That is certainly worth remembering. I should not wish to enlist as a
mere private.”
“If you desire, when we arrive at Nagasaki, I will introduce you to
some military authorities who have great influence.”
“Very well, Captain Okopa; if I decide to join, I’ll be glad to have
you do that.”
“We expect some hard fighting.”
“Well, I won’t mind that, once I am in the field; indeed, I’d rather
fight than hang around a camp any time.”
“So would I, lieutenant. It takes all the energy out of a man to lie
around camp for a week or a month.”
“I suppose the Russians will send a big army into Korea and Manchuria,
too.”
“They will probably send as many soldiers as they can get to the front.
But you must remember, they are a long distance from home, so to speak.
They can send troops only on the single railroad, or on foot.”
“They are rushing troops into Port Arthur at a lively enough rate.”
“That is the end of their railroad line, and they probably feel that
they must hold the railroad at any cost. Besides, they want to hold
Port Arthur itself if they can, in spite of our navy and our army.”
“Will your navy attack Port Arthur?”
“More than likely they will. They have already sunk some Russian
warships stationed there. I fancy our ships may try to bottle up the
Russian fleet, just as your Hobson tried to bottle up Admiral Cervera
at Santiago.”
The Japanese officer was correct in his surmise, and the attempt to
blockade Port Arthur was made by Admiral Togo late in February.
For this purpose five old steamers were obtained, and they were heavily
loaded with stones and explosives. Volunteers to man the doomed vessels
were called for, and the result was the same as when volunteers were
called for at Santiago—nearly the whole of the navy wanted to go! Men
known for their coolness and bravery were selected, and in the darkness
of the night of the 24th, the heavily-laden vessels were headed for the
harbor entrance.
The Russians, however, were on the alert, and soon, despite the bad
weather, the enemy were discovered, and the land batteries opened a
heavy fire on the doomed ships. As a consequence one was grounded three
miles from the harbor, where she blew up, and another sank but a short
distance away. A third had her steering gear shot away and then blew up.
Only two ships now remained and these, despite the awful rain of shot
and shell, reached the harbor entrance and were anchored. Then those
on board got out their small boats, set fire to the fuses placed in
readiness, and rowed away for their lives. Shortly afterwards the two
loaded ships blew up. A lively fire was directed at the small boats,
but, strange as it may seem, not one of them was hit. But in the
darkness and because of the heavy wind that was blowing, the small
boats got far out of their proper course, and it was not until three
o’clock the next day that they were picked up by the big ships standing
off outside of the harbor.
The two ships sunk at the harbor entrance did not block the channel
completely. But, combined with the wrecks of the sunken Russian
warships, they made the passageway very difficult. After this exploit
was over Admiral Togo began a strict blockade of the port, with
frequent and highly destructive bombardments.
Night and day a strict watch was kept for the possible appearance of a
Russian warship. Once there was an alarm which quickly brought Gilbert
to the deck. A big warship was seen approaching. Her flag was flying,
but what it was nobody, at first, could make out.
“If she’s a Russian, we are as good as done for,” was one of the
passengers’ comment. “She’ll sink us just as sure as fate.”
“I don’t think she’ll do it until after she has taken us passengers
off,” replied Gilbert. “It wouldn’t be right.”
Slowly the warship came closer, and the captain of the steamer watched
her eagerly through his glasses.
“She doesn’t look like a Russian,” he said slowly. “But she may be,
nevertheless.”
At last all doubts were dispelled, for the flag swung around broadside
to the steamer. It was the Union Jack of England.
“Hurrah!” shouted Gilbert. “That lets us down easily.”
“Yes, and I must say I am not sorry,” returned Captain Okopa. “I wish
another chance to fight on land.”
Soon the English warship was within hailing distance. She wished to
know if the steamer had seen anything of a British merchantman named
the _Defender_.
“Haven’t seen or heard of her,” was the reply. “For what port was she
bound?” But the Englishman would not answer this question, and soon
the warship swung around and was lost to sight, steaming westward.
“There is going to be great trouble for some merchantmen,” said Captain
Okopa to Gilbert. “If they carry contraband of war, they are liable to
be sunk.”
“By either nation, I suppose.”
“I am sure the Russians will sink any ship carrying goods for our
nation,—I mean war stores and other contraband goods. What Japan will
do, I do not know.”
“I reckon they’ll do some sinking just as quick,” said the young
American. “Your work at Port Arthur shows that you are mightily in
earnest in this affair.”
The run to Nagasaki was made in safety, and three days after leaving
Chemulpo the steamer came to anchor at her dock in the Japanese port.
As Gilbert had visited Nagasaki a number of times, the scenes around
him—the strange-looking craft, the flags of various nations, and the
small boats filled with stores and floating about, trading—were no
novelty to him. He longed to get ashore and hunt up the old _Columbia_
and those on board.
[Illustration: “HULLO, BEN! HULLO, LARRY!” EXCLAIMED GILBERT.
_Page 135._]
But there were certain formalities to be gone through before he could
leave the steamer. His hand-bag was thoroughly searched, and he was
asked numerous questions. At last all appeared to be satisfactory
to the Japanese officials, and he was told he could land and do as he
pleased.
It took the young American but a few minutes to ascertain where the
_Columbia_ lay, and he lost not a moment in picking his way along the
docks in that direction. On all sides were great heaps of army stores,
awaiting transportation to Korea and Manchuria. There could be no doubt
but that this war was to be carried through on a large scale.
At last he found the ship with which he was so familiar. There on
the deck stood that veteran of the sea, Captain Nat Ponsberry, of
Gloucester, as hale and hearty as ever. Close at hand was his first
mate, Tom Grandon, and not for away were Ben Russell and his younger
brother Larry.
“Hullo, Ben! Hullo, Larry!” exclaimed Gilbert. “Glad to see you!”
“Gilbert Pennington!” ejaculated the Russell brothers, in a breath. And
then they leaped forward to embrace the newcomer.
“Where in the world did you drop from?” asked Ben.
“We were talking about you not five minutes ago,” put in Larry. “We
were wondering how soon we’d hear from you.”
“I came from Chemulpo,” answered Gilbert, shaking first one hand and
then another. He turned to the master of the _Columbia_. “How are you,
Captain Ponsberry? How are you, Grandon?”
“I’m fust-rate, Mr. Pennington,” came from the captain. “How are you?
But I needn’t ask, fer ye look as fit as a fiddle. I reckon as how them
Roossians haven’t worried ye, none, after all, have they?”
“Haven’t they, though? Just you wait until I spin my yarn, as you
sailors call it. I’m mighty glad you stayed at Nagasaki.”
“So I said as how you would be,” said Tom Grandon, who was a bosom
friend of the captain and privileged to speak at all times. “I said
we’d better await orders.”
“Have you seen any of the fighting?” questioned Larry, his eyes bright
with anticipation.
“Yes, I saw the sinking of the Russian warships at Port Arthur. I
thought of you and the fight in Manila Bay at the time, Larry.”
“Wish I had been there,” declared the young sailor. He thought of his
own days behind one of the big guns, while serving under Admiral Dewey,
as already recorded by me in “Under Dewey at Manila.”
“But I thought you said you had come from Chemulpo,” put in Ben.
“So I did, Ben. But I’ll have to tell my story in detail before you’ll
understand it. First of all, though, let me ask Captain Ponsberry if
his cargo is safe.”
“As safe as when we left home,” declared the master of the _Columbia_.
“Good! Have you received any orders from home since you arrived here?”
“Yes.”
“What orders?”
“That I wasn’t to attempt to deliver anything until I heard from you.”
“I’m glad of that.” Gilbert drew a deep breath. “That takes a weight
off my shoulders. Now the next thing to do, captain, is to throw the
most of those old orders for goods overboard.”
“I said you’d sell the Japanese,” declared Ben. “They are paying the
best of prices for everything.”
“Exactly; and we’ll run no risk of having the cargo confiscated if we
sell in Nagasaki,” added Gilbert.
“I shouldn’t mind running a risk on the high seas,” came from Larry,
with a smile. “I’d like a little excitement.”
“And a brush with the enemy, eh, Larry? I see you are the same as of
old,” and Gilbert laughed. “I’ve got to congratulate you on becoming
second mate,” he continued.
“Tell us your story, Gilbert,” said Ben. “I’m dying to hear what has
happened,” and then the party adjourned to the cabin of the schooner,
where each told his tale in detail.