CHAPTER X.
A HOT NIGHT IN YOKOHAMA.
Ned Nestor stood on the deck of the steamship, and the steamship wasentering the harbor of Yokohama, which opens from Tokyo bay, the bayfrom the Sagani Sea, the sea from the Pacific ocean. In the cabin of thesteamship were Frank Shaw, Jack Bosworth and Jimmie McGraw. While Nedlooked over the city they were approaching the three boys came to hisside.
None of them had ever looked upon a Japanese city before. The scenebefore them was one well calculated to excite their interest and appealto their imagination. The fishing junks sailing over the glassy watersof the bay did not seem at all like any fishing boats they had ever seenbefore.
The colored wooden roofs of the town seemed to have been cut out from apicture book of fairy tales. The narrow streets in sight from the deckseemed steep and not too straight. The buildings seemed to lap over oneach other. To the west, standing straight up in the sky, as it seemed,loomed the pile of Oyama mountain. To the north showed the roofs ofKanagawa.
Night fell while they gazed at the unfamiliar scene, and the lanterns onthe sampans, bound for the customs _hatoba_, glistened over the bay likefireflies. The shampooer's whistles drifted out on the offshore breeze.
"Doesn't look much like coming into little old New York!" Frankexclaimed.
"Queer lookin' country!" Jimmie added.
"I'd rather be back in the _Manhattan_, among the islands north ofLuzon," Jack observed. "I don't like this smell of the Orient they talkso much about."
"Not much Orient about this!" Ned said.
"I hope we'll get out of it before long," Jack went on. "I'm hungry forthe wash of the China Sea."
"We'll have a little China Sea made for you, an' tuck it away in CentralPark," Jimmie laughed.
"All right!" replied Jack. "I wonder why some one didn't think of thatbefore! Fine scheme!"
On leaving the bay where such an eventful night had been passed, theboys had driven the _Manhattan_ at full speed directly to Manila. Theboat was rather small for such a trip, but it had behaved nobly, and thelads had enjoyed the trip immensely.
They had for a time been pursued by the launches which had anchored onthe opposite side of the little island, but the chase had soon beenabandoned, as the _Manhattan_ was the fastest boat of the three.
On the way to Manila, Ned had held several long conversations withFrench, but had gained little information from him. He corroborated whatlittle was known regarding the conspiracy for the establishing of anative government on the Philippines, but would not reveal what he knewof the interests interested or of the men at the head of the movement.
At Manila, French had been released on parole at the urgent request ofFrank and Jack, who had formed a liking for the courteous gentleman whohad treated them so kindly during the few hours he had been theirjailer. French, however, had promised to remain at Manila and to reportdaily at military headquarters.
"I don't understand what his share in the plot is, or has been," Ned hadexplained, "but it is evident that he will be needed only as a witness."
At Manila Ned had held a long conference with Major John Ross, and thatgentleman had seemed overjoyed at the report the boy had presented,especially as it made his return to the group of islands to the northunnecessary. After remaining in Manila one day and a night, Ned had beendirected to continue his investigation of the case in his own way.
To tell the truth, Major John Ross and the military men with whom Nedconferred at Manila treated the employment of the boy by the authoritiesat Washington as a good deal of a joke, as a whim. They were notdiscourteous to Ned, but they took no interest in his suggestions. Forsome hours after his departure, his employment on the case was thesubject of many sarcastic remarks.
However, those in charge had consented to hold the _Manhattan_ subjectto his orders, and had promised to give any communications received fromhim due attention. And this was the situation when the boy, followingclues secured at the nipa hut and hints obtained from Pat, who had kepthis ears open during his captivity, and from French, had sailed away forJapan with his chums on a steamer which was leaving Manila for Yokohama.Pat Mack, released from service by the effort of Major Ross, at his ownrequest, had been left at Manila in charge of the _Manhattan_.
The boys landed shortly after dark and proceeded to a hotel where theEnglish language or something like it was spoken. Everything was new andstrange, the place being as unlike a Broadway hotel as it is possible toimagine. However, the meals were served in half-American fashion, andthe rooms were tolerably comfortable.
"Now," Ned said, after their first meal in Yokohama was over, "we didnot come here to visit the palaces of the wealthy, or to inspect theUnited States consulate. We've got to get down into the slums a bit ifwe find what I want. The man who led the party that captured LieutenantRowe was sent away as soon as he got to his masters. You doubtlessunderstand why. They did not want him implicated in the plot."
"How do you know?" asked Jimmie. "You didn't see him go, did you?"
"Then he must be up some," Jack said.
"And he left Manila on a boat bound for Yokohama," Frank added. "I knowabout that, for French gave me a valuable tip. And he was accompanied byan American sailor with a thirst for strong drink."
"I guess you've got the idea, all right," Ned said, with a smile. "But Idid not state the case exactly as it is. I said that the man who led theparty against Lieutenant Rowe was sent away. I should have said that theman suspected of having been at the head of that expedition hadmysteriously disappeared from Manila on the very day of his return thereafter an absence unaccounted for, and that it was believed he had takena steamer for Yokohama. I stated my conclusions as facts."
"And there was an American sailor with him," insisted Frank.
"Yes, an, American sailor who evidently knew too much. At least, that isthe way I figure it out. Now, we are not looking for this high-brow atthis time, but for the American sailor."
"That makes it all the pleasanter!" Jack said. "We'll have a chance tosee life in Japan as it is. I'd feel better about this little outing,though, if I knew just what has become of Lieutenant Rowe."
"I often wish we had tried to release him," Ned replied, "but we werelucky to get off with whole hides. Anyway, Pat says they were to releasehim in a short time, after the plot is perfected. All they wanted washis dispatches, and they will hold him captive only because his releasemight lead to the premature discovery of the meeting of chiefs on theisland."
"Well, let us get busy with the underworld of Japan," Jack said. "I'llbet we find plenty of American sailors with thirsts."
On a dark night in Yokohama the houses in the section visited by theboys look very much alike. They are drygoods box affairs, two storieshigh, with peaked roofs, paper walls and narrow piazzas. All the shopsare looking for the American sailor.
Ned secured an interpreter, and the boys strolled through a dozen ormore cheap joints before they came to a halt and sat down. The placeswere all alike. There was split matting on the floors, always, andsailors drinking at little tables. There was always a fair grade of tea,always _sake_, always a wheezy graphophone.
One might also buy whiskey, ale and other intoxicating drinks. And therewere also the _geisha_ dances and the _nesans_ running up stairs anddown with their little white socks and flowery skirts, carryingrefreshments. There were also men in _kimonos_ and cowboy hats, theformer to give the Japanese color and the latter to inform customersthat the American trade was catered to!
"How you goin' to know this American sailor when you find him?" askedJimmie, as the boys sat with steaming cups of tea before them.
"I have his photograph," laughed Ned.
"Let's see it!" cried Jack.
"I'll bet it's a mental photograph!" Jimmie went on. "That is the onlykind Ned carries."
"What does he look like?" asked Frank.
"Yes; tell us. We may see him first!" urged Jimmie.
"He's short, and very broad across the shoulders, with one shoulderlower t
han the other. He is quite bald, and there is a cicatrice on hisleft cheek where a Malay cut him. There is a squint in one of his eyes,and there is a scar along the ball of his right thumb."
"Quit your kiddin'!" said Jimmie. "You never saw him."
"Pat saw him," was the reply, "and French and some of the militarypeople at Manila saw him. He left with the man whose acquaintance I wantto make, or just before him."
"Seems like looking for a needle in a haymow," Frank said, "but I'llwager my hat against a swipe in the jaw that we find him."
"'We!'" repeated Jimmie, with due scorn.
"For instance," Frank said, "what do you think of the fellow over theretalking with the man in the _kimono_ and the derby hat of the vintage of1880?"
"He's short and broad, and one of his shoulders is higher than theother," Jimmie replied.
"Don't attract his attention," Ned warned. "He sat there when we camein, and does not seem to notice us."
"You goin' to geezle him?" asked Jimmie.
"If he were in Manila I certainly should," was the answer, "but it wouldnever answer here. Look!" the lad added. "He seems to be having troublewith one of the waiters."
"He's gone broke, I guess," Jimmie said, "an' there's a kick on hisbill."
"An American friend would look pretty good to him now," Ned saidthoughtfully.
There was in the mind of the boy a thought that circumstances werefavoring him. If he could only befriend the man!
"You don't suppose the fellow he came here with left him in the lurch,do you?" asked Jimmie, something like Ned's thought coming to him. "Ifhe did, why--"
"That's what I've been thinking," Ned replied, "Anyway, I'm going overthere and have a talk with him."
"Before you blow yourself on him," laughed Jimmie, "look at the ball ofhis right thumb an' see if there's a scar there!"
"If he's a sailorman from New York," Jack put in, "he'll eat corn out ofyour hand, like a billy goat! Go on and talk with him, Ned."
Ned arose to his feet and moved toward the table where the sailor sat.Then he turned back to the boys again.
"If I go away with him," he said, "don't attempt to follow us. Go backto the hotel and wait for me. You understand, now, Jimmie? No chasingout after me! This is not New York!"
"I'll be good!" replied the boy, with a wink at Jack.
"You bet you will!" replied Jack, seizing him by the sleeve. "You don'tget away from me to-night. Too much trouble looking you up!"
"What are we to do with that blooming interpreter?" asked Frank,motioning to the Jap, who sat a short distance away, where he could notoverhear the talk.
"Take him back to the hotel with you," was the reply, "and hold himthere until I come."
There was no little excitement around the table where the sailor satwhen Ned approached it. The sailor was talking in English, the waiterwas talking in his native tongue, and the bystanders were trying to telleach one what the other was saying.
Ned made out from the pigeon English brought forth by the bystandersthat the sailor had run up a large bill and was unable to pay it.
"P'lice come!" one of the officious ones said.
The sailor heard the words and stirred uneasily in his seat. Afterwiggling about for a moment he removed his cap and scratched a bald headthoughtfully. Ned advanced to his side and laid a hand on his arm,whereat the sailor squirmed as if he anticipated immediate arrest.
"What's the trouble, pard?" the boy asked.
The sailor sat back in his chair and regarded Ned with evident suspicionfor a moment, then, observing that his interrogator was only a boy, heextended his hand, his bleary eyes showing the pleasure he felt at themeeting.
"You look mighty good to me!" he said, in the tone and manner of a manwho had had educational advantages.
"What's the difficulty?" repeated Ned, taking the hard hand of theother. "I saw the commotion here and thought you might be in trouble.You're an American, I take it?"
"Proud to say yes to that!" replied the other.
"Well, what are they trying to do to you?" asked Ned, taking a chair byhis side. "Americans must stand back to back when they meet in a placelike this!"
"They don't all do that," was the reply. "My pardner got me here andshook me. I'm broke, and that's all there is to it. Kept buying after Ihad spent all my money. I guess it is the coop for mine!"
"Perhaps we can fix it up in some way," Ned said. "I'm not amillionaire, but I may be able to help you out. How much do you owe?"
"About two dollars in American money," was the reply. "It is a smallsum, but I'm your slave for life if you get me out of this. Ever spend aday in a Japanese jail, waiting for the American consul to get you out?"
"Never did," was the reply. "How are you fixed for lodgings?"
"Got a room up over a tea house," was the reply. "I'm looking for a shipthat will take me back to New York."
"Well," Ned said, "I'll pay this bill and go home with you for thenight. I'll need free lodgings somewhere after I settle!"
"You'll be as welcome as the flowers of May!" the sailor said, and theboys, still sitting where Ned had left them, saw him hand the waitersome money and leave the place with the sailor.
A moment later, however, they saw a keen-eyed Jap come rushing throughthe door and up to the table where the sailor had been seated. He talkedwith the waiter a moment, speaking angrily at last, and darted out ofthe door again.
"That fellow came after the sailor," Frank said, "and will follow him.When he finds Ned working him for his story he won't do a thing to Ned!"
"An' we'll go back to the hotel, like good little boys, an' sit thereknittin' while they pinch Ned an' chuck him into the bay! Not for youruncle!"
"We'd make a hit wandering about Yokohama in the night!" Jack said. "Ireckon Ned can take care of himself. Anyway, he's had to go and find youevery time you've gone out without him."
But before Jack had finished Jimmie had jerked away and was out in thestreet.