CHAPTER X
SOMETHING ABOUT WAR AND FIGHTING SHIPS
"It's going to strike the ship!"
"It will cut us to pieces!"
"Throw the schooner over on the other tack!"
These and several other cries rang out on the deck of the _Columbia_.All felt their hearts come up into their throats as the roaring,swirling mass of water came closer and closer, until the spray drenchedthem completely. The ocean was churned into a white foam and the windseemed to suck and blow in all directions at once.
But, just as it looked as if the schooner would be buried beneath averitable mountain of water, the waterspout took another curve and slidaway, along the side of the ship and off the stern. The man at the wheelcame close to being carried overboard by the deluge he received and the_Columbia_ bobbed up and down like a cork. But in another moment thewaterspout was an eighth of a mile distant.
"What a--a narrow escape," faltered Larry, when he felt able to speak."I thought we were bound for the bottom sure!"
"Thet's the closest I ever was to any waterspout," came from Luke, as hewiped his wet brow. "Reckon we can thank Providence we ain't in DavyJones' locker this minit!"
Captain Ponsberry did not say much, but kept his eyes fixed on thewaterspout, which was making fantastic curves across the bosom of thePacific. At times it was close by and then it would go half a mile ormore away. It was a fascinating scene, full of dread, and gave more thanone onlooker a chill down his backbone.
"I wish it would go away completely," went on Larry.
But this was not to be. The waterspout kept within sight for a goodhalf-hour, although it did not come near them again. At last it grewless and less, off to the southwestward, and finally vanishedaltogether. The glass was used in that direction, but nothing save aclear horizon could be located.
"We are clear of it at last," said Captain Ponsberry, and breathed along sigh of relief.
"Waterspouts are mighty dangerous things," said Grandon, after the scarewas over. "When I was on board of the brig _Ben Franklin_ we ran into aspout off the coast of Brazil, and it knocked off the bow and theforward rail and nearly sank us."
"I met one once, off the coast of Cuba," said the captain. "That wentashore and tore up the trees like so many weeds for a hundred feetaround. A waterspout is nothing to be fooled with, I can tell you."
On the day following the appearance of the waterspout the weatherchanged. There was a slight storm and then a stiff breeze sprang upwhich was cheering to all on board. Every stitch of canvas on the_Columbia_ was spread and the schooner bowled along right merrily.
"I'd like to know how this war is going on, and how Ben and Gilbert arefaring," said Larry to Captain Ponsberry. "A whole lot may have happenedsince we left Manila."
"Well, you'll probably get word from your brother when you reachNagasaki, lad; and we'll get word from Captain Pennington, too."
"I hope neither of them has been wounded."
"So do I; but when one goes to the front he has got to put up with thefortunes of war. Being a soldier of fortune, as it is called, is no babybusiness."
"Do you suppose the Japs are continuing to bombard Port Arthur?"
"More than likely--if the place hasn't fallen into their hands. Theywant to make sure of their footing in lower Manchuria, and they cannever do that so long as the Russians hold a single seaport down there."
"I suppose Russia has a pretty good-sized navy as well as an army?"
"Yes, Larry, one of the largest navies in the world. But their fightingships are no better than the ships of Japan. You see, the Japanese navyis not near as old as the navy of Russia. Almost all of the ships are ofthe up-to-date types. Most of them have been built since the war betweenJapan and China in 1894 and 1895."
"That would make them only about ten years old."
"Exactly, and I've been told that some of the ships in the Russian navyare twenty and thirty years old. More than this, all of the Japaneseguns are of the latest pattern--just as they are on our new warships."
"I'd like to go aboard of a Japanese warship," cried the young secondmate, enthusiastically.
"Want to see if it's as good as it was aboard of the _Olympia_, eh?"
"Yes, sir. Of course the _Olympia_ was old, especially alongside of the_Brooklyn_, on which my brother Walter served in Cuban waters, but evenso she was a bang-up fighting machine. If she hadn't been she wouldn'thave done her share in sinking that Spanish fleet in Manila Bay."
"Well, you may have a chance to go aboard of a Japanese ship while westop at Nagasaki. There must be a number of them at that port, coalingup and taking war supplies aboard."
"How long do you think it will be before we reach that port?"
"That will depend entirely upon the wind, as you know. If we get justwhat we need we may reach there inside of four or five days," answeredCaptain Ponsberry.
As Peterson and Shamhaven were now behaving themselves they were allowedto come out of the brig and do some work on the deck every morning andafternoon. Both begged the captain to forgive them, but the master ofthe _Columbia_ would promise nothing.
"You went into this with your eyes wide open," he said. "Now you canline up and take your medicine."
Semmel was exceedingly bitter at not being allowed his liberty for atleast a few hours a day and said he would denounce the captain at thefirst opportunity. But Captain Ponsberry soon cut him short.
"You keep a civil tongue in your head," he said, sternly. "Unless youdo, I'll put you down on hard-tack and water." And thereupon Semmelbecame sullenly silent.
Towards evening of the day upon which Larry had the conversation aboutwarships with Captain Ponsberry a Chinese junk, heavily laden withgrass-covered boxes, was passed. Nobody on board could speak English, sothe hail that was sent over the water brought no results.
"We are getting closer to the coast shipping," said the master of the_Columbia_. "I suppose we'll meet quite a few vessels from now on."
During the night an unexpected gale came up and the schooner was blownfar out of her course. The gale came from the westward, so the vesselwas blown to the east.
"This will make the trip a day or two longer," grumbled Grandon, afterthe gale had spent itself.
"Yes, but as we didn't lose a spar or a rag of canvas we can be thankfulthat it is no worse," responded Larry, who was always ready to look onthe bright side.
The gale subsided after a blow of twenty-four hours and then the bow ofthe _Columbia_ was once more set towards her destination. Only a fewknots had been covered when the lookout reported a vessel in sight.
"It's a steamer!" cried Larry, for the smoke from the craft's funnelswas plainly to be seen.
"Maybe she's a warship," returned Tom Grandon, who was beside him. "Ifso, I hope she's a Japanese."
The steamer was coming along at a good rate of speed and soon they madeher out to be a British vessel. She was a "tramp," that is, a vesselgoing from port to port, picking up whatever cargo can be found.
"Ahoy, there!" cried Captain Ponsberry, as the tramp slowed up. "Whatship is that?"
"The _Lord Duffield_," was the answer. "What ship is that?"
"The _Columbia_."
"Where are you bound?"
"For Nagasaki. And you?"
"For Hong-Kong."
A little more talk followed, and the captain of the _Lord Duffield_vouchsafed the information that he had sighted a Russian warship the daybefore.
"A warship!" murmured Larry.
"Which way was she bound?" asked Captain Ponsberry, anxiously.
"I can't tell you. She stopped us and asked a few questions and thenslipped away in the darkness."
"What warship was she?"
"The _Pocastra_, from Vladivostok. I think she used to be in themerchant service and was built over for the navy."
The captain of the British steamer could give no further information,and so resumed his course, and the master of the _Columbia_ didlikewise.
"Ain't very nice news, is it?" s
aid Tom Grandon.
"It's very unpleasant news," returned Captain Ponsberry, with a shrug ofhis shoulders.
"What are you going to do about it?"
"What can we do, Tom? Trust to luck that we get into Nagasaki harbor, orsome other port, in safety."
"We'll have to keep a sharp lookout for anything that looks like awarship, unless, of course, she flies a Japanese flag."
Word was passed around to those who could be trusted, and all day longone of the mates and a foremast hand were kept on the lookout, takingturns at looking through the best glass the schooner possessed.
"This is almost as exciting as being in a war," said Larry, when he wason duty with Luke. "Don't you know how we looked for the Spanish ships?"
"Yes, lad; but if we sight a Russian warship it will be small fightingwe'll do, to my way of thinking."
"Oh, we won't be able to fight at all. We'll simply have to rely on ourwits to keep us out of being gobbled up as a prize of war," respondedthe young second mate.