CHAPTER XVII
THE RETAKING OF THE "COLUMBIA"
"We are in for another storm!"
It was Larry who made the remark. He was in one of the tops with Luke,gazing anxiously to the westward, where the black clouds were beginningto pile up.
"Right you are, lad--and it's going to be a heavy one, unless I miss myguess."
The storm broke half an hour later, and the wind and rain were sofurious that our friends were glad to leave the top and go below. Butsome of the Japanese sailors did not appear to mind the lashing of theelements and remained on deck as if nothing out of the ordinary wasoccurring.
"These chaps beat me!" said Larry. "They are certainly as tough as pineknots. I never saw their equal."
"I'm beginning to think that the Japanese are a wonderful nation," putin Tom Grandon, seriously. "I used to look at them as something like theChinese. But there is a wide difference between them and the Chinks."
"A Chinaman isn't in it alongside of a Japanese," came from CaptainPonsberry. "The Japanese are up-to-date and very progressive; theChinese are about a hundred years behind the times."
The storm continued for the best part of half a day. There was butlittle thunder and lightning, but the wind blew a perfect gale. Yet eventhe _Pocastra_ did not seem to mind the wind, and all three of thewarships proceeded on their way at only a slightly reduced rate ofspeed.
"Such a gale as this will play havoc with the sailing vessels," saidLarry. "I wonder how the old _Columbia_ is making out?"
"I was thinking that same," rejoined Captain Ponsberry. "To tell thetruth, I'd rather have her go to the bottom than see her taken to aRussian port as a prize."
When the storm cleared away, Larry was one of the first to go on deck,to get a whiff of "washed air," as he called it. The others followed.
"I see a sail!" cried the youth, a moment later, and at that instantcame a cry from the lookout. Far to the eastward was a sailing vesselflying a signal of distress.
"She looks familiar to me!" ejaculated Captain Ponsberry, and ran to getCaptain Tonkaka's glass. One glance through the instrument was enough.
"The _Columbia_!"
"Are you sure?" cried Larry.
"She certainly is the _Columbia_," said Tom Grandon, after a lookthrough the glass. "She has lost her fore topmast and part of herbowsprit."
"And a part of the stern rail is gone," added Larry, after he too hadused the glass. "Let us tell Captain Tonkaka," he added, starting to gobelow.
The news that the _Columbia_ was in sight was soon circulated throughoutthe ship, and Captain Tonkaka at once signaled to the other warshipsthat he was going to her assistance. Then the _Mimora Juri_ steamed awayon her new course.
As they drew closer to the schooner they could see that the storm hadtreated the gallant old ship roughly enough. Many of the sails were inribbons, and not only the fore topmast but also half a dozen of thespars were gone. One end of the forecastle was stove in, and a part ofthe stern was a wreck.
"This is the worst yet!" cried Larry. "They must have caught more of thegale than we did."
"They didn't know how to handle her, that's the reason of it," came fromCaptain Ponsberry. "We have taken her through a worse blow than that;eh, Tom?"
"I think so," answered the second mate.
As soon as the Japanese warship was close enough a boat was lowered andan officer went aboard of the schooner, followed by several of his crewand Captain Ponsberry, Grandon, and Larry.
The Russians having the schooner in charge were meek enough. As a matterof fact the gale had terrorized them, and all had imagined they weresurely going to the bottom of the sea. They did not like it to findthemselves in the hands of the enemy and were astonished when theylearned that the _Pocastra_ had been captured.
"It was a fearful storm," said the Russian officer who was in charge."Several times I fancied the masts would all go by the board. I shallnever want another such experience. One man was washed overboard andseveral were badly hurt by the wrecking of the forecastle."
"Were any of my former men injured?" asked Captain Ponsberry.
"It was my fellow countryman, Ostag Semmel, who was swept overboard anddrowned," answered the Russian officer.
"Semmel!" ejaculated Larry. He drew a long breath and his hatred of theman died all in an instant. "Poor chap! That was rough on him!"
"It certainly was rough," answered Captain Ponsberry. "And what of theothers?"
"Both Peterson and Shamhaven were hurt, but not seriously. They arebelow resting," was the answer.
It was found that some of the seams of the schooner had opened but thatno alarming quantity of water was running into the well. The Russianswere asked to surrender as prisoners of war and this they did willingly,and were transferred to the Japanese warship. Then Captain Ponsberry wasasked if he wished to take charge of the _Columbia_ again.
"Will a duck swim!" he cried. "Of course I want to take charge. Hasn'tshe always been my ship? And my crew will want to go with me, I know."
"But the wreckage----" began Captain Tonkaka.
"I'll attend to that, sir,--don't you worry. Only give me back my ship,that's all I ask."
"It shall be as you say, Captain Ponsberry. But when you get to Nagasakiyou will have to settle matters with the Japanese Government. It is, alltold, a rather peculiar case. In one way, she is now a Japanese prize ofwar, and in another way she is not."
"I understand, and the courts will have to settle the tangle, sir. I'lldo what is fair, and I know the Richmond Importing Company will do thesame."
"Then you can go aboard of the ship as soon as you please."
"Thank you very much."
Captain Ponsberry had returned to the warship for just this talk, andnow he lost no time in getting back to the _Columbia_, taking with himall his crew, including Cal Vincent, who was just about able to getaround once more.
"Hurrah!" cried Larry, "this seems like home once more, doesn't it?"
"That's what it does," answered Luke. "But there is plenty of workahead, I can tell you that, lad."
"I don't care--work will help to pass the time."
When Peterson and Shamhaven saw Captain Ponsberry they did not know whatto say. The loss of their leader, Semmel, had humbled them greatly.
"I'm not going to say much to you, seeing as how both of you are hurt,"said the master of the _Columbia_, briefly. "But understand, I want nononsense from either of you."
"I'll do all I can to assist you, captain," said Shamhaven, humbly. "AllI want is another chance."
"Which you'll not get from me," was the quick rejoinder. "I know youthoroughly, Shamhaven, and I am done with you. You and Peterson aidedthe Russians and you can now consider yourselves under arrest. When weget into port I'm going to hand you over to the Japanese authorities."
Both of the culprits wanted to argue, but the captain would not listen.Their hurts were inspected and they were told that they would be allowedthree days in which to recuperate, after which they would have to dotheir share of duty.
"I don't like this," growled Shamhaven, after the interview was over."Peterson, we are in it deeper than ever."
"Dat is so," was the answer, with a scowl. "Vell, ve not put up mit him,hey? Maybe, ven we git near shore, we run avay, Shamhaven."
"Yes, if we can get the chance. But I don't know where you are going torun to--especially if you haven't any money."
"Ve git money."
"From where?"
"I ton't know dot yet, no, but ve git him, yes. Captain Ponsberry musthaf some, and dot Larry Russell, too. Vonce I see Russell mit a moneypelt vot haf some gold in him, yes."
"A money belt with gold? You must be dreaming."
"No, I see him mit mine two eyes. He count der gold. He haf more asdirty pieces."
"That is worth remembering," answered Shamhaven. And he began tospeculate upon what he could do in Japan if he was free and had a moneybelt full of gold.
That Larry had a money belt was true. He had purchased i
t several yearsbefore, while on shore duty in the Philippines. He was a saving fellowand found the belt useful in which to place his wages and the moneywhich he occasionally received from home. Strange as it may seem, thebelt had not been taken away from him by the Russians, and it nowcontained nearly three hundred dollars. The money was mostly ingold,--for he had found that gold could be used no matter where he went.