Part 9 (1/2)
CHAPTER NINE.
THE ADVENTURE OF THE KINs.h.i.+U MARU.
By the time that we were fairly out at sea, it was pitch dark, not a star to be seen, and to add still further to the obscurity, a light mist gathered, as it so often does in the j.a.pan Sea, so that by eight o'clock it was only with the utmost difficulty that we were able to discern a small junk which we had in tow, and which had been employed by us to facilitate the landing of the troops. The weather still continued overcast, and the play of sheet lightning gradually grew more vivid and frequent; but there was no wind, and not much sea; and as time went on I began to think, with Yagi, that Takebe's apprehensions had been groundless, and that we were in for nothing worse than, may be, a thunderstorm, after all.
I spent a couple of hours in the saloon that night, watching the infantry officers, of whom there were six, playing some wonderful game of cards, of which I could make nothing, and then strolled up on the bridge to see what the weather was like, and to have a yarn with Yagi, before turning in for the night. It was still hazy and very overcast, but there was not a breath of air save the draught created by the motion of the s.h.i.+p, and there was a very beautiful display of sheet lightning, almost continuous, which lighted up the clouds, the mist, and the sea in the most marvellous manner.
The s.h.i.+p was then heading south-east, with all her lights burning brightly, as in duty bound, and I was sitting astride a camp-stool, with my shoulders resting against the port rail of the bridge, while Yagi, also occupying a camp-stool, sat facing me. He was spinning some yarn-- a sort of j.a.panese fairy tale, it seemed to be--about a geisha, while I was staring contemplatively into the darkness over the starboard bow, watching the wonderful play of the lightning, when suddenly, as a flash lighted up the gloom, I thought I caught a momentary glimpse of three or four dark shapes, about a mile away, broad on the starboard bow. If I had really seen those shapes, they could only be s.h.i.+ps, _and they were showing no lights_; I therefore ruthlessly cut into the skipper's yarn by directing his attention to the point where the momentary vision had revealed itself.
”What is that you say?” he exclaimed. ”s.h.i.+ps without lights? Then it must be our Admiral, still hunting for the Vladivostock squadron. Well, we have not seen them, and we had better tell him so, and at the same time inquire whether he has any fresh orders for us. Mr Uchida,”--to the chief officer,--”our squadron is away out there, somewhere on the starboard bow. Have the goodness to honourably make our night signal, as I wish to speak the Admiral.”
Uchida hurried away and, the signal lanterns being always kept ready for immediate use, in less than a minute they were hoisted. Meanwhile there had been no further lightning flashes to illuminate the darkness, and I rose to my feet, for we were still steaming ahead at full speed, and I had a feeling that we must be drawing pretty close to the strangers. As I did so, our signal was answered by the imperative order: ”Stop immediately!” And at the same instant a brilliant and protracted flicker of sheet lightning revealed four large s.h.i.+ps, not more than three cables' lengths distant. The leading s.h.i.+p was a big lump of a four-funnelled cruiser, the funnels coloured white, with black tops, and she carried three masts. The second craft was very similar in general appearance to the first, also having four white, black-topped funnels, and three masts. The third was a two-masted, three-funnelled s.h.i.+p; while the fourth was of distinctly ancient appearance, being of the period when sails were as much used as steam. She had two funnels, and was barque-rigged, with royal yards across, but she was now under steam, with all her canvas furled. We had no such s.h.i.+ps in our fleet, while I instantly identified the barque-rigged craft as the Russian cruiser _Rurik_, of the Vladivostock squadron! That squadron, then, for which Admiral Kamimura was especially hunting, was actually at sea, and we had fallen in with it!
There was not the least doubt about it. In every wardroom and gunroom of every j.a.panese wars.h.i.+p there was an alb.u.m containing a beautiful, complete set of photographs of every s.h.i.+p in the Russian navy, each s.h.i.+p being pictured from at least four different points of view; and it was a part of every officer's duty to study these photographs until he had acquired the ability to identify at sight any Russian wars.h.i.+p he might chance to encounter. Thus, in the leading s.h.i.+p of the squadron in sight, a moment's reflection enabled me to recognise the _Rossia_, with, astern of her, the _Gromoboi_, then the _Bogatyr_, and finally the _Rurik_.
”Jove!” I exclaimed. ”We've done it now, with a vengeance, Yagi.
Those four s.h.i.+ps comprise the Russian Vladivostock squadron; and we are right under their guns! Stop her, man, for heaven's sake. It is the only thing you can do. If you don't, the beggars will sink us out of hand.”
”They will probably do that in any case,” growled Yagi, as he laid his hand on the engine-room telegraph and rang down an order to stop the engines. ”But, as you honourably say, Captain, it is the only thing to be done, although it means the interior of a Russian prison for all hands of us.”
As the _Kins.h.i.+u's_ engines stopped, the _Rossia_ turned her searchlights upon us, brought her guns to bear, and lowered two boats, the crews of which we could see were armed to the teeth. And at the same moment two destroyers loomed up out of the darkness, one of which stationed herself on our port bow, while the other placed herself upon our starboard quarter, each of them with their tubes and guns manned. Evidently, the Russians did not mean to leave us the smallest loophole for escape.
The six j.a.panese infantry officers, noting the stoppage of our engines, came rus.h.i.+ng up on deck to learn what was the matter; and upon hearing that the strange s.h.i.+ps which had stopped us were Russian wars.h.i.+ps, hurried away below again, presumably, I thought, to give orders of some sort to the troops under their command.
The _Rossia_, with the way she had on her, had by this time closed to within about twenty-five fathoms of us; and at this juncture an officer on her bridge hailed, ordering our skipper to send a boat.
”Good!” e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Yagi. ”We will do so. But we will not go aboard the _Rossia_. Oh, no. We will slip away in the darkness and make for the land. And you will honourably accompany us, will you not, Captain? A Russian prison has no attractions for you, eh?”
”You are right, my friend, it has not,” I answered; ”for which reason I must decline to accompany you. Because you will never get away, Yagi.
How can you, with those searchlights turned full upon us, and those destroyers where they are?”
”Nevertheless, I shall try,” answered the skipper; and he turned away to bellow an order to the crew to clear away and lower the port lifeboat, the port side being s.h.i.+elded from the glare of the searchlights. Then I heard him order the chief officer to superintend the lowering of the boat, and at the same time to smuggle an extra breaker of water and a bag or two of biscuits into her.
Then he turned again to me. ”If you will not come with us, what will you honourably do, my friend?” he demanded.
”Oh,” said I, ”I shall join the infantry officers below, and see what they are going to do.” And without further parley, I ran down the ladder and made my way below to the saloon, where I found the six officers sitting at the table, looking very pale and grave.
”Well, gentlemen,” I cried, ”here we are, in a nice little Russian trap.
What do you propose to do?”
”We thought at first of performing hari-kari,” said one of them. ”But Captain Nagai, with whom you were discussing the subject of hari-kari, only the night before last, appears to have come round to your way of thinking that it is better to live for the Emperor than to die for him.
He argues--as you did--that a dead man can do nothing for his Emperor, whereas a living man may be able to do many things; in which statement there is truth. Therefore we propose to surrender to the Russians, in the honourable hope that we may be able to effect our escape, sooner or later, and return to fight for Nippon. What do you honourably propose to do, Captain?”
”Oh,” said I, ”to surrender seems the most sensible thing to do, and doubtless I shall do it--eventually. Meanwhile, however, I think I will toddle up on deck again, and see how Yagi and the s.h.i.+p's crew are getting on. They are going to try to slip away in the s.h.i.+p's lifeboat, you know?”
”Banzai!” cried one of the officers. ”I hope they will honourably succeed. But, having decided to surrender, I think the safest place is down here. Doubtless we shall soon see you again.”
”Y-e-s,--possibly,” I replied. ”But I shall not surrender until the last moment; so, if you do not see me again, you may conclude that I have found some means of effecting my escape, and have seized them.”
Saying which, I shook hands with them all round, and returned to the deck. During my brief visit to the saloon, Yagi and his men had got their boat into the water, and were now pulling boldly for the _Rossia_; but I noticed that directly they pa.s.sed out of the area of radiance cast by the searchlight, they s.h.i.+fted their helm sharply and, crossing the cruiser's bows, were evidently endeavouring to slip past her in the gloom of her own shadow.