shown himself since. Even the customhouse officials could tell nothing. Gilbert had feared to go to the police, knowing that the police department of Russia is a wonderful and fearful institution, and that the officers might lock him up for having had anything to do with Snokoff in the first place.

[Pg 8]

“But I’m going to bring that fellow to justice somehow,” said Gilbert to himself more than once. “He shan’t escape as easily as he thinks.”

Mr. Nathan Chase was an American merchant who did business both at Port Arthur and at Tien-Tsin. Gilbert had met him once at the latter city, while the young American was still a soldier. The merchant had just come back to Port Arthur after a trip to Pekin, and as soon as Gilbert heard of this he made the call which has just been described.

Gilbert knew that a war between Japan and Russia would greatly complicate matters. He had heard about this at Nagasaki, and could now see that preparations for resisting an attack had been going forward in and around Port Arthur during the entire winter. All the forts had been strengthened, and the city was filled with soldiers from Russia. Many of the Chinese and Japanese residents of the place were leaving, and the railroad station was crowded from morning to night.

[Pg 9]

[Pg 9]

“If Port Arthur should be attacked by the Japanese, everything will be upset here,” thought the young American dismally. “In the excitement such a thing as having Snokoff arrested will be out of the question. I wish——”

Gilbert’s thoughts were interrupted at this moment by the appearance of a young man who was hurrying along the street, a bundle in each hand. A second look at the fellow convinced the young American that the individual was Ivan Snokoff’s clerk.

“Hold on!” he shouted, and running forward, caught the clerk by the arm. The fellow stopped, looked at the young American in alarm, and then tried to jerk away.

“Let me go,” he said, in Russian.

“I wish to talk to you,” answered Gilbert, who had picked up a smattering of the language.

“What do you want?”

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