Russians from the rear.

A howl of pain went up as one of the Russians received a blow on the head that staggered him. Then a second was hit on the ear, a third nearly had his shoulder dislocated, and the others fared almost as badly.

[Pg 62]

[Pg 62]

“The Japanese!” shrieked one of the stevedores. “The Japanese!”

“Stop, do not kill us!” moaned a second.

Gilbert listened to the words in amazement. Then he looked up, to behold Jiru Siko standing there, stick in hand.

“Siko!” he cried. “This is fortunate!”

“Come, Master Pennington,” was the low answer. “Make quick walk, no make quick walk more Russians come—make much hurry!” And he bent down and caught Gilbert by the arm.

The ex-lieutenant needed no second bidding, and as quickly as he could he arose to his feet. The Japanese took him by the arm and hurried him toward the cellar stairs. In the meantime the others continued to fight, and the Russian stevedores received a sound thrashing. But now one blew a whistle, a signal for the others of the gang to which he belonged.

Gilbert went down the cellar steps and Jiru Siko and his friends came after him. Then the cellar door was shut down and hooked fast. All was so dark Gilbert could not for the moment see anything.

“Come, Jiru Siko show the way,” said the Japanese, and hurried the young American forward through the gloom. They passed across the cellar[Pg 63] and into a passageway that was utterly black. All the party followed a moment later, and Gilbert heard a stout wooden door close and heard the bolts as they were shot into place.

[Pg 63]

When the young American finally emerged from the passageway he found himself covered with dust and cobwebs. He was in a small stone room, almost entirely underground. Overhead was a storehouse, and beyond this the water front.

The room was filled with Japanese and Chinese, and back of it was another room containing a number of women and children, including Jiru Siko’s family. It was a foul-smelling place, damp and 

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