unwholesome, but to these conditions Gilbert did not pay attention.

“I must thank you for coming to my assistance,” said Gilbert, as he caught his Japanese friend by the hand. “You came in the nick of time.”

“No forget what Master Pennington do for Jiru Siko,” was the answer. “Very good man, Russians very bad mans—like to fight Russians all time!” And then the Japanese wanted to know if Gilbert was seriously hurt.

“No hurts of any consequence,” said the young American, after an inspection. “I got two or three cracks I didn’t like, but that was all. But if you hadn’t come up as you did, I don’t know how I[Pg 64] should have fared. How did you happen to see me?”

[Pg 64]

“Go out for something to eat,” was the reply. The Japanese did not add that he and his followers had intended to confiscate some goods in one of the storehouses near there, yet such was a fact. All of the party needed food, and, as the war had now begun, they considered that a perfectly legitimate way of getting what was wanted.

It was thought by some that the Russians would try to get into the cellar and follow up those who had attacked them. But when more of the stevedores arrived those who had first set upon Gilbert were too dazed to point out the way by which the young American and his friends had escaped.

One of the Japanese had been left on guard, and at length he came back with word that the Russians had gone off to a neighboring drinking resort.

“But they say they will hunt out the American,” said he. “And also hunt out us who aided him. One of the Russians said the American must be a leader among us and ought to be hung.”

This last bit of information was dismaying to Gilbert. Like a flash he realized that his troubles were growing deeper and deeper.

“First, it was Captain Barusky and that fellow who had me put out of the hotel, then it was that[Pg 65] officer who caught me on the tower, and now it is the crowd who think I am a leader of these Japs,” was what he told himself. “If they catch me, I reckon they’ll do all they can to make me a Russian prisoner of war.”

[Pg 65]

The Japanese and Chinese knew how Gilbert had stood up for Jiru Siko and his family, and they told him they would do all in their power for the 

 Prev. P 41/178 next