“Not from here?” “No! no! sailboat some miles from here. Go away from Port Arthur in dark—walk or ride in dark—come where boat is, wait for good time go away. Master Pennington come, we do best we can for him.” “Jiru Siko, you are a true friend if ever there was one!” ejaculated Gilbert, catching the brown[Pg 69] hand of the little Japanese. “How soon do you expect to start from here?” [Pg 69] “To-morrow night.” “I’d like to get my traveling bag, if not my trunk.” The Japanese looked puzzled for a moment. “Bad work get bag, Russians look for Master Pennington at hotel—keep spy, get bag, catch quick, maybe.” “You mean they may have a spy watching for my return?” Jiru Siko nodded. “All city full of spies now,” he added. “I believe you. Nevertheless, I’ll see if I can’t get the bag and a few other things. Herr Schaumberg will do what he can for me, I know.” The matter was talked over for a short while longer, and then it was decided that Gilbert should try to reach the German hotel as soon as it got dark. He was to get back to the Chinese furniture shop by the following evening, and then set out with Jiru Siko and some others for the ship. [Pg 70] [Pg 70] CHAPTER VIII AT THE GERMAN HOTEL AT THE GERMAN HOTEL Now that Gilbert was about to leave Port Arthur he was anxious to see what he could of the preparations for war, and when he left the furniture shop at dark he did not move directly for Herr Schaumberg’s hotel, but took a circuitous route which brought him near to some of the forts. That the Russians were doing all in their power to render the port safe against an attack there could be no doubt. Every fort was being strengthened, and from the talk of some soldiers he learned that some hills behind the town were likewise being fortified.
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