Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1910-01-06
CHAPTER V.
At the Mercy Of the Waves,

Hardy had seen. One of them, a
shock-headed boy, who seemed to
have brought to sea with him all the
smells of Chinatown, came and stood
by the Americans side and gazed into
his face with Unsuitable, %devouring
curiosity. Hardy was watching the
twinkling lights of the town and think
ing of Aisome, with whom he had
been thrown so brief a time, yet who
had played such a large part in his
life and left such an indelible impres-
sion OF his memory.
The lights grew fewer, fading in the
distance n by one
1T might be as we'll" unused Hardy,
ito make myself as agreeable as pos
sible to these Japs. l am alone with
them in the middle of the sea, and |
heard rumors in Yokohama that, de-
spite their exquisite politeness, they
hate all Caucasians. Perhaps Also
me-but no, she certainly was sincere.
l wonder where Neville is now?" The
American felt in his hip pocket and
was comforted by the cold touch Of
his revolver handle. The reflection
that he was one of the most famous
amateur shots in America gave him a
distinct feeling of security.
The lights were all gone now. That
n yonder, at which he had been
gazing so long and which did not fade,
was a star, he was quite sure. He
turned and walked forward to where
the captain was talking with one of
the sailors, and indicated, by laying
his cheek OF his open palm, that he
was sleepy and would like to go to
bed. The captain, with sudden com
prehension and many exaggerated
gestures of %politeness, led him to a
hatch and opened the door. Hardy
! saw a ladder and as much of the dark,
roomy hold as a lantern hanging from
a beam could illuminate. The cap
tain went down the ladder and Hardy
followed. Had he been able to speak
Japanese, or to make himself in any
way understood, he would have OBJ
jected to sleeping below, would have
explained that he preferred to wrap
himself in a blanket and remain on
deck where the air was purer. But
he did not think it best to antagonize
these men, in whose power he so
completely was.
The captain took down the lantern
and opened the door. The cabin into
which he led the way was nearly semi
circular in shape, as it was bounded
by a partition across the hull and the
walls of the ships stern. A cushioned
the real end, there was a carpet on
the floor and furniture in the form of
a table owe which was swung a din
ing rack, and a couple Of chairs. The
captain made an inclusive, hospitable
gesture, accompanied by a low salaam.
Hardy's mind was relieved.
The divan looked comfortable, so
he lay down on it and composed him
self for sleep. He woke UP about an
hour later on the floor. The wind was
rising and the increased plunging of
the boat had rolled him from his
couch.
He spread his blankets on the floor,
lay down and soon dozed off. He was
awakened a second time by a cold
stream of water, spouting full upon
him with terrible force. He jumped
to his feet, only to be thrown sprawl
ing. The little vessel, which was light,
was rolling from rail to rail, and the
water had coughed in through the
opened portfolio. A sudden fear that
the ship would founder and that he
would be drowned, cooped up there in
clambering, for the portfolio. 1t was
not far above him, but ere he could
reach it, it waaAbelow him and he was
thrown towardsit, receiving a second
waterspout full in the face, drenching
him to the skin. But he was as active
as q monkey and succeeded in thrust
ing an arm through the opening. He
hung on with a will, and as his side
of the vessel hove into the air again,
slammed the window to and gave a
few frantic whirls to the screw, suf-
ficient to make 1t catch and form a
solid object to which he could hold.
He secured the window and rolled to
the floor, where he rested on hands
and knees, with his limbs spread out
as widely as possible to keep himself
from rolling about, while he took
stock Of the situation. Enough water
had come in to drench him thorough
~ and to wet his blankets and bag
gage, but not sufficient to flood the
floor of the hofd.
He crawled to the door and tried to
open 1t, but to his surprise found it
locked. He pounded on it and shouted,
but to no avail. This discovery
aroused in him again the sense Of
danger, and the face Of Aisome, as he
had seen 1t in his dream in the train,
took shape before the eyes of his
memory. Selling the knob OF the
door, he threw his entire weight
against it several times, with the in
tention Of breaking 1t In, but, to his
surprise, 1t offered unexpected resist
ance. As he stood thus, still holding
to the knob and wondering why he
had been made a prisoner, there was
a horrible grinding, grating sound; the
ship shuddered as though wounded to
the death, and the stern rose high in
the air and remained thus. Hardy
knew this from the fact that he was
now almost lying on the door, against
which, a moment ago, he had been
leaning. The grinding continued, &C
companied by bumps and slidings,
giving him very much the same sem
sation that he had once experienced
in a building that was being shaken
by an earthquake. The waves, over
which she had hut ROW been leaning