The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1910-01-13
| stepped into the boat waiting to take
him out to the ship.
CHAPTER v.
At the MercY Of the Waves.

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 time, yet who
had played such a large part in his
life and left such an indelible impress
sion on his memory.
The lights grew fewer, fading in the
distance one by one.
1T might be as WELL" mused 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.
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
one 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 on 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 ladder and as much of the dark,
roomy hold as lantern hanging from
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 partition across the hull and the
walls of the ships stern. A cushioned
divan extended in a semi-circle around
the rear end, there was a carpet on
the floor and furniture in the form of
a table over which was swung din
ing rack, and couple of chairs. The
captain made an inclusive, hospitable
gesture, accompanied by low salaam.
Hardy's mind was relieved.
The divan looked comfortable, so
he lay down on 1t 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 port-hole. A sudden fear that
the ship would founder and that he
would be drowned, cooped up there In
the cabin, seized him and he leaped,
clambering, for the port-hole. 1t was
not far above him, but ere he could
reach it, it was below him and he was
thrown toward it, receiving second
waterspout full in the face, drenching
! him to the skin, But he was as active
as a monkey and succeeded in thrust
ing an arm through the opening. He
hung on with 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 it 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 a took
stock of the situation. Enough water
had come in to drench him thorough
ly and to wet his blankets and bag
gage, but not sufficient to flood the
floor of the hold.
He crawled to the door and tried to
open it, but to his surprise found 1t
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 ne
had seen it in his dream in the train,
took shape before the eyes of his
memory. Soizing the knob of the
door, he threw his entire weight
against it several times, with the in
tention of breaking it in, but, to his
surprise, it offered unexpected resist
ance. AS he stood thus, still holding
to the knob and wondering why he
had been made a prisoner, there was
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, moment ago, he had been
; leaning. The grinding continued, &C
, companied by bumps and slidings
giving him very much the same sen
, sation that he had once experienced
in building that was being shaken
| by an earthquake. The waves, over
, which she had but now been leapins
against her with terrific and angry
} violence,