At the Fall of Port Arthur/Chapter 7
CHAPTER VII
THE MUTINEERS IN POSSESSION
As my old readers know, both Captain Ponsberry and Luke Striker were Yankees to the backbone, and it galled them exceedingly to see the schooner in the hands of a number of mutineers, and especially foreigners.
"We've got to git the ship back, no two ways on it," growled the old tar. "Captain, I'm willin' to fight to the end, if ye give the word."
"And I'll fight, too," said Larry, promptly.
"Don't you go fo' to fight dem rascallions!" whined Jeff. "Yo' will all be killed suah!"
"I would like to know what has become of Grandon and Vincent," came from Captain Ponsberry. "As we stand now, we are but four to seven or eight. If we could get Grandon and Vincent to aid us we would be six against them."
"Perhaps all the hands are not in the mutiny," suggested Larry. "Why not try to sound them?"
"I was thinking of doing that."
A little later Captain Ponsberry called up the companionway. At first nobody paid any attention to him, but presently the hatch was shoved aside a few inches and Ostag Semmel looked down. Behind him was Shamhaven.
"Semmel, what does this mean?" asked the captain, as calmly as he could.
"It means dat've haf de ship," replied the Russian, with a grin.
"You are carrying matters with a very high hand. Where are Grandon and Vincent?"
"I not tell you dat."
"We had a right to mutiny," said Shamhaven. "The grub wasn't fit to eat and was getting worse every day."
"That's a tale gotten up for the occasion, Shamhaven, and you know it. Semmel doctored the food to make you dissatisfied."
"Well, we don't think so," grumbled the sailor. "I don't think so, and Groot and the others don't either."
"Has Jack Wilbur joined you?"
"Certainly he has," was Shamhaven's ready reply, but his look belied his words.
"Ve are all pount to stick togedder," said Semmel. "You might as veil gif up der sooner—der petter for you!"
"I don't propose to give up, you rascal."
"Ton't you call me a rascals, no!" shouted Ostag Semmel. "I vos now der captains, yes, do you hear? Captain Semmel!"
"Bosh!" put in Luke Striker, in disgust. "Why ye ain't fit to be the skipper 'f a canal-boat!"
"If you try to navigate the ship you'll sink her on the rocks," put in Larry.
"You had better consider what you are doing, Shamhaven," went on the master of the Columbia. "Remember, if I regain possession of the schooner I can make it go hard with you."
"You no get dare schooner again, not much!" came from Peterson, who had just come up, followed by Jack Wilbur.
"Wilbur, are you in this? " demanded the captain. " If you are, I must confess I didn't think it of you."
"I ain't goin' to eat poor grub," answered Wilbur, lamely.
"The grub is all right and you know it. It was doctored up by Semmel, and I"
"You stop dat talk!" roared Semmel, and then he added: "Maybe you gif in after you are goot an' hungry, hey?"
"What, do you want to starve us out?" cried Larry.
"You see—chust vait!" answered the Russian, and with this the hatch was again put in place and the conference came to an end.
Captain Ponsberry was fairly boiling with wrath, but even so he realized that prudence is often the better part of valor.
"There is no use of trying a rush to the deck," he said. "Those rascals would surely shoot us down. Just now some of them are in the humor for anything."
"Perhaps we can do something to-night," suggested Larry.
"They talk about starving us out," said Luke. "Ain't there nothin' to eat here?"
An inspection was made of the cabin pantry, which brought to light some preserves, some pickles, a pot of cheese, and a tin of fancy crackers.
"About enough for one meal," said Captain Ponsberry, grimly.
"And a pretty slim one at that," added Larry. "But I say, captain," he added, suddenly, "isn't there a door leading from the back of the pantry down into the hold?"
"There was once—but I had it nailed up years ago, for we never used it."
"If we can open that, we might get something from the hold."
"Going to eat machinery?" demanded Luke.
"No—canned goods, Luke; I know Jeff had some placed there, for he didn't have room in his storeroom."
"Dat am a fac'," put in the cook. "I'se got lots ob t'ings in dat dar hold."
"Then that settles the starving question," said Captain Ponsberry. "I've got a small saw and a hammer down here somewhere. We can use them on the door."
"And that gives me another idea," went on Larry. "The hatch covering over the companionway belongs to the fore hatch. If we can reach that opening from here, why can't we steal on deck when we get the chance and try to make the mutineers prisoners?"
"Eureka!" shouted Luke. "That's the talk, Larry. Fer your years you've got a wonderfully long head on ye. We'll make 'em prisoners or chuck 'em overboard!"
"The idea is worth considering," said the captain. "But we must be careful."
A search was made and the hammer, small saw, and also a chisel were found. Then they cleaned out the pantry, took down several shelves, and thus uncovered the small door which had been nailed up.
"Don't make any noise, or they'll suspect that we are up to something," said Captain Ponsberry.
"Let Jeff rattle some dishes," said Larry, and while he and Luke worked on the door, the cook began to handle the dishes in such a rough manner that several were broken. He also tried to sing a couple of verses of his favorite song, "My Gal Susannah!" but his voice was so shaky that the effort was, artistically, a failure, although it added to the noise, which was all that was desired.
"They're pretty happy down there," said Wilbur to Shamhaven, as he listened to the sounds.
"Oh, they're putting on a front," growled Shamhaven. "They'll sing a different tune when their stomachs are empty."
"I don't know about this mutiny," went on the weak-kneed sailor, nervously.
"Oh, it's all right and you needn't to worry, Wilbur. If we stick together we'll make a couple of thousand apiece out of this game."
"But what shall we do if we fall in with a Russian warship?"
"Semmel has that all fixed. He'll expose the captain and state that the Columbia is carrying a cargo for the Japanese Government, and that he took possession in the name of the Czar. With this war on they won't ask too many questions so long as they can give the Japs a black eye."
"I see. But supposing we fall in with a Japanese warship? "
"Then Semmel is going to turn the command over to me and I'll tell them that the cargo was really meant for the Japanese Government but that Captain Ponsberry, just before we left Manila, sold out to the Russian agents and was going to Vladivostok. I'll add that we refused to go to the Russian port after signing for Nagasaki, and all of the men can back me up. That will put the captain and his friends in limbo and give us some prize money. Oh, we'll come out ahead, don't you worry," concluded Shamhaven, confidently.
The day passed slowly and the mutineers held several meetings, to settle upon just what they were going to do. But all had been drinking more than was good for them and the conferences ended in nothing but talk. Semmel was the accepted leader, but it was plain to see that Shamhaven objected strongly to playing a secondary part, and Peterson also wanted a large "finger in the pie."
As they worked with care, it was a good hour and a half before Larry and Luke managed to take down the door leading into the hold. Even when this was done they found on the other side several heavy cases of machinery almost impossible to budge.
"We can pry those out of the way," said the captain.
"A foot or so will do it," returned Larry. "Then I think I can crawl over the top."
They continued the work, and a little later the young second mate was able to squeeze his way to the top of the cargo in that vicinity.
"Be careful, Larry," warned the captain. "If a case should shift with the ship you might get a crushed leg. You had better take a candle along."
"I will, sir."
Luke was as anxious to get into the hold as the young second mate, and he too squeezed his tall, lank form through the opening. Guided by the faint light of the candle, they crawled over a number of cases of machinery and war goods until they drew close to the middle of the ship.
"Here we are!" cried Larry, in a low voice, and pointed to some cases of canned goods. "Beans, corn, tomatoes, salt pork, condensed milk—we won't starve just yet, Luke."
"An' here are some barrels o' flour," added the old tar. "No, they can't starve us nohow now."
They had brought the chisel and hammer along, and with extra caution opened some of the cases. Taking with them all the goods they could carry, they returned to the cabin.
"This is splendid!" cried Captain Ponsberry. "With this stuff on hand we can hold the cabin indefinitely."
"How is I gwine to cook?" questioned Jeff.
"Over the two lanterns, Jeff. It will be slow work, but our time is our own. Luckily there are pots and tins in the pantry."
"All right, sah."
"Of course, I am hoping that we shall not have to stay here long," went on the captain. "But it is best to be prepared."
That those on deck might not see the cooking going on, one of the staterooms was cleaned out and Jeff went to work in this. In the meantime Semmel called down the companionway once more.
"Are you gettin' hungry?" he asked.
"Tell him yes," whispered Larry.
"Why?" questioned the captain, in an equally low tone.
"Then he'll think we are getting ready to come to terms and he won't watch us so closely."
"I see." Captain Ponsberry raised his voice. "Yes, we are hungry," he called up. "What are you going to send us, something good?"
"Ve send noddings. Maybe you talk business soon, hey?" continued the rascally Russian.
"Perhaps."
"How soon?"
"Well, perhaps to-morrow morning."
"Not before dot, hey?"
"No."
"All right den; you can go on an' starve so long!" growled Ostag Semmel, and went away. A moment later he met Shamhaven.
"What did he say?" asked the latter, anxiously.
"He comes to terms to-morrow!" answered the Russian, triumphantly.