is is certainly hard luck," said Larry, as he threw his bundle into a
corner and sat down on an iron bench, while Grandon and Luke did the
same. "And after we had almost reached Nagasaki, too!"

"Well, there ain't no use to cry over spilt milk," came from Luke.
"We're prisoners o' war, an' I reckon as how we have got to make the
best o' it. Ain't the first time we've been in sech a fix."

"That is true, Luke, but it doesn't help the matter any. I guess we have
seen the last of the old _Columbia_."

"I was afraid of this sort of thing happening ever since we left
Manila," came from Grandon. "I told the old man to be careful, that----"

"Hush!" whispered Larry. "They may be listening--to make sure that they
have caught the right parties."

"True for you, Larry; I won't say another word about that. But it looks
dismal, no two ways on't," and the first mate drew a mountainous sigh.

The prison pen into which they had been placed was an iron structure,
reaching from floor to ceiling, and was not over ten feet square. It had
a solid back and the remaining three sides were built up of stout iron
bars, only a couple of inches apart. There was a door which was doubly
locked, the key being held by a petty officer who could speak broken
English and who rejoiced in the simple name of Rosenvischpoff. For short
Luke nicknamed him Rosey and this name stuck to him.

"Doesn't look as if a fellow could break out of here very easily," said
Larry, after an inspection of their prison. "This is a regular bank
vault."

"Wouldn't do you any good to break out," returned Grandon. "As we are on
the ocean, where would you go to?"

"We might hide until the vessel made a landing."

"Humph, and that would be in some Russian port, so you'd be just as bad
off."

"Well, I'm not trying to escape just now. I want to get the lay of the
land first, and try to find out what they are going to do with us."

From Rosenvischpoff they learned that the _Pocastra_ was one of a large
number of steamers of various Russian lines which had been lately
pressed into the service of the national navy. She had been rushed
through at one of the Russian navy yards and provided with a battery of
four small and four large guns, none, however, over eight inches. She
carried a crew of one hundred and eighty men, drafted principally from
other warships. She had an advertised speed of twenty knots an hour but
rarely made over seventeen or eighteen. She was old and her