fought under Dewey and he has been my chum ever since."

"And a good fellow, too, Larry--a man with a heart of gold. If it wasn't
that you and Tom Grandon were with me, I should have made him a mate
long ago."

"I don't doubt that, sir--and he is worthy of it." Larry paused for a
moment. "Of course, I don't know if they want any of us in the navy."

"Didn't you tell me before that they had several men you had met while
under Dewey and some your brother Walter had met while fighting in Cuban
waters?"

"Yes, but that was some time ago."

"If they took those chaps then it's likely they will take you
now--unless, of course, they have all the men they want--which I doubt."

"We shall not go as ordinary jackies. Ben got a commission as a captain,
and Luke thinks he might go as a gunner and I might go as an assistant
gunner. We occupied those positions before we left our navy."

"Then I should certainly strike for the positions. They may need gunners
even if they don't need common seamen," responded Captain Ponsberry.

As fortune would have it, the run to Nagasaki was made without incident
worthy of special mention. Once there was a scare on board, as the water
in the well hole increased with alarming rapidity. But the new leak was
discovered in time, and the ship's carpenter had little difficulty in
repairing it. They also sighted a vessel they thought might be a Russian
warship, but she proved instead to be a Japanese coastwise freighter,
carrying lumber from one port to another on the northern coast of Japan.

As the _Columbia_ drew closer to Nagasaki both Peterson and Shamhaven
grew more anxious over what was to become of them. Neither desired a
term in a Japanese prison, and both wondered what sort of a charge
Captain Ponsberry and the captain of the Japanese warship would prefer
against them.

So far Captain Ponsberry had allowed them their liberty, but through the
talk of a couple of sailors they presently learned that they were to be
cast into the ship's brig and placed under guard as soon as the schooner
dropped anchor.

"This looks black for us," said Shamhaven, moodily. "I wish we were out
of it."

"I haf a plan got, yes," answered Peterson.

"To get away?"

The other nodded.

"Then let me hear the plan by all means, Peterson."

"It vos--vot you call him--risky, yes. Maype ve get shot--you no like
him, no?"

"Of course I don't want to get shot. But what is your plan?"

"So soon like de ship co