door the blood spurted from his nasal organ.

"Don't you dare to hit me again!" panted Ben, standing before the
Russian with both hands clenched. "Don't you dare--or you'll get the
worst of it!"

His manner made Captain Barusky cower back, and he glared at Ben with
the ferocity of a wild beast. Then he called to the guard.

"Run for aid, Petrovitch," he said. "The prisoner has attacked me. He is
a beast, and must be chained up."

The man addressed summoned three other sailors and the captain of the
ship's guard. All came into the pen and forced Ben into a corner.

"The Yankee dog!" said the captain of the guard. "To dare to strike a
Russian officer! Bring the chains at once!"

Chains were brought, and soon Ben was bound hands and feet, with links
that weighed several pounds. Then a large staple was driven into one of
the uprights of the pen and he was fastened to this with a padlock.

"Now place him on half-rations," said Captain Barusky. "It is the only
way to tame him." And then he hurried away to bathe his nose, which was
swelling rapidly.

If Ben had been miserable before he was doubly so now. The chains were
cumbersome and cut into his flesh, and being fastened to the upright he
could scarcely move a foot either way. To add to his misery the front of
the pen was boarded over, so that what little light had been admitted to
his prison was cut off.

In this wretched condition he passed a full week. In that time Captain
Barusky came to peep in at him three times, and on each occasion tried
to say something to make him still more dispirited. The food was so bad
he could not eat and the air often made his head ache as if it would
crack open.

"If this is a sample of Russian prison life it's a wonder all the
prisoners don't go mad," he reasoned. "A few months of this would surely
kill me."

At the end of the week Ben heard firing at a distance. The supply boat
was now trying to steal into Port Arthur and had been discovered by a
Japanese patrol boat. The craft was struck twice and the prisoner below
heard a wild commotion on the deck, as one of the funnels was carried
away. But darkness favored the Russians, and inside of two hours the
supply boat passed into Port Arthur harbor without sustaining further
damage. She was then directed to a proper anchorage by the harbor
master; and on the following day the transfer of her cargo to the
storehouses on shore was begun.

For several days longer Ben was kept on t