“Those fellows are wonderful runners,” he thought, and then he remembered how the Japanese soldiers had pressed forward when the cry was, “On to Pekin!” He felt certain that if the Japanese army ever landed in Manchuria, they would give the Russians some hard marching and fighting. How true this surmise proved we shall see later.
It was nearly four in the morning when the party reached a spot where there was a sandy beach with a small inlet. Here was a rude boathouse, which was apparently deserted.
As they came up to the boathouse Jiru Siko drew from his clothing two small rockets. Sticking one in the snow he set it off and then gazed anxiously out to sea, his companions doing likewise.
A few minutes passed, and then, through the swirling snow, they saw the flare of an answering rocket. At once all ran along the beach and leaped into two rowboats lying there.
It was a hazardous thing to do, for the seacoast was lined with floating cakes of ice. But the Japanese did not hesitate, nor did Gilbert, for all felt that the alarm on the road would speedily lead to an investigation, and the trail through the snow was a fairly plain one. The young American seized an oar with the rest and pulled as sturdily as anybody.
At last the two rowboats were well away from the shore, and then those on board began to search once more for the ship whence the answering rocket had been seen. They saw a light behind them and knew that the Russians were already on the trail.
A half-hour passed, and in the whirling snow it looked as if they had missed the ship entirely and would be at the mercy of the elements. Gilbert was fearfully cold, and so worn out with running and rowing that he could scarcely sit up.
Seeing that there was no help for it, Jiru Siko lit his second rocket. Hardly had it gone up into the air when a gun boomed out, and a solid shot went whistling over their heads.
“If we are struck we’ll go to the bottom sure,” thought Gilbert, and gave a shiver, for the thought of such an icy grave was not a pleasant one.
The first shot was followed by a second, and then a third. But these flew still further away, and then all aboard the small boats breathed easier.