"Rocket, throwing blue and red stars, sir," announced one of the men stationed on the bridge.
"Whither away?"
"Dead ahead, sir. There's another."
"That's the Yosen Maru, sure enough," exclaimed Drake. "We'll be in time, after all."
The grey dawn was paling in the eastern sky as the Frome eased down within a cable's length of the huge Japanese liner, and a couple of the destroyer's boats were promptly lowered and manned, Fielding being in charge of one, and Cardyke of the other.
It was soon evident that the Yosen Maru was helpless and drifting broadside on to the fairly stiff breeze. Her rudder had been shot away, and a gaping hole under her counter, a few feet above the waterline, showed that a shot had been fired with disastrous result. Her accommodation ladder had been lowered, and no attempt had been made to haul it up again, so towards this means of entry the destroyer's boats gave way.
Fielding was the first to board, and at the head of the ladder was met by a group of calm, imperturbable Oriental officers.
"We have been boarded by pirates, sir," announced one of the Japanese, in excellent English. "A large cruiser intercepted us and ordered us to heave-to. We asked the reason, and in reply a shot was fired across our bows, and another shattered our rudder. Under the circumstances we could do nothing more than ease down. We were boarded by a boat's crew, and the villain in charge demanded to see our papers, pointing revolvers at the passengers and crew to keep them intimidated. Our purser was compelled to hand over the whole of the bullion in the strong-room, to the value of three hundred thousand yen, some of our stores and provisions were stolen, and ten of our first-class passengers, including General Oki, who is on a mission to the British Court, and Mr. Hokosuka, the eminent financier of Nagasaki, were taken out of the ship. Finally having done considerable damage in our engine-room by means of a charge of dynamite, the rascals returned to their ship, and steamed off."
"Was the pirate ship alone?" asked Fielding. "And did she clear off under her own steam?"
"Certainly," replied the Japanese officer. "She headed S.S.W., going about twenty knots, as far as I could judge."