Under the Mikado's flag

Now that Gilbert was about to leave Port Arthur he was anxious to see what he could of the preparations for war, and when he left the furniture shop at dark he did not move directly for Herr Schaumberg’s hotel, but took a circuitous route which brought him near to some of the forts.

That the Russians were doing all in their power to render the port safe against an attack there could be no doubt. Every fort was being strengthened, and from the talk of some soldiers he learned that some hills behind the town were likewise being fortified.

“They are afraid the Japs will land and come up in the city’s rear,” he told himself, and this was the truth. The work of fortifying Port Arthur went on day and night for a long while, and great quantities of stores were brought in, to use in case of a siege.

By the time Gilbert reached the vicinity of the German hotel it was long after dark. He did not go to the front entrance, but took to an alleyway on the left which led to some stables in the rear. This brought him past a window of the private dining room and there he saw Herr Schaumberg and his wife and three children sitting at the table, partaking of their evening meal.

The ex-lieutenant felt that he could trust the German, but he was not so sure of Frau Schaumberg, who, it will be remembered, was of Russian birth. It was possible the lady had relatives in the Russian army, and it would be a feather in their cap if the American was caught by them.

The meal in the private dining room was about over, and presently Gilbert saw the hotel keeper get up and put on his hat. Then he came out of a side door and walked towards the stables.

“Herr Schaumberg!” Gilbert called softly, and hurried toward the man.

“Who vos it?” queried the hotel keeper, coming to a halt, and peering into the darkness. “Vell, I neffer! I dink you vos no comin’ pack no more, Mr. Bennington.”

“What made you think that?”

“I hear dem say you vos a schpy. Dem Roossian soldiers vos after you, not so?”

“I reckon they are after me, Herr Schaumberg. But I have done no wrong.”

“Den you vos hafe lots of droubles for noddings, hey?”

“That’s the size of it. But I haven’t time to talk. I want my bag and some other things, and I want to pay you. Will it be safe for me to go to my room?”

“I dink me not—chust yet. You see, mine frau she vos a Roossian, an’ she ton’t like you mooch on dat account.”

“I suspected as much.”

“You come py der stable. I vill tell you ven you can come into der hotel,” went on Herr Schaumberg.

In a minute more Gilbert was in the stable, and sitting in a room used for storing harness. The grooms were gone, so there was no danger from that source.

“Now I go pack to der hotel,” said Herr Schaumberg, after he had looked to see if the horses had been properly cared for for the night. “Chust you vait here bis I come again, hey?”

“How long will I have to wait?”

“Besser vait bis mine frau she go to ped. Dat is apout an hour.”

“Very well, I’ll wait.”

While he was left to himself, Gilbert pondered over what he should take along and what was to be left behind. He could not be too heavily burdened, for the journey to the ship might be a hard one, and Jiru Siko had told him that nobody was to carry much baggage. Scarcely an hour had gone by when the hotel keeper returned.

“Mine frau she vos sleepy,” said he with a good-natured grin. “I told her besser go py der ped an’ she go. Come now, an’ don’t make so mooch noise like a fly.”

He went on ahead, out of the stable, across a small courtyard, and into the hotel by a back door. Gilbert had hold of his arm, and made no noise whatever, since his shoes were protected by heavy winter rubbers. They passed up a dark stairway and through the upper hall.

“Here vos your room,” said the hotel proprietor. “Shall I vait for you or come pack?”

“You can wait if you wish—I’ll not be long,” answered the ex-lieutenant.

A light was lit, and Gilbert brought forth his trunk and his traveling bag. Having decided what to take and what to leave behind, it was an easy matter to pack the bag, and inside of fifteen minutes the task was done. Then Gilbert settled his bill.

“I’ll have to leave the trunk here,” said he. “Will you take care of it until you hear from me again?”

“Mit bleasure, Mr. Bennington. I vos sorry you haf to git owid like dis.”

“It is not my fault. The Russians are treating me very unjustly.” Gilbert shut his teeth hard. “I’ve got a score to settle with them for it.”

“I ton’t vos plame you. Put I can’t say noddings. Of I do, I got me into droubles, hey?”

“I reckon so.” Gilbert Paused and glanced around the room. “I may as well be going now. Good-by, and much obliged for what you have done for me.”

The light was put out, and the pair passed again into the dark hallway, Herr Schaumberg having left the lights unlit on purpose. Gilbert now carried his bag, which was by no means light in weight.

The back stairs were just gained, when there came sounds from the main room of the hotel. Some new arrival had just come in. Leaving Gilbert, Herr Schaumberg ran to the front stairway, and glanced down to the floor below.

“Dere vos some Roossian soldiers dare!” he whispered, as he came running back. “You vos besser get owid kvick!”

“I will,” answered Gilbert. “Good-by. Don’t say anything about me.” And in another instant he was descending the back stairs two steps at a time.

All might have gone well with the ex-lieutenant had not something occurred upon which neither he nor Herr Schaumberg had calculated. Sneaking into the back door of the hotel at that moment was one of the servants, who had gone out for a walk unknown to her master or mistress.

As Gilbert landed at the foot of the stairs he came upon the girl with a suddenness that sent her flying against a kitchen door. The breath was almost knocked out of her, yet she immediately let out a yell of terror.

“Help! help!” she screamed in German. “Help! Who is this? A robber!”

“Excuse me,” murmured Gilbert. “Sorry, but I didn’t see you,” and, slipping past the girl, he opened the door into the courtyard.

“A robber! A robber!” shrieked the girl, and continued to cry out until she had aroused the whole household. All came running to the spot, and with them the Russian soldiers that had just arrived.

“Vot is it, Bena?” questioned Herr Schaumberg, although he knew only too well.

“A robber!” wailed the girl. “He knocked me down! He wanted to murder me!”

“I saw nobody,” answered the hotel keeper. “You must be mistaken.” He was now addressing the girl in German.

“No, no, I saw him, Herr Schaumberg, indeed I did!”

“How did he look?” The hotel keeper thought to gain time for Gilbert by asking a number of questions.

“I could not see very well, it was so dark.”

“Perhaps it was Frederick the stableman.”

“No, it was a stranger, and he carried a hand-bag.”

“And are you sure you are not dreaming?”

“Yes, I am sure. I saw him with my two eyes. Oh, how he scared me. I shall never get over it, never!”

“Perhaps it was that good-for-nothing American,” came from Frau Schaumberg, who had just come from her room. “Run to his room and see if his things are still there.”

Now this was just what her husband did not wish, but he did not dare to say so.

“Very well, we will look,” said he. “Where is the key?”

“I have it not, Carl. Perhaps it is in the office.”

“Or he took it with him,” answered the hotel keeper, who had the key in his pocket. “Wait till I look.”

He hurried to the office, dropping the key in the hall on the way. His wife came after him, followed by the frightened servant.

“I see no key here,” said Herr Schaumberg, after looking around.

“Better break down the door of the room,” put in one of the soldiers. “We came in to look for that fellow.”

“Very well, we can do that,” said the hotel keeper. “But wait till I make a light.”

The hall was lit up, and then the hotel keeper, not wishing to have the door injured, pretended to stumble over the key.

“Here it is!” he cried.

“Ha! the fellow must have thrown it there!” cried Frau Schaumberg, in triumph. “Now look into the room at once!”

The door was thrown open and all crowded into the apartment. The trunk was in a corner, locked and strapped.

“The bag is gone!” shrieked the lady of the house. “He has been here, beyond any question! He it was who knocked Bena down! Oh, the rascal! the robber! And to think we thought he was such a fine gentleman!”

“He appeared to be all right,” said the hotel keeper slowly.

“I distrusted him from the start,” sniffed the wife. She turned to the soldiers. “What shall you do now?”

“We’ll go after him,” declared the corporal who was in command. “Take good care that he does not come back and get that trunk,” he added grimly.

“You will take charge of it later?”

“Yes.”

“Perhaps you had better look around the room first,” interposed Herr Schaumberg. “You may get some clew to where he is going.”

The hotel keeper knew well enough that Gilbert had left no clew behind him, but, as said before, he wanted to give the young American all the time possible in which to make good his escape. Gilbert’s frank manner had pleased him from the start, and, for reasons of his own, he bore no good feeling towards the soldiers of the Czar.

The suggestion to search the room was carried out, but nothing of importance was found, even in the trunk, which was smashed open with a hatchet.

“It’s no use wasting time here,” said the corporal at last. “Come, the quicker we get on his trail the better.”

“Yes! yes!” came from Frau Schaumberg. “And I trust with ah my heart you capture him.”

“Oh, we are sure to do that, sooner or later. Every road out of Port Arthur is guarded, so he cannot get away from the city. If we don’t locate him anywhere else, we’ll probably root him out from some nest of Japanese or Chinese.”