Page:At the Fall of Port Arthur.djvu/119

Rh could the old Columbia do against a man-o'-war? Why, they'd blow us sky high in no time!"

"No, there is absolutely no use of attempting to fight," answered Captain Ponsberry. "Our only hope lays in convincing them that they have no right to stop us."

The hands were dismissed and sent forward, and Captain Ponsberry hurried below, to burn certain papers and secrete others. This was in accordance with the orders received from the agents of the Richmond Importing Company at Manila.

In the meantime the Russian warship had come to a stop in mid-ocean and now a small boat was lowered, containing a small crew, a coxswain, and a Russian naval officer. At the same time a signal was hoisted which meant that the officer was coming on board of the schooner.

"Unless I miss my guess, this looks rather black for us," said Larry, to Tom Grandon.

"I agree with you, Larry," responded the first mate. "But we've got to take our medicine, no matter how bitter it is."

"If only that mist had held on to-day! We might have slipped by that warship nicely."

"I only hope the old man fixes up his papers so that he can show a clean bill of health," went on Grandon. "You see, if they can't actually prove