he old man, I reckon," answered the first mate.

"We shall place a prize crew on this ship," went on the Russian officer.
"These men"--pointing to Semmel, Peterson, and Shamhaven--"can remain on
board. The remainder of the crew and the officers, will be transferred
to the _Pocastra_. I will give you a quarter of an hour in which to
attend to your luggage. Please take no more along than is necessary."

"This is certainly high-handed!" cried Larry.

"So we've got to go over to that old coal box, eh?" grumbled Luke, when
he heard the news. "It's hard luck, Larry."

"You're right, Luke, but it can't be helped."

"What will they do with us?"

"I haven't the least idea."

"Will they take us to Russia?"

"I suppose so--or stow us away in one of those cold and dirty Siberian
prisons until we can get Uncle Sam to make them release us."

When it came time to depart from the _Columbia_ Larry was allowed to
take only a bundle of clothing along, and Grandon and the common sailors
were treated no better. The captain was allowed a trunk and a suit case.
In the meantime Semmel was questioned once more, and what he had to tell
made the Russians look darkly at our friends.

"He is pumping all sorts of falsehoods into them, I suppose," said Larry
to Luke, and he was right. Semmel made it appear that Captain Ponsberry
was really an agent of the Japanese Government and that he (Semmel) had
done his best to gain possession of the ship wholly for the benefit of
his own country.

"If you really did this, it is very worthy of you," said one of the
officers. "But we shall have to investigate before we accept your story
in full." This was not so encouraging, but with it Ostag Semmel had to
be content.

Fearing that a Japanese warship might put in an appearance at any
moment, the Russians lost no time in transferring the officers and men
of the _Columbia_ to the _Pocastra_ and at the same time a prize crew of
two officers and ten men were taken from the warship to the schooner.
Then the sails of the _Columbia_ were hoisted and off she set to the
eastward, and the warship moved in the same direction.

When placed aboard the _Pocastra_ Captain Ponsberry was treated politely
and given a small room of his own. But the mates and the ordinary seamen
were not so fortunate. Grandon, Larry, and Luke Striker were hustled off
to a prison pen on one deck of the auxiliary cruiser, and the others to
another pen below, which was even worse.

"Th