Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 40, Number 71, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 May 1908 — THE VANISHING FLEETS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE VANISHING FLEETS

By BOY NORTON

ILLUSTRATED BY A. WEIL

fegßtsll, MM..W TH. Atotod Sto* CHAPTER V. In Secret Paths. Nippon, the home of the Samurai, tn her adoption of newer methods, had not permitted her secret service department to remain in ancient form. Modeled on those lines which had made the intelligence bureau of Russia one of the most effective in the KUre world, and profiting hy the pub? Hy WJJ tenement of Importance in the united States, she wUs'minutely* informed of all that had been aad was taking Place In the, a valued factor for the subjugation of doors to the world would: also And means to cljpumvent foreign agents. To the last minute sb® relied upon her emissaries in nearly all the larger cities of America under the direction ofConaMh Awgrl back, fit foe time of the Tokugawa Shogunate, when the almost Invincible leader Selgo was an Idol to the youth of. Satsuma to be toppled over inly In the civil war of 1877, his spn was being educated In a leading American university. The downfall of foe fafoerpractipally exiled the lad tn the United States until family and political influence had time to reassert itself, when by progressive steps he gained the good graces of his government and was given responsible positions In affairs of state. His knowledge of the American political situation was complete and accurate, and no man was better informed on the strength and weakness of the republic. - It had been largely through his advice that the dispute between the two nations, trivial in Itself but portentous 1n possibilities, had been used as a pretext for Y ar - Thoroughly conversant with congressional methods in the United States, he had watdhed year by year the qulbbllngs of legislators over naval bills which usually ’ended in inadequate appropriations. Of broader mind that they, he had long foreseen that a country which had come into distant colonial possessions must of necessity enlarge its navy and augment its efficiency, expend money in unremitting streams for maintenance, and stimulate its men to seek individual excellence in gunnery and drill. He had observed the growth of conceit, which, like rust beneath a coat of paint, led men to believe so devoutly in American superiority that they neglected to analyse the actual power which could positively be developed. By a process of elimination he estimated the fighting value of the American navy, discarding vessels still In service but obsolete, and others still on paper but looked upon by the unsophisticated as a part of the nation’s strength. National prowess he regarded as a small factor when granting equality. Seigo’s observation? had been so carefuj and his conclusions so logical, that reports sent to and passed upon by the elder statesmen, of Japan had led them to feel certain of vlotory long before war was declared. Nor had his predictions in the opening events been unfulfilled. True he had noti Expected the- abandonment of. the Philippines; but he had confidently foretold the period of torpidity, of confusion and lack-nf cohesion; which had fallowed. It was with satisfaction, therefore, that he observed the tread of evepts when hpnUhtles wep finally declared, and from the quietude of his study.sax..tbs whole comxUy.XSlUng for the to aq( while apparently It remained somnolent

The surrender of the islands camo j as the first perplexing problem for which ho could neither account nor understand, and his activities prior to that eventwere nothing when compared with those subsequent. He was too adroit ever to have appeared as a laborer in the limelight, and was therefore eminently fitted to drop from sight at the outbreak, when his fellow countrymen were leaving by hundreds seeking places of refuge across the border linos north and south or embarking on the high seas for foreign port* Singularly enough, race prejudice tn the eastern states bad never reached the point of acute discrimination which made the denisens of that section classify the Japanese and Chinese in one broad category as orientals; it was therefore easy for Belgo to don the garb of a laundryman in the city of Washington, improvise a pigtail, and without Inter ruptlon assume to pursue this vocation. Fertile of resource, he readily dis covered that tn a situation where anarchy might thrive the followers of the red flag would be his most valuable spies. Without difficulty he allied himself with this element, and gained a friendly footing with them by ostensibly favoring the advancement of thdlr cause In Russian domains.

Their confidence in him was strengthened by the fisot that he was accomplished in their language, which he spoke fluently, and was a liberal contributor to their treasury. Having thus Ingratiated himself, the next step was made easy. He selected such tools from the ranks of these malcontents as seemed best fitted tq„ his hands, and thereby established a means of securing news that would have been Impossible in any other way.. From his little hovel he directed these men as seemed best, assigning them to tasks of more or less magnitude, and paying lavishly fpr, anything of vajue; and to his obscure place there came divers men when night time 5 offered the cloak of darkness to the furtive. Seigo’S moet valuable ally was one Meredith, of English parentage, and a man who for years resided on Cross street, Paterson, N. J., that unfortunate .city whose very Industry and peacefulness had made it the gathering place of the Reds. Meredith was a machinist by trade, and an employe of a supply house; So tt' was not surprising that he brought news of strange and unusual purchases mgde thrpugh maqy sources by., the United States government, In this there Was nothing alarmlpg,an ; dit was rather with curiosity tnkt the astute de- ' soendant of -a, Samurai kx>ked over these reporfe, and v*g*ely wpnderpd Whether,, foqp mlphtpaye bearing on war. He was sufficiently painstaking to gsk for others and check them up; but in this he gained nothing beyond , the: certainty: that, the npvy. department, while existing tn a stafe of f seeming stagnation, was Inwardly very active. 0 He made many trips to r the points whdre these purchases were made, but found them Innocuous In so far as he could reason. As time went on, however, be found that the portion of these Shipments were'felng seAt to Miami, Fla,, arid Sris driven to foe final conclusion I that If the government was active In I

small city on the southeastern coast News had leaded through to him to the effect that the ships of the United States were scattering out over many seas instead of mobilizing In western waters. More than this, Seigo learned that In air navy yards there had been a cessation of work, whereas an increase would have seemed more reasonable, considering the unfinished state of several cruisers and battle ships. On first, thought he attributed this latter lapse to one of the. frequent changes of policy or a dearth of funds, but now, In view of these later sblpr ments and purchases, he began to question. In Wh-shlngton no news was obtainable. The administration was preserving a wooden front toward not only the world but Its own people as well. Congressmen and senators knew nothing beyond the declaration of war and the empowering of the psesldent and his cabinet In. special session to act for the country, and the administration was apparently doing nqthlqg, whatever out of, the regular ratine of business. It wqs thia paucity which drove the sham laundryman from his Irons and away upon a Journey. . His trip southward was accomplished with ridiculous ease. He bought bis ticket to Miami without being subjected.! to Interrogation, boarded the. second-class or smoking coach at the head of the train without hindrance, rode ***/ in “Bdlsturbed solitude. No o«e seemed aware or in any event to care for his pyewnfe. There were no attempts at conversation, except in one instance where a good-natured southerner billed Mm with: “Hollo, John! Going to start a wash shop somewhere?** nor was he in the least perturbed save on an occasion when a rough threatened to tweak his pigtail; but even this went no further than words. Everywhere were criticisms of the conduct of the war and Imprecations against the administration. The Amercans themselves were no more cognisant than he of why soldiers bad been stretched along the border line, ports closed, and communication cut off. The cl tisane of the country itself were as mystified as the Japanese, and frankly thought the situation a foolish one. In all that long journey down the eastern coast he'learned nothing whatever of importance; His delayed train dropped him off late at night in the Florida town, and he was compelled to seek lodging with strangers or to sleep in the open. Ho chose the latter course, and went out below the city, across the bridge and toward the Punch Bowl, where he found rest beside the road Uli early morning. When the first rays of the ■un were fllUrlng through the great

trees and drenching tne creepers wren I light, he returned to the city, assisted on his way by a kindly farmer who was driving in for supplies. From him he learned where the Chinese laundries were situated; but could gather nothing whatever con- • firming his suspicions that foe govern-; ment was either in possession of a plant at thia point er even conducting any experiments in foe vicinity. V . Still disguised and acting upon what had been told, him, he sought the abode of foe Chinaman, who was already sweating over his ,tubs. and found him amenable to persuasion and desirous of giving assistance when paid considerable sums of protection money. His horn of plenty was a golden one, but proved useless in a day. of fruitless effort; his most careful In-. qulries bringing nothing in the way of return. Tired and discouraged, he passed the early part of foe night in sleep from which he was aroused by nightmares of. horror and forebodings of failure, his mental state robbing him of rest In the hope that fatigue would cure Insomnia, be donned- his clothing and sauntered away through the deserted streets, bls heavy, leather soles clumping upon board walks anfl. across sandy patches. It was past one o’clock tn the morning, and all wps. still- He wapderpd idly along the main thoroughfare, and reached, the far end of the town, before hia attention was attracted by a, sound from the water front where hollowly through the stillness a steam winch was chugging sad sputtering as it tolled away with tts ; load. It brought fata tb a quick.>hglt 6 arid aroused In his mind a multitude of, questions, because alqngj the entire shore hne of this great country no crafti was* now typing, and, nma arriving, according to bls knowledge. He owe of the palm trees, and stopping now and then'-to avoid any chance of being observed.' < ‘ r; Lying agalqst the pier was a small gunboat of the United States navy, which was receiving, supplies, and- the men at work were evidently hurrying at their utmost, The vessel had. not been there during the, daylight hours —of this he was certain—hppee her loading at night could Indicate but one thing, a desire for secrecy. HIS nerves keyed up in the hope of a discovery, alert and inquisitive, be crept close to the freight shed where the arc lights threw huge spots of white. So this accounted for the disposal of those mysterious orders which had been reported to him by Meredith and others! But where could they be bound? What was the destination of this ship which, even as he watched, was casting off her lines preparatory to sailing away Into the night? In his anxiety he was on the verge of rushing out and trusting to any convenient pretext, when a boy came hurrying past- hlm ? whistling as he went and homeward bOtifld. Here was the spy’s opportunity, and be accepted it He hailed the lad, and in pigeon English told him he wanted to get aboard the vessel if he could. "Well, you can’t do it,” came the response. "If you wanted to git on, why didn’t you run after the ship Instead of stopping me?” "Where she go?” queried Selgo. "Oh, you want to know where’s she’s going now, do you, Mr. Chink. Well, a fellow on the dock said she was going, to Guantanamo, and that means you could&’t go on her if you wanted to.” Then with a derisive laugh be took up the strain of his melody at exactly thfl iame place he had left off when accosted, thrust his hands into his pockets and continued his way. .1 Selgo Was elated. That accounted for It, then! The United States, was , playing some crafty game, using its J Cuban naval station as a base; was conducting, some experiment or out-, fitting some strange expedition with ' necessities that could not be obtained ' in the big Island to the south. The I only perturbing thought was that the navy, instead of being inactive, hadsome secret task on band which had been taken away from home stations. He decided he must return to Washington with this single strand of Information and there endeavor to se- . cure other*,, He watched the lights of the ship grow dim, and then as 1 furtively as be had come returned to 1 the borne of the laundryman. The latter counted bls pay and wondered why bis guest departed for th* north on the early train of that morntag. Selgo offered no explanations for ! his erratic action, and as he traveled to 1 Washington he was In a gleeful mood, j In,du* time he arrived, and once more ensconced himself in hl* headquarters, ! hoping within a few days to gain more complete knowledge. He was handicapped tn his quest, however, because he had no actual mesne of access to government circles where euch data as he wished might best be obtained. But agals accident favored him, and again it was in the night when he sallied forth.

The hour was late when Meredith brought him word that several visitors had called upon the president, and, not trusting to others a mission so important, he took upon himself the task of spying upon the great white ■building where the ruler of the country lived. From the darkness of his alleyway he emerged Into a broader street, when an automobile went chugging past him. and then, just as it came beneath the rays of an arc light, a face leaned to the window, an arm was extended evidently for the purpose of shaklhg the ash from a cigar, and Seigo shrank back. In the shivering white rays he recognized as one of the passengers in the machine no less a personage than the president, and with him was another man whom he believed to be the secretary of war.

From down foe road came the sound of another motor, which in turn whizsod rapidly' alonf, taking the same direction as th* previous ear. Selgo was not certain, but conjectured that within it were other officials, and, being A; man Of, action, unhesitatingly dashed after It, neared the closed tonneau, and after a breathless run succeeded in swinging himself to foe springs behind, maintaining his place by clutching th* overhang of the fenders, Away through the outskirts he rode, hearing nothing from within and In constant danger of falling off bls precarious perch. The car gained speed until his peril was great, for to be thrown would be to receive certain injury. His fingers were strained convulsively In their effort to hold on, and once he was almost cast off by a sharp declivity hi ths road. Now he could only trust to chance that the automobile on which he rode was following foat ts presi dent; but as mil* after wa« reeled off without a sight of foe other machine on either hand, he felt assured that the party was all one. 1 He leaned out across one of the great rubber tires and peered ahead to where now and then he could catch foe glow of a red back lamp, and was content His journey was. not without discomfort a* the dust of the. road whirled upward and fofo Ms Mntll and almost strangled; but he dung bn grimly, waiting for the mysterious trip to end. The big ea? stopped so suddenly that he hid sbant tim* to' tooseU'W koHL fall hrto the dirt and roU hastily tatto a ditch: rby foe roadside where he might be bidden from sight Toßthfo'iUurpriß*. the vehicle, turned through a gateway a flpld, where wunchfog of the hta knees, sjfltdthep 1U a. poster* eSsSyea’ib follow It in Its wauderfnga when he was arrestedA sharp 1 foallenge, betray Ing the fact that although'the visItorS had 7 been expected- no chance was being takeoff entejtalnlng others. Again be threw himself on hisi face, waiting patiently fot> other squnds. The great flat befofo him showed- 4|mly so itS yellow bareness, sketching down to wh»r* the, bro*4 expjns*. of rtv*j gleamed flsly, aafl he could disoe^*| ofoer lights than foosb of the which he had been an undiscovered pasdengbr. These suddenly vanished, and be surmised that the chauffeurs had extinguished them preparatory to leaving the cars. He could trace out no other shapes In the gloom. Not even a building raised its dark bulk In foe night. He felt the necessity of advancing farther. Foot by foot he wriggled forward, the splinters of th* field Imbedding themselves in his flesh unheeded, straining every nerve to avoid making a noise, and listening at Interval; In foe hope of catching some word of' conversation which might give him a clew to th* cause of this nocturnal mission. From a short distance ahead caffig th* mutterings of low-pitched voices, and then a period of silence. He was past foe machines now, still crawling carefully. Once more he paused, when he heard a sullen muffled crash from the direction of the i water, and in an agony of surprise and | tenor rose to his knees, forgetting that he might be observed. His hands Interlocked foemselyes In stress as he watched In breathless suspense for a moment; and then, almost moaning indespair, he crept rapidly back to the road, went cautiously down It for a hundred yards, and took madly to his heels with fright Alt cautlon wak thrown aside, and as he ran like aa Insane man through the night, with bls overworked lungs* bellowing tn and out until they felt aflame, he burst into sobs, muttering to himself again and again: "Only the gods can save Nippon! The gods help Nippon!" - 1 ...... . (To be continued.)

Seigo’s Most Valuable Ally Was One Meredith. ”-4*