A PRISONER IN RUSSIAN HANDS 177 
I tried the hills, but they were just as bad. I 
abandoned the clothes and took off my long boots, 
but that made no improvement, and I was glad to 
put them on again. Before dawn I got down to 
about where I reckoned the schooner to be, and 
when it grew lighter sighted her. When it was 
sufficiently light I hailed the vessel, the wind being 
offshore and favourable for being heard. On my 
second hail I was surprised to hear another a short 
distance away. I crept into cover amongst the 
high growth of umbelliferous plants at the foot of 
the cliffs ; and no one appearing, I ventured out 
again, when I saw one of my sailors farther down 
the beach. He had taken to the hills instead of 
the boat when the natives appeared, and, like myself, 
was now making for the vessel. On again hailing 
the schooner, a boat came to fetch us off. 
When I got on board, I found that all were there 
with the exception of the second mate, S., who had 
not turned up, and that my shipkeeper had been at the 
liquor-locker, and was hopelessly drunk. I then called 
the Japanese boatswain, who was my boat-steerer, 
and gave him a thrashing for deserting his boat. 
Hungrier than I had ever been before in my life, or 
have been since, I ate all the cooked food there was 
in the pantry, and drank a dozen cups of coffee, 
and still my craving for food was unsatisfied. 
Instead of getting under way, I gave orders to 
remain where we were, in case S. should turn up 
on the beach, and to have a boat ready to fetch 
him off. I then turned in, thoroughly tired out. 
I had not been asleep for more than an hour or so 
when “ Old Joe ” awoke me, with the news that a 
steamer had rounded the north-west point of the 
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