A PRISONER IN RUSSIAN HANDS 187 
down to Vladivostok. Onr steamer sailed the next 
day, and we reached Vladivostok in due course. 
S. , having been captured on Bering Island, was sent 
down in charge of a Cossack guard. The leave- 
taking of this guard, who was a big hulking fellow 
about 6 feet in height, was most grotesque. He 
was a native of the place, and was only going to 
Vladivostok and back, but from his actions one 
would have believed he was going to be executed. 
Both he and his friends cried as if their hearts would 
break, not shedding quiet tears, but absolutely 
roaring with their blubbering. 
On September 3 we arrived in Vladivostok, but, 
as none of the officials would assume the responsi¬ 
bility of taking charge of us, we were kept on board 
the steamer. The Admiral on board the Skobeleff 
declined to deal with us ; then the Admiral of the 
port, who acted as Governor of the city, was asked, 
but refused, and turned us over to the Governor of 
the district, whose headquarters were at Habarovka ; 
he also would do nothing, and referred the matter 
to the Governor of Eastern Siberia, who was at 
Irkutsk. After various telegrams had been ex¬ 
changed, that official gave orders for us to be brought 
on shore and kept under arrest. 
On the 4th I wired my friends in Yokohama to 
arrange for a bank credit, as I was informed I should 
have to give security not to leave Vladivostok 
without permission. Mr. Dutton, of Messrs. Kunst 
and Albers, the principal merchants of the place, 
came on board and acted as interpreter. He was 
most kind, and gave the necessary security. 
On the morning of the 5th the Japanese sailors 
were taken ashore and put up in a sort of barrack 
