Kobo: A Story of the Russo-Japanese War

by Herbert Strang

  *CHAPTER XI*

  *Tried and Sentenced*

  Under Escort--A Court-Martial--Leading Questions--The Bear's Claw

  Bob's sensations were by no means agreeable as he kept pace perforcewith the Cossack's horse. The trot, fortunately, soon slackened to aquick amble, or he must soon have been utterly exhausted. In spite ofthe cold, the exertion of walking fast, heavily clothed as he was, madehim uncomfortably hot, and his physical temperature was matched by hismental condition. He was in a rage; not at being made a prisoner: thatwas only to have been expected: but at being tied up like a dog,reminding him of the curs he had seen chained to bakers' carts in Frenchvillages. Anger, however, was a mere waste of energy, as he soon saw;at present he could only make the best of a bad case,--keep up hiscourage and his pace without reminders from the evil-looking knout hesaw ready to the Cossack's hand.

  As he trudged along, two reflections were uppermost in his mind. Onewas that, having been captured and treated with indignity, he wasjustified in regarding himself now as a combatant; this gave him alittle consolation. The other was, that in Chang-Wo, the Manchu, he hadan enemy of a particularly dangerous kind. He remembered Kobo's storyof him; and the knowledge that this same man was doing desperate workfor the Russians in Korea was not reassuring. The Manchu had evidentlyrecognized him as the stranger who had saved the little Japanese fromhis vengeance in the Ueno Park, and clearly bore him no good-will onthat account.

  The road was a difficult one, leading over the rugged hills. Darknessfell, and still the troop pushed on. At length, when Bob felt on thepoint of collapsing, they rode into a town or village of fair size,which, as he afterwards learnt, was Yong-cheng, on the Pekin high-road.He expected that now at least he would be allowed rest and food, but assoon as the Cossacks arrived at the place they took him before a Russianofficer of some rank, apparently a lieutenant-colonel. When preliminaryexplanations had been given, the colonel ordered the prisoner to standbefore him, and in peremptory tones began to question him in French.Bob's French was not very fluent, but he answered as well as he could,repeating the replies he had previously given. He refused to say whohad been in his company before he made off on the Cossack's horse, andassured the Russian that he knew absolutely nothing of anycommunications that may have passed between this person and spies onshore. His persistence made the officer more and more angry, until atlast the latter shouted:

  "You're a liar! Tell me the truth, or I'll hang you on the spot."

  "I have already told you the truth," said Bob quietly. "I don't knowwhom my friend may have met at Yongampo, and if I did, I could not tellyou--surely you must see that?"

  "You're an insolent puppy. A means will be found to loosen your tongue.I'll give you a night to come to your senses.--Take him away."

  Bob, almost fainting with fatigue and hunger, was led away to a closeand dirty hovel, where he was given a hunk of coarse bread and a fatsausage to eat, and there he remained in the custody of two Cossacksthrough the night. At sunrise, feeling stiff and dispirited, he wasagain taken before the officer, and again put through an interrogatory,a trooper standing at his elbow holding a knout ostentatiously in hisview. But the colonel was again baffled; he received no moreinformation than before; and at length, with a curse of impatience, heroared an order to his men. Bob expected the knout to be immediatelyapplied to his back, but to his surprise he was led out into the open,and after a period of suspense he was ordered to mount a horse that wasbrought up. A few minutes later he was riding out of the village, aCossack with cocked pistol on each side of him, and the Manchu in therear.

  The explanation of this change in his destiny was that the Russiancolonel had not given up hope of obtaining information, and was sendinghim to General Sassulitch at Wiju, where perhaps he would be brought toreason. The Cossacks were ordered to guard him carefully, but not toill-use him, and Bob was somewhat surprised, after what he had heard ofthe brutality of these reckless soldiers, to find that he was treatedwith some consideration. The whole of that day was occupied in thejourney to Wiju. The country was hilly and rugged, and Bob realized,from the slow rate of progress of himself and his escort, that thetransport of a whole army would take much time, especially in thiswinter weather.

  At various points along the road parties of Russian soldiers were metwith, but it was not until the three riders came within a few miles ofWiju that Bob had striking evidence of the Russian occupation. To thesouth of that frontier town large gangs of coolies were at work throwingup entrenchments under the direction of Russian officers. Bob was ledclose to a numerous party near the high-road, employed in excavating ashelter trench. Their sullen looks and reluctant movements indicatedthat they were forced labourers, and in the hands of several of theRussians Bob noticed ominous-looking whips. He was not surprised, forif they trusted to the efficacy of the knout in their own army and navy,it was unlikely that they would spare it in the case of Korean peasants.

  Like almost all Korean towns, Wiju stands on a hill; on one side itoverlooks a plain, on the other the river Yalu. Bob was glad enoughwhen, entering its walls and passing up the long straggling street,filled with Russian soldiers, he was halted and dismounted at a houseover which a flag was flying. He was prepared by this time for theworst. Several times on the way explanations on his account had passedbetween his escort and enquiring soldiers, and he inferred from theirsmiles and gestures that he must look for short shrift. He expected nowto be placed on trial as a spy, or perhaps summarily disposed of withouttrial, probably after another attempt to extort information from him.But after an hour's detention in the house, during which he was given ascanty allowance of food, he saw the Manchu Chang-Wo enter and deliver amessage to the officer in charge. He was immediately ordered out andmade to remount; his weary journey was evidently not yet ended. HisCossack escort grunted their displeasure, and scowled at him with darklooks, while the Manchu, who again accompanied them, urged them tohasten their pace and complete their unwelcome task.

  They rode smartly down the hill. Presently Bob saw in the dark thewaters of what was no doubt the Yalu before him, banked by rugged bluffson the other side. This, then, was the famous boundary river dividingKorea from Manchuria. On the Korean side the channel was still frozenover; but the current was deeper and swifter under the Manchurian bank,where it was hemmed in by a large island occupying a considerable partof what must be in time of flood the bed of the river. In this part ofthe river large blocks of ice were floating down with the stream. Bobhad forborne to put any questions to the Manchu; he would have liked toask now what was to be done with him, but on second thoughts he decidedstill to hold his tongue. But in the course of the long wearisome ridehe distinguished the name Sassulitch more than once in a grumblingconversation between his escort and the Manchu, though he was not thenaware that the owner of the name was a general of division.

  It was late at night when they at length reached Antung, a low-lyingtown on the river-side; dark as it was, Bob could see that the place wassubstantially built. He was taken to a large go-down which had beentransformed into a barracks, and locked up in a room by himself. He wasvery tired, and threw himself wearily down on the straw mattress spreadon the floor, hoping that for a few hours at least he would not beinterfered with. But he had barely fallen asleep when he was roused bya heavy touch upon his arm. Sitting up, he saw an armed Cossack holdinga lighted taper. The man motioned to him to get up, and feeling moredead than alive he followed his guide out of the room, where he wasjoined by a squad with fixed bayonets, then through the streets, untilhe arrived at a large house more freely illuminated than any other, andguarded by a sentry. In a few moments he found himself in a lofty room,standing before a table on the other side of which sat a number ofRussian officers. On the table were placed a few flaring tallow candlesset in clumsy candlesticks, and a couple of circular oil-lampsresembling those of English railway-carriages. At each end stood aRussian foot-soldier with fixe
d bayonet. In conversation with one ofthe officers Bob saw the big Manchu, the one-eared Chang-Wo.

  For some moments he stood there, the object of keen scrutiny to theofficers, who stared at him with various degrees of curiosity, and withvarying expressions on their faces. Then the officer who was evidentlyof the highest rank among them,--it was General Sassulitchhimself,--motioned the Manchu aside and said a few words in Russian tothe younger officer at his right. The latter at once addressed Bob,speaking in excellent English, with but faint foreign accent.

  "Prisoner, you are charged with being a Japanese spy. You are English bynationality, it appears; what have you to say to the charge?"

  "I am an Englishman, it is true, sir," replied Bob. "As to the rest, Iam certainly not a spy."

  "You had better give an account of yourself."

  "My name is Robert Fawcett, and I am an engineer. I was sent out a fewmonths ago by my firm, at the request of the Japanese government, to beat hand in case the range-finders on their ships required attention. Thevessel on which I was happened to come to the mouth of the Yalu, and Ihad just landed when I was unlucky enough to be knocked over by aCossack's horse, and when I recovered I thought the simplest way out ofthe difficulty was to make my escape on the animal; its master was dead.The horse was killed by a tiger. Since then I have been wandering aboutuntil I gave myself up to a troop of your men. I have nothing more tosay."

  This reply was interpreted to the other officers, whose manner ofreceiving it betokened for the most part blank incredulity. A few wordswere exchanged among them, then the interpreter spoke again.

  "You shot the Cossack whose horse you stole?"

  "No."

  "Who did?"

  "I don't know. He was shot from the boat."

  "You were armed?"

  "No; I had nothing but my field-glass."

  "You are not a soldier?"

  "No; I am an engineer."

  "A naval engineer?"

  "Not specially. I've no naval experience except what I have picked up."

  "In what ships have you been?"

  Bob hesitated for a moment. Then he reflected that there could be nopossible harm in mentioning the names of the vessels in which he hadserved.

  "In the _Mikasa_ and _Hatsuse_."

  "But neither of these brought you to Yongampo."

  "No."

  "What was the name of the vessel that did?"

  Bob again hesitated. The _Kasumi_ was engaged in secret service. Itwas impossible for him to know what might be the ultimate effect ofbetraying her identity. In so doing he would in any case associate hercommander with the expedition to Yongampo. He made his decision.

  "That, if you don't mind, I'd rather not say."

  When this was explained to the officers they began to talk with someexcitement, and one of them thumped the table. The interpretercontinued:

  "The general insists on knowing the name of the vessel."

  "I am sorry, sir, but I can't tell you that."

  "You know the consequence of refusing?"

  "I'm not sure that I do," said Bob with a faint smile; "but in any caseI can't tell."

  A short consultation took place at the table, then the officer resumedhis questioning.

  "You had just landed from the boat, you say. Had you not been toYongampo?"

  "No."

  "Who had?"

  "I cannot say."

  "Why did you land?"

  "To help a friend of mine who was hard pressed by the Cossacks."

  "Had he been to Yongampo?"

  "I cannot say."

  "Who was he?"

  "I really cannot tell you any more about him."

  "Whom had he been to see?"

  "I do not know."

  "Was he also an Englishman?"

  "I really cannot answer that question."

  "Do you speak Japanese?"

  "No."

  "Chinese?"

  "No."

  "What language did you speak in Yongampo?"

  "I have never been in Yongampo."

  "How long have you been in the country?"

  "In Manchuria?"

  "Don't prevaricate. How long have you been in these parts--Manchuria orKorea?"

  "A few days."

  "How came you to be on friendly terms with the native in whose house youwere captured?"

  "Excuse me, I gave myself up. As to your question, I happened to do alittle service, quite accidentally, to the Korean gentleman, and he wasmore grateful than the circumstances really called for."

  "When did you do him this service?"

  "A week or two ago."

  "Where?"

  "In Seoul."

  "What were you doing in Seoul?"

  "Nothing--merely visiting the place."

  Bob felt as soon as he had spoken that this, the literal truth, wouldcertainly be scouted by his judges as wildly improbable. For some time,indeed, the officers had been showing signs of impatience. Worn out ashe was, Bob held himself erect before them; he had replied to all hisinterrogator's questions in the same self-possessed and courteousmanner; and while one or two of the Russians seemed impressed by hisbearing, the majority were growing more and more angry as they saw howbarren was the examination. They now formed a group about GeneralSassulitch, and discussed the matter in excited tones. Then the Manchuwas called up and questioned, and from his gestures Bob guessed that hewas making very positive assertions. The discussion continued for sometime; then the Manchu was again dismissed, the group separated, and theyoung officer standing beside General Sassulitch said:

  "Prisoner, the officers of His Majesty the Tsar here assembled cannotaccept your denials. You were found within our lines; you wereundoubtedly associated with a Japanese who landed from some vessel toenter into communications with a spy in Yongampo; we have a witness herewho declares that he saw you in Tokio, then in Seoul, and recently inYongampo--"

  "Pardon my interrupting, sir, but that is false."

  "Denial is useless. Our evidence is positive. By your own confessionyou were concerned in the serious loss inflicted upon a troop ofCossacks during the pursuit of the fugitive, who in all probability wasyourself; you confess to have made your escape on the horse of a Cossackkilled at that time; and you were captured at the house of a Korean whois suspected on good grounds of sympathy with the Japanese. There is nodoubt in the mind of the court that you are a spy; your claim to Britishcitizenship cannot be accepted as any palliation of your crime; thecourt condemns you to the penalty of a spy: you will be shot."

  Bob flushed slightly. There was a silence, then at a sign from theofficer the two soldiers at the end of the room approached him. He gavea quick glance along the table; noticed one officer leaning forward onhis arms, his handsome face wearing a quizzical smile; another lollingback in his chair with an air of boredom; a third rolling a cigarette asthough the matter were of complete indifference to him; the general,stern and inscrutable, in the midst. Then, between his two guards withfixed bayonets, he was marched to his prison.

  It was a longer walk this time. He was not taken back to the go-downwhere he had expected to pass the night, but to a tower or keep built onthe wall by the riverbank. It was now too dark to see anything clearly;but as he was led into the building one of his guards struck a light,and as he mounted the narrow stairway to the fourth story he noticedseveral padlocked doors, showing that here were other prisoners besideshimself. He was taken into a small room at the top of the building, athick rug was thrown in after him, the door was slammed, bolted, andpadlocked, and he was left to his meditations.