"You have Japanese on board, sir, name Oto?" he called out. "Yes, sir. What of it?" "My captain wish to see him." Rexdale gave a little start of irritation. "Leave your message for the boy," he shouted. "He's my cabin steward. I can't hold my ship for him to visit you." While this conversation was in progress, a slight, diminutive figure had glided into the crowd of men overhanging the rail on the deck below. On hearing Rexdale's answer he called out a few rapid words in his own language to the officer in the boat. The latter answered, and the boat lay up alongside. Before any one realized what Oto was about, he had climbed the rail like a monkey and dropped into the strange boat, which immediately headed for the _Kiku_. [Illustration: "OTO CLIMBED THE RAIL LIKE A MONKEY."] "Here!" shouted Rexdale, angrily, "What are you about? Bring back that boy! He belongs to my ship!" The Japanese officer half turned in his seat, waved his hat most courteously, and spoke to his men; with the result that they pulled harder than ever. "Start her!" cried out Rexdale, furious with rage. "Start her, sir," repeated the phlegmatic quartermaster, throwing over the electric indicator. "Full speed ahead!" "Full speed ahead, sir." "Now port your helm! Look sharp!" "Port, sir." But by the time the _Osprey_ had fair steerage-way the stranger, veering in to shorten the distance, had picked up her boat and was pouring volumes of black smoke from her funnels as she too forged ahead. Her bows slowly swung to the northward. The captain on her bridge waved his hat. Dave set his teeth hard. "I'd like to send a shot across her bows!" he muttered, glaring at the audacious destroyer which was plainly running away from them. The jackies looked up eagerly at him, with their hands on the breach of the four-inch rifle; not a few fists were shaken at the departing stranger. It was a temptation, but the commander overcame it. "It won't do to open fire, just for a steward," he said to his subordinates, who were standing at his side with scowling faces. "On her course, quartermaster!" "On her course, sir. East by south, quarter south." "It's a regular insult," stormed Liddon, for once shaken out of his regularly calm demeanour. "It's abduction on the high seas! It's piracy, that's what it is!" "More like the press-gang," said Dobson, laconically. "Well," said Rexdale, after a pause, "Japan will have to apologise for that little performance when we've reached a cable port." "Is Oto an American citizen?" enquired Liddon. "I'm afraid not. I never heard him speak of naturalisation." "Then I suppose it's hardly an international episode," said the other, recovering his usual dignity of speech. "Perhaps the boy is an escaped criminal. At worst, I'm afraid the captain of the _Kiku_ has only been guilty of bad manners." "I shall report the incident to the Department at the first opportunity," said the commander decisively. "They can do what they like about it."