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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Victorious Union, by Oliver Optic
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: A Victorious Union
+       SERIES: The Blue and the Gray--Afloat
+
+Author: Oliver Optic
+
+Release Date: June 25, 2006 [EBook #18678]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A VICTORIOUS UNION ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Louise Hope, David Garcia, Juliet Sutherland
+and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
+http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images
+generously made available by The Kentuckiana Digital
+Library)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+THE BLUE AND THE GRAY--AFLOAT
+
+Two colors cloth  Emblematic Dies  Illustrated
+Price per volume $1.50
+
+  TAKEN BY THE ENEMY
+  WITHIN THE ENEMY'S LINES
+  ON THE BLOCKADE
+  STAND BY THE UNION
+  FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT
+  A VICTORIOUS UNION
+
+THE BLUE AND THE GRAY--ON LAND
+
+Two colors cloth  Emblematic Dies  Illustrated
+Price per volume $1.50
+
+  BROTHER AGAINST BROTHER
+  IN THE SADDLE (In Press)
+  A LIEUTENANT AT EIGHTEEN (In Press)
+  (Other volumes in preparation)
+
+Any Volume Sold Separately.
+Lee and Shepard Publishers  Boston
+
+
+
+
+  [Illustration: "Christy leaped upon the rail." Page 181.]
+
+
+
+
+                      The
+
+               BLUE AND THE GRAY
+
+                     Series
+
+                 [Illustration]
+
+                By Oliver Optic
+
+              A VICTORIOUS UNION
+
+
+
+
+         _The Blue and the Gray Series_
+
+               A VICTORIOUS UNION
+
+                       by
+                  OLIVER OPTIC
+
+                   Author of
+"The Army And Navy Series" "Young America Abroad,
+First And Second Series" "The Great Western Series"
+"The Woodville Stories" "The Starry Flag Series"
+"The Boat-Club Stories" "The Onward and Upward Series"
+"The Yacht-Club Series" "The Lake Shore Series"
+"The Riverdale Stories" "The Boat-Builder Series"
+"Taken by the Enemy" "Within the Enemy's Lines"
+"On the Blockade" "Stand By the Union"
+"Fighting for the Right" "A Missing Million"
+"A Millionaire at Sixteen" "A Young Knight-Errant"
+        "Strange Sights Abroad" etc.
+
+
+                     BOSTON
+
+          LEE AND SHEPARD Publishers
+                 10 Milk Street
+
+                      1894
+
+
+
+
+      Copyright, 1893, by Lee and Shepard
+             _All Rights Reserved_
+
+               A Victorious Union
+
+
+       Type-Setting and Electrotyping by
+          C. J. Peters & Son, Boston
+     S. J. Parkhill & Co., Printers, Boston
+
+
+
+
+                  To My Friend
+
+                FRANK L. HARRIS
+
+Who came from the cold of the Arctic regions, where he
+ was a member of the Hayes expedition, and went
+ into the heat of the War of the Rebellion,
+          serving as a Naval officer
+         until the end of the strife,
+
+To whom I am greatly indebted for much valuable
+    information relating to his profession,
+
+                   This Book
+
+            Is Gratefully Dedicated.
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE
+
+
+"A VICTORIOUS UNION" is the sixth and last of "The Blue and the Gray
+Series." While the volume is not intended to be a connected historical
+narrative of the particular period of the War of the Rebellion in which
+its scenes are laid, the incidents accurately conform to the facts,
+and especially to the spirit, of the eventful years in which they are
+placed, as recorded in the chronicles of the great struggle, and as they
+exist in the memory of the writer. It is more than thirty years since
+the war began, and thousands upon thousands of the active participants
+in the strife as soldiers and sailors, including nearly all the great
+commanders, have passed on to their eternal reward. Thousands upon
+thousands of men and women have been born and reached their maturity
+since the most tremendous war of modern times ended in A Victorious
+Union. The knowledge of the stirring events of those four years of
+conflict, and of the patriotic spirit which inspired and underlaid
+them, has come, or will come, to at least one-half the population
+of this vast nation of sixty-five millions from the printed page or
+through the listening ear. The other moiety, more or less, either as
+children or adults, lived in the period of action, saw the gathering
+battalions, and heard or read the daily reports from the ensanguined
+battle-fields.
+
+In some of the States that remained loyal to the Union throughout the
+long struggle, a military parade had been regarded by many as something
+very much in the nature of a circus display, as "fuss and feathers,"
+such as tickled the vanity of both officer and private. Military
+organizations, except in our small regular army, were disparaged and
+ridiculed. When the war came, the Northern people were unprepared for
+it to a very great degree. The change of public opinion was as sudden
+as the mighty event was precipitate. Then the soldier became the most
+prominent and honored member of the community, and existing military
+bodies became the nucleus of the armies that were to fight the battles
+of the Republic.
+
+During the last thirty years the military spirit has been kept alive as
+a constituent element of patriotism itself. The love of country has been
+diligently fostered and nurtured in the young, and public opinion has
+been voiced and energized in the statutes of many States, and in the
+educational machinery of many municipalities. Over vast numbers of
+schoolhouses in our land floats the American flag, the symbol of the
+Union and the principles that underlie it.
+
+The flag, the banner now of a reunited nation, means something more than
+the sentiment of loyalty to the Union as the home of freedom; for it
+implies the duty of defending the honor of that flag, the representative
+idea of all we hold dear in Fatherland. In the East and the West a
+considerable proportion of the high schools make military tactics a part
+of their educational course. Companies, battalions, and regiments of
+young men in their teens parade the streets of some of our cities,
+showing in what manner the military spirit is kept alive, and, at the
+same time, how the flag floating over our educational institutions,
+which means so much more than ever before to our people, is to be
+defended and perpetuated in the future.
+
+The author of the six volumes of "The Blue and the Gray Series," as well
+as of "The Army and Navy Series," the latter begun in the heat of the
+war thirty years ago, earnestly believes in keeping active in the minds
+of the young the spirit of patriotism. In the present volume, as in
+those which have preceded it, he has endeavored to present to his
+readers, not only a hero who is brave, skilful, and ready to give his
+life for his country, but one who is unselfishly patriotic; one who is
+not fighting for promotion and prize-money, but to save the Union in
+whose integrity and necessity he believes as the safeguard and substance
+of American liberty.
+
+Peace has reigned in our land for nearly thirty years, and the
+asperities of a relentless war have been supplanted by better and more
+brotherly relations between the North and the South. The writer would
+not print a word that would disturb these improving conditions; and if
+he has erred at all in picturing the intercourse between Americans as
+enemies, he has made sure to do so in the interests of justice and
+magnanimity on both sides.
+
+In the series of which this volume is the last, the author has confined
+his narrative of adventures to the navy. It has been suggested to him
+that another series, relating exclusively to incidents in the army,
+should follow. After forty years of labor in this particular field, and
+having already exhausted the threescore and ten of human life, he cannot
+be assured that he will live long enough to complete such a series,
+though still in excellent health; but he intends to make a beginning
+of the work as soon as other engagements will permit.
+
+  William T. Adams.
+
+    Dorchester, March 16, 1893.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+                                              Page
+CHAPTER I.
+The Mission to Mobile Point                     15
+
+CHAPTER II.
+The Departure of the Expedition                 26
+
+CHAPTER III.
+A Bivouac near Fort Morgan                      37
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+The Revelations of the Revellers                48
+
+CHAPTER V.
+In the Vicinity of the Confederate Fort         59
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+Captain Sullendine of the West Wind             70
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+A Powerful Ally of the Belleviters              81
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+On Board of the Cotton Schooner                 92
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+The Departure of the Tallahatchie              103
+
+CHAPTER X.
+The Casting off of the Towline                 114
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+A Happy Return to the Bellevite                125
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+A Lively Chase to the South-West               136
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+The First Shot of Blumenhoff                   147
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+The Progress of the Action                     158
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+A Flank Movement Undertaken                    169
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+The Lieutenant's Daring Exploit                180
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+A Magnanimous Enemy                            191
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+The Reign of Christianity                      202
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+Colonel Homer Passford of Glenfield            213
+
+CHAPTER XX.
+A Very Melancholy Confederate                  224
+
+CHAPTER XXI.
+Captain Sullendine Becomes Violent             225
+
+CHAPTER XXII.
+The Disposition of the Two Prizes              246
+
+CHAPTER XXIII.
+The Welcome Home at Bonnydale                  257
+
+CHAPTER XXIV.
+Lieutenant-Commander Christopher Passford      268
+
+CHAPTER XXV.
+The Principal Officers of the St. Regis        279
+
+CHAPTER XXVI.
+The St. Regis in Commission                    290
+
+CHAPTER XXVII.
+Captain Passford Alone in his Glory            301
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII.
+Off the Coast of North Carolina                312
+
+CHAPTER XXIX.
+The First Prize of the St. Regis               323
+
+CHAPTER XXX.
+Another Sailing Contest Inaugurated            334
+
+CHAPTER XXXI.
+A Victorious Union                             345
+
+
+
+
+A VICTORIOUS UNION
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+THE MISSION TO MOBILE POINT
+
+
+"I almost wish you were the second or the third lieutenant of the
+Bellevite, instead of the executive officer, Christy," said Captain
+Breaker, the commander of the steamer, as they were seated together
+one day on the quarter-deck.
+
+"Do I fail in the discharge of my duty in my present position, Captain?"
+asked Christy, very much astonished, not to say startled, at the remark
+of the commander.
+
+"Not in the slightest degree, my dear boy!" returned Captain Breaker
+with very decided emphasis. "You have served in your present capacity
+for four months; and if you were fifty years old, and had twenty years
+of naval experience behind you, it would be hardly possible for you to
+be more correct and dignified in the performance of the details of your
+office."
+
+"I thank you, Captain, for the partial view you take of what I have
+done," added Christy, taking off his cap and bowing to his superior.
+
+"Well, you ought to be a good officer in any situation, my dear fellow,"
+continued the commander. "I doubt if there is another officer in the
+navy who has enjoyed the advantages you have had in preparing himself
+for the duties of his profession. You were brought up, so to say, on
+board of the Bellevite. You were a good scholar in the first place.
+Without including myself, you have had excellent teachers in every
+department of science and philosophy, among whom your father was one
+of the wisest. Poor Dashington was one of the best seamen that ever trod
+a deck; and he took especial delight in showing you how to make every
+knot and splice, as well as in instructing you in the higher details of
+practical seamanship. Blowitt and myself assisted him, and old Boxie,
+who gave his life to his country, was more than a grandfather to you."
+
+"I have certainly been very grateful to you and to them for all they did
+for me," replied Christy with a sad expression on his handsome face as
+the commander recalled the three shipmates of both of them who slept in
+heroes' graves.
+
+"Perhaps the brilliant genius of our engine-room did quite as much for
+you as any other person, though not many years your senior."
+
+"Paul Vapoor is my friend and crony; and if he had been my professor in
+a college he could have done no more for me. I assure you, Captain, that
+I keep alive my gratitude to all my instructors, including some you have
+not mentioned."
+
+"I was only explaining why you are what you ought to be, for you have
+had very exceptional opportunities, better by far than any other officer
+in the service. But it is altogether to your credit that you have used
+those opportunities wisely and well."
+
+"I should have been a blockhead if I had not."
+
+"That is very true; but the mournful wrecks of wasted opportunities
+strew the tracks of many, many young men. I think you can look back
+upon as few of them as any one within my knowledge," said the commander,
+bestowing a look of genuine affection upon his chief officer. "More than
+once, even before we entered upon this terrible war, I have told your
+father how happy he ought to be in having such a son as you are."
+
+"Come, come, Captain Breaker, you are praising me!" exclaimed Christy
+impatiently.
+
+"I am speaking only the simple truth, and I have very rarely said as
+much as I say now. It was when you asked me if you had failed in the
+discharge of the duties of your present position that I was led into
+this line of remark; and I am sure you will not be spoiled by honest
+and just praise," replied the captain.
+
+"Then, to go back to the point where you began, why do you almost wish
+that I were second or third lieutenant, instead of executive officer,
+of the Bellevite, Captain?" continued Christy, rising from his seat, and
+fixing an earnest gaze upon the face of the commander, for he was very
+sensitive, and he could not help feeling that he had been lacking in
+something that would make him a better executive officer than he was.
+
+"Mr. Ballard, the second lieutenant, and Mr. Walbrook, the third, are
+gentlemen of the highest grade, and excellent officers; but they are
+both somewhat wanting in dash and cool impetuosity."
+
+"'Cool impetuosity' is very good, Captain," added Christy with a laugh.
+
+"But that is precisely what I mean, my boy, and no two words could
+express the idea any better. You cannot carry an enemy by boarding with
+the same precision you man the yards on a ceremonious occasion, or as a
+regiment of soldiers go on dress parade. It requires vim, dash, spirit.
+The officers named have this quality in a very considerable degree, yet
+not enough of it. But what they lack more is ingenuity, fertility in
+expedients, and the expansive view which enables them to take advantage
+promptly of circumstances. You never lose your head, Christy."
+
+"I never knew the gentlemen named to lose their heads, and I have always
+regarded them as model officers," replied the first lieutenant.
+
+"And so they are: you are quite right, my dear boy; but it is possible
+for them to be all you say, and yet, like the young man of great
+possessions in the Scripture, to lack one thing. I should not dare to
+exchange my second and third lieutenants for any others if I had the
+opportunity."
+
+"I confess that I do not understand you yet, Captain."
+
+The commander rose from his seat, stretched himself, and then looked
+about the deck. Taking his camp-stool in his hand he carried it over to
+the port side of the quarter-deck, and planted it close to the bulwarks.
+The second lieutenant was the officer of the deck, and was pacing the
+planks on the starboard side, while the lookouts in the foretop and on
+the top-gallant forecastle were attending closely to their duty,
+doubtless with a vision of more prize money floating through their
+brains.
+
+The Bellevite, with the fires banked in the furnaces, was at anchor
+off the entrance to Mobile Bay, about two miles east of Sand Island
+Lighthouse, and the same distance south of the narrow neck of land on
+the western extremity of which Fort Morgan is located. Her commander had
+chosen this position for a purpose; for several weeks before, while the
+Bellevite was absent on a special mission, a remarkably fast steamer
+called the Trafalgar had run the blockade inward.
+
+Captain Passford, Senior, through his agents in England, had some
+information in regard to this vessel, which he had sent to Captain
+Breaker. Unlike most of the blockade-runners built for this particular
+service, she had been constructed in the most substantial manner for an
+English millionaire, who had insisted that she should be built as strong
+as the best of steel could make her, for he intended to make a voyage
+around the world in her.
+
+Unfortunately for the owner of the Trafalgar, who was a lineal
+descendant of a titled commander in that great naval battle, he fell
+from his horse in a fox chase, and was killed before the steamer was
+fully completed. His heir had no taste for the sea, and the steamer was
+sold at a price far beyond her cost; and the purchaser had succeeded in
+getting her into Mobile Bay with a valuable cargo. She was of about
+eight hundred tons burden, and it was said that she could steam twenty
+knots an hour. She was believed to be the equal of the Alabama and the
+Shenandoah. The Bellevite had been especially notified not to allow the
+Trafalgar to escape. She had recently had her bottom cleaned, and her
+engine put in perfect order for the service expected of her, for she was
+the fastest vessel on the blockade.
+
+When Captain Breaker had assured himself that he was out of hearing of
+the officer of the deck, he invited Christy to take a seat at his side.
+He spoke in a low tone, and was especially careful that no officer
+should hear him.
+
+"Perhaps I meddle with what does not concern me, Christy; but I cannot
+help having ideas of my own," said the commander, when he was satisfied
+that no one but the executive officer could hear him. "There is Fort
+Morgan, with Fort Gaines three miles from it on the other side of the
+channel. Mobile Point, as it is called at this end of the neck, extends
+many miles to the eastward. It is less than two miles wide where it is
+broadest, and not over a quarter of a mile near Pilot Town."
+
+"I have studied the lay of the land very carefully, for I have had some
+ideas of my own," added Christy, as the commander paused.
+
+"If Fort Morgan had been Fort Sumter, with bad memories clinging to it,
+an effort would have been made to capture it, either by bombardment by
+the navy, or by regular approaches on the part of the army," continued
+Captain Breaker. "They are still pounding away at Fort Sumter, because
+there would be a moral in its capture and the reduction of Charleston,
+for the war began there. Such an event would send a wave of rejoicing
+through the North, though it would be of less real consequence than the
+opening of Mobile Bay and the cleaning out of the city of Mobile. Except
+Wilmington, it is the most pestilent resort for blockade-runners on the
+entire coast."
+
+"Then you think Fort Morgan can be reduced from the land side?" asked
+Christy, deeply interested in the conversation.
+
+"I have little doubt of it; and while I believe Farragut will resort to
+his favorite plan of running by the forts here, as he has done by those
+of the Mississippi, the army will be planted in the rear of both these
+forts. As we have lain here for months, I have studied the situation,
+and I want to know something more about the land on the east of Mobile
+Point."
+
+"I should say that it would be easy enough to obtain all the information
+you desire in regard to it," suggested Christy.
+
+"There is an unwritten tradition that the commander must not leave his
+ship to engage in any duty of an active character, and I cannot explore
+the vicinity of the fort myself."
+
+"But you have plenty of officers for such duty."
+
+"I have no doubt there are pickets, and perhaps a camp beyond the rising
+ground, and the exploration would be difficult and dangerous. The two
+officers I have mentioned before lack the dash and ingenuity such an
+enterprise requires; and a blunder might involve me in difficulty, for
+I have no orders to obtain the information I desire."
+
+"The officers named are prudent men within reasonable limits."
+
+"They are; but I would give up my idea rather than trust either of them
+with this duty," replied Captain Breaker very decidedly. "But I have a
+further and nearer object in this exploration; in fact, examining the
+ground would be only secondary."
+
+"What is the real object, Captain?" asked the first lieutenant, his
+curiosity fully awakened.
+
+"I feel that it will be necessary to use extraordinary efforts to
+capture the Trafalgar, for no steamer of her alleged speed has ever run
+into or out of Mobile Bay. After I informed the flag-officer in regard
+to her, which your father's information enabled me to do, the Bellevite
+was especially charged with the duty of capturing her, if she had to
+chase her all over the world."
+
+"I have not much doubt that you will do it, Captain."
+
+"I mean to do so if possible. Now these blockade-runners usually anchor
+near the lower fleet, or under the guns of the fort in five fathoms of
+water. Sometimes they remain there two or three days, waiting for a
+favorable opportunity to run out. Perhaps the Trafalgar is there now.
+I wish to know about it."
+
+"I infer that you consider me fitted for this duty, Captain Breaker,"
+said Christy earnestly.
+
+"For that reason only I almost wished you were second or third
+lieutenant, rather than first," replied the commander with some
+earnestness in his manner.
+
+There was no unwritten tradition that the first lieutenant should not be
+sent on any duty.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+THE DEPARTURE OF THE EXPEDITION
+
+
+The conversation between the captain and the executive officer of the
+Bellevite was continued till they were called to supper; but a decision
+had been reached. On important occasions, as when several boats were
+ordered upon an expedition, it was not unusual to send the first
+lieutenant in command. Though only a single whaleboat would be required
+for the enterprise in which the commander was so deeply interested, its
+importance appeared to justify the selection of the executive officer to
+conduct it; and Christy was directed to suit himself.
+
+Of course the expedition was to be sent out at night, for the cover of
+the darkness was necessary to render it effectual. In the afternoon the
+wind had come around to the south-west, and already a slight fog had
+obscured the Sand Island Lighthouse. It promised to be such a night as
+a blockade-runner would select for getting to sea.
+
+Christy was especially warned that the principal business of his
+expedition was to obtain information in regard to the Trafalgar, though
+it was probable that a new name had been given to her for the service
+in which she was to be engaged. The examination of the surroundings of
+the fort, the captain strongly impressed upon his mind, was entirely
+subsidiary to the discovery of the intending blockade-runner. In fact,
+the commander seemed to have serious doubts as to whether it was proper
+for him even to reconnoitre without special orders for the use of the
+army.
+
+It was several months that Christy had been on board of the Bellevite in
+his present capacity, and he had become very well acquainted with all
+the petty officers and seamen of the ship's company, now composed of one
+hundred and twenty men. After he had finished his supper he walked about
+the spar-deck to refresh his memory by a sight at all of the men, and
+selected those who were to take part in his enterprise.
+
+One of the first persons he encountered in his promenade was the third
+assistant engineer, Charles Graines, whom he had known as a boy, before
+the war. He was not only a machinist, but a sailor, having served in
+both capacities, though now only twenty-five years of age. Through his
+father Christy had procured his appointment as an engineer, and his
+assignment to the Bellevite. The young man was exceedingly grateful to
+him for this service, and entirely devoted to him.
+
+Paul Vapoor, the chief engineer, spoke of Graines in the highest terms,
+not only in his official capacity, but as a high-toned, patriotic, and
+thoroughly reliable man. The moment the executive officer put his eye on
+the assistant engineer, he decided that Graines should be his right-hand
+man. As a matter of precaution the proposed expedition was to be a
+profound secret, for there were white men and negroes about the deck who
+had been picked up in various ways, and were retained till they could be
+disposed of. They could not be trusted, and doubtless some of them were
+Confederates at heart, if not engaged in secret missions.
+
+Christy invited Graines to the ward room for a conference. There were
+several officers there, and they retired to the stateroom of the first
+lieutenant, which is the forward one on the starboard side. The plan,
+as it had been matured in the mind of the one appointed to carry it
+out, was fully explained, and the engineer was delighted to be chosen to
+take part in its execution. The selection of the seamen to compose the
+expedition was not an easy matter, though every sailor on board would
+have volunteered for such duty if the opportunity had been presented
+to him.
+
+Graines was not so familiar with the merits of the seamen as he was with
+those of the men in the engineer department. It became necessary for the
+executive officer to take another walk on the spar-deck, in order to
+revive his recollection of the men; and he soon returned to the
+stateroom with a complete list of those he had selected. The engineer
+suggested an oiler by the name of Weeks as a most excellent man; and
+Christy accepted him, completing the number from those of his own
+choice. Seated at his desk, he wrote out the names of the ten men
+chosen.
+
+"Of course if we should be caught on shore in our ordinary uniforms it
+would be all night with us," said Christy, as he completed the writing
+out of the list. "I believe you have never seen the inside of a
+Confederate prison, Mr. Graines."
+
+"Never; though I came pretty near it once while I was an oiler on board
+of the Hatteras," replied the engineer.
+
+"You have been fortunate, and I hope you will come out of this excursion
+as well. I spent a short time in a Confederate lock-up; but I did not
+like the arrangements, and I took leave of it one night. It was in
+Mobile, and I don't care to be sent up there again. Therefore we must
+clothe ourselves in the worst garments we can find; and I carry a suit
+for just this purpose, though I have not had occasion to use it lately."
+
+"I have to wear old clothes when at work on the machinery, and I have a
+plentiful supply on hand," added Graines. "Perhaps I could help out some
+of the others."
+
+"All the seamen have old clothes, and they will need no assistance in
+arranging their wardrobes. Now, Mr. Graines, it will excite remark if I
+instruct the ten men we have selected, and I must leave that part of the
+work to you," continued Christy. "But all the instruction you need give
+them is in regard to their dress, and require them to be at the main
+chains on the starboard side at ten o'clock to-night precisely."
+
+"As I have plenty of time I will take the men, one at a time, to my room
+in the steerage, and instruct them," replied the engineer.
+
+"You can tell each one to send in the next one wanted. Above all,
+make them promise not to speak to any person whatever in regard to the
+expedition," said the executive officer as his companion retired.
+
+Mr. Graines lost no time in discharging the important duty assigned
+to him. Christy reported to the commander, as soon as he found an
+opportunity to speak to him privately, what progress he had made in
+carrying out the duty assigned to him. Captain Breaker looked over the
+list of the men selected, and gave it his hearty approbation. He was a
+man of elevated moral and religious character; he had always exercised a
+sort of fatherly supervision over his ship's company, and he was better
+acquainted with those under his command than most commanders.
+
+"It looks as though it was going to be a good night for
+blockade-runners, Mr. Passford," said Captain Breaker, as he looked
+over to windward and saw the banks of fog, not yet very dense, rolling
+up from the open gulf.
+
+"It is not known, I suppose, whether or not the Trafalgar has come down
+from Mobile?" inquired Christy.
+
+"I have been unable to obtain any definite information; but a negro who
+came off from the shore yesterday assured me there was a black steamer
+at anchor between the Middle Ground and Mobile Point. That is all the
+information I have been able to obtain, though I have examined all who
+came on board during the last week. It is certainly time for the
+Trafalgar to come out, as the Confederates are in great haste to
+re-enforce the Alabama, the Shenandoah, and other cruisers; for these
+vessels have made a tremendous impression upon our mercantile marine.
+She has been in port long enough to rebuild her already, and I am
+confident she must be ready for service."
+
+"If I don't find her ready to come out to-night, would it not be well to
+repeat my visit to the shore until we learn something about her?" asked
+Christy.
+
+"That is my purpose," replied the commander.
+
+"I should like to have the scope of my powers as the officer of this
+expedition a little more definitely defined, Captain Breaker," continued
+the first lieutenant.
+
+"I thought I had fully instructed you, Christy," answered the commander
+with a smile.
+
+"Am I to confine myself solely to the two points assigned to me?"
+
+"I don't understand what you have in your mind, my boy."
+
+"I have nothing in my mind, Captain. I have not laid out any plan of
+operations outside of the instructions you have given me, sir; and I do
+not purpose to do so. If I had the intention to do anything but the duty
+assigned to me, I should assuredly inform you of it, and obtain your
+orders."
+
+"I know you would, my dear boy."
+
+"But if I see an opportunity to do anything for the benefit of my
+country"--
+
+"Such as the capture of a sloop of war," interposed the commander with
+a suggestive laugh. "When you were sent to look out for a small steamer,
+simply to obtain information in regard to her, in Pensacola Bay, you
+went on your mission, and brought out the Teaser, which afterwards
+became the Bronx, and rendered very valuable service to the country
+under your command."
+
+"I could not very well help doing so when I saw my opportunity," replied
+Christy, in an apologetic tone, as though he had been reproved for
+exceeding his instructions.
+
+"You did precisely right, Christy; and that act did more to make the
+deservedly high reputation you have won than almost anything else you
+have done, unless it was your achievements at Cedar Keys," added Captain
+Breaker heartily.
+
+"I am glad you have brought up the Teaser matter, Captain, for it just
+illustrates what I have in my mind. If I see an opportunity to do such
+a thing as that on the present occasion, I simply wish to know whether
+or not I am to confine my operations to the strict letter of my
+instructions. Of course, if so instructed, I shall obey my orders to the
+letter."
+
+"'The letter killeth, the spirit giveth life,' my boy. Your mission
+always and everywhere is to serve your country, and you are to do this
+on the present occasion. What I said about ingenuity in speaking of my
+officers is covered in this case. If you can capture and send out the
+Trafalgar, do it by all means, for that is the object in view in sending
+off this expedition. Your head is level, Christy; and that is the reason
+why I desired you to command this enterprise rather than either of the
+other officers. I can trust you, and you have full powers to act on your
+own judgment."
+
+"I thank you for your abundant confidence, Captain; and I shall
+endeavor not to abuse it," replied Christy. "But it is not even remotely
+possible that I shall capture the Trafalgar; yet sometimes unexpected
+opportunities are presented, and the letter of my orders might prevent
+me from embracing them. I am very glad to know where I stand."
+
+The night came on, and with it more fog; but it was of that flitting
+kind which settles down and then blows away. It seemed to come in banks
+that were continually in motion. The men who were to go to the shore had
+all been instructed, and at precisely ten o'clock they were seated in
+the whaleboat, with Mr. Graines in the stern sheets. They were all armed
+with two revolvers apiece, and there was a cutlass for each in the boat.
+The men had not only changed their dress, but they had disguised
+themselves, smooching their faces with coal dust, and tearing their
+garments till they were in tatters.
+
+Christy had dressed himself in his old garments, but added to them a
+gray coat he had obtained on board of a prize. The watch on deck had
+been ordered to the forecastle, so that they need not too closely
+observe the crew of the whaleboat. The chief of the expedition had
+quietly descended to the platform of the after gangway, and when the
+boat dropped astern, he stepped into it, selecting his place by the side
+of the engineer, who had taken the tiller lines. The boat pulled away
+at once, with four hands at the oars, and Mr. Graines headed it to the
+north-east by the compass, the side lights of which were covered so that
+they should not betray the approach of the boat to the shore, if any one
+was there.
+
+On the way Christy gave the men full instructions in regard to their
+conduct; and in less than an hour the party landed.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+A BIVOUAC NEAR FORT MORGAN
+
+
+The expedition landed about two miles east of Fort Morgan. The sea was
+not heavy, as it sometimes is on these sand islands, and the debarkation
+was effected without any difficulty. At this distance from the defences
+of the bay not a person was to be seen. The fog banks still swept over
+the waters of the gulf as during the latter part of the afternoon, and
+if any number of persons had been near the shore, they could hardly have
+been seen.
+
+"We are all right so far, Mr. Graines," said Christy, as the bowmen
+hauled up the boat on the beach.
+
+"It is as quiet as a tomb in this vicinity," replied the engineer, as he
+led the way to the shore.
+
+"Now, my men, haul the boat out of the water. I think we need not use
+any of our small force as boat-keepers, for we can hardly spare them for
+this purpose, Mr. Graines," Christy proceeded very promptly.
+
+"It does not look as though the boat, or anything else, would ever be
+molested in this lonely locality," replied Graines, as the men lifted it
+from the water.
+
+"Now carry it back about half a cable from the shore," continued the
+principal of the party. "If one or two strollers should happen this way,
+they would not be able to put it into the water, though four men can
+carry it very easily."
+
+The whaleboat was borne to a spot indicated by the lieutenant, and left
+as it had been taken from the surf. Everything in it was arranged in
+order, so that it could be hastily put into the water if circumstance
+demanded a hurried retreat from the scene of operations. Near the spot
+was a post set up in the sand, which might have been one of the corners
+of a shanty, or have been used years before by fishermen drying their
+nets or other gear.
+
+"Do you see that post, my men?" asked Christy, as he pointed to it, not
+twenty feet from the spot where the boat had been deposited.
+
+"Ay, ay, sir!" the seamen responded, in low tones, for they had been
+warned not to speak out loud.
+
+"That will be your guide in finding the boat if we should get
+scattered," added the officer. "Now, do you see the two stars about
+half way between the horizon and the zenith?"
+
+"Ay, ay, sir!" answered Weeks, the oiler. "The Band of Orion."
+
+"Quite right, Weeks," added Christy. "Fort Morgan lies about west of
+us; and a course from there in the direction of the two stars will bring
+you to the coast and the boat. Every man must act for himself to some
+extent, and you are expected to be prudent, and use your own judgment.
+It will not be safe for us to keep together, for a dozen men seen all at
+once would be likely to awaken suspicion."
+
+"If there is not a crowd of men over by the fort, we can hardly expect
+to avoid coming together," suggested Weeks, who proved to be a very
+intelligent man, with excellent judgment.
+
+"I cannot tell whether or not we shall find any gathering of men in the
+vicinity of the fort," replied Christy. "We shall be obliged to govern
+ourselves according to circumstances. If you find any number of people
+over there, you can mingle with them. Some of you are very good
+scholars; but if any of you are disposed to indulge in fine talk, don't
+do it. Make your speech correspond with your dress, and let it be rough
+and rude, for that is the fashion among the laboring class in this
+region."
+
+"I suppose sea-slang will not be out of order," said Weeks.
+
+"Not at all. Simply consider that you are sailors and laborers, and
+do not forget it," answered Christy; and he was confident that he had
+selected only those who were competent to conduct themselves as the
+occasion might require. "Now, Mr. Graines, tell off five men--any five."
+
+The engineer called off five of the seamen, whose names he had learned
+from the list given him by his superior officer.
+
+"Now these five men will each choose his partner, who is to be his
+companion while we are on shore, and who is to act with him," continued
+Christy. "I do not know yet any better than you do what you are to do;
+but if you are called upon to do any difficult or dangerous work,
+remember that you are American seamen, and do your best for your
+country. If you are required to do any fighting, as I do not expect you
+will, our success depends upon your strong arms and your ready wills.
+You will do your whole duty, whatever it may be, and do it like true
+American sailors."
+
+"Ay, ay, sir!" came in a unanimous voice from the knot of men, though in
+subdued tones.
+
+"Call the first name again, Mr. Graines," added Christy.
+
+"Weeks," replied the engineer.
+
+"Select your man, Weeks."
+
+"Bingham," said the oiler.
+
+The names of the other four men who had been selected were called in
+turn, and each of them selected his partner, each one of course choosing
+his best friend, if he had not already been appropriated.
+
+"Now, my men, Weeks and Bingham, the first couple, to be called simply
+'One' when wanted, and they will answer to this designation, will start
+first. The next couple, to be called 'Two,' will follow them; and so on,
+the other pairs coming in order," continued Christy, designating each by
+name and number. "Two will start in ten or fifteen minutes after One, as
+nearly as you can guess at the time, for it is too dark to see watches
+if you have them."
+
+"Are we to choose our own courses?" asked Weeks.
+
+"No; I was coming to that next. Each couple will stroll due north us
+nearly as he can make it out, till they come to the waters of Mobile
+Bay. If you see any houses or tents, avoid them, and keep clear of any
+collection of people before you reach the vicinity of the fort. The bay
+is the first point you are to reach; then follow the shore to the fort.
+If you meet any person, talk to him in a friendly way, if necessary, and
+be as good Confederates as any in this region, even inside of Fort
+Morgan."
+
+Weeks and Bingham took up the line of march in the direction indicated,
+and soon disappeared beyond the rising ground in the middle of the neck
+of land, which was here about three-eighths of a mile wide. A quarter of
+an hour later Lane and McGrady followed them. While they were waiting,
+each of the pairs gave a specimen of the dialect they intended to use.
+McGrady was an Irishman, educated in the public schools of the North,
+and his language was as good as that of any ordinary American; but now
+he used a very rich brogue.
+
+Every man followed his own fancy. Lane had lived in the South, and
+"mought" and "fotch" came readily to his aid. The Crackers of Florida,
+the backwoodsmen of North Carolina, the swaggering Kentuckian, the wild
+Texan, were all represented; and Christy could easily have believed he
+had a company of comedians under his command, instead of a band of loyal
+Northerners.
+
+The executive officer and the engineer had decided before this time to
+keep together; and, as soon as they had seen the second couple depart,
+they set out on their wandering march to the fort in a direction
+different from that of the others of the party. They walked directly
+towards the fort, for Christy intended to make his examination of the
+ground to the eastward of the fortification, on his way to some spot
+where he could ascertain what vessels were at anchor between the point
+and the Middle Ground. He discharged this duty very faithfully; and
+before he reached his objective point he was confident he could draw a
+map of the region, with what information he had obtained before, which
+would meet the requirements of Captain Breaker.
+
+"What's that?" demanded Graines, suddenly placing his hand on the arm of
+his companion, and stopping short, as they were approaching the crown of
+the elevation.
+
+A fire was burning on the ground in a depression of the surface, which
+doubtless concealed its light from persons in the vicinity of the fort,
+if there were any there. Around it could be seen four men, as the two
+officers looked over the crest of the hill, who appeared to be engaged
+in eating and drinking; and they were doing more of the latter than of
+the former, for the bottle passed very frequently from one to another.
+
+"It looks like a bivouac on the part of those fellows," said Christy in
+a low tone.
+
+"But who and what are they?" asked Graines.
+
+"They may be deserters from Fort Morgan, though if they were they would
+hardly bivouac so near it," replied Christy, who did not seem to his
+companion to be at all disturbed by the discovery of the men. "They are
+more likely to be sailors from some intending blockade-runner at anchor
+off the point, who have come on shore to make a night of it; and they
+appear to have made considerable progress in the debauch."
+
+"They are not soldiers, for you can see by the light of the fire that
+they are not dressed in uniform," added the engineer.
+
+"This is the third year of the war, and uniforms for the soldiers are
+not particularly abundant in the Confederacy."
+
+"We can't see the waters of the bay till we reach the top of the knoll
+yonder, and we don't know whether there are any vessels at anchor there
+or not. But we can easily avoid these fellows by keeping behind the
+ridge till we get where they cannot see us."
+
+"I don't know that we want to avoid them, for I should like very much
+to know who and what they are. They must be tipsy to a greater or less
+degree by this time, for they do twice as much drinking as eating,"
+answered Christy, as he advanced a little way farther up the hill. "They
+have a basket of food, and I do not believe they are mere tramps. They
+are more likely to be engaged in some occupation which brought them to
+this point, and I think we had better fraternize with them. They may be
+able to give us some valuable information; and it looks as though they
+were drunk enough to tell all they know without making any difficulty
+about it."
+
+"Do you think it is quite prudent, Mr. Passford, to approach them?"
+asked the engineer.
+
+"When we come on an excursion of this kind we have to take some risk.
+If I were alone I should not hesitate to join them, and take my chances,
+for they must know something about affairs in this vicinity," replied
+Christy in a quiet tone, so that his answer might not be interpreted as
+a boast or a reproach to his companion.
+
+"I am ready to follow you, Mr. Passford, wherever you go, and to depend
+upon your judgment for guidance," said Graines very promptly. "If it
+comes to a fight with those fellows, I beg you to understand that I will
+do my full share of it, and obey your orders to the letter."
+
+"Of course I have no doubt whatever in regard to your courage and your
+readiness to do your whole duty, Mr. Graines," added Christy, as he led
+the way to the summit of the elevation. "Now lay aside your grammar and
+rhetoric, and we must be as good fellows as those bivouackers are making
+themselves. We are simply sailors who have just escaped from a captured
+blockade-runner."
+
+"I don't see anything around the fire that looks like muskets," said the
+engineer, as they descended from the elevation.
+
+"I see nothing at all except the provision-basket and the bottles,"
+replied Christy.
+
+"But they may be armed for all that."
+
+"We must take our chances. They are so busy eating and drinking that
+they have not seen us yet. Perhaps we had better be a little hilarious,"
+continued the lieutenant, as he began to sing, "We won't go home till
+morning," in which he was joined by his companion as vigorously as the
+circumstances would permit.
+
+Singing as they went, and with a rolling gait, they approached the
+revellers.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+THE REVELATIONS OF THE REVELLERS
+
+
+"'We won't go home till morning,'" sang the two counterfeit revellers,
+as they approached the fire of the bivouackers.
+
+The four carousel's sprang to their feet when the first strain reached
+their ears. They were not as intoxicated as they might have been, for
+they were able to stand with considerable firmness on their feet, after
+the frequency with which the bottle had been passed among them. They did
+not do what soldiers would naturally have done at such an interruption,
+grasp their muskets, and it was probable they had no muskets to grasp.
+
+"'We won't go home till morning, till daylight doth appear,'" continued
+the two officers, without halting in their march towards the revellers.
+
+  [Illustration: "The two counterfeit revellers." Page 48.]
+
+No weapons of any kind were exhibited; but the tipplers stood as though
+transfixed with astonishment or alarm where they had risen, but were
+rather limp in their attitude. They evidently did not know what to make
+of the interruption, and they appeared to be waiting for further
+developments on the part of the intruders.
+
+"It isn't mornin' yit, but we just emptied our bottle," said Christy,
+with a swaggering and slightly reeling movement, and suiting his speech
+to the occasion. "How are ye, shipmates?"
+
+"Up to G, jolly tars," replied one of the men, with a broad grin on his
+face. "We done got two full bottles left, at your sarvice."
+
+"Much obleeged," returned the lieutenant, as he took the bottle the
+reveller passed to him. "Here's success to us all in a heap, and success
+to our side in the battle that's go'n' on."
+
+"I'm with you up to the armpits," added Graines, as another of the four
+handed him a bottle.
+
+One sniff at the neck of the bottle was enough to satisfy Christy, who
+was a practical temperance man of the very strictest kind, and he had
+never drank a glass of anything intoxicating in all his life. The bottle
+contained "apple-jack," or apple-brandy, the vilest fluid that ever
+passed a tippler's gullet. He felt obliged to keep up his character,
+taken for the occasion, and he retained the mouth of the bottle at his
+lips long enough to answer the requirement of the moment; but he did not
+open them, or permit a drop of the nauseous and fiery liquor to pollute
+his tongue. It was necessary for him to consider that he was struggling
+for the salvation of his beloved country to enable him even to go
+through the form of "taking a drink."
+
+Graines was less scrupulous on the question of temperance, and he took a
+swallow of the apple-jack; but that was enough for him, for he had never
+tasted anything outside of the medicine-chest which was half as noxious.
+If he had been compelled to keep up the drinking, he would have realized
+that his punishment was more than he could bear. Fortunately the
+tipplers had no tumblers, so that the guests were not compelled to pour
+out the fluid and drink it off. All drank directly from the bottles,
+so that the two officers could easily conceal in the semi-darkness the
+extent of their indulgence.
+
+"Who be you, strangers?" asked the man who had acted thus far as
+spokesman of the party.
+
+"My name is Tom Bulger, born and brought up in the island of Great
+Abaco, and this feller is my friend and shipmate, Sam Riley," replied
+Christy, twisting and torturing his speech as much as was necessary.
+"Now who be you fellers?"
+
+"Born and fetched up in Mobile: my name is Bird Riley; and I reckon
+t'other feller is a first cousin of mine, for he's got the same name,
+and he's almost as handsome as I am. Where was you born, Sam?"
+
+"About ten miles up the Alabama, where my father was the overseer on a
+plantation before the war," replied Graines as promptly as though he had
+been telling the truth.
+
+"Then you must be one of my cousins, for I done got about two hundred
+and fifty on 'em in the State of Alabammy. Give us your fin, Sam."
+
+Bird Riley and Sam shook hands in due and proper form, and the
+relationship appeared to be fully established. The names of the three
+other revellers were given, but the spokesman was disposed to do all the
+talking, though he occasionally appealed to his companions to approve
+of what he said. It was evident that he was the leading spirit of the
+party, and that he controlled them. He was rather a bright fellow, while
+the others were somewhat heavy and stupid in their understanding. The
+bottles were again handed to the guests, both of whom went through the
+form of drinking without taking a drop of the vile stuff.
+
+"What be you uns doin' here?" asked Bird Riley, after the ceremony with
+the bottle had been finished.
+
+"We was both tooken in a schooner that was gwine to run the blockade,"
+answered Christy. "We was comin' out'n Pass Christian, and was picked
+up off Chand'leer [Chandeleur] Island, and fotched over hyer. We didn't
+feel too much to hum after we lost our wages, and we done took a
+whaleboat and came ashore here, with only one bottle of whiskey atween
+us. That's all there is on't. Now, how comes you uns hyer?"
+
+"I'm the mate of the topsail schooner West Wind, and t'others is the
+crew; all but two we done left on board with the cap'n," replied Bird,
+apparently with abundant confidence in his newly found friends.
+
+"You left her?" asked Christy.
+
+"That's just what we done do."
+
+"Where is the West Wind now?" inquired Christy, deeply interested in the
+subject at this point.
+
+"She done come down from Mobile three days ago, and done waited for a
+chance to run the blockade. Her hole is full o' cotton, and she done got
+a deck-load too," answered Bird Riley without any hesitation.
+
+"Where does the West Wind keep herself now, Bird?"
+
+"Just inside the p'int, astern of the Trafladagar."
+
+"The Trafladagar?" repeated Christy.
+
+"That's her name, or sunthin like it. I never see it writ out."
+
+"She's a schooner, I reckon," continued Christy, concealing what
+knowledge he possessed in regard to the vessel.
+
+"She ain't no schooner, you bet; she's jest the finist steamer that ever
+runned inter Mobile, and they've turned her into a cruiser," Bird Riley
+explained.
+
+"How big is she?"
+
+"I heerd some un say she was about eight hun'ed tons: an' I'll bet
+she'll pick up every Yankee craft that she gits a sight on."
+
+"And you say the Trafladagar is at anchor off the p'int?" added Christy,
+not daring to call the steamer by her true name.
+
+"That's jest where she is; and the West Wind is hitched to her, like a
+tandem team," replied Bird Riley. "Look yere, Tom Bulger, you don't make
+love to that bottle as though you meant business. Take another drink,
+and show you done got some manhood in yer."
+
+The bottle went the rounds again, and the guests apparently took long
+pulls; but really they did not taste a drop of the infernal liquid.
+
+"That's good pizen, Bird Riley; but it is not jest the stingo that I
+like best," said Christy, as he wiped his mouth with his sleeve in
+proper form, for he did not like the smell of the fluid lightning that
+clung to his lips.
+
+"Whiskey suits me most; but they waste the corn makin' bread on't, and
+there ain't much on't left to make the staff of life. Howsomever, we
+don't choke to death on apple-jack, when we can get enough on't," argued
+Bird Riley.
+
+"Jest now you got a tandem team hitched up out on the Trafladagar and
+the West Wind," continued Christy cautiously, and with apparent
+indifference, drawing the mate of the schooner back to the matter in
+which he was the most deeply interested. "What's this team hitched up
+that way for? Is the steamer go'n' to tow the schooner up to Mobile?"
+
+"I reckon you're a little more'n half drunk, Tom Bulger," replied Bird
+Riley, with a vigorous horse laugh. "Tow the schooner up to Mobile!
+Didn't I tell yer the Trafladagar's been waiting here three days for a
+good chance to run out?"
+
+"You said that as true as you was born," added Graines, who thought it
+necessary to say something, for he had been nearly silent from the
+beginning.
+
+"Sam Riley ain't quite so drunk as you be, Tom Bulger; an' he knows
+what's what; and thar he shows the Riley blood in his carcass," chuckled
+the mate.
+
+"And you said the West Wind was loaded with cotton, in the hole and on
+deck," added Graines, hoping to hurry the conference along a little more
+rapidly.
+
+"That's jest what I said. I reckon you ain't much used to apple-jack,
+fur it fusticates your intelleck, and makes yer forget how old y'are.
+Come, take another, jest to set your head up right," said Bird, passing
+the bottle to Christy, who was doing his best to keep up the illusion by
+talking very thick, and swaying his body about like a drunken man.
+
+Both the guests went through the ceremony of imbibing, which was only a
+ceremony to them. The fire had exhausted its supply of fuel, and it was
+fortunate that the darkness prevented the revellers from measuring the
+quantity left in the bottles as they were returned to the owners, or
+they might have seen that the strangers were not doing their share in
+consuming the poison.
+
+"Sam Riley does honor to the blood as runs in his body, for he ain't no
+more drunk'n I am; an' he knows what we been talkin' about," said the
+mate, who seemed to be greatly amused at the supposed effect of the
+liquor upon Christy. "You won't know nothin' about the Trafladagar or
+the West Wind in half an hour from now, Tom Bulger. I reckon it don't
+make no difference to you about the tandem team, and to-morrer mornin'
+you won't know how the team's hitched up."
+
+"I don't think I will," replied Christy boozily, as he rolled over
+on the sand, and then struggled for some time to resume his upright
+position, to the great amusement of Bird Riley and his companions. "But
+Sam Riley's got blood in him, the best blood in Alabammy, and he kin
+tell you all about it if yer want ter know. He kin stan' up agin a whole
+bottle o' apple-jack."
+
+"I say, Cousin Bird, what's this tandem team hitched up fer?" asked
+Graines, permitting his superior officer to carry out the illusion upon
+which he had entered, in order more effectually to blind the mate, and
+induce him to talk with entire freedom.
+
+"I reckon you ain't too drunk to un'erstan' what I say, Sam, as t'other
+feller is."
+
+"I'm jest drunk enough to un'erstan' yer, Cousin Bird; but I cal'late I
+won't know much about it by to-morrer mornin'," added Graines.
+
+"Let's take another round, Sam; but I reckon Tom Bulger's got more'n he
+can kerry now," continued the mate.
+
+Bird took a long draught from the bottle, and then passed it to his
+guest. Three of the four revellers had already toppled over at full
+length on the ground; and Christy thought he could hurry matters by
+doing the same thing, and he tumbled over all in a heap. Graines drank
+nothing himself, though he contrived to spill a quantity of the fluid on
+the ground, so that it might not seem too light to his only remaining
+wakeful companion. The last dram of Bird had been a very heavy one, and
+the engineer realized that he could not hold out much longer.
+
+"What's that tandem team fer?" asked Graines, in the thickest of tones,
+while he swayed back and forth as Bird was doing by this time.
+
+"The Trafladagar's gwine to tow the West Wind out; and both on 'em's
+sure to be tooken," stammered the mate. "We uns don't bleeve in't, and
+so we runned away, and left Captain Sullendine to paddle his own punt.
+They get off at three in the morn in'."
+
+Bird Riley took another drink, and then he toppled over.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+IN THE VICINITY OF THE CONFEDERATE FORT
+
+
+It was a favorable night for running the blockade, for the fog had
+settled down more densely upon the region in the vicinity of the ship
+channel, though it occasionally lifted, and permitted those on board of
+the Bellevite to see the tall tower of the Sand Island Lighthouse, which
+had not been illuminated for three years. The mists were generally
+thicker and remained longer towards daylight than at any other time, and
+this was the evident reason why three o'clock in the morning had been
+fixed upon for the departure of the Trafalgar and the West Wind in tow.
+
+The engineer's head was as clear as it had ever been, notwithstanding
+the tipsy swaying and doubling-up of his body which he simulated, and he
+realized that his companion and himself had obtained very important
+revelations from the revellers. The hour at which the steamer was to
+leave, evidently by arrangement with the officers of the fort, was
+valuable knowledge, and he hoped they would be able to carry or send
+seasonable warning of the time to the Bellevite, for she was the only
+ship on the blockade that could be counted upon to overhaul the
+Trafalgar, if the reports of her great speed had been correctly given.
+
+Both Christy and Graines had listened attentively to the revelations
+of Bird Riley; but neither of them could understand why the four men,
+including the mate, had deserted the West Wind only a few hours before
+she was to depart on her voyage to Nassau, where she was believed to be
+bound. The reason assigned by the tipsy mate was that she was going out
+in tow of the steamer, and was sure to be taken by the blockaders. Both
+of the listeners thought this fact improved her chances of getting clear
+of any possible pursuers.
+
+Bird Riley had fallen back on the ground; but he still continued to
+talk, though his speech was very nearly incoherent. Graines was very
+anxious to know what time it was, for the most important part of the
+enterprise was to give the Bellevite timely notice of the coming of the
+Trafalgar. He struck a match and lighted a cigar, offering one to the
+mate, which he took and lighted. It was half-past twelve by his watch,
+as he informed Bird, though he did so more for the information of the
+lieutenant than of the mate.
+
+"I reckon we are all about full enough to go to sleep, and we might as
+well turn in," said Graines. "But I suppose you uns mean to sleep on
+board of the West Wind."
+
+"I don't reckon we'll do nothin' o' that sort," hiccoughed the mate. "We
+done got a p'int to kerry, and I reckon we're gwine to kerry it."
+
+"All right," gobbled the engineer, who overdid his part, if anything.
+"What's the p'int, shipmate?"
+
+"Cap'n Sull'dine's sho't handed," replied the mate, his speech turning
+somersets as he labored to utter the words, for he still had a portion
+of his senses left.
+
+"I see," added Graines, tumbling over, but regaining his
+perpendicularity with a trying effort. "Only six men left after you four
+done runned away."
+
+"Six!" exclaimed Bird, raising himself up with a desperate struggle,
+like a wounded hawk. "No six in it; only two left. He don't, can't no
+how, go to sea with only two men. I'll pilot the schooner out by the
+Belican Channel an' Mis'sip' Sound. Cap'n Sull'dine 'n' I fit over it,
+an' I left, with most of the crew. Hah, ha, ha! He done got 'nuff on't!
+Let's take a swigger, and then we gwine to go to sleep, like the rest on
+'em."
+
+With no little difficulty Bird Riley got the bottle to his lips, wasting
+no little of the liquor in the operation. He was entirely "full" then.
+He handed the bottle to the engineer, and dropped over on his back,
+overcome by his frequent potions. Graines did not find it necessary to
+go through the form of putting the bottle to his lips again, and after
+waiting a few minutes he was satisfied that the mate was in a deep
+slumber, from which he was not likely to wake for several hours.
+
+But all the information he appeared to be capable of giving had been
+imparted, and Graines rose to his feet as steady as he ever was in his
+life, having taken hardly a swallow of the repulsive poison. He walked
+away from the sleeping group on the ground, halting about twenty feet
+from them. Christy saw him, for his eyes were open all the time, and he
+had listened with intense interest to the conversation between the
+engineer and the mate of the West Wind.
+
+The lieutenant straightened himself up and looked about him. The fire
+was entirely extinguished; the four men lay with their feet to the
+embers, and not one of them showed any signs of life. Carefully raising
+himself to his feet, so as not to disturb the sleeper nearest to him, he
+crept away to the spot where his associate awaited him. Christy led the
+way in the direction of the fort, but both of them were silent till they
+reached the summit of the knoll which concealed the inner bay from their
+vision, or would have done so if the fog had not effectually veiled it
+from their sight.
+
+"I suppose you heard all that was said, Mr. Passford, after you ceased
+to lead the conversation," said Graines, as he glanced back at the foot
+of the hollow where the revel had taken place.
+
+"Every word of it; and I could insert a good deal of what might have
+been read between the lines if the talk had been written out," replied
+the lieutenant. "As you were the cousin of the mate, he seemed to be
+more communicative to you than to me, and I thought it best to leave you
+to conduct the conversation. You did it extremely well, Charley, and
+there was no occasion for me to interfere. I find that you have no
+little skill as a detective, as well as a sailor and an engineer, and
+I shall make a good report of you to Captain Breaker. I could almost
+believe that we were boys together again as we were carrying on the
+farce this evening."
+
+"Thank you, Christy--Mr. Passford," added Graines.
+
+"You need not stand on ship formalities while we are alone, Charley.
+But we must put together the threads we have gathered this evening, and,
+if I mistake not, we shall make a net of them, into which the Trafalgar,
+or whatever her new name may be, will tumble at no very distant time. It
+appears that she is not to tow out the West Wind, for Captain Sullendine
+cannot go to sea with only two men before the mast, and no mate."
+
+"Bird Riley played his cards very well to accomplish the purpose he had
+in view, which was to keep the West Wind from going to sea in tow of the
+steamer," replied Graines, keeping up with the lieutenant, who had taken
+a very rapid pace.
+
+"I should say that the schooner would have a much better chance to get
+through the blockaders in tow of the Trafalgar than in going on her own
+hook. Bird is a big fellow in his own estimation; but it struck me that
+Captain Sullendine had an ignorant and self-willed fellow for a mate,
+and probably he took the best one he could find; for I think good
+seamen, outside of the Confederate navy, must be very scarce in the
+South."
+
+"The fellow had a notion in his head that he could take the schooner out
+by Pelican Channel, and he quarrelled with the captain on this point.
+It occurred to me that he deserted his vessel on account of the quarrel
+rather than for any other reason."
+
+"We need not bother our heads with that question, for it does not
+concern us; and we will leave the captain and his mate to fight it out
+when they meet to-morrow, for it is plain enough that the West Wind
+cannot go to sea with no mate and only two hands before the mast,"
+returned Christy, who was hastening forward to discharge what he
+considered his first duty thus far developed by the events of the night.
+"What time is it now, Charley? I have a watch, but no matches."
+
+The engineer's cigar had gone out when he lighted it before, and he had
+put it in a pocket of his sack coat. Putting it in his mouth, he struck
+a match, and consulted his watch.
+
+"Quarter of one, Christy; and we have plenty of time," he replied as
+he lighted his cigar; for he thought it would help him to maintain his
+indifference in whatever event might be next in order.
+
+"But we have no time to spare," added the lieutenant, as he increased
+the rapidity of his pace. "Our five pairs of men must have readied the
+vicinity of the fort before this time, for we have had a long conference
+with those spreeists."
+
+"About an hour and a half; and the information we have obtained will
+fully pay for the time used."
+
+"No doubt of it; and we must hurry up in order to make a good use of
+it," said Christy. "The fog is lifting just now, as it has been doing
+all the evening, and we can see the fort. There are very few people
+about; for it cannot be an uncommon event to see a blockade-runner get
+under way."
+
+It was not probable that any of the persons in sight were soldiers, for
+they had abundant opportunity to see all there was to be seen within the
+solid walls that sheltered them. The rapid pace at which the lieutenant
+led his companion soon brought them to the group of people near the
+shore of the channel leading to Pilot Town. The five pairs of seamen
+were well scattered about, as they had been instructed to be, and they
+did not appear to have attracted the attention of the others in the
+vicinity.
+
+Pair No. Three were the first of the party the officers encountered, and
+no others appeared to be near them. One of them was smoking his pipe,
+and both of them were taking it very easily. Not far from them was a
+knot of men who seemed to be disturbed by some kind of an excitement.
+As the couple encountered manifested no interest in the affair, Christy
+concluded that they must know something about it, unless they were
+extremely scrupulous in adhering to the orders given them.
+
+"What is the row there, French?" asked Christy in a low and guarded
+tone, though there was no stranger very near him.
+
+"The man in the middle is the captain of that schooner you see off the
+shore, sir. His mate and three of his crew have deserted the vessel, and
+he can't go to sea without them," replied French.
+
+"They say the steamer ahead is to tow the schooner out; but the captain
+cannot go because he has only two men left," added Lines, the other man
+of the pair.
+
+"Do you know where to find Nos. One and Two?" continued the leader of
+the expedition.
+
+"I do not, sir; for we keep clear of each other, as we were ordered,"
+answered French, as he looked about him for the men designated.
+
+"You two will separate, and find One and Two. Send them to me, and I
+will wait here for them," added Christy; and the men departed on the
+errand. "While I am waiting for them, Mr. Graines, you may go down to
+that group, and pick up what information you can."
+
+The engineer sauntered down the declivity, smoking his cigar, and making
+himself as much at home on the enemy's territory as though he had been
+the commander of the Confederate fort. Christy was not kept long in
+waiting, and the first pair that reported to him were Weeks and Bingham.
+No. One. The former was the oiler who had been selected on account of
+his ingenuity and good judgment by Graines.
+
+"Are you a sailor as well as a machinist, Weeks?" asked Christy.
+
+"I am not much of a sailor, sir, though I have handled a schooner.
+I have been a boatman more or less of the time all my life," replied
+the oiler modestly.
+
+By this time No. Two, Lane and McGrady, reported, but French and Lines
+kept their distance, in conformity with the spirit of their orders.
+
+"Nos. One and Two will return to the whaleboat, and Weeks will be in
+command of the party," continued Christy. "The rest of you will obey him
+as your officer. Is this understood?"
+
+"Ay, ay, sir," responded the three men.
+
+"Weeks, you will carry the boat to the water, and return to the ship
+with all possible haste. Inform Captain Breaker that the Trafalgar will
+sail at three o'clock in the morning. I will report to him later."
+
+The four men started off as though they meant to obey this order to the
+letter.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+CAPTAIN SULLENDINE OF THE WEST WIND
+
+
+Weeks and his companions divided up as they had been ordered to do in
+coming to the fort, and departed in different directions. The lieutenant
+pointed out to them the locality of the bivouac where he had passed so
+much of the evening, so that they might avoid it. It was about one
+o'clock in the morning when they left, and Christy calculated that
+they would reach the ship in an hour and a half, which would give the
+commander ample time to get up steam from the banked fires, and move
+down four or five miles to the southward of his present position.
+
+The chief of the expedition had sent no message to the captain of the
+Bellevite in regard to his own movements, but simply that he would
+report to him later. He had already grasped an idea, though he had had
+no time to work it up in detail. It looked practicable to him, and he
+had jumped to a conclusion as soon as he was in possession of the facts
+covering the situation in the vicinity of Fort Morgan.
+
+With only a plan not yet matured in his mind, perhaps he had been more
+rash than usual in sending away the whaleboat before he had provided for
+his own retreat from the enemy's territory; but he had considered this
+difficulty, and had come to the conclusion that the Trafalgar must be
+captured if possible, even if he and his associates were sent to a
+Confederate prison.
+
+But he did not anticipate any such result. He had three pairs of the
+seamen left; and the party still consisted of eight men, all well armed.
+If the plan he had considered should fail, he had force enough to carry
+a light boat from Pilot Town, or any other point on the inner shore,
+in which they could make their escape to the Bellevite or some other
+blockader. He did not feel, therefore, that he had "burned his bridges,"
+and left open no means of retreat in case of disaster.
+
+Christy and Graines were left alone in the darkness and the fog, a bank
+of which was just then sweeping over the point; but they could hear the
+violent talk of Captain Sullendine in the distance, as he declaimed
+against the perfidy of his mate and the three seamen just at the point
+where he needed them most. Evidently he could not reconcile himself to
+the idea of being left behind by the Trafalgar, which seemed to be
+inevitable under present circumstances.
+
+"The skipper of the West Wind seems to be in an ocean of trouble, and
+he is apparently resolved not to submit to the misfortune which has
+overtaken him," said Christy, as he led the way towards the knot of men
+who were the auditors of the rebellious captain.
+
+"He may jaw as much as he pleases, if it makes him feel any better, but
+I don't see how he can help himself," replied Graines. "The schooner
+looked like a rather large one when I got a sight of her just before I
+came back to you, which I did as soon as I saw the four men leave you."
+
+"I sent Weeks as a messenger to Captain Breaker, to inform him that the
+Trafalgar would sail at three in the morning," added Christy.
+
+"I concluded that was the mission upon which you sent him," replied the
+engineer; and, whatever doubts the lieutenant's action might have raised
+in his mind, he asked no questions.
+
+Every man on board of the Bellevite was well acquainted with the
+record and reputation of the executive officer; and he concluded at
+once that Christy had already arranged his method of operations. It was
+not "in good form" to ask his superior any questions in regard to his
+intentions.
+
+"Did you go down to the shore, Charley?" asked Christy, as they walked
+in that direction.
+
+"I did not, but I went far enough to hear what the captain of the West
+Wind was talking about. I had no orders, and as soon as I saw the four
+men leave you, I thought I had better rejoin you," answered Graines.
+
+"Quite right," said the lieutenant as he halted; for they were as near
+the group on the shore as it was prudent to go, for the fog was lifting.
+"What did the captain say?"
+
+"He offered ten dollars apiece for the recovery of the men who had
+deserted, if they were brought back within two hours," replied Graines.
+"He did an immense amount of heavy swearing; and it was plain that he
+was mad all the way through, from the crown of his head to the sole of
+his foot."
+
+"Was any one inclined to accept his offer, and go in search of the
+runaways?"
+
+"I can't say, but I saw no one leave on that or any other mission. I was
+there but a few minutes, and the fog dropped down on the party so that I
+could not see them at all."
+
+"We must join that assemblage, and we may be able to help Captain
+Sullendine out of his dilemma," said Christy.
+
+"Help him out of it!" exclaimed Graines.
+
+"Not a word more, Charley. I have an idea or two left, but it is not
+prudent to say a word about it here," replied the lieutenant cautiously.
+"You know the cut of my jib in my present rig, and I want you to keep an
+eye on me, for we must separate now. When you see me take off this old
+soft hat with my left hand, and scratch my head with my right, moving
+off a minute later, you will follow me. By that time I shall know what
+we are to do."
+
+"All right, Christy; I will follow the direction to the letter," added
+Graines.
+
+"While you go off to the left of that pile of rubbish yonder, I will
+go to the right of it. If you speak to any of our men, do so with the
+utmost caution."
+
+"They have been down there some time, and they have full information in
+regard to what is going on in this locality," suggested Graines.
+
+"Use your own judgment, Charley, only be careful not to give us away,"
+replied the lieutenant, as he moved towards the pile of rubbish.
+
+A walk of a few minutes brought him to the group on the shore, which
+consisted of not more than a dozen persons, and half of them belonged to
+the Bellevite. Christy halted before he reached the assemblage, in order
+to listen to the eloquence of the captain of the West Wind. He talked
+very glibly; and it did not take his outside auditor long to perceive
+that he had been drinking somewhat freely, though he was not what
+non-temperance men would have called intoxicated.
+
+"I use my men well, and give 'em enough to eat and drink, and what's
+good enough," the nautical orator declaimed with a double-handed
+gesture. "Why, my friends, I gave each of the villains that deserted
+the schooner a bottle of apple-jack. I don't drink it myself, but it is
+good enough for niggers and sailors; in fact, my men liked it better'n
+whiskey, because it's stronger. They served me a mighty mean trick, and
+I'll give ten dollars apiece to have 'em fetched back to me. That's a
+good chance for some on you to make some money tonight."
+
+His audience listened to him as they would have done to a preacher with
+whom they had no sympathy, and no one was tempted by the reward to go in
+search of the deserters. Christy moved up nearer to the speaker. In his
+disguise, with his face smooched with some of the color he had received
+as a present from Mr. Gilfleur, the French detective, with whom he had
+been associated on his cruise some months before, he did not appear at
+all different from most of those who listened to Captain Sullendine.
+He had laid aside his gentlemanly gait and bearing, and acted as though
+he had lately joined the "awkward squad."
+
+"How d'e?" called the orator to him, as he saw him join the group of
+listeners. "I see you come from the other side of the p'int."
+
+"Well, is that agin the laws o' war?" demanded Christy.
+
+"Not a bit on't," replied the captain pleasantly, as though his
+potations of whiskey were still in full effect upon him. "If you come
+from that way, have you seen anything of my four men that deserted the
+schooner?"
+
+"I wasn't lookin' for 'em; didn't know ye'd lost some men," replied
+Christy, staring with his mouth half open at the orator. "Was one on
+'em the mate?"
+
+"Yes!" exclaimed the captain eagerly.
+
+"Well, I hain't seen nothin' on em," added Christy in a mumbling tone.
+
+"I'll bet you have!" protested the skipper of the West Wind. "How'd you
+know one on 'em was the mate if you didn't see 'em?"
+
+"I didn't know one on 'em was the mate; I only axed yer so's ter know."
+
+"I reckon you know sunthin about my men," persisted the captain; and by
+this time the attention of all the party had been directed to him.
+
+"I don't know nothin' about yer men, and I hain't been interduced to
+'em. If you want to ship a new crew, I'm ready to jine with yer."
+
+"One man ain't enough," added the skipper.
+
+"Some o' these men'll jine too, I reckon," suggested Christy, who
+had proceeded in this manner in order to attract the attention of the
+disconsolate master of the West Wind.
+
+"I don't reckon they can ship, 'cause most on 'em belongs to the
+Tallahatchie, and they can't leave."
+
+"That's so," shouted several of the group, including some of the crew of
+the Bellevite.
+
+"What's the Talla-what-you-call-her?" demanded Christy.
+
+"She's the steamer you can see when the fog lifts," answered Captain
+Sullendine. "The Tallahatchie is her name. Are you a sailor, my lively
+lad?"
+
+"I reckon I know the bobstay from the mainmast."
+
+"You know sumthin about my mate and men, my jolly tar, and I'll give you
+five dollars apiece for any news on 'em that will help me to ketch 'em;
+and I'll ship you into the bargain, for I want more hands," the captain
+proceeded in a more business-like manner, though at the expense of his
+oratory.
+
+Just at this moment three short and sharp whistles sounded from off the
+shore, and about half of the skipper's audience turned upon their heels
+and walked down to the water, where they embarked in a boat. They were
+evidently members of the ship's company of the Tallahatchie, on shore on
+leave, and the whistles were the signal for their return. The remainder
+of the group, with two or three exceptions, were the seamen of the
+blockader.
+
+"Where'd you come from, my hearty?" demanded the captain of the
+schooner, turning to Christy again.
+
+"I was tooken in a blockader, eight on us. We done stole a whaleboat and
+comed ashore," replied Christy, enlarging upon the story he had told the
+bivouackers.
+
+"Eight on you!" exclaimed the master of the schooner. "Where's the rest
+on ye?"
+
+"They're all about here somewhar, and I reckon I kin find em. They're
+lookin for sunthin t'eat. They all want to ship, and the mate of the
+Rattler's one on 'em," continued Christy, guiding himself by the
+circumstances as they were developed to him.
+
+"What's your name, my man?"
+
+"My name's Jerry Sandman; and I ain't ashamed on't."
+
+"Are your men all sailors, Jerry?"
+
+"Every one on 'em."
+
+"I want eight good men, Jerry, the mate bein' one on 'em."
+
+"Then we kin fix you like a 'possum in a hole."
+
+"I've got two boats on the shore; the deserters stole one on 'em, and I
+come ashore in t'other arter 'em. I reckon I'll get a steamer in Nassau,
+and I want all the good men I can find to man her. I'll ship the whole
+on you. Find your men, Jerry, and fetch 'em down to the boats. I'll give
+'em all sumthin t'eat. Now be lively about it," said Captain Sullendine,
+as he walked away towards the shore.
+
+"I'll find 'em in no time," replied Christy, as he removed his soft hat
+with his left hand, and scratched his head with the other.
+
+The rest of the party scattered, and Graines joined the lieutenant.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+A POWERFUL ALLY OF THE BELLEVITERS
+
+
+The seamen of the Bellevite had listened with intense interest to the
+conversation between the commander of the West Wind and the lieutenant;
+and there was not a single one of them who did not comprehend the
+purpose of the chief of the expedition. They were greatly amused at the
+manner in which Christy conducted himself, and especially at the mongrel
+dialect he had used. It was a little difficult for them to realize that
+the awkward fellow who was in conversation with the skipper of the
+schooner was the gentlemanly, well-spoken officer they had been
+accustomed to see on the quarter-deck of the Bellevite.
+
+They separated as they had been instructed to do; but they were careful
+not to go to any great distance from the spot, for they understood that
+they should be wanted in a few minutes. Graines had not spoken a word on
+this occasion, though he had done most of the talking at the bivouac.
+He was ready to do his part; but the skipper had addressed his companion
+first, introducing the subject, and he had no opportunity to get in a
+single word.
+
+"I suppose you understand it all, Charley," said Christy as soon as they
+were alone.
+
+"I could not very well have helped doing so if I had tried. The only
+thing that bothered me was when you appeared to be betraying yourself
+by alluding to the mate," replied Graines.
+
+"I did not do that by accident; but I desired to get the whole attention
+of the captain, and I got it. The rest all followed in due course. Now
+tell all the men to go down to the shore, and wait a little distance
+from the two boats till you and I join them. Tell them all to be hungry.
+Your name is Mr. Balker, the mate of the Rattler, the blockade-runner
+from which we escaped in a whaleboat. My name is Jerry Sandman, the
+second mate, for the want of a better. Tell them not to forget any of
+these names," continued Christy.
+
+"They heard the whole story, and they were deeply interested in it, for
+they could not help seeing what was coming," added the engineer, as he
+went to carry out the order he had just received.
+
+The seamen still kept together in pairs, and Graines instructed them by
+twos, impressing them with the necessity of remembering the names they
+had heard in the lieutenant's story, which was a "story" in the double
+sense of the word. As each couple received their lesson, they sauntered
+in the direction of the shore.
+
+"What's going to be done, Mr. Graines?" asked French, who was one of the
+second pair the engineer instructed.
+
+"That is none of your business, French. You are to remember the names I
+have given you, and then obey orders," replied Graines rather sharply,
+for it was a very unusual thing for a seaman, or even an officer, to ask
+such a question of his superior; and the discipline of the Bellevite was
+as exacting as it was kind and fatherly.
+
+"Excuse me, Mr. Graines; I only wanted to be ready for whatever was
+coming," pleaded French.
+
+"Excused; but don't ask such questions. You listened to the conversation
+between your officer and the captain of the schooner; and if you cannot
+comprehend the meaning of it, ask Lines, and he will explain it," added
+the engineer, "Where are Londall and Vogel?"
+
+"Right by that pile of rubbish, sir," replied French, as he led the way
+to the shore.
+
+The last pair were instructed and sent with the others, and they asked
+no questions. Graines joined the lieutenant, who had seated himself on a
+log, and reported that all was going on right.
+
+"As I said before, Charley, you will be the mate of the Rattler, and
+will no doubt be engaged for the same position on board of the West
+Wind. I will ship as second mate, if one of the two men now on board of
+the vessel is not shipped as such, for I wish to be among the men," said
+Christy, after looking about him to see that no one was within hearing
+distance of them.
+
+"I take it I shall not make a long voyage as mate," replied Graines.
+
+"Probably not, though I cannot tell how long you will have to serve in
+that capacity. I purpose to have the Tallahatchie tow the schooner as
+far down as practicable; but we shall doubtless have business on our
+hands before it is time to cut the towline. Now we will wait upon the
+captain."
+
+They found him walking up and down the shore, apparently somewhat
+excited; and doubtless he had not entire confidence in the promises of
+"Jerry Sandman." The six seamen had not joined Captain Sullendine on the
+shore, but had placed themselves behind a coal shanty quite near the
+water.
+
+"I've brought the mate down, Cap'n Sull'dine," Christy began, as he and
+the engineer halted in front of the master of the schooner. "Here he is,
+an' I reckon there ain't no better sailor in the great Confed'racy. This
+yere is Mr. Balker."
+
+"How are ye, Mr. Balker? You are just the man I want more'n I want my
+supper. Now tell me something about yourself."
+
+Graines invented a story suited to the occasion. Then the conversation
+was about wages; and the candidate haggled for form's sake, but finally
+accepted the lay the captain offered.
+
+"By the way, Captain Sullendine, do you happen to have a second mate?"
+asked the engineer when the terms were arranged.
+
+"I had one; but he run away with Bird Riley. He wa'n't good for nothin',
+and I'm glad he's gone," replied the skipper.
+
+"The man you talked with is Jerry Sandman, and he was the other mate of
+the Rattler. He isn't a showy fellow, but he was a first-class second
+mate," continued Graines.
+
+"Then I ship him as second mate;" and they arranged the wages without
+much difficulty.
+
+The six seamen were promptly shipped. The whole party then embarked in
+the two boats, Captain Sullendine dividing them into two parties for the
+purpose. The fog had settled down very densely upon the shore; but the
+West Wind was easily found, and they went on board, where one boat was
+hoisted up to the stern davits, and the other on the port quarter.
+
+"Here you be, Mr. Balker," said Captain Sullendine when the party
+reached the quarter-deck; and he was so lively in his movements, and
+so glib in his speech, as to provoke the suspicion that he had imbibed
+again at the conclusion of his oration on shore. "Here, you, Sopsy!"
+he continued in a loud voice.
+
+A lantern was burning on the companion, which enabled the party to see
+that the waist of the vessel was compactly packed with bales of cotton.
+The schooner seemed to be of considerable size, and Christy thought she
+must be loaded with a very large cargo of the precious merchandise. In
+answer to the captain's call, Sopsy, who proved to be the negro cook of
+the vessel, presented himself.
+
+"All these people want something to eat, Sopsy. Let the crew eat in
+the deck-house for'ad, and bring a lunch into the cabin right off,"
+continued Captain Sullendine.
+
+"Yis, sar," replied the cook with emphasis. "Git 'em quicker'n a man kin
+swaller his own head. Libes dar a man wid soul so dead"--
+
+"Never mind the varse, Sopsy," interposed the captain.
+
+"--As never to hisself have said"--
+
+"Hurry up, Sopsy!"
+
+"He don't say dat, Massa Cap'n," added the cook, as he shuffled off over
+the bales of cotton.
+
+"Hullo there, Bokes! Where are you, Bokes?" called the captain again.
+
+"On deck, Cap'n," replied a white man, crawling out from a small opening
+in the bales.
+
+"Wake up, Bokes! You ain't dead yet."
+
+"No, sir; wide awake's a coon in a hencoop," added the man, who appeared
+to be one of the two left on board by the deserters, the cook being the
+other.
+
+"Be alive, Bokes! Here, wait a minute!" and the captain ran down the
+companion ladder to the cabin, from which he presently appeared with
+a bottle in each hand. "Do you see them men on the cotton, Bokes?" he
+asked, pointing with one of them at the six Belleviters, who stood where
+they had taken their stations after hoisting up the quarter-boat.
+
+"I see sunthin over thar," replied the seaman, who seemed to be hardly
+awake yet.
+
+"Them's the new crew I shipped to-night--six on 'em, or seven with the
+second mate," added the captain. "Show 'em over to the deck-house, and
+let 'em pick out their bunks."
+
+"Seven on 'em; the cook and me makes nine, and they ain't but eight
+berths in the deck-house, Cap'n," replied Bokes, who seemed to be afraid
+of losing his own sleeping quarters.
+
+"You can sleep on the deck, then. These are all good men, and they must
+have good berths," added the captain. "You can sleep as well in the
+scuppers as anywhere else, Bokes; and you ain't more'n half awake any
+time."
+
+"Must have my berth, Cap'n, or I go ashore," persisted the seaman.
+
+"Small loss anyhow," growled the captain.
+
+"How is the cabin, Captain Sullendine?" interposed Graines.
+
+"Two staterooms and four berths," replied the master.
+
+"Then why can't the second mate take one of the berths in the cabin?"
+suggested the new mate. "He is a first-rate fellow, and I reckon he's a
+better sailor than I am, for he's been to sea about all his life."
+
+"'Tain't reg'lar to have the second mate in the cabin. He'll have t'eat
+with us if he bunks there," argued the master.
+
+"He'll have to keep his watch on deck when we eat, and I reckon he'll
+have to take his grub alone," reasoned the mate.
+
+"I'd ruther live in the deck-house with the crew," said Christy.
+
+"But there ain't no room thar," added Graines, who thought his superior
+had made the remark simply to keep up his character.
+
+"Let him come into the cabin, then," said Captain Sullendine, in order
+to settle the question. "Now, Bokes, take this apple-jack, and show the
+other six to the deck-house. Give 'em one or two drinks all round. It'll
+do 'em good."
+
+Bokes obeyed the order, after the master had lighted another lantern for
+his use, and he went over the bales of cotton to the seamen.
+
+Captain Sullendine remarked with great complacency that he always
+treated his men well, gave them enough to eat and drink, and he thought
+the apple-jack he had sent them would do them good. He liked to be
+liberal with his crew, for he believed a tot of grog would go further
+with them than "cussin' 'em;" and the two mates did not gainsay him,
+though they believed in neither grog nor "cussin'."
+
+Though Christy never drank a drop of intoxicating fluid under any
+circumstances, and Graines almost never, both of them believed that
+"apple-jack" had been a very serviceable ally during the night so far.
+Rut they considered it useful only in the hands of the enemy, and they
+were sorry to see the bottles sent forward for the use of Belleviters;
+for they were afraid some of them might muddle and tangle their brains
+with the fiery liquor.
+
+"Come, mates, let's go down into the cabin now," continued the captain,
+descending the ladder without waiting for them.
+
+"I will go forward for a few minutes, Charley," whispered Christy in the
+ear of the engineer, who followed the captain below.
+
+When the lieutenant reached the deck-house he found the men there, with
+Bokes in the act of taking a long pull at one of the bottles, while
+French was holding the other.
+
+"Here's the second mate," said the seaman with the bottle.
+
+"You can keep the bottle you have, Bokes," said Christy. "Now go aft
+with it." The sleepy sailor was willing enough to obey such a welcome
+order, and the lieutenant took the other bottle to the side and emptied
+it into the water. The men did not object, and the new second mate
+joined the master in the cabin.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+ON BOARD OF THE COTTON SCHOONER
+
+
+Probably some, if not all, of the six men in the deck-house of the West
+Wind were in the habit of taking intoxicating liquors when they were
+ashore, and when it was served out on board of the ship in conformity
+with the rules and traditions of the navy. The commander and his
+executive officer labored for the promotion of total abstinence among
+the officers and crew. More than the usual proportion of the men
+commuted their "grog ration" for money, through the influence of the
+principal officers.
+
+While the commander of the present expedition accepted the aid of the
+powerful ally, "apple-jack," in the service of his country, drinking
+freely appeared to him to be about the same thing as going over to the
+enemy; and he could not permit his men to turn traitors involuntarily,
+when he knew they would not do so of their own free will and accord.
+He had settled the liquor question to his own satisfaction in the
+deck-house, returning the bottle to French.
+
+When Graines went below, a minute or two later than Captain Sullendine,
+he saw his new superior in the act of tossing off another glass of
+whiskey, as he concluded it was from the label on the bottle which stood
+on the cabin table. He had been considerably exhilarated before, and he
+was in a fair way to strengthen the ally of the loyalists by carrying
+his powerful influence to the head of the commander of the intending
+blockade-runner. The captain seated himself at the table, and Christy
+saw that he had a flat bottle in his breast-pocket.
+
+"Now, Mr. Balker, we had better seal up the bargain we've made with
+forty drops from this bottle," said he, as he poured out a glass for
+himself, regardless of the fact that he had just indulged; and at the
+same time he pushed the bottle and another glass towards the new mate.
+
+Graines covered the lower part of the glass with his hand, and poured
+a few drops into it. Putting some water with it from the pitcher, he
+raised the tumbler in imitation of the captain.
+
+"Here's success to the right side," added the master, as he drank off
+the contents of the glass.
+
+"I drink that toast with all my mind, heart, and soul," added the
+engineer, with decided emphasis, though he knew that "the right side"
+did not always convey the same idea.
+
+"Help yourself, Mr.-- I've forgot your name, Second Mate," he added as
+he moved towards the companion ladder.
+
+"Jerry Sandman, sir, and I will help myself to what I want," replied
+Christy.
+
+"That's right, Mr. Sandman; make yourself at home in this cabin. I must
+go on deck and take a look at the Tallahatchie," added the master as he
+went up the ladder, followed by Graines.
+
+The lieutenant helped himself to a glass of water, after rinsing
+the tumbler, for that was what he wanted. Sopsy the cook immediately
+appeared, bearing a tray on which were several dishes of eatables, bread
+and ham being the principal. The bottle was in his way; and after he had
+drunk off half a tumblerful of its contents, he removed it to the
+pantry. He proceeded to set the table.
+
+"Oft in der chizzly night, 'fore slumber's yoke hab tooken me," hummed
+Sopsy as he worked at the table.
+
+"Where is this schooner bound, Sopsy?" asked Christy.
+
+"Bound to dat boon whar no trab'ler returns," replied the cook, pausing
+in his occupation and staring the second mate full in the face.
+
+"That bourn is Nassau, I reckon," laughed the lieutenant.
+
+"I s'pose she's gwine dar if she don't go to dat boon where no trab'lers
+come back agin," answered Sopsy seriously. "Be you Meth'dis' o'
+Bab'tis', Massa Mate?"
+
+"Both, Sopsy."
+
+"Can't be bof, Massa."
+
+"Then I'm either one you like."
+
+"That ain't right, Massa Secon' Mate, 'cordin' as you was brung up,"
+said the cook, shaking his head violently, as though he utterly
+disapproved of the mate's theology.
+
+"I'm a theosophist, Sopsy."
+
+"A seehossofist!" exclaimed the cook, dropping a plate in his
+astonishment. "We don't hab none o' dem on shore in de Souf. I reckon
+dey libs in de water."
+
+"No; they live on the mountains."
+
+"We hain't got no mount'ns down here, and dat's de reason we don't
+hab none on 'em," added Sopsy as he went to the pantry; but presently
+returned with a plate of pickles in one hand and the whiskey bottle in
+the other. "Does dem sea-hosses drink whisker, Massa Secon' Mate?"
+
+"They never drink a drop of it."
+
+"Dis colored pusson ain't no sea-hoss, and he do drink whiskey when
+he kin git it," added the cook; and he half filled a tumbler with the
+contents of the bottle, and drank it off at a single gulp.
+
+He had hardly placed it on the table in the middle of the dishes before
+the captain came below. His first step was to take a liberal potation
+from the bottle. As he raised it to the swinging lamp, he discovered
+that the fluid had been freely expended in his absence.
+
+"You've punished this bottle all it deserves," said he when he perceived
+that its level had been considerably lowered, and he did not ask the new
+officer to join him. "That's all right, Mr. Sandman; but I don't want
+you to take more than you can manage to-night, for we have a big job on
+our hands, and we want our heads where we shall be able to find them.
+Now go on deck, and learn what you can about the vessel, for we hain't
+got but half an hour more before the Tallahatchie goes to sea. We may
+have lots of music after we get outside; but I reckon our steamer can
+outsail anything the Yankees have got on the blockade. Don't drink no
+more, Mr. Sandman; and when we git to Nassau you can have a reg'lar
+blowout."
+
+"I won't touch another drop before we get out of the bay, Cap'n
+Sullendine," protested Christy, without betraying the misdemeanor of
+the cook, as doubtless it was.
+
+"That's right, Mr. Sandman; we must all have our heads on our shoulders
+to-night," said the captain, as he drank off the potion he had prepared.
+
+Christy wished to hold the commander to his own advice; but that would
+have been fighting on the wrong side for him, and Sopsy escaped a
+reprimand, if not a kick or two, by his forbearance. By this time the
+bottle was nearly empty; but the skipper put it under lock and key in
+a closet, which seemed to be well filled with others like it. Christy
+went on deck, in obedience to the order he had received, and found the
+engineer on the quarter-deck buried in the fog, which was just then more
+dense than at any time before.
+
+"The captain's pretty well set 'up,' isn't he Christy?" said Graines in
+a low tone.
+
+"About half seas over; but he knows what he is about, though he took
+another heavy potion just now," replied the lieutenant.
+
+"All right; I think we can manage this craft very well without him,"
+added Graines with a smile, which could not be seen in the darkness.
+
+But the conversation was interrupted at this point by the appearance
+of the cook, whose legs were more tangled up by his tipples than his
+master's. He delivered the request of Captain Sullendine that they
+should come into the cabin, and partake of the lunch which had been set
+out for them. As they moved towards the companion, they saw Sopsy creep
+over to the alley where Bokes had been sleeping, and take up the bottle
+of apple-jack Christy had given him, and drink from it. It was evident
+to them that the cook could not be much longer in condition for any
+duty.
+
+The two mates went below as invited, and found the captain at the table.
+He had brought out the bottle of whiskey, and was eating of the dishes
+before him, but plainly with little relish.
+
+"Have another little drink, Mr. Balker; but I think Mr. Sandman had
+better not take anymore," said the master, whose speech was rather thick
+by this time.
+
+"Thank you, Captain Sullendine; I will do a little in that way, for we
+are likely to have a very damp night of it," replied Graines, as he
+helped himself, though he did not take ten drops.
+
+"A little does one good; but it don't do to take too much when we
+have very important business on our hands. After that one, Mr. Balker,
+I advise you not to take any more till we get clear of the blockaders,"
+added the skipper, as he emptied the bottle into his glass.
+
+The ham on the table was of excellent quality, and the two mates ate
+heartily of it, with the ship-bread. The last dose the captain had taken
+appeared to cap the climax, and he could no longer eat, or talk so as to
+be clearly understood. When the mates had finished their lunch, they saw
+that the skipper had dropped asleep in his chair. They rose from their
+places, and rattled the stools. The noise roused the sleeper, and he
+sprang to his feet with a violent start.
+
+"What's time'z it, Mr. Zbalker?" he demanded, catching hold of the table
+to avoid falling on the cabin floor.
+
+He seemed to be conscious that he was not presenting a perfectly regular
+appearance to his new officers; and he dropped into his chair, making a
+ludicrous effort to stiffen his muscles and put on his dignity, but it
+was a failure.
+
+"Quarter-past two, Captain Sullendine," replied Graines in answer to the
+question.
+
+"Most an hour more 'fore we git started," stammered the invalid.
+"I didn't sleep none last night, I'm sleepy. I'm go'n to turn in for
+half an hour, 'n then I'll be on deck ready for busi-- ready for
+buzness."
+
+Graines assisted him to his stateroom, for he could not walk, and he was
+afraid he would fall and hurt himself. He helped him into his berth, and
+arranged him so that he could sleep it off, and he did not care if he
+did not do so before the next day. He waited till he had dropped off
+into a deep slumber, and then joined Christy in the cabin.
+
+"If I had not been a temperance man before, I should be now," said the
+lieutenant. "It is just as well that the captain is clean over the bay,
+for we might have been obliged to shoot him if he had been sober."
+
+"But we could have taken possession of the vessel in spite of him, if
+the steamer had not interfered," replied Graines, as he led the way to
+the deck. "I don't see that we have anything to do but wait for the
+moving of the waters, or for the moving of the steamer. I suppose our
+men are all right forward."
+
+"I have no doubt of it, though I have not seen them lately. I gave one
+of the bottles of apple-jack the captain sent forward for them to Bokes,
+and poured the contents of the other into Mobile Bay. I think we had
+better go forward and look the vessel over," said Christy.
+
+They had gone but a few steps before they stumbled over the body of
+Sopsy, who had evidently succumbed to the quantity of firewater he had
+consumed. He had assisted Bokes to empty the bottle given to him, and
+both of them were too far gone to give an alarm if they discovered at
+any time that something was wrong about the movements of the West Wind.
+
+They found the Belleviters lounging about on the cotton bales, some of
+them asleep, and others carrying on a conversation in a low tone. They
+were glad to see their officers, who told them the time for some sort of
+action was rapidly approaching. Then they went to the bow of the vessel,
+where they found that she was anchored, though the chain had been hove
+short. The hawser by which she was to be towed to sea was made fast to
+the bowsprit bitts, and led to the stern of the steamer, where it was
+doubtless properly secured.
+
+While they were looking over the bow, a boat approached from the
+Tallahatchie, and an officer hailed, asking for Captain Sullendine.
+
+"He is in the cabin; I am the mate," replied the engineer, "and the
+captain has shipped a new crew, we are all right now."
+
+"Weigh your anchor at three short whistles," added the officer.
+
+"Understood, and all right," said the new mate.
+
+The boat pulled back to the steamer.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+THE DEPARTURE OF THE TALLAHATCHIE
+
+
+The fog, which had been coming and going during the whole of the night,
+had now lifted so that everything in the vicinity of the fort could be
+seen; but across the point, down the ship channel, it was dense, dark,
+and black. The wind was fresh from the south-west, which rolled up the
+fog banks, and then rolled them away. Such was the atmospheric condition
+near Mobile Point, and Christy believed it was the same at the
+southward. He thought it probable that the commander of the Tallahatchie
+would wait for a more favorable time than the present appeared to be
+before he got under way.
+
+"All hands to the forecastle," he called to the men on the cotton bales.
+
+All of them, knowing his voice as well as they knew their own names,
+hastened to answer to the call.
+
+"We have to heave up the anchor with a windlass, Mr. Graines," said he
+to the engineer. "We had better get the hang of it while we have time to
+do so. Ship the handspikes, my men."
+
+Doubtless all of them had worked a windlass before, for every one of
+them was an able seaman, which had been one of the elements in their
+selection, and they went to work very handily. A turn or two was given,
+which started the vessel ahead, showing that the anchor was not hove
+entirely short. Graines went to the bow, and reported a considerable
+slant of the cable with the surface of the water. Christy ordered the
+six seamen to work the windlass, with French to take in the slack. They
+continued to heave over with the handspikes for some time longer.
+
+"Cable up and down, sir," reported Graines.
+
+"Avast heaving!" added the lieutenant; and he had taken the command,
+paying no attention to the fact that he was the second mate under the
+new order of things, and the engineer did not remind him that he was
+the chief officer. "Let off the cable a couple of notches, so that the
+anchor will not break out. Make fast to the bitts, French, but don't
+foul it with the towline."
+
+"We are all right now," said Graines, as he moved aft from the heel of
+the bowsprit.
+
+"What time is it now?" asked the lieutenant. "Bring that lantern
+forward, Lines."
+
+"Ten minutes of three," replied the engineer, holding his watch up to
+the light.
+
+"The fog is settling down again, and I have no doubt the captain of
+the steamer will get under way at about the hour named," said Christy,
+putting his hand on the wire towline, and giving it a shake, to assure
+himself that it was all clear. "Now, Mr. Graines, or rather, Mr. Balker,
+as you are the mate and I am only the second mate, I think you had
+better go aft and see that all goes well there."
+
+"Very well, Mr. Sandman; I will leave you in charge of the forecastle,"
+replied the engineer, with a light laugh; but they had been boys
+together, and understood each other perfectly.
+
+"Captain Sullendine is the only dangerous man on board, and I think you
+had better look after him," added Christy. "If there is any lock on the
+door of his stateroom, it would be well to turn the key."
+
+"I will look after him at once, sir," answered Graines, as he leaped
+upon the cotton bales and made his way to the quarter-deck.
+
+On the way he examined the condition of Sopsy, and found him snoring
+like a roaring lion, in an uneasy position. He turned him over on his
+side, and then went to the lair of Bokes, who was in the same condition;
+and he concluded that neither of them would come to his senses for a
+couple of hours at least.
+
+Captain Sullendine had been assisted to a comfortable position when he
+turned in, and he was sleeping with nothing to disturb him. There was no
+lock on the door, and Graines could not turn the key. The interior of
+the cabin was finished in the most primitive manner, for the vessel had
+not been built to accommodate passengers. The door of the captain's
+stateroom was made of inch and a half boards, with three battens, and
+the handle was an old-fashioned bow-latch. There was a heavy bolt on the
+inside, as though the apartment had been built to enable the master to
+fortify himself in case of a mutiny.
+
+The engineer could not fasten the door with any of the fixtures on it;
+but it opened inward, as is generally the case on shipboard, and this
+fact suggested to the ingenious officer the means of securing it even
+more effectually than it could have been done with a lock and key. In
+the pantry he found a rolling-pin, which the cook must have left there
+for some other purpose.
+
+This implement he applied to the bow-handle of the fixture on the door.
+It would not fit the iron loop, but he whittled it down on one side
+with his pocket-knife till he made it fit exactly in its place with some
+hard pressure. But shaking the door might cause it to drop out, and he
+completed the job by lashing it to the handle of the door with a lanyard
+he had in his pocket. When he had finished his work he was confident the
+captain could not get out of his room unless he broke down the door,
+which he lacked the means to accomplish.
+
+"West Wind, ahoy!" shouted some one from the stern of the steamer before
+the engineer had completed his work in the cabin.
+
+Christy thought that French's voice was a better imitation of Captain
+Sullendine's than his own, and he directed him to reply to the hail,
+telling him what to say.
+
+"On board the Tallahatchie!" returned the seaman at the lieutenant's
+dictation.
+
+"Are you all ready?" shouted the same officer.
+
+"All ready, sir!" replied French.
+
+"Captain Rombold will get under way in five minutes!" called the speaker
+on the stern of the steamer. "Wait for three short whistles, and then
+heave up your anchor!"
+
+"Understood, and all right," added the spokesman of the West Wind.
+
+"Captain Rombold!" exclaimed Christy to himself, as he heard for the
+first time the name of the commander of the Tallahatchie.
+
+The lieutenant, acting as the servant of the French detective at St.
+George's in the Bermudas, had seen Captain Rombold, and had heard him
+converse for an hour with Mr. Gilfleur, when he was in command of the
+Dornoch, which had been captured by the Chateaugay, on board of which
+Christy was a passenger. He was known to be a very able and brave
+officer, and his defeat was owing more to the heavier metal of the loyal
+ship than to any lack of skill or courage on the part of the Confederate
+commander. The last the young officer knew about him, he was a prisoner
+of war in New York, and had doubtless been exchanged for some loyal
+officer of equal rank, for the enemy had plenty of them on hand.
+
+"Man the windlass, my lads," said Christy in a quiet tone, though he was
+still thinking of the commander of the steamer which was to tow out the
+schooner.
+
+While he was waiting for the three short whistles, Graines came forward
+and reported in what manner he had secured the captain, and that the two
+men on the cotton bales were still insensible.
+
+"You may be sure the captain will not come out of his stateroom until we
+let him out," added the engineer; and Christy proceeded to explain what
+had passed between the schooner and the steamer.
+
+"The Tallahatchie has one of the ablest commanders that sail the ocean,
+for I have seen and know him," continued the lieutenant. "It is Captain
+Rombold, now or formerly, of the British Navy. He is a gentleman and a
+scholar, as well as a brave and skilful officer."
+
+"Then Captain Breaker may have his hands full before he captures the
+steamer," added the engineer.
+
+"He certainly will; but a great deal depends upon the weight of the
+Tallahatchie's metal."
+
+"We shall soon have a chance to judge of that."
+
+"I should like to know something more about this steamer, though my
+father's letter gives us the principal details; but we have no time now
+to examine her," continued Christy.
+
+"Who's that?" demanded Graines, as he saw a man walking forward over the
+bales of cotton.
+
+It proved to be Bokes, who had slept off a part of the effects of the
+debauch; but Sopsy had probably consumed a large portion of the contents
+of his bottle.
+
+"Does you uns happen to have any more apple-jack?" asked the fellow.
+"Somehow I lost nigh all o' mine, and I'm sufferin', dyin' for a drink."
+
+"French, take him to the deck-house, and fasten him in," said Christy in
+a low tone.
+
+"Come with me, my hearty, and we'll see what there is in the
+deck-house," said the seaman, as he took the man by the arm and led him
+to the place indicated. "Now go in and find your bunk. Get into it, and
+I will look for a bottle here."
+
+  [Illustration: "Dowse that glim in your fo'castle!" Page 111.]
+
+Bokes crept to his bunk, and stretched himself out there. French took
+the bottle the lieutenant had emptied into the bay, and gave it to him.
+Then he closed the door, and finding a padlock and hasp on it, he locked
+him in. Two of the three men who had remained on board of the schooner
+were now prisoners; and Sopsy was considered as harmless as a fishworm.
+
+French had hardly reported what he had done before the three short
+whistles were sounded, and Christy gave the order to heave up the
+anchor.
+
+"West Wind, ahoy!" shouted the same officer who had spoken before.
+
+"On board the steamer!" replied French, when he was directed to reply.
+
+"Dowse that glim on your fo'castle!" shouted the officer, as with a
+liberal dose of profanity he demanded if they were all fools on board of
+the schooner. "Put out every light on board!"
+
+"Ay, ay, sir!" responded French, as Graines extinguished the lantern on
+the forecastle; and Christy directed him to do the same with the cabin
+lamp.
+
+He looked at his watch before he put it out, and found it was
+quarter-past three. The captain of the steamer had evidently waited for
+a favorable moment to start on his perilous voyage, and the engineer
+noticed when he went forward after he had secured Captain Sullendine,
+that the fog was again settling down on the bay.
+
+"On board the steamer!" shouted French, as directed. "Anchor aweigh,
+sir!" Then a minute later, "All clear, and the towline slack!"
+
+From the sounds that came from the forward part of the steamer, it was
+evident that she had heaved up her anchor before she gave the three
+whistles for the schooner to do so.
+
+"West Wind, ahoy!" called the officer from the Tallahatchie. "Stand by
+your helm with your best man!"
+
+Graines had just gone aft, and had taken the wheel of the vessel; but
+Christy sent French to take his first trick at the helm. The tide was
+still setting into the bay, and it was within half an hour of the flood.
+The schooner was beginning to sway off from the shore as the tide struck
+her, when the gong bell in the engine-room of the steamer was heard. She
+went ahead very slowly, and straightened the towline. Christy took a
+careful survey of its fastenings, to assure himself that it was all
+right, and then mounted the cotton bales, to observe the progress of the
+vessel.
+
+Of course the steamer was under the direction of a skilful pilot,
+doubtless the best that could be had, for the present venture was an
+exceedingly important one to the Confederate cause. The Tallahatchie
+was perhaps a better vessel than any of those which had done so much
+mischief among the ships of the loyal American marine, and in no manner
+could the Southern cause be more effectually assisted than by these
+cruisers.
+
+As the vessels headed to the southward, Christy went to the binnacle,
+and watched the course.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+THE CASTING OFF OF THE TOWLINE
+
+
+Christy Passford had been through this channel at least half a dozen
+times in the Bellevite, and knew all the courses and bearings, though
+the latter did not count in the dense fog which had settled down on the
+vicinity of the fort. The lights in the binnacle of the West Wind had
+not been put out, though they could not be noticed outside of the
+schooner. The great fortress could not be seen, and it was as silent
+as a tomb.
+
+"How does she head, Christy?" asked Graines, as they met at the wheel.
+
+"South a quarter west," replied the lieutenant, "which is the correct
+course. The fog is very dense just now. I think we have passed the
+obstructions by this time, though I do not know precisely where they
+are placed."
+
+"I should call it mighty ticklish navigation just here," added the
+engineer.
+
+"It is all of that, or will be in five or ten minutes more. Sand Island
+Lighthouse is not more than a quarter of a mile from the middle of the
+channel, and at that point the course changes. Perhaps the pilot can
+make out the lighthouse in the fog. If he don't he will run into five
+or six feet of water in a few minutes, out of eight fathoms or more."
+
+"I suppose you are prepared to let go the towline if anything goes
+wrong, Mr. Passford?" added the engineer, perhaps as a suggestion rather
+than as a question.
+
+"I hope it will not come to that, for the schooner might get aground on
+the Knoll before we could make sail," replied Christy.
+
+"The steamer has shifted her helm," said Graines, to the great relief of
+the lieutenant. "The fog is lifting again, and the pilot must have seen
+the lighthouse. We are headed more to the eastward now."
+
+"The course is south by west, three-quarters west, when the lighthouse
+bears west by south. We are out of the woods now, and there will be no
+trouble at all till some blockader stirs up the waters," said Christy.
+
+"I wonder where the Bellevite is just now," added Graines, as he looked
+all about him as the fog lifted a little more, though it was still too
+thick to make out any vessel, if there were any near.
+
+"If my messenger reached the ship in time, she will be found somewhere
+near the channel," replied Christy. "Call Lines, if you please, Mr.
+Graines."
+
+The seaman presently appeared; and the lieutenant directed him to take
+the wheel, French instructing him how to keep the vessel in line with
+the steamer.
+
+"I believe you have sailed a schooner, French," said Christy, when he
+had taken the man to the quarter.
+
+"Yes, sir; I was mate of a coaster for three years, and I should have
+become master of her if the war had not come, and I felt that I ought to
+go into the navy, though I haven't got ahead much yet, as I expected I
+should; but I am satisfied to fight for my country where I am."
+
+"That is patriotic; and I hope a higher position will be found for you.
+But we have not time to talk about that now," continued Christy. "It may
+be necessary or advisable for Mr. Graines and myself to leave the West
+Wind at any moment now. In that case I shall place this vessel in your
+charge, and you will take her off where the Bellevite was moored last
+night, and come to anchor."
+
+"Thank you, sir; and I will endeavor to do my duty faithfully," replied
+French, touching his cap.
+
+"Now call the men aft, and I will explain the matter to them."
+
+The lieutenant explained the situation, and directed the other five
+seamen to respect and obey the man he had selected as captain. Then he
+directed French to cast off the stops from the foresail and mainsail,
+and have the jib and flying-jib ready to set at a moment's notice.
+
+"I don't think Captain Sullendine can get out of his stateroom, where
+he has been confined, or Bokes out of the deck-house; but if either of
+them should do so, you must secure them as you think best," continued
+Christy. "Do you fully understand your orders, French?"
+
+"Perfectly, Mr. Passford; and I will do my duty as well as I know how,"
+answered the able seaman, who, like many others in the service, deserved
+a better position.
+
+The new officer and crew went to work on the sails, and in a few minutes
+they were ready to be set. Another bank of fog was rolling up, in which
+the two vessels would soon be involved. But the Tallahatchie was in a
+position where it was plain sailing now, and her future troubles would
+all come from the blockaders.
+
+"There you are!" exclaimed the engineer, as the peal of a gun boomed
+over the water from the westward. "The steamer has been seen by a
+blockader, and she will catch it now."
+
+"I don't believe that was one of the Bellevite's guns," added Christy.
+"Captain Breaker would not take a position over to the westward, for
+that would give him the outside track, and he always goes at anything by
+the shortest way."
+
+"We have the fog again for the next ten or fifteen minutes. The
+blockader that fired that shot must have got a sight at the steamer, and
+she is still pegging away at her. We may get knocked over by our own
+guns," continued Graines.
+
+"There is no danger at present. She can't hit anything in this fog
+except by a chance shot."
+
+"And one of them sometimes does the most mischief. The fog is heavier
+just now than it has been at any time during the night. I can't see the
+Tallahatchie just now."
+
+"It is blacker than a stack of blackbirds," added Christy. "I am
+confident that we are at least a mile south of the lighthouse, and we
+will take advantage of the gloom to hoist the mainsail, and then the
+foresail if it holds as it is now;" and he gave the order to French,
+who was assisted by the engineer in the work.
+
+The lieutenant took the wheel, and sent Lines to assist the others.
+The blockader to the westward continued to discharge her guns; but her
+people could see nothing, and her solid shot began to fall astern of
+the West Wind, and the Tallahatchie took no notice of her or her guns.
+Christy saw that the fog was lifting again, and this would reveal to the
+steamer ahead what he had been doing. Besides, he had gone in tow as
+long as he intended. Graines reported the two sails as set.
+
+"Stand by to hoist the jib!" he shouted, deeming it no longer necessary
+to conceal his movements.
+
+"What are you doing there?" demanded the officer, who seemed to be in
+charge of the after part of the steamer; and his tones, with the flood
+of profanity he poured out, indicated that he was in a violent fit of
+anger.
+
+"I reckon we won't tow any farther," replied Christy, who was still at
+the wheel, and the officer yelled loud enough for him to hear at the
+helm; but French repeated his answer.
+
+"All ready to hoist the jib," Graines reported.
+
+"Cast off the towline!" shouted Christy at the top of his lungs. "Hoist
+the jib!"
+
+"Towline all clear!" called the engineer a moment later, and the jib
+went up in a hurry.
+
+The jib filled on the starboard tack, and the West Wind went off to the
+south-east as Christy put up the helm. The fog lifted just enough to
+enable the officer at the stern of the steamer to see the West Wind
+as she went off on her new course. No one on the former could have
+suspected that the latter had changed hands; for French had answered for
+Captain Sullendine every time a call was made, and his voice was not
+unlike that of the master of the schooner.
+
+Christy could not understand why the officer who used so many expletives
+should be dissatisfied, for the Tallahatchie could certainly make better
+time when no longer encumbered by the towing of the West Wind. But it
+must look to him just as though the schooner would be captured by the
+steamer to the westward, which had been uselessly firing at the
+blockade-runners in the densest of the fog. He could not help seeing
+that the vessel in tow had set her sails, and therefore the casting off
+of the wire rope could not have been caused by an accident.
+
+The action of the captain of the schooner, for they had no reason to
+suppose the change on board of the schooner was not made by him, must
+have bewildered the officers of the Tallahatchie. But the fog was
+lifting, the steamer to windward was now under way, though moving very
+slowly, and her solid shot fell very near to the Confederate vessel.
+
+By this time the sails of the West Wind were all drawing full, and the
+craft was making very good headway through the water. The fog bank had
+scattered, and appeared now to be in a dozen smaller masses, floating
+off in the direction of Mobile Point. Christy still retained the wheel,
+while Graines was putting everything in order forward and in the waist,
+after setting the sails.
+
+"Send French aft to take the wheel, Mr. Graines," called Christy, as the
+engineer came aft to see the main sheet.
+
+This man, who was the captain of the forecastle, one of the most
+important and best-paid of the petty officers, hastened aft to relieve
+the chief of the expedition, who went to work with his own hands when
+the exigency of the service required.
+
+"Make the course south-west, French," said Christy, as he abandoned the
+wheel to the petty officer.
+
+"South-west, sir," repeated the seaman.
+
+"Can you make out the Bellevite, Mr. Graines?" asked he, as he met the
+engineer on the quarterdeck.
+
+"I have kept a sharp lookout for her, Mr. Passford, but I have not seen
+her yet," replied Graines, as he looked earnestly in the direction in
+which the schooner was headed.
+
+"If Captain Breaker received my message sent by Weeks, the ship must
+have taken a position somewhere below the entrance to the channel, and
+that is about four miles south of the fort, and out of the reach of any
+of its guns," added the lieutenant.
+
+"There are half a dozen of those fog banks floating about near the water
+in that direction, and she may be there," replied Graines, as he took a
+spy-glass from the brackets in the companion. "Very likely she is down
+that way somewhere, and the Tallahatchie may run right into her."
+
+"I don't think Captain Breaker would place his ship where anything of
+this kind would be likely to happen," replied Christy. "It is still as
+dark as Egypt ahead, and I think we shall see the Bellevite very soon."
+
+The Confederate steamer had sensibly increased her speed, and gave no
+attention whatever to the schooner or the blockader to the westward of
+her. Captain Rombold seemed to be possessed of a supreme confidence in
+the speed of his steamer, and a complete assurance that he should escape
+unscathed from all pursuers, if any attempted to follow him. He was not
+aware that the Bellevite had recently had her bottom cleaned, and her
+engine put in thoroughly good condition, so that she could make as many
+knots in an hour as ever before; and that was saying more than could be
+said of any other craft in the navy.
+
+"I would give my month's pay to know what the Tallahatchie has for a
+midship gun," said Christy, still gazing at the Confederate vessel as
+she continued to increase her speed.
+
+Suddenly, without saying anything, Graines, who had been at his side,
+left him, and hastened to the companion, where he stooped down and gazed
+into the cabin. Christy had heard nothing to attract his attention, but
+he concluded that Captain Sullendine had escaped from his prison, and
+he called the two men who had been stationed in the waist to the
+quarter-deck to render such assistance as the engineer might need; but
+this officer remained at the entrance to the cabin, and made no further
+movement.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+A HAPPY RETURN TO THE BELLEVITE
+
+
+Although he anticipated a disagreeable scene with the captain of the
+West Wind, who, he supposed, had slept off the fumes of the inordinate
+quantity of liquor he had drunk, he did not consider that there was any
+peril in the situation, for he had plenty of force to handle him easily.
+His curiosity was excited, and he walked over to the companion, where
+Graines appeared to be gazing into the darkness of the cabin; but he did
+not interfere with the proceedings of his fellow-officer.
+
+"We don't need the men you have called from the waist," said the
+engineer in a low tone.
+
+Christy sent the two men back to their former station. As he was
+returning to his chosen position abaft the companion, he saw a glimmer
+of light in the gloom of the cabin. Graines invited him to take a
+place at his side, chuckling perceptibly as he made room for him.
+The lieutenant stooped down so that he could see into the cabin, and
+discovered a man with a lighted match in his hand, fumbling at the door
+of the closet where Captain Sullendine kept his whiskey.
+
+"Is that the captain?" whispered Christy, who could not make out the
+man, though he was not as tall as the master of the West Wind.
+
+"No; it is Bokes," replied Graines. "He must have got out of the
+deck-house through one of the windows. He found the bottle French gave
+him was empty, and I have no doubt his nerves are in a very shaky
+condition."
+
+Both of the officers had leaned back, so that their whispers did not
+disturb the operator in the cabin. His first match had gone out, and
+he lighted another. Captain Sullendine had been too much overcome by
+his potations to take his usual precautions for the safety of his
+spirit-room, and the observers saw that the key was in the door. Bokes
+took one of the bottles, and carried it to the table. His match went
+out, and he poked about for some time in the cabin.
+
+Presently he was seen again, coming out of the pantry with a lighted
+lantern in his hand, which he placed on the table. He had a corkscrew in
+the other hand, with which he proceeded, as hurriedly as his trembling
+hands would permit, to open the bottle, for the master had drained the
+last one. Then he poured out a tumblerful of whiskey, as the observers
+judged it was from its color, and drank it off. At this point Graines
+descended to the cabin and confronted the fellow.
+
+Christy, after taking a long look to the south-east, followed the
+engineer into the cabin, for it was possible that his companion intended
+to look into the condition of Captain Sullendine, and he desired to be
+present at the interview.
+
+"Good-morning, Bokes," said Graines, as he placed himself in front of
+the seaman.
+
+"Mornin', Mr. Balker," replied Bokes; and the heavy drink he had just
+taken appeared to have done nothing more than steady his nerves, for he
+seemed to have the full use of his faculties.
+
+"How do you feel this morning, my friend?" continued the engineer; and
+Christy thought he was making himself very familiar with the boozing
+seaman, who was at least fifty years old.
+
+"Fine's a fiddle-string," replied Bokes. "We done got out all right,
+I reckon;" and it was plain that he had not taken notice that the
+schooner was no longer in tow of the steamer.
+
+"All right," replied Graines, as he placed himself on a stool, and
+pushed another towards the sailor, who seated himself. "By the way,
+friend Bokes, I suppose you have been on board of the Tallahatchie?"
+
+"More'n a dozen times, here 'n' up in Mobile. My fust cousin's an 'iler
+aboard on her," replied Bokes.
+
+"How many guns does she carry?" asked the engineer in a very quiet tone,
+though the man did not seem to be at all suspicious that he was in the
+act of being used for a purpose.
+
+"I don't jest know how many guns she kerries; but she's got a big
+A'mstrong barker 'midships that'll knock any Yankee ship inter the
+middle o' next year 'n less time 'n it'll take you to swaller a tot
+o' Kaintuck whiskey. It's good for five-mile shots."
+
+"This is her midship gun, you say?"
+
+"Midship gun, sir; 'n I heard 'em say it flung a shot nigh on to a
+hundred pounds," added Bokes.
+
+Both Christy and Graines asked the man other questions; but he had not
+made good use of his opportunities, and knew very little about the
+armament of the Tallahatchie; yet he remembered what he had heard others
+say about her principal gun. The lieutenant knew all about the Armstrong
+piece, for he had in his stateroom the volume on "Ordinance and
+Gunnery," by Simpson, and he had diligently studied it.
+
+"Mr. Passford," said one of the hands at the head of the companion
+ladder.
+
+"On deck," replied Christy.
+
+"Steamer on the port bow," added the seaman.
+
+"That must be the Bellevite," said the lieutenant.
+
+"Now you may go on deck, Bokes," added Graines, as he drove the boozer
+ahead of him, and followed his superior.
+
+He instructed the men in the waist to keep an eye on Bokes, and sent
+him forward. Then he took the precaution to lock the doors at the
+companion-way, and joined Christy on the quarterdeck.
+
+"That's the Bellevite without a doubt," said Christy, as he directed the
+spy-glass he had taken from the brackets, and was still looking through
+it. "But she is farther to the eastward than I expected to find her."
+
+"I suppose her commander knows what he is about," replied Graines.
+
+"Certainly he does; and I do not criticise his action."
+
+All the steamers on the blockade except the Bellevite and the one in
+the west had been sent away on other duty, for it was believed that the
+former would be enough to overhaul anything that was likely to come out
+of Mobile Bay at this stage of the war. Sure of the steamer of which he
+was the executive officer, Christy directed his glass towards the one
+on the other side of the channel. She had received no notice of the
+approach of a powerful blockade-runner, and she had not a full head of
+steam when she discovered the Tallahatchie. Besides, she was one of the
+slowest vessels in the service.
+
+The black smoke was pouring out of her smokestack as though she was
+using something besides anthracite coal in her furnaces, and she was
+doing her best to intercept the Confederate. She was still firing her
+heaviest gun, though it could be seen that her shots fell far short of
+the swift steamer.
+
+"They have seen the Bellevite on board of the Tallahatchie, and she has
+changed her course," said Graines, while Christy was still watching the
+movements of the blockader in the west. "Probably Captain Rombold knows
+all about the Bellevite, and he is not anxious to get too near her."
+
+"She has pointed her head to the south-west, and the Bellevite is
+changing her course. I hope we shall not miss her," added Christy.
+
+When the fog bank blew over and revealed her presence on board of the
+West Wind, the Bellevite was not more than half a mile to the southward,
+but she was at least two miles to the eastward of her.
+
+"Can we get any more sail on this craft, Mr. Graines?" asked the
+lieutenant.
+
+"We can set her two gaff-topsails."
+
+"Do so as speedily as possible."
+
+Christy went to the wheel, and Graines, with three men at each sail,
+assisting himself, soon had shaken out and set the gaff-topsails. The
+effect was immediately apparent in the improved sailing of the schooner.
+A Confederate flag was found in the signal chest, and it was set at the
+main topmast head, with the American ensign over it, so that it could
+be easily seen on board of the Bellevite. The lieutenant was now very
+confident that he should intercept his ship.
+
+"Now clear away that quarter-boat, so that we can drop it into the water
+without any delay," continued Christy, as he gave up the wheel to Lines
+again.
+
+Graines hastened to obey the order, for the Bellevite was rushing
+through the water at her best speed, and it was evident enough by this
+time that Weeks had faithfully performed the duty assigned to him.
+
+"A small pull on the fore-sheet, Londall," called Christy to one of the
+men on the forecastle. "Another on the main sheet," he added to Fallon
+in the waist.
+
+The bow of the West Wind was thus pointed closer into the wind; and the
+gaff-topsails enabled her to hold her speed after this change. Paul
+Vapoor, the chief engineer of the Bellevite, was plainly doing his best
+in the engine-room, and if the lieutenant had been a sporting man,
+he would have been willing to wager that his ship would overhaul the
+Tallahatchie; for on an emergency she had actually steamed twenty-two
+knots an hour, and Christy believed she could do it now, being in
+first-rate condition, if the occasion required.
+
+"What time is it now, Mr. Graines?" asked Christy.
+
+"Quarter-past four," replied the engineer, when he had lighted a match
+and looked at his watch.
+
+"I thought it was later than that, and I have been looking for some
+signs of daylight," replied the lieutenant.
+
+"It is just breaking a little in the east."
+
+"I suppose Captain Sullendine is still asleep."
+
+"No doubt of it; he has not had two hours yet in his berth, and he is
+good for two hours more at least."
+
+"I think we shall be on board of the Bellevite in ten minutes more,"
+continued Christy, as he noted the position of the ship. "Have you
+instructed French what to do with Captain Sullendine if he should
+attempt to make trouble?"
+
+"I told him to keep him in his stateroom, and I feel pretty sure he
+can't get out. If Bokes, who must have an idea of what is going on by
+this time, is troublesome, I told French to tie his hands behind him,
+and make him fast to the fore-rigging."
+
+"The fog is settling down again on the Tallahatchie; but Captain Breaker
+knows where she is, and he will not let up till he has got his paw on
+her," said Graines. "The blockader in the west isn't anywhere now. She
+could not do a thing with such a steamer as that Confederate."
+
+The West Wind was now directly in the path of the Bellevite, and in
+five minutes more she stopped her screw. Possibly her commander was
+bewildered at the sight of the schooner, whose flag indicated that she
+was already a prize, though he could hardly understand to what vessel;
+for nothing was known on board of her in regard to the cotton vessel the
+Tallahatchie was to tow to sea.
+
+"Stand by to lower the boat on the quarter!" shouted Christy, perhaps
+a little excited at the prospect of soon being on the deck of his own
+ship, as he and Graines took their places in the craft.
+
+The four men at the falls lowered the boat into the water in the
+twinkling of an eye, and the two officers dropped the oars into the
+water as soon as it was afloat. They pulled like men before the mast,
+and went astern of the schooner, whose head had been thrown up into
+the wind to enable the officers to embark in safety. French was now in
+command of the schooner, and he filled away as soon as the boat pulled
+off from her side.
+
+The Bellevite had stopped her screw a little distance from the West
+Wind, and, as the boat approached her, she backed her propeller. Her
+gangway had been lowered, and the two officers leaped upon the landing.
+They had hardly done so before the great gong in the engine-room was
+heard, and the steamer went ahead again. The boat was allowed to go
+adrift; but Christy shouted to French to pick it up. The lieutenant's
+heart beat a lively tattoo as he mounted the steps, and ascended to the
+deck.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+A LIVELY CHASE TO THE SOUTH-WEST
+
+
+Captain Breaker had been in the main rigging with his night-glass,
+watching the movements of the chase; but he recognized the voice of
+Christy when he shouted to French to pick up the quarter-boat of the
+schooner, as he could no longer make out the Tallahatchie in the fog.
+
+"Good-morning, Mr. Passford," said he, as he met Christy when he
+descended from the rail. "I am glad to see you again."
+
+"Good-morning, Captain Breaker," replied the lieutenant, as he took the
+offered hand of the commander. "I hope all is well on board, sir."
+
+"Entirely well, and your messenger came on board in good time, so that
+we were in position to get the first sight of the Trafalgar when she
+showed herself off Sand Island Lighthouse," replied the captain, as he
+led the way to his cabin. "Mr. Ballard, keep a sharp lookout for the
+chase," he added to the acting executive officer.
+
+"Will you allow me to put on my uniform, Captain?" asked Christy.
+"I don't feel quite at home on board the ship in the rigout I have worn
+all night."
+
+"Certainly; for I do not wish you to show yourself to the ship's company
+while you look so little like a naval officer," replied the captain, as
+he went to take another look at the darkness ahead.
+
+The lieutenant hastened to his stateroom, and in a very short time he
+had washed off the smut from his face and hands, and dressed himself in
+his uniform, so that he looked like quite another person, Graines had
+gone to his room in the steerage for the same purpose, for neither of
+them desired to show himself as he had appeared before Captain
+Sullendine.
+
+Christy hurried to the deck as soon as he had made the change, and met
+the commander on the quarter-deck. Lookouts were stationed aloft and on
+the top-gallant forecastle, and all hands were in a state of healthy
+excitement in view of the stirring event which was likely to transpire
+before the lapse of many hours; and doubtless some of the men were moved
+by the prospect of prize-money, not only from the proceeds of the sale
+of the steamer they were chasing, but from the full freight of cotton on
+board of the schooner, the deck load of which had been noted by some of
+the crew.
+
+The schooner which had come so close aboard of the Bellevite was a
+mystery to all, from the captain down to the humblest seaman; but the
+American ensign over the Confederate flag had been observed by a few,
+and this settled her status. Not more than half of the seamen were aware
+that an expedition had left the ship at ten o'clock the evening before,
+and they had had no opportunity to notice the absence of the executive
+officer during the night; and even yet all hands had not been called,
+for the regular watch was enough to get the ship under way.
+
+The commander conducted the executive officer to his own cabin, again
+reminding Mr. Ballard to keep a sharp lookout for the chase. Christy
+felt like himself again in his neat uniform, and his vigorous and well
+knit, as well as graceful form, did more to show off the dress than the
+dress did to adorn his person.
+
+"I am very glad to see you again, Christy," said Captain Breaker,
+seating himself and pointing to an arm-chair for the lieutenant, while
+he came down from the stately dignity of the commander of a man-of-war
+to the familiarity with which he treated his chief officer when they
+were alone. "I had no doubt that you would give a good account of
+yourself, as you always do. You were going on the enemy's territory, and
+you were in peril all the time. Now you come off in a schooner, which
+appears to be loaded with cotton, and how or where you picked her up is
+a mystery to me;" and the commander indulged in a laugh at the oddity of
+the young officer's reappearance. "Your messenger reported that the
+Trafalgar would sail at three o'clock in the morning, and I judge that
+she left at about that hour."
+
+"Within ten minutes of it, and probably made an arrangement with the
+commandant of the fort to that effect," added Christy. "But they do not
+call her the Trafalgar now; though Weeks was not aware of the fact when
+I sent him on board. She is now the Tallahatchie, though I noticed that
+some in the vicinity of the fort still called her by her old name."
+
+"Never mind the name; she will answer our purpose as well under one
+appellation as another. When I asked your messenger about you and the
+other six men of your party, he was unable to give me any information
+in regard to your movements; and he could not tell me how you had
+ascertained the hour at which the steamer was to sail," continued the
+captain.
+
+"Graines and myself separated from the party as soon as we landed on the
+point; and we had obtained our information before we joined them again
+on the shore of Mobile Bay, sir. At the same time we had learned all
+about the West Wind"--
+
+"The what?" interposed the commander.
+
+"I mean the schooner West Wind, the one from which we came on board of
+the Bellevite, which was to be towed out by the Tallahatchie, and which
+was towed out by her till we on board of her cast off the towline."
+
+"Perhaps you had better narrate the events of your expedition
+_seriatim_, for all you say in this disconnected manner only thickens
+the mystery," said the commander: and he knew that his officer had an
+excellent command of the English language, and could make a verbal
+report in a very attractive and telling style, though perhaps his
+fatherly interest in the young man had something to do with the matter.
+
+Christy began his narrative with the departure from the ship, passing
+lightly over the minor details till he came to the meeting with the
+deserters from the West Wind, bivouacking in the hollow. He described
+the drinking bout which followed, in which he and Graines had pretended
+to join, stating the information he had obtained from them. He rehearsed
+a portion of Captain Sullendine's speech, adding that most of his
+auditors were the seamen from the Bellevite, though he had sent four
+of them back to the ship before he reached the shore.
+
+He detailed his interview with the master of the West Wind, explaining
+how he had shipped the new crew with him. The scenes in the cabin were
+described in full; in fact, every incident of any importance which had
+transpired during the night was related. The commander was deeply
+interested, and listened without comment to the narrative up to the
+moment when the narrator had come on board of the Bellevite. He was not
+sparing in his praise of the engineer, and separated what he had said
+and done as far as he could from his own words and actions.
+
+The commander then questioned him in regard to the armament of the
+Tallahatchie, and he repeated the meagre information he had obtained
+from Bokes. Some conversation concerning Armstrong guns followed; but
+both of them were well posted in regard to this long-range piece.
+Christy read the satisfaction with which the captain heard his
+statements on his face.
+
+A knock at the door of the cabin disturbed the conference, and the
+lieutenant was directed to open the door. The shaking and straining of
+the ship had for some time indicated that Paul Vapoor was fully alive to
+the importance of getting the Bellevite's best speed out of her on the
+present occasion; and he did not intrust the duty to his subordinates.
+Christy opened the cabin door, and Midshipman Walters asked for the
+commander, and was admitted.
+
+"Mr. Ballard directs me to inform you, sir, that we are gaining on the
+chase," said the young officer. "The fog has lifted again, and we can
+make her out very clearly. The Holyoke has abandoned the chase, and
+appears to be headed for the schooner that came to on the starboard
+of the ship."
+
+"Tell Mr. Ballard to keep the ship as she is, headed for the
+Tallahatchie," replied Captain Breaker.
+
+"The Tallahatchie, sir?" queried the midshipman.
+
+"Formerly the Trafalgar," added the commander.
+
+The young officer touched his cap and retired.
+
+"This Captain Sullendine is still secured in his stateroom on board of
+the West Wind, is he?" asked the captain, rising from his arm-chair.
+
+"He was when I left the schooner, sir," replied Christy. "French, the
+captain of the forecastle, is in charge of the vessel, with orders to
+anchor her a couple of miles to the eastward of the lighthouse. I have
+already commended French to your attention, Captain, as a faithful and
+reliable man, and I think he deserves promotion."
+
+"Your recommendation will go a great way to procure it for him," added
+the commander with a significant smile.
+
+"He is a thorough seaman, has been the mate of a large coaster, and
+would have become master of her if his patriotic duty had not led him
+to ship in the navy."
+
+"He is a resolute and brave fellow in action, as I have had occasion to
+observe, and I shall remember him. When you are writing to your father
+it would be well for you to mention him; and the thing will be done at
+your request if not at mine."
+
+"It certainly would not be done without your indorsement, for my father
+will not indulge in any favoritism aside from real merit," protested the
+lieutenant, with some warmth.
+
+"You are quite right, Christy. We must go on deck now," added Captain
+Breaker, as he moved towards the door. "You have been up all night, my
+boy; it will be some hours before we come within reach of the chase, and
+you can turn in and get a little sleep before anything stirring takes
+place on board."
+
+The excitement which had animated the young officer during the night
+had subsided with the rendering of his report, and the responsibility
+of a command no longer rested upon him, and for the first time since he
+embarked in the whaleboat, he began to feel tired and sleepy. He went on
+deck with the commander, and took a survey, first of the chase, then of
+the Holyoke, and finally of the West Wind.
+
+Captain Breaker thought the Tallahatchie was about five miles distant.
+Seen through the glass, for the fog had all blown away, and the daylight
+had begun to obscure the stars, the steamer seemed to be doing her best.
+The Holyoke was headed to the eastward, evidently intending to chase the
+West Wind, for she could not yet make out her flags, indicating that she
+was already a prize. She need not have troubled herself to pursue the
+schooner if she had known the facts in regard to her, for she was
+entitled to a share of the prize as a member of the blockading fleet at
+the time of her capture. But she could prevent her from being retaken by
+any boat expedition sent from the shore, as her lonely position where
+the Bellevite had been for several days might tempt some enterprising
+Confederate officer to do.
+
+Although the last heaving of the log showed twenty knots, it was a quiet
+time of the deck of the Bellevite, and all the excitement on board was
+confined to the engine and fire rooms. With sundry gapes Christy had
+taken in the situation, and then he concluded to avail himself of the
+commander's permission to retire to his stateroom, where he was soon in
+a sound slumber.
+
+Just before, Captain Breaker had retired to his cabin, where he had a
+chart of the Gulf of Mexico spread out on his table. Assuming the point
+where the Tallahatchie had changed her course to the south-west, he drew
+a line in that direction, and realized that the chase could not go clear
+of the Passes of the Mississippi River; and she was likely to sight some
+Federal steamer in that locality.
+
+As the daylight increased the weather improved so far as the fog was
+concerned and it promised to be a clear day, for the stars had not
+been obscured at any time during the night. The only alternative the
+commander could see for the chase, as he studied the chart, was to go
+to the southward before he could sight the Pass a l'Outre. He was so
+confident that this must be his course, that he decided to take
+advantage of the situation, and he went on deck at once, where he
+ordered the officer of the deck to make the course south south-west.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+THE FIRST SHOT OF BLUMENHOFF
+
+
+Captain Breaker watched the Tallahatchie with the most earnest
+attention; and it was not five minutes after he had given out the new
+course before she changed her direction, though not to the south, but
+enough to carry her clear of the Passes of the Mississippi. Paul Vapoor
+was still crowding the engine to the utmost that could be done with
+safety, and he spent no little of his time in the fire room, personally
+directing the men in the work of feeding the furnaces.
+
+It was evident to the commander that his ship was gaining on the
+Tallahatchie, at least a knot an hour, as he estimated it, and the chase
+could not now be more than four miles distant. This was within the range
+of her Armstrong gun, if it was of the calibre reported by Bokes, whose
+information was mere hearsay, and was open to many doubts.
+
+"She is changing her course again, Captain Breaker," said Mr. Ballard,
+who had been observing the chase with the best glass on board.
+
+"Probably she has discovered a man-of-war in the distance," added the
+captain.
+
+"I cannot make out anything to the westward of her," said Mr. Ballard,
+who had directed his glass that way.
+
+"She knows very well that she is liable to encounter a Federal ship on
+the course she is running. How does she head now?"
+
+"As nearly south as I can make it out."
+
+"Then we have made something on her by going to the south south-west
+in good season; and I am sorry I did not do it sooner," replied the
+commander, as he went into a fine calculation, estimating sundry angles,
+and figuring on the gain he was confident he had already made.
+
+"I think she is headed due south now, Captain," said Mr. Ballard.
+
+"So I should say, and we are headed a little too much to the westward.
+Make the course south by west half west, Mr. Ballard."
+
+This course was given to the quartermaster conning the wheel. For
+another hour the two steamers kept on the course taken, at the end of
+which time the captain believed they were within three miles of each
+other; and the appearance, as viewed by skilful and experienced
+officers, verified his estimate of the relative speed of both--that
+the Bellevite was gaining about a knot an hour on the chase.
+
+They had hardly agreed upon the situation before a cloud of smoke was
+seen to rise from the waist of the Tallahatchie, followed by the report
+of a heavy gun. The projectile struck the water at least a quarter of
+a mile ahead of the Bellevite, at which the watch on deck gave a
+half-suppressed cheer.
+
+"They must have better gunners than that indicates on board of that
+steamer, for she has been fitted out as a cruiser," said the commander
+with a quiet smile.
+
+Twenty minutes later another puff of smoke, followed by a second report,
+excited the attention of an officer on the deck of the loyal ship. The
+shot struck the water only a little less ahead of the ship than the
+former, and the crew gave a more vigorous cheer: but it was observed
+that it hit the sea a little on the starboard bow, so that if it had
+been better aimed it would not have reached the ship.
+
+"She is wasting her ammunition," said the captain. "She seems to be
+jesting, or else she is trying to frighten us."
+
+"I think it is some thing worse than that, Captain Breaker," replied Mr.
+Ballard.
+
+"What could be worse?"
+
+"I am inclined to the opinion that she cannot swing the gun around so as
+to make it bear on an object so far astern of her as this ship is at the
+present moment." said the lieutenant.
+
+"He has an all sufficient remedy for that," added the captain. "He can
+swing his ship's head around so his gun will bear on us."
+
+"But that would cause him to lose a quarter of a mile or more of his
+advantage; and she seems to be more inclined to run away from the
+Bellevite than to fight her," suggested the lieutenant.
+
+"Call all hands, Mr. Ballard," said the commander; and in a few minutes
+all the officers and seamen were at their stations.
+
+The call awoke Christy from his slumber, which the report of the gun and
+the cheering of the men had failed to do. But he understood the summons,
+and thought the action was about to begin. He adjusted his dress and
+hastened to the quarter deck, where he reported in due form to the
+captain. Mr. Ballard was relieved of his duties as acting executive
+officer, and went to his proper station to take command of his division.
+Christy took a careful survey of the situation, and saw that the
+Bellevite had gained at least two knots on the chase. The Holyoke and
+the West Wind were no longer in sight, though the fog seemed to be still
+hanging about the entrance to Mobile Bay.
+
+"The Tallahatchie has fired two shots at us, Mr. Passford; but she
+wasted her ammunition," said the commander. "I am inclined to agree with
+Mr. Ballard that she cannot swing her Armstrong gun so as to cover the
+Bellevite."
+
+"She has stopped her screw, sir!" exclaimed the first lieutenant, who
+was looking at the chase through the best glass.
+
+"Make the course west, Mr. Passford!" said the captain with energy.
+
+"Quartermaster, make it west!" shouted Christy.
+
+"West, sir!" repeated the quartermaster, as he caused the helmsmen to
+heave over the wheel.
+
+Directing his glass to the chase again, Christy saw the Tallahatchie
+swing around so that she was broadside to the Bellevite. Almost at the
+same moment the smoke rose from her deck, and the sound of the gun
+reached the ears of the officers and crew. The shot passed with a mighty
+whiz between the fore and main mast of the ship, cutting away one of the
+fore topsail braces, but doing no other damage. The seamen cheered as
+they had before. The Tallahatchie started her screw as soon as she had
+discharged her gun, and resumed her former course, the Bellevite doing
+the same.
+
+If the loyal ship had not promptly altered her course, the projectile
+would have raked her, and must have inflicted much greater injury in
+the spars and rigging. But both vessels promptly resumed their former
+relative positions, though the Tallahatchie had lost some of her
+advantage by coming to, while her pursuer had only made a small circuit
+without stopping her engine for a moment.
+
+"If she does that again, Mr. Passford, we must be ready to return her
+fire," said the captain. "Have the pivot gun ready, and aim for her
+Armstrong, which seems to be sufficiently prominent on her deck to make
+a good target."
+
+Christy hastened forward, and gave the order to Mr. Ballard, in whose
+division the great Parrot was included. The signal was promptly given
+for manning the gun, and seventeen men immediately sprang to their
+stations. The men were armed with cutlasses, muskets, battle-axes,
+pistols, and pikes, which were so disposed as to be in readiness for
+boarding the enemy, or repelling boarders.
+
+"A solid shot, and aim at the pivot gun of the enemy," said Christy in
+a low tone to the second lieutenant, who had the reputation of being an
+expert in the handling of guns of the largest calibre.
+
+There were two captains to the pivot gun, one on each side, stationed
+nearest to the base of the breech. Seventeen men were required to work
+the pivot gun, whose duties were defined in the names applied to them,
+the powderman being the odd one. The first and second captains were
+numbers one and two; the odd numbers being on the right, and the even
+on the left of the piece: number three was the first loader, four the
+first sponger, five the second loader, six the second sponger, seven the
+first shellman, eight the second shellman, nine the first handspikeman,
+ten the second handspikeman, eleven the first train tackleman, twelve
+the second train tackleman (the last two at the breech, next to
+the captains), thirteen first side tackleman, fourteen second side
+tackleman, fifteen first port tackleman, sixteen second port tackleman.
+
+The gun crew had been frequently drilled in the management of the piece,
+and the men were entirely at home in their stations. Other hands had
+been trained in serving the gun, so that the places of any disabled in
+action could be replaced. The service at the Parrot was not all that was
+required of the men forming the gun crew, for each was also a first or
+second boarder, a pumpman, or something else, and to each number one
+or two weapons were assigned, as musket and pike, sword and pistol,
+battle-axe. When the order to board the enemy was given, every man
+knew his station and his proper officer.
+
+"Silence, men!" commanded the second lieutenant, "Cast loose and
+provide!"
+
+These orders were repeated by the first captain of the gun. It is his
+duty to see the piece cleared and cast loose, and everything made ready
+for action. He and the second captain "provide" themselves with waist
+belts and primers, and the first with some other implements. But the
+handling of one of these great guns is about as technical as a surgical
+operation would be, and it would be quite impossible for the uninitiated
+to understand it, though it is every-day work to the ordinary
+man-of-war's-man.
+
+Prompted by the executive officer, who had been further instructed by
+the captain, all the series of steps had been taken which put the piece
+in readiness to be discharged, and all that remained to be done was to
+adjust the aim, which is done by the first captain. At this time the
+distance between the two ships had been considerably reduced. The
+captain and the first lieutenant were closely watching the chase with
+glasses.
+
+The crew of the Tallahatchie could be seen at work at the long gun, and
+another shot from it was momentarily expected. The instant the bow of
+the enemy began to swerve to port, the captain of the Bellevite gave the
+order to put the helm to starboard. Almost at the same instant the enemy
+stopped her screw, swung round and fired her long gun. The projectile
+crashed through the bulwarks between the foremast and top-gallant
+forecastle, wounding two men with the splinters which flew in every
+direction.
+
+Dr. Linscott and his mates had established themselves in the cockpit,
+to which the wounded are conveyed, in action, for treatment. The two men
+who had been injured by the splinters were not disabled, and they were
+ordered to report to the surgeon. Before the enemy could resume her
+course, the captain of the pivot gun had caught his aim, and discharged
+the Parrot. All hands watched for the result of the shot, and the
+glasses of the captain and the first lieutenant were directed to the
+chase.
+
+She was near enough now to be observed with the naked eye with tolerable
+accuracy, and a shout went up from the men at the pivot gun, in which
+the rest of the crew on deck joined, as they saw that the shot had
+struck the midship gun of the enemy, or very near it; and this was the
+point where old Blumenhoff, the captain of the gun, had been directed
+to aim. He was a German, but he had served for twenty-one years in
+the British navy, and had won a brilliant reputation in his present
+position.
+
+It could not be immediately determined whether or not the Armstrong had
+been disabled. The Tallahatchie had swung round again and resumed her
+flight; but her commander must have realized by this time that he was
+getting the worst of it. Paul Vapoor had not left his post in the engine
+and fire room, to ascertain how the battle was going, but still plied
+all his energies in driving the Bellevite to the utmost speed she could
+possibly attain. The log was frequently heaved, and the last result had
+been sent down to him by Midshipman Walters, and it was twenty-one
+knots.
+
+During the next hour the long gun of the enemy was not again discharged,
+and the officers of the loyal ship were assured that it had been
+rendered useless by Blumenhoff's only shot.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+THE PROGRESS OF THE ACTION
+
+
+The tremendous speed of the Bellevite had been telling with prodigious
+effect upon the distance between the two steamers, which was now reduced
+to not more than a mile and a half. Captain Rombold could not help
+realizing by this time that the American-built vessel outsailed the
+English-built. If the Trafalgar was good for twenty knots an hour, as
+represented, she had hardly attained that speed, as Captain Breaker
+judged by comparison with that of his own ship.
+
+The Armstrong gun was still silent and it was pretty well settled that
+it had been disabled. In this connection Christy recalled something he
+had read in Simpson about the "inability of the Armstrong gun to resist
+impact," and he sent Midshipman Walters to bring the volume from his
+state-room. When it came he found the place, and read that three shots
+had been fired into one of them from a nine-pounder, either of which
+would have been fatal to the piece; and the section described the effect
+of each upon it.
+
+He showed the book open at the place to Captain Breaker; but he had read
+it, and carried the whole matter in his mind. The gun quoted was weak,
+though the one on the deck of the Tallahatchie was vastly larger; but a
+correspondingly heavy force had been brought to bear upon it.
+
+"I am satisfied that the enemy's long gun has been disabled; and while
+she continues the attempt to run away from us, she is unable to use her
+broadside guns to advantage, for she cannot bring them to bear upon us
+without coming to," said the commander. "But we are gaining at least a
+knot and a half an hour on her, and she must soon change her tactics."
+
+"That is evident enough, sir," added Christy.
+
+"The captain of that ship is a brave fellow, and I am confident he will
+fight as long as there is anything left of him," continued the captain
+as he occasionally directed his glass at the chase.
+
+"He certainly will, sir, for I have seen his ship knocked out from under
+him, when he had abundant excuse for hauling down his flag before he did
+so; and we had hardly time on board of the Chateaugay to save his people
+before his vessel went to the bottom," continued Christy. "More than
+that, he is a gentleman and a scholar."
+
+"You have told me about him, Christy; and I believe you suggested to
+Captain Chantor his best plan of action."
+
+"I simply indicated what I should do in his place, and he adopted the
+method I mentioned," added Christy modestly.
+
+"We may find it advisable to resort to the same plan, though I must add
+that it is by no means original with you. It was adopted in the war of
+1812 with England."
+
+"I did not claim the method as original, and knew very well that it was
+not so," replied the lieutenant.
+
+"The conditions on both sides must be favorable to the method or it
+cannot be adopted. One of the ships must have heavier metal than the
+other, so that she can knock her enemy to pieces at her leisure, and at
+the same time greater speed, so that she can keep out of the reach of
+guns of shorter range."
+
+"I am sorry I could not obtain more definite information in regard to
+the broadside guns of the Tallahatchie," added Christy. "Bokes was a
+stupid fellow, drunk whenever he could obtain liquor, and could remember
+very little of what he heard on board of the steamer. But you have the
+long range Parrot, and I have no doubt you can knock her to pieces in
+your own time, since it has been demonstrated that we can outsail her."
+
+But at this moment the conversation was disturbed by the movement of the
+chase, which appeared to be again preparing to come about. The commander
+ordered the helm to be put to starboard to avoid being raked, and
+directed that the pivot gun should be discharged at the enemy. The enemy
+fired a broadside of three guns in quick succession, the solid shots
+from all them striking the Bellevite between wind and water. The
+carpenter's gang was hurried below to plug the shot holes.
+
+Blumenhoff secured his aim and fired; but this time he was less happy
+than on the former occasion, and though the shot went between the masts,
+no great damage appeared to be done. The enemy started her screw
+immediately, and swung around so as to present her starboard broadside
+before the Parrot could be made ready for another shot. The Tallahatchie
+delivered another three shots, two of which went wide of the mark. The
+third struck the carriage of the pivot gun, but fortunately it was not
+disabled, for it had been built to resist a heavier ball than the one
+which had struck it.
+
+The captain of the Bellevite gave the order to Christy to swing to the
+ship, and give the enemy a broadside. The order was promptly executed as
+the enemy came about and resumed her course to the southward, which was
+certainly a very bad movement on her part. The four guns on the port
+side, two sixties and two thirties, sent their solid shots over the
+stern of the Tallahatchie.
+
+A moment later, as the fresh breeze carried away the smoke to the
+north-east, the crew set up a lively cheer, for the mizzen mast of the
+chase toppled over into the water, and the pilot house seemed to have
+been knocked into splinters.
+
+"Well done!" exclaimed Captain Breaker, clapping his hands as he
+faced the guns' crews on the port side, and Christy joined him in the
+demonstration.
+
+The men of the division gave another lusty cheer in response to the
+approval of the two chief officers. The captain had already ordered the
+ship to be put about so as to deliver the starboard broadside, and the
+other division of guns were impatient to have their chance at the enemy.
+
+Christy had clapped his hands with his spy-glass under his arm; and
+when he had rendered his tribute of applause, he directed the instrument
+to the enemy. A squad of men were at work over the ruins of the pilot
+house, which was still forward, as the vessel had been built for a
+pleasure yacht, and another gang were getting the extra wheel at the
+stern ready for use.
+
+The Bellevite came about in obedience to the order Christy had given to
+the quartermaster conning the wheel, and the guns on the starboard side
+were all ready to deliver their messengers of death and destruction.
+
+"Aim at that extra wheel," said the captain; and Christy delivered the
+order to the officers of the division.
+
+The broadside was of the same metal as on the port side, and the result
+was looked for with even more interest than before. The appearance was
+that all three shots had struck at or near the wheel at the stern, and
+Christy promptly directed his glass to that part of the steamer, the
+captain doing the same thing.
+
+"There is nothing of the wheel left in sight," said the lieutenant.
+"The taffrail is knocked away, and at least one of those shots must have
+knocked the captain's cabin into utter confusion."
+
+"Go ahead at full speed, Mr. Passford," said Captain Breaker, after he
+had fully measured with his eye the damage done to the enemy.
+
+"Her steering gear seems to be entirely disabled, sir," continued
+Christy, after he had given the order to the chief engineer. "She does
+not appear to be able to come about, as no doubt she would if she could,
+so as to bring her broadside guns to bear upon us."
+
+The order had been given before to load the broadside and pivot guns
+with shells. The enemy had not started her screw for the reason that the
+ship was unmanageable with her steering gear disabled. The action had
+certainly gone against her; but she gave no indication that she was
+ready to surrender for the Confederate flag, which had been hoisted at
+the mainmast head when the mizzen was shot away, still floated in the
+breeze.
+
+A gang of men were still at work where the extra wheel had been, and the
+commander evidently expected he should be able to repair the damage in
+some manner so that he could steer his ship. Captain Breaker gave the
+command to stop the screw, and a mighty hissing and roaring of steam
+followed when Christy transmitted it to the engine room. The order to
+come about on the headway that remained succeeded, and the three shells
+immediately exploded on the deck or in the hull of the enemy; but the
+extent of the damage could not be estimated.
+
+The three from the starboard guns were next sent on their mission; but
+so far as could be seen no damage was done. The big Parrot was next
+discharged; but the expert captain of the gun was unfortunate this time,
+for the projectile dropped into the water beyond the steamer, though it
+seemed to pass very near the stern. For the next half hour the midship
+piece was kept busy, and its shots made destructive work about the deck
+of the Tallahatchie.
+
+"I think we had better finish this business at once, and before the
+enemy has time to rig a new steering apparatus, Mr. Passford," said
+Captain Breaker, as they came together on the quarter-deck.
+
+"I think we can knock her all to pieces with the Parrot gun, sir,"
+replied Christy.
+
+"But it might take all day to do that; and the Tallahatchie exhibits an
+astonishing power of resistance. Besides, she will soon repair her extra
+wheel, and have it ready for use. I am inclined to believe that we are
+wasting time, which will make it all the worse for us in the end,"
+reasoned the commander. "I am prepared to board her, for I think she
+must have lost a great many men."
+
+"No doubt of it, sir," added the lieutenant.
+
+"Lay her aboard on the port side, and have everything ready," continued
+Captain Breaker.
+
+Christy gave the necessary orders for this decided action, and the
+officers and the crew seemed to be delighted with the prospect of a
+hand-to-hand fight with the enemy. The lieutenant was not wholly
+confident that the commander was right in his reasoning, but like a
+loyal officer and a true sailor who knows no duty but obedience, he
+heartily supported his superior. He walked the deck in the discharge of
+his duty; but he was thinking of something since the order to board had
+been given.
+
+"Is there anything like a flank movement in boarding, Captain Breaker?"
+he asked, as he halted at the side of the commander.
+
+"Of course the officers do their best to flank the enemy after they
+reach the deck," replied the captain, looking with some astonishment at
+the lieutenant.
+
+"I have reference to another sort of flanking," added the inquirer.
+
+"Of course in a squadron some of the ships may be ordered to operate in
+that manner; but a single ship acting against another can hardly do any
+flanking."
+
+"But I mean in boarding."
+
+"You had better explain yourself a little more definitely, for I do not
+understand you," replied the commander with a puzzled expression on his
+face.
+
+"We have one hundred and twenty men, with six absent on other duty,"
+continued the lieutenant. "Judging by what I learned from Bokes,
+I believe the Tallahatchie has less than a hundred, for he said she
+expected to recruit twenty or thirty men at Nassau. She has lost more
+men so far than we have, sir."
+
+"Grant all that you say, and where does the flanking come in?"
+
+"Your order is to board on the port side of the enemy, which will bring
+the starboard side of the Bellevite alongside of her. Suppose you put
+twenty men or more into the launch, on the port side of the ship, where
+it cannot be seen by the enemy, just before the order to board is given.
+At the right time let this boat hurry to the starboard side of the
+Tallahatchie, where the twenty men or more will board, and take the
+enemy in the rear."
+
+The commander took off his cap and rubbed his bald head as if to
+stimulate his ideas; but he made no answer then to the suggestion.
+
+Paul Vapoor was driving the engine to its utmost, and the ship was
+rapidly approaching the enemy.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+A FLANK MOVEMENT UNDERTAKEN
+
+
+The commander of the enemy's ship could not know that the Bellevite
+intended to board; but he could hardly help regarding with anxiety the
+rapid progress she was making through the water. The loyal ship was
+getting nearer to him, and Captain Rombold could not avoid seeing that
+his situation was becoming desperate. It was absolutely necessary for
+him to do something, unless he was ready to haul down his flag, which
+Christy, for one, having been present at a battle with him, did not
+expect him to do yet.
+
+The executive officer kept a close watch upon the enemy, frequently
+using his glass, even while he was discussing his suggestion with the
+captain. There was great activity on deck near the stern of the
+Tallahatchie, and her commander must have been at least hopeful that
+the steering apparatus could be restored to some degree of efficiency.
+In the meantime he could not bring his broadside guns to bear on the
+Bellevite for he was unable to come about. The Federal ship was headed
+directly for the enemy, and as Captain Breaker was impatient to board,
+he could not fire the Parrot or the broadside battery without losing
+time to put his vessel in position for throwing shot or shell.
+
+"She is starting her screw again!" exclaimed Christy suddenly, as he
+discovered the stirring up of the water astern of the enemy.
+
+"I see she is," added the commander. "She has not got her extra wheel in
+position yet, and probably she has pried her tiller over, or hauled it
+over with a purchase. Make the course west, Mr. Passford."
+
+Christy gave the order to the quartermaster, and without checking her
+speed, the Bellevite described a quarter of a circle and came to the
+desired course. The three guns of her port battery were immediately
+discharged, loaded with shell as on the last occasion. One of them was
+seen to explode in the midst of the gang of men who were at work on the
+extra wheel. The other two burst in the air, too far off to do any
+serious damage.
+
+Very slowly, and apparently with great difficulty, the Tallahatchie
+swung around, so that her port guns could be brought to bear upon the
+Bellevite, and the two ships were abreast of each other so that neither
+could rake the other. The loyal ship continued on her course to the
+westward, and in ten minutes she had made three miles and a half, which
+placed her out of the reach of the broadside guns of the Tallahatchie.
+
+Christy did not abate his watchfulness over the movements of the enemy.
+The shot from the sixty-pounder which had struck on the quarter of the
+Confederate, had evidently created a great deal of confusion in that
+part of the vessel. She had intended to describe a quarter of a circle
+in order to render her port broadside guns available, but she had not
+made more than the eighth of the circuit before she appeared to be going
+ahead, and her direction was diagonal to that of the Bellevite.
+
+"What does that mean?" asked Christy of the commander who stood near
+him, though he had a very decided opinion of his own on the subject.
+
+"It simply means that the last shot which struck her deranged whatever
+expedient her captain had adopted for controlling the rudder," replied
+the commander. "It failed when she was half round, and then she went
+ahead."
+
+"She has stopped her screw again, sir," added the first lieutenant.
+
+"It is time for her to haul down her flag; but she does not seem to
+be disposed to do it," continued Captain Breaker. "It is certainly a
+hopeless case, and he ought to spare his men if not himself."
+
+"Captain Rombold is not one of that sort. Though he is a Briton, he is a
+'last ditch' man."
+
+"Probably a very large majority of his ship's company are English, or
+anything but Southern Americans, and he ought to have a proper regard
+for them."
+
+"I think he must see some chance of redeeming himself and his ship, for
+I never met a more high-toned and gentlemanly man in all my life, and I
+don't believe he would sacrifice his people unless with a hope that he
+considers a reasonable one."
+
+"Come about, Mr. Passford, and bear down on the enemy. Unless he works
+his steering gear, we have her where she is utterly helpless," said the
+commander.
+
+"I wonder she does not get a couple of her heaviest guns in position on
+her quarter-deck, and use them as stern chasers," said Christy, after he
+had obeyed the captain's order, and the Bellevite was again headed
+directly for the enemy.
+
+"She appears to require all the space there for the work on her steering
+appliances," replied Captain Breaker. "In ten minutes more I hope we
+shall be able to board her; and I think we can then make very short work
+of this business. About the flanking movement you propose, Mr. Passford,
+I have never seen anything of the kind done, for most of my fighting
+experience with blockade-runners has been at long range, though I was
+in the navy during the Mexican war, where our operations were mostly
+against fortifications and batteries."
+
+"I do not consider the plan practicable except under peculiar
+circumstances, like the present," returned Christy. "I am confident
+that we outnumber the enemy, and the men for the flank movement are
+available."
+
+"If we were boarding in boats we should naturally attack both on the
+starboard and port sides. But, Mr. Passford, the executive officer
+cannot be spared to command the launch and its crew."
+
+"I was not thinking of commanding the flanking party myself, sir."
+
+"Neither can the officers of divisions be spared."
+
+"I think I can find a volunteer, not in the sailing department, who
+would conduct the movement to a successful issue, Captain," added
+Christy, very confidently.
+
+"Mr. Vapoor? But we cannot spare him from the engine room for a minute,"
+protested the commander, who was well aware that the chief engineer was
+the lieutenant's especial crony. "That would not do at all."
+
+"I was not thinking of Mr. Vapoor, sir," interposed Christy.
+
+"Who, then?" demanded the commander, lowering his spy-glass to look into
+the young man's face.
+
+"My associate in the expedition to Mobile Point, who did quite as much
+as I did, if not more, to make it a success. I mean Mr. Graines, the
+third assistant engineer. I know that he is a brave man and an officer
+of excellent judgment," replied the lieutenant, with more enthusiasm
+than he usually manifested when not in actual combat.
+
+"Very well, Mr. Passford; I give you the order to carry out your plan,
+and I hope it will work to your satisfaction. But you must not take more
+than twenty men," said the commander in conclusion of the whole matter.
+
+"Mr. Walbrook," called Christy without losing a moment in the
+preparations for carrying out his scheme, which neither the captain nor
+himself could say was an original idea.
+
+The station of the second lieutenant at quarters is on the forecastle,
+and of the third in the waist, or the middle of the ship. The third
+lieutenant stepped forward at the call of the executive officer, touched
+his cap, for "the honors due the quarter-deck cannot be dispensed with,"
+even at exciting times.
+
+Christy gave him the order to cast loose the launch, and have it in
+readiness to lower into the water at a moment's notice; and Mr. Walbrook
+proceeded to obey it without delay. The first lieutenant then called Mr.
+Walters, a midshipman, and directed him to give his compliments to Mr.
+Vapoor, and ask him if he could spare the third assistant engineer for
+special duty for a couple of hours, more or less.
+
+The messenger returned with the reply that the chief engineer would be
+happy to detail Mr. Graines for special duty at once. In five minutes
+more the assistant engineer appeared upon the quarter-deck in uniform,
+and touched his cap to the executive officer.
+
+"I am directed to report to you, Mr. Passford, for special duty," added
+Graines.
+
+"I wish you to assume this duty, Mr. Graines, as a volunteer, if at
+all," replied Christy. "All the officers on deck are required at their
+stations, and the commander has authorized what I call a flanking
+movement, which I purpose to send out under your orders."
+
+"I am very much obliged to you, Mr. Passford, for the honor you do me
+in selecting me for this duty; and I accept the position with pleasure,"
+answered the engineer, touching his cap again.
+
+"But this is a fighting position, Mr. Graines," added Christy with a
+smile.
+
+"So much the better, sir; and if my education permitted, I should prefer
+to be in the thickest of the fight rather than shut up in the engine
+room," returned the engineer; and this was just the estimate the
+lieutenant had made of him.
+
+He had been well educated; but he had learned the trade of a machinist,
+and the want of any naval training rather than his own inclination had
+driven him into the engine room. But he had been three years at sea as a
+sailor, and came home as second mate of an Indiaman.
+
+Christy explained to him very fully the plan he had suggested, and
+Graines readily grasped the idea. He provided himself with a cutlass and
+revolver, and became very enthusiastic in the discharge of his special
+duty. With the aid of the first lieutenant he selected the men for the
+movement, though Christy would not permit the detail to consist of all
+the best men, for that would not be fair or generous to the officers of
+divisions. They were a fair average of the quality of the seamen.
+
+The Tallahatchie made an attempt to come about in order to make her
+guns available; but for some unknown reason it appeared to be a failure,
+for she presently stopped her screw again. The Bellevite was rapidly
+approaching her, and her commander evidently realized that the loyal
+ship intended to board, for he made his preparations to meet the
+onslaught.
+
+Captain Rombold, in spite of his misfortune in the Dornoch the year
+before, was inclined to disparage the bravery and skill of the officers
+of the United States Navy, and to regard the seamen as inferior to those
+of his own country, though he was too gentlemanly to express himself
+directly to this effect. Christy had drawn this inference from what he
+said in the conversations with him when Colonel Passford and he were
+prisoners on board of the Chateaugay.
+
+Holding this view, as Christy was confident he did, it was plain from
+his action that he expected, or at least hoped, to win a victory in the
+hand-to-hand encounter which was impending. Of course it was possible
+that he might do so, and come into possession of the Bellevite, winch
+had outsailed him, and disabled his ship for a combat at longer range.
+
+As the Federal steamer drew near to the enemy a volley of musketry was
+poured into her, which was promptly returned, and several of the crew on
+both sides dropped to the deck, and were borne to the cockpit, though
+the relative strength of each remained about as before, as nearly as the
+officers on the quarter-deck of the Bellevite could judge.
+
+The speed of the attacking ship had been greatly reduced as she neared
+the Tallahatchie, and the launch was already in the water with its crew
+of twenty men on board. The crew of the latter were armed with all the
+boarding weapons in use, and before the hands on deck had fastened to
+the enemy, the flanking party were working their heavy craft around the
+stern of the steamer.
+
+The loyal ship came in contact with the side of the Confederate. The
+grappling irons were cast, and in an incredibly short space of time the
+two vessels were firmly attached to each other. The supreme moment had
+come, as all thought, but for some reason not apparent, the command to
+board was withheld. Captain Breaker who stood on the quarter deck with
+Christy, appeared to be perplexed. He saw that the seamen of the enemy
+were drawn up on the starboard side, instead of at the port bulwarks.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+THE LIEUTENANT'S DARING EXPLOIT
+
+
+Captain Breaker was perplexed when his ship came alongside the enemy and
+was made fast to her, for things were not working according to the usual
+rules made and provided for such occasions, and Captain Rombold was
+evidently resorting to some unusual tactics. The two steamers were of
+about the same height above water, so their decks were very nearly on a
+level.
+
+The men with muskets on both sides were reloading their weapons, and
+those with navy revolvers were discharging them at the enemy; but the
+officers of divisions concealed their men behind the bulwarks when the
+order to board did not come.
+
+Christy saw the perplexity of the commander at his side, and it was
+evident to both of them that some unusual strategy was to be adopted,
+and Captain Breaker did not intend to fall into a trap if he could avoid
+it. They could see nothing that looked suspicious except the position of
+the enemy's force on the starboard side of the ship.
+
+Before the captain could stop him, the first lieutenant had leaped into
+the mizzen rigging, and ascended far enough to obtain a view of the
+quarter deck over the bulwarks, while the commander walked aft far
+enough to accomplish the same purpose by looking through the aperture
+made by the shot which had carried away the wheel of the enemy, without
+exposing himself to the fire of the seamen on board of her.
+
+Christy's action occupied but the fraction of a minute; but several
+muskets and revolvers were discharged at him in this brief time. Letting
+go his hold of the rigging, he dropped to the deck before the captain
+could see what he was doing; and it was supposed that the daring officer
+had been brought down by the shots fired at him.
+
+"Second division, follow me!" he cried, as he picked up the cutlass he
+had dropped.
+
+About thirty men rushed to the quarter-deck, hurried on by Mr. Walbrook.
+Christy leaped upon the rail, with the cutlass in his right hand, and
+the revolver in his left, and dropped down upon the quarter deck of
+the Tallahatchie, upon a squad of seamen who were lying low behind a
+thirty-pounder, whose carriage was close to the bulwark, the piece
+pointed forward.
+
+The first lieutenant had seen from his position in the mizzen rigging
+the trap which had been set for the crew of the Bellevite. They were
+expected to leap to the rail, and cut away the boarding nettings--not
+always used, but were on this occasion--and then drop down to the deck.
+The first command would naturally have been to "Repel boarders;" but
+this was not given, and no fighting was to be done till the boarders
+reached the ship, when the thirty-pounder, doubtless loaded with grape
+or shrapnel, was to mow down the invaders of the deck.
+
+Christy's men poured down after him, and before the crew of the gun, who
+had no doubt been ordered to conceal themselves, could get upon their
+feet they were cut down by the impetuous tars from the Bellevite. It
+was the work of but a moment. Christy had taken some pains to have the
+opinion of Captain Rombold that American seamen were inferior to British
+circulated, and the men evidently intended to prove that they were the
+equals of any sailors afloat.
+
+"Swing the muzzle of the gun to starboard!" shouted Christy, as he took
+hold with his own hands to point the piece, which was in position in a
+moment.
+
+Captain Rombold stood but a short distance from the stump of the mizzen
+mast with a cutlass in his hand. He rushed forward to rally his crew;
+and he seemed to be rendered desperate by the failure of the scheme to
+which he had resorted. At this moment Christy heard Captain Breaker
+shout the order to board, and the men were springing to the rail, and
+tearing away the boarding netting.
+
+"Stand by the lanyard!" cried the first lieutenant on the quarter-deck
+of the enemy, and he had sighted the piece himself in the absence of any
+regular gun crew. "Fire!"
+
+The cloud of smoke concealed all of the deck forward of the mizzen mast,
+and Christy could not see what effect had been produced by the charge of
+grape, or whatever it was. At any rate the men the commander had rallied
+for a charge did not appear.
+
+The smoke was blown away in a minute or so, and the Bellevite's sailors
+had made a lodgment on the deck of the enemy. They were led by the
+officers of the divisions, and were rushing over to the starboard, where
+the enemy's men had been concentrated. They were brave men, whether
+English or not, and the moment they could see the boarders, they rushed
+at them by command of their officers; but they pushed forward, as it
+were, out of a heap of killed and wounded, those who had fallen by the
+grape-shot intended to decimate the ranks of the loyal band.
+
+Christy rallied his men as soon as they had done their work in the
+vicinity of the thirty-pounder, and ordered them to join their division
+under the command of the third lieutenant. But the seamen on the part of
+the Confederates seemed to be dispirited to some extent by the bad
+beginning they had made, and by the heap of slain near them. Captain
+Rombold lay upon the deck, propped up against the mizzen mast. He looked
+as pale as death itself; but he was still directing the action, giving
+orders to his first lieutenant. Two of his officers were near him, but
+both of them appeared to be severely wounded.
+
+The battle was raging with fearful energy on the part of the loyal tars,
+and with hardly less vigor on the part of the enemy, though the latter
+fought in a sort of desperate silence. The wounded commander was doing
+his best to reinspire them; but his speech was becoming feeble, and
+perhaps did more to discourage than to strengthen them.
+
+At this stage of the action Graines, closely followed by his twenty men,
+sprang over the starboard bulwarks, and fell upon the enemy in the rear.
+Finding themselves between an enemy in front and rear, they could do no
+more; for it was sure death to remain where they were, and they fled
+precipitately to the forecastle.
+
+"Quarter!" shouted these men, and the same cry came from the other parts
+of the deck.
+
+"Haul down the flag, Mr. Brookfield!" said the commander in a feeble
+tone.
+
+The first lieutenant of the Tallahatchie, with his handkerchief tied
+around his leg, directed a wounded quartermaster to strike the colors,
+and three tremendous cheers from the victorious crew of the Bellevite
+rent the air. Captain Breaker had come on board of the enemy, sword in
+hand, and had conducted himself as bravely as the unfortunate commander
+of the prize.
+
+The moment he saw Christy he rushed to him with both hands extended, and
+with a smile upon his face. The four hands were interlocked, but not a
+word was spoken for the feelings of both were too big for utterance.
+A loyal quartermaster was ordered to hoist the American ensign over the
+Confederate flag which had just been hauled down.
+
+The situation on board of the prize was so terrible that there was no
+danger of an attempt to recapture the vessel, and immediate attention
+was given to the care of the wounded, the survivors in each vessel
+performing this duty under its own officers.
+
+Mr. Brookfield, the executive officer of the Tallahatchie, was wounded
+in the leg below the knee, but he did not regard himself as disabled,
+and superintended the work of caring for the sufferers. Mr. Hungerford,
+the second lieutenant, appeared to be the only principal officer who had
+escaped uninjured; while Mr. Lenwold, the third lieutenant, had his arm
+in a sling in consequence of a wound received from a splinter in the
+early part of the action. These gentlemen, who had seemed like demons
+only a few minutes before, so earnest were they in the discharge of
+their duties, were now as tender and devoted as so many women.
+
+Captain Breaker directed his own officers to return to the deck of the
+Bellevite and provide for the wounded there; but they were few in number
+compared with those strewed about the deck of the prize. While the
+Confederate ship had been unable to discharge her guns, and the officers
+were using their utmost exertions to repair the disabled steering
+apparatus, the Bellevite had had a brief intermission of the din of
+battle, during which the wounded had been carried below where the
+surgeon and his mates had attended to their injuries.
+
+It was ascertained that only six men had been killed during the action,
+and their silent forms had been laid out in the waist. Seventeen men
+were in their berths in the hospital or on the tables of the surgeon,
+eight of whom had been wounded by the muskets and revolvers of the enemy
+as the ship came alongside the prize. Four others had just been borne to
+the cockpit with wounds from pikes and cutlasses.
+
+The loss of the enemy was at least triple that of the Bellevite, a
+large number of whom had fallen before the murderous discharge of the
+thirty-pounder on the quarter-deck, which had been intended to decimate
+the ranks of the loyal boarders; and, raking the column as the men
+poured into the ship, it would probably have laid low more than one in
+ten of the number. This was an original scheme of Captain Rombold; and
+but for the coolness and deliberation of Captain Breaker, and the daring
+of his chief officer, it must have been a terrible success. As it was,
+the Confederate commander, who was the only foreign officer on board,
+"had been hoisted by his own petard."
+
+Christy had done all that required his attention on board of the
+Bellevite, and he paid another visit to the deck of the Tallahatchie,
+where he desired to obtain some information which would enable him the
+better to understand the action which had just been fought. He was
+especially anxious to ascertain the condition of the Armstrong gun which
+had been disabled by the first shot of Blumenhoff with the midship
+Parrot. As he went on deck, he saw Captain Rombold, seated in an
+arm-chair his cabin steward had brought up for him, with his right
+leg resting on a camp stool.
+
+"Good-morning, Mr. Passford," said the wounded commander, with a slight
+smile on his pale face. "_Comment allez-vous ce matin?_" (How do you do
+this morning?)
+
+"_Tres bien, Monsieur le capitaine. Je suis bien fache que vous etes
+blesse._ (Very well, Captain. I am very sorry that you are wounded.) You
+need the attention of the surgeon, sir," replied the loyal officer.
+
+"I take my turn with my men, Mr. Passford, and my officers do the same.
+The fortune of war is with you again, and I congratulate you on the
+success which has attended you. I saw that it was you who upset my plan
+for receiving your boarders. I was confident, with that device of mine,
+I should be able to beat off your boarders, and I intended to carry your
+deck by boarding you in turn. I think your commander can give you the
+credit of winning the victory for the Bellevite in his despatches; for
+I should have killed more of your men with that thirty-pounder than you
+did of mine, for I should have raked the column. You saved the day for
+the United States when you ran up the mizzen rigging and unmasked my
+battery. You are a gentleman and a magnanimous enemy, Mr. Passford, and
+I congratulate you on your promotion, which is sure to come. But you
+look pale this morning."
+
+"One of your revolvers had very nearly pinked me when I was in the
+rigging; for the ball passed between my arm and my side, and took out
+a piece of the former, Captain Rombold," replied Christy, who was
+beginning to feel languid from the loss of blood, for the drops of red
+fluid were dropping from the ends of his fingers. "But you exaggerate
+the service I rendered; for Captain Breaker, suspecting something from
+the position in which your men were drawn up, had dropped a hawser port,
+and intended to look through the aperture made by one of our solid
+shots. He would have discovered your trap."
+
+"He could not have seen the gun or the men." At that moment Christy sank
+down upon the deck.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+A MAGNANIMOUS ENEMY
+
+
+It had not occurred to Christy Passford before Captain Rombold mentioned
+it that his daring exploit had in any especial manner assisted in the
+final and glorious result of the action. He was confident that, if he
+had not unmasked the plan of the Confederate commander, Captain Breaker
+would have discovered it, and perhaps had already done so when, without
+any order, he had impetuously leaped over the rail, followed by a
+portion of the second division, urged forward by lieutenant Walbrook,
+to capture the gun before it could be discharged.
+
+He realized, as the thought flashed through his brain like a bolt of
+lightning, that the Confederate commander's scheme must be counteracted
+on the instant, or Captain Breaker might give the command to board, for
+which the impatient seamen on his deck were waiting. He had accomplished
+his purpose in a few seconds; and the enemy's force, huddled together on
+the starboard side, were suddenly piled up in a heap on the planks,
+weltering in their gore, and a large proportion of them killed.
+
+Captain Rombold was standing abreast of the stump of his mizzen mast
+observing the whole affair, and he had a better opportunity to observe
+it than any other person on the deck of either ship. He had ordered up
+his men to receive the boarders on the quarter-deck when the gun was
+discharged, and before he believed it could be done. Christy had only to
+reverse the direction of the carriage, hastily sight the piece, and pull
+the lanyard. The missiles with which the thirty-pounder was loaded cut
+down the advancing column, rushing to obey their commander's order, and
+then carried death and destruction into the crowd of seamen in their
+rear.
+
+"Good Heavens, Mr. Passford!" exclaimed the Confederate commander,
+rising with difficulty from his seat. "You are badly wounded!"
+
+"Not badly, Captain Rombold," replied the young officer, gathering up
+his remaining strength, and resting his right arm upon the planks.
+
+"But my dear fellow, you are bleeding to death, and the blood is running
+in a stream from the ends of the fingers on your left hand!" continued
+the Confederate commander, apparently as full of sympathy and kindness
+as though the sufferer had been one of his own officers. "Gill!" he
+called to his steward, who was assisting in the removal of the injured
+seamen. "My compliments to Dr. Davidson, and ask him to come on deck
+instantly."
+
+Christy had hardly noticed the ball which passed through the fleshy part
+of his arm above the elbow at the time it struck him. While he kept the
+wounded member raised the blood was absorbed by his clothing. It had
+been painful from the first; but the degree of fortitude with which a
+wounded person in battle endures suffering amounting to agony is almost
+incredible. So many had been killed, and so many had lost legs and arms
+on both sides, that it seemed weak and pusillanimous to complain, or
+even mention what he regarded as only a slight wound.
+
+"This is the executive officer of the Bellevite, Dr. Davidson," said
+Captain Rombold when the surgeon appeared, not three minutes after he
+had been sent for. "But he is a gentleman in every sense of the word,
+and the bravest of the brave. It was he who defeated my scheme; but I
+admire and respect him. Attend to him at once, doctor."
+
+"If he saved the day for the Yankees, it is a pity that his wound
+had not killed him," added the surgeon, with a pleasant smile on his
+handsome face. "But that is taking the patriotic rather than the humane
+view of his case."
+
+"It would have been better for us, and especially for me, if he had been
+killed; but I am sincerely glad that he was not," added the commander.
+
+"Thank you, Captain Rombold," said Christy. "You are the most
+magnanimous of enemies, and it is a pleasure to fight such men as you
+are."
+
+"Good-morning, Mr. Passford," continued Dr. Davidson, as he took the
+right hand of the patient. "I like to serve a brave man, on whichever
+side he fights, when the action is finished."
+
+"You are very kind, doctor," added Christy faintly.
+
+With the assistance of Gill, the surgeon removed the coat of the
+lieutenant, and tore off the shirt from the wounded arm.
+
+"Not a bad wound at all, Mr. Passford," said Dr. Davidson, after he had
+examined it. "But it has been too long neglected, and it would not have
+given you half the trouble if you had taken it to your surgeon as soon
+as the action was decided. You have lost some blood, and that makes you
+faint. You will have to lie in your berth a few days, which might have
+been spared to you if you had had it attended to sooner."
+
+The doctor sent for needed articles; and as soon as Gill brought them
+he dressed the wound, after giving the patient a restorative which made
+him feel much better. While the surgeon was still at work on his arm,
+Captain Breaker rushed in desperate haste to the scene of operations,
+for some one had informed him that the surgeon of the Tallahatchie was
+dressing a wound on his executive officer.
+
+"Merciful Heaven, Mr. Passford!" exclaimed the loyal commander. "Are you
+wounded?"
+
+"Nothing but a scratch in the arm, Captain. Don't bother about me,"
+replied Christy, whose spirits had been built up by the medicine Dr.
+Davidson had given him; but he did not know that it was half brandy, the
+odor of which was disguised by the mixture of some other ingredient.
+
+"I did not know that you were wounded, my dear boy," said his commander
+tenderly; so tenderly that the patient could hardly restrain the tears
+which were struggling for an outflow.
+
+"Mr. Watts," called Captain Breaker to the chief steward of the
+Bellevite, who happened to be the first person he saw on the deck of his
+own ship.
+
+"On deck, Captain," replied the steward, touching his cap to the
+commander.
+
+"My compliments to Dr. Linscott, and ask him to come to the deck of the
+prize without any delay," added the captain.
+
+Such a message implied an emergency; and the surgeon of the Bellevite,
+who was a man well along in years, hastened with all the speed he could
+command to the place indicated. The captain, who had heard the name of
+the Confederate medical officer, introduced his own surgeon, with an
+apology for summoning him.
+
+"My executive officer, the patient in your hands, is the son of my best
+friend on earth, for whom I sailed for years before the war, and I hope
+you will pardon my great anxiety for your patient, Dr. Davidson,"
+said he.
+
+"The most natural thing in the world, Captain Breaker, and no apology or
+explanation is necessary," politely added the Confederate surgeon, as he
+and Dr. Linscott shook hands. "My patient is not severely wounded; but I
+should be happy to have you examine his injury. It was too long
+neglected, and he is rather weak from the loss of blood."
+
+"Mr. Passford was too proud a young man to mention his wound or to call
+upon the surgeon of his ship; but I was determined that he should no
+longer be neglected," interposed Captain Rombold.
+
+Christy was aware that the two commanders had never met before, and he
+introduced them while Dr. Linscott was examining his arm. They were both
+brave and noble men, and each received the other in the politest and
+most gentlemanly manner. It was evident to all who witnessed the
+interview that they met with mutual respect, though half an hour before
+they had been engaged in a desperate fight the one against the other.
+But enemies can be magnanimous to each other without any sacrifice of
+their principles on either side.
+
+"I thank you most heartily, Captain Rombold, for your kindness to my
+principal officer; and if the opportunity is ever presented to me,
+I shall reciprocate to the extent of my ability," continued Captain
+Breaker. "You have been more than magnanimous; you have been a
+self-sacrificing Christian, for you have required your surgeon to
+bind up the wound of an enemy before he assuaged your own. This is
+Christianity in war; and I shall strive to emulate your noble example."
+
+"You are extremely considerate, Captain; and we are friends till
+the demands of duty require us to become technical enemies on the
+quarter-deck each of his own ship," said Captain Rombold, as he grasped
+the hand of the loyal commander.
+
+"I heartily approve of the treatment of my friend Dr. Davidson, and
+fully indorse his opinion that the wound of Mr. Passford is not a
+dangerous or very severe one," interposed Dr. Linscott. "I agree with
+him that the patient had better spend a couple of days or more in his
+berth."
+
+The Confederate surgeon had finished the dressing of Christy's wound,
+and he was in a hurry to return to his duty in the cockpit. He shook
+hands with Dr. Linscott, and both of them hastened to their posts. The
+patient had been seated on a bench, and Captain Rombold had returned to
+his former position. He had tied his handkerchief around his thigh, and
+both of them appeared to be very comfortable.
+
+"Well, Mr. Passford, if you are ready to return to the Bellevite, I will
+assist you to the ward room," said Captain Breaker.
+
+"Excuse me, Captain, if I detain you a few minutes, for I desire to
+settle a point in dispute between Mr. Passford and myself, though it is
+doubtless his extreme modesty which creates this difference between us,"
+interposed the Confederate commander.
+
+He proceeded to state his view of the exploit of Christy, by which he
+had rendered inutile the scheme to slaughter the loyal boarders.
+
+"I was absolutely delighted, Captain Breaker, when I realized that you
+intended to board the Tallahatchie." he continued. "I was confident that
+I should defeat your boarders, and board and carry your deck in my turn.
+I have not yet changed my view of the situation. You can judge of my
+consternation when I saw Mr. Passford leap into the mizzen rigging with
+the agility of a cat, and especially when the order to board my ship was
+withheld."
+
+"Mr. Passford acted without orders, for I should hardly have sent him
+into the rigging while we were alongside, for it was almost sure death,
+for your men, armed with muskets and revolvers, were all looking for the
+firing of the thirty-pounder," added Captain Breaker.
+
+"He was as nimble as a cat, and it seemed to me that he was twice as
+quick. But all he needed to unearth my scheme was a single glance at
+the gun and its crew on the quarter-deck. In the twinkling of an eye he
+dropped to the deck, called his boarders, and leaped over the rail into
+our midst. It was the most daring and quickly executed manoeuvre I ever
+observed," continued the Confederate commander with enthusiasm.
+
+"I quite agree with you, Captain Rombold," replied Captain Breaker,
+as he looked with an affectionate expression upon the pale face of the
+patient.
+
+"Now, Mr. Passford chooses to regard his brilliant exploit as a matter
+of little consequence, for he declares that you had discovered, or would
+have discovered, my plan to annihilate your boarders."
+
+"Mr. Passford is entirely in the wrong so far as I am concerned,"
+protested Captain Breaker with a good deal of earnestness. "To make the
+matter clear, I will explain my own actions. When the Bellevite ranged
+alongside the Tallahatchie, everything was in readiness for boarding.
+I was about to give the order to do this when I discovered that the crew
+of your ship were drawn up on the starboard side, instead of the port,
+and it suggested to me that something was wrong, and I withheld the
+command. In order to obtain more information, I went further aft, where
+I hoped to get a view of a portion of the deck of your ship. I had
+raised a hawser port with the assistance of a quartermaster; but I could
+see only the wreck of your spare wheel. At this moment Mr. Passford was
+in the mizzen rigging. He did all; I did nothing."
+
+"I hope your report of the action will do him full justice, for he
+deserves promotion," added Captain Rombold.
+
+"My admiration of the conduct of Mr. Passford is equal to yours."
+
+They separated after some further conversation, and her commander and
+Christy returned to the Bellevite.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+THE REIGN OF CHRISTIANITY
+
+
+Captain Breaker took Christy by his right arm to support him as they
+returned to the deck of the Bellevite, and to assist him over the
+bulwarks. The wounded had all been cared for, and the crew were swabbing
+up the deck; but the moment they discovered the captain and the
+executive officer on the rail, they suspended their labor and all eyes
+were fixed upon the latter.
+
+"Three cheers for Mr. Passford!" shouted the quartermaster who had been
+at the wheel when Christy sprang into the mizzen rigging.
+
+Three heartier cheers were never given on the deck of any ship than
+those which greeted the hero of the action as he appeared on the rail.
+Not satisfied with this demonstration, they all swung their caps, and
+then gave two volleys more. There was not a man that did not take part
+in this triple salute, and even the officers joined with the seamen in
+this tribute.
+
+"I hope Mr. Passford is not badly wounded, sir," said Quartermaster
+Thompson, touching his cap most respectfully. "And I speak for the whole
+ship's company, sir."
+
+"Mr. Passford is not very severely wounded, Thompson," replied the
+commander, while Christy was acknowledging the salute. "He did not
+mention the fact that he was hurt, and lost more blood than was
+necessary, so that he is very weak."
+
+The quartermaster reported the answer of the captain to the ship's
+company, whereupon they gave three more cheers, as Christy and his
+supporter descended to the deck; and the hero acknowledged the salute.
+At the companion they encountered Dr. Linscott, who had just come on
+deck from the cockpit. Graines was standing near, waiting for an
+opportunity to speak to his late associate in the expedition.
+
+"You gave us a bad fright, Mr. Passford," said the surgeon, as he took
+the right hand of the wounded officer. "But you will do very well now.
+I have something here which will keep you comfortable;" and he proceeded
+to place the left arm in a sling, which he adjusted with great care,
+passing a band from it around his body so as to prevent the member from
+swinging, or otherwise getting out of position.
+
+"Is it necessary that I should take to my berth, Dr. Linscott?" asked
+the patient. "I am feeling very nicely now; and since my arm was dressed
+it gives me very little pain."
+
+"Dr. Davidson ordered you to your berth because you were so weak you
+could not stand," replied the surgeon.
+
+"But I have got over that, and I feel stronger now."
+
+"We will see about that later, Mr. Passford. Captain Breaker, all our
+wounded except a few light cases, which my mates can treat as well as I
+can, are disposed of," added the doctor.
+
+"I am very glad to hear it," replied the captain.
+
+"May I stay on deck, doctor?" asked Christy, who did not like the idea
+of being shut up in his stateroom while the arrangements for the
+disposal of the prize were in progress.
+
+"You may for the present if you feel able to do so," answered the
+surgeon. "But you must have a berth-sack or an easy chair on deck, and
+keep very quiet."
+
+"Punch!" called the commander; and this was the name of the cabin
+steward, who was not, however, as bibulous as his surname indicated.
+"Pass the word for Punch."
+
+The steward, like everybody else on board able to be there, was on deck,
+and immediately presented himself.
+
+"Bring up the large easy-chair at my desk, and place it abreast of the
+mizzen mast," added the commander.
+
+Something else called off the attention of Captain Breaker at this
+moment, and the surgeon remained in conversation till Punch reported the
+chair in position. Dr. Linscott conducted Christy to it, and adjusted
+him comfortably, sending for a blanket to cover his lower limbs. The
+captain soon returned, and saw that the patient was easy in a position
+where he could see all that transpired on the deck.
+
+"As you have finished your duties on board of the Bellevite, I desire to
+reciprocate the kindness of Captain Rombold in attending to Mr. Passford
+when perhaps he needed the attention of his own surgeon more than our
+patient, and I desire to have you dress the Confederate commander's
+wound," said Captain Breaker.
+
+"With all my heart!" exclaimed the surgeon earnestly. "I will be with
+you in a moment, as soon as I procure my material;" and he hurried
+below.
+
+"You will find me with Captain Rombold," added the commander, as he
+hastened to the deck of the prize.
+
+"I am glad to see you again, Captain Breaker," said the Confederate
+chief very politely.
+
+"I have come to tender the services of our surgeon, who has disposed
+of all our seriously injured men, to dress your wound, in the first
+instance, for I fear you were more in need of such assistance than my
+officer when you so magnanimously called Dr. Davidson to dress Mr.
+Passford's wound. He will be here in a few minutes," returned Captain
+Breaker, proceeding to business at once.
+
+"I am exceedingly obliged to you, Captain, for I am beginning to feel
+the necessity of attending to my wound. The thirty-pounder, which was
+to have reduced the ranks of your crew by one-half, as I am assured it
+would have done, made terrible havoc among my own men. In addition to
+the dead who have already been committed to the deep, we have a great
+number wounded," replied Captain Rombold. "The cockpit is full, and I
+have given up my cabin to the surgeon, who is extremely busy. I accept
+the services of Dr. Linscott very gratefully."
+
+"He is extremely happy to serve you."
+
+By this time the surgeon of the Bellevite appeared with one of his
+mates, and some pleasant words passed between him and his new patient.
+
+"Now, where is your wound, Captain Rombold?" asked Dr. Linscott.
+
+"In the right thigh," replied the patient; and the bullet hole in his
+trousers indicated the precise spot.
+
+"It will be necessary to remove your clothing, Captain," continued the
+surgeon.
+
+"My cabin is already turned into a hospital, and Dr. Davidson is hard
+at work there," replied the patient. "I shall have to send for a
+berth-sack, and let you operate on deck, for"--
+
+"My cabin is entirely at your service, Captain Rombold," interposed
+the commander of the Bellevite. "It will afford me the very greatest
+pleasure in the world to give it up to you."
+
+"Oh, no, Captain!" exclaimed the sufferer, as he really was by this
+time. "That is too great a sacrifice."
+
+"Not at all; do me the very great favor to accept the use of my cabin,"
+persisted Captain Breaker. "How shall we move him, doctor?"
+
+"Call four of your men; we will carry him to your cabin in his chair,
+just as he sits; and we can do it without incommoding him at all,"
+answered Dr. Linscott, as he sent his mate to call the men required.
+
+"Really, Captain,"--the sufferer began, but rather faintly.
+
+"The surgeon thinks you had better not talk any more, Captain Rombold,"
+interposed the commander. "Here are the men, and we will handle you as
+tenderly as an infant."
+
+"You are as kind as the mother of the infant," added the sufferer with a
+slight smile; but he made no further opposition.
+
+The four men lifted the chair, and the doctor instructed them how to
+carry it. The Bellevite had been moved aft a little so as to bring the
+gangways of the two ships abreast of each other. The commander was so
+interested and so full of sympathy for his injured enemy, now a friend,
+that he could not refrain from assisting with his own hands, and he
+directed the operations of the seamen when they came to the steps. They
+lifted the chair down to the deck of the ship, and then it was borne to
+the captain's cabin.
+
+The wounded commander was placed in the broad berth of the cabin, and
+the seamen sent on deck. Dr. Linscott, with the assistance of his mate,
+proceeded to remove the clothing of the patient, Captain Breaker aiding
+as he would hardly have thought of doing if the sufferer had been one of
+his own officers. The injury proved to be of about the same character as
+that of Christy; it was a flesh wound, but the ball had ploughed deeper
+than in his case, and was therefore severe. A stimulating remedy was
+given to the patient, and the doctor dressed the wound with the utmost
+care, as he always did, whether the patient was a commander or a
+coal-heaver from the bunkers.
+
+The sufferer had revived somewhat under the influence of the medicine
+administered; and after taking the hand of Captain Rombold, with a
+hearty wish for his early recovery, the captain of the Bellevite took
+his leave, and went on deck.
+
+He proceeded first to the chair of the wounded lieutenant, reporting to
+him the condition of the Confederate commander. Christy was extremely
+glad to hear so favorable a report of the condition of the patient, and
+so expressed himself in the heartiest terms. "Federal" and "Confederate"
+seemed to be words without any meaning at the present time, for all had
+become friends. The officers were vying with each other in rendering
+kindly offices to the vanquished, and even the seamen were doing what
+they could to fraternize with the crew of the Tallahatchie, while both
+were engaged in removing the evidences of the hard-fought action.
+
+It was now only nine o'clock in the morning, and six hours had elapsed
+since the prize, with the West Wind in tow, had sailed from Mobile
+Point on what had proved to be her last voyage in the service of the
+Confederacy. Events had succeeded each other with great rapidity, as it
+may require a whole volume to report in detail a naval battle begun and
+ended in the short space of an hour.
+
+The men were piped to breakfast; and during the meal there was an
+interchange of good feeling when it was found that the crew of the
+Tallahatchie had only a short supply of coffee and bread, intending to
+supply these articles at Nassau. The loyal tars were as magnanimous as
+the officers of both ships had proved themselves to be; and they passed
+the needed articles over the rails, till they exhausted their own
+supply, hungry as they were after six hours of active duty. The
+commander discovered what his men were doing; and he ordered the rations
+to be doubled, besides sending a quantity of ship bread and coffee on
+board of the prize. War had mantled his savage front, and Christianity
+was presiding over the conduct of those who had so recently been the
+most determined enemies.
+
+There was something forward of the foremast to remind all who approached
+of the battle which had been fought. It was a spare sail which covered
+the silent and motionless forms of those whose loyalty to their country
+had led them through the gates of death to "the undiscovered country,
+from whose bourn no traveller returns," but whose fadeless record is
+inscribed in the hearts of a grateful nation.
+
+During or after a severe action on board a ship of war, the dead are
+usually disposed of with but little or no ceremony, as the exigency of
+the hour may require, as had been done on board of the prize. But
+Captain Breaker was more considerate, as the conditions permitted him to
+be; and the killed had been sewed up in hammocks, properly weighted.
+
+"All hands to bury the dead;" piped the boatswain of the Bellevite, when
+breakfast was finished.
+
+By this time the deck had been cleaned up, and dried off under the warm
+sun which had dissipated the fog and the morning mists. The bodies of
+the slain had been previously placed at the port gangway, covered with
+the American flag. The seamen removed their caps, the commander read the
+service, and the bodies were committed to the deep. The officers and
+seamen witnessed the ceremony with uncovered heads, and in reverent
+silence.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+COLONEL HOMER PASSFORD OF GLENFIELD
+
+
+As soon as the battle on the deck of the Tallahatchie had been decided,
+Graines, in command of the flanking party, had returned to the engine
+room of the Bellevite. He and his men had fought bravely and effectively
+in the action, though the full effect of the movement under his charge
+could not be realized in the change of circumstances. The engine of the
+ship had now cooled off, and Paul Vapoor hastened to the deck to see his
+friend and crony, the news of whose wound had been conveyed to the
+engine room in due time.
+
+He was heartily rejoiced to find that it was no worse, and he had news
+for the patient. Just before the burial of the dead he had been sent by
+the commander to examine and report upon the condition of the engine of
+the prize. Captain Rombold had protected it with chain cables dropped
+over the side, so that it remained uninjured, and the British engineers
+declared that it was in perfect working order.
+
+"But whom do you suppose I saw on board the prize, Christy?" asked the
+chief engineer, after he had incidentally stated the condition of the
+engine.
+
+"I cannot guess; but it may have been my cousin Corny Passford, though
+he has always been in the military service of the Confederacy," replied
+the wounded lieutenant.
+
+"It was not Corny, but his father," added Paul.
+
+"His father!" exclaimed Christy. "Uncle Homer Passford?"
+
+"It was he; I know him well, for I used to meet him at Glenfield in
+other days. I am as familiar with his face as with that of your father,
+though I have not seen either of them for over three years."
+
+"Where was he? What was he doing?" asked Christy curiously.
+
+"He was just coming up from below; and Mr. Hungerford, the second
+lieutenant, told me he had been turned out of the captain's cabin, which
+had been made into a hospital for the wounded," added Paul. "I had no
+opportunity to speak to him, for he averted his gaze and moved off in
+another direction as soon as he saw me. He looked pale and thin, as
+though he had recently been very sick."
+
+"Poor Uncle Homer!" exclaimed the lieutenant. "He has been very
+unfortunate. The last time I saw him, I conducted him to my father's
+place at Bonnydale, after he had been a prisoner on board of the
+Chateaugay. He was on parole then, and I suppose he and Captain Rombold
+were both exchanged."
+
+"Doubtless he will tell you all about it when you see him, as you will
+soon."
+
+"He had his eyes opened when he passed through New York City with me,
+for he did not find the grass growing in the streets, as he had
+expected, in spite of all I had said to him at sea. He was astonished
+and confounded when he found business more lively than ever before
+there; but he remained as virulent a rebel as ever; and I am sure he
+regards it as a pious duty to stand by the Southern Confederacy as long
+as there is anything left of it. I know no man more sincerely religious
+than Uncle Homer."
+
+"He is as good a man as ever walked the earth," added Paul heartily.
+
+"For his sake, if for no other reason, I shall rejoice when this war is
+over," said Christy, with a very sad expression on his pale face.
+
+"Was Mr. Graines of any use to you on deck, Christy?" asked the chief
+engineer, as he turned to take his leave.
+
+"He behaved himself like a loyal officer, and fought like a tiger on the
+deck of the Tallahatchie. I shall give a very good report of him to the
+captain for his conduct in the action, and for his valuable services in
+the expedition last night. I did not over-estimate him when I selected
+him for both of the positions to which he was appointed."
+
+"He wants to see you, and I told him he should come on deck when I
+returned," added Paul, as he took the hand of Christy and retired.
+
+"How do you feel now, Mr. Passford?" asked Captain Breaker, coming to
+his side the moment the chief engineer left him.
+
+"I feel quite weak, but my arm does not bother me much. The Confederate
+surgeon did a good job when he dressed it," replied Christy with a
+smile.
+
+"I will get him to send you a second dose of the restorative that
+strengthened you before," said the commander, as he pencilled a note,
+which he tore out of his memorandum book, and sent it by Punch to Dr.
+Davidson.
+
+"Mr. Vapoor brought me a piece of news, Captain," continued Christy.
+"Uncle Homer Passford is on board of the Tallahatchie."
+
+"Your uncle!" exclaimed the commander. "I supposed he was still on
+parole at the house of your father."
+
+"I did not know to the contrary myself, for I have had no letter from my
+father for a long time. He and Captain Rombold must have been exchanged
+some time ago. Mr. Vapoor says my uncle looks pale and thin, as though
+he had recently been very sick."
+
+"I am very sorry for him, for he was the equal of your father in every
+respect, except his loyalty to his true country," added the captain.
+
+"Poor Uncle Homer!" exclaimed Christy, as he wiped a tear from his eye.
+"He was the guest of Captain Rombold; but he has been turned out of his
+cabin to make room for the wounded."
+
+"Dr. Linscott with his two mates has gone to the assistance of Dr.
+Davidson, whose hands are more than full, and perhaps he will see your
+uncle. Where is he now?" inquired the captain.
+
+"Mr. Vapoor saw him on the deck, but he did not speak to him, for Uncle
+Homer avoided him. The ward room of the prize has at least two wounded
+officers in it, and I don't know how many more, so that my poor uncle
+has no place to lay his head if he is sick," said Christy, full of
+sympathy for his father's brother.
+
+"That will never do!" exclaimed the commander bruskly. "He shall have a
+place to lay his head, sick or well. Captain Rombold occupies one of the
+staterooms in my cabin, and your uncle shall have the other."
+
+"But where will you berth, captain?" demanded Christy.
+
+"No matter where! I will go and find your uncle at once;" and Christy
+saw him next mounting the gangway steps.
+
+The commander had no difficulty in finding the gentleman he sought; for
+he was wandering about the deck of the prize, and no one seemed to take
+any notice of him. He had been the honored guest of Captain Rombold,
+though he had hardly shown himself on deck since the steamer left
+Mobile, and few of the ship's company seemed to know who he was.
+
+"Good-morning, Colonel Passford," said Captain Breaker, as he confronted
+him in the midst of the ruins of the spare wheel, the wrecks of the
+mizzen mast, and the bulwarks on the quarterdeck.
+
+"Good-morning, Captain Breaker," replied the planter, taking the offered
+hand of the commander, with a feeble effort to smile. "Of course I knew
+that you were near, for you have given abundant proofs of your presence
+on board of this vessel."
+
+"But we meet now as friends, and not as enemies. I know that you have
+done your duty to your country as you understand it, and I have done the
+same," continued the commander, still holding the hand of the colonel.
+
+"You have been very kind to Captain Rombold, Gill informs me, and"--
+
+"He set the example for me, and I have striven to follow it," interposed
+the captain. "But his generosity was first exercised in behalf of your
+nephew, Christy."
+
+"The steward informed me that Christy had been wounded; and Captain
+Rombold assured me that the Tallahatchie was captured in consequence of
+a very daring act on the part of my nephew," added the planter.
+
+"I should not state it quite so strongly as that, though his action
+certainly enabled us to capture the ship sooner, and with less loss on
+our part than would otherwise have been the case. As to the ultimate
+result of the battle, Captain Rombold and myself would disagree. But
+with your assent, Colonel Passford, I think we had better cease to
+discuss the action, which is now an event of the past. I am informed
+that you have been compelled to leave the captain's cabin."
+
+"And I cannot find a resting place in the ward room or steerage," added
+the planter.
+
+"I have come on board of the prize to invite you to share my cabin with
+Captain Rombold, for I have two staterooms," said Captain Breaker,
+suddenly changing the subject of conversation.
+
+"You are very kind, my dear sir; but your arrangement would incommode
+yourself," suggested the colonel.
+
+"My cabin is quite large, and I shall be able to make ample
+accommodations for myself," persisted the commander, as he took the arm
+of the planter. "Permit me to conduct you to your new quarters."
+
+"As I am once more a prisoner"--
+
+"Hardly," interposed the captain, as he led the planter to the gangway,
+"I shall regard you as a non-combatant, at least for the present; and I
+desire only to make you comfortable. The flag-officer must decide upon
+your status."
+
+Colonel Passford allowed himself to be conducted to the deck of the
+Bellevite; and he was no stranger on board of the ship, for when she
+was a yacht he had made several excursions in her in company with his
+family. The first person he observed was his nephew, seated in his
+arm-chair where he could overlook all that took place on the deck. He
+hastened to him, detaching his arm from the hand of the captain, and
+gave him an affectionate greeting.
+
+"I was very sorry to learn that you were wounded, Christy," said he,
+holding the right hand of the young officer.
+
+"Not badly wounded, Uncle Homer," replied Christy. "I hope you are
+well."
+
+"I am not very well, though I do not call myself sick. Have you heard
+from your father lately, Christy?" asked his uncle.
+
+"Not for a long time, for no store-ship or other vessel has come to our
+squadron for several months, though we are waiting for a vessel at the
+present time. You look very pale and thin, Uncle Homer."
+
+"Perhaps I look worse than I feel," replied the planter with a faint
+smile. "But I have suffered a great deal of anxiety lately."
+
+"Excuse me, Colonel Passford, but if you will allow me to install you in
+your stateroom, you will have abundance of time to talk with your nephew
+afterwards," interposed Captain Breaker, who was very busy.
+
+"Certainly, Captain; pardon me for detaining you. I am a prisoner,
+and I shall need my trunk, which is in my stateroom on board of the
+Tallahatchie. Gill will bring it on board if you send word to him to do
+so," replied the colonel.
+
+He followed the captain to his cabin. The door of the Confederate
+commander's room was open, and the planter exchanged a few words with
+him. He was shown to the other stateroom, and Punch was ordered to do
+all that he could for the comfort of the passenger. Captain Breaker
+spoke a few pleasant words with the wounded commander, and then hastened
+on deck.
+
+Mr. Ballard, the second lieutenant, had again been duly installed as
+temporary executive officer; Mr. Walbrook had been moved up, and Mr.
+Bostwick, master, had become third lieutenant. As usual, the engineers
+were Englishmen, who had come over in the Trafalgar, as well as the
+greater part of the crew, though the other officers were Southern
+gentlemen who had "retired" from the United States Navy. The foreigners
+were willing to remain in the engine room, and promised to do their duty
+faithfully as long as their wages were paid; but Leon Bolter, the first
+assistant engineer of the Bellevite, was sent on board of the prize to
+insure their fidelity.
+
+Ensigns Palmer Drake and Richard Leyton, who were serving on board of
+the steamer while waiting for positions, were sent to the Tallahatchie,
+the first named as prizemaster, and the other as his first officer, with
+a prize crew of twenty men, and the two steamers got under way.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+A VERY MELANCHOLY CONFEDERATE
+
+
+Notwithstanding his military title, Colonel Homer Passford was not a
+soldier, though he had once been a sort of honorary head of a regiment
+of militia. His brother, Captain Horatio Passford, Christy's father, was
+a millionaire in the tenth degree. More than twenty years before the war
+he had assisted Homer to all the money he required to buy a plantation
+in Alabama, near Mobile, where he had prospered exceedingly, though his
+possessions had never been a tenth part of those of his wealthy brother.
+
+Homer had married in the South, and was the father of a son and
+daughter, now approaching their maturity, and Corny, the son, was a
+soldier in the Confederate army. The most affectionate relations had
+always subsisted between the two families; and before the war the
+Bellevite had always visited Glenfield, the plantation of the colonel,
+at least twice a year.
+
+Florry Passford, the captain's daughter, being somewhat out of health,
+had passed the winter before the beginning of the war at Glenfield, and
+was there when the enemy's guns opened upon Fort Sumter. Captain
+Passford had not supposed that his brother in Alabama would take part
+with the South in the Rebellion, and with great difficulty and risk he
+had gone to Glenfield in the Bellevite, for the purpose of conveying his
+daughter to his home at Bonnydale on the Hudson, not doubting that Homer
+and his family would be his passengers on the return to the North.
+
+He was entirely mistaken in regard to the political sentiments of the
+colonel, and found that he was one of the most devoted and determined
+advocates of the Southern cause. The southern brother did not conceal
+his opinions, and it was plain enough to the captain that he was
+entirely sincere, and believed with all his mind, heart, and soul, that
+it was his religious, moral, and social duty to espouse what he called
+his country's cause; and he had done so with all his influence and his
+fortune. He had even gone so far in his devotion to his duty as he
+understood it, as to attempt to hand over the Bellevite, though she was
+not in Mobile Bay on a warlike mission, to the new government of the
+South, and had taken part personally in an expedition extended to
+capture her.
+
+The steam-yacht had been armed at the Bermudas, and fought her way out
+of the bay; and on her return to New York her owner presented her to the
+Government of the United States. She had done good service, and Christy
+had begun his brilliant career as a naval officer in the capacity of a
+midshipman on board of her. In spite of the hostile political attitude
+of the brothers to each other, the same affectionate relations had
+continued between the two families, for each of them believed that
+social and family ties should not interfere with his patriotic duty to
+his country.
+
+The commander of the Confederate forces at Hilton Head--one of the
+highest-toned and most estimable gentlemen one could find in the North
+or the South--informed the author that his own brother was in command of
+one of the Federal ships that were bombarding his works. While Commodore
+Wilkes, of Mason and Slidell memory, was capturing the Southern
+representatives who had to be given up, his son was in the Confederate
+navy, and then or later was casting guns at Charlotte for the use of
+the South: and the writer never met a more reasonable and kindly man.
+Fortunately our two brothers were not called upon to confront each other
+as foes on the battlefield or on the sea, though both of them would have
+done their duty in such positions.
+
+The last time Christy had seen his Uncle Homer was when he was captured
+on board of the Dornoch with Captain Rombold, as he was endeavoring to
+obtain a passage to England as a Confederate agent for the purchase of
+suitable vessels to prey upon the mercantile marine of the United
+States. He and the commander of the Tallahatchie had been exchanged
+at about the same time; and they had proceeded to Nassau, where they
+embarked for England in a cotton steamer. There they had purchased
+and fitted out the Trafalgar; for the agent's drafts, in which the last
+of his fortune had been absorbed, could not be made available to his
+captors. Colonel Passford had an interview with Captain Rombold after
+Gill had brought his trunk on board; and it was a very sad occasion
+to the planter, if not to the naval officer. They had not had an
+opportunity to consider the disaster that had overtaken the Confederate
+steamer, which had promised such favorable results for their cause; for
+the commander had been entirely occupied till he received his wound, and
+even then he had attended to his duties, for, as before suggested, he
+was a "last ditch" man. He was not fighting for the South as a mere
+hireling; for he had married a Southern wife, and she had enlisted all
+his sympathies in the cause of her people.
+
+"I suppose we have nothing more to hope for, Captain Rombold; and we
+can only put our trust in the All-Wise and the All-Powerful, who never
+forsakes his children when they are fighting for right and justice,"
+said Colonel Passford, after he had condoled with the commander on his
+wounded condition.
+
+"We shall come out all right in the end, Colonel; don't be so cast
+down," replied the captain.
+
+"I raised the money by mortgaging my plantation and what other
+property I had left for all the money I could get upon it to a wealthy
+Englishman, the one who came to Mobile with us from Nassau, to obtain
+the cargoes for this steamer. I had borrowed all I could before that for
+the purchase of the Trafalgar; and if the current does not change in our
+favor soon, I shall be a beggar," added the colonel bitterly.
+
+"The tide will turn, my good friend; and it would have turned before now
+if all the planters had been as self-sacrificing as you have," said the
+captain.
+
+"Cotton and gold are about the same thing just now; and with the
+large cargo on board of the West Wind, which I induced my friends to
+contribute to the good cause, and that in the hold of the Tallahatchie,
+I was confident that I could purchase the Kilmarnock, which you say is
+good for eighteen knots an hour. Now the West Wind and the Tallahatchie
+are both prizes of the enemy, and there is no present hope for us,"
+continued the colonel; and there was no wonder that he had become pale
+and thin.
+
+"We are in a bad situation, Colonel Passford, I admit, for both of us
+are prisoners of war, so that we can do nothing, even if we had the
+means; but everything will come out right in the end," replied the
+wounded officer, though he could not explain in what manner this result
+was to be achieved.
+
+"Well, Captain Rombold, how are you feeling?" asked Dr. Linscott,
+darkening the door when the conversation had reached this gloomy point.
+
+"Very comfortable, Doctor," replied the commander. "My friend is Colonel
+Passford."
+
+"Bless me!" exclaimed the surgeon, as he extended his hand to the
+visitor. "I am very glad to see you, and I hope you are very well. I am
+happy to inform you that your nephew, who was wounded in the engagement,
+is doing very well."
+
+"Yes; I met him on deck," replied the planter very gloomily.
+
+"What is the matter, Colonel Passford? You look quite pale, and you have
+lost flesh since I met you last. Can I do anything for you?"
+
+"Nothing, Doctor; I am not very well, though nothing in particular
+ails me. With your permission I will retire to my stateroom," said the
+colonel, as he rose from his seat.
+
+"By the way, Colonel Passford, the captain wished me to ascertain if you
+have been to breakfast," added the surgeon, following him out into the
+cabin.
+
+"I have not, Doctor; but it was because I wanted none, for I do not feel
+like eating," replied the pale planter.
+
+"Punch, go to the galley, get a beefsteak, a plate of toast, and a cup
+of coffee. Set out the captain's table, and call this gentleman when it
+is ready."
+
+"Yes, sir," replied Punch, who was a very genteel colored person.
+
+The colonel attempted to protest, but the surgeon would not hear him.
+He remained with the planter, whom he already regarded as a patient, and
+though he could not say anything to comfort him, he talked him into a
+pleasanter frame of mind. Punch set the table, and in due time brought
+the breakfast. The doctor sat down opposite to him at the table, and
+actually compelled him to eat a tolerably hearty meal. He was decidedly
+less gloomy when he had finished, and it was plain to his companion that
+his empty stomach was responsible for a portion of his depression of
+spirits.
+
+The surgeon had remained on board of the prize till the order to get
+under way was given, and then Captain Breaker sent for him; but the
+two medical gentlemen had disposed of most of the wounds among the
+Confederate crew. As the English engineer had reported, the machinery
+and boilers of the Tallahatchie were in good condition, and the two
+steamers went on their course towards the entrance to Mobile Bay, where
+French had been ordered to anchor the West Wind, at full speed, though
+neither was driven; but the log showed that they were making about
+eighteen knots.
+
+After the brief talk with his uncle, Christy had waited for him to
+return to the deck, as he supposed he would after what the captain had
+said to him; but he did not appear. In fact, Colonel Passford was too
+much cast down by the capture of the two vessels, and the loss of his
+fortune thereby, that he was not disposed to see any person if he could
+avoid it.
+
+"Don't you think you had better turn in, Mr. Passford?" asked the
+commander, as he halted in his walk at the side of the lieutenant.
+
+"I have been waiting here to see my uncle; for I thought, after what you
+said to him, that he would come back," added Christy.
+
+"I sent Dr. Linscott down to see him, for he looks so pale and feeble
+that I thought he must be sick. The surgeon reported to me half an hour
+ago that he had made him eat his breakfast against his will, and he was
+feeling better and more cheerful. He thinks your Uncle Homer's trouble
+is entirely mental, and he does not feel like seeing any person,"
+answered the commander.
+
+"What mental trouble can he have?" asked Christy, as he gazed into the
+face of the captain, wondering if his father's brother was insane.
+
+"The colonel has shipped a vast amount of cotton intending to use the
+proceeds of its sale to purchase ships for the Confederacy; and he has
+lost most of them, for you captured quite a number of them when you
+were in command of the Bronx. I have no doubt he was interested in the
+cargoes of the prize and the West Wind; and the capture of these two
+vessels involves a fearful loss. I believe that is all that ails him,"
+the captain explained. "Doubtless he feels as kindly towards his nephew
+as ever before in his life; but he does not care to see him just now."
+
+Early in the afternoon the Bellevite and her prize came in sight of the
+West Wind, anchored in accordance with French's orders, with the Holyoke
+almost within hail of her; for the captain of the steamer had doubtless
+considered the possibility of a recapture of the schooner by boats from
+the shore, if she was left unprotected.
+
+In due time the Bellevite let go her anchor at about a cable's length
+from the West Wind, and the prize-master of the Tallahatchie had done
+the same at an equal distance from the ship. Mr. Graines, who had not
+met his late associate on shore since he was wounded, came to his side
+as soon as the steamer had anchored; for both Christy and he were
+anxious to hear the report of French in regard to the prisoners left in
+his care.
+
+The anchor of the Bellevite had hardly caught in the sand before a boat
+put off from the West Wind containing four persons. Two of the ship's
+seamen were at the oars, French was in the stern sheets, and the
+engineer soon recognized Captain Sullendine as the fourth person.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+CAPTAIN SULLENDINE BECOMES VIOLENT
+
+
+French ascended the gangway followed by Captain Sullendine. The seaman
+who had acted as prize-master of the West Wind touched his cap very
+respectfully to the first officer he met when he came on board. Christy
+had asked the chief engineer to send Mr. Graines to him, and he was
+talking to him about the prize and the chief prisoner when French
+presented himself before them.
+
+"I have come on board to report, sir," said the prize-master of the West
+Wind.
+
+"Is all well on board, French?" asked the wounded lieutenant.
+
+"All well now, sir," replied the seaman, with a suggestive emphasis on
+the last word. "I am very sorry to learn that you have been wounded, Mr.
+Passford."
+
+"Not severely, French," replied Christy. "I am ready to hear your
+report."
+
+"I have something to say about this business, Jerry Sandman," interposed
+the captain of the West Wind, whose wrath had suddenly got the better of
+his judgment, interlarding his brief remark with a couple of ringing
+oaths.
+
+"I will hear the prize-master first," replied Christy very quietly.
+
+The discomfited master of the schooner called down a shocking
+malediction upon the prize-master just as Captain Breaker presented
+himself before the group assembled at the arm-chair of the lieutenant,
+and had heard the last oaths of the angry man.
+
+"Who is this man, Mr. Passford?" asked the commander.
+
+"I'll let you know who I am!" exclaimed Captain Sullendine, with another
+couplet of oaths.
+
+"I do not permit any profane language on the deck of this ship," said
+Captain Breaker. "Pass the word for the master-at-arms," he added to the
+nearest officer.
+
+"Oh, you are the cap'n of this hooker," added the master of the West
+Wind, this time without any expletives. "I have somethin' to say to you,
+Cap'n, and I want to complain of your officers."
+
+"When you have learned how to behave yourself, I will hear you," replied
+the commander, as the master-at-arms, who is the chief of police on
+board a ship of war, presented himself, touching his cap to the supreme
+authority of the steamer. "What is the trouble here, Mr. Passford?"
+asked Captain Breaker in a very gentle tone, in contrast with the quiet
+sternness with which he had spoken to Captain Sullendine.
+
+"No trouble at all, sir; I was about to hear the report of French, the
+prize-master of the schooner, when the captain of her interfered,"
+replied Christy.
+
+"My story comes in before the prize-master's, as you call him, though he
+ain't nothin' but a common sailor," interposed Captain Sullendine again.
+
+"Will you be silent?" demanded the commander.
+
+"No, I will not! This is an outrage!" stormed the captain of the West
+Wind, with a liberal spicing of oaths in his speech.
+
+"Put this man in irons, master-at-arms, and commit him to the brig,"
+added Captain Breaker.
+
+The petty officer called upon the ship's corporal, whom he had brought
+with him, and placed his hand on the arm of the rebellious master, who
+showed fight. A couple of seamen were called to assist the police force,
+and Captain Sullendine was dragged below with his wrists ironed behind
+him.
+
+"Now you can proceed, French," said the captain.
+
+"When I left you, all was quiet on board of the West Wind," added
+Christy, beginning to make a slight explanation for the benefit of the
+commander. "Captain Sullendine was very drunk, asleep in his berth, with
+the door of his stateroom securely fastened upon him. Bokes the seaman
+and Sopsy the cook were in the same condition. Go on, French."
+
+"I picked up the boat you set adrift, Mr. Passford, and then headed for
+the eastward of Sand Island lighthouse, where you ordered me to anchor.
+The Holyoke followed the schooner, and came to anchor near the West
+Wind. She sent a boat on board, and I told my story to the second
+lieutenant. We did not need any assistance, and he left us.
+
+  [Illustration: "Captain Sullendine was dragged below." Page 238.]
+
+"About four bells in the forenoon watch I heard a tremendous racket in
+the cabin, and I went below. Captain Sullendine was doing his best to
+break down the door of his stateroom, cursing hard enough to make the
+blood of a Christian run cold. But he had nothing to work with, and I
+let him kick and pound till he got tired of it. I put Vogel in the cabin
+to keep watch of him, and went on deck.
+
+"He kept it up for half an hour or more, and then he seemed to have
+enough of it. Vogel came on deck and told me the prisoner was very
+humble then, and wanted to come out. I knew you did not mean that I
+should starve him, and I made Sopsy put his breakfast on the table in
+the cabin; but I did not do so till I had locked the liquor closet and
+put the key in my pocket.
+
+"I let him out then, and his first move was to get at his whiskey; but
+the door was locked. He begged like a child for a drink; but I did not
+give him a drop. Sopsy and Bokes, who were tied up forward, did the
+same; but they did not get any. Captain Sullendine ate his breakfast,
+and I told him his vessel was a prize to the United States steamer
+Bellevite. Then he was so furious that we had to shut him up in his
+stateroom again.
+
+"After a while he promised to behave himself, and I let him out again.
+He declared that his vessel was not a legal prize, and got off a lot of
+stuff that I did not take any notice of. He wanted to make a protest to
+the commander of the Bellevite, and when he promised to behave like a
+gentleman, I let him come on board with me."
+
+"You acted with very good judgment, French, and Mr. Passford has already
+commended your good conduct in the expedition last night," said the
+commander.
+
+"Thank you, sir," replied the prize-master, touching his cap, and
+backing away without another word.
+
+"Loring," called the captain to the master-at-arms, who had just
+returned to the quarter-deck, or as near it as etiquette permitted him
+to go. "How is your prisoner?"
+
+"He broke down completely after he had been in the brig a few minutes,
+and promised to behave like a gentleman if the commander would hear
+him."
+
+"Bring him to the quarter-deck," added the captain.
+
+In a few minutes, the ship's corporal conducted him into the presence
+of the commander. He began with a very lame apology for his previous
+conduct, and then declared that he was the victim of a "Yankee trick,"
+and that the West Wind had not been fairly captured.
+
+"Your officers imposed upon me," he continued. "Mr. Balker and Jerry
+Sandman"--
+
+"Who are they?" inquired Captain Breaker, interrupting him.
+
+"I was Mr. Balker, engaged as mate of the West Wind, selected for that
+position by Mr. Passford, while the lieutenant was Jerry Sandman, second
+mate, which he chose to be himself so that he could be with the men,"
+interposed Mr. Graines.
+
+"I did not know what their names was, and I reckoned all was honest
+and square. These men, whoever they were, got me drunk, and got drunk
+themselves; and while I was taking a nap, waiting for the steamer to get
+under way, they fastened me into my stateroom so I couldn't get out."
+
+"I went through the forms, but I did not take a drop of liquor into my
+mouth," said Christy.
+
+"I did not take more than a tablespoonful both on board and at the camp
+of the runaways," added Mr. Graines.
+
+"Then you cheated me more'n I thought."
+
+"Is this all the complaint you have to make, Captain Sullendine?" asked
+Captain Breaker, turning to the master of the West Wind.
+
+"I reckon that's enough!" protested the complainant. "I say it was not
+a fair capture, and you ought to send my vessel back to Mobile Point,
+where your officers found her."
+
+"I shall not do that, but I will compromise the matter by sending you to
+Mobile Point, as I have no further use for you," replied the commander.
+"You are a non-combatant, and not a prisoner of war."
+
+French was ordered to leave Captain Sullendine, Bokes, and Sopsy at the
+shore where the whaleboat had made a landing, as soon as it was dark.
+For some reason not apparent, the master of the West Wind protested
+against this sentence; but no attention was given to his protest. The
+commander was confident that he had evidence enough to secure the
+condemnation of the prize, and he regarded such an unreasonable fellow
+as her late captain as a nuisance. That night the order in regard to him
+and his companions were carried out.
+
+Captain Breaker asked some questions in regard to French, which Christy
+and Mr. Graines were able to answer. He was one of those men, of whom
+there were thousands in the army and navy who had become soldiers and
+sailors purely from patriotic duty, and at the sacrifice of brighter
+present prospects. French had been the mate of a large coaster, whose
+captain had become an ensign in the navy, and he might have had the
+command of her if he had not shipped as an able seaman in the same
+service.
+
+He understood navigation, and had been the second mate of an Indiaman.
+The commander said nothing when he had learned all he could about the
+prize-master; but it was evident that he had something in view which
+might be of interest to the subject of his inquiries. He turned his
+attention to the condition of his first lieutenant then, asking about
+his arm.
+
+"It does not feel quite so easy as it did," replied Christy, who had
+been suffering some pain from his wound for the last two hours, though
+he was so interested in the proceedings on board, and especially in the
+report from the West Wind, that he had not been willing to retire to his
+stateroom.
+
+"Then you must turn in at once, Mr. Passford," said the commander, with
+more energy than he had spoken to the lieutenant before. "I am afraid
+you have delayed it too long."
+
+"I think not, sir." replied the wounded officer.
+
+"Mr. Graines shall go with you and assist you," added the captain.
+"I will send Dr. Linscott to you as soon as you get into your berth."
+
+Christy had been sitting so long that he was quite stiff when he
+attempted to get out of his chair, and the engineer assisted him. He
+was still very weak, and Mr. Graines supported him, though he presently
+recovered himself. The ship's company, by this time relieved of all
+heavy work, had been observing him with affectionate admiration, and
+rehearsing the daring exploit in which he had received his wound, gave
+three rousing cheers as he rose to leave the quarter-deck.
+
+Christy turned his pale face towards them, raised his cap, and bowed to
+them. Another cheer followed, and then another. The men knew that his
+prompt action in mounting the mizzen rigging, boarding the Tallahatchie,
+and firing the thirty-pounder after he had reversed its position, had
+saved the lives or limbs of a great number of them, and they were
+extremely grateful to him.
+
+With the assistance of his friend the engineer, Christy was soon between
+the sheets in his berth. Dr. Linscott came in as soon as he was in his
+bed, spoke very tenderly to him, and then proceeded to dress his injured
+arm. He found the member was somewhat swollen, and the patient's pulse
+indicated some fever.
+
+"I must send you home, Mr. Passford," said the surgeon. "You are the
+hero of the day, you have earned a vacation, and you will need your
+mother's care for the next three weeks."
+
+In spite of Christy's protest, the doctor insisted, and left him.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII
+
+THE DISPOSITION OF THE TWO PRIZES
+
+
+The surgeon reported the condition of the first lieutenant to the
+commander at once, and a long conversation between them followed.
+Devoted as Captain Breaker was to his executive officer, and filled with
+admiration as he was for the gallant exploit of that day, he was not
+willing to do anything that could be fairly interpreted as favoritism
+towards the son of Captain Passford. The summer weather of the South was
+coming on, and the heat was already oppressive, even on board of the
+ships of war at anchor so much of the time on the blockade, and this was
+the strong point of the doctor in caring for his patient.
+
+Dr. Linscott was very earnest in insisting upon his point; and the
+commander yielded, for he could hardly do otherwise in the face of the
+surgeon's recommendation, for the latter was the responsible person. The
+next morning, after the wounded officer had passed a feverish night,
+Captain Breaker visited him in his stateroom, and announced the
+decision. Christy began to fight against it.
+
+"I am not so badly off as many officers who have been treated in the
+hospital down here; and if I am sent home it will be regarded as
+favoritism to the son of my father," protested the lieutenant.
+
+"You are too sensitive, my dear boy, as you have always been; and you
+are entirely mistaken. You have earned a furlough if you choose to ask
+for it, and every officer and seaman who has served with you would say
+so," argued the captain. "I shall insert in my report, with other matter
+concerning you, Christy, that you were sent home on the certificate of
+the surgeon; and even an unreasonable person cannot call it favoritism."
+
+"I don't know," added Christy, shaking his head.
+
+"I know, my boy. Merciful Heaven!" exclaimed Captain Breaker. "You did
+enough yesterday to entitle you to any favor it is possible for the
+department to extend to you. You saved the lives of a quarter or a third
+of the ship's company. But it was not simply a brave and daring exploit,
+my boy, though even that would entitle you to the fullest commendation;
+but it included sound judgment on the instant, lightning invention, and
+consummately skilful action;" and the commander became positively
+eloquent as he proceeded.
+
+"Come, come, Captain Breaker! You are piling it on altogether too
+thick," cried Christy, overwhelmed by the torrent of praise. "I only did
+what I could not help doing."
+
+"No matter if you did; it was the right thing to do, and it was done at
+precisely the right instant. A moment's delay would have brought the
+whole force of the enemy down upon you. It was absolutely wonderful how
+you got that gun off in such a short space of time. I report Captain
+Rombold's words to you."
+
+"He is a magnanimous gentleman," said Christy.
+
+"He says, too, that a dozen muskets and revolvers were discharged at
+you, and it is a miracle that only one bullet struck you."
+
+"I found a bullet-hole in my cap, and two more in the skirt of my coat,"
+added the patient with a smile, as he pointed to his coat and cap.
+
+"But we are off the subject; and I was only trying to show that you are
+entitled to a furlough," said the commander; but the discussion was
+continued for some time longer, though Christy consented to be sent home
+in the end.
+
+The thought of going to Bonnydale was exceedingly pleasant to him, and
+he allowed his mind to dwell upon each member of the family, and to
+picture in his imagination the greeting they would all give him. Not to
+the members of his family alone did he confine his thoughts; for they
+included the beautiful Bertha Pembroke, whom, with her father, he had
+taken from the cabin of a cotton steamer he had captured. He concluded
+that the surgeon's certificate would shield him from adverse criticism,
+after he had fully considered the matter.
+
+The flag-officer of the Eastern Gulf Squadron was not off Mobile Point;
+and Captain Breaker, as the senior officer present, was obliged to
+dispose of his prizes himself. Some necessary repairs had to be made
+upon both ships before anything could be done; and the carpenter and his
+gang, with all the other seamen who could handle an axe or an adze, were
+hurrying forward the work. The prize had lost her mizzen mast, her
+steering gear had been knocked to pieces both forward and aft, she had
+been riddled in a dozen places, and shot-holes in the hull had been
+hastily plugged during the action.
+
+Her Armstrong gun amidships had been disabled by Blumenhoff at his first
+fire. Christy had not found the opportunity to examine this piece, as he
+desired; but Mr. Graines had done so for him; and it was found that the
+gun carriage had been knocked into a shapeless mass so that it could not
+be put in condition for use. The machinists from the engine room of both
+vessels, for those of the Tallahatchie had no feeling on the subject,
+were restoring the steering apparatus, and were likely to have the work
+completed the next day.
+
+Captain Breaker was in great doubt as to what he ought to do with
+Colonel Passford. He was certainly a non-combatant; and it could not be
+shown that he had any mission to Nassau or elsewhere in the service of
+the Confederacy, though it would have been otherwise if the steamer and
+the West Wind had not been captures, for he was to sell the cotton in
+England, and purchase a steamer with the proceeds; but his mission ended
+with the loss of the vessels. He finally decided to send him to Fort
+Morgan under a flag of truce.
+
+Before he left he called upon his nephew. He was still in a state
+of despondency over his own losses, and his failures to benefit the
+Confederacy, whose loss he counted as greater than his own. He stated
+that the commander had announced his intention to send him on shore.
+Christy had seen him but for a moment, for his uncle had not desired to
+meet him again.
+
+"We will not talk about the war, Uncle Homer," said Christy. "How are
+Aunt Lydia, Corny, and Gerty? I hope they are all very well."
+
+"Your aunt is not very well, for the hardships of the war have worn upon
+her. Except Uncle Jerry and Aunty Chloe, the cook, all our negroes have
+left us, or been taken by the government to work on fortifications, and
+my wife and Gerty have to do most of the housework," replied Uncle Homer
+very gloomily; and it was plain to Christy that the mansion at Glenfield
+was not what it had been in former years.
+
+"How is Corny? I have not heard from him lately."
+
+"Corny is now a captain in the Army of Virginia, and is doing his duty
+like a man," answered the colonel proudly; and this fact seemed to be
+almost the only pleasant feature of his experience. "We have been called
+upon to endure a great many hardships; but we still feel that the God of
+justice will give us the victory in the end, and we try to bear our
+burdens with resignation. The captain informs me that you are going
+home, Christy."
+
+"The surgeon has ordered me to the North on account of the heat in this
+locality."
+
+"I learned in Nassau as well as when I was at Bonnydale, that your
+father holds a very prominent and influential position among your
+people, and your advancement seems to be made sure," added the planter.
+
+"He has never held any office under the United States government, and
+I hope I do not owe my advancement to him; and he has often assured me
+that he never asked for my promotion or appointment," said Christy.
+
+"You have been of very great service to your government, as I know to my
+sorrow, and I have no doubt you deserved whatever promotion you have
+obtained," added the colonel, observing that he had touched his nephew
+in a very tender spot. "But I suppose the boat is waiting for me, and I
+must bid you good-by. Remember me in the kindliest manner to your father
+and mother, and to Miss Florry. They were all as good to me when I was
+on parole at Bonnydale as though no war had ever divided us."
+
+The colonel took Christy by the hand, and betrayed no little emotion
+as they parted. The lieutenant realized that his uncle was suffering
+severely under the hardships and anxieties of the war, and he was
+profoundly sorry for him, though he uttered no complaint. Both on his
+own account and on that of the Confederacy, he had shipped several
+cargoes of cotton to Nassau to be sent from there to England; but every
+one of them had been captured, most of them by his nephew while in
+command of the Bronx. But he was still confident that the Confederacy
+would triumph.
+
+Colonel Passford had been sent to the fort under a flag of truce, and
+had been received by the commandant. In a couple of days the repairs of
+both ships had been completed. Captain Rombold, though his wound was
+quite severe, was getting along very well. Captain Breaker had completed
+his arrangements for the disposal of the prizes and prisoners; and it
+became necessary to remove the wounded commander to the cabin of the
+Tallahatchie, to which he did not object, for the wounded in his cabin
+had been placed in a temporary hospital between decks. He was permitted
+to occupy the stateroom he had used while in command, while the other
+was reserved for the prize-master.
+
+Ensign Palmer Drake, the senior of the two officers waiting
+appointments, was made prize-master of the Tallahatchie, for he had
+proved to be an able and brave man in the recent action. Mr. Ballard
+became executive officer of the Bellevite, and Mr. Walbrook the second
+lieutenant, while the place of the third was filled by Mr. Bostwick, who
+had been master. French was appointed prize-master of the West Wind,
+with a crew of five men, as she was to be towed by the prize steamer.
+
+It was found that the Tallahatchie had gone into the action with
+ninety-five men, including the forward officers. More than one-third of
+them had been killed or disabled, without counting those who were still
+able to keep the deck and sleep in their hammocks. Fifty of them were
+in condition to do duty; and Captain Breaker did not consider it prudent
+to send so many prisoners to the North in the prize. He therefore sent
+forty of them to Key West in the Holyoke, assured that the Bellevite was
+abundantly able to maintain the blockade, even with her reduced ship's
+company, during the absence of his consort.
+
+The engineers of the prize were willing to continue their services at
+the expense of their new employer, or even to accept permanent
+appointments; for they did not belong to the upper classes in England
+who favored the cause of the Confederacy, and were only looking for the
+highest wages. Weeks, the oiler, and Bingham, a boatswain's mate, were
+appointed first and second officers of the Tallahatchie, and twenty
+seamen were detailed as a prize crew. To insure the fidelity of the four
+foreign engineers Mr. Graines was sent as a sort of supervisor, with the
+knowledge and assent of those in actual charge of the machinery.
+
+When all was ready for her departure, Christy went on board of the
+Tallahatchie in the same boat with the engineer, after a rather sad
+parting with the captain and his fellow-officers, and amid the cheers of
+the seamen, who had mounted the rail and the rigging to see him off. Mr.
+Drake conducted him to the captain's cabin when he went on board of the
+prize, where he met Captain Rombold, with whom he exchanged friendly
+greetings.
+
+"Fellow passengers again, Mr. Passford; but you are going to your
+reward, and I to my punishment," said the late commander very
+cheerfully.
+
+"Hardly to my reward, for I neither desire nor expect any further
+promotion," replied Christy. "I am not yet twenty years old."
+
+"But God makes some fully-developed men before they are twenty-one, and
+you are one of them."
+
+"Thank you, Captain."
+
+"I am willing to wager the salary I have lost that you will be promoted
+whether you desire it or not."
+
+"I hope not," replied the lieutenant, as he went to the temporary
+stateroom which had been prepared for him.
+
+The apartment was much larger than the permanent ones, and it was
+provided with everything that could contribute to his comfort. While Mr.
+Graines was assisting him to arrange his baggage, the steamer got under
+way.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII
+
+THE WELCOME HOME AT BONNYDALE
+
+
+Even with the West Wind in tow, the Tallahatchie could make fifteen
+knots an hour; for the sea was smooth, with every prospect of continued
+fine weather. Dr. Davidson was a prisoner of war, but he remained on
+board in charge of the wounded of both sides. He was very devoted to
+Christy, and dressed his wound every morning as tenderly as his mother
+could have done it. He was a gentleman in the highest sense of the word,
+and belonged to one of the best families in the South.
+
+Captain Rombold was a very agreeable person; and most of the
+conversation in the cabin was carried on in French, for the commander
+was delighted when he could obtain an opportunity to practise the
+language, and Dr. Davidson spoke it as fluently as a Frenchman, though
+Captain Drake was unable to understand a word of it. If one had looked
+in upon them he would have supposed they were enjoying a yachting
+excursion, and could not have told who were prisoners and who were not.
+
+The two wounded officers passed a portion of every day on deck, and the
+time slipped away very pleasantly. Mr. Graines spent much of his days
+and some of his nights in the engine-room, and was on the best of terms
+with the English engineers; but he could discover no signs of treachery
+on their part. The prisoners forward were well treated and well cared
+for, and they made no trouble.
+
+The ship made a quick passage to New York, and went into the harbor
+with the American flag flying over the Confederate; but this was not an
+uncommon sight, and it did not attract much attention. The pilot brought
+a file of newspapers, and the lieutenant learned that Grant was still
+"hammering away" at the Confederate forces in Virginia, though without
+any decided success. The ship came to anchor at the navy yard, and
+Captain Drake reported to the commandant.
+
+Lieutenant Passford was well known there, though the intelligence of his
+latest achievement had not yet reached there. Christy had written out
+his report of the expedition to Mobile Point, and Captain Drake brought
+that of Captain Breaker of the action with the Tallahatchie. The
+lieutenant had no official duty to perform, and he was at liberty to go
+where he pleased. He procured leave of absence for Mr. Graines; for he
+was himself still on fever diet, and was rather weak so that he needed
+his assistance.
+
+"Home again, Charley!" exclaimed Christy, when they had landed at the
+navy yard.
+
+"That's so, and my folks at home will not expect to see me," replied the
+engineer.
+
+"Neither will any one at Bonnydale anticipate a visit from me," added
+Christy. "We know all about the sharp action of the Bellevite with the
+Tallahatchie; but no one in these parts can have heard a word about it.
+Now, Charley, see if you can find a carriage for me;" and the wounded
+officer went into an office to wait for it.
+
+The uniform of the messenger carried him past all sentinels; and in half
+an hour he returned in a carriage, which was permitted to enter the yard
+on Mr. Graines's statement of its intended use. Christy was assisted
+into it. "Wall Street Ferry," said the lieutenant to the driver.
+
+"Why do you go there?" asked the engineer. "You wish to go to the
+railroad station, do you not?"
+
+"I want to find my father if I can, and I think he must be in the city,"
+replied Christy, as he gave his companion the location of the office
+where he did his business with the government, though he made frequent
+visits to Washington for consultation with the officials of the Navy
+Department.
+
+The carriage was retained, and in another hour they reached the office.
+Captain Passford was not there; he had gone to Washington three days
+before, and no one knew when he would return. Christy was prepared for
+this disappointment, and he had arranged in his mind the wording of
+a telegraphic message to his father. While he was writing it out a
+gentleman came out of the office whom the lieutenant had met before.
+
+"I am delighted to see you, Mr. Passford!" exclaimed the gentleman, who
+was in the uniform of a naval officer, as he extended his hand to the
+visitor. "One of our people informed me that the son of Captain Passford
+was at the door, and I hastened out to see you. Won't you come into the
+office?"
+
+"No, I thank you; I am not very well, for I was wounded in the left arm
+in our last action, and I am sent home by the surgeon on a furlough,"
+replied Christy. "Permit me, Captain Bentwick, to introduce my friend,
+Mr. Graines, third assistant engineer of the Bellevite."
+
+"I am very happy to know you, Mr. Graines," added Captain Bentwick,
+taking his hand. "I am very sorry you are wounded, Mr. Passford. What
+can I do for you?"
+
+"Nothing, I thank you, at present. I am writing a message to send to my
+father. I was just finishing it when you came," replied Christy, as he
+added the finishing words, and passed it to the official.
+
+"'Sent home on furlough, slightly wounded. Wish paroles for Captain
+George Rombold and Dr. Pierre Davidson,'" Captain Bentwick read from the
+paper. "I will have it sent at once from this office. But, Mr. Passford,
+I can parole these officers, and it is not necessary for you to trouble
+your father with such a matter. Who and what are the officers?"
+
+"Captain Rombold was the commander of the Tallahatchie, prize to the
+Bellevite," answered Christy. "When I was in danger of fainting after
+the action on the deck of his ship, he sent for his surgeon, Dr.
+Davidson, though his own wound had not been dressed. Both he and the
+surgeon were extremely kind to me, and I desire to reciprocate their
+good offices by inviting them to my father's house."
+
+"Where are these gentlemen now, Mr. Passford?"
+
+"I left them on board of the prize at the navy yard, sir. I am not sure
+that they will accept parole, for I have not spoken to them about it;
+but I am very anxious to serve them."
+
+"I know what your father would say if he were here, and I will send an
+officer authorized to take their parole to the navy yard at once. I will
+instruct him to represent your desire to them in the strongest terms,
+and if they accept, to conduct them to Bonnydale, for I know you must be
+in a hurry to get there," continued Captain Bentwick, as he shook the
+hands of both officers, and returned to the office.
+
+"That shows what it is to have powerful friends," said Mr. Graines, when
+his companion had directed the driver to the railroad station.
+
+  [Illustration: "Mrs. Passford rushed down the steps." Page 264.]
+
+"I have not asked anything unreasonable, Charley," replied Christy,
+sensitive as usual in regard to influential assistance.
+
+"Certainly not; but if I had asked to have your Confederate friends
+paroled, a thousand yards of red tape would have to be expended before
+it could be done," added the engineer with a laugh.
+
+They reached the station, and discharged the carriage; but they found
+they had to wait two hours for a train to Bonnydale. As it was after
+noon, they went to a hotel for dinner, and passed the time very
+impatiently in waiting for the train. Both of them were burning with the
+desire to see their friends at home; but the train started in due time,
+and they left it at the nearest station to Bonnydale, proceeding there
+in a carriage.
+
+Christy gave the bell a very vigorous pull, and the servant that came to
+the door was a stranger to him. He wished to see Mrs. Passford; and the
+man was about to conduct him to the reception room, when he bolted from
+him.
+
+"Mrs. Passford is engaged just now, sir; but she will be down in a few
+minutes," said the servant, laying his hand on his arm for the purpose
+of detaining him.
+
+"But I cannot wait," returned the lieutenant very decidedly, and he
+shook off the man, and began to ascend the stairs.
+
+An instant later there was a double scream on the floor above, and Mrs.
+Passford rushed down the steps, followed by Florry. Christy retreated to
+the hall, and a moment later he was folded in the arms of his mother and
+sister, both of whom were kissing him at the same time.
+
+"But, my son, your arm is in a sling!" exclaimed Mrs. Passford, falling
+back with an expression of consternation on her face.
+
+"You are wounded, Christy!" cried Florry, as a flood of tears came into
+her eyes.
+
+"Only a scratch, mother; don't be alarmed," protested the lieutenant.
+"It was all nonsense to send me home on a furlough; but it was the
+commander's order, at the recommendation of Dr. Linscott."
+
+"But you are wounded, my son," persisted his mother.
+
+"You have been shot in the arm, Christy," added Florry.
+
+"But I was not shot through the head or the heart; it is not a bit of
+use to make a fuss about it; and Paul Vapoor was not wounded, for he had
+to stay in the engine room during the action, and he is as hearty as a
+buck," rattled the lieutenant, and making his pretty sister blush like a
+fresh rose.
+
+"I am really worried about it, my son. Where is the wound?" asked his
+mother.
+
+"Here, Charley, tell them all about it," called Christy to his
+companion, who had been forgotten in the excitement of the moment.
+
+"Why, Charley Graines!" exclaimed Florry, rushing to him with an
+extended hand. "I did not know you were here."
+
+"I am glad to see you, Charley, especially as you have been a friend and
+associate of my son, as you were before the war," added Mrs. Passford.
+
+"I am very glad to see you, Mrs. Passford and Miss Passford," said he,
+bowing to both of them. "I have been on duty recently with Christy, and
+I have been looking out for him on the voyage home."
+
+"Charley has been a brother to me, and done everything under the canopy
+for me. I am somewhat fatigued just now," added the lieutenant, as he
+seated himself on a sofa in the hall. "He will answer your questions
+now, and tell you that I am not killed."
+
+"But come into the sitting-room, my son, for we can make you more
+comfortable there," said his mother, taking him by the right arm, and
+assisting him to rise.
+
+"I don't need any help, mamma," added Christy playfully, as he rose from
+the sofa. "I have not been butchered, and I haven't anything but a
+little bullet-hole through the fleshy part of my left arm. Don't make a
+baby of me; for a commander in the Confederate navy told me that God
+made some fully-developed men before they were twenty-one, and that I
+was one of them. Don't make me fall from my high estate to that of an
+overgrown infant, mother."
+
+"I will not do anything of the kind, my son," replied Mrs. Passford, as
+she arranged the cushions on the sofa for him. "Now, Florry, get a wrap
+for him."
+
+Christy stretched himself out on the sofa, for he was really fatigued by
+the movements of the forenoon and the excitement of his return to the
+scenes of his childhood.
+
+"Tell them what the doctors said about my wound, Charley," he continued,
+as he arranged himself for the enjoyment of a period of silence.
+
+"Mr. Passford has had two surgeons," Mr. Graines began.
+
+"Then he must have been very badly wounded!" ejaculated Florry, leaping
+to a very hasty conclusion.
+
+"Not at all," protested the engineer. "Both of them said he was not
+severely wounded."
+
+"Why was he sent home on a furlough?" asked Mrs. Passford.
+
+"Because the weather was getting very hot in the Gulf of Mexico, and
+it was believed that he would do better at home. He has been somewhat
+feverish; but he is improving every day, and in a couple of weeks he
+will be as well as ever."
+
+"Thank God, it is no worse!" exclaimed Mrs. Passford.
+
+Then she insisted that he should be quiet, and they all retired to the
+library.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV
+
+LIEUTENANT-COMMANDER CHRISTOPHER PASSFORD
+
+
+Christy Passford dropped asleep when left alone in the sitting-room, and
+his slumber lasted a full hour. During this time Mr. Graines had related
+the incidents of the action in which he had been wounded, and given a
+full account of the expedition to Mobile Point. He was not sparing in
+his praise; but he brought it out in what had been said by others,
+especially by the commanders of both vessels and in the demonstrations
+of the seamen of the Bellevite.
+
+When the wounded officer awoke it was with a start, and he was surprised
+to find he had been asleep in the midst of such happy surroundings. He
+rose from his couch, and found that his mother and sister had left the
+room. He passed out into the hall, and there heard the voice of the
+engineer in the library which he entered at once.
+
+"I hope you feel better, my son," said his mother, as she and Florry
+rose from their chairs rejoicing anew at his return home after the
+fearful peril through which he had passed, for the recital of his
+brilliant exploits by his friend had been intensely thrilling to both
+of them.
+
+"I'm all right, mother dear; I was only tired a little, for I have
+taken more exercise to-day than usual lately," replied Christy, as Mrs.
+Passford kissed him again and again, and Florry followed her example.
+
+"Charley Graines has told us all about it, Christy," said his sister.
+
+"So you have been spinning a yarn, have you, Charley?" asked the hero.
+
+"I have related only the simple truth, Christy, for I knew you would not
+tell them the whole of it," replied the engineer.
+
+"I am afraid you were reckless, my son," added Mrs. Passford.
+
+"Reckless!" exclaimed Christy. "When I saw my duty there was no
+alternative but to do it; and that was all I did. You have been
+decorating your yarn, Charley."
+
+"Not a particle; and Captain Breaker would confirm everything I have
+said," protested Mr. Graines. "So would Captain Rombold, if he were
+here, as I suppose he will be soon."
+
+"That reminds me, mother, that you are to have some visitors; for I
+expect Captain Rombold and Dr. Davidson will be here some time to-day,
+for I have spoken to have them paroled," interposed Christy.
+
+"Who is Dr. Davidson, my son?" asked his mother.
+
+"He was the surgeon of the Tallahatchie. Both of your visitors are
+rebels to the very core," added the lieutenant playfully. "I was hit in
+the arm by a bullet when I was in the mizzen rigging; but I did not
+report to the surgeon"--
+
+"As you ought to have done," interrupted the engineer.
+
+"Dr. Linscott had his hands full, and I did not want to bother him then.
+I went on board of the prize to take a look at the disabled Armstrong
+gun. Captain Rombold, who was wounded in the right thigh, was sitting on
+the quarter-deck. He spoke to me, for I was well acquainted with him.
+While we were talking, I began to feel faint, and slumped down on the
+deck like a woman. The captain sent for his surgeon, though his own
+wound had not been dressed; and Dr. Davidson was the gentleman who came,
+and very soon I felt better. They treated me like a brother; and that is
+the reason I have asked to have them both sent here."
+
+"I am very glad you did, Christy; and we will do everything we can for
+them," added Mrs. Passford.
+
+The father and mother of Mr. Graines lived in Montgomery, two miles
+distant, and he was anxious to see them. Leaving Christie in the hands
+of his mother and sister, he took his leave early in the afternoon.
+Later in the day a carriage stopped at the mansion, and the expected
+visitors, attended by the naval officer who had paroled them, were
+admitted by the servant. As soon as they were announced, Christy
+hastened to the hall, followed by his mother and sister. The captain
+carried a crutch, and was also supported by the doctor and the naval
+lieutenant.
+
+"I am very glad to see you, Captain Rombold," said Christy, as he gave
+his hand to the commander. "And you, Dr. Davidson;" and he proceeded to
+present them to his mother and sister.
+
+"This is Lieutenant Alburgh of your navy, Mr. Passford; and he has been
+very attentive to us," interposed the surgeon, introducing the paroling
+officer.
+
+"I am very happy to know you, Mr. Alburgh;" and he presented him to Mrs.
+Passford and Florry.
+
+The lieutenant declined an invitation to dinner; for he was in haste to
+return to New York, going back to the station in the carriage that had
+brought him. Mrs. Passford invited the party to the sitting-room, and
+Christy and the doctor assisted the wounded commander. He was placed
+upon the sofa, where he reclined, supported by the cushions arranged by
+the lady of the house.
+
+"I am extremely grateful to you both, gentlemen, for your kindness to my
+son when he was beyond my reach, and it affords me very great pleasure
+to obtain the opportunity to reciprocate it in some slight degree," said
+Mrs. Passford, when the captain declared that he was very comfortable in
+his position on the sofa.
+
+"And I thank you with all my heart for what you did for my brother,"
+added Florry.
+
+"You more than repay me; and, madam, permit me to congratulate you on
+being the mother of such a son as Lieutenant Passford," replied Captain
+Rombold warmly. "I am still a rebel to the very centre of my being; but
+that does not prevent me from giving the tribute of my admiration to
+an enemy who has been as brave, noble, and generous as your son. The
+brilliant exploit of Mr. Passford, I sincerely believe, cost me my ship,
+and at least the lives or limbs of a quarter of my ship's company. It
+was one of the most daring and well-executed movements I ever witnessed
+in my life, madam."
+
+"Please to let up, Captain," interposed Christy, blushing as Florry
+would have done if Paul Vapoor had entered the room at that moment.
+
+"He is as modest as he is brave, Mrs. Passford. It was sheer admiration
+for the young officer which compelled me to send for my own surgeon when
+he sank fainting upon the deck, with the blood streaming from the ends
+of his fingers," added the commander.
+
+"If you are going to talk about this matter the rest of the day, Captain
+Rombold, I must beg you to excuse me if I retire," interposed Christy,
+rising from his chair.
+
+"I won't say another word about it, Mr. Passford!" protested the
+captain. "But I hope your mother will have a chance to read Captain
+Breaker's report of the action, for he and I are of the same opinion in
+regard to the conduct of your son."
+
+"My husband will doubtless bring me a copy of it," added the lady.
+
+In deference to the wishes of Christy, nothing more was said about
+the action, at least so far as it related to him. After some general
+conversation, the surgeon suggested that he had not dressed the wounds
+of his patients that day, and the commander was assisted to the
+principal guest chamber, while the lieutenant went to his own apartment.
+
+Captain Passford was detained three days in Washington by important
+business at the Navy Department. Captain Breaker's report of the
+action resulting in the capture of the Tallahatchie had reached its
+destination, and the proud father was in possession of all the details
+of the battle. He telegraphed and wrote to his son; and it was another
+joyful occasion at Bonnydale when he arrived there.
+
+Dr. Davidson remained at the mansion for three weeks, until his patients
+were convalescent, though he went every day to the hospital of the
+prisoners of war to see the wounded of his ship. Captain Passford had
+given the visitors a very cordial and hearty welcome on his return, and
+expressed his gratitude to them for their kindness to his son in the
+strongest terms. He did every possible thing to promote their comfort
+and happiness, and the reign of Christianity continued at Bonnydale as
+it had been begun on board of the Bellevite and the Tallahatchie.
+
+In two weeks Christy's wound had practically healed, though his arm was
+not yet the equal of the other. His father spent all the time he could
+spare at home, and long talks between father and son were the order of
+the day. The lieutenant had been informed on his arrival of the death of
+Mr. Pembroke, Bertha's father, two months before; but she had gone to
+visit an uncle in Ohio, and Christy had not yet seen her.
+
+"I expect Miss Pembroke will be here to-morrow, Christy," said Captain
+Passford one day, about three weeks after his return. "I suppose you are
+of the same mind in regard to her."
+
+"I am, father," replied Christy, for he was about the same as a younger
+brother in his relations with him. "But I have not heard a word from
+her, any more than from you, since I left home."
+
+"There has been no occasion to send a store-ship or other vessel to
+the Eastern Gulf squadron, though one sailed about a week before your
+arrival, and letters were forwarded to you," replied the captain.
+"Doubtless one or more went from her to you. She cannot have heard of
+your arrival; for I lost the address of her uncle in Ohio, and we could
+not write to her. Her father had a little property; and at her request I
+have been appointed her guardian, and she will reside at Bonnydale in
+the future."
+
+Bertha Pembroke arrived the next day, and what Christy needed to
+complete his happiness was supplied, and now his cup was overflowing.
+But he did not forget that he still owed a duty to his suffering
+country. Even the fascinations of the beautiful girl could not entice
+him to remain in his beloved home while his arm was needed to help on
+the nation's cause to a victorious Union.
+
+At the end of four weeks, he felt as well as ever before in his life,
+and he was impatient to return to the Bellevite. For a week before he
+had been talking to his father about the matter; and Bertha knew her
+betrothed, as he was by this time, too well to make any objection to his
+intended departure.
+
+The Tallahatchie had been promptly condemned, and the fact that she was
+a superior vessel for war purposes, and her great speed compared with
+most vessels in the navy, had caused her to be appropriated to the use
+of the government. Orders had been given weeks before for her thorough
+repair and better armament, all of which had been hastily accomplished.
+Christy had not been to New York since his return; and for some reason
+of his own, his father had said very little to him about the service,
+perhaps believing that his son had better give his whole mind to the
+improvement of his health and strength.
+
+"I hope you have found a vessel by which I can return to the Eastern
+Gulf squadron, father," said Christy one morning, with more earnestness
+than usual. "I begin to feel guilty of neglect of duty while I am
+loafing about home."
+
+"Don't trouble yourself, my son," replied Captain Passford, who seemed
+to be rather exhilarated about something. "You shall return to your duty
+in due time, though not in exactly the same position as before."
+
+"Am I to be appointed to some other ship, father?" asked Christy, gazing
+earnestly into the captain's face to read what was evidently passing in
+his mind, for it made him very cheerful.
+
+"You are to sail in another ship, Christy; but wait a minute and I will
+return," said Captain Passford, as he left the sitting-room and went to
+his library.
+
+Opening his safe he took from it a ponderous envelope bearing official
+imprints, and returned to the sitting-room. Handing it to his son, he
+dropped into an arm-chair and observed him with close attention.
+
+"What's this, father?" asked the young officer.
+
+"I have had it about three weeks, but waited for your entire recovery
+before I gave it to you," replied the captain. "Open it."
+
+Christy did so, read it, and then in his excitement, dropped it on the
+floor. It was his commission as a lieutenant-commander.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV
+
+THE PRINCIPAL OFFICERS OF THE ST. REGIS
+
+
+Christy Passford was astounded and confounded when he read the
+commission. He modestly believed that he had already been promoted
+beyond his deserving, though no one else, not even his father, thought
+so. He had not sought promotion at any time, and he had been hurried
+through four grades in something over three years. He was the heir of
+millions, and he had given all his pay to wounded sailors and the
+families of those who had fallen in naval actions.
+
+His share of the prize money resulting from the captures in which he had
+taken part as commander or in some subordinate position had made him a
+rich man; and with his mother's assistance, he was disbursing no small
+portion of his wealth among those who had been deprived of their support
+by the casualties of the war. He had not expected or even hoped for any
+further promotion, though the newspaper had extolled to the skies his
+brilliant exploit in the Gulf.
+
+"What does this mean, father?" asked Christy, dropping into a chair as
+if overwhelmed by the contents of the envelope.
+
+"It means just what it says, my son," replied Captain Passford. "But
+I know that it is necessary now for me to explain that this promotion
+is none of my doing; for I have not asked it, I have not urged it,
+I have not made the remotest suggestion that you should be made a
+lieutenant-commander, as I have not done on any former occasion."
+
+"That is enough, father; your plea of not guilty would have been enough
+to satisfy me," added Christy.
+
+"I prevented your appointment to the command of the Chateaugay, and
+procured your position as second lieutenant of the Bellevite; and these
+two instances are absolutely all the requests I have ever made to the
+department in relation to you," protested the captain.
+
+"That helps the matter very much," answered Christy. "I have been the
+victim of supposed partiality, 'a friend at court' and all that sort of
+thing, till I am disgusted with it."
+
+"And all that has been in consequence of your over-sensitiveness rather
+than anything that ever was said about you."
+
+"Perhaps it was. But as a lieutenant-commander I might still remain as
+executive officer of the Bellevite, for Captain Breaker has been a
+commander for over two years," suggested Christy.
+
+"The department has made another disposition of you, and without any
+hint or suggestion from me, my son," said Captain Passford, as he took
+another envelope from his pocket, and presented it to his son. "This
+came to me by this morning's mail; and I have withheld the commission
+till I received it."
+
+"And what may this be, father?" asked Christy, looking from the missive
+to the captain's face, which was glowing with smiles, for he was as
+proud of his only son as he ought to have been.
+
+"Christy, you remind me of some old ladies I have met, who, when they
+receive a letter, wonder for five or ten minutes whom it is from before
+they break the envelope, when a sight of the contents would inform them
+instantly," added the captain, laughing.
+
+"But I am afraid the contents of this envelope will be like the
+explosion of a mine to me, and therefore I am not just like the old
+ladies you have met," returned the lieutenant-commander. "One mine a day
+let off in my face is about all I can stand."
+
+"Open the envelope!" urged his father rather impatiently.
+
+"It never rains but it pours!" exclaimed Christy, when he had looked
+over the paper it enclosed. "I am appointed to the command of the St.
+Regis! I think some one who gives names to our new vessels must have
+spent a summer with Paul Smith at his hotel by the river and lake of
+that name; and the same man probably selected the name of Chateaugay.
+I suppose it is some little snapping gunboat like the Bronx; but I don't
+object to her on that account."
+
+"She is nothing like the Bronx, for she is more than twice as large; and
+you have already seen some service on her deck."
+
+"Some steamer that has had her name changed. But I have served regularly
+only on board of the Bellevite and the Bronx, and it cannot be either of
+them," said Christy, with a puzzled expression.
+
+"She is neither the one nor the other. She has had three names: the
+first was the Trafalgar, the second the Tallahatchie, and the third the
+St. Regis," continued the captain.
+
+"Is it possible!" exclaimed Christy, relapsing into silent
+thoughtfulness, for he could hardly believe the paper from which he had
+read his appointment; and officers far his senior in years would have
+rejoiced to receive the command of such a ship.
+
+"Not only possible, but an accomplished fact; and the only sad thing
+about it is that you must sail in the St. Regis day after to-morrow."
+
+"I am informed that my orders will come by to-morrow," added the
+lieutenant-commander.
+
+"The ship is all ready for sea. An eight-inch Parrot has been
+substituted for the Armstrong gun, the same as the midship gun of the
+Bellevite," the captain explained. "Perhaps you would like to know
+something about your fellow-officers, Christy."
+
+"I certainly should, father, for whatever success I may have will depend
+largely upon them," replied the embryo commander of the St. Regis.
+
+"Your executive officer will be Lieutenant George Baskirk," continued
+Captain Passford, reading from a paper he took from his pocket.
+
+"Good! He was the second lieutenant of the Bronx when I was in command
+of her; and a better or braver officer never planked a deck."
+
+"He was available, and I suggested him. Your second lieutenant is Joel
+Makepeace, just promoted from the rank of master. He is fifty-two years
+old, but as active as ever he was. He is a regular old sea dog, and
+commanded an Indiaman for me fifteen years ago; but you never met him.
+He has made a good record in the war, and I feel sure that you will like
+him."
+
+"I have no doubt I shall, father; and I like the idea of having an
+officer who is old enough to be my father, and who has had a great deal
+of experience at sea," replied Christy.
+
+"He was an able seaman and petty officer in the navy for three years
+when he was a young man, and has served as a master from the beginning
+of the war," continued Captain Passford.
+
+"Probably he does not like the idea of being under the command of one
+who has not yet reached his majority in years," suggested the commander
+of the St. Regis.
+
+"On the contrary, he seemed to be delighted with his appointment. Your
+third lieutenant is Ensign Palmer Drake who brought home your prize."
+
+"He is a good man and a good officer, and I am entirely satisfied with
+him."
+
+"Ensign Barton French is to serve as master on board of your ship. Some
+doubts were expressed in regard to his knowledge of navigation, and he
+passed a very creditable examination."
+
+"I am very glad indeed that he has obtained his promotion, and that he
+is to sail with me," added Christy, who had taken quite an interest in
+him as an able seaman, and had procured his appointment as prize-master
+of the West Wind.
+
+"Dr. Connolly, who was with you in the Bronx, is your surgeon. The
+chief engineer of the St. Regis is one Paul Vapoor," continued Captain
+Passford, with a very obvious twinkle of the eyes.
+
+"Paul Vapoor!" exclaimed Christy, leaping out of the chair in which he
+had just settled himself after the excitement of his father's first
+announcement had partly subsided.
+
+"Paul Vapoor," repeated the captain.
+
+"It can hardly be possible," persisted Christy.
+
+"What is the matter? Has Captain Breaker fallen out with him?"
+
+"Not at all; the commander of the Bellevite thinks as much of him as
+ever he did, and even a great deal more."
+
+"Then how under the canopy does Paul happen to be appointed to the St.
+Regis?" demanded Christy.
+
+Captain Passford took from his pocket a letter he had received from
+Captain Breaker, and proceeded to read portions of it, as follows:
+"If Christy is not promoted and given an adequate independent command,
+I shall be disappointed; and given such whether he consents or not. He
+has never been wanting in anything; and though I say it to his father,
+there is not a more deserving officer in the service, not even one
+who is ten years older. I have expressed myself fully in my report.
+I believe his gallant exploit in the late action with the Tallahatchie
+saved the lives of at least one-fourth of my ship's company; and it
+thinned out the ranks of the enemy in about the same proportion. Captain
+Rombold insists that he should have captured the Bellevite if the tide
+had not been thus turned against him; but I do not admit this,
+of course.
+
+"I still set the highest value upon the services of Chief Engineer Paul
+Vapoor, and I should regret exceedingly to lose him. But Christy and
+Paul have been the most intimate friends from their school days; and if
+your son is appointed to an independent command, as I believe he ought
+to be, it would do something towards reconciling him to his appointment
+if his crony were in the same ship with him. For this reason, and this
+alone, I am willing to sacrifice my own wishes to the good of the
+service. I have talked with Paul about the matter, and he would be
+delighted to be the companion of Christy, even in a small steamer."
+
+"Captain Breaker is very kind and very considerate, as he always was;
+and I shall certainly feel more at home on board of the St. Regis with
+Paul Vapoor as her chief engineer," replied Christy; and the effect
+seemed to be what the commander of the Bellevite anticipated. "Go on
+with the list, father."
+
+"Paul's first assistant engineer will be Charles Graines," continued
+Captain Passford.
+
+"That is very good; but Charley is a sailor as well as a machinist,
+and I may borrow him of Paul on some special occasions, for he has what
+Captain Breaker calls ingenuity, as well as bravery and skill."
+
+"The second assistant is Amos Bolter, a brother of Leon, who has been
+first assistant of the Bellevite from the beginning of the war, and who
+has been promoted to chief at the suggestion of the commander in the
+letter from which I have just read. The third assistant is John
+McLaughlin, whom Paul knows if you do not. These are your principal
+officers; and we had better go and see your mother and Florry now."
+
+"I have good news for you and your family, Captain Passford, for I am
+informed that I have been exchanged, and need trespass no longer upon
+your generous and kindly hospitality," said the commander.
+
+"That is no news to me, Captain Rombold, for I had the pleasure of
+suggesting the officers for whom you and the doctor might be exchanged,"
+replied the host with a pleasant laugh. "But I assure you in all
+sincerity that you have both of you been the farthest possible from
+trespassers."
+
+"I do not feel that I have yet half reciprocated the kindness you
+extended to my son," added Mrs. Passford.
+
+"I wish I could do ten times as much for you as I have been able to do,"
+said Florry.
+
+"Though wounded I have passed four of the pleasantest weeks of my life
+here; and I shall never forget your kindness to me," said the commander,
+grasping the hand of his host; and his example was followed by the
+surgeon.
+
+"We have been made happier by your presence with us than we could have
+made you, gentlemen," added Mrs. Passford.
+
+Not a word about politics or the cause of the war had been spoken.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI
+
+THE ST. REGIS IN COMMISSION
+
+
+The kindly expressions of feeling which passed between the hosts and
+their guests were far from being mere compliments, for the Confederate
+commander and surgeon had made themselves very agreeable. Quite a number
+of pleasant parties had been given in compliment to them and Christy.
+But the family felt that they owed a debt of gratitude to their guests
+which they could not repay; and enemies though they were, the most
+eminent personages on the Federal side could not have been better
+treated.
+
+"I am sorry you are going, though I congratulate you on the prospect now
+before you of returning to your friends," said Captain Passford, after
+the conversation had continued for half an hour. "But I did not come in
+to receive your adieus; only to introduce to you, and to Mrs. Passford
+and Florry, a new character, who has just stepped upon the stage of
+action."
+
+"Draw it mild, papa," interposed Christy, shrugging his shoulders.
+
+"I have the pleasure of presenting to you Lieutenant-Commander
+Christopher Passford."
+
+Captain Rombold and Dr. Davidson set to clapping their hands as though
+they had suddenly gone crazy. When the former had nearly blistered his
+own, he rushed to the newly-promoted, and grasped his hands with a
+pressure which made the recipient of his warm greeting squirm with pain.
+
+"I congratulate you with all my heart and mind, Commander Passford," he
+added, with exceeding warmth. "I know that you deserved this promotion,
+and I was sure you would get it from the moment I saw you in the mizzen
+rigging of the Bellevite, and within the same minute leaping over the
+rail of the Tallahatchie, closely followed by thirty or forty of your
+seamen. I lost all hope of taking your ship then, for almost at the same
+instant came the discharge of the thirty-pounder I had prepared to lay
+low half your boarders. I told you this would come, but you seemed to be
+doubtful of it; and I repeat what I have said before, that God makes
+some fully-developed men before they are twenty-one."
+
+The surgeon followed the example of his fellow-prisoner; and then
+Christy's mother and sister hugged and kissed him, and he heartily
+returned their affectionate embraces.
+
+"I have only to add that my son has been appointed to the command of the
+St. Regis, a steamer of over eight hundred tons, and reputed to have a
+speed of twenty knots an hour, though I have some doubts in regard to
+the last item," said Captain Passford.
+
+"I cannot wish him success in his new command, for that would be
+treason; but I have no doubt he will damage our cause even more than he
+has in the past; and so far as he is personally concerned, I can wish
+him success with all my heart," added Captain Rombold. "I have kept a
+list of the names of the vessels in the Federal navy so far as I could
+obtain them; but it does not include the St.-- What you call her?
+I never heard the name before."
+
+"The St. Regis, after a river in the Adirondacks," said Captain
+Passford, laughing. "But I can assure you, Captain, that you know her
+better than any of the rest of us, for I never even saw her."
+
+"The St. Regis?" interrogated the commander, puzzled by the assertion.
+
+"Just now this steamer is something like a newly-married widow, for she
+is entering upon her third name," continued the host, very lightly.
+"Formerly she was the Trafalgar, a highly honored name in British
+history; but more recently she received the name of Tallahatchie; and
+now she becomes the St. Regis."
+
+"I see," replied the Confederate commander, evidently trying to hide his
+intense chagrin that the magnificent steamer, purchased by Colonel Homer
+Passford for him, had so soon become a ship belonging to the Federal
+navy. "You expressed a doubt in regard to her speed, my dear Captain."
+
+"I simply doubted if she could make twenty knots an hour, for the
+Bellevite overhauled her without difficulty."
+
+"That was because our coal was very bad. The Trafalgar made twenty knots
+an hour several times when she was under my command."
+
+"So much the better, Captain; if the speed is in her, her new engineer
+will get it out of her," replied the host. "But I must take the next
+train for New York, and I am going over to see the St. Regis, for she
+has been put in the best of repair. Perhaps you would like to go with
+me, Christy."
+
+"I should, father; I was expecting Charley Graines over this morning,
+and he would like to see his future home on the deep," replied the
+lieutenant-commander.
+
+"He is in the reception-room now, waiting to see you," said Florry.
+
+"I have his appointment in my pocket, and you may give it to him, my
+son," added the captain.
+
+The guests were not to leave at once, and the trio hastened to the
+train. As soon as they were seated, Christy gave his friend the envelope
+containing his appointment, and Charley Graines was quite as happy as
+the future commander of the St. Regis. On the way the latter gave the
+other all the news that had come out that morning.
+
+"I suppose Paul Vapoor will not come on board till we get to the Gulf,
+father," said Christy.
+
+"You will receive your orders to-morrow, as you have been advised; and
+though I cannot properly inform you where you will be bound, I can tell
+you where you are not bound; you are not going to the Gulf of Mexico,"
+answered Captain Passford.
+
+"Not to the Gulf? All my service so far in blockaders has been in the
+Gulf, and this will be a tremendous change for me. But where shall we
+pick up our chief engineer?"
+
+"About all the business growing out of the capture of the Tallahatchie,
+including the promotions, was done very nearly four weeks ago. I was in
+Washington when Captain Breaker's very full report came, and the
+officers were promoted then. The appointments were also made then; but I
+have been obliged, for reasons not necessary to be named, to keep them
+to myself. The steamer that carried a cargo of coal, provisions, and
+stores to the Eastern Gulf squadron, was the bearer of Paul's
+appointment to the St. Regis, and Mr. Bolter's commission as chief
+engineer of the Bellevite. Your friend was ordered to report at the
+Brooklyn Navy Yard at once. The steamer in which he came put in at
+Delaware Breakwater, short of coal. He will be here by to-morrow
+morning, or sooner."
+
+After a visit at his office Captain Passford and his companions
+proceeded to the navy yard. The St. Regis was off the shore at
+anchor. She was a magnificent steamer; and the captain indulged in an
+exclamation, which he seldom did, when she was pointed out to him. She
+was all ready for sea, and would go into commission as soon as her
+commander presented himself. They went on board of her, and were
+heartily welcomed by such officers as had already occupied their
+staterooms.
+
+Captain Passford went all over her, accompanied by Christy, while the
+new first assistant engineer confined his attention to the engine. The
+lieutenant-commander informed the proper officer of the yard that he
+would hoist the flag on board of the St. Regis at noon the next day. The
+party took their leave, and in the afternoon returned to Bonnydale.
+
+The guests were now relieved from their parole, and they took their
+leave before night, with a repetition of the good wishes which had been
+expressed before. The next morning Christy was at the railroad station
+on the arrival of the train from New York, and the first person that
+rushed into his arms like a school-girl was Paul Vapoor. Of course
+Christy was delighted to see him, but he kept watching the steps of the
+principal car all the time. At last he discovered Bertha Pembroke, and
+he rushed to her, leaving Paul talking into the air.
+
+He grasped the beautiful maiden by both hands, and both of them blushed
+like a carnation pink. The young officer was not given to demonstrations
+in public, and he reserved them to a more suitable occasion. He picked
+up her hand-bag and bundles which she had dropped when the lover took
+possession of her, and conducted her to his father's carriage.
+
+Christy presented her to Paul, who had heard much about her, but had
+never seen her. He was simply polite, though there was mischief in his
+eye, and the commander was in danger of being teased very nicely when
+they were alone together. Both Bertha and Paul were cordially welcomed
+by Mrs. Passford and Florry, and Christy needed nothing more to complete
+his happiness.
+
+But there was no time to spare, and Captain Passford hurried them
+without mercy, and without considering that the lovers had not met
+before for several months; but the commander of the St. Regis was to
+hoist his flag at noon, and there was no room for long speeches. Christy
+and Paul hurried themselves into their new uniforms, not made for the
+occasion, but kept in store. The engineer's uniform was all right as it
+was, for he had before reached the top of the ladder in his profession,
+but Flurry had changed the shoulder-straps of her brother.
+
+Captain Passford was not remorseless in separating the newly reunited
+friends; for Paul and Flora had done some blushing, and had crept away
+into a corner of the great drawing-room as soon as he had put on his
+best uniform, and he finally insisted that all the ladies should go to
+the navy yard and witness the ceremony. The company were rather late;
+but the captain had sent a man to the station in advance, and the train
+was held for them.
+
+It is hardly necessary to state in what manner the seats in the car were
+occupied; but the captain and Mrs. Passford had to sit together. A navy
+yard tugboat was at the foot of Grand Street on the arrival of the
+party, for it had been telegraphed for early in the morning. Captain
+Passford was a very distinguished magnate in the eyes of all naval
+officers, not only on account of his great wealth, but because he was
+the most influential man in the city at the department.
+
+Half an hour before the time the party were on the deck of the St.
+Regis. All the officers were now on board; and while Paul was showing
+the ladies over the vessel, the commander was renewing his acquaintance
+with Mr. Baskirk, the executive officer. His father introduced Mr.
+Makepeace to him; and he found him a sturdy old salt, without as much
+polish as many of the officers, but a gentleman in every respect.
+
+"I am very glad to know you, Captain Passford," said Mr. Makepeace. "We
+have one of the most brilliant commanders in the service, and I suppose
+he will make things hum on board of the St. Regis, if we get into
+action, as we are likely to do under his lead."
+
+"I shall try to do my whole duty, and I shall endeavor not to make any
+sensation about it," replied Christy, as he turned from the second to
+greet the third lieutenant, Mr. Drake, who had been his shipmate on
+board of the Bellevite, and the commander of the Tallahatchie while he
+was a passenger on board.
+
+The ship's company had already been mustered on deck. They were dressed
+in their best uniforms, and they were a fine-looking set of men. They
+had all heard of Lieutenant Passford, and they were proud and happy to
+serve under his command. Promptly at noon, as the church bells on shore
+were striking the hour, Commander Passford mounted a dais, and his
+commission was read to the ship's company. He then made a short speech
+suited to the occasion, and ordered the colors to be run up to the peak.
+The ship was then in commission, and she was to sail on the tide the
+next day. The subordinate officers and seamen then gave three cheers,
+in which every person seemed to put his whole heart.
+
+Christy conducted Bertha to the captain's cabin, which had been
+restored to its original condition and refurnished. A lunch was served
+to the whole party under an awning on the quarter-deck. Mr. Drake, an
+eye-witness and actor in the battle, fought it over for the benefit of
+the ladies; and before night they all returned to Bonnydale, where it
+required at least three rooms to accommodate them during the evening.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII
+
+CAPTAIN PASSFORD ALONE IN HIS GLORY
+
+
+Christy Passford was stirring at an early hour the next morning, and
+so was Bertha Pembroke; for the St. Regis was to sail that day, though
+the tide did not serve till four in the afternoon. After breakfast
+his father called him into the library, and closed the door. Captain
+Passford had remained in the city the evening before till the last
+train, and it was evident that he had something to say to his son.
+
+"I have no information to give you this time, Christy, in regard to the
+coming of blockade-runners or steamers for the Confederate navy," said
+he. "But I have been instructed to use my own judgment in regard to what
+I may say to you about your orders. Of course you have observed that the
+blockading squadrons in the Gulf have been greatly reduced."
+
+"Only the Bellevite and Holyoke remained off the entrance to Mobile
+Bay," added Christy. "We have had a very quiet time of it since I joined
+the Bellevite, and the action with the Tallahatchie was really the only
+event of any great importance in which I have been engaged."
+
+"The enemy and their British allies have been so unfortunate in the
+Gulf that they have chosen a safer approach to the shores of the South.
+Nearly all the blockade-runners at the present time go in at the Cape
+Fear River, where the shoal water favors them. A class of steamers of
+light draft and great speed are constructed expressly to go into
+Wilmington. Over $65,000,000 have been invested in blockade-running;
+and in spite of the capture of at least one a week by our ships, the
+business appears to pay immense profits. The port of Charleston is
+closed to them now, as well as many others."
+
+"I have studied this locality of the coast at the mouth of the Cape Fear
+River, and the blockade-runners certainly have their best chance there,"
+said Christy.
+
+"The whole attention of the government, so far as blockade-running is
+concerned, has been directed to the approaches of Wilmington. Forts
+Fisher, Caswell, and Smith afford abundant protection to the light draft
+steamers as soon as they get into the shoal water where our gunboats as
+a rule cannot follow them. The one thing we need down there is fast
+steamers. It is a stormy coast, and our smaller gunboats cannot safely
+lie off the coast."
+
+"I have read that a single successful venture in this business sometimes
+pays for the steamer many times over."
+
+"That is quite true, and the business prospers, though there are
+fifty or more Federal cruisers and gunboats patrolling the shore. Now,
+Christy, you are to be sent to this locality with the St. Regis; but you
+are to be in the outer circle of blockaders, so to speak, as your sealed
+orders will inform you."
+
+"Of course I shall obey my orders, whatever they are," added the
+commander.
+
+"I have nothing more to say, and you will regard what has passed between
+you and me as entirely confidential," said Captain Passford, as he rose
+to leave the library.
+
+"By the way, father, what has become of Monsieur Gilfleur?" asked
+Christy. "I have not seen him since my return."
+
+"Just now he is working up a case of treason in Baltimore, though I
+expected him home before this time," replied the captain.
+
+"I am sorry I have not seen him, for he and I had become great friends
+before we parted. I think he is in some respects a remarkable man."
+
+"In his profession he is unexcelled; and what is more in that line, he
+is honest and reliable."
+
+"I learned all that of him while we were operating together. It is said,
+and I suppose it is true, that about every one of the blockaders makes a
+port at Halifax, the Bermudas, or Nassau, as much to learn the news and
+obtain a pilot, as to replenish their coal and stores."
+
+"That is unfortunately true; and the neutrality of these places is
+strained to its utmost tension, to say nothing of its manifest
+violations."
+
+"I think if Monsieur Gilfleur and myself could make another visit to the
+Bermudas and Nassau, we might pick up information enough to insure the
+capture of many blockade-runners, and perhaps of an occasional
+Confederate cruiser," said Christy, laughing as he spoke.
+
+"That is not the sort of business for a lieutenant-commander in the
+navy, my son; but I have thought of sending the detective on such a
+mission since the remarkable success you and he had in your former
+venture. But you escaped hanging or a Confederate prison only by the
+skin of your teeth. The difficulty in another enterprise of that sort
+would be for Mr. Gilfleur to put the information he obtained where it
+would do the most good. If he wrote letters, they would betray him; and
+if he went off in a Bahama boat, as he did before, we should have to
+keep a steamer cruising in the vicinity of his field of operations to
+meet him when he came off. I came to the conclusion that the scheme was
+impracticable, for it was only a combination of favorable circumstances
+that rendered your operations successful. I prefer to trust to the speed
+of the St. Regis to enable you to accomplish the same results off the
+coast," said Captain Passford, as they left the library.
+
+"I should really like to see Monsieur, for he is a very agreeable
+companion," replied Christy.
+
+"He would be exceedingly pleased to meet you again, for he had become
+very much attached to you."
+
+After lunch the same party that had visited the St. Regis the day before
+left on the train for New York, and proceeded to the navy yard from the
+foot of Grand Street, for all of them wished to see Christy off. Captain
+Passford, Junior, was received on board of his ship with all due form
+and ceremony. Paul Vapoor had been to his home for a brief visit to his
+mother and sisters; but he had gone to Bonnydale as early in the morning
+as it was decent to do so, and was all devotion to Florry.
+
+Mr. Baskirk, the executive officer, had the ship in first-rate order
+when the commander went on board with his party; and as there was
+nothing for him to do, Christy devoted himself to the entertainment of
+his friends. The ladies with their escorts went all over the steamer
+again; the commander and Paul opened their staterooms for their
+examination, and Charley Graines showed them that of the first assistant
+engineer in the steerage.
+
+"But you have a whole cabin to yourself, Christy," said Bertha, after
+she looked into all the other rooms.
+
+"I have the honor to be the commander of the ship," replied Christy
+lightly. "I have two state-rooms, so that if I had the happiness to
+relieve a forlorn maiden from captivity on board of one of the enemy's
+vessels, as I did in your case, Bertha, I should have a better apartment
+to offer her than I had then."
+
+The first half of the afternoon passed away all too soon for those who
+were to sail on the tide, and those who were to return to Bonnydale.
+The commander took leave of his parents, his sister, and Bertha in his
+cabin, where Paul passed through the same ordeal with Miss Florry. The
+navy-yard tender was alongside; and the ladies were assisted on board of
+her by the officers, while the seamen under the direction of Mr.
+Makepeace were heaving up the anchor.
+
+"Cable up and down, sir," reported the second lieutenant.
+
+This was the signal for the departure of the tender; and another hasty
+adieu followed, when the commander and the chief engineer hastened to
+the deck. The men forward had suspended their labor when the cable was
+up and down. The commander gave the order to weigh the anchor. The tide
+was still on the flood, and the head of the ship was pointed very nearly
+in the direction she was to sail.
+
+"Anchor aweigh, sir!" reported Mr. Makepeace.
+
+"Strike one bell, Mr. Baskirk," said Christy; and the order was repeated
+to the quartermaster who was conning the wheel.
+
+The screw of the St. Regis began to turn, and she went ahead very
+slowly. The tender was a short distance from her, and all the ladies
+were waving their handkerchiefs with all their might; and their signals
+were returned, not only by Christy and Paul, but by all the officers on
+deck. The seamen could not comfortably "hold in," and they saluted the
+tender with three rousing cheers, for they knew that the family of their
+young commander were on board of her.
+
+The little steamer followed the ship till she had passed the Battery,
+a repetition of the former salute, and then the tender sheered off, and
+went up North River, the ship proceeding on her course for the scene of
+her future exploits. The parting of Christy with his father, mother, and
+sister had been less sad than on former occasions; for they believed,
+whether with good reason or not, that the son, brother, and lover was to
+be exposed to less peril than usual.
+
+Christy had received his sealed orders on board from an officer sent
+specially to deliver them to him in person; and he was instructed to
+open the envelope off Cape Henlopen. At six o'clock the St. Regis was
+off Sandy Hook. Four bells, which was the signal to the engine room to
+go ahead at full speed, had been sounded as soon as the ship had passed
+through the Narrows.
+
+After the young commander had taken his supper, solitary and alone in
+his great cabin, he went on deck. No one shared his spacious apartment
+with him, and he was literally alone in his glory. But he did not object
+to his solitude, for he had enough to think of; and though he did not
+betray it in his expression, he was in a state of excitement, for what
+young fellow, even if "fully developed before he was twenty-one," could
+have helped being exhilarated when he found himself in command of such
+an exceptionally fine and fast ship as the St. Regis.
+
+When he went on deck, for he seemed to need more air than usual to
+support the immense amount of internal life that was stirring his being,
+he met Paul Vapoor coming up from the ward room, where he messed with
+seven other officers.
+
+"I hope you are feeling very well, Captain Passford," said Paul, as he
+touched his cap to the commander, for all familiarities were suspended
+unless when they were alone; and habit generally banished them even
+then.
+
+"As well as usual, Mr. Vapoor," replied Christy. "How do you find the
+engine?"
+
+"In excellent condition, Captain. It was thoroughly overhauled at the
+yard, boilers and machinery, and I have examined it down to the minutest
+details."
+
+"I have an idea that our speed will be more in demand than our fighting
+strength on this cruise," added Christy.
+
+"We are ready for speed in the engine room. The coal that remained on
+board on the arrival of the ship at the yard was very bad; but it has
+all been taken out, and our bunkers are filled with the best that could
+be had, the master-machinist informed me yesterday," replied the chief
+engineer. "I don't believe she could overhaul the Bellevite, for I am of
+the opinion that she is the fastest sea-going steamer in the navy."
+
+"I don't think we shall find any blockade-runner that can run away from
+the Bellevite; for she has overhauled every one she chased off Mobile
+Bay, and made a prize of her. I am to open my orders off Henlopen, and
+then we shall know what our work is to be."
+
+"About eight hours from Sandy Hook, as we are running now," added Paul.
+
+"I am very impatient to read my orders, and I shall be called at one
+o'clock for that purpose," added Christy, as he began to plank the deck
+on the weather side.
+
+The wind was from the north-west, and quite fresh. The men had had their
+suppers, and he ordered Mr. Baskirk to make sail. The St. Regis was bark
+rigged, and could spread a large surface of canvas. He desired to test
+the qualities of his crew; and in a short time everything was drawing.
+Christy "turned in" at nine o'clock; but he was excited, and he had not
+slept a wink when he was called at the hour he had indicated.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII
+
+OFF THE COAST OF NORTH CAROLINA
+
+
+Having assured himself that the ship was fully up with Cape Henlopen,
+Christy retired to his cabin, and still "alone in his glory," he broke
+the seal of the official envelope. He was to cruise outside of the
+blockaders, and report to the flag-officer when opportunity presented.
+Just then it was believed that Richmond, which received all its foreign
+supplies from Wilmington, could not long hold out if it was captured;
+and the Secretary of the Navy was giving special attention to the forts
+which protected it.
+
+It was evident to the young commander that he was not to rust in
+inactivity, as had been the case of late off Mobile Bay, and a wide
+field of operations was open to him. His instructions were minute, but
+they did not confine his ship to the immediate vicinity of the mouth of
+the Cape Fear River. It was evident that the speed of the St. Regis had
+been an important factor in framing the secret orders.
+
+If a blockade-runner eluded or outsailed the vessels of the fleet near
+the coast, the St. Regis was expected to "pick her up." On the other
+hand, the fastest of the vessels were sent out farther from the shore,
+and the ship was expected to support them. Christy realized that he
+should be called upon to exercise his judgment in many difficult
+situations, and he could only hope that he should be equal to such
+occasions.
+
+"Good-morning, Captain Passford," said Paul Vapoor, saluting him on the
+quarter-deck. "I hope you slept well in your brief watch below."
+
+"I did not sleep a wink, I was so anxious to read my orders. But I know
+them now, and I feel as cool as an arctic iceberg. I shall sleep when I
+turn in again."
+
+"Well, where are we going, Captain, if it is no longer a secret?" asked
+the engineer.
+
+"It is not a secret now; and we are to cruise off the mouth of the
+Cape Fear River," replied the commander, as he proceeded to give the
+information more in detail.
+
+"We are not likely to have any hot work then if we are only to chase
+blockade-runners," added Paul.
+
+"Probably we can render greater service to our country in this manner
+than in any other way, or we should not have been sent to this quarter,"
+said Christy, with a long gape.
+
+Paul saw that his friend was sleepy, and he bade him good-night. The
+commander went to his stateroom, and was soon fast asleep, from which he
+did not wake till eight o' clock in the morning. When he went on deck
+the ship was carrying all sail. The second lieutenant had the deck, and
+he asked him what speed the steamer was making.
+
+"The last log showed seventeen knots an hour," replied Mr. Makepeace.
+
+"I hope you slept well, Captain Passford," said the chief engineer,
+saluting him at this minute.
+
+"I slept like a log till eight bells this morning," replied Christy.
+
+"Mr. Makepeace reports the last log at seventeen knots," continued Paul.
+"But the ship is not making revolutions enough per hour for more than
+fifteen, for I have got the hang of her running now. The wind is blowing
+half a gale, and the canvas is giving her two knots."
+
+No events transpired on board worthy a special chronicle during the
+day. The men were drilled in various exercises, and gave excellent
+satisfaction to their officers. The next morning the St. Regis was off
+Cape Hatteras, and though it is a greater bugbear than it generally
+deserves, it gave the ship a taste of its quality. The wind had hauled
+around to the south-west, and was blowing a lively gale. The sails had
+been furled in the morning watch, and off the cape the course had been
+changed to south-west.
+
+Just before eight bells in the afternoon watch, when the ship was making
+fifteen knots an hour, the lookout man on the top-gallant forecastle
+called out "Sail, ho!" and all eyes were directed ahead.
+
+"Where away?" demanded the officer of the deck sharply.
+
+"Close on the lee bow, sir!" returned the lookout.
+
+The commander was in his cabin studying the chart of the coast of North
+Carolina; but the report was promptly sent to him, and he hastened on
+deck.
+
+"Another sail on the port bow, sir!" shouted a seaman who had been sent
+to the fore cross trees with a spy-glass.
+
+"What are they?" asked Christy, maintaining his dignity in spite of the
+excitement which had begun to invade his being.
+
+"Both steamers, sir," replied the officer of the deck.
+
+"The head one is a blockade-runner, I know by the cut of her jib, sir,"
+shouted the man with the glass on the cross trees.
+
+All the glasses on board were immediately directed to the two vessels.
+Christy could plainly make out the steamer that had the lead. She was a
+piratical-looking craft, setting very low in the water, with two smoke
+stacks, both raking at the same angle as her two masts. The wind was
+not fair, and she could not carry sail; but the "bone in her teeth"
+indicated that she was going through the water at great speed.
+
+"A gun from the chaser, sir!" shouted the man aloft.
+
+The cloud of smoke was seen, and the report of the gun reached the ears
+of all on board the St. Regis.
+
+"There is no mistaking what all that means, Mr. Baskirk," said Christy
+when he had taken in the situation.
+
+At the first announcement of the sail ahead, the commander had ordered
+the chief engineer to get all the speed he could out of the ship. The
+smoke was pouring out of the smoke stacks, for the St. Regis had two,
+and presently she indicated what was going on in the fire room by
+beginning to shake a little.
+
+"Another sail dead ahead, sir!" called the man on the fore cross trees.
+
+The glasses were directed to the third sail, and she proved to be a
+steamer, also pursuing the one first seen. It was soon evident to the
+observers that the blockade-runner, for the man aloft who had so defined
+her was entirely correct, was gaining all the time on her pursuers. If
+she had nothing but her two pursuers to fear, her troubles were really
+over.
+
+Both of the Federal ships were firing at the chase; but they might as
+well have spared their powder and shot, for they could not reach her
+into at least a quarter of a mile. The wind was still at the south-west,
+and already there were signs of fog. The rakish steamer had probably
+come from the Bermudas, where she must have obtained a skilful pilot,
+for without one she would have had no chances at all; and she stood
+boldly on her course as though she had nothing to fear on account of
+the navigation.
+
+"What are we going to have for weather, Mr. Makepeace?" asked Christy,
+after a long look to windward.
+
+"It looks a little nasty off towards the shore, sir," replied the second
+lieutenant. "I should say it was going to be just what that pirate would
+like to have."
+
+"Why do you call her a pirate?" asked the commander with a smile.
+"Probably she is not armed."
+
+"I call her a pirate because she looks like one; but I think a
+blockade-runner is a hundred degrees better than a pirate; and our
+British friends plainly look upon them as doing a legitimate business.
+I rather think that highflyer will run into a fog before she gets to the
+shore."
+
+"She has nothing to fear from the two steamers that are chasing her,"
+added Christy. "We are to have a finger in this pie."
+
+"No doubt of that; and I hope we shall make a hole through her before
+she gets to the coast."
+
+"She is not more than a mile and a half from us now, and our midship gun
+is good for more than that; but I don't think it is advisable to waste
+our strength in firing at her just yet."
+
+"That's just my way of thinking," said Mr. Makepeace, with something
+like enthusiasm in his manner; and he was evidently delighted to find
+that the commander knew what he was about, as he would have phrased it.
+
+"The rakish steamer seems to be headed to the west south-west, and she
+is exactly south-east of us. We can see that she is sailing very fast;
+but how fast has not yet been demonstrated. How high should you rate her
+speed, Mr. Makepeace?"
+
+"I should say, Captain Passford, that she was making eighteen knots an
+hour. She is kicking up a big fuss about it; and I'll bet a long-nine
+cigar that she is doing her level best."
+
+"I don't believe she is doing any better than that," added Christy.
+"Make the course south south-west, Mr. Baskirk."
+
+"South south-west, sir," replied the executive officer.
+
+The course of the ship was changed, and Christy planked the deck from
+the quarter-deck to the forecastle in order to obtain the best view he
+could of the relative positions of the St. Regis, the chase, and the two
+steamers astern of her. The blockade-runner showed no colors; and no
+flag could have been of any service to her. She appeared still to be
+very confident that she was in no danger, evidently relying wholly upon
+her great speed to carry her through to her destination.
+
+The "highflyer," as the second lieutenant called her every time he
+alluded to the blockade-runner, and the two pursuers, occupied the three
+angles of a triangle. The latter were both sending needless cannon balls
+in the direction of the chase, but not one of them came anywhere near
+her.
+
+On the other hand, the highflyer and the St. Regis formed two angles of
+another triangle, the third of which was the point where they would come
+together, if nothing occurred to derange their relative positions. By
+this time Paul Vapoor had developed all the power of the ship's boilers,
+and the screw was making more revolutions a minute than her highest
+record, which was found in a book the former chief engineer had left
+in his stateroom.
+
+"I don't think that highflyer quite understands the situation, Mr.
+Baskirk," said the commander, as he observed that she did not vary her
+course, and stood on to her destination, apparently with perfect
+confidence.
+
+"I don't think she does, sir," replied the first lieutenant. "She can
+see the American flag at the peak, and she knows what we are. Doubtless
+she is making the mistake of believing that all the Federal ships are
+slow coaches."
+
+"Heave the log, Mr. Baskirk," added Christy, and he walked forward.
+
+It was a matter of angles when it was desirable to come down to a close
+calculation, and the young commander found his trigonometry very useful,
+and fortunately not forgotten. With an apparatus for taking ranges he
+had procured the bearing of the highflyer accurately as soon as the last
+course was given out, perhaps half an hour before. He took the range
+again, and found there was a slight difference, which was, however,
+enough to show that the form of the triangle had been disturbed.
+
+Both ships were headed for the same point, and the sides of the triangle
+were equal at the first observation. Now the St. Regis's side of the
+figure was perceptibly shorter than its opposite. This proved to the
+captain that his ship had gained on the other. The two chasers had been
+losing on the chase for the last half-hour, and Christy regarded them as
+out of the game.
+
+There was some appearance of fog in the south-west, and no land could
+be seen in any direction. For another hour the St. Regis drove ahead
+furiously on her course, and the highflyer was doing the same. The
+two steamers, regardless of the speed of either, were necessarily
+approaching each other as long as they followed the two sides of the
+triangle. They had come within half a mile the one of the other, when
+the commander gave the order to beat to quarters. Ten minutes later the
+frame of the ship shook under the discharge of the big Parrot. The shot
+went over the chase; but she promptly changed her course to the
+southward.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX
+
+THE FIRST PRIZE OF THE ST. REGIS
+
+
+The shot from the Parrot passed between the funnel and the mainmast of
+the chase, as judged by the splash of the ball in the water just beyond
+her. It had come near enough to the mark to wake up the captain of the
+highflyer. He appeared to believe that the pursuer from the northward
+had simply cut him off by approaching on the shorter side of the
+triangle, and that all he had to do was to escape to the southward,
+evidently satisfied that no steamer in the Federal navy could overhaul
+him in a fair and square race.
+
+"Now comes the tug of war," said Mr. Baskirk, when the St. Regis had
+been headed for the chase.
+
+"The game will not last all day," added Christy. "If I owned that
+highflyer, I should not employ her present captain to sail her for me.
+He is overloaded with a blind confidence, and he has made a very bad use
+of his opportunities. If I had been in command of that steamer I should
+have made her course so as to run away from all three of my pursuers as
+soon as I made them out. It is six o'clock now, and I should have got
+far enough into the darkness to give them all the slip, and gone into
+Wilmington on a new track."
+
+"Her captain appears to trust entirely to his heels, and to look
+with contempt upon anything like manoeuvring," replied the first
+lieutenant.
+
+"But we must finish him up before the darkness enables him to give us
+the slip. I have no doubt we could knock her all to pieces with the
+midship gun in the next fifteen minutes; but if she can make eighteen
+knots an hour, which we seem to be all agreed that she can do, she will
+not be a useless addition to the United States Navy, and it would be a
+pity to smash her up, for she is a good-looking craft. We are gaining
+two knots an hour on her, and Mr. Vapoor is keeping things warm in the
+engine and fire rooms."
+
+"That is taking an economical view of the subject," added Mr. Baskirk,
+laughing at the commander's utilitarian views.
+
+"If we continue to fire into her, we must swing to every shot we send,
+and that would take so much from our speed," argued Christy. "We are as
+sure of her as though we already had her in our clutches. There are
+plenty of officers in the navy who would like to command her when she is
+altered over into a cruiser."
+
+"You are quite right, Captain Passford; and there are some of them on
+the deck of the St. Regis at this moment," said the first lieutenant,
+laughing.
+
+"Heave the log, Mr. Baskirk," said the captain.
+
+The report from the master, who attended to this duty, was soon reported
+to the executive officer, who transmitted it to the commander.
+
+"Rising twenty knots, sir," said he.
+
+"That will do," replied Christy. "That is enough to enable us to
+overhaul the chase within half an hour."
+
+Within fifteen minutes it could be seen that the St. Regis was rapidly
+gaining on the Raven, for the latter was near enough now to enable the
+pursuers to read the name on her stern, and the captain of the highflyer
+could not help realizing that he had not the slightest chance to escape.
+The chaser was within the eighth of a mile of her, and the result was
+only a matter of minutes.
+
+"She has stopped her screw, sir!" reported the third lieutenant in the
+waist, passing the word from the second lieutenant on the forecastle.
+
+"She has stopped her screw, Captain," repeated Mr. Baskirk.
+
+"That means mischief," replied Christy, as he directed his gaze to the
+Raven.
+
+"She is getting out two boats on her port side!" shouted Mr. Makepeace
+from the top-gallant forecastle; and the report was repeated till it
+reached the commander, though he had heard it before it was officially
+communicated to him. "That means more mischief."
+
+"Ready to stop and back her!" he cried through the speaking-tube to the
+chief engineer.
+
+"All ready, sir," replied Paul.
+
+"Some of these blockade-runners are desperate characters, and that
+captain intends either to burn or sink his ship," continued Christy,
+with a trifle of excitement in his manner, though he looked as dignified
+as a college professor in the presence of his class.
+
+The St. Regis was still rushing with unabated speed towards her prey,
+and a minute or two more would decide whether or not she was to be a
+prize or a blazing hulk on the broad ocean.
+
+"Lay him aboard on the port side, Mr. Baskirk!"
+
+"The two boats are there, Captain, as you can see," replied the
+executive officer.
+
+"Board on the port side, Mr. Baskirk!" repeated the commander very
+decidedly, and somewhat sharply; and at the same time he rang one bell
+on the gong to slow down the engine. "Board on the port side, Mr.
+Baskirk!" he repeated again. "Mr. Drake, have the steam pump and long
+hose ready to extinguish fire!"
+
+Whether the captain of the Raven had ordered his men to scuttle the
+steamer, or to fire her in several places, Christy could not know; and
+he did not much care, for he was ready to meet either emergency. The St.
+Regis was bearing down on her victim with a reduced speed. The men
+forward and in the waist were all ready with the grappling irons to
+fasten to her, and the boarders were all prepared to leap upon her deck,
+though no fighting was expected.
+
+The bow of the St. Regis was near the stem of the Raven, and Christy
+rang one bell to stop her, and then two to back her. Then he sprang upon
+the starboard rail of the ship where he could observe his men as they
+boarded the other steamer.
+
+"What are you about, sir?" yelled a man on the quarter-deck of the
+Raven, who appeared to be the captain of the vessel, in a rude voice.
+"Don't you see that you are crushing my two boats and the men in them?"
+
+"I did not order the boats or the men there," replied Christy calmly,
+and in a gentle tone, for the captain of the blockade-runner was not ten
+feet from him.
+
+"I did," added the captain of the prize, for such she really was by this
+time.
+
+"Then you are responsible for them," said the commander of the St.
+Regis.
+
+"Do you mean to murder them?" gasped the other captain furiously.
+
+"If they are killed you have sent them to their death!"
+
+But the commander had no time to argue the matter with the irate
+captain. He had rung three bells, and the ship was backing at full
+speed. The momentum had not been sufficiently checked to stop her, and
+the two boats were crushed to splinters. The seamen who were in them saw
+what was coming, and they seized the ropes which had been dropped to
+them by the boarders on the rail at the command of the captain, who did
+not wish them to be sacrificed to the madness of their commander, and
+they climbed to the chains of the Federal ship with the aid of the
+boarders.
+
+"Lay her aboard!" shouted Christy as soon as the headway of the ship had
+been checked, and the grappling irons had been made fast.
+
+The willing and active seamen poured from the rails to the deck of the
+prize, their officers leading the way. The main hatch had been removed
+and a light smoke was coming up through the opening. The hose from the
+steam pump of the ship had been drawn on board, and the master was in
+charge of it. At the command of the officers the men leaped below at all
+the openings in the deck, and it was found that she had been fired in
+half a dozen places.
+
+In most of them the combustibles had only been lighted a few moments
+before, and they had not become well-kindled. Except at the main hatch,
+the men extinguished the flames with their hands and feet, and a stream
+from the hose put out the one amidships. The hoseman shut off the water,
+and the ship's company of the St. Regis were in full possession of the
+prize.
+
+"Anything more to be done, Captain Bristler?" asked the mate, as he
+approached the commander.
+
+"Nothing more can be done, Mr. Victor," replied the captain, who
+appeared to be overwhelmed with wrath at the unexpected termination of
+his voyage. "It is too late to scuttle her, and that vampire of a Yankee
+has smashed both of our boats into kindling wood. We did not begin the
+end soon enough."
+
+But the beginning had evidently ended sooner than had been expected, and
+the Raven was the prize of the St. Regis. Christy still stood on the
+rail, and saw that all his orders had been executed to the letter. Mr.
+Makepeace had sent the carpenter and his gang into the hold, or as far
+as they could get, to ascertain if the steamer had been scuttled. It
+could not have been done without breaking out a portion of the cargo,
+and this would have been a work of no little time. The carpenter
+reported that everything was all right below the deck of the Raven,
+and the commander on the rail was so informed.
+
+  [Illustration: "The stream struck the commander with force."
+  Page 331.]
+
+"This is a heathenish outrage, Captain, if a young cub like you can be
+the commander of a ship like that!" exclaimed Captain Bristler, foaming
+with rage over the result of the affair; and he interlarded his speech
+with all the oaths in the vocabulary of a pirate.
+
+"Captain Bristler, when you address me as one gentleman should another,
+I will talk with you; but not till then," replied Christy with dignity.
+
+"A gentleman!" gasped the other captain. "You tried to murder half a
+dozen of my men! You are a Yankee pirate! That's what you are!"
+
+We cannot soil this page with even a description of the oaths and curses
+with which he mixed his language. Christy was disgusted with him; and
+while he still continued his impious ravings, he sent a midshipman with
+an order to Mr. Makepeace who was in charge of the hose pipe on board of
+the Raven. While Captain Bristler was pouring forth anathemas that made
+the blood of the loyal officers run cold in their veins, the man who
+held the hose pipe directed it to him, and the water was turned on.
+
+The stream struck the commander with force enough to knock him down.
+But the bath was not suspended on that account, and it was continued
+till it had extinguished the fire of profanity. Christy made a sign,
+and the steam-pump ceased to work. The mate rushed to the assistance of
+the captain, put him on his feet, and was conducting him towards the
+companion, seeking a retreat in his cabin; but he was silent, perhaps
+from his inability to speak.
+
+"Stop, Mr. Victor!" called Christy to the mate. "I cannot trust that man
+to remain on board of the Raven"; and at the same time he directed Mr.
+Baskirk to have him arrested and put in irons, if he was violent.
+
+"But this gentleman is the commander of the steamer," interposed the
+mate.
+
+"I don't care what he is; if he were a gentleman, as you call him,
+I would treat him like one; but he is a brute, and I shall treat him as
+such," replied Christy, as two of his men, attended by two more, laid
+hands on the dripping captain. "You may send his clothes on board of
+this ship, Mr. Victor. Have him committed to the brig, Master-at-Arms."
+
+There was no appeal from the decision of Commander Passford, for his
+authority was supreme. The refractory commander was committed to the
+brig of the St. Regis, and his own steward was sent to him with his
+clothes, with order to exchange his wet garments for dry ones.
+
+"Sail, ho!" shouted the man on the cross trees, who had remained there
+during the scene which had just transpired, while the commander was
+descending from the rail.
+
+Possibly the lookout man had been more attentive to the proceedings on
+the deck of the Raven than to his duty, for the sail must have been in
+sight some little time before he reported it. The two steamers, which
+had been vainly chasing the prize, were now within half a mile of the
+St. Regis.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXX
+
+ANOTHER SAILING CONTEST INAUGURATED
+
+
+Although the Raven had not yet been disposed of, the ship's company
+were immediately interested in the vessel which the lookout had tardily
+announced; and the vigor with which he had given the hail to the deck
+indicated that he was conscious of the defect.
+
+"Where away?" returned Mr. Baskirk; though it was a superfluous
+question, for all on the deck who cast their eyes to the westward could
+see the sail.
+
+"On the starboard, sir."
+
+Commander Passford was already examining the distant sail with his
+glass, as were all the officers who were not otherwise occupied. There
+were fog banks in that direction; and the craft might have suddenly
+loomed up out of them, though this did not appear to have been the case.
+The sail was too far off to be made out with anything like distinctness.
+It was a steamer headed to the east, and the quantity of smoke that
+trailed in the air above indicated that she had been liberal in the use
+of coal in her furnaces.
+
+As the sail was diminishing her distance from the St. Regis, Christy
+turned his attention again to the prize alongside his ship. The two
+chasers that had been pursuing the Raven, neither of which appeared to
+be capable of making more than fourteen knots an hour, were now almost
+within hailing distance.
+
+The Raven was a steamer of nearly the size of the St. Regis. She was not
+armed, and had a ship's company of about thirty men, including officers.
+Her cargo was miscellaneous in its character, consisting of such
+merchandise as was most needed in the Confederacy, especially in the
+army. A watch had been set below on board of her to extinguish fires if
+any more appeared; but this peril had been effectually removed. The
+attempt to destroy the steamer and her cargo looked like malice and
+revenge, and some of the officers of the ship thought it ought to be
+regarded and treated as an act of war.
+
+To burn, scuttle, blow up, run ashore, or otherwise destroy a
+blockade-runner after her situation has become absolutely hopeless can
+result only to the benefit of the enemy, since it deprived the Federals
+of the property that would otherwise be confiscated under international
+law. But blockade-runners are regarded as neutrals unless proved to be
+Americans, in which case they are subject to the penalties of treason,
+and the forfeiture of the ship and cargo is the only punishment.
+
+Christy had never been able to regard this class of persons with much
+respect, for they appeared to be in league with the enemy. Captain
+Bristler had not only attempted to break through the blockade, which he
+and many of his countrymen regarded as a legitimate business; but he had
+attempted to burn his vessel. He had got out his boats; and when she was
+wrapped in flames, he evidently expected the Federal victor to pick up
+himself and his ship's company, and treat the whole of them as though
+they had not been, at least constructively if not really, in the service
+of the enemy.
+
+"The cold water applied to the commander of the Raven has had a good
+effect upon him," said the first lieutenant, as he touched his cap on
+the quarter-deck of the St. Regis. "He sends word that he regrets his
+conduct, and asks to be released from confinement."
+
+"He has behaved himself more like a swine than a gentleman; but I have
+no ill-will towards him, for I regarded him as beneath my contempt,"
+replied Captain Passford. "I can understand his condition, for of course
+he is suffering under a tremendous disappointment; but that does not
+atone for his brutality."
+
+"Certainly not, sir. He was running away from the two blockaders that
+were pursuing him, and had beaten them both. He was absolutely sure of
+his escape till he encountered the fleet in shore when the St. Regis
+came upon the scene," added Mr. Baskirk.
+
+"Her captain had no particular respect for our steamer when he saw her,
+and kept on his course as if in contempt of her, till we dropped a shot
+near him. If he had headed to the south when he first made out the St.
+Regis, he would have improved his chances, but he would only have given
+us a longer chase. Let Captain Bristler out of the brig, Mr. Baskirk; we
+will see if he can behave himself any better; but I will not allow any
+man to swear at me if I can help myself."
+
+A little later Captain Bristler came on deck in charge of the ship's
+corporal. He was dressed in his best clothes, and his personal
+appearance had been greatly improved.
+
+"Captain Passford," said he, raising his cap to the commander, "under
+the influence of my awful disappointment at the failure of the Raven to
+outsail you, I was rude and ungentlemanly, and some of my forecastle
+habits came back to me. I beg your pardon; and I shall show you that I
+know how to be a gentleman, if I did forget myself for a time."
+
+"That is sufficient, and I accept your apology, Captain Bristler,"
+replied Christy with abundant dignity.
+
+"I did not believe there was a ship in the Federal navy that could
+outsail the Raven, for she was built more for speed than for cargo,"
+continued the captain of the prize.
+
+"The St. Regis is not the only one that can outsail the Raven. I have
+served in a steamer that could beat her four knots an hour in an
+emergency," added Christy.
+
+"What steamer is that, Captain?" asked Captain Bristler.
+
+"That is not important, but it was the one that outsailed and captured
+the St. Regis when she had another name."
+
+"Then your ship was a blockade-runner?"
+
+"She was, and also a Confederate man-of-war; she was the Trafalgar."
+
+"Ah! Then I know her very well; and the company owning the Raven, of
+which I am a member, offered nearly double what it cost to build the
+Raven for her," replied Captain Bristler. "I can understand now how I
+happened to be so thoroughly beaten in the last chase. She was built for
+a yacht, and no money was spared upon her."
+
+By this time the two steamers that had first chased the Raven had
+stopped their screws, and a boat was on its way from each of them. The
+two cutters came up to the gangway, and the officer in each ascended to
+the deck. Christy permitted the captain of the Raven to take care of
+himself, while he waited for the visitors to present themselves.
+
+"I am very glad to see you, Mr. Amblen!" exclaimed Christy, as he
+extended his hand; for he recognized in the first officer the gentleman
+who had been his third lieutenant in the Bronx.
+
+"I am delighted to see you again, Captain Passford," replied Lieutenant
+Amblen, for such was his present rank. "I am now the executive officer
+of the Muskegon. I have the pleasure of presenting to you Mr. Cartright,
+first lieutenant of the St. Croix."
+
+"I am happy to meet you, Mr. Cartright."
+
+"I have often heard of you, Captain Passford, and I am glad to see you
+in command of so fine and fast a steamer as the St. Regis, though I
+never heard of her before," added the executive officer of the St.
+Croix. "Of course you are aware that there is a steamer in sight to the
+westward of us."
+
+"I am aware of it; and for that reason we should hasten our present
+business," replied Christy, as he glanced at the steamer in the distance
+and the trails of smoke astern of her. "I do not know who is the ranking
+officer here; and I have not yet reported to the admiral, for I took
+part in the chase from the moment of my arrival."
+
+"You are a lieutenant"--Mr. Amblen began.
+
+"A lieutenant-commander, if you please," interposed Christy with a
+smile.
+
+"Then you are the ranking officer, Captain Passford, for both of the
+other commanders are lieutenants," added the executive officer of the
+Muskegon. "We are ready to transmit your orders to our superiors."
+
+"My orders will depend somewhat upon the steamer astern of us; and if
+you will excuse me a few moments, I shall soon be ready to issue them,"
+replied Christy, as he took his spy-glass from the brackets, and
+directed it to the approaching steamer from the west. "What do you
+make of her, Mr. Baskirk?"
+
+The executive officer had been observing the steamer astern with his
+glass; and she was not more than four miles distant by this time.
+
+"She is a large vessel, I judge, not less than a thousand tons. She has
+all sail set and drawing, and she seems to be making very rapid progress
+through the water," replied the first lieutenant. "But there are not
+less than three steamers pursuing her, though they are a long way astern
+of her."
+
+"I make out the chasers, and I should judge that she is getting away
+from them," added Christy.
+
+"The leading steamer is turning her head to the south!" exclaimed Mr.
+Baskirk, with no little excitement in his manner.
+
+"I only wonder she has not done so before," added the commander,
+rejoining the officers of the other steamers. "I believe Captain Wright
+of the Muskegon outranks Captain Boyden of the St. Croix," he continued.
+
+"He does, Captain Passford," replied Mr. Amblen.
+
+"If you will excuse me a moment, I will write an order for him;" and
+Christy retired to his cabin for this purpose.
+
+His communication directed Captain Wright to take possession of the
+Raven, and treat her precisely as though she were the prize of the
+Muskegon and her consort; and constructively she was concerned in
+the capture of the vessel, especially in the distribution of the
+prize-money. He added to the order the fact that what appeared to be a
+blockade-runner astern of his ship was outsailing her pursuers, and the
+St. Regis being a very fast steamer, his duty did not permit him to make
+any further delay in taking part in the chase.
+
+With this order in the hands of Mr. Amblen, Christy took leave of the
+two officers and they departed in their boats. But he was obliged to
+await the arrival of one or both of the blockaders before starting the
+screw, for he was not willing to leave any number of his crew in charge
+of the prize. While he was waiting, he wrote a letter to the acting
+admiral of the station, announcing his arrival, and copying into it the
+material portion of his orders from the department.
+
+The Muskegon was the first to come alongside of the Raven, which she did
+on the starboard side. Captain Wright, crossing the deck of the Raven,
+presented himself to Captain Passford on the quarter-deck of the St.
+Regis; he was received with Christy's accustomed politeness, and the
+prize was handed over to him verbally, as it had been done before in
+writing.
+
+Captain Wright began to compliment Captain Passford, with whose
+brilliant reputation he was already very familiar; but Christy
+interposed, declaring that he was in a great hurry, and could hear no
+more, if his orders were clearly understood. Mr. Baskirk had directed
+the recall of all the ship's company, with the exception of a master's
+mate, who was to remain on board to give any further information needed
+to the officers of the Muskegon, and to be a witness in New York at the
+prize court.
+
+Captain Bristler and his effects were sent back to the Raven, the
+grappling irons and the fasts were cast off, and the St. Regis backed
+out from her position on the port side of the prize. During all this
+time Christy was very busy with his glass. As Mr. Baskirk had
+discovered, the leading steamer had three blockaders in chase of her.
+She was now headed to the south, having done so as soon as she saw the
+four vessels lying in her course.
+
+"Make the course south-west by south, Mr. Baskirk," said the young
+commander, after he had brought his trigonometry into use again.
+
+Then it became a very exciting question to ascertain which was the
+faster steamer of the two.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXI
+
+A VICTORIOUS UNION
+
+
+The fog was coming and going in the distance, and at times the land
+could be just discerned. In spite of the number and vigilance of the
+blockading fleet, several hundred blockade-runners had succeeded in
+making their way into Cape Fear River, though several hundred also had
+been captured, not to mention a very considerable number that had been
+run ashore or burned when escape became hopeless.
+
+It was the policy of the Confederacy to send out vessels to prey upon
+the commerce of the United States. Some of them began their depredations
+without making a port in the South, and a few of the swift steamers that
+succeeded in getting into Mobile, Wilmington, and other safe places,
+were fitted out for the work of destruction. The fog that prevailed
+inshore was favorable to blockade-runners; and if there was a vessel of
+this character in Cape Fear River, the early morning had been such as to
+tempt her to try to make her way through the blockaders to sea.
+
+"She is not one of the ordinary steamers that run in and out of the
+river," said Mr. Baskirk, while he and the commander were still watching
+the progress of the chase, and Paul Vapoor was warming up the engine as
+he had done before.
+
+"She is larger than the St. Regis, but hardly equal in size to the
+Bellevite," added Christy. "She cannot draw more than twelve or fourteen
+feet of water, or she could not have come out through those shallow
+channels at the mouth of Cape Fear River. She seems to have the speed
+to run away from her pursuers; but probably not one of them can make
+fifteen knots an hour."
+
+The three pursuers of the blockade-runner had changed their course when
+the chase did so; but it was already evident that they had no chance to
+overhaul her. They were still three miles astern of her, while the St.
+Regis, at sunset, was not more than three. Not a shot had been fired by
+any one of the steamers, and it would have been a waste of ammunition to
+do so.
+
+"We are gaining on her," said Christy, half an hour later. "That steamer
+is making sixteen knots at least."
+
+"If she has found out that we can outsail her, very likely she will
+count upon the darkness to enable her to give us the slip," suggested
+Mr. Baskirk.
+
+"Mr. Vapoor has come to his bearings, and in another half hour we shall
+be within one mile of her. But I am afraid we shall not be able to
+settle this affair finally to-night," replied Christy.
+
+The darkness gathered around the two ships, and none of the steamers in
+the distance could any longer be seen. The officers could just make out
+the steamer ahead, which still kept on her course. The midship gun was
+now brought into use, and a round shot was sent on its mission to her;
+but with little chance of hitting her in the increasing gloom, for the
+sky was obscured with clouds, and all the signs indicated fog during the
+night, which would be exceedingly favorable to the chase. A flash was
+seen in the distance, and then came the roar of a heavy gun.
+
+"She is not merely a blockade-runner; for it appears now that she is an
+armed vessel, and has some heavy metal on board," said Christy.
+
+"But no shot has come within hearing," added Mr. Baskirk. "Perhaps she
+only wished to inform us that she could bite as well as bark."
+
+The St. Regis kept on her course for another hour. Christy was very
+anxious, for the chase was plainly a Confederate man-of-war, or a
+privateer; and if she escaped she might begin her work of destruction
+the very next day. At two bells in the first watch she could not be
+seen; but the commander kept on his course another half-hour, and then
+he ran into a fog.
+
+The log indicated that the ship was making her best speed; and if the
+chase continued on her former course, she must have been within sight or
+hearing by this time. Christy peered through the gloom of the night and
+the fog, and listened for any sound. He kept up a tremendous thinking
+all the time, and acted as though he was in doubt.
+
+"Make the course east, Mr. Baskirk," said he, calling the executive
+officer.
+
+"East, Captain Passford?" interrogated the lieutenant; and if he tried
+to conceal the astonishment he felt, his tones failed him.
+
+"East, Mr. Baskirk," repeated the commander.
+
+The course was given to the quartermaster at the wheel; and the St.
+Regis came about gradually, and stood off in the direction indicated.
+Christy had a theory of his own, in regard to the probable movements of
+the chase, and he desired to be solely responsible for the result:
+therefore he kept his plan to himself.
+
+"Call all hands, Mr. Baskirk, but without any noise at all," continued
+the commander, while the ship was still driving ahead at the rate of
+twenty knots an hour.
+
+The ship's company silently took their stations, and no one on the deck
+spoke a loud word, though no order to this effect had been given. All
+the white cotton cloth that could be found on board was brought to the
+waist, where it was torn into strips about three inches wide, and two
+feet in length. These two pieces were distributed among the ship's
+company, with the order to tie them around the left arm, above the
+elbow.
+
+The fog was deep and dense; and the lookouts, who were stationed on the
+top-gallant forecastle and aloft, could not see a ship's length ahead.
+Christy had gone forward, and made his way out on the bowsprit, in order
+to get as far as possible from the noise of the engine. He listened
+there for a full half-hour, and while the ship had made ten miles.
+
+"Starboard a little, Mr. Baskirk," he called to the executive officer,
+who had followed him forward.
+
+"Starboard, sir," repeated the officer, as he sent the order aft.
+
+"Port! Port!" exclaimed the commander with more energy.
+
+The orders were passed rapidly through the line of officers till they
+reached the quartermaster conning the wheel. The captain continued to
+listen for another quarter of an hour.
+
+"Steady!" he shouted aloud, and left his position on the bowsprit to
+take another on the top-gallant forecastle. "We are close aboard of her,
+Mr. Baskirk! Have your grappling irons ready! Lay her aboard as we come
+alongside!"
+
+By this time all hands forward could see the dark hull of the enemy. The
+St. Regis was rapidly running alongside of her, for the chase did not
+seem to be going at her former speed; and no doubt her commander was
+busy working out some manoeuvre he had devised to escape from his
+pursuers. The boarders threw their grappling-irons, and fastened to the
+side of the enemy.
+
+The drum was heard on board of her, beating to quarters; but it was too
+late, for the boarders were springing over her rail. Christy heard one
+bell on the gong of the other ship, and instantly made the same signal
+on his own. It was evidently a surprise to the enemy, but the ship's
+company were promptly rallied. The enemy was overwhelmed in a few
+minutes, though not till several had fallen on both sides. The captain
+seemed to have been too busy with his manoeuvre to escape to attend to
+present conditions.
+
+While the commander of the St. Regis remained on the deck, or even on
+the top-gallant forecastle, the clang of his own engine prevented him
+from hearing any other sounds; and the enemy appeared not to have seen
+the ship till she emerged from the fog. The crew of the prize, as she
+was by this time, were all driven below, and the victory was complete.
+
+"Do you surrender?" demanded Mr. Baskirk of the officer who appeared to
+be the captain.
+
+"There appears to be no alternative," replied the commander very
+gloomily: and he did not attempt to explain how his misfortune had come
+upon him. He had counted upon the fog to insure his salvation; but it
+appeared to have been the primary cause of his capture, though he
+certainly had not been as vigilant as a commander should be. Christy
+came on board, and Mr. Baskirk introduced him.
+
+"I am glad to see you, Captain Passford," said the commander as a matter
+of form. "I was absolutely sure that you would chase me to the westward,
+sir; and I had not the slightest expectation of encountering you on this
+course."
+
+"I took my chances of finding you in this direction rather than in the
+opposite one," replied Christy. "It appears that I correctly interpreted
+your strategy, though I dared not even mention my plan to my executive
+officer."
+
+"I have fallen into my own trap, and being captured as I was, is
+disgraceful to me," added Captain Winnlock, as his name proved to be;
+and the steamer was the Watauga.
+
+Christy's opinion of the capture did not differ from that of the
+commander of the prize, but he made no remark upon it. The Watauga was
+loaded with cotton, which was to be sent to England from Nassau, while
+the steamer was to go on a cruise in search of defenceless merchantmen
+of the United States.
+
+"I have a passenger on board, Captain Passford, who bears the same name
+that you do, and possibly he may be one of your relatives, though he is
+by no means a Federalist," said Captain Winnlock.
+
+"Indeed! May I ask his name?" replied Christy very much surprised.
+
+"Colonel Homer Passford, sir."
+
+"My uncle again!"
+
+Mr. French, the master, had already been appointed prize-master; and
+while Mr. Baskirk was making the arrangements for her departure for New
+York, Christy accompanied the captain to the cabin. Colonel Passford had
+learned the fate of the Watauga; and he sat at a table, his face covered
+with both hands.
+
+"I have brought down to see you, Colonel Passford, your nephew," said
+the commander; and his uncle sprang to his feet, and gazed at his
+brother's son as though he had been a spectre.
+
+"Christy!" he exclaimed; but he could say no more, and groaned in his
+anguish.
+
+"He is a lieutenant-commander now, and captain of the steamer St. Regis,
+formerly the Tallahatchie. The Watauga is now unfortunately the prize of
+his ship," added Captain Winnlock, as he retired from the cabin.
+
+"Captured again by my nephew," groaned the unhappy colonel. "I believe
+you are the emissary of the Evil One, sent to torment me."
+
+"I am sent by the opposite Power, Uncle Homer," replied Christy very
+gently. "But I am more astonished to see you here than you ought to be
+to see me, for I go wherever the fortunes of war carry me."
+
+"I was still trying to serve my country in her misfortunes. I raised
+another cargo of cotton among my friends, and it is now on board of this
+vessel. It has fallen into your hands, where most of my cotton has
+gone."
+
+The victorious commander inquired for his aunt and cousins in the South,
+and informed him that his mother and sister were very well. He added
+that he should be obliged to send him to New York in the prize, and
+insured him a brotherly welcome at Bonnydale. He parted with his uncle
+pitying him very much; but he had chosen for himself which side he would
+take in the great conflict.
+
+The Watauga had a crew of sixty men, who were to be re-enforced at
+Nassau, and a large prize-crew had to be sent with her; but French
+returned with his force in three weeks, and the St. Regis was again
+fully manned. Christy received a letter from the flag-officer, who
+commended him very highly for the service he had rendered; and the St.
+Regis was continued on her present station through the remainder of the
+summer, and during the winter on the outer limit of the blockaders.
+
+She made several captures, though all of them without any fighting, for
+no more Confederate men-of-war, actually or intended as such, came out
+of Wilmington, or attempted to enter the Cape Fear; but he sent a large
+number of blockade-runners, loaded with cotton coming out, or with
+supplies for the Confederate armies going in, to New York.
+
+One day in August a large steamer was reported to the commander of the
+St. Regis as coming from the South. Christy was all ready for a battle
+if she proved to be a Confederate cruiser; but to his great joy she
+turned out to be the Bellevite. The ocean was as smooth as glass, and
+she came alongside the St. Regis. The young commander hastened on board
+of her, followed by his chief engineer.
+
+Captain Breaker actually hugged him amid the repeated cheers and
+applause of the ship's company, and Paul Vapoor was received with hardly
+less enthusiasm. Christy had to shake hands for the next half-hour.
+
+"But how do you and the Bellevite happen to be in this latitude, Captain
+Breaker?" asked the young commander when he had an opportunity to speak.
+
+"Haven't you heard the news, Captain Passford?" demanded the captain of
+the Bellevite.
+
+"What news? We don't get the news so far off shore," replied Christy.
+
+"There was no farther use for my ship in the Gulf, and I am sent here
+to report to the flag-officer. Admiral Farragut turned his attention to
+Mobile Bay with his fleet; and I gave him the information you procured
+for me. The Bellevite took part in the battle, and it was the hottest
+action in which I was ever engaged. My ship was badly cut up in her
+upper works, but she came out all right."
+
+"This is glorious news, Captain Breaker!" exclaimed Christy, waving his
+hat, whereupon the tars in the waist broke out in a volley of cheers.
+
+"The carpenters have been busy since the action, and the Bellevite is as
+good as new," added her commander, as he proceeded to tell the story of
+the great battle, to which Christy and Paul listened with breathless
+interest. "Fort Morgan and Fort Gaines surrendered, and the bay is open
+to our ships."
+
+The narrative has gone into history, and it is not necessary to repeat
+it. The Bellevite reported to the flag officer; and as her great speed
+fitted her for duty like that in which the St. Regis was engaged, she
+was employed as a cruiser till the end of the war, though she and
+Christy's ship took part in the bombardment and capture of Fort Fisher
+in January. The end was rapidly approaching. The Bellevite continued to
+cruise until the end of the war, announced to the world by the surrender
+of General Lee.
+
+Among the steamers ordered up the James River were the Bellevite and
+the St. Regis, and the sailors of both were among those who put out the
+fire which threatened to consume the city of Richmond. Christy saw the
+President there, and was presented to him, which he will remember as
+long as he lives. In due time the St. Regis was ordered to the navy yard
+at New York. As early as possible he hastened to Bonnydale, where all
+the family and Bertha Pembroke were waiting for him. It was a sort of
+united embrace which welcomed him; and all the day and half the night
+were given to the narrative of the young commander's adventures. They
+were all supremely happy.
+
+Peace had come, and the whole North was ringing with the rejoicings of
+the people. Thousands upon thousands had laid down their lives in the
+army and the navy in their devotion to their country, and were laid in
+graves far from home and kindred, or committed to the silent depths of
+the ocean.
+
+They had won Peace and A Victorious Union.
+
+It was far otherwise in the South, though Peace spread her mantle over
+the whole united nation. Her people had fought valiantly, and made
+sacrifices which no one beyond their borders can understand or
+appreciate. If the devotion and self-sacrifice of the South, the bravery
+and determination with which her sons fought, and the heroism with which
+they suffered and died, were the only considerations, they deserved
+success. But thirty years of peace have made the South more prosperous
+than ever before, and her people enjoy the benefits of the Victorious
+Union.
+
+  [Illustration: "Amid the cheers and applause of the ship's company."
+  Page 356.]
+
+Homer Passford, like thousands of others in the South, was a ruined man
+at the close of the war. He had lost his plantation, and he and his
+family had nowhere to lay their heads. But he was a true Southerner,
+and he did not regret or repent of what he had done for what he called
+his country. His brother chartered a steamer to bring the family to
+Bonnydale, but only for a friendly visit. The reunion was a happy one;
+and neither brother was disposed to talk politics, and those of the
+North did not indulge in a single "I told you so!" in the presence of
+their defeated relatives. They were the same as they had been before the
+war; and it is needless to say that Horatio generously helped out Homer
+financially; and now he is as wealthy and prosperous as ever before.
+
+When it came to disposing of the vessels that were no longer needed for
+the navy, Christy bought the St. Regis, for in a moderate way compared
+with his father he was a rich man. On the day he was twenty-one years
+old, Bertha Pembroke became his wife; and Paul Vapoor became the husband
+of Florry Passford on the same occasion. Over a year had elapsed since
+the war, and the St. Regis had been entirely reconstructed in her
+interior, and furnished in the most elegant manner.
+
+Her first mission was a voyage to Mobile to bring the family of Uncle
+Homer to the wedding. It was the grandest occasion that had ever been
+known in the region of Bonnydale. The young couple were to spend the
+summer on their bridal trip on board of the elegant steam-yacht,
+visiting various ports of Europe.
+
+In the multitude who came to Bonnydale to assist at the marriage of the
+young hero was Monsieur Gilfleur, who was received with distinguished
+consideration by all the family, including the bride elect; and it can
+be safely asserted that he was one of the happiest of the guests who
+rejoiced in the felicity of the ex-lieutenant-commander, for he had
+resigned his commission at the close of the war. This was not the first
+time they had met since their memorable campaigns in Bermuda and Nassau;
+for the detective had spent a fortnight at Bonnydale with his young
+friend, during which they had told the stories of their experience in
+secret service. They are fast friends for life.
+
+Captain Passford, senior, presented to his son an elegant house, built
+and magnificently furnished while Christy and his wife were voyaging in
+European waters. It is on the Bonnydale estate: and the grandfather of
+two boys and a girl does not have to go far to visit the family, for he
+is nearly eighty years old. Christy is somewhat grizzled with iron gray
+hair and whiskers; but he is still the same as when he was a young
+officer, and still as devoted as ever to the country he helped to make
+A Victorious Union.
+
+
+
+
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+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+           *       *       *       *
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Errata Noted by Transcriber:
+
+Invisible punctuation--chiefly quotation marks--has been silently
+supplied.
+
+which had been captured by the Chateaugay
+  _text reads "Chataugay"_
+CHAPTER XVI
+  _text reads "CHPATER"_
+after he had examined it
+  _text reads "exaimed"_
+"That will never do!" exclaimed the commander bruskly.
+  _spelling as in original_
+"You have been very kind to Captain Rombold, Gill informs me, and"--
+  _original has no punctuation with close quote_
+Your second lieutenant is Joel Makepeace
+  _text reads "Makepiece"_
+beginning to shake a little
+  _text reads "begining"_
+he sent a midshipman
+  _text reads "he send"_
+look at the darkness
+  _text reads "look at the the darkness"_
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of A Victorious Union, by Oliver Optic
+
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