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 chairsrejoicing 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 anenemy 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 sonin 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 warpurposes, 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.
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, thoughthe 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 envelopewill 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 LieutenantGeorge 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 JoelMakepeace, 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 CaptainBreaker 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.
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 nexttrain 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 goingto 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. TheSt. 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 thetime. 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 Paulhurried 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.
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 protectionto 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 inBaltimore, 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 missionsince 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 thefoot 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 theenvelope 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 unlesswhen 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.