Captain Passford had obtained the idea, from the fact that Florry did not like to have the major gaze at her all the time, that she was not very deeply interested in him; and the conclusion afforded him a great deal of satisfaction. She did not like to leave her uncle and aunt and her two cousins without saying good-by to them; but she had not said a word about the military gentleman who was supposed to have made frequent visits at the mansion on her account.
When Lieutenant Dallberg informed Major Pierson that Miss Florry had left the house, and that her trunk had been removed, indicating that she did not intend to return, the effect upon him was very decided. However it may have been with the young lady, it was plain enoughthat he was stirred to the very centre of his being.
"Then Captain Passford has left the mansion?" said the Major, after he had strode several times across the little pilot-house, as he halted in front of the lieutenant.
"No doubt of that; the family and the servants hunted the house all over in search of him and his daughter," replied Mr. Dallberg with a yawn.
"Well, what did Colonel Passford say about him?" demanded the major.
"He was not at the house when I got there. As I said, he had gone for assistance. I could do nothing till I had seen him. I sent my men on ahead to look for him, and then I went myself. We did not find him till one o'clock in the morning. He had given up all his horses for the service, and we had to go on foot," continued the lieutenant.
"But you saw Colonel Passford?"
"I did; but he had been unable to find the persons of whom he had been in search, and he could procure no such assistance as he wished. I walked back to his mansion with him. At first he was not inclined to say any thing to me; butwhen I told him that you were over here in the Leopard to look out for the steamer, he had more confidence in me."
"Well, what did he say?" asked the major impatiently.
"He would not say any thing till I had told him all I knew, including the manner in which the steamer had passed the forts. By this time we had reached his house, and we seated ourselves in the library."
"You need not stop to describe the chairs or the sofa," interposed the excited commandant of the fort.
"I will not; but, if I omit any thing, it will not be my fault," said the younger officer with a long gape. "He told me he and his brother had been discussing the great question, as he called it, for over six hours; and they understood each other perfectly in the end."
"Six hours! It is a wonder they did not talk each other to death!" exclaimed the major.
"At any rate, they talked enough to enable them to come to a perfect understanding. Colonel Passford is as true to the Confederacy as we all know him to be, but Captain Passfordis a Yankee to the marrow of his bones; and the two brothers could not agree at all on the political question, though they profess still to be friends."
"Then the owner of the Bellevite is on the other side?"
"No doubt of that; and the steamer did not come down here to go into the service of the Confederacy," added the lieutenant.
"But she will go into it, all the same," said the major, glancing at the new captain of the Leopard.
Christy was quite as much excited over the conversation to which he could not help being a listener, even if he had wished not to be so. It was clear enough to him that the whole object of the voyage to Mobile Bay had come out, and the major needed no further information to enable him to act with promptness and decision. The fact that Miss Florry must be on board of the Bellevite was doubtless an additional incentive to make him do his entire duty to the Confederacy.
"I think I have told you the whole story, Major Pierson," said Lieutenant Dallberg with another prodigious yawn.
"Then Captain Passford and his daughter are now on board of the steamer," added the major; though he seemed to be musing on the fact, rather than saying it to his companion.
"There can be no doubt of that," replied the other.
"As Captain Passford is a Yankee at heart, of course he don't intend to remain in these waters much longer," continued the major, giving utterance to his reflections.
"There is something more than that, which I forgot to tell you; for you hurried me so that I could not keep my thoughts about me," interposed the lieutenant.
"What more is there? You said you had told me the whole," said the major, with a sneer on his lips.
"The Bellevite is intended for the Yankee navy, and she has already been tendered to the Government for that purpose. More yet, Captain Passford and the commander of the steamer have offered their services. The owner is sure that all hands will be volunteers for the service as soon as she returns from this trip," continued Dallberg, who had suddenly roused his energies to the requirements of the situation.
"I had no doubt that Captain Passford would be with his brother in this war," mused the major.
"He could not be any farther from him. He came down here after his daughter, and his brother says he expected to remove him and his family to the North at the same time."
"His mission will be a failure in every sense," added Major Pierson, as though he regarded it as a matter of course.
"The colonel said his duty to his country and her cause would not allow him to suffer his brother to take the steamer back to the North to be handed over to the Yankee navy."
"That is where he was quite right."
"But the colonel does not like to do any thing to injure his brother and his two children who are with him; and he wished to find Colonel Dalheath, who could manage the business without loss to the Confederacy, while he could favor the captain's escape. But he was satisfied that you would feel an interest to prevent the departure of the steamer; while you would not be willing to do her owner or his family any injury in their persons, however it might be in their property."
"I think I understand the situation perfectly now," said the major, as he went to the front windows of the pilot-house. "Spottswood!" he called to the sergeant.
"Here, sir."
"How is Captain Pecklar?"
"He has come to himself, but he is no better. I am afraid he is going to die." replied Spottswood, coming near the bulkhead, and speaking in a low tone.
"That's bad," added the major, shaking his head.
"There's the steamer, sir!" called one of the soldiers.
The Leopard had just passed a point of land beyond which the Bellevite was discovered, apparently going at full speed, and headed to the south-west. Christy brought his glass to bear upon her, but he could see nothing which afforded him any information in regard to her movements or intentions.
"I suppose it is not difficult to determine what your father's steamer is waiting in the bay for, Mr. Passford," said Major Pierson, as he looked into the face of his pilot.
"I am sure I don't know what he is waiting for," replied Christy.
"Don't you, indeed?" added the major, laughing.
"I am sure I do not."
"Then, it has not occurred to you that he misses you, and don't like to leave without you?" chuckled the major. "I did not intend to have you captured by my men, and I gave them no definite orders to that effect; but, as things look just now, it is rather fortunate that I have you on board of the Leopard, not only for the sake of your father's waiting for you, but you are a good pilot, and are of great service to me."
Christy rang the bell with a sudden impulse, which made it look as though he had not fully taken in the situation before. The engineer, though he was one of the army of the disabled in whole or in part, obeyed the summons of the bell, and the propeller ceased to revolve.
"What's that for, Captain Passford?" asked the major good-naturedly.
"With your permission, Major Pierson, I will resign my office as captain of the Leopard,"replied Christy, as he stepped back from the wheel.
"But I cannot give you my permission," laughed the major.
"I am sorry to disoblige you, Major Pierson; but then I am compelled to resign the position without your permission," replied Christy without an instant's hesitation; for he clearly understood what he was doing now, and neither really nor constructively was he willing to do any thing in the service of the enemies of the Union.
"But you can't resign in the face of the enemy, Captain Passford; and you accepted the position which I assigned to you," said the major, beginning to look a little more serious.
"In the face of the enemy!" exclaimed Christy, glancing at the Bellevite, as she dashed furiously over the waves at a distance of not more than a mile from the tug. "May I ask what you mean by the enemy, Major Pierson?"
"Yon must have heard all the information which was brought to me by Lieutenant Dallberg; and by this time you are aware that the steamer yonder is an enemy of the Confederate States," continued the major.
"She did not come into these waters as an enemy, or with any warlike intentions, sir. She came on a peaceful mission; and now it appears that my uncle is guilty of treachery towards my father," replied Christy with deep emotion.
"Do you think it would be right or proper for your uncle to allow that fine steamer, which I am told is one of the strongest and fastest ever built, to be handed over to the Yankee navy?" demanded the major, with energy enough to assure his auditor that he meant all he said.
"I happen to know that my father had several hundred dollars about him in gold; and my uncle would have done no worse to rob him of that, than to have his steamer taken from him when it was not engaged in acts of war. In either case, Homer Passford is a thief and a robber!"
"That's plain speech, young man," said the major, biting his lips.
"I meant it should be plain, sir," said Christy, gasping for breath in his deep emotion. "I am ashamed of my uncle, and I know that my father would not be guilty of such treachery."
"I see that it is useless to reason with you, Passford."
"You have come to a correct conclusion. When you call my father's steamer an enemy, you define my duty for me; and I have nothing further to do on board of this tug," replied Christy. "I am in your power, and of course you can do with me as you please."
Major Pierson was certainly very much embarrassed. The events of the night, and the information obtained on shore, to say nothing of the specific request from Colonel Passford to "manage the business," imposed upon him the duty of capturing the Bellevite; and he was all ready to do it. But the Leopard might as well have been without an engine as without a pilot; for all the men on board were from the interior of the country, and not one of them, not even the officers, knew how to steer the boat.
The marks and figures on the chart of the bay, which Christy had put on the shelf in front of the wheel, were all Greek to them. Possibly they might get the tug to the shore, or aground on the way to it; but the steamer was practically disabled.
Christy Passford now realized, for the first time, that he had been taken by the enemy. War had actually been declared against the Bellevite, and Major Pierson would undertake to perform the duty assigned to him by Colonel Passford. The young man was determined to be true to his colors under all possible circumstances; and therefore he could do nothing, directly or indirectly, to assist in the capture of the steamer.
Captain Passford, while he recognized the irregularity of his mission, had come into the waters of Mobile Bay with no intention of committing any depredations on the persons, property, or vessels of the Confederacy. The Bellevite had not fired a shot, or landed a force, in the enemy's country.
Indeed, the owner of the steamer had taken especial pains to conceal any appearance of usingforce on coming into the bay; and all the guns on the deck of the vessel, that could not be easily lowered into the hold, had been covered up and concealed. Though Major Pierson had spent some time on board of the Bellevite, he did not know whether or not she was armed. He was no wiser than the owner's brother.
The major went to the lower deck of the Leopard, where Christy saw him questioning the soldiers there, though he could not hear any thing that was said. Of course he was inquiring for some hand who had steered a steamer; but he soon returned alone, and it looked as though he had not found the person he sought.
"It looks like bad weather, Mr. Passford, since you decline to be called captain any longer," said the major, as he came into the pilot-house, and looked at the sky in all directions.
Christy had noticed the weather signs before; and the wind was beginning to pipe up a rather fresh blast, though the sun had been out for an hour or more earlier in the morning. It came from the southward, and it was already knocking up a considerable sea, as it had the range of the whole length of the bay.
"I was thinking that we should have a storm before long when I looked at the signs this morning," replied Christy rather indifferently.
"How many men does your father have on board of his steamer, Mr. Passford?" asked the major, in a careless sort of way.
"Not as many, I should say, as you have in Fort Gaines. By the way, how many have you under your command there?" returned Christy with a twinkle of the eye.
"We have two thousand four hundred and twenty-six, including myself," replied the major.
"That is quite a force; my father has only seven hundred and forty-two, without counting me."
"Where do you put them all?"
"We stow them away in the hold, after the manner of packing sardines in a box. We only let them out one at a time, when we feed them with salt fish and baked beans."
"That makes a good many men to a gun," suggested the major.
"Lots of them," answered Christy.
"How many guns does the steamer carry?"
"Only two hundred; of course I mean heavy guns,—sixty and eighty-four pounders. I thinkthere must be small arms enough to supply all your men in the fort."
"I was on board of the Bellevite for half an hour or more, and I really did not see a single heavy gun," added the major, biting his lip.
"Didn't you notice the one hundred and twenty pounder in the waist? It is big enough for you to have seen it."
It was plain enough to the young Unionist that the major really desired to know something about the force and metal of the Bellevite, and that he was disappointed when he found that the son of the owner was on his guard. No information was to be obtained from him.
"I think you said there was a doctor on board of the steamer," continued Major Pierson, changing the subject of the conversation.
"Yes, sir; and a very skilful surgeon he is,—Dr. Linscott," replied Christy.
"I went in to see Captain Pecklar when I was below, and I found him in a very bad condition. I am afraid he will die before we can get him to the shore; and he is suffering terribly," added the major, looking earnestly into the face of the young man.
"I am sorry for him," replied Christy; and his pity and sympathy were apparent in his face.
He had noticed the captain of the tug in the morning, and one of the soldiers had told him he was a Northern man who had come to this region for his health. He appeared to have no scruples at doing the duty assigned to him, though he had been only two years at the South. But he seemed to be of no use to either side in the contest, for he was too sick to work any longer.
Christy was filled with pity for the sufferings of the captain of the tug, and he thought the major's questions suggested that something was to be required of him in connection with the sick man. He was willing to do any thing he could for the aid of the captain, if he could do it without sacrificing his principles.
"It was a part of my purpose to obtain assistance from the surgeon of the steamer for poor Pecklar," continued the major. "But you have moored us all here by refusing to steer the boat, and the captain will die without our being able to do a single thing for him. There is not even a drop of brandy on board of this boat to restore him."
"What do you propose to do, Major Pierson?" asked Christy.
"Just now, all I desire is to procure assistance for poor Pecklar," replied the major. "But we are as helpless as though we were all babies, for we can't handle the steamer, and cannot run down to the Bellevite. I hope you will not have the death of this poor fellow on your conscience."
"I will not. I will take the Leopard alongside of the Bellevite, if you like," replied Christy; and he regarded this as a mission of humanity which he had no right to decline.
"The steamer has turned about!" shouted one of the soldiers on the forecastle.
Christy had noticed that the Bellevite was coming about before the announcement came from below, for his nautical eye enabled him to see her first movement. He did not feel that the service he was about to render would benefit the enemy, on the one hand; and he hoped that his father or some other person on board of the Bellevite would see him in the pilot-house, on the other hand. If he could only let his father know where he was, he felt that he shouldremove a heavy burden from his mind and that of his sister.
What else might come from getting near to the steamer, he did not venture to consider. But he could not help figuring up the number of soldiers on board of the tug; the force which had captured him and Percy consisted of four men, and two men were with the lieutenant. Two officers and six men was the available force of the enemy on board of the little steamer, for neither the captain nor the engineer was fit for duty.
"I accept your offer, Captain Passford; and we have no time to spare, or the sick man may die," said the major.
Christy made no reply, but went to the wheel, and rang the bell to go ahead. Heading the Leopard for the Bellevite, he gave himself up to a consideration of the situation. Major Pierson immediately left the pilot-house, and did not return. No stipulations of any kind had been made, and no terms had been imposed upon Christy. All that he desired was that his father should see him, and know where he was.
No one but himself on board could handle the steamer; and he could not be sent out of thepilot-house, or concealed so that he should not be seen. On the other hand, it did not seem to him that the officer could do any thing towards capturing the Bellevite. The major desired to ascertain what force she had, and had asked some questions calculated to throw light on the subject.
If the steamer had come into the bay on a peaceful errand, as Christy insisted that she had, the major might easily believe that she was not armed, and that she had only men enough to man her. But Christy could not tell what his captor was thinking about, and he could not yet enlarge his plans for the future; but he was very certain in his own mind, that he should not let pass any opportunity to escape, even at great risk, from his present situation.
As the Leopard went off on her course, considerably shaken by the fresh breeze which had stirred up a smart sea, the acting captain of the tug saw that all the men who had been on the forecastle had disappeared, with a single exception. The major was not to be seen, and doubtless he was taking care of the sick captain, or arranging his plan for the interview with thepeople of the Bellevite. In a few minutes more, this last man disappeared, and Percy Pierson took his place on the forecastle.
"So you are a Yank, are you, Mr. Pierson?" said he of that name, looking up to the window at which Christy stood.
"Whatever I am, I am in command of a Confederate steamer," replied Christy, laughing. "What is your brother doing, Mr. Percy?"
"I am sure I don't know: he is only talking to the men," answered the young man, who had evidently been put there to act as a lookout.
At that moment a voice was heard from farther aft, and Percy went towards the stern of the boat. A few minutes later he ascended to the pilot-house. On the sofa abaft the wheel was Lieutenant Dallberg, where he had dropped asleep as he finished his report of what he had learned on shore.
"Mr. Dallberg!" shouted Percy; but the lieutenant did not show any signs of life till the messenger had shaken him smartly. "Major Pierson wants you down below."
The officer rubbed his eyes for a moment, and then rose from the sofa, and left the apartment.The summons for the lieutenant made it look to Christy as though something was in progress below. There was only one thing which the major could think of doing; and that was to capture the Bellevite, either by force or by strategy. He would have given a good deal to know what the plan was, but it seemed to him to be quite impossible to leave the wheel.
"How is the sick man, Percy?" asked Christy, when he found that the messenger was not disposed to leave the pilot-house.
"He is a good deal better: they have just given him another glass of brandy," replied Percy.
This statement did not agree with that of the major, who had told him the captain was likely to die, and that there was not a drop of brandy on board of the boat. The commandant of the fort had evidently been acting in the pilot-house with a purpose.
"Didn't your brother order you to stay on the forecastle, Mr. Percy?" asked Christy, when his companion came to the wheel on the opposite side from the helmsman.
"No: he said if I would help him, he woulddo what he could for me; and he told me to keep a lookout at this end of the tug. I can see ahead better here than I can down below," replied Percy, as he tried to turn the wheel. "I believe I could steer this thing."
"I know you could, Percy. Do you see the Bellevite?"
"Of course I do: I'm not blind."
"She has stopped her screw, and is not going ahead now," added Christy, as he let go the spokes of the wheel, and proceeded to instruct his pupil.
A few minutes later, Christy left the pilot-house to take a look below.
Christy Passford did not consider Percy Pierson a competent helmsman, for he had spent but a few minutes in instructing him in handling the wheel; in fact, only long enough to induce him to "steer small." For the moment, Percy was interested in the occupation, and gave his whole mind to it; and Christy intended to remain where he could reach the wheel in a moment if occasion should require. His companion in the pilot-house did not seem to care what he did.
The Bellevite, as the new captain had observed before, had stopped her screw: and she appeared to be waiting for the tug to come up, as it was headed towards her. Christy had examined her with the glass, but he could see nothing which gave him any idea of what was going on uponher decks. As Florry was now on board of her, he was satisfied that his father could only be waiting for him; and he intended to do his best to report on board some time during the day.
Major Pierson and his little force were gathered under the hurricane-deck, in the space from which opened the door of the captain's little cabin. Christy could not see a single one of them from the upper deck; but he had gone but a few steps aft before he heard the voice of the major who seemed to be "laying down the law" in a forcible manner to his men.
"Do you understand me, Spikeley?" demanded the major slowly and loudly, as though he were talking to a deaf man.
Christy had not heard the name of Spikeley before; but he concluded that he must be one of the soldiers, probably one of the two who had come on board with Lieutenant Dallberg.
"I don't think I do," replied the man addressed, in a tone quite as loud as that of the military officer.
"You are not to start the engine under any circumstances," continued the major, in a louder tone than before, as if the man had failed to hear him.
The man addressed as Spikeley must be the engineer then, and not a soldier, Christy realized at once.
"Don't I mind the bells, Major Pierson?" asked the engineer, whose tones indicated that he was not a little astonished at the positive order he had received.
"You will not mind the bells. You will take no notice of them after this present moment. When I tell you to stop the engine, you will stop it, not without, no matter how many times the bells ring," said the major with emphasis.
"I hear you, and I understand now what I am to do," replied Spikeley.
"All right, so far; but do you understand what you are not to do?" demanded the officer sharply, as though he fully comprehended the obtuseness of the engineer.
"I reckon I do: I am not to start the engine till you tell me to start it," answered the dull engineer.
"Not if you don't start it for a month!" added the major sternly.
"But you are going off, Major Pierson," suggested Spikeley. "If that steamer over yonderlooks like she was going to run over the Leopard, I am not to start the engine to keep her from being sent to the bottom of the bay?"
"No!" exclaimed the officer.
"All right, major; then you may find me on the bottom when you come back."
"You will not be lost as long as I know whereyouare," added the major with a chuckle.
"Are you coming back to-day, major?"
"I don't know when I shall return. All you have to do is to obey orders, and leave all the rest to me."
"Shall I be all alone on board?"
"That young fellow at the wheel will remain on board; but you are not to mind what he says to you. Do you understand that?"
"I reckon I do," replied Spikeley.
"My brother, who was down here a little while ago, will also remain on board; and Captain Pecklar will be in his room, for he cannot leave it. That is all that will be on board. But no one will bother you, unless it should be the fellow now at the wheel; and he can't do any harm as long as you don't start the engine for him."
"I reckon I won't start the engine for him, oranybody else but you, major. You can bet your commission on that," added the engineer, with more vim in his speech than he had used before.
"All right, Spikeley; and I will see that you don't lose any thing, if you are faithful to your duty. You must keep a sharp lookout for Passford: that's the young fellow at the wheel. He is the only one that can do any mischief, and I would not have him go near that steamer for a thousand dollars."
Christy thought he understood what was in progress; at any rate, he dared not remain any longer away from the wheel, and he returned to the pilot-house. Percy was still interested in his occupation. He was steering the tug very well for a beginner, and his brother was too busy organizing his expedition to notice that the steering was a little wild; for the waves caused the boat to yaw somewhat in the absence of a skilled hand at the helm.
The Leopard was now within about half a mile of the Bellevite. The latter turned her screw a few times once in a while to keep from drifting, and Christy saw from his chart that the water was too shallow for her in the direction in which thetug was approaching her. Of course his father was aware that, by this time, his own and his daughter's departure from his uncle's mansion was known. His own absence, therefore, must be the only thing that detained her in these waters.
"I think I can steer this thing pretty well, Mr. Pierson," said Percy, when the new captain joined him.
"You do it very well indeed for a beginner, Percy; but you need not call me 'Mr. Pierson' any longer, for it takes too long to say it. Everybody calls me Christy, and you had better follow the fashion," replied the captain.
"All right, Christy, and I will do so; for there are more Piersons on board of this boat now than I wish there were," added Percy, glancing at the face of his companion.
"What is your brother going to do, Percy? He seems to be arranging something on the lower deck," continued Christy.
"I don't know: he didn't tell me any thing at all about it. He wanted to use me: so he soaped me."
"If he knew you could steer this steamer, he would have something more for you to do."
"Then I won't tell him. All I want is to get away from him. He will make a common soldier of me, and I shall never get out of the ranks."
"But you will fight like a brave fellow, and you will be promoted," suggested Christy.
"If I get a bullet through my carcass, they will make a corporal of me. Then if I had half my head shot off, they might make a sergeant of me. I am not thirsting for any such glory as that, and I expected to stay with my father at Nassau."
"Did your brother ask you any thing about the Bellevite, Percy?"
"Not a thing: he would hardly speak to me, for he says I have disgraced the family. But, Christy, now I think of it, you are not on the South side of this question."
"How do you know I am not?" asked Christy, laughing.
"I heard my brother say so; and that he did not wish to have you, on any account, go near that other steamer."
"I think we won't talk about that just now," added Christy cautiously, for he was not inclined to have Percy know too much about his affairs at present.
"Why not? After all my brother has done, and is trying to do, to me, I don't think I am exactly on the South side of the question any more than you are," said Percy, looking with interest into the face of his companion. "If your father is a Union man, as Lindley says he is, he don't mean to have the Bellevite go into the service of the Confederacy."
"That is not bad logic, with the premises on which you base it."
"Just talk English, if you please, Christy."
"The English of it is, that if my father is a Union man, as your brother says he is, the Bellevite is not going into the Southern navy," replied Christy, willing to encourage the major's brother.
"I can understand that, Christy. Now, you are going on board of your father's steamer if you can get there."
"I certainly don't want to stay on board of this little tub any longer than I am obliged to do so, for you can see that I am really a prisoner."
"So am I; and that is just where we ought to be friends, and stand by each other," said Percy with a good deal of enthusiasm. "I cansee through a brick wall, when there is a hole in it."
"Good eyes you have, Percy, and you don't have to wear glasses."
"I don't know much about logic; but if the Bellevite is not going into the Confederate navy, as I supposed when we came into Mobile Bay, I can figure it out that she is not going to stay in these parts at all."
"That's your logic, Percy, not mine; but I don't think I care to argue the question on the other side," said Christy, making very light of the whole matter, though he was vastly more interested than he was willing to acknowledge.
"She is going to get out of Mobile Bay, and she is going to do it just as soon as she can. Now, the question is, where is she going then?"
"You will have to put that question to my father, Percy," said Christy. "He can tell you what he is going to do a great deal better than I can."
"He is not within ear-shot of me just now: if he were, I would ask him without stopping to soap my tongue."
"You may see him before long. I don't knowwhat your brother is about just now; and, for aught I know, he may intend to capture the Bellevite."
"I reckon he will have a good time doing it, if your father and Captain Breaker haven't a mind to let him do it."
"They will not wish to fight, even for their steamer, here in Mobile Bay. I know that my father intended to keep the peace. Besides, your brother may think there are few men on board of the vessel."
"I want to get on board of the Bellevite anyhow!" exclaimed Percy, bluntly coming to the point at which he had been aiming for some time.
"I shall not do any thing to prevent you from doing so," added Christy.
"I don't say that I want to go into the Yankee navy, or that I will lift a finger against my country, mind you."
He seemed to be equally unwilling to lift a finger for it.
"I don't ask you to do any thing against your conscience, Percy."
"If the Bellevite gets out of the bay withyou and me on board, I believe I can find some way to get back to Nassau. That is what I am driving at."
"I can't say that the steamer will not go there," added Christy, who did not mean to commit himself.
Suddenly, without any bell from the pilot-house, the engine of the Leopard stopped; but Christy was not at all surprised at the failure of the power, though Percy began to make himself very indignant over the stoppage of the engine.
"What is the matter now?" demanded Percy Pierson, when the tug ceased to shake under the pressure of the engine, and began to roll rather smartly in the sea, though it was not heavy enough to be at all dangerous.
"It appears that the engine has stopped," replied Christy quietly.
"What has it stopped for?" asked the other.
"You will have to put that conundrum to your brother; but doubtless the needs of the Confederate States require that it should stop."
"Which is the bell, Christy?" inquired Percy, looking at the pulls on the frame of the wheel.
"The large one is the gong bell, the other is the speed bell, and the latter is a jingler."
"Well, which one do you ring to start her?"
"One pull at the gong bell to stop or to starther," replied Christy, who was rather anxious to have his companion learn the secrets of the pilot-house.
"One bell to stop or start her," repeated Percy.
"Two bells to back her," added the acting captain.
"Two bells to back her. I can remember all that without writing it down. But what is the other pull for. There don't seem to be any need of any more bells."
"I think there is; at least, it saves striking too many strokes on the gong when there is an emergency. The other is the speed bell."
"What is that for, to make her go faster?"
"Yes, or slower. If you start the engine, the engineer will run it slowly at first, and continue to do so till he gets the speed bell, or jingler, which he can never mistake for the gong."
"I see; and that is a good scheme."
"If you are approaching a wharf or another vessel, or if a fog come up, you ring the jingler, if the boat is going at full speed, and the engineer slows her down. If there is any danger, and you wish to stop her as quick as you can, you ringone bell on the gong, which stops the engine, and then two bells on the same, which reverses the engine. Now let me see if you know all about it; for your brother may want you to steer the Leopard, and become her captain, after he has tied my hands behind me again."
"If he does that, I will cut you loose, Christy."
"Thank you, Percy. I don't know what he will do, but it seems to me that he is going to do something;" and Christy proceeded to examine his pupil in the use of the bell-pulls.
Percy made some mistakes, which were carefully corrected; and, as he did so, the captain wrote down the directions in full, placing the paper on the shelf with the chart.
The student of bell-pulls signalized the completion of his examination by giving one pull at the gong; but it produced no effect at all upon the engine or the engineer, and the Leopard, having fallen off into the trough of the sea, had begun to roll more violently than at first.
"What is the matter with that engineer?" pouted Percy, who did not feel flattered that his first experience with the bell-pulls produced no effect, though he had distinctly heard the sound of the gong.
"They haven't sent any word up to the pilot house that the engine is disabled, and we shall have to apply to Major Pierson for further information."
"That engineer must have gone to sleep!" exclaimed Percy, whose vexation was in proportion to his zeal.
He rang the gong again; but Christy understood why the screw did not turn, though he deemed it wise to keep his own counsel for the present. Percy was rousing himself to a passion at the neglect of the engineer to heed his bell.
"Keep cool, Percy," interposed Christy. "Don't say a word to your brother that you have learned to steer a steamer; and you may have a chance to surprise him, and show that you are a good deal more of a fellow than he takes you to be."
"I don't believe he will get such a chance if he don't have it now. I wonder what he is up to," added Percy, restraining his impatience.
"We can only wait till his plans come out," added Christy. "But I will go to the side of the hurricane deck, and tell him that the engine does not respond to the bells."
"I should think he might see that for himself," said Percy.
"Don't you say a word, and don't you show yourself to any one. Sit down on that stool, and keep quiet."
"I will do just what you tell me, Christy, for I believe you will be able to get me out of this scrape," replied Percy, as he seated himself, and began to read over the instructions relating to the bells.
In fact, he was so interested in the new occupation he had taken up, that he soon forgot all about his brother, and the trouble that lay in his path. He read the paper, and applied his fingers to the pulls in a great many different ways, supposing all the various situations of the boat which Christy had suggested.
Christy went to the side of the upper deck, and saw that the soldiers had hauled in the boat that had been used by the lieutenant and his two men. It was a large and clumsy affair, big enough to hold a dozen men, and provided with four oars. But the Leopard was in the trough of the sea, and it was not an easy matter for the soldiers to handle it; and just then the majordeclared that the boat would be smashed against the side of the tug.
"Major Pierson, this steamer has stopped without any bell from the pilot-house, and I have been unable to start her again," said Christy, hailing the commander of the fort.
"All right, Mr. Passford: I told the engineer to stop her," replied the major, who appeared to be in a hurry, though he could not make the long-boat work as he desired. "Oblige me by remaining in the pilot-house for the present, and keep a sharp lookout for the Bellevite."
"Certainly, Major Pierson, if you desire it; but permit me to suggest that you will not be able to do any thing with that boat while the tug remains in the trough of the sea," replied Christy, who was more afraid that the major would not carry out his plan than that he would do so.
"I don't see that it can be helped, though I am no sailor," replied the commandant, looking up with interest to the acting captain. "For reasons of my own, which I cannot stop to explain, I don't wish to take this tug any nearer to the Bellevite; and I am going off in the boat after Dr. Linscott. But it looks now as though the boat would be smashed in pieces."
"I should say that it would be," added Christy. "If you will start the engine again, I think I can help you out of this difficulty."
"How do you expect to do it?" asked the major, who seemed to be incredulous on the point.
"If you will let me get the tug out of the trough of the sea, you can easily haul the boat up on the lee side of her," Christy explained. "The steamer will shelter the water on that side of her."
"Spikeley!" called the major, in a loud voice; and the engineer came out of his den. "Start her up now."
"Run her at about half speed, major," and the commandant repeated his direction to the engineer.
Christy retreated to the pilot-house, and threw over the wheel of the boat; so that, when the screw began to turn, the bow of the tug soon headed to the southward, which gave her the wind ahead. Then he brought her so that the water was comparatively smooth on her port quarter, where the long-boat was.
Without the loss of a moment, the major drove all his men into the boat, and they shoved off. The men were soldiers, and they had had but littlepractice in rowing, having taken it up at the fort. They made rather bad work of it; but, more by luck than skill, the boat cleared the tug without being stove.
"Spikeley!" shouted the major.
"Here, sir," replied the engineer, hobbling out of his room.
"Stop the engine, and remember what I told you," added the commandant.
"All right, sir: I will do just as you ordered me."
"What does he want to stop the engine for?" asked Percy. "She don't roll so badly when the engine is going."
"That is very true; but your brother knows what he is about," replied Christy, his eyes beginning to light up with an unwonted fire.
"Well, what is he about?"
"He is going to capture the Bellevite."
"He will have a nice time of it!" exclaimed Percy. "That steamer can blow him out of the water a dozen times before he gets near her."
"I don't believe your brother has any idea that the Bellevite is heavily armed," added Christy.
"But he has been on board of her."
"That is very true; but the two heavy guns were covered up, and the others were sent down into the hold. All the soldiers in the boat with your brother have their muskets; and he would not have taken the lieutenant and six men with him if he were simply going for the doctor for Captain Pecklar, as he told me he was."
"I believe Lindley is a fool to think of such a thing as capturing the Bellevite with eight men," added Percy.
"I don't know what else he can intend to do, but I do know why he don't take the tug any nearer to the steamer. He don't want my father to know what has become of me."
"Can't you make some sort of a signal to him, Christy?"
"I can do something better than that."
"What's that?"
"I can show myself to him. But, before I do that, I must know how you stand, Percy."
"How I stand? You know as much about me as I know about myself. I want to get on board of the Bellevite, and I am not a bit anxious to fight my brother's battle for him. I know what he is after, now I think of it."
"Well, what is he after?"
"He is after the Bellevite; and if he can take her, he is sure of a colonel's commission."
"I should say that he could not do any thing better for the Confederacy than to present it with the finest steamer in the world. But you are not with him, you say, Percy."
"I am not. I belong to the Confederacy the same as he does; but I want to get aboard of the Bellevite, and then I shall have a good chance to reach Nassau," replied Percy.
Christy had a good deal better opinion of Major Pierson than he had of his brother in the pilot-house with him; but just then the latter was able to be more useful to him than the commandant of the fort.
"I can now almost promise that you shall be put on board of the Bellevite, if I succeed in reaching her myself," said Christy.
"That is all I can expect of you; and I will do whatever you tell me, if it be to sink the Leopard. But we can't do a thing. The engineer will not start the engine for us; and I don't see but what we must stay here till mybrother comes back from his errand, whatever it may be."
"I don't feel quite so helpless as that," added Christy, as he took a revolver from his hip-pocket, where he had carried it all the time since the steamer left Nassau, and while she was there.
"What are you going to do with that, Christy?" asked Percy, impressed with the sight of the weapon.
"I am going to start this tug with it, if necessary. Now hear me."
Percy was all attention.