The wind from the southward seemed to be increasing in force, though it was not yet what old salts would call any thing more than half a gale, and hardly that; but the long-boat from the Leopard made bad weather of it, and rolled wildly in the trough of the sea. The soldiers pulled badly, for they had had no training in the use of the oars, and very little experience.
The boat had made very little progress towards the Bellevite, and Christy was in no hurry to put his plan in operation. He showed his revolver to Percy, and then restored it to his hip-pocket. But he watched the expression of his companion in the pilot-house very closely; for, as the case then stood, one of them belonged to the blue, while the other was of the gray. But Percy's patriotism was hardly skin deep,and he had already spoken freely enough to make himself understood.
"I don't see how you are going to start the tug with that pistol if the fellow at the engine don't look at it in that light," said Percy, as his companion restored the weapon to his pocket.
"I don't intend to use it if it can be avoided," replied Christy. "I shall not ask Spikeley to start the engine, and if he don't interfere with me, I shall not harm him; for he seems to be a cripple, and it would hurt my feelings to have to lay hands on him, or even to point a revolver at his head."
"If Spikeley don't start the engine, I reckon it will not start itself," suggested Percy.
"I don't believe it will."
"What are you going to do, then?"
"I am going to start it myself."
"Start it yourself! You will blow the whole thing up!" exclaimed Percy, who did not see how the same young fellow of sixteen could know how to steer, and run the engine.
"I have been on board the Bellevite a great deal of the time for the last three years, and my mother says I was born a sailor, as my fatherwas before me. I always took a deep interest in every thing connected with the steamer."
"I should think you might, on board of such a fine vessel as the Bellevite."
"I have stood my trick at the wheel for weeks together; and the quartermasters taught me all they knew about steering, the compass, the log, the lead, and the signals."
"Those things have nothing to do with the engine," suggested Percy.
"That is very true; but, when I had learned enough in the pilot-house, I went down into the engine and fire rooms. Mr. Vapoor, the chief engineer, and I were in the same school together; and, though he is six years older than I am, we have been cronies for four years."
"And he told you about the engine?"
"I made a regular study of the engine, in connection with physics, and Paul"—
"Paul? That's another fellow?"
"No: it's the same fellow,—Paul Vapoor. Everybody that knows him says he is a genius. He was my teacher. But he told me that all the theory in the world would not make me an engineer: I must have the experience; and forweeks together I took the place of one of the assistant engineers. That's how I happen to know something about an engine; and I have been on board of all sorts of steamers with Paul, for the purpose of studying the engines, from a launch up to the biggest ocean-steamers."
"Did you take any lessons of the cook on board of the Bellevite, Christy?" asked Percy, laughing.
"I used to ask questions of him; but I have served as cook on board of a small yacht, and I know how to get up a chowder or bake a pot of beans."
"All right; then I will take it for granted that you can start the engine of the Leopard," continued Percy, coming back to the topic which interested him most. "What are you going to do after you have started the engine?"
"I am going to get on board of the Bellevite, and get you on board of her."
"That will suit me first rate," replied Percy. "But I don't want you to think I am a Yankee, for I am not."
"But I want you to think I am a Yankee, as you call it; and I am one," added Christy.
"After we get on board of the Bellevite, what do you suppose she will do?"
"That is more than I can tell you; but I have no doubt my father will try to get out of the bay, and then he will go to New York. It is about time to make a beginning, for the boat will not trouble us now," replied Christy, as he took a look all around the tug.
"What am I to do?"
"I haven't told you all I know about steering the boat for nothing, Percy, and you will remain at the wheel. But I wonder what that is over in the north-west," added Christy, as he took the glass from the shelf, and pointed it out the after window of the pilot-house.
"I think I can steer her all right now. What do you see over there?"
"I believe there is a steamer coming down from that direction," replied Christy anxiously, as he brought the glass to bear on the object in sight.
"A steamer!" exclaimed Percy. "That will mix things with us."
"Perhaps it will. It is a steamer, but it looks like a river boat, at any rate, it is not a tug. She is headed this way."
Christy was a good deal disturbed by the discovery he made; and giving no further attention to his companion, he continued to study the approaching craft, at the same time endeavoring to account for her appearance. His uncle Homer had gone to find some one who was to render assistance in preventing the Bellevite from leaving the bay, and becoming a part of the navy of the Union.
He had not succeeded in finding the person he sought, but he had had abundance of time to go to Mobile; and Christy feared that this steamer coming down from the north-west might be intended for the capture of the Bellevite, in which case she must be armed and provided with an ample force for the purpose.
"That is not a tug-boat: she is a river or a bay steamer, and I am afraid she is faster than this thing," said Christy, when he had obtained all the information he could at the present time. "At any rate, we have no time to spare. Do you think you can steer the Leopard, Percy?"
"I know I can," replied he confidently.
"The boat with the major in it is losing agood deal by lee-way, for he seems to be making no allowance for it."
"What does that mean?" asked Percy, puzzled by the statement.
"She has the wind on her beam, and she drifts to the north almost as much as she goes ahead. He ought to head her for some point to the southward of the Bellevite; but the more mistakes he makes, the better it will be for us."
"I see that he don't seem to be headed anywhere in particular."
"Now, Percy, I am going below to have it out with Spikeley," continued Christy, taking the revolver from his pocket, while he drew a box of cartridges from another. "The Bellevite drifts as well as the boat; but they don't let her go far to the north where the shoal water is, and they turn the screw enough to keep her pretty nearly in the same position."
"I am to steer for her, of course," added Percy.
"No: there is something that looks like buildings on the shore, at least five miles beyond the steamer. Do you see them?"
"I do."
"Run for them; and this course will carry youa considerable distance to the southward of the boat. I shall be near you all the time; and if you get bothered, sing out for me, and I will help you out."
"Don't you think I had better go below with you, so as to make a sure thing with the engineer?"
"I can handle him alone; or, if I find that I cannot, I will call for you. Now, look out very closely for your steering, and don't let her wobble any more than you can help."
Christy left the pilot-house, after he had put six cartridges into his revolver, and restored the weapon to his pocket. He had already made up his mind as to the manner in which he proposed to dispose of the engineer. He descended the ladder to the forecastle of the tug; but before he proceeded to the important task before him, he made a careful survey of the accommodations of the steamer, though she did not appear to be different from a score of similar vessels he had visited in making his studies.
Under the pilot-house was the galley, which was also the mess-room of the crew when she had any. Forward of this, and under the forward deck, wasthe forecastle, to which the inquirer descended. It was fitted up with bunks, and there was only one entrance to it, by a ladder from a scuttle in the deck.
The scuttle was the interesting point with him; and he saw that it was provided with a hasp and staple, so that the entrance could be secured by a padlock, though that was missing. Getting a piece of wood from the deck, he made a toggle that would fit the staple, and put the scuttle in a convenient place. Leaving the forward deck, he went aft, taking another look at the steamer in the north-west; but he could hardly see her with the naked eye, and he thought she must be at least five miles off.
"Where is your bunk, Mr. Spikeley?" asked Christy, as he went to the door of the engine-room.
"What's that to you, youngster?" demanded the engineer; and possibly it did not comport with his dignity to be bossed by a boy.
"It is rather important for me to know just now," replied Christy, looking as savage as it was possible for a good-natured boy to look.
"What do you want to know for?" asked Spikeley.
"I happen to be in command of this tug for the present moment, and I want an answer without stopping all day to talk about it."
"Well, youngster, I don't reckon I'll tell you any thing about it. I get my orders from Major Pierson," replied the engineer sourly.
"The Leopard is in my charge, and I must ask you to show me where your bunk is; and after you have done that, I shall ask you to get into it, and stay there," said Christy, with decision enough for the needs of the occasion.
At the same time he took the revolver from his pocket, and pointed it towards the head of the engineer.
"You can take your choice, Mr. Spikeley: you can get into your bunk, or have your carcass thrown into the bay; and you haven't got a great while to think of it."
The engineer seemed to be properly impressed by the sight of the weapon, and he could see that the chambers contained cartridges. He rose from his seat, and moved towards the door of the engine-room.
"I heard some of the men say you was a Yank, and I reckon you be," said Spikeley. "What are you go'n to do?"
"I am going to get you into your bunk, where you will be more comfortable than you are here. Move on!"
The man obeyed; for he was unarmed, and he did not like the looks of the revolver. Without another word, he moved forward, and descended to the forecastle. As soon as he was below the deck, Christy closed the scuttle, and secured it with the toggle.
As the engineer was a cripple, Christy Passford had not expected to have any difficulty in bringing him to terms; and the result justified his calculations. The Leopard was now practically in his possession, for Captain Pecklar was the only person on board, except Percy, who could give him any trouble; and he was too feeble to do any thing.
Percy seemed to be very busy in the pilot-house, going through imaginary evolutions at the wheel, and supposing all sorts of orders, and all kinds of positions in which the tug might be placed. He did not seem even to observe what his companion was doing, though the engineer had been driven into the forecastle in plain sight from the window of the pilot-house.
illustration of quoted scene"The Engineer Obeyed" (Page 277)
The long-boat was still struggling through thewaves on her way to the Bellevite, and could hardly have made any worse weather of such a comparatively mild sea. But she had made some considerable progress, for the boat was now making a proper allowance for leeway, and the soldiers were improving in their rowing, possibly under the direction of the major, who could not help seeing how badly they had been doing.
Christy decided to ascertain more definitely the condition of Captain Pecklar, for reports in in regard to him were conflicting. He went to his state-room, and found him in his berth. He certainly looked like a very sick man, though he appeared to be in no immediate danger, so far as the new captain of the Leopard was able to judge from his appearance.
"How do you find yourself, Captain Pecklar?" asked Christy in sympathetic tones; for he really pitied the poor man, far away from his friends, and apparently on the very brink of the grave.
"I am a great deal better," replied the invalid, looking earnestly into the face of the young man in front of him.
"I am glad to hear it. Major Pierson has gonein the boat to the Bellevite for Dr. Linscott, and I am sure he will be able to do something for you when he comes," added Christy.
"When he comes," repeated Captain Pecklar, with a smile on his thin and blue lips. "I don't expect to see him at present."
"But the major has gone for him; at least, he told me he should."
"I have no doubt he told you so; but he has not gone for the doctor, though I may see the surgeon of the steamer in the course of the day," replied the captain, turning his gaze upon the floor of his room, as though his mind troubled him as much as his body.
"If the major has not gone for the doctor, what has he gone for?" asked Christy.
"I know what he has gone for; and, as you belong on board of that steamer, I should think you might easily imagine."
"Perhaps I can," added Christy rather vaguely.
"Was it necessary for a major and a lieutenant, with six soldiers, to go for the doctor, when five at the most could have done it better? But have they gone?" asked the captain anxiously.
"They have; they started some time ago. Theyare making bad weather of it, for they don't know how to handle the boat in a sea," replied Christy.
"They have gone!" exclaimed Captain Pecklar, getting out of his bunk. "Then I need not stay in my berth any longer."
Christy looked at him with astonishment when he saw him get out of his berth without any apparent difficulty; for he certainly looked like a very sick man, though his appearance had somewhat improved since he left the pilot-house.
"Do you feel able to get up, captain?" asked he, as the sufferer put on his coat.
"I was exhausted and worn out by being on duty all night, and I had a faint turn; but I am subject to them. If you are the son of the man that owns that steamer, you will be able to understand me," replied the captain; and his feeble condition seemed to make him somewhat timid.
"I am the son of Captain Passford, who owns the Bellevite," added Christy.
"I should not have been down here now, if I could have got away; but they seem to hold on to me, for the reason that I am a pilot ofthese waters. I was brought up in the pilot-house of a steamer; and they say I know the bottom of this bay better than any other man, though I have been here but two years."
"Then you are not in sympathy with the secession movement?"
"In sympathy with it? I hate the very sound of the word! I will tell you about it."
"Don't be long about it, for I have an affair on my hands," interposed Christy, though he was not sorry to have the advice of one who knew something about the situation in the vicinity.
"Only a minute. Major Pierson sent a glass of brandy to me, and I was fit to take my place in the pilot-house then, for I felt a great deal better; in fact, I was as well as usual, and I am now. But I had an idea what the major was about, and I did not want to take any part in getting your father's steamer into trouble. That's the whole of it; all I want is to get on board of her, and get out of this country."
"All right, Captain Pecklar!" exclaimed Christy, delighted at the frankness of his companion. "The steamer, I mean the tug, is already in my possession."
"In your possession! What do you mean by that?" asked the captain with a look of astonishment.
"I have driven the engineer into the forecastle, and fastened him down. The major's brother is in the pilot-house, and he has learned something about handling the wheel. I am going to start the boat now; and if I can do nothing more, I can show myself to my father on board of the Bellevite."
"I am glad to hear it. I intended to do something, though I hardly knew what, as soon as I was sure that the major and his men had gone," added Captain Pecklar. "I can take the wheel now."
"Percy Pierson takes a great deal of interest in his new occupation, and I think it will be best to let him occupy his mind in that way. He steered the tug for some time, while I was ascertaining what was going on in this part of the boat."
"Just as you think best, Mr. Passford."
"Call me Christy, for that will sound more natural to me."
"As you please, Christy. I am competent torun an engine, and did it once for a couple of years, though the business does not agree with me."
"Very well, Captain Pecklar; then you shall run the engine, and I will keep the run of what is going on around us," said Christy, as he walked towards the stern of the tug. "There is a new danger off in the north-west."
"What's that?" asked the captain.
"There is another steamer coming in this direction, and I suppose she hails from Mobile. There she is."
Christy was somewhat disturbed to find that the approaching steamer was overhauling the tug very rapidly. It looked as though she would prove to be a more important factor in the immediate future than he had supposed. If he could only get on board of the Bellevite, he was sure that she could run away from any thing that floated. But there was not another moment to be lost, and he hastened on deck to have the Leopard started. He found Percy still engaged with his problems in steering, going through all the forms as though the boat were actually under way.
"Now you may do it in earnest, Percy," said he. "We are all ready to go ahead. Strike your gong."
"It will be no use to strike it while you are up here," replied the pilot, looking at Christy with interest.
"We have not a second to spare; strike your gong, and we will talk about it afterwards," continued Christy impatiently.
"But I am not a fool, Christy, and I don't"—
"But I do!" interposed the acting captain sharply, as he reached over and pulled the bell.
"I don't like to have a fellow fool with me when I am in earnest. What good will it do to ring the bell while you are in the pilot-house, Christy?"
But before the captain could answer the question, if he intended to do so, the boat began to shake under the pressure of the engine, and the tug moved ahead at half speed. Percy was so much astonished that he could hardly throw over the wheel, and Christy took hold of it himself.
"I don't understand it," said he, as he tookhold of the spokes, and looked ahead to get the course of the boat.
"You will never make a sailor till you mend your ways," added Christy.
"There must be some one in the engine-room," said Percy.
"Of course there is."
"Why didn't you say so, then? I did not suppose the boat could go ahead while you were up here."
"I told you to ring the gong, didn't I?"
"What was the use of ringing it when you were in the pilot-house?"
"What was the use of ringing it when I did?" demanded Christy, who had but little patience with this kind of a sailor.
"You knew there was some one in the engine-room."
"But the engine would have started just the same if you had rung the gong."
"Well, I didn't know it; and if you had only said you had an engineer, I should have understood it."
"You will never make a sailor, as I said before," added Christy.
"What is the reason I won't?"
"Because you don't obey orders, and that is the first and only business of a sailor."
"If you had only told me, it would have been all right."
"If the captain, in an emergency, should tell you to port the helm, you could not obey the order till he had explained why it was given; and by that time the ship might go to the bottom. I can't trust you with the wheel if you don't do better than you have; for I have no time to explain what I am about, and I should not do it if I had."
"It would not have taken over half an hour to tell me there was an engineer in the engine-room," growled Percy.
"That is not the way to do things on board of a vessel, and I object to the method. I don't know what there is before us, and I don't mean to give an order which is not likely to be obeyed till I have explained its meaning."
"I will do as you say, Christy," said Percy rather doggedly. "Did Spikeley agree to run the engine?"
"No, he did not; he is locked up in the forecastle.Captain Pecklar is at the engine; but he is all ready to take the wheel when I say the word."
"I can keep the wheel, for I think I understand it very well now."
"I did not wish to take you away from the wheel, for I saw that you liked the work; and I said so to Captain Pecklar. If you have learned the first lesson a sailor has to get through his head, all right; if not, Captain Pecklar will take the wheel."
"I understand the case better now, and I will do just what you tell me," protested Percy.
"And without asking any questions?"
"I won't ask a question if the whole thing drops from under me."
Percy steered very well, and Christy had enough to do to watch the steamer astern and the boat ahead.
The long-boat, with the increased experience of its crew, was doing very well, and it would soon be within hailing-distance of the Bellevite. But Major Pierson could hardly help discovering that the Leopard was under way, though he seemed to give his whole attention to the boat and the steamer ahead of him.
Christy went aft to ascertain the situation of the steamer from the north-west, and with the glass he satisfied himself that she was not exactly a river steamer, such as he had seen on the Alabama; or, if she was, she had been altered to fit her for duty on the bay.
He could see that she had brass guns on her forward deck, and a considerable force of soldiers or sailors. But she was a nondescript craft, and he was unable to make her out accurately, thoughby this time she was not more than half a mile distant. No immediate danger was to be apprehended from her, unless she opened fire with the field-pieces on her deck. As the Leopard was in the service of the forts, she was not likely to do this till she knew more of the present situation on board of her.
Christy had made up a new course for the tug when he saw the change in the working of the long-boat, and the approaching steamer had an influence in his calculations. He had directed the new pilot to head her directly for the Bellevite, only taking care to give the long-boat a sufficiently wide berth to prevent the soldiers from boarding her, and with steam it would be an easy thing to keep out of its way.
Christy went below to the engine-room to ascertain the condition of Captain Pecklar. He found him eating his breakfast, which he took from a basket he had evidently brought with him from the shore the day before. He seemed to have an appetite; and, from the food he consumed, the acting captain did not believe he could be in a desperate situation.
"How do you get on, Captain Pecklar?"asked Christy, as he glanced at the engine, and judged that it was moving more rapidly than at any time before.
"I am a good deal better, Christy: in fact, the thought of getting out of this country is almost enough to cure me; for I have come to the conclusion that I had rather die at home than live here," replied the captain, as he put an enormous piece of beef into his mouth, which his companion thought would be almost enough for his breakfast.
"I am glad you are better. How does the engine work?" asked Christy.
"I have been stirring it up, and I just filled up the furnaces. I think she is doing her best, though that is not saying a great deal. But, Christy, have you tried to get a look over beyond the Bellevite?"
"No, I haven't seen any thing in that direction," replied Christy, a little startled by the question.
"I believe there is another steamer over there; and, if there is, it must be the Dauphine."
"What of her?" asked Christy anxiously.
"She is a steam-yacht of four hundred tons,and the fastest steamer in these waters. They have been fitting her up for the war, though I don't know whether she is to be a man-of-war or a blockade-runner."
"What makes you think it is she?"
"Because she has been over to the town you may have seen in that direction. She is behind the Bellevite, so that you can hardly see her."
"I am inclined to think the Bellevite can take care of herself," replied Christy.
"Why, the Bellevite cannot do any thing but run away; and Major Pierson says she will never do that till you have been taken on board of her. I heard him and Lieutenant Dallberg talk it all over near the door of my room."
"Perhaps the Bellevite can do something more than run away," added Christy with a smile.
"What do you mean, my friend?" asked the captain, suspending the operation of his jaws, he was so interested in the answer to his question. "The major said distinctly that she was a gentleman's pleasure-yacht, and that she was not armed."
"The major has a right to his opinion, and I shall not argue the point against him. My fathercame into the bay on a peaceful errand, and he had no intention to be aggressive."
"All right, Christy; I can see through plain glass even when there isn't a hole in it," said Captain Pecklar, laughing; for he seemed to be entirely satisfied with the situation, in spite of the fact that two hostile steamers appeared to menace the Bellevite, which he hoped would bear him to his home.
"Now, what do you know of the steamer astern of us?" asked Christy.
"That must be the Belle. She is no match for an armed steamer, but she may do a great deal of mischief. She used to run down the bay in the summer."
"I will go up to the pilot-house, and see if I can make out the Dauphine. If she is a sea-going yacht, she is the one we have to fear," said Christy, as he left the engine-room.
"See here, Christy; there is another steamer over beyond the Bellevite, and she is pretty near her, too," said Percy, as he entered the pilot-house.
The acting captain brought his glass to bear over the Bellevite, and he was satisfied that theapproaching vessel was the yacht described by Captain Pecklar. But he had hardly got his eye on the Dauphine, before he saw that the Bellevite had started her screw. It looked as though she deemed it advisable to change her position in view of the approach of the steamers on each side of her.
"Where is she going, Christy?" asked Percy.
"I am sure I cannot tell you. You can see all that I can see," replied Christy, who was very anxious about the situation.
"We are not a great way from the long-boat," suggested Percy, who was more afraid of that than he was of all the steamers in sight. "What am I to steer for now? Shall I make her follow the Bellevite?"
"Head her off to the north-east," replied Christy, opening the binnacle.
But he might as well have opened the book of the black art to Percy, for he could not steer by compass. Christy got the Leopard on her new course, by which she would come somewhere near intercepting the Bellevite; and then he found an object on the shore, many miles distant, for the guidance of the pilot.
But the long-boat was now almost within hailing-distance of the Leopard. Major Pierson was certainly aware that the tug was under way, and he made the most energetic demonstrations for her to stop her screw. Suddenly the Bellevite changed her course again, and run directly towards the tug.
This movement was apparently noticed by the major; for his men doubled their efforts at the oars, pulling for the Leopard. The boat was then out of the trough of the sea, and its progress was much better. Then the Bellevite changed her course again; and it was impossible to determine what she intended to do, though possibly she was following a crooked channel.
"Leopard, ahoy!" shouted Major Pierson; and he was near enough now to be distinctly heard.
"In the boat!" returned Christy, though he knew the parley could amount to nothing.
"Stop her!" yelled the major.
"Not yet!" replied the acting captain.
"Stop, or I will fire into you!"
"I'm not going to stand here and be shot down!" exclaimed Percy. "My brother don't
know that I am at the wheel, and I shall be the first one to get hit."
Christy could not blame Percy for not wishing to be shot by the party under his brother's command; and he had no more relish for being shot himself, quite in sight of his father's steamer. But to abandon the helm was to abandon the control of the tug, and the major could recover possession of her and of his prisoner within a few minutes.
"Go below, Percy, and put yourself in the fire-room, for you will be safe there," said Christy.
At that moment the crack of a musket was heard, and a bullet crashed through the pine boards of the pilot-house. It was the first evidence of actual war which Christy had seen, and it impressed him strongly.
"It isn't safe for me to show myself," said Percy, as his companion took the wheel from him.
"You must be your own judge of that," replied Christy, as he dropped down on the floor, with the compass in his hand.
"What are you going to do down there?" asked Percy.
"I have no wish to be shot any more than you have. I am going to keep out of sight, and steer the steamer by compass," replied Christy.
"I will steer her if I can keep out of sight," added Percy.
"You can't steer by compass; but you can do something if you are willing," suggested the pilot.
"I am willing to do all I can; but I don't want my brother to shoot me, as much for his sake as my own. What shall I do?" asked Percy.
"Crawl out of the pilot-house on the port-side, where they can't see you from the boat, and then keep watch of all the other steamers. Report to me just where they all are, and what they are doing."
"All right; I will do that," replied Percy, as he obeyed the order.
The boat continued to fire at the pilot-house of the Leopard, and though a shot came uncomfortably near Christy, he stuck to his post; for to leave it was to give up the battle.
"The Bellevite is headed directly towards us," called Percy, outside of the pilot-house. "The other steamers are just as they were."
"All right; keep your eye on them all the time."
"The Bellevite is headed directly towards us," said Captain Pecklar, coming to the top of the ladder on the port-side.
"So Percy has just reported to me."
"But you will get killed if you stay here," said the captain, with genuine solicitude in his looks and manner.
"But I must stay here, all the same," replied Christy, who felt too proud to desert the post of duty because it happened to be the post of danger at the same time.
"But let me take your place, Christy," continued Captain Pecklar, finishing the ascent of the ladder.
"No, no, captain! Don't expose yourself," protested Christy. "It is as safe for me as it will be for you."
"But I have got about to the end of my chapter of life; and there is not more than a year, if there is as much as that, left for me. You are a young fellow, and the pride of your father, I have no doubt; at any rate, you ought to be. Give me that place, and you will be safer in the engine-room."
Captain Pecklar insisted for some time, but Christy obstinately refused to leave his post.
"Men pulling in the boat with all their might!" shouted Percy.
"I think I can bring their labors in that way to an end," added the captain. "But do you understand what the Bellevite is doing, Christy?"
"She is coming this way; that is all I know."
"She is coming this way because the major has been fool enough to fire on the Leopard. The shooting assures your father that this tug is an enemy."
The captain went below again, leaving Christy to consider his last remark. But he had not been gone five minutes before the report of a cannon shook the hull of the Leopard, and the pilot saw that it was on the forecastle of the tug.
The gun on the forecastle of the Leopard was placed as far aft as possible, so that Christy could not see it without putting his head out at the front windows of the pilot-house, and for this reason he had not seen what Captain Pecklar was about. But the piece must have been loaded before, for he could not have charged it without being seen.
The captain had remarked that he could bring the labors of those in the long-boat to an end, for Major Pierson was urging his men to their utmost with their oars in order to reach the tug. The smoke prevented Christy from seeing to what extent he had succeeded, though the fact that he had fired the gun at the boat was all he needed to satisfy him of the fidelity of the acting engineer to the cause he had just espoused.
Christy had not deemed it advisable to change the course of the Leopard; for the long-boat was approaching her at right angles, and he thought she would get out of its way, for those in charge of it made no calculation of the distance the tug would run while the boat was approaching her.
The smoke blew aside in a moment, and Christy discovered that the long-boat had not been struck by the shot; or, if it had, it had received no material damage. The major was still urging his men to increase their efforts, and he seemed to be not at all disconcerted by the shot which had been fired at him. But Christy saw that he was losing the game, as he probably would not have done if he had been a sailor, for his calculations would have been better made.
When the pilot of the Leopard realized that the major was too much occupied in increasing the speed of the long-boat to continue the firing at the tug, he had resumed his place at the window; but he kept his eye on the enemy. He looked out at the window; but he could not see Captain Pecklar, though he heard him shovelling coal a minute later. The engine still appeared to be doing itsbest, and the tug was in a fair way to pass clear of the long-boat.
"Look out, up there, Christy!" shouted the engineer, a little later.
The pilot turned his attention to the boat again, and saw that the major and the lieutenant were loading their muskets again, and the two men not at the oars were doing the same. The commandant evidently began to feel that he was to miss his prey if he depended upon the oars of the soldiers, and he was about to turn his attention again to the business of disabling the pilot of the tug. Christy dropped down on the floor again, and steered by the compass, which was still where he had placed it before.
He could hear a rumbling sound on the forward deck, and he was curious to know what the captain was doing; but it was not prudent to look out at the window. After a great deal of hard kicking and prying, he succeeded in removing a narrow board from the front of the pilot-house near the floor; and through this aperture he could see that the acting engineer had just finished reloading the gun, and was changing its position so as to bring it to bear on the long-boat.
The enemy were now a little forward of the beam of the tug, and not more than fifty yards from her; but Christy was satisfied that the Leopard would go clear of the long-boat if his craft was not disabled. The major and his companions could not help seeing that Captain Pecklar had deserted their cause, and that, with the gun on the deck, he was a dangerous enemy.
The report of a musket in the direction of the boat caused Christy to look very anxiously to the forward deck; but to his great satisfaction he saw that the captain had not been hit. But he immediately retired under the pilot-house, so that he could not see him. He was brave enough to stand up and be shot at, but he was also prudent enough not to expose himself unnecessarily.
Three other shots followed the first, one of the balls passing through the boards of the pilot-house, above the helmsman's head; and he saw a splinter fly from a stanchion forward. Captain Pecklar waited for the fourth shot,—and he had evidently noticed how many men had muskets in their hands,—then he sprang outfrom his hiding-place, sighted the gun, and pulled the lock-string.
Through the aperture he had made, Christy looked with intense interest to ascertain the effect of this shot. As soon as the smoke blew away, he saw that the shot had passed obliquely into the boat, striking the stern-board just behind Major Pierson, and splitting off the plank near the water-line.
There was a commotion in the ranks of the enemy, and it was plain enough that the water was flowing into the craft. The soldiers stopped rowing, and the lieutenant and one of the extra men were sent into the bow. This change settled the bow of the boat down into the water, and lifted the stern. The major appeared to be equal to the emergency; he gave his orders in a loud voice, and the rowing was renewed with the delay of not more than a couple of minutes. But that was enough to defeat his present purpose, though he still urged his men to exert themselves to the utmost.
The long-boat went astern of the tug, and Christy came out from his place on the floor to the windows. Captain Pecklar was loading thegun, as he had done before, by swinging it around so that the muzzle was under the pilot-house.
"I think you will have no further use for that gun," said Christy, when he saw what the captain was doing.
"Perhaps not; but it is best to have it ready for the next time we want it. The major kept it loaded all the time, and I shall follow his example," replied the captain.
"Have you been hit, Percy?" asked Christy, looking out at the side under which the late pilot had bestowed himself for safe-keeping.
"I have not been hit; they could not see me where I am. Have you been hit, Christy?" replied Percy.
"Not at all; I took good care not to be seen while they were firing. But your brother has dropped astern of the Leopard in his boat, and there is no danger here now: so you can come in and take the helm, if you like."
Percy was glad to have something to do, for he was very nervous; and he came into the pilot-house. He was not half as airy as he had been before, and the sound of the muskets and the twelve-pounder on the forward deck hadundoubtedly made an impression upon him. But he was as glad to take the wheel as Christy was to have him, for he desired to study the situation after all the changes which had been made in the position of the several vessels.
"You have had an awful time of it, Christy," said Percy, as he took the wheel. "I wonder that you have not been killed."
"Not a very awful time of it, and I took good care not to be killed," replied Christy. "A fellow isn't good for much after he has been killed, and it is always best to look out and not get killed; though I suppose one cannot always help it."
"Did you fire the field-piece on the deck below?"
"No, I did not; that was done by Captain Pecklar."
"My brother will have him hanged when he gets hold of him," added Percy, shaking his head.
"Very likely he will if he gets hold of him, but we don't intend to let him get hold of him."
Christy left the pilot-house, and went out onthe hurricane deck, where he could better see all that was to be seen, and be alone with his own thoughts. His first care was to ascertain the position of his most active enemy, the long-boat. He could see it a short distance astern of the tug. It had changed its course, and was following the Leopard, which was now gaining rapidly upon it.
Directly ahead of the tug was the Bellevite, not more than a quarter of a mile distant; but while she was going off to the north-west, the Dauphine had kept more to the southward and was now nearer than the steamer of Captain Passford.
The remark which Captain Pecklar had made when he came partly upon the hurricane deck, that the Bellevite had changed her course because Major Pierson had been fool enough to fire at the tug, came up in Christy's mind again. He had thought of it at the time it was uttered, and several times since; but he had not had the time to weigh its meaning.
The owner's son knew very well that every incident connected with the tug, and with the other vessels in sight, had been carefully observedand weighed by his father and Captain Breaker. They had seen the boat leave the Leopard. It looked like a stupid movement to do such a thing, when the approach to the Bellevite could be made so much more rapidly and safely in the tug.
There must be a motive for such a singular step. Of course the passage of the boat had been closely observed, and the starting up of the screw of the Leopard had been duly noted. As the tug came near the long-boat, the latter had fired upon it. This must have been seen; and the question naturally would come up as to why those in the boat fired upon their own people in the Leopard.
It was not likely that they could answer the question in a satisfactory manner on board of the Bellevite; but the firing indicated that an enemy was in possession of the tug. This was enough, in the opinion of Christy, as it had been in that of Captain Pecklar, to produce the change in her course.
The firing from both craft since the first demonstration must have deepened the impression. Those on board of the Leopard must beon the side of the Union, or the party in the boat would not repeatedly fire upon them. Christy was satisfied that his father would know what all the indications meant before he abandoned the investigation.
But the Bellevite did not seem to be making her best speed by a great deal. With his glass he could see that there was a hand in the fore-chains heaving the lead; and probably Captain Breaker feared that the bottom "might be too near the top of the water" for the draught of his vessel, and he was proceeding with caution.
Christy descended the ladder to the main-deck. He found Captain Pecklar in the fire-room, shovelling coal into the furnace. He seemed to be again nearly exhausted by the efforts he had made during the morning; and Christy took the shovel from him, and did the work himself.
"You must not kill yourself, Captain Pecklar. This is too hard work for you," said Christy.
"If I can only get out of this scrape, it will not make much difference what becomes of me," replied the invalid faintly.
"I will do this work myself. Don't you touch that shovel again."
"But things are looking very badly indeed for us, Christy," said the captain, bracing himself up as if for a renewed effort. "The Belle is almost up with the boat, and she will take Major Pierson and his party on board; and she is nearer to us than the Bellevite."
"Is that so? I have not looked astern for some time," replied Christy, rather startled by the information.
"The Bellevite is not sailing as fast as she has some of the time, and both the Belle and the Dauphine are nearer to us than she is," added Captain Pecklar. "I have been trying to get up more steam."
"If my father only knew that I was on board this tug, I should feel more hope," said Christy.
"Perhaps he suspects you are. He probably sent ashore to obtain information in regard to you. But we don't know."
Just then a cannon-ball made the splinters fly all around them.
illustration of quoted scene"I have hit Her"(Page 315)