wSSii^^SSm^tSSSmmm 
 
 TA.KEAJ BY THE E/^E/AY 
 
THE UNIVERSITY OF 
 
 NORTH CAROLINA 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 THE WILMER COLLECTION 
 
 OF CIVIL WAR NOVELS 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 RICHARD H. WILMER, JR. 
 

Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2009 with funding from 
 
 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/takenbyenemyOOOopti 
 
Thuee Cheers yvR Captain Passfokd" (Page 75) 
 
TAKEN BY THE I 
 
The ^hie and the Gray Series 
 
 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 BY 
 
 OLIVER OPTIC 
 
 AUTHOR OF *'THE ARMY AND NAVY SERIES "YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD 
 
 "the great western series" **the woodville stories" 
 "the starry-flag series" "the boat-club stories" 
 "the onward and upward series" "the yacht- 
 club series" "the lake-shore series" 
 **the riverdale series" "the 
 boat-builder series" etc. 
 
 WITH ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 BOSTON 1889 
 LEE AND SHEPARD Publishers 
 
 10 MILK street next " THE OLD SOUTH MEETING-HOUSE " 
 
 NEW YORK CHARLES T. DILLINGHAM 
 
 718 and 720 BROADWAY 
 
Copyright, i8S8, by Lee and Shepard. 
 
 All rights rcscTiicd. 
 
 Taken by the Enemy. 
 
TO 
 
 MY NEPHEW, 
 
 HERBERT W. ADAMS, 
 
 mji& Book 
 
 IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED. 
 
 602672 
 
PEEFACE 
 
 " Taken by the Enemy " is the first of a new 
 series of six volumes which are to be associated 
 under the general title of "The Blue and the 
 Gray Series," which sufficiently indicates the char- 
 acter of the books. At the conclusion of the 
 war of the Rebellion, and before the writer had 
 completed ''The Army and Navy Series," over 
 twenty years ago, some of his friends advised 
 him to make all possible haste to bring his war 
 stories to a conclusion, declaring that there could 
 be no demand for such works when the war had 
 come to an end. But the volumes of the series 
 mentioned are as much in demand to-day as any 
 of his other stories, though from their nature the 
 field of their circulation is more limited. Surpris- 
 ing as this may aj^pear, it is still the fact; and 
 certainly the author has received more commend- 
 atory letters from young people in regard to the 
 
 5 
 
6 PREFACE 
 
 books of tliis series than concerning those of any- 
 other. 
 
 Among these letters there has occasionally 
 been one, though rarely, in which the writer 
 objected to this series for the reason that he was 
 '' on the other side " of the great issue wliich shook 
 the nation to the centre of its being for four years. 
 Doubtless the writers of these letters, and many 
 who wrote no letters, will be surprised and 
 grieved at the announcement of another series 
 by the author on war topics. The writer had 
 little inclination to undertake this task; for he 
 has believed for twenty years that the war is over, 
 and he has not been disposed to keep alive old 
 issues which had better remain buried. He has 
 spent some time in the South, and has always 
 found himself among friends there. He became 
 personally acquainted with those who fought on 
 the Confederate side, from generals to privates, 
 and he still values their friendship. He certainly 
 is not disposed to write any thing that would cause 
 him to forfeit his title to the kind feeling that was 
 extended to him. 
 
 It is not, therefore, with the desire or intention 
 to rekindle the fires of sectional animosity, now 
 
PREFACE 7 
 
 happily subdued, that the writer begins another 
 series relating to the war. The call upon him to 
 use the topics of the war has been so urgent, and 
 its ample field of stirring events has been so 
 inviting, that he could not resist ; but, while his 
 own opinions in regard to the great question of 
 five-and-twenty years ago remain unchanged, he 
 hopes to do more ample justice than perhaps was 
 done before to those "who fought on the other 
 side." 
 
 The present volume introduces those which are 
 to follow it, and presents many of the characters 
 that are to figure in them. Though written from 
 the Union standpoint, the author hopes that it 
 will not be found unfair or unjust to those who 
 looked from the opposite point of view. 
 
 Dorchester, June 12, 1888. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER I. PAGE 
 
 Astounding News from the Shore .... 13 
 
 CHAPTER 11. 
 The Brother at the South 24 
 
 CHAPTER HI. 
 Dangerous and Somewhat Irregular ... 35 
 
 CHAPTER lY. 
 The First Mission of the Bellevite. . . 47 
 
 CHAPTER Y. 
 The Bellevite and those on Board of her. . 58 
 
 CHAPTER YI. 
 Mr. Percy Pierson introduces himself ... 69 
 
 CHAPTER YII. 
 A Complication at Glenfield . . . ~ . .80 
 
 CHAPTER YIII. 
 A Disconsolate Purchaser of Yessels ... 91 
 
 CH^iPTER IX. 
 Christy matures a Promising Scheme . . .102 
 
10 CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER X. PAGE 
 
 The Attempt to pass into Mobile Bay . . . 113 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 The Major in Command of Foet Gaines. . . 124 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 How the Bellevite passed Fort Morgan . . 135 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 A Decided Difference of Opinion .... 146 
 
 CHAPTER- XIV. 
 The Blue and the Gray 157 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 Brother at War with Brother , . . .168 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 Christy finds himself a Prisoner .... 179 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 Major Pierson is puzzled 190 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 The Morning Trip of the Leopard .... 201 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 The Report of the Scout from the Shobe . . 212 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 A Rebellion in the Pilot-House .... 223 
 
CONTENTS 11 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. PAGE 
 
 The Sick Captain of the Leopard .... 234 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 The PpvOCeedings on the Lower Deck . . .245 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 The Expedition from the Leopard .... 256 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 The Engineer goes into the Forecastle . . 267 
 
 CHAPTER XXY. 
 The First Lesson for a Sailor 278 
 
 CHAPTER XXVL 
 The Post of Duty and of Danger . . ,* . 289 
 
 CHAPTER XXYIL 
 A Cannon-Ball through the Leopard . . . 300 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIIL 
 The American Flag at the Fore .... 311 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 On Board of the Bellevite 322 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 Running the Gantlet ....,,. 333 
 
TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 ASTOUNDING NEWS FROM THE SHORE 
 
 " This is most astounding news ! " exclaimed 
 Captain Horatio Passford. 
 
 It was on the deck of the magnificent steam- 
 yacht Bellevite, of which he was the owner; 
 and with the newspaper, in which he had read 
 only a few of the many head-lines, still in his 
 hand, he rushed furiously across the deck, in a 
 state of the most intense agitation. 
 
 It would take more than one figure to indicate 
 the number of millions by which his vast wealth 
 was measured, in the estimation of those who 
 knew most about his affairs ; and he was just 
 returning from a winter cruise in his yacht. 
 
 His wife and son were on board ; but his daugh- 
 ter had spent the winter at the South with her 
 
 13 
 
14 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 uncle, preferring this to a voyage at sea, being 
 in rather delicate health, and the doctors thought 
 a quiet residence in a genial climate was better 
 for her. 
 
 The Bellevite had been among the islands 
 of the Atlantic, visiting the Azores, Madeira, 
 the Canary Islands, and was now coming from 
 Bermuda. She had just taken a pilot fifty miles 
 from Sandy Hook, and was bound to New York, 
 for the captain's beautiful estate, Bonnydale, was 
 located on the Hudson. 
 
 As usual, the pilot had brought on board with 
 him the latest New- York papers, and one of them 
 contained the startling news Avhich appeared to 
 have thrown the owner of the Bellevite entirely 
 off his balance ; and it was quite astounding enough 
 to produce this effect upon any American. 
 
 "What is it, sir?" demanded Christopher 
 Passford, his son, a remarkably bright-looking 
 young fellow of sixteen, as he followed his father 
 across the deck. 
 
 " What is it, Horatio ? " inquired Mrs. Passford, 
 who had been seated with a book on the deck, 
 as she also followed her husband. 
 
 The captain was usually very cool and self- 
 
ASTOUNDING NEWS FKOM THE SHORE 15 
 
 possessed, and neither the wife no.r the son had 
 ever before seen him so shaken Ly agitation. 
 He seemed to be unable to speak a word for the 
 time, and took no notice whatever of his wife 
 and son when they addressed him. 
 
 For several minutes he continued to rush back 
 and forth across the deck of the steamer, like a 
 vessel which had suddenly caught a heavy flaw 
 of wind, and had not yet come to her bearings. 
 
 " What is the matter, Horatio ? " asked Mrs. 
 Passford, when he came near her. "What in 
 the world has happened to overcome you in this 
 manner, for I never saw you so moved before ? " 
 
 But her husband did not reply even to this 
 earnest interrogatory, but again darted across the 
 deck, and his lips moved as though he were 
 muttering something tojhimself. He did not look 
 at the paper in his hands again ; and whatever the 
 startling intelligence it contained, he seemed to 
 have taken it all in at a glance. 
 
 Christy, as the remarkably good-looking young 
 man was called by all in the family and on board 
 of the Bellevite, appeared to be even more 
 astonished than his mother at the singular con- 
 duct of his father ; but he saw how intense was 
 
16 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 his agitation, and he did not follow him in his 
 impulsive flights across the deck. 
 
 Though his father had always treated him with 
 great consideration, and seldom if ever had occa- 
 sion to exercise any of his paternal authority 
 over him, the young man never took advantage 
 of the familiarity existing between them. His 
 father was certainly in a most extraordinary 
 mood for him, and he could not venture to speak 
 a word to him. 
 
 He stood near the companionway, not far from 
 his mother, and he observed the movements of 
 his father with the utmost interest, not unmingled 
 with anxiety ; and Mrs. Passford fully shared 
 with him the solicitude of the moment. 
 
 The steamer was going at full speed in the 
 direction of Sandy Hook. Captain Passford gave 
 no heed to the movement of the vessel, but for 
 several minutes planked the deck as though he 
 were unable to realize the truth or the force 
 of the news he had hastily gathered from the 
 head-lines of the newspaper. 
 
 At last he halted in the waist, at some distance 
 from the other members of his family, raised 
 his paper, and tixed his gaze upon the staring 
 
ASTOUNDING NEWS FROM THE SHORE 17 
 
 announcement at the head of one of its columns. 
 No one ventured to approach him ; for he was the 
 magnate of the vessel, and, whatever liis humor, 
 he was entitled to the full benefit of it. 
 
 He only glanced at the head-lines as he had 
 done before, and then dropped the paper, as 
 though the announcement he had read was all he 
 desired to know. 
 
 ''Beeks," said he, as a quartermaster passed 
 near him. 
 
 The man addressed promptly halted, raised his 
 hand to his cap, and waited the i:)leasure of the 
 owner of the steamer. 
 
 '" Tell Captain Breaker that I wish to see him, 
 if 3^ou please," added Captain Passford. 
 
 The man repeated the name of the person he 
 was to call, and hastened away to obey the order. 
 The owner resumed his march across the deck, 
 though it was evident to the anxious observers 
 that he had in a great measure recovered his self- 
 possession, for his movements were less nervous, 
 and the usual placid calm was restored to his face. 
 
 In another minute. Captain Breaker, who was 
 the actual commander of the vessel, appeared 
 in the waist, and walked up to his owner. 
 
18 TAKEN BY THE EXEMY 
 
 Though not more than forty-five 3'ears old, his 
 han^ and full beard were heavily tinted with gray ; 
 and an artist who wished for an ideal shipmaster, 
 who was both a gentleman and a sailor, could not 
 have found a better representative of this type in 
 the merchant or naval service, or on the deck 
 of the finest steam-yacht in the Avorld. 
 
 " You sent for me, Captain Passford," said the 
 commander, in respectful but not subservient 
 tones. 
 
 " You will take the steamer to some point off 
 Fire Island, and come to anchor there," replied 
 the owner, as, without any explanation, he walked 
 away from the spot. 
 
 "Off Fire Island," added Captain Breaker, 
 simply repeating the name of the locality to which 
 his order related, but not in a tone that required 
 an exclamation-point to express his surprise. 
 
 Whatever the captain of the Bellevite thought 
 or felt, it was an extraordinary order which he 
 received. It was in the month of April, and the 
 vessel had been absent about five months on her 
 winter pleasure cruise. 
 
 In a few hours more the yacht could easily be 
 at her moorings off Bonnydale on the Hudson ; 
 
ASTOUNDING NEWS FROM THE SHORE 19 
 
 but when almost in sight of Xew York, the captain 
 had been ordered to anchor, as though the owner 
 had no intention of returning to his elegant 
 home. 
 
 If he was surprised, as doubtless he was, he did 
 not manifest it in the slightest degree ; for he was 
 a sailor, and it was a part of his gospel to obey 
 the orders of his owner without asking any 
 questions. 
 
 No doubt he thought of his wife and children 
 as he walked forward to the pilot-house to execute 
 his order, for he had been away from them for a 
 long time. The three papers brought on board 
 by the pilot had all been given to the owner, 
 and he had no hint of the startling news they 
 contained. 
 
 The course of the Bellevite was promptly 
 changed more to the northward ; and if the pilot 
 wished to be informed in regard to this strange 
 alteration in the immediate destination of the 
 vessel, Captain Breaker was unable to give him 
 any explanation. 
 
 Captain Passford was evidently himself again; 
 and he did not rush across the deck as he had 
 done before, but seated himself in an armchair he 
 
20 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 had occupied before the pilot came on board, and 
 proceeded to read something more than the head- 
 lines in the paper. 
 
 He hardly moved or looked up for half an hour, 
 so intensely was he absorbed in the narrative 
 before him. Mrs. Passford and Christy, though 
 even more excited by the singular conduct of 
 the owner, and the change in the course of the 
 steamer, did not venture to interrupt him. 
 
 The owner took the other two papers from his 
 pocket, and had soon possessed himself of all the 
 details of the astounding news ; and it was plain 
 enough to those who so eagerly observed his 
 expression as he read, that he was impressed as 
 he had never been before in his life. 
 
 Before the owner had finished the reading of 
 the papers, the Bellevite had reached the anchorage 
 chosen by the pilot, and the vessel was soon fast 
 to the bottom in a quiet sea. 
 
 "The tide is just right for going up to the 
 city," said the pilot, who had left his place in 
 the pilot-house, and addressed himself to the 
 owner in the waist. 
 
 " But we shall not go up to the city," replied 
 Captain Passford, in a very decided tone. " But 
 
ASTOUNDING NEWS FROM THE SHORE 21 
 
 that shall make no difference in your pilot's fees. 
 — Captain Breaker." 
 
 The captain of the steamer, who had also come 
 out of the pilot-house, had stationed himself with- 
 in call of the owner to receive the next order, 
 which might throw some light on the reason for 
 anchoring the steamer so near her destination on 
 a full sea. He presented himself before the 
 magnate of the 3^acht, and indicated that he was 
 ready to take his further orders. 
 
 "You will see that the pilot is paid his full 
 fee for taking the vessel to a wharf," continued 
 Captain Passford. 
 
 The captain bowed, and started towards the 
 companionway ; but the owner called him back. 
 
 " I see what looks like a tug to the westward 
 of us. You Avill set the signal to bring her 
 alongside," the magnate proceeded. 
 
 This order was even more strange than that 
 under which the vessel had come to anchor so 
 near home after her long cruise ; but the captain 
 asked no questions, and made no sign. Calling 
 Beeks, he went aft with the pilot, and paid him 
 his fees. 
 
 When the American flag was displayed in the 
 
22 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 fore-rigging for the tug, Captain Passford, with 
 his gaze fixed on the planks of the deck, walked 
 slowly to the place where his wife was seated, 
 and halted in front of her without sj^eaking a 
 word. But there was a quivering of the lip 
 which assured the lady and her son that he was 
 still struggling to suppress his agitation. 
 
 "What is the matter, Horatio?" asked the 
 wife, in the tenderest of tones, while her expres- 
 sion assured those who saw her face that the 
 anxiety of the husband had been communicated 
 to the wife. 
 
 *'I need hardly tell you, Julia, that I am 
 disturbed as I never was before in all niy life," 
 replied he, maintaining his calmness only with 
 a struggle. 
 
 " I can see that something momentous has 
 happened in our country," she added, hardly able 
 to contain herself, for she felt that she was in the 
 presence of an unexplained calamity. 
 
 " Something has happened, my dear ; something 
 terrible, — something that I did not expect, though 
 many others were sure that it w^ould come," he 
 continued, seating himself at the side of his wife. 
 
 " But you do not tell me what it is," said the 
 
ASTOUiroiNG NEWS FROM THE SHORE 23 
 
 lady, with a look which indicated that her worst 
 fears were confirmed. " Is Florry worse ? Is 
 She" — 
 
 " So far as I know, Florry is as well as usual," 
 interposed the husband. " But a state of war 
 exists at the present moment between the North 
 and the South." 
 
24 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 CHAPTER n 
 
 THE BROTHER AT THE SOUTH 
 
 Even five months before, when the Bellevite 
 had sailed on her cruise, the rumble of coming 
 events had been heard in the United States ; and 
 it had been an open question whether or not war 
 would grow out of the complications between the 
 North and the South. 
 
 Only a few letters, and fewer newspapers, had 
 reached the owner of the yacht; and he and 
 his family on board had been very indifferently 
 informed in regard to the progress of political 
 events at home. Captain Passford was one of 
 those who confidentl}^ believed that no very 
 serious difficulty would result from the entangle- 
 ments into which the country had been plunged 
 by the secession of the most of the Southern 
 States. 
 
 He would not admit even to himself that war 
 
THE BROTHER AT THE SOUTH 25 
 
 was possible ; and before his departure he had 
 scouted the idea of a conflict with arms between 
 the brothers of the North and the brothers of the 
 South, as he styled them. 
 
 Captain Passford had been the master of a ship 
 in former times, though he had accumulated his vast 
 fortune after he abandoned the sea. His father 
 Avas an Englishman, who had come to the United 
 States as a young man, had married, raised his 
 two sons, and died in the city of New York. 
 
 These two sons, Horatio and Homer, were 
 respectively forty-five and forty 3^ears of age. 
 Both of them were married, and each of them 
 had only a son and a daughter. While Horatio 
 had been remarkably successful in his pursuit of 
 w^ealth in the metropolis, he had kept himself 
 clean and honest, like so many of the wealthy 
 men of the great city. When he retired from 
 active business, he settled at Bonny dale on the 
 Hudson. 
 
 His brother had been less successful as a 
 business-man, and soon after his marriage to 
 a Northern lad}^ he had purchased a plantation 
 in Alabama, where both of his children had been 
 born, and where he was a man of high stan dins', 
 
26 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 with wealth enough to maintain his position in 
 luxury, though his fortune was insignificant 
 compared with that of his brother. 
 
 Between the two brothers and their families the 
 most kindly relations had always existed ; and 
 each made occasional visits to the other, though 
 the distance which separated them was too great 
 to permit of very frequent exchanges personally 
 of brotherly love and kindness. 
 
 Possibly the fraternal feeling which subsisted 
 between the two brothers had some influence 
 upon the opinions of Horatio, for to him hostili- 
 ties meant majving war upon his only brother, 
 whom he cherished as warmly as if they had not 
 been separated by a distance of over a thousand 
 miles. 
 
 He measured the feelings of others by his own ; 
 and if all had felt as he felt, war would have 
 been an impossibility, however critical and momen- 
 tous the relations between the two sections. 
 
 Though his father had been born and bred in 
 England, Horatio was more intensely American 
 than thousands who came out of Plymouth Rock 
 stock ; and he believed in the union of the 
 States, unable to believe that any true citizen 
 
THE BROTHER AT THE SOUTH 27 
 
 could tolerate the idea of a separation of any 
 kind. 
 
 The first paper which Captain Passford read on 
 the deck of the Bellevite contained the details 
 of the bombardment and capture of Fort Sumter ; 
 and the others, a record of the events which had 
 transpired in the few succeeding days after the 
 news of actual war reached the North. 
 
 This terrible intelligence was unexpected to 
 the owner of the yacht, believing, as he had, in the 
 impossibility of war ; and it seemed to him just as 
 though he and his cherished brother were already 
 arrayed against each other on the battle-field. 
 
 The commotion between the two sections had 
 begun before his departure from home on the 
 yacht cruise , but his brother, perhaps because 
 he was fully instructed in regard to the Union 
 sentiment of Horatio, was strangely reticent, anc 
 expressed no opinions of his own. 
 
 But Captain Passford, measuring his brother 
 according to his own standard, was fully per- 
 suaded that Homer was as sound on the great 
 question as he was himself, though the excitement 
 and violence around him might have caused him 
 to maintain a neutral position. 
 
28 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 Certainly if the Northern brother had antici- 
 2)atecl that a terrible war was impending, he 
 would not have permitted his daughter Florence, 
 a beautiful young lady of seventeen, to reside 
 during the winter in a hot-bed of secession and 
 disunion. The papers informed him wliat had 
 been done at the North and at the South to 
 initiate the war ; and the thought that Florry was 
 now in the midst of the enemies of her country 
 was agonizing to him. 
 
 Though he felt that his country demanded liis 
 best energies, and though lie was ready and ^^•ill- 
 ing to give himself and his son to her in her hour 
 of need, he felt that his first duty was to his own 
 family, within reasonable limits; and his earliest 
 thoughts were directed to the safety of his daugh- 
 ter, and then to the welfare of his brother and 
 his family. 
 
 " War ! " exclaimed Mrs. Passford, when her 
 husband had announced so briefly the situation 
 which had caused such intense agitation in his 
 soul. "What do you mean by war, Horatio?" 
 
 '^I mean all that terrible word can convey of 
 destruction and death, and, worse yet, of hate 
 and revenge between brothers of the same house- 
 
THE BROTHER AT THE SOUTH 29 
 
 hold ! " replied the husband impressively. " Both 
 the North and the South are sounding the notes 
 of preparation. Men are gathering by thousands 
 on both sides, soon to meet on fields which must 
 be drenched in the gore of brothers." 
 
 "But don't you think the trouble will be settled 
 in some way, Horatio?" asked the anxiuus wife 
 and mother; and her thoughts, like those of her 
 husband, reverted to the loving daughter then in 
 the enemy's camp. 
 
 ^ " I do not think so ; that is impossible now. I 
 did not believe that war was possible : now 
 I do not believe it will be over till one side or 
 the other shall be exhausted," replied Captain 
 Passford, wiping from his brow the perspiration 
 which the intensity of his emotion produced. 
 "A civil war is the most bitter and terrible of all 
 wars." 
 
 " I cannot understand it," added the lady. 
 
 "Is it really Avar, sir?" asked Christy, who 
 had been an interested listener to all that had 
 been said. 
 
 " It is really war, my son," replied the father 
 earnestly. "It will be a war which cannot be 
 carried to a conclusion by hirelings ; but father, 
 
30 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 son, and brother must take part in it, against 
 father, son, and brother." 
 
 "It is terrible to think of," added Mrs. Passford 
 with something like a shudder, though she was a 
 strong-minded woman in the highest sense of the 
 words. 
 
 Captain Passford then proceeded to inform his 
 wife and son in regard to all the events which had 
 transpired since he had received his latest papers 
 at Bermuda. They listened with the most intense 
 interest, and the trio were as solemn as though 
 they had met to consider the dangerous illness of 
 the absent member of the family. 
 
 The owner did not look upon the impending 
 war as a sort of frolic, as did many of the people 
 at the North and the South, and he could not 
 regard it as a tri^dal conflict which would be 
 ended in a few Aveeks or a few months. To 
 him it was the most terrible reality which his 
 imagination could picture ; and more clearly 
 than many eminent statesmen, he foresaw that it 
 would be a long and fierce encounter. 
 
 "From what you say, Horatio, I judge that 
 the South is already arming for the conflict," 
 said Mrs. Passford, after she had heard her 
 
THE BROTHER AT THE SOUTH 31 
 
 husband's account of what had occurred on 
 shore. 
 
 "The South has been preparmg for war for 
 months, and the North began to make serious 
 l^reparation for coming events as soon as Fort 
 Sumter fell. Doubtless the South is better 
 prepared for the event to-day than the North, 
 though the greater population and vast resources 
 of the latter will soon make up for lost time," 
 replied the captain. 
 
 "And Florry is right in the midst of the 
 gathering armies of the South," added the fond 
 mother, wiping a tear from her eyes. 
 
 " She is , and, unless something is done at once 
 to restore her to her home, she may have to 
 remain in the enemy's country for months, if not 
 for years," answered the father, with a slight 
 trembling of the lips. 
 
 "But what can be done?" asked the mother 
 anxiously. 
 
 " The answer to that question has agitated me 
 more than any thing else which has come to my 
 mind for years, for I cannot endure the thought 
 of leaving her even a single month at any point 
 which is as likely as any other to become a 
 
32 TAKEX BY THE ENEMY 
 
 battle-field in a few days or a few weeks," 
 continued Captain Passford, with some return 
 of the agitation which had before shaken him 
 so terribly. 
 
 "• Of course your brother Homer will take care 
 of her," said tlie terrified mother, as she gazed 
 earnestly into the expressive face of the stout- 
 hearted man before her. 
 
 ''Certainly he will do all for Florry that he 
 would do for his own cliildren, but he may not 
 long be able to save his own family from the 
 horrors of war." 
 
 "• Do jou think she will be in any actual danger, 
 Horatio?" 
 
 " I have no doubt she will be as safe at 
 Glenfield, if the conflict were raging there, as 
 she would be at Bonnydale under the same 
 circumstances. From the nature of the case, the 
 burden of the fighting, the havoc and desolation, 
 will be within the Southern States, and few, if 
 an}^, of the battle-fields will be on Northern soil, 
 or at least as far north as our home." 
 
 " From what T have seen of the people near the 
 residence of your brother, they are neither brutes 
 nor savages," added the lady. 
 
THE BROTHER AT THE SOUTH 33 
 
 " No more than the people of the North ; but 
 war rouses the brute nature of most men, and 
 there will be brutes and savages on both sides, 
 from the very nature of the case." 
 
 " In his recent letters, I mean those that came 
 before we sailed from home, Homer did not seem 
 to take part with either side in the political 
 conflict; and in those which came to us at the 
 Azores and Bermuda, he did not say a single 
 word to indicate whether he is a secessionist, or 
 in favor of the Union. Do you know how he 
 stands, Horatio ? " 
 
 " My means of knowing are the same as yours, 
 and I can be no wiser than you are on this point, 
 though I have my opinion," replied Captain 
 Passford. 
 
 "What is your opinion?" 
 
 "That he is as truly a Union man as I am." 
 
 "I am glad that he is." 
 
 "I do not say that he is a UnioD man; but 
 judging from his silence, and what I know of him, 
 I think he is. And it is as much a part of my 
 desire and intention to bring him and his family 
 out of the enemy's country as it is to recover 
 Florry." 
 
34 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 "Then we shall have them all at Bonnydale 
 this summer ? " suggested Mrs. Passford. " Noth- 
 ing could suit me better." 
 
 " Though I am fully persuaded in my own mind 
 that Homer will be true to his country in this 
 emergency, I may be mistaken. He has lived for 
 many years at the South, and has been identified 
 with the institutions of that locality, as I have 
 been with those of the North. Though we both 
 love the land of our fathers on the other side of 
 the ocean, we have both been strongly American. 
 As he always believed in the whole country as a 
 unit, I shall expect him to be more than willing 
 to stand by his country as it was, and as it 
 should be." 
 
 "I hope you will find him so, but I am 
 grievously sorry that Florry is not with us." 
 
 "Tug-boat alongside. Captain Passford," said 
 the commander. 
 
 The owner of the Bellevite wished the tug to 
 wait his orders. 
 
SOMEWHAT IRREGULAR 35 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 DANGEROUS AND SOMEWHAT IRREGULAR 
 
 In various parts of the deck of the Belle vite, 
 the officers, seamen, engmeers, and coal-passers 
 of the steamer were gathered in knots, evidently 
 discussing the situation ; for the news brought on 
 board by the pilot had been spread through the 
 ship. 
 
 Captain Passford hardly noticed the announce- 
 ment made to him by the commander, that the tug 
 was alongside, for he was not yet ready to make 
 use of it. Even the wife and the son of the owner 
 wondered what the mission of the little vessel 
 was to be ; but the husband and father had not 
 yet disclosed his purpose in coming to anchor 
 almost in sight of his own mansion. 
 
 "Why have you come to anchor here, Horatio?" 
 asked Mrs. Passford, taking advantage of the 
 momentary pause in the interesting, and even 
 
36 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 exciting, conversation, to put tliis leading ques- 
 tion. ^ 
 
 "I was about to tell you. I have already 
 adopted my plan to recover Florry, and bring 
 my brother and his family out of the enemy's 
 country," replied the owner, looking with some 
 solicitude into the face of his wife, as though he 
 anticipated some objection to his plan. 
 
 " You have adopted it so quick ? " inquired the 
 lady. "You have not had much time to think 
 of it." 
 
 " I have had all the time I need to enable me 
 to reach the decision to rescue my child from 
 peril, and save my brother and his family 
 from privation and trouble in the enemy's country. 
 But I have only decided what to do, and I have 
 yet to mature the details of the scheme." 
 
 " I hope you are not going into any danger," 
 added the wife anxiously. 
 
 " Danger ! " exclaimed Captain Passford, 
 straightening up his manly form. "War with 
 all its perils and hardships is before us. Am I a 
 villain, a poltroon, who will desert his country 
 in the hour of her greatest need? I do not so 
 understand myself." 
 
SOMEWHAT IRREGULAR 37 
 
 " Of course I meant any needless exposure," 
 added Mrs. Passford, impressed by the patriotic 
 bearing of her husband. 
 
 " You may be assured, Julia, that I will incur 
 no needless peril, and I think I am even more 
 careful than the average of men. But, when I 
 have a duty to perform, I feel that I ought to 
 do it without regard to the danger which may 
 surround it." 
 
 " I know you well enough to understand that, 
 Horatio," said the lady. 
 
 "I believe there will be danger in my under-* 
 taking, though to what extent I am unable to 
 say." 
 
 "But you do not tell me how you intend to 
 recover Florry." 
 
 " I intend to go for her and my brother's family 
 in the Bellevite." 
 
 " In the Bellevite ! " exclaimed the lady. 
 
 " Of course ; there is no other possible way to 
 reach Glenfield," which was the name that 
 Homer Passford had given to his plantation. 
 
 " But Fort Morgan, at the entrance of Mobile 
 Bay, is in the hands -of the Confederates, and 
 has been for three or four months," said Christy, 
 
38 TAKEN BY THE EXEMY 
 
 who had kept himself as thoroughly posted 
 in regard to events at home as the sources of 
 information would permit. 
 
 " I am well aware of it ; and I have no doubt, 
 that, by this time, the fort is strongly garrisoned, 
 to say notliing of other forts which have prob- 
 ably been built in the vicinity," replied Captain 
 Passford. 
 
 "It says in this paper that the ports of the 
 South have been blockaded," said Christy, glancmg 
 at the journal in his hand. 
 
 "The President has issued a proclamation to 
 this effect, but there has hardly been time to 
 enforce it to any great extent yet. But of these 
 matters I have nothing to say yet. Tlie important 
 point now is that I shall go in the Belle vite 
 to Mobile Bay, and by force or strategy I shall 
 bring off my daughter and the family of my 
 brother." 
 
 " Then I suppose Christy and I are to be sent 
 on shore in the tug alongside," suggested Mrs. 
 Passford. 
 
 " That is precisely what I wanted the tug for," 
 added the husband. 
 
 " I should be willing to go with you, and share 
 
SOMEWHAT IRREGULAR 39 
 
 whatever dangers you may incur," said the lady, 
 who had by this time come to a full realization of 
 what war meant. 
 
 " I should be a heathen to allow you to do so. 
 A woman would be more of a burden than a help 
 to us. You had better return to Bonnydale, 
 Julia, where I am sure you can render more 
 service to your country than you could on board 
 of the steamer. All that I am, all that I have, 
 shall be at the service of the Union ; and I wish 
 you to act for me according to your own good 
 judgment." 
 
 "I shall do whatever you wish me to do, 
 Horatio," added the lady. 
 
 " My mission will be a dangerous one at best, 
 and the deck of the steamer will be no place for 
 you, Julia." 
 
 " Very well ; Christy and I will take the tug as 
 soon as you are ready to have us leave you." 
 
 " Am I to go on shore, father ? " demanded 
 Christy, with a look of chagrin on his handsome 
 face, browned by exposure to the sun on the 
 ocean. " I want to go with you ; and I am sure 
 I can do my share of the duty, whatever it may 
 be." 
 
40 TAKEN BY THE EXEMY 
 
 " You are rather young to engage in such an 
 enterprise as that before me, Christy," added his 
 father, as he gazed with pride at the face and form 
 of his son, who had thrown back his head as 
 though he felt the inspiration of all the manliness 
 in his being. 
 
 " If there is to be a war for the Union, I am a 
 Union man, or boy, as you like ; and it would be 
 as mean and cowardly for me to turn my back to 
 the enemy as it would be for you to do so, sir," 
 replied Christy, his chest heaving with patriotic 
 emotion. 
 
 " I am willing jou should go with me," added 
 Captain Passford, turning from the young man 
 to his mother. 
 
 There was a tear in the eyes of the lady as she 
 looked upon her son. It was hard enough to 
 have her husband leave her on such a mission : it 
 was doubly so to have Christy go with him. 
 
 " Christy might be of great service to me," said 
 his father. "I look upon this war as a very 
 solemn event; and when a man's country calls 
 upon him to render his time, his comfort, even his 
 life, he has no moral right to put himself, his 
 father, his brother, or his son in a safe place, and 
 
SOMEWHAT IRREGULAR 41 
 
 leave mere hirelings, the thoughtless, reckless 
 adventurers, to fight his battle for him." 
 
 " I am ready to go, sir," added Christy. 
 
 "He may go with you, if you think it best," 
 said the mother with a quivering lip. " I shall 
 miss him, but I am sure you would miss him 
 more." 
 
 " My first mission is hardly in the service of my 
 country; at least, it is not directly so, though I 
 hope to be of some use to her during my absence. 
 As I said before, I think my first duty — a duty 
 committed to me by the Almighty, which takes 
 precedence over all other duties — is, within 
 reasonable limits, to my own family. I will not 
 spare myself or my son, but I must save Florry 
 and my brother's family." 
 
 " I think you are right, Horatio." 
 
 " On my return I shall present the Bellevite to 
 the Government, which is in sore need of suitable 
 vessels at the present time, and offer my services 
 in any capacity in which I can be useful," con- 
 tinued Captain Passford. " Captain Breaker," he 
 called to the commander. 
 
 " Here, sir." 
 
 "Pipe the entire ship's company on the fore- 
 
42 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 castle, and see that no one from the tug is near 
 enough to hear what is said there." 
 
 Captain Breaker had formerly been a lieutenant 
 in the navy, and the forms and discipline of a 
 man-of-war prevailed on board of the steam-yacht. 
 In a minute more the pipe of the boatswain rang 
 through the vessel, and all hands were mustered 
 on the forecastle. The tug was made fast on the 
 quarter of the steamer, and no one fi'om her had 
 come on board. 
 
 Captain Passford and Christy walked forward, 
 leaving the lady with her own thoughts. She was 
 a daughter of a distinguished officer in the navy, 
 and she had been fully schooled in the lesson of 
 patriotism for such an emergency as the present. 
 She was sad, and many a tear dropped from her 
 still handsome face ; but she was brave enough to 
 feel proud that she had a husband and a son 
 whom she was willing to give to her country. 
 
 The ship's company gathered on the forecastle ; 
 and every one of them seemed to be deeply 
 impressed with the solemnity of the occasion, for 
 not a light word was spoken, not a laugh played 
 on any face. They had just learned that the 
 country was in a state of war; and the present 
 
SOMEWHAT IRREGULAR 43 
 
 occasion indicated that the owner had some 
 serious question in his mind, which was now to 
 be presented to them. 
 
 The Bellevite was heavily manned for a yacht; 
 but every person had been selected for his 
 position, from the highest to the lowest, with 
 the utmost care by Captain Breaker, assisted by 
 the owner. Every one of them had been attached 
 to the steamer for at least a year, and some of 
 them for a longer period. All of them were 
 personally known to the owner and the members 
 of the family, who had taken the greatest pleasure 
 in improving and assisting them and their families, 
 if they had any. 
 
 They were all devoted to the owner and the 
 members of his family, who had taken such a 
 strong personal interest in them and theirs. 
 Many instances of the kindness of the lady in 
 times of sickness and death, as well as in the 
 brighter days of prosperity and happiness, could 
 be related; and in return for all this generous 
 and considerate treatment, there was not a man 
 on board who would not have laid down his life 
 for the family. 
 
 It was certainly a model ship's company; and 
 
44 take:j{ by the enemy 
 
 if there had ever been another owner and captain 
 like those of the Bellevite, there might also have 
 been such another collection of officers and 
 seamen. But every one of them had been 
 selected for his moral character, not less than 
 for his nautical skill and knowledge. In fact, 
 the personal history of any one of them would 
 have been interesting to the general reader. 
 
 These men composed the audience of Captain 
 Passford when he took his place at the bowsprit 
 bitts ; and, if the occasion had been less solemn, 
 they would have cheered him, as they were in the 
 habit of doing on every suitable opportunity, and 
 even when it was not suitable. 
 
 The owner prefaced his remarks with a state- 
 ment of the events which had occurred in the 
 country since the last dates they had received, 
 and then proceeded to ^describe his mission as 
 indicated to his wife and son. He fully stated 
 the perils of the enterprise, with the fact that his 
 operations would be somewhat irregular ; though 
 he intended to make an immediate tender of the 
 vessel to the Government, with his own services 
 in any capacity in which he might be needed. 
 
 In spite of the solemnity of the occasion, the 
 
SOMEWHAT IRREGULAR 45 
 
 men broke out into cheers, and not a few of 
 the sailors shouted out their readiness to go with 
 him wherever he might go, without regard to 
 danger or hardship. One old sheet-anchor man 
 declared that he was ready to die for Miss Florry ; 
 and he was so lustily cheered that it was evident 
 this was the sentiment of all. 
 
 "I have called the tug at the quarter along- 
 side to convey Mrs. Passford to the shore, 
 though Christy will go with me," added the 
 owner. 
 
 At this point he was interrupted by a volley of 
 cheers, for Christy was a universal favorite on 
 board, as Florry had always been ; and the ship's 
 company regarded her as a sort of mundane 
 divinity, upon whom they could look only with 
 the most profound reverence. 
 
 " In view of the danger and the irregularity of 
 the enterprise, I shall not persuade or urge any 
 person on board to accompany me ; and the tug 
 will take on shore all who prefer to leave the 
 vessel, with my best wishes for their future. 
 Those who prefer to go on shore will go 
 aft to the mainmast," continued Captain Pass- 
 ford. 
 
46 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 Officers and seamen looked from one to the 
 other ; but not one of them took a step from his 
 place on the forecastle, to which all seemed to be 
 nailed. 
 
THE FIRST MISSION OF THE BELLEVITE 47 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 THE FIEST :^^SSION OF THE BELLEVITE 
 
 Captain Passford looked over his audience 
 with no little interest, and perhaps with consider- 
 able anxiety ; for he felt that the success of his 
 enterprise must depend, in a great measure, upon 
 the fidelity and skill of the individual members 
 of the ship's company. 
 
 *' My remarks are addressed to every person in 
 the ship's company, from Captain Breaker to the 
 stewards and coal-passers; and any one has a 
 perfect right to decline to go with me, without 
 prejudice to his present or future interests," 
 continued the owner. 
 
 More earnestly than before the officers and men 
 gazed at each other ; and it looked as though not 
 one of them dared to move a single inch, lest a 
 step should be interpreted as an impeachment of 
 his fidelity to one who had been a Christian and a 
 trusty friend in all his relations with him. 
 
48 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 "I know that some of you have families, 
 mothers, brothers, and sisters on shore ; and I 
 assure you that I shall not regard it as a disgrace 
 or a stigma upon any man who does his duty as he 
 understands it, without regard to me or mine," 
 the owner proceeded. 
 
 Still not a man moved, and all seemed to be 
 more averse than before to change their positions a 
 particle ; and possibly any one who was tempted 
 to do so expected to be hooted by his shipmates, 
 if he took the treacherous step, 
 
 " I sincerely hope that every man of you will be 
 guided by his own sense of duty, without regard 
 to what others may tliink of his action. I will 
 not allow any man to suffer from any reproach or 
 indignity on account of what he does in this 
 matter, if by any means I can prevent it," con- 
 tinued Captain Passford, looking over his audience 
 again, to discover, if he could, any evidence of 
 faltering on the part of a single one. 
 
 Still officers and men were as immovable as a 
 group of statuary ; and not a face betrayed an 
 expression indicating a desire to leave the vessel, 
 or to falter in what all regarded as the allegiance 
 they owed to the owner and his family. 
 
THE FIKST MISSION OF THE BELLEYITE 49 
 
 "We will all go with you to the end of the 
 world, or the end of the war ! " shouted the old 
 sheet-anchor man, who was the spokesman of the 
 crew when they had any thing to say. " If any 
 man offers to leave " — 
 
 " He shall go with my best wishes," interposed 
 Captain Passford. "None of that, Boxie ; you 
 have heard what I said, and I mean every word of 
 it. There shall be no persuasion or intimidation." 
 
 " Beg pardon, Captain Passford ; but there isn't 
 a man here that would go to the mainmast if he 
 knew that the forecastle w^ould drop out from 
 under him, and let him down into Davy Jones's 
 locker the next minute if he staid here," responded 
 Boxie, with a complaisant grin on his face, as if 
 he was entirely conscious that he knew what he 
 was talking about. 
 
 " Every man must act on his own free will," 
 added the owner. 
 
 "That's just what we are all doing, your honor; 
 and every one of us would rather go than have 
 his wages doubled. If any dumper here has a 
 free will to go to the mainmast, he'd better put 
 his head in soak, and " — 
 
 " Avast heaving, Boxie ! " interposed the owner, 
 
50 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 smiling in spite of himself at the earnestness of 
 the old sailor. 
 
 " I hain't got a word more to say, your honor ; 
 only"- 
 
 " Only nothing, Boxie ! I see that not one of 
 you is inclined to leave the vessel, and I appreciate 
 in the highest degree this devotion on your part 
 to me and my family. I have some writing to do 
 now ; and, while I am engaged upon it, Mr. Watts 
 shall take the name and residence of every man 
 on board. I shall give this list to my wife, and 
 charge her to see that those dependent upon you 
 need nothing in your absence. She will visit the 
 friends of every one of you, if she has to go five 
 hundred miles to do so. I have nothing more to 
 say at present." 
 
 The men cheered lustily for the owner, and 
 then separated, as the captain went aft to draw up 
 his papers to send on shore by ^Irs. Passford. He 
 was followed by Captain Breaker, Avhile little 
 groups fornied in various parts of the deck to 
 discuss the situation. 
 
 "I intended to have some talk with you. Breaker, 
 before I said any thing to the ship's company ; but, 
 you know, it is very seldom that I ever say any 
 
THE FIRST MISSION OF THE BELLEYITE 51 
 
 thing directly to them," said Captain Passford, as 
 the commander came up with him. 
 
 '' This was an extraordinary occasion ; and I am 
 very glad that you did the business directly, 
 instead of committing it to me," replied Captain 
 Breaker ; " and I have not the slightest objection 
 to make. But I have a word to say in regard to 
 myself personally. As you are aware, I was 
 formerly an officer of the navy, with the rank of 
 lieutenant. I wish to apply to the department to 
 be restored to my former rank, or to any rank 
 which will enable me to serve my country the 
 most acceptably. I hope my purpose will not 
 interfere with your enterprise." 
 
 " Not at all, I think, except in the matter of 
 some delay. I shall tender the Bellevite as a free 
 gift to the Government in a letter I shall send on 
 shore by my wife," replied Captain Passford. 
 " But I shall offer to do this only on my return 
 from a trip I feel obliged to make in her. I shall 
 also offer my own services in any capacity in 
 which I cau be useful; though, as I am not a naval 
 officer like yourself, I cannot expect a prominent 
 position." 
 
 " Your ability fits you for almost any position ; 
 
52 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 and, after a little study of merely routine matters, 
 you will be competent for almost any command," 
 added Captain Breaker. 
 
 " I do not expect that, and I am willing to do 
 my duty in a humble position," said the owner. 
 " All that I am and all that I have shall be for 
 my country's use." 
 
 " I knew very well where we should find you if 
 the troubles ended in a war." 
 
 " My present enterjorise will be rather irregular, 
 as I have already said; but the delay it would 
 cause alone prevents me from giving the vessel to 
 the Government at once." 
 
 "As a man-of-war, the Bellevite could not be 
 used for the purpose you have in mind. The 
 plan 5"ou have chosen is the only practicable 
 one." 
 
 "Very well. Breaker. You had better pass 
 the word through the ship's company that the 
 Bellevite will sail in an hour or two, — as soon as 
 I can finish my business ; and if officer or seaman 
 wishes to leave the vessel, let him do so," added 
 the owner, as he moved towards the companion- 
 way. 
 
 "Not one of them will leave her under any 
 
THE FIRST MISSION OF THE BELLEVITE 53 
 
 circumstances," replied the commander, as he 
 went forward. 
 
 The word was passed, as suggested by the 
 owner, and the result was to set the greater part 
 of the officers and men to writing letters for their 
 friends, to be sent on shore by the tug ; but the 
 captain warned them not to say a word in regard 
 to the destination of the steamer. 
 
 In another hour Captain Passford had com- 
 pleted his letters and papers, including letters to 
 the Secretary of the Navy, a power of attorney 
 to his wife which placed his entire fortune at her 
 command, and other documents which the hurried 
 movements of the writer rendered necessary. 
 
 The owner and his son bade adieu to the wife 
 and mother in the cabin ; and it is not necessary to 
 penetrate the, sacred privacy of such an occasion, 
 for it was a tender, sad, and trying ordeal to all of 
 them. 
 
 All the letters were gathered together and com- 
 mitted to the care of the lady as she went over 
 the side to leave the floating home in which she 
 had lived for several months, for the family did 
 not often desert their palatial cabin for the poorer 
 accommodations of a hotel on shore. 
 
54 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 The pilot departed in the tug, and he was no 
 wiser than when he came on board in regard to 
 the intentions of the owner of the steam-yacht. 
 There was an abundant supply of coal and pro- 
 visions on board, for the vessel was hardly three 
 days from Bermuda when she came up with Sandy 
 Hook ; and the commander gave the order to 
 weigh anchor as soon as the tug cast off her fasts. 
 
 " I suppose we are bound somewhere. Captain 
 Passford," said Captain Breaker, as soon as the 
 vessel was fully under way. '' But you have not 
 yet indicated to me our destination." 
 
 " Bermuda. The fact is that I have been so 
 absorbed in the tremendous news that came to us 
 with the pilot, that I have not yet come to my 
 bearings," replied the owner with a smile. " My 
 first duty now will be to discuss our,future move- 
 ments with 3^ou ; and when you have given out 
 the course, we will attend to that matter." 
 
 Captain Breaker called Mr. Joel Dashington, 
 the first officer, to him, and gave him the course 
 of the ship, as indicated by the owner. He was 
 six feet and one inch in height, and as thin as a 
 rail ; but he was a very wiry man, and it was said 
 that he could stand more hunger, thirst, exposure, 
 
THE FIRST MISSION OF THE BELLEYITE 55 
 
 and hardship than any other living man. He was 
 a gentleman in his manners, and had formerly- 
 been in command of a ship in the employ of 
 Captain Passford. He was not quite fifty years 
 old, and he had seen service in all parts of the* 
 world, and in his younger days had been a master's 
 mate in the navy. 
 
 The second officer Avas superintending the crew 
 as they put things to rights for the voyage. His 
 person was in striking contrast with his superior 
 officer ; for he weighed over two hundred pounds, 
 and looked as though he were better fitted for 
 the occupancy of an alderman's chair than for a 
 position on the deck of a sea-going vessel. He 
 was under forty years of age, but he had also 
 been in command of a bark in the employ of 
 his present owner. 
 
 " Of course we cannot undertake the difficult 
 enterprise before us, Breaker, without an arma- 
 ment of some sort," said Captain Passford, as 
 they halted at the companionway. 
 
 " I should say not, and I was wondering how 
 you intended to manage in this matter," replied 
 the commander. 
 
 "I will tell you, for our first mission renders 
 
56 TAKEN BY THE EXEMY 
 
 it necessary to give some furtlier orders before 
 we go below," continued the owner. " We have 
 not a day or an hour to waste." 
 
 " The sooner we get at the main object of the 
 expedition, the better will be our chances of 
 success." 
 
 "You remember that English brig which was 
 wrecked on Mills Breaker, while we were at 
 Hamilton ? " 
 
 " Very well indeed ; and she was said to be 
 loaded with a cargo of improved guns, with the 
 ammunition for them, which some enterprising 
 Britisher had brought over on speculation, for 
 the use of the Confederate army and navy, — 
 if they ever have any navy," added Captain 
 Breaker. 
 
 " That is precisely the cargo to which I allude. 
 The brig had a hole in her bottom, but only a 
 part of her was under water. The officers of the 
 vessel were confident that the entire cargo would 
 be saved, with not much of it in a damaged 
 condition," added the owner. 
 
 "There has been no violent storm since we 
 left St. George, hardly three days ago," said the 
 commander. 
 
THE FIRST MISSION OF THE BELLEYITE 57 
 
 "I wish to obtain as much of this cargo as 
 will be necessary to arm the Bellevite proxDerly 
 for the expedition ; and I have a double object 
 in obtaining it, even if I have to throw half of 
 it into the Atlantic Ocean." 
 
 "The fact that we need the guns and ammu- 
 nition is reason enough for trying to obtain the 
 cargo." 
 
 " But I have the additional inducement of 
 keeping it out of the hands of the enemy, so 
 that the guns shall be turned against the foes 
 of the Union instead of its friends. We must 
 make a quick passage, so that, if we lose this 
 opportunity, it will not be our fault." 
 
 " I understand. Pass the word for Mr. Vapoor," 
 added the commander to a C[uartermaster who was 
 taking in the ensign at the peak. 
 
 Mr. Vapoor was the chief engineer; though 
 he was the youngest officer on board, and really 
 looked younger than Clnisty Passford. 
 
58 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 THE BELLEVITE AND THOSE ON BOARD OF HER 
 
 Paul Vapoor was a genius, and that accounted 
 for his position as chief engineer at the age of 
 twenty-two. He was born a machinist, and his 
 taste in that direction had made him a very hard 
 student. His days and a large portion of his 
 nights, while in his teens, had been spent in 
 studying physics, chemistry, and, in fact, all the 
 sciences which had any bearing upon the life- 
 work which nature rather than choice had given 
 him to doc 
 
 His father had been in easy circumstances 
 formerly, so that there had been nothing to 
 interfere with his studies before he was of age. 
 Up to this period, he had spent much of his 
 time in a large machine-shop, working for nothing 
 as though his daily bread depended upon his 
 exertions ; and he was better qualified to run an 
 
THE BELLEVITE AND THOSE ON BOARD 59 
 
 engine than most men who had served for years 
 at the business, for he was a natural scientist. 
 
 There was scarcely a part of an engine at 
 which he had not worked with his own hands 
 as a volunteer, and he was as skilful with his 
 hands as he was deep with his head. Paul's 
 father was an intimate friend of Captain Passford ; 
 and when a sudden reverse of fortune swept 
 away all the former had, the latter gave the 
 prodigy a place as assistant engineer on board of 
 his steam-yacht, from which, at the death of the 
 former incumbent of the position, he had been 
 promoted to the head of the department. While 
 his talent and ability were of the highest order, 
 of course his rapid promotion was due to the 
 favor of the owner of the Bellevite. 
 
 Captain Breaker, who had rather reluctantly 
 assented to the placing in charge of the engineer 
 department a young man of only twenty-one, 
 had no occasion to regret that he had yielded his 
 opinion to that of his owner. Paul Vapoor had 
 been found equal to all the requirements of the 
 situation, for the judgment of the young chief was 
 almost as marvellous as his genius. 
 
 Paul was gentle in his manners, and possessed a 
 
60 TAKEN BY THE EXEMY 
 
 very lovable disposition ; in fact, he was almost 
 a woman in all the tender susceptibilities of his 
 nature ; and those who knew him best knew not 
 which to admire most, his genius or his magnetic 
 character. Mr. Leon Bolter, the first assistant 
 engineer, was thirty-six yesLVs old ; and Mr. Fred 
 Faggs, the second, was twenty-six. But there was 
 neither envy, jealousy, nor other ill-feeling in the 
 soul of either in respect to his superior ; and they 
 recognized the God-given genius of the chief more 
 fully than others could, for their education enabled 
 them to understand it better. 
 
 Paul Vapoor and Christy Passford were fast 
 friends almost from the first time they met ; and 
 they had been students together in the same 
 institution, though they were widely apart in 
 their studies. They were cronies in the strongest 
 sense of the word, and the chief engineer would 
 have given up his very life for the son of his 
 present employer. The owner favored this inti- 
 macy, for he felt that he could not find in all the 
 world a better moral and intellectual model for 
 his son. 
 
 Mr. Vapoor, as he was always called when on 
 duty, even by the members of the owner's family, 
 
THE BELLEVITE AND THOSE ON BOARD 61 
 
 in spite of the fact that he seemed to be only a 
 boy, appeared on the quarter-deck of the steamer 
 in answer to the summons of the commander. He 
 was neatly dressed in a suit of blue, with brass 
 buttons, though some of the oil and grime of the 
 engine defaced his uniform. He bowed, and 
 touched his cap to the commander, in the most 
 respectful manner as he presented himself before 
 him. 
 
 " For reasons which you will understand better, 
 Mr. Vapoor, at a later period, Captain Passford 
 is in a great hurry to reach Bermuda, where we 
 are bound, at the earliest possible moment," the 
 captain began. " Our ordinary rate of speed is 
 fourteen knots when we don't hurry her." 
 
 " That is what I make her do when not otherwise 
 instructed," replied the chief engineer. 
 
 "You assisted as a volunteer in building the 
 engine of the Bellevite, and you were in the 
 engine-room during the whole of the trial trijD, 
 three years ago," continued Captain Breaker with 
 a smile on his face ; and a smile seemed to be a 
 ne'cessity in the presence of the young man. 
 
 " That is all very true, captain ; and I was more 
 interested in this engine than I have ever been in 
 
62 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 any other, and it has fully realized my strongest 
 hopes." 
 
 "What speed did 3'ou get out of her on the 
 trial trip ? " 
 
 " Eighteen knots ; but her machinery was new 
 then. The order of Captain Passford included 
 the requirement that the engine of the vessel 
 should give her the greatest speed ever produced 
 in a sea-going steamer, and the Bellevite was 
 built strong enough to bear such an engine. I 
 believe the company that built it fully met the 
 requirement." 
 
 " What do you believe to be her best speed, ^Ir. 
 Vapoor ? " 
 
 " I have never had the opportunity to test it, 
 but I believe that she can make more than twenty 
 knots, possibly twenty-two. You remember that 
 Captain Passford was in a desperate hurry to get 
 from Messina to ^Marseilles a year ago this month, 
 and the Bellevite logged twenty knots during 
 nearly the whole of the trip,*' replied the engineer, 
 with a gentle smile of triumph on his handsome 
 face, for he looked upon the feat of the engine as 
 he would upon a noble deed of his father. 
 
 '' You made her shake on that trip, Mr. 
 Vapoor." 
 
THE BELLEYITE AND THOSE ON BOARD 63 
 
 "Not very much, sir. All the owner's family, 
 including Miss Florry, were on board then , and, 
 if any thing had happened, I should have charged 
 myself with murder. I do not know what the 
 Bellevite could do if the occasion warranted me 
 in taking any risk." 
 
 " I do not wish you to be reckless on the present 
 emergency ; but it is of the utmost importance to 
 save every hour we can, and the success or failure 
 of the expedition may depend upon a single hour. 
 I will say no more, though an accident to the 
 engine would be a disaster to the enterprise. . I 
 leave the matter with you, Mr. Vapoor," added 
 the commander, as he moved off. 
 
 " I understand you perfectly. Captain Breaker, 
 and there shall be no failure in the engine 
 department to meet your wishes," replied the 
 chief, as he touched his cap and retired to 
 the engine-room. 
 
 " I am waiting for you, Breaker," said Captain 
 Passford, who was standing near the companion- 
 way with Christy. 
 
 "Excuse me for a few minutes more, for 
 there seems to be a strong breeze coming up 
 from the north-east, and I want to take a look 
 
64 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 at the situation," replied the commander, and 
 he hastened forward. 
 
 It had been bright sunshine when the pilot 
 came on board; but suddenly the wind had 
 veered to an ugly quarter, and had just begun 
 to pipe up into something like half a gale. 
 Captain Breaker w^nt to the pilot-house, looked 
 at the barometer, and then directed Mr. Dash- 
 ington to crowd on all sail, for he intended to 
 to drive the vessel to her utmost capacity. 
 
 The Bellevite was rigged as a barkantine ; that 
 is, slie was square-rigged on her foremast, like a 
 ship, while her main and mizzen masts carried 
 only fore-and-aft sails, including gaff-topsails. The 
 shrill pipe of the boatswain immediately sounded 
 through the vessel, and twenty-four able seamen 
 dashed to their stations. In a few minutes, every 
 rag of canvas which the steamer could carry was 
 set. But the commander did not wait for this 
 to be done, but hastened to join the owner. 
 
 "I suppose you don't want me, sir," said 
 Christy, as his father led the way into the 
 cabin. 
 
 "On the contrary, I do want you, Christy," 
 replied Captain Passford, as he halted, and the 
 
THE BELLEYITE AXD THOSE ON BOARD 65 
 
 commander passed liim on his way to the cabin, 
 " I wish you to understand as well as I do myself 
 what we are going to do." 
 
 '' I shall be very glad to know more about it," 
 added Christy, pleased with the confidence his 
 father reposed in him in connection with the 
 serious undertaking before him. 
 
 '^ In the work I have to do, you stand nearer to 
 me than any other person on board," continued 
 Captain Passford. "I know what you are, and 
 you are older than your sixteen years make you. 
 It was at your age that Charles XII. took 
 command of the armies of Sweden, and he was 
 more than a figure-head in his forces." 
 
 " Sometimes I feel older than I am," suggested 
 the boy. 
 
 '" I believe in keeping a boy young as long as 
 possible, and I have never hurried you by putting 
 you in an important place, though at one time I 
 thought of having a third officer, and assigning 
 you to the position, for the practice it would give 
 you in real life ; but I concluded that you had 
 better not be driven forward." 
 
 "■ I think I know something about handling a 
 steamer, father." 
 
66 TAKEN BY THE EXEMY 
 
 " I know you do ; though I have never told you 
 so, for I did not care to have you think too much 
 of yourself. Now, in common with all the rest of 
 us, you are hurled into the presence of mighty 
 events ; and in a single day from a boy you must 
 become a man. You are my nearest representative 
 on board ; and if any thing should happen to me, 
 in the midst of the perils of this expedition, a 
 responsibility would fall upon you which you 
 cannot understand now. I wish to prepare you 
 for it," said Captain Passford, as he went down 
 into the cabin. 
 
 The commander was already seated at the table, 
 waiting for the owner ; and Captain Passford and 
 Christy took places near him. The cabin was as 
 elegant and luxurious as money and taste could 
 make it. In the large state-room of the owner 
 there was every thing to make a sea-voyage 
 comfortable and pleasant to one who had a 
 liking for the ocean. 
 
 Leading from the main cabin were the state- 
 rooms of Florence and Christy. One of the four 
 others was occupied by Dr. Linscott, the surgeon 
 of the sliip, who had had abundant experience in 
 his profession, who had been an army surgeon 
 
THE BELLEYITE AXD THOSE OX BOAr.D 67 
 
 in the Mexican '^ar, though his health did not 
 permit him to practise on shore. 
 
 Another was occupied by the chief steward, 
 who was a person of no little consequence on 
 lx)ard; while the others were appropriated to 
 guests when there were any, as was often the 
 case when the Bellevite made short voyages. 
 
 The trio at the table began the discussion of 
 the subject before them without delay ; but it is 
 not necessary to enter into its details, since, 
 whatever plans were made, they must still be 
 subject to whatever contingencies were presented 
 when the time for action came. 
 
 Forward of the main cabin was what is called 
 in naval parlance the ward-room, and it was 
 called by this name on board of the Bellevite. In 
 this apartment the officers next in rank below 
 the commander took their meals; and from it 
 opened the state-rooms of the first and second 
 officers on the starboard-side, with one for the 
 chief engineer on the port-side, and another for 
 his two assistants next abaft it. 
 
 The commander was an old friend of the 
 owner, and messed with him in the main cabin, 
 though his state-room was a large apartment 
 
68 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 between the cabin and the ward-room ; the space 
 on the opposite side of the ship being used for 
 the pantries and the bath-room. 
 
 Before the conference in the cabin had pro- 
 ceeded far, the motion of the steamer, and the 
 creaking of the timbers within her, indicated 
 that Mr. Vapoor was doing all that could be 
 required of him in the matter of speed, though 
 the pressure of canvas steadied the vessel in the 
 heavy sea which the increasing breeze had 
 suddenly produced. Before night, the wind was 
 blowing a full gale, and some reduction of sail 
 became necessary. 
 
 The Belle vite had the wind fair, and the most 
 that was possible was made of this accessory to 
 her speed. At one time she actually logged the 
 twenty-two knots which the chief engineer had 
 suggested as her limit, and inside of two days 
 she reached her destination. Christy had suddenly 
 become the active agent of his father, and he was 
 the first to be sent on shore to obtain information 
 in regard to the guns and ammunition, for it was 
 thought that he would excite less suspicion than 
 any other on board. 
 
MR. PERCY PIERSON INTRODUCES HIMSELF 69 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 MR. PERCY PIERSON INTRODUCES HIMSELF 
 
 Christy obtained the desired information on 
 shore ; and being but a boy, lie obtained no credit 
 for the head he carried on his shoulders, so that 
 no attention was given to him when he made 
 his investigation. At the proper time Captain 
 Passford appeared; but, as the guns and other 
 war material were intended for the other side 
 in the conflict, he was obliged to resort to a little 
 strategy to obtain them. 
 
 But they were obtained, and the Bellevite was 
 as fully armed and prepared for an emergency as 
 though she had been in the employ of the 
 Government, as it was intended that she should 
 be when her present mission was accomplished. 
 During her stay at St. George, such changes as 
 were necessary to adapt the vessel to her enter- 
 prise — such as the fitting up of a magazine — 
 were completed, and the steamer sailed. 
 
70 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 - After a quick passage, the Bellevite arrived at 
 New Providence, Nassau, where she put in to 
 obtain some needed supplies, as it was directly 
 on her course. Ah^eadj there was not a little 
 activity at the principal foreign ports nearest to 
 the Southern States, created by the hurried operar 
 tions of speculators anxious to profit by the war 
 that was to come ; and later these harbors were 
 the refuge of the blockade-runners. 
 
 The arrival of the Bellevite at New Providence 
 created not a little excitement among the Confed- 
 erate sympathizers who had hastened there to 
 take advantage of the maritime situation, and 
 to procure vessels for the use of the South in 
 the struggle. The steamer 'was painted black, 
 and, as she had been built after plans suggested 
 by her owner, she was peculiar in her construction 
 to some extent, and her appearance baffled the 
 curiosity of the active Confederate patriots and 
 speculators alike ; for both classes were represented 
 there, though not yet in large numbers. 
 
 Captain Passford had instructed the commander 
 to conceal all the facts in regard to her, and no 
 flag or any thing else which could betray her 
 nationality or character was allowed to be seen. 
 
MR. PERCY PIERSON INTRODUCES HIMSELF 71 
 
 The business of obtaining the needed stores 
 required many of the ofticers and men to go on 
 shore, but all of them were instructed to answer 
 no questions. No one was allowed to come on 
 board. 
 
 " Good-morning, my friend," said a young man 
 to Christy, as he landed on the day after the 
 arrival. 
 
 " Good-morning," replied the owner's son, civilly 
 enough, as he looked over the person addressing 
 him, who appeared to be a young man not more 
 than eighteen years old. 
 
 " What steamer is that?" continued the stranger, 
 pointing to the steam-yacht. 
 
 Christy looked at his interlocutor, who was a 
 pleasant-looking young man, though there was 
 something which did not appear to be quite 
 natural in his expression ; and he suspected that 
 he had been placed at the landing to interrogate 
 him or some other person from the steamer, in 
 regard to her character and nationality. Possibly 
 he derived this idea from the fact that he had 
 himself been employed on a similar duty at St. 
 George. 
 
 " Do you mean that schooner ? " asked Christy 
 
72 TAKEN BY THE EXEMY 
 
 carelessly, as he pointed at a vessel much nearer 
 the shore than the Bellevite. 
 
 " No, not at all," replied the stranger. " I mean 
 that steamer, off to the north-east," replied the 
 young man, pointing out into the bay. 
 
 " North-east ? " added the owner's son. " That 
 is this way ; " and he turned about, and directed 
 his finger towards the interior of the island. 
 " That would put the craft you mean on the shore, 
 wouldn't it?" 
 
 " Not a bit of it ! I don't mean that way. 
 Don't you know the points of the compass?" 
 
 " I learned them when I was young, but I forget 
 them now." 
 
 " Pray how old are you, my friend ? " asked the 
 stranger, who thought his companion was stupid 
 enough to answer any question he might put to 
 him. 
 
 "I was forty-two yesterday; and in a year from 
 yesterday, I shall be forty-three, if I don't die of 
 old age before that time," replied Christy, looking 
 the other full in the face, and with as serious an 
 expression as he could command. 
 
 "Forty-two! You are chaffing me. Didn't 
 you come from that steamer over there?" de- 
 
MR. PERCY PIERSOX INTRODUCES HIMSELF 73 
 
 maucled the young man, pointing at the Bellevite 
 again. 
 
 "No, sir. I came from China, from a place 
 they call Shensibangerwhang. Were you ever 
 there?" 
 
 " I never was there, and I question if you were 
 ever there." 
 
 " Do you mean to question my veracity ? " 
 demanded Christy, knitting his brow. 
 
 " Oh, no, not at all ! " 
 
 " Very well ; and when you go to Shensibanger- 
 whang, I shall be glad to see you ; and then I will 
 endeavor to answer all the questions you desire to 
 ask." 
 
 ''I thought you came from that steamer over 
 there." 
 
 "Thought made a world, but it wasn't your 
 thought that did it." 
 
 " Of course you know the name of that 
 steamer." 
 
 " Oh, now I think of her name ! That is the 
 Chicherwitherwing, and she belongs to the Chinese 
 navy. She is sent out on a voyage of discovery 
 to find the north pole, which she expects to reach 
 here in the West Indies. When she finds it, I 
 
74 TAKEN BY THE EXEMY 
 
 will let you know by mail, if you will give me 
 your address," rattled Christy with abundant 
 self-possession. 
 
 " No, no, now ! You are chaffing me." 
 
 " Do you know, brother mortal of mine, that I 
 suspect you are a Yankee ; for they say they live 
 on baked beans, and earn the money to buy the 
 pork for them by asking questions." 
 
 " I am not a Yankee ; I am a long way from 
 that." 
 
 " Then perhaps you sympathize with the meri- 
 donial section of the nation on the other side of 
 the Gulf Stream." 
 
 " Which section ? " asked the stranger, looking 
 a little puzzled. 
 
 " The meridonial section." 
 
 " Which is that ? I don't know which meridian 
 you mean." 
 
 "I mean no meridian. Perhaps the word is a 
 little irregular ; I studied French when I was in 
 the Bangerwhangerlang College in China, and I 
 am sometimes apt to get that language mixed up 
 with some other. Let me see, we were speaking 
 just now, were we not?" 
 
 " I was." 
 
MR. PERCY PIERSON INTRODUCES HIMSELF 75 
 
 "Sometimes I can't speak any English, and I 
 had forgotten about it. If you prefer to carry on 
 this conversation in Hebrew or Hindostanee, I 
 shall not object," added Christy gravely. 
 
 " I think I can do better with English." 
 
 "Have your own way about it; but 'meridonial' 
 in French means ' southern,' if you will excuse me 
 for making the suggestion." 
 
 " Then I am meridonial," replied the stranger ; 
 and he seemed to make the admission under the 
 influence of a sudden impulse. 
 
 " Your hand on that ! " promptly added Christy, 
 extending his own. 
 
 " All right I " exclaimed the other. " My name 
 is Percy Pierson. What is yours?" 
 
 " Percy Pierson ! " exclaimed Christy, starting 
 back with astonishment, as though his companion 
 had fired a pistol in his face. 
 
 " What is the matter now ? " demanded Percy 
 Pierson, surprised at the demonstration of the other. 
 
 " What did you say your name was ? Did I 
 understand you aright ? " 
 
 " I said my name was Percy Pierson. Is there 
 any thing surprising about that?" asked Percy, 
 puzzled at the demeanor of Christy. 
 
76 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 " See here, my jolly highflyer, who told you my 
 name ? " demanded the son of the owner of the 
 Bellevite, with a certain amount of indignation 
 in his manner. 
 
 " You did not, to be sure, though I asked you 
 what it was." 
 
 " What sort of a game are you trying to play 
 off on me ? I am an innocent young fellow of 
 sixteen, and I don't like to have others playing 
 tricks on me. Who told you my name, if you 
 please ? " 
 
 " No one told me your name ; and I don't 
 know yet what it is, though I have asked it of 
 you." 
 
 " Oh, get away with you ! You are playing off 
 something on me which I don't understand, and 
 I think I had better bid you good-morning," 
 added Christy, as he started to move off. 
 
 " Then you won't tell me your name. Stay a 
 minute." 
 
 " You know my name as well as I do, and you 
 are up to some trick with me," protested Christy, 
 halting. 
 
 " Ton my honor as a Southern gentleman, I 
 don't know your name." 
 
MR. PERCY PIERSO?^ INTRODUCES HIMSELF 77 
 
 "If you are a Southern gentleman, I must 
 believe you, for I did not come from as far north 
 as I might have come. My name is Percy 
 Pierson," added Christy seriously ; for he felt that 
 this was actually war, and that the strategy that 
 does not always or often speak the truth was 
 justifiable. 
 
 " Percy Pierson ! " exclaimed the real owner of 
 the name. " Didn't I just tell you that was my 
 name ? " 
 
 " Undoubtedly you did, and that is the reason 
 why I thought you were making game of me." 
 
 "But how can that be when my name is Percy 
 Pierson ? " 
 
 " Give it up ; but I suggest that in London, 
 where I came from, there are acres of King 
 Streets, almost as many Queens ; and, though you 
 may not be aware of the fact, there are seven 
 thousand two hundred and twenty-seven native 
 and foreign born citizens of the name of John 
 Smith. Possibly you and I are the only two 
 Percy Piersons in the country, or in the world." 
 
 "Now you say you are from London, and a 
 little while ago you said you were from farther 
 north than I am. Which is it ? " 
 
78 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 " Isn't LoncloD farther north than any Southern 
 State?" 
 
 " Enough of this," continued Percy impatiently. 
 
 " Quite enough of it," assented Christy. 
 
 " Will you tell me what steamer that is, where 
 she is bound, and what she is here for ? " 
 
 " My dear Mr. Pierson, it would take me forty- 
 eight hours to tell you all that," repli-ed the 
 representative of the Bellevite, taking out his 
 watch. " If you will meet me here to-morrow 
 night at sundown, I will make a beginning of the 
 yarn, and I think I can finish it in two days. 
 But really you must excuse me now ; for I have 
 to dine with the Chinese admiral at noon, and I 
 must go at once." 
 
 " I can put the owner of that craft in the w\ay 
 of making a fortune for himself, if he is willing to 
 part with her," added Percy, as his comj^anion 
 began to move off. 
 
 " That is just what the owner of that steamer 
 wants to do : he desires to part with her, and he 
 is determined to get rid of her. I Eave the 
 means of knowing that he will let her go just as 
 soon as he can possibly get rid of her." 
 
 " Then he is the man my father wants to see ; 
 
MR. PERCY PIERSON INTRODUCES HIMSELF 79 
 
 that is, if the vessel is what she appears to be, for 
 no one is allowed to go on board of her." 
 
 "I am sorry to tear myself away from you, but 
 positively I must go now ; for the Chinese admiral 
 will get very impatient if I am not on time, and 
 I have some important business with him before 
 dinner," said Christy, as he increased his pace and 
 got away from Mr. Percy Pierson, though he was 
 afraid he would follow him. 
 
 But he did not ; instead of doing so, he began 
 to talk with a boatman who had some kind of a 
 craft at the landing. Christy was not in so much 
 of a hurry as he had appeared to be, and he 
 waited in the vicinity till he saw his Southern 
 friend embark in a boat which headed for the 
 Bellevite. He concluded that his communicative 
 friend meant to go on board of her, thinking the 
 vessel was for sale. 
 
80 TAKEN BY THE EXEMY 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 A COMPLICATION AT GLENFIELD 
 
 The boat in which Christy had come on shore 
 carried off to the steamer the last load of supplies, 
 and she sailed in the middle of the afternoon. 
 Captain Passford and Christy were standing on 
 the quarter deck together ; and, as the latter had 
 not had time to tell his father his adventure 
 before, he was now relating it. 
 
 The captain was amused with the story, and 
 told his son that he had been approached by a 
 gentleman who said his name was Pierson, and 
 he was probably the father of the enterprising 
 young man who had been so zealous to assist in 
 the purchase of a suitable vessel for the service 
 of the Confederates. 
 
 "Let me alone! Take you hands off of me!" 
 shouted a voice that sounded rather familiar to 
 Christy, as he and his father were still talking 
 
Let Mk alu>e, I a.m a buL xhkkn Gkmlima.n " (Page 81) 
 
A COMPLICATION AT GLENFIELD 81 
 
 on the deck. " Let me alone I I am a Southern 
 gentleman ! " 
 
 " I know you are," replied Mr. Dashington, 
 as he appeared on deck, coming up from the 
 companionway that led to the cabin and ward- 
 room, holding by the collar a young man who 
 was struggling to escape from his strong grasp. 
 "Don't make a fuss, my hearty: I want to 
 introduce you to the captain." 
 
 '-' What have you got there, Mr. Dashington ? " 
 asked Captain Breaker, who was standing near 
 the owner. 
 
 " I have got a young cub who says he is 
 a Southern gentleman; and I suppose he is," 
 replied the first ofiicer. " But he is a stowaway, 
 and Avas hid away under my berth in the ward- 
 room. — Here you are, my jolly frisker : and that 
 gentleman is the captain of the steamer." 
 
 As he spoke, the officer set his victim down 
 rather heavily on the deck, and he sprawled 
 out at full length on the planks. But he was 
 sputtering with rage at the treatment he had 
 received; and he sprang to his feet, rushing 
 towards Mr. Dashington as though he intended 
 to annihilate him. But, before he reached his 
 
82 TAKEN BY THE EXEMY 
 
 intended victim, lie stopped short, and eyed the 
 tall and wiry first officer from head to foot. 
 
 He concluded not to execute his purpose upon 
 him, for he could hardly have reached his chin if 
 he resorted to violence. But he turned his back 
 to the captain, so that the owner and his son did 
 not get a look at his face. Captain Breaker 
 walked up to him and began to question him. 
 
 " If you are a Southern gentleman, as I heard 
 you say you were, don't you think it is a little 
 irregular to be hid in the ward-room of this 
 vessel?" was the first question the commander 
 asked. 
 
 " I am what I said I was, and I am proud to 
 say it ; and I don't allow any man to put his 
 hands on me," blustered the prisoner. 
 
 " But I think you did allow Mr. Dashington 
 to put his hands on you," replied the captain. 
 
 " Of course I did not know that he was a 
 Southern gentleman when I snaked him out from 
 under the berth," added the first officer. 
 
 " I accept your apology," said the prisoner, 
 coming down from his high horse with sudden 
 energy; possibly because he felt that he had a 
 mission on board of the steamer. 
 
A COMPLICATION AT GLEXFIELD 83 
 
 All present laughed heartily at the apology of 
 the giant mate, and Christy changed his position 
 so that he could see the front of the stowaway. 
 
 " Why, that is the gentleman I met on shore, — 
 Mr. Percy Pierson ! " exclaimed the owner's son, 
 as soon as he saw the face of his late companion 
 at the landing. 
 
 "I am glad to see you again, Mr. Percy 
 Pierson," said the original of that name, as he 
 extended his hand to Christy. 
 
 " I did not expect to meet you again so soon, 
 and under such circumstances," replied he, taking 
 the offered hand; for his father had proclaimed 
 his own principle on board, that, though the war 
 was not to be conducted on peace principles, it 
 was to be carried on in an enlightened, and even 
 gentlemanly manner, so far as he was concerned. 
 
 '' I am right glad to see you, Mr. Percy Pierson, 
 for I think you can assist me in the object I have 
 in view," said the first officer's victim, looking now 
 as though he was entirely satisfied with himself. 
 
 " What do you mean by calling each other by 
 the same name ? " inquired Captain Breaker, 
 somewhat astonished at this phase of the conver- 
 sation. 
 
8^ TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 "That is the most astonishing thing in the 
 world, that my friend here should have the same 
 name I have ; and he even thought I was playing 
 a game upon him when I told him what my name 
 was," replied Percy, laughing, and apparently 
 somewhat inflated to find a friend on board. 
 
 " Precisely so," interposed Captain Passford, 
 before the commander had time to say any thing 
 more about the name. "But, as you both have 
 the same name, it will be necessary to distinguish 
 you in some manner, or it may make confusion 
 while you remain on board." 
 
 " I see the point, sir, though I do not expect to 
 remain on board for any great length of time ; or 
 possibly you may not," answered Percy. 
 
 "Then, I suggest that 3'OU be called simply 
 Percy, for that is a noble name ; and the other 
 young man shall be addressed as Pierson. By 
 doing this we shall not sacrifice either of you," 
 continued the owner, who did not understand 
 what his son had been doing. 
 
 " I have not the slightest objection. My friend 
 Pierson gave me some information in regard to 
 this steamer which made me very desirous to get 
 on board of her. That must explain why I was 
 
A COMPLICATION AT GLENFIELD 85 
 
 found here under circumstances somewhat irregu- 
 lar, though a true gentleman can sacrifice himself 
 to the needs of his suffering country." 
 
 " To what country do you allude, Mr. Percy ? " 
 asked Captain Passford. 
 
 " To our country," replied Percy with strong 
 and significant emphasis, as though he were sure 
 that this would cause him to be fully understood. 
 
 " Exactly so," added the owner. 
 
 "But I see that you are sailing away from 
 Nassau as fast as you can, and I think I had 
 better explain my business as soon as possible," 
 continued Percy, who seemed to be as confident as 
 though he had already accomplished his purpose 
 as hinted at in his conversation with Christy. 
 
 " I shall have to ask you to excuse me for a few 
 minutes, for I have a little business with the 
 captain of the steamer and this young man," said 
 Captain Passford. "The tall gentleman who so 
 gracefully apologized for his seeming rudeness to 
 you will entertain you while I am absent." 
 
 The owner presented the tall first officer by 
 name to his late victim, and at the same time gave 
 him a look which Mr. Dashington understood to 
 the effect that he was to keep the young man 
 
»b TAKEX BY THE ENEMY 
 
 where he was. With a signal to his son and to 
 the captain, he went below. 
 
 " I do not understand this masquerade, Christy," 
 said he, as he seated himself at the cabin table. 
 " What have you been telling this young fellow ? " 
 
 Christy had only informed his father that he 
 had been approached by Percy, and that he had, 
 as well as he could, evaded his questions, and he 
 had fooled the young man. He then gave the 
 substance of the conversation at the landing, 
 which amused both the OAvner and the com- 
 mander very much ; though he could not recall 
 the Chinese names, invented on the spot, which 
 he had used. 
 
 "All right, Christy. This young man is evi- 
 dently the son of the gentleman by the name 
 of Pierson who approached me for the purpose of 
 purchasing the Bellevite. I went so far as to tell 
 him that the vessel was for service in Southern 
 waters. At any rate, he inferred that she was 
 intended for the navy of the Confederate States, 
 and I did not think it necessary to undeceive him. 
 With this belief, he sought no further to buy the 
 vessel, and I had no clifQculty in shaking him off. 
 It seems that the same mission absorbs the atten- 
 
A COMPLICATION AT GLEXFIELD 87 
 
 tioii of the son, and that he has come on board to 
 purchase the steamer." 
 
 " I told hirfl that you wanted to get rid of her, 
 and that you would do so soon, by which, of 
 course, I meant that she was to go into the service 
 of the Government," added Christy. 
 
 "I should not have taken this young man on 
 board ; but, as he is here, he may be of use to us. 
 But it is necessary to conceal from him the real 
 character of the Bellevite, and we will keep up 
 the farce as long as we please. So far as he is 
 concerned, Christy, you may be my nephew 
 instead of my son." 
 
 Captain Passford led the way back to the deck, 
 where they found the first officer evidently on 
 the best of terms with his prisoner. But Mr. 
 Dashington had been as discreet as a man could 
 be, and Percy had not obtained a particle of 
 information from him. 
 
 " Now, Mr. Percy, I am at your service," 
 said the owner, when he reached the deck. "I 
 think you said you had some business with 
 me." 
 
 "I have not the pleasure of knowing who or 
 what you are, sir; and Mr. Dashington and my 
 
88 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 friend Mr. Pierson are all I know on board by 
 name," added Percy. 
 
 "Then you must be made better acquainted 
 before any thing can be done," replied the owner, 
 pointing to the captain of the steamer. " Mr. 
 Percy, this is Captain Breaker, the commander 
 of the steamer." 
 
 "And this," added Ca^jtain Breaker, pointing 
 at the owner, "is Captain Passford, who is the 
 fortunate owner of this vessel, though she is soon 
 to pass into other hands." 
 
 " Captain Passford ! " exclaimed Percy, bowing 
 to both gentiemen as he was presented to them. 
 " That is a familiar name to me ; and upon 
 my word, I thought it was Colonel Passford of 
 Glenfield when I first looked at him." 
 
 " He is my brother ; but I never heard him 
 called ' colonel ' before," added the owner, 
 laughing at the odd-sounding title, as it was 
 to him. 
 
 " Colonel Homer Passford is tlie name by Avhich 
 he is often called near his residence," Percy 
 explained. "He is the nearest neighbor of my 
 father, Colonel Richard Pierson." 
 
 " Indeed ! then you probably know my brother," 
 
A COMPLICATION AT GLEXFIELD 89 
 
 said Captain Passford, interested in spite of 
 himself. 
 
 " As well as I know any gentleman in the State 
 of Alabama," replied Percy. "By the great 
 palmetto ! you are Colonel Passford's brother ; 
 and I think yon must know Miss Florence 
 Passford, who has been staying all winter with 
 her uncle." 
 
 " She is my daughter," replied the owner with 
 some emotion, which he could not wholly conceal 
 when he thought of his mission in the South. 
 
 "I have met her several times, though not 
 often, for I have been away from home at school. 
 But my brother. Major Lindley Pierson, I learn 
 from my letters, is a frequent visitor at your 
 brother's house ; and they even say " — 
 
 But Percy did not repeat what they said, 
 though he had gone far enough to give the father 
 of Florry something like a shock. 
 
 " What were you about to say, Mr. Percy ? " 
 he asked. 
 
 " I think I had better not say it, for it may 
 have been a mere idle rumor," answered Percy, 
 who was now beginning to disclose some of liis 
 better traits of character. 
 
90 TAKEN BY THE EXEMY 
 
 " Does it relate to my daughter, sir ? " asked 
 the captain rather sternly ; for, in the present 
 condition of the country, he was more than 
 ordinarily anxious about his daughter. 
 
 " I ought not to have said any thing, sir ; but 
 what I was about to say, but did not say, does 
 relate to Miss Florence," replied Percy, not a little 
 embarrassed by the situation. " But I assure you, 
 sir, that it was nothing that reflects in the slightest 
 degree upon her. As I have said so much, I may 
 as well say the rest of it, or you will think more 
 than was intended was meant." 
 
 " That is the proper view to take of it, Mr. 
 Percy." 
 
 "It was simply said that my brother Lindley 
 was strongly attracted to your brother's house 
 by the presence of your daughter. That is all." 
 
 But the fond father was very anxious. Of 
 course the major was a Confederate. 
 
A DISCONSOLATE PURCHASER OF VESSELS 91 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 A DISCOXSOLATE PUECHASER OF VESSELS 
 
 The information in regard to Florry was 
 very meagre and very indefinite. She was a very 
 beautiful young lady of eighteen ; and it was not 
 at all strange that a young Confederate officer 
 should be attracted to her, though the thought 
 of it was exceedingly disagreeable to her father, 
 under present circumstances. 
 
 Percy evidently was not satisfied with the 
 situation ; and after he had given the information 
 which had so disturbed the owner of the steamer, 
 he desired to change the subject of the conversa- 
 tion, to which Captain Passford only assented 
 after he realized that nothing could be ascertained 
 from him in regard to his daughter. 
 
 "I don't think I quite understand the situation 
 on board of this steamer," said Percy, when he 
 had told all he knew about the visits of his 
 brother at Glenfield. 
 
92 TAKEX BY THE EXEMY 
 
 " What further do you desire to know in 
 regard to her ? " asked Captain Passford ; for the 
 commander, when he saAv that there v/as a family 
 matter involved in the conversation, was disposed 
 to be very reticent. 
 
 *' I did not come on board of this vessel in the 
 manner I did — I do not even know her name 
 yet," continued Percy; and when he found that 
 he was talking to a brother of Colonel Passford, he 
 dropped all his rather magnificent airs, and became 
 quite sensible. 
 
 " The steamer is called the Bellevite," replied 
 the owner. 
 
 " The Bellevite. It is an odd name, but I think 
 I can remember it. I was about to say that I did 
 not come on board of her, as I did, v.dthout an 
 object ; for I assure you that I am high-toned 
 enough not to do any thing in an irregular manner 
 unless for the most weighty reasons," said Percy, 
 with an anxious look directed towards the island, 
 which was now almost out of sight. 
 
 "T do not ask your reasons; but, if you wish to 
 give them, I will hear all you have to say, Mr. 
 Percy," replied the owner. 
 
 "I talked with Mr. Pierson on shore; aiul 
 
A DISCONSOLATE PURCHASER OF VESSELS 93 
 
 though he was disposed at first to chaff me, and 
 avoid giving me any information in regard to this 
 steamer, he afterwards informed me that the 
 gentleman who owned her intended to get rid of 
 her as soon as he could." 
 
 "And you came on board for the purpose of 
 buying her ? " suggested Captain Passford. 
 
 " I did not expect to buy her myself, of course ; 
 but my father is exceedingly anxious to obtain a 
 steamer like this one, and he asked me to do what 
 I could to obtain any information in regard to 
 her. That was the object which brought me on 
 board of her in a clandestine manner." 
 
 " You were very zealous in meeting the wishes 
 of your father." 
 
 " More than that, I was at work in a good cause ; 
 and I think I have patriotism enough to do my 
 duty to my country in the hour of her ne^d," 
 added the young man, with a swell of the chest. 
 
 "After his family, a man's first duty is to his 
 country," said the owner. 
 
 "I wanted to go into the army, for I am eighteen 
 years old ; but my father insisted that I could be 
 of more service to the Confederacy as his assistant 
 in obtaining vessels for its use." 
 
94 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 " I understand your motives." 
 
 " From what I learned from Mr. . Pierson, — 
 though I do not yet know who or what he is," 
 said Percy, bestowing a smiling glance upon 
 Christy. 
 
 " You may look upon him as my nephew," 
 added Captain Passford, glancing at his son, who 
 gave a slight bow for the benefit of the guest on 
 board. 
 
 " From what I could learn from your nephew, 
 sir, I concluded that this steamer could be bought, 
 if I could only obtain an interview with the 
 owner," continued Percy, with an inquiring glance 
 at all who were present. " I understand you are 
 the owner of the vessel. Captain Passford." 
 
 '' You are quite right : she has been my yacht 
 since she was built, and a stronger and more able 
 vessel was never put into the water." 
 
 ''Mr. Pierson gave me to understand that he 
 was in sympathy with the Confederacy ; and since 
 I came on board, and learned that you were a 
 brother of our nearest neighbor, I have no diffi- 
 culty in arriving at the conclusion that you are a 
 devoted friend of the Southern cause." 
 
 " What I am, for the present, I do not feel at 
 
A DISCONSOLATE PURCHASER OF VESSELS 95 
 
 liberty to say," replied Captain Passford, who 
 was certainly reluctant to play a double part 
 before the young man, though he felt that the 
 necessities of the occasion required him to do 
 so. 
 
 '^ Quite right, sir ; one cannot be too cautious in 
 these times. But it is time for me to say that I 
 did not intend to take passage in the Bellevite, 
 and I am sure my father will be very anxious in 
 my absence.'^ 
 
 *'May I ask how you did intend to proceed?" 
 
 *' I can hardly tell myself, sir ; but my object 
 was to see the owner as soon as I could discover 
 who he was. But I have found you now, Captain 
 Passford, and I am glad to find in you a friend of 
 our holy cause." 
 
 The owner only bowed ; and it was as true as it 
 could be that the representative of the intended 
 purchaser of vessels jumped at nearly all of his 
 conclusions, giving the captain but little occasion 
 to say any thing that was not literally true ; though 
 the deception was just as real as though it had 
 been carried on with actual falsehood. 
 
 " May I ask you for a few minutes in private, 
 Captain Passford ? " continued Percy. 
 
96 TAKEN BY THE EXE^IY. 
 
 " Certainly ; " and the owner retired with him 
 to the weather-raih 
 
 " I have seen this vessel, and I have heard what 
 you say of her. Now I am better informed in 
 regard to her than my father is. I am not author- 
 ized to name a price, but I am very sure that he 
 will buy her." 
 
 " So he said to me himself, Mr. Percy," added 
 the owner with a smile. 
 
 " He said so to you, sir ! " exclaimed the 3^oung 
 man, starting back; for he believed that he had 
 accomplished all that liad been done towards 
 buying the vessel. 
 
 ''I had an interview with him, and stated most 
 explicitly that the Bellevite could not be purchased 
 by any person at any price ; and when I hinted 
 very guardedly to him, as I do to you, in the 
 strictest confidence, that I am bound for ^Mobile 
 Bay, he did not urge the matter. He was satisfied 
 that the steamer was to be used in a good cause ; 
 and I can give you the same assurance, Mr. 
 Percy." 
 
 The young man looked positively humble after 
 he had listened to the remark of the owner, for 
 he felt that his father had '^ taken all the wind out 
 
A DISCONSOLATE PURCHASER OF VESSELS 97 
 
 of his sails." He looked in the direction of the 
 receding island of Nassan, and realized that he 
 had been wasting his time, to say nothing of the 
 wasted strategy he had bestowed on his enterprise. 
 
 "You have stated" that you are bound for 
 Mobile Bay, sir," said he. "That is a long 
 distance from New Providence, as I have learned 
 from experience." 
 
 "But this trip will give you the satisfaction of 
 being restored to your own home in a very short 
 time, for there is no faster vessel afloat than the 
 Bellevite," acjded Captain Passford. 
 
 " It will put me into the army," said Mr. Percy ; 
 but he felt at once that he had made a slip of the 
 tongue, and he hastened to- correct the effect of 
 his involuntary speech. " Of course, T wanted to 
 go into the army of my country, as every patriotic 
 fellow in the South does ; but my father objects 
 simply because I can be of riiore service to the 
 good cause in another field of action, and I had 
 to j^eld the point." 
 
 The owner thought he had not been guilty of a 
 very savage yielding of his own inclination, but 
 he said nothing. He was evidently the youngest 
 child of the family, and doubtless the pet of his 
 
98 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 parents ; and it was hard for them to put him in a 
 position to be shot, or to endure the hardships of 
 the camp. 
 
 " I see now that my mission is a failure, though 
 with no detriment to the good cause. I Avish I 
 was in New Providence again," continued Mr. 
 Percy, looking very much discontented with 
 himself. 
 
 " I am sorry you did not speak to me on shore 
 as your father did, and that would have saved you 
 from all annoyance." 
 
 " But I must beg you to do me the favor to put 
 me ashore again, for my father will suffer untold 
 agonies when he misses me to-night." 
 
 " Put you on shore ! " exclaimed Captain Pass- 
 ford. " You are a sensible and reasonable young 
 gentleman, and you will readily see that this is 
 quite impossible." 
 
 " We have not been out above two hours, sir," 
 suggested Percy. 
 
 " But we have made thirty-six miles, at least, in 
 that time ; and to return would delay me about 
 four or five hours, — long enough, perhaps, to 
 defeat the object of my voyage. I assure you that 
 it is wholly impossible for us to return." 
 
A DISCONSOLATE PUKCIIASER OF VESSELS 99 
 
 " Do you think so, sir ? " asked the enterprising 
 purchaser of vessels, looking very disconsolate 
 indeed. 
 
 " I not only think so, but I am perfectly sure 
 on this point. You can see for yourself that I 
 cannot sacrifice the object of my voyage — for the 
 vessel has a special mission at her destination — by 
 a delay of some hours. I am not responsible for 
 your being on board, and I am sorry that I cannot 
 do any thing for you." 
 
 " But you can put me ashore at Key West, and 
 I may find some vessel bound to Nassau," sug- 
 gested Percy, becoming more and more disconso- 
 late, as he realized the difficulties of his situation, 
 for he was plainly very much averse to returning 
 to his home. 
 
 "But, my dear JMr. Percy, the Bellevite will 
 not go within fifty miles of Key West ; and if she 
 did, I should not dare to put in there, for the port 
 is a naval station of the United States, and my 
 vessel might be taken from me in the absence of 
 any regular papers to explain her character." 
 
 "I suppose you are right," added Percy gloomily. 
 
 Captain Passford was really more afraid of fall- 
 ing in with any naval vessel of the nation than of 
 
100 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 meeting any of the Confederate tugs or other 
 vessels which had been hnrriedl}^ fitted out, even 
 at this early period of the war ; for he knew that 
 his mission, however justifiable under the circum- 
 stances, was quite irregular. He had decided to 
 keep at least fifty miles from Key West, and the 
 usual course of vessels bound into the Gulf of 
 Mexico. 
 
 "We may meet some vessel, and you could put 
 me on board of her," the disconsolate young man 
 proposed. 
 
 " ]\Iy mission compels nte to give every vessel 
 a wide berth, and I can incur no risks. But it 
 cannot be a great hardship for you to be conveyed 
 back to your own home." 
 
 "But my father needs me with him, and he 
 will suffer terrible anxiety when he fails to find 
 me. He will even think I am dead." 
 
 " I know he must be anxious, but I think some 
 way will be found to send a letter to him." 
 
 " But I shall be compelled to go into the army, 
 and my father is utterly opposed to that." 
 
 " But you have a brother who is a major in the 
 army, and I should say that he will be able to 
 save you." 
 
A DISCONSOLATE PURCHASER OF VESSELS 101 
 
 "My brother is the ODe who insists that I shall 
 go into one of the regiments forming in the State. 
 He called me a coward becanse I yielded to my 
 father and mother." 
 
 " All that is your own family affair, and I am 
 sorry that I can do nothing for you, Mr. Percy. — 
 Mr. Watts," he called to the chief steward, who 
 was planking the lee-side of the deck. 
 
 " Here, sir," replied the official. 
 
 " Give Mr. Percy the best stateroom available, 
 and see that he is made as comfortable and happy 
 as possible," added the owner. 
 
 The involuntary guest on board was conducted 
 to the cabin. 
 
102 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 CHRISTY MATURES A PROMISING SCHEME 
 
 However interesting the voyage of the Belle- 
 vite might prove to be, the purpose of this story 
 does not admit of its details. Mr. Yapoor was 
 instructed to the effect that a quick run was 
 desirable, and he governed himself accordingly. 
 At daylight on a bright ^lay morning, the lofty 
 light tower of Sand Island, off the entrance to 
 Mobile Bay, was reported by the lookout, and the 
 captain was called. 
 
 On the passage from Nassau, the guns of the 
 steamer had been mounted ; for, as a measure of 
 prudence, they had been put in the hold. Though 
 the owner hoped to avoid any close scrutiny of 
 his outfit, and had succeeded in doing so, he was 
 not inclined to tempt fate by any carelessness. 
 But when the first watch was called, the night 
 
CHRISTY MATURES A SCHEME 103 
 
 before her arrival off the bay, every thing was in 
 condition for active service. 
 
 Captain Passford had not a particle of the foam 
 generated by the excitement of the times, and he 
 sincerely hoped he should have no occasion to use 
 the guns which it had cost him so much trouble 
 to procure. P^ort Morgan was on one side of the 
 entrance to the bay, and Fort Gaines on the other 
 side. 
 
 He had seen a paragraph in one of liis papers, 
 to the effect that one or both of these works 
 had been garrisoned by Confederate troops, and 
 it was not likely to be an easy matter to get 
 into the bay. As it looked to the owner and 
 the commander, the only way to . accomplish this 
 feat was by running the gauntlet of both forts, 
 which were just three nautical miles apart. 
 
 A shot from either of them might go through 
 the boiler or engine of the Bellevite, which would 
 render her utterly helpless, and subject all on 
 board to the fate of prisoners-of-war. It looked 
 like a terrible alternative to the owner, so over- 
 burdened with anxiety for the safety of his 
 daughter ; but he was prepared to run even this 
 risk for her sake. 
 
104 TAKEX BY THE EXEMY 
 
 The method of getting into the bay had beeA 
 fully considered by the owner and the captain ; 
 and as soon as the latter came on deck, he ordered 
 the course of the vessel to be changed to the 
 westward, as they had decided to enter the bay 
 by the Middle Channel. For the danger from 
 Fort Gaines was believed to be less than that from 
 Fort Morgan, though either of them doubtless 
 had the means of sinking the steamer with a 
 single shot. 
 
 The water was shoal in the Middle Channel, 
 and it was not prudent to attempt to go into the 
 bay at any other time than high tide ; though 
 Captain Breaker was thoroughly acquainted with 
 the channel, having once been engaged in a 
 survey of the shifting shoals in tliis localit}^, and 
 he had once before taken the Bellevite by this 
 passage on a trip to New Orleans. 
 
 As he could not foresee the time of the 
 steamer's arrival off tlie bay, he was obliged to 
 consult his almanac, and make his calculations in 
 regard to the tide, which rises and falls less than 
 three feet at this point. It woukl not be safe to 
 attempt the passage before nine o'clock in the fore- 
 noon, and he headed the vessel away from the land. 
 
CHRISTY MATURES A SCHEME 105 
 
 Percy had tried to make the best of his 
 situation, annoying as it was ; and Christy 
 amused him with more Chinese reminiscences. 
 Both of them came on deck at an unusually 
 early hour on the morning that the Sand Island 
 light was made out ; for there was more commo- 
 tion than usual on board, and even in the cabin, 
 where the owner and commander discussed the 
 situation. 
 
 "Here we are, my Chinese friend," said Percy, 
 as he joined Christy on deck, and made out the 
 tall tower in the distance. " I wish I was on 
 the Island of Nassau, instead of here." 
 
 "Why, Mr. Percy, this is your own, your 
 native land; and in China we always used to 
 have a warm affection for our own country," 
 replied Christy. 
 
 " You didn't have to go into the army there," 
 said Percy with a sigh. 
 
 " But don't you want to go into the army ? " 
 
 " Certainly I do ; that is the dearest wish of 
 my heart. But my father would not let me, and 
 what could I do ? " 
 
 " If you were bent on it, as a patriot, like you 
 must be, you could run away and enlist. I don't 
 
106 TAKEN BY THE EXEjIY 
 
 know but I shall do that when I get back to 
 China." 
 
 " I don't like to do any thing to make my poor 
 father unhappy. I am afraid my absence now, 
 without his knowing where I am, or whether I 
 am dead or alive, will bring on a fit of sick- 
 ness." 
 
 " But I am sure he would be very proud of you 
 if you should run away and join the army." 
 
 " Perhaps he would ; but I should not feel 
 very proud of myself if I did a thing like that. 
 I am only afraid I shall meet my brother, Major 
 Pierson, and that he will make me go into some 
 regiment against the wishes of my father and 
 mother. He is not willing to hear a word from 
 either of them," replied Percy, disgusted with 
 the prospect before him. 
 
 " He is very patriotic," suggested Christy. 
 
 "He is altogether too patriotic for me. But 
 don't misunderstand me : I am really ver}- anxious 
 to go into the army, and fight the enemies of my 
 country." 
 
 " I see that you are, and perhaps you and I 
 had better run away and enlist." 
 
 "My conscience would not let me do that 
 
CHRISTY MATURES A SCHEME 107 
 
 contrary to the wishes of my parents," replied 
 Percy, shaking his head vigorously. 
 
 "But you may not see your brother the major; 
 for probably he has been ordered away with his 
 regiment before this time," said his companion 
 in comforting tones, though he was not as sincere 
 as he generally was. 
 
 " I am afraid I shall ; and I fear, that, in the 
 absence of my father, he would put me into 
 the ranks in spite of all I could do." 
 
 " But your mother is at home." 
 
 "Lindley don't care a rush for what she says 
 in this matter, for he insists that a boy of eighteen 
 ought not to be tied to his mother's apron-strings 
 when his country needs his services. I may see 
 my brother before we get fairly into the bay." 
 
 " Where in the world are you going to see 
 him before you get on shore ? " asked Christy, 
 becoming more interested in the conversation. 
 
 "I believe he is in command of the garrison 
 at Fort Gaines, though I am not sure," replied 
 Percy, suddenly looking more disconsolate than 
 ever at the prospect of meeting his patriotic 
 brother. . 
 
 " What makes you think he is ? " asked Christy, 
 
108 TAKEN. BY THE ENEMY 
 
 with the feeling that he might be on the point of 
 obtaining some useftil information. 
 
 "They talked of sending him there before 
 father and I left for New Providence." 
 
 " I supposed your brother was a young fellow 
 like yourself." 
 
 "I believe he is twenty-six years old; but he 
 has been two years in a military school in North 
 Carolina, and they say he is a good soldier, and 
 knows all about guns and forts and such things." 
 
 "Where do you think we are likely to overhaul 
 him?" 
 
 "I don't know much about this business; but 
 don't a boat have to come out from the fort and 
 see that this vessel is all right before she can go 
 into the bay ? " asked Percy. 
 
 " I don't know about that. We may run into 
 the bay without waiting for any boat." 
 
 " Then they fire on you from the fort," suggested 
 the disconsolate. 
 
 "We rather expect that," added Christy quietly. 
 
 "You do?" 
 
 " Of course, a shot from the fort may blow us 
 out of the water ; but we can't help that, and we 
 must take our chances of being hit." 
 
CHRISTY MATURES A SCHEME 109 
 
 ''But that is terribly risky business, and the 
 whole of us may be killed before we get by 
 the fort." 
 
 " Of course : that may be the case ; but we have 
 no papers, and we have to take things as they 
 come." 
 
 " It isn't pleasant to take cannon-balls as they 
 come, for they are apt to hit hard. But they won't 
 fire at us if a boat comes off to examine the 
 vessel." 
 
 ''But in that case you will have the pleasure 
 of meeting your brother the major." 
 
 '^And whatever he may do with the steamer, 
 he will take me to the fort with him, and put me 
 into the ranks." 
 
 " Perhaps we can save you from such a fate in 
 some way," suggested Christy, who was already 
 doing some heavy thinking on his own account. 
 
 " I wish you would ! " exclaimed Percy, catching 
 at the straw held out to him. 
 
 " There is time enough, and I will see you 
 again," added Christy, as he joined his father on 
 the forecastle, where he was taking a survey. 
 
 The owner's son had an idea, and he thought 
 it was a good one. Without losing any time, he 
 
110 TAKEN BY THE EXEMY 
 
 laid it before his father, explaining it in detail. 
 He was even ready to remove objections to the 
 scheme, and was confident that it would succeed. 
 Captain Passford called the commander, and 
 informed him what his son had suggested. Cap- 
 tain Breaker heartily approved it ; for, if it failed, 
 it would leave the steamer in no worse position 
 than before, with all her chances of running the 
 gauntlet successfully still open to her. 
 
 Christy was the best person on board to manage 
 the details, for he was the most intimate with the 
 son of the purchaser of vessels. He returned to 
 that part of the deck where he had left his 
 companion. He found that Percy was very 
 anxious to see him again, for he had founded a 
 hope on what had been Siiid before. 
 
 '"•I think we can manage it, j\Ir. Percy, if you 
 will do just what you are told to do," Christy 
 began. 
 
 " I will do all that to the letter," protested 
 Percy ; and a smile actually lighted up his face 
 at the prospect of escaping the fate to which his 
 father and mother objected so strongly. 
 
 " You see the trouble with the Bellevite is that 
 she has no papers; not even a letter from the 
 
CHRISTY MATURES A SCHEME 111 
 
 Confederate agent who is picking up vessels for 
 the navy. But I think we can manage it if you 
 will learn your part correctly." 
 
 '' I will do that. Do you think you can really 
 keep my brother from taking me to the fort ? " 
 asked Percy, his tones and manner burdened with 
 anxiety. 
 
 " I feel almost sure of it." 
 
 " Good for you ! " 
 
 "You must go into the cabin now with me. 
 They are just startiiig up the steamer again, and 
 she will soon reach the channel where she is 
 going into the bay." 
 
 The owner and the commander were busy in 
 instructing the ship's company in regard to what 
 would be expected of them as soon as the Bellevite 
 was in motion again". All the men spoken to 
 smiled as they heard what was said to them, 
 and they evidently regarded the whole affair as 
 a decided pleasantry. But they all promised to 
 be very discreet, and to sa}^ only what they had 
 been told to say if they were called on for any 
 information by Confederate officials. 
 
 In the mean time Christ}^ was very busy with 
 his pupil, who entered heartily into the plan 
 
112 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 which promised to save him from shouldering a 
 musket in one of the companies of his brother's 
 regiment. He had been quite enthusiastic from 
 the first ; and, as he was deeply interested in the 
 result of the adventure, he was a very apt pupil. 
 
 As the Bellevite approached the Middle Channel, 
 a tug-boat was discovered off Fort Gaines, which 
 immediately began to move towards the approach- 
 ing steamer. Examined with the glass, a heavy 
 gun was seen on her forecastle. 
 
ATTEMPT TO PASS INTO MOBILE BAY 113 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 THE ATTEIVIPT TO PASS INTO MOBILE BAY 
 
 The tug appeared to be one of tlie craft which 
 had been hastily prepared for service, and she 
 did not look like a formidable vessel. Captain 
 Breaker was sure he could blow her out of the 
 water with his heavy guns, on an emergency; 
 but this would be bad policy, and he did not 
 propose to do any thing of this kind. 
 
 He was not as confident as Captain Passford 
 and his son were that the plan adopted would be 
 an entire success, with the assistance of Percy; 
 but there could be no harm in trying it. He 
 intended to pass as near Fort Gaines as possible, 
 for it was not probable that the works were yet in 
 the best condition ; and two miles from Fort 
 Morgan, which was doubtless much stronger, 
 would afford a better chance of escaping any 
 shots fired from it. 
 
114 TAKEX BY THE ENEMY 
 
 As the Bellevite approached the channel, where 
 there could not be more than a foot of water 
 under her keel, Christie came on deck, followed 
 by Percy. The latter wore a sort of naval uni- 
 form, which his instructor had borrowed for him 
 from his own stock. It fitted him Avell ; for he 
 was no larger than the owner's son, though he was 
 two years older. 
 
 Percy was to be on duty, on board of the 
 steamer, as a Confederate agent taking the vessel 
 into the bay for service. He was not a little 
 inflated by the position which had been assigned 
 to him, though he had no powers whatever, except 
 in appearance. He had been instructed to con- 
 duct himself boldly, and to insist that the vessel 
 was in his charge, when she was boarded by officers 
 from the tug or from the fort. His very nature 
 inclined him to play this part to the best advan- 
 tage. 
 
 The blockade had been established at some of 
 the northern ports of the seceded States, but not 
 yet at the cities on the Gulf of ^Mexico ; and the 
 only real obstacle to the passage of the Bellevite 
 into the bay consisted of the two forts, for the 
 tug-boats were not regarded as of any consequence 
 
ATTEMPT TO PASS INTO MOBILE BAY 115 
 
 to an armed steamer of great speed like tlie 
 Bellevite. 
 
 "We are approaching the shoal water now," 
 said Captain Breaker to Mr. Vapoor, as the 
 steamer came near the south-eastern end of Pelican 
 Island. " We may take the ground, for the shoals 
 have an ugly trick of changing their position. 
 Let her go at about half speed." 
 
 " Half speed, sir," replied the chief engineer, 
 as he descended to the engine-room. 
 
 "Is it fully high tide now, Breaker?" asked 
 Captain Passford, who was watching the move- 
 ments of the vessel with the most intense interest, 
 for it seemed to him that the critical moment in 
 his enterprise had come. 
 
 " Not quite ; it will not be full sea for about 
 half an hour," replied the commander. "If we 
 take the ground, we shall have some small chance 
 of getting off. — Mr. Dashington." 
 
 " On duty, sir," responded the first officer. 
 
 "Beeks has the wheel, I believe ?" 
 
 " Yes ; and Thayer is with him." 
 
 " They are both reliable men ; but I wish you 
 would stand by the helm, and see that the steamer 
 is headed directly towards the eastern end of 
 
116 TAKEN BY THE EXEMY 
 
 Dauphine Island. That will give us the deepest 
 water till we get to the spit. Have a man in the 
 port and starboard chains with directions to sound 
 as fast as possible." 
 
 "Mr. Blowitt," called the first officer, '4et a 
 hand sound in the port and starboard chains, and 
 look out for it yourself, if you please." 
 
 The second officer went forward and the first 
 officer aft, each to perform the duties assigned to 
 him by the captain. The speed of the Bellevite 
 had been reduced, and she was going along at a 
 very easy rate. The tug was some distance 
 beyond Fort Gaines ivhen she was first seen, and 
 she seemed to be incapable of making more than 
 six knots an hour. 
 
 The steamer had taken on board all the coal it 
 was possible for her to stow away in her bunkers, 
 and a large supply had been put into the hold ; 
 but she had used a considerable portion of it in 
 her rapid passage, though she had still an abundant 
 supply for her return voyage. The reduction 
 in the quantity had made her draught somewhat 
 less, and the owner and captain hoped she would 
 get through the channel. 
 
 But the thought had hardly passed through 
 
ATTEMPT TO PASS IXTO MOBILE BAY 117 
 
 their minds before tlie Bellevite came to a sudden 
 stop, and her keel was heard grinding on the 
 bottom. Mr. Yapoor heard the sound in the 
 engine-room, and felt the jar ; and before any bell 
 came to him, he had stopped the machine, and 
 reversed it so as to check the steamer's headway. 
 
 "Run her back with all the steam you can 
 crowd on, Mr. Vapoor," said Captain Breaker, 
 as he hastened to the door of the engine-room. 
 
 " I don't think she hit the ground very hard, 
 captain," added the chief engineer. 
 
 " No ; she w411 come off. The ground has 
 shifted since I was here last," said the captain 
 of the vessel. 
 
 But it was half an hour before she yielded to 
 the pressure brought to bear npon her, and then 
 only because a few inches had been added by 
 the tide to the depth of water. She went back, 
 and came into depth enough to give her a foot 
 under her keel. 
 
 " It don't look very hopeful," said Captain 
 Passford, as he joined the commander at the 
 door of the engine-room. 
 
 " Oh, I think we shall be all right now ! " 
 replied Captain Breaker very cheerfully. "I 
 
118 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 have found where the shoal is now, and I know 
 where to find deeper water. — Keep her going 
 astern, Mr. Vaj)oor." 
 
 "A boat from the fort, sir," reported a messenger, 
 who had been sent aft by the second officer on 
 the forecastle. 
 
 " That looks like an inquiry into our business 
 here," added the owner. 
 
 " Now we are all right," said the commander, 
 who was watching the position of the vessel very 
 carefully. *' I must go to the wheel, and look 
 out for the course mj'self." 
 
 Again the Bellevite went ahead ; and she soon 
 reached a point half way between the two forts, 
 and her speed was reduced to not more than 
 three knots. But the tug was approaching, and 
 the worst part of the channel was still to be 
 attempted. The two men in the chains reported 
 the depth as rapidly as they could heave the 
 lead, and it was soon evident that the steamer 
 could not pass the extensive bar to the westward 
 of the ship-channel. 
 
 " Steamer ahoy I " shouted the captain of the 
 tug, as he stopped his screw witliin hailing- 
 distance of the Bellevite. 
 
ATTEMPT TO PASS INTO MOBILE BAY 119 
 
 " Reply to that hail, Mr. Percy," said the 
 commander to the young gentleman in uniform. 
 " You must do all the talking." 
 
 " I shall be very happy to do it, and I think I 
 can do it to your satisfaction," replied Percy 
 confidently. 
 
 "Jump up on the rail nearest to the tug, 
 where you can see and hear." 
 
 " I am not much of a sailor, Captain Breaker, 
 and T don't pretend to be one," added Percy. 
 " What shall I say to the captain of that boat ? " 
 
 " On board of the tug ! " shouted the agent of 
 his father, after the commander had instructed 
 him in regard to his speech. 
 
 " What steamer is that ? " demanded the master 
 of the tug. 
 
 Captain Breaker instructed him in what manner 
 to make his reply, though he did not tell him 
 what to say. The young man was to explain 
 the character of the vessel as he understood it ; 
 and neither the commander nor the owner was 
 disposed to indulge in any unnecessary strate- 
 getical falsehood, though they felt that they 
 could do so in the service of the Union. 
 
 " The Bellevite from Nassau," replied Percy. 
 
120 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 " Is she a Federal vessel ? " inquired the captain 
 of the tug with the greatest simplicity. 
 
 "A Federal vessel! " exclaimed Percy, evidently 
 expressing by his manner some of the indignation 
 he felt. ''Do you mean to insult me, sir?" 
 
 " No, I do not mean to insult you ; but it 
 becomes necessary for me to ascertain something 
 more in regard to the steamer," returned the 
 other. " Where are you from ? " 
 
 "I told you the vessel was from Nassau." 
 
 " But she don't hail from Nassau. Where did 
 she come from before that?" 
 
 "From Bermuda," answered Percy, as 
 instructed. 
 
 " But she don't belong to Bermuda." 
 
 The volunteer agent of the Confederate cause 
 was not able to answer any questions in this 
 direction, and the commander did not tell him 
 what more to say. 
 
 " Can you tell me who is in command of Fort 
 Gaines at the present time ? " demanded Percy, 
 branching out on his own account. 
 
 " I can ; but I want you to tell me something 
 more about the steamer, before I answer any 
 questions. Is the steamer armed ? " 
 
ATTEMPT TO PASS INTO MOBILE BAY 121 
 
 " She is armed ; and she could blow your tug 
 into ten thousand pieces in four minutes if she 
 should open upon you," added Percy; and the 
 listeners were of the opinion that he was begin- 
 ning to use strong speech. 
 
 " That may be ; but with a fort on each side of 
 you, I don't think you will get into the bay in 
 broad daylight," said the captain of the tug. 
 " The commander of Fort Gaines is in that boat, 
 and I suppose he is coming off to examine the 
 steamer. As you are not disposed to answer my 
 questions, you can wait for him ; but if you try to 
 get into the bay, you will find that a shot from 
 both forts can reach you." 
 
 " I am an agent of the Confederate government, 
 and my father has been sent to Nassau to obtain 
 vessels for our navy," continued Percy, as he saw 
 that the boat from the fort was still some 
 distance from the vessel. 
 
 "Why didn't you say so before?" demanded 
 the captain of the tug rather impatiently. " Of 
 course you have some papers from the agent at 
 Nassau, to show what the vessel is." 
 
 " Not a single paper ; he had no time to give me 
 any." 
 
122 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 "Who is the agent?" 
 
 The question was evidently put as a test; for 
 if the young agent, as the captain could see that 
 he was, gave a known name, it would be some 
 evidence that he told the truth. 
 
 " Colonel Richard Pierson ; and he is my 
 father." 
 
 " Your father ! " exclaimed the other, evidently 
 impressed with the fact, and his tone was more 
 respectful. 
 
 "You can come on board and see her for 
 yourself," suggested Percy, prompted by the 
 commander; for there was nothing on board 
 to betray her true character, the guns having 
 been concealed. 
 
 " I will not do that, as the commander of the 
 fort will soon be here, and he may make the 
 examination for himself. But perhaps you will 
 be willing to give me your name?" added the 
 captain. 
 
 " My name is Percy Pierson ; and, as I told you, 
 I am the son of Colonel Richard Pierson." 
 
 " Then you are the brother of Major Pierson, 
 w^ho is in command of Fort Gaines. I tliink it 
 must be all right. 
 
ATTEMPT TO PASS INTO MOBILE BAY 123 
 
 "Of course it is all right. Do you think I 
 would bring a vessel into this bay if she were 
 not all right?" inquired Percy with becoming 
 indignation. 
 
 " I suppose you have heard there is going to be 
 a war, and it is necessary to find out what vessels 
 go into the bay," said the captain of the tug, 
 when he had brought his craft quite near the 
 steamer. " That is a very fine vessel." 
 
 "It is the fastest and strongest steamer that 
 floats, and she will give a good account of herself 
 when the trouble begins in earnest." 
 
 " Here comes the boat from the fort, and I see 
 that Major Pierson is in the stern sheets. I have 
 no doubt he will find you all right," said the 
 captain. 
 
 The boat came alongside of the Belle vite, and 
 the major went on board. 
 
124 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 THE MAJOR IX COMI^IAJSTD OF FORT GAINES 
 
 Percy Pierson retained his position on the 
 rail when his brother the major came up the 
 gangway steps, which had been put over for him. 
 As the latter went up, he could not help seeing 
 him ; and his astonishment evidently mounted to 
 the highest degree, as manifested in his expression. 
 The owner and the commander stood near the 
 rail, to give the visitor a pleasant reception. 
 
 But the major took no notice of them ; for his 
 attention was plainly absorbed in his surprise at 
 seeing his brother, dressed in uniform, on the rail 
 of the steamer. He halted as soon as he had 
 mounted the rail, over which he must pass to 
 reach the deck. He looked at Percy for some 
 time, without being able to say a word, and 
 seemed to be not quite sure that it was he. 
 
 The younger brother was as silent as the older 
 
THE MAJOR OF FORT GAINES 125 
 
 one ; for he had had some rather exciting times 
 with him in the matter of enlisting, and he was 
 not very confident of his reception at the hands 
 of the commander of Fort Gaines. He looked at 
 him with interest, not nnmingled with some 
 painful solicitude for the future. 
 
 " Percy ! " exclaimed Major Pierson at last, 
 when he was entirely satisfied that the young 
 man was his brother, in spite of the uniform of 
 blue he wore, though the gray had not yet come 
 into extensive use. 
 
 '' Lindley ! " added the younger, evidently desir- 
 ing to go no faster than the occasion might 
 require of him. 
 
 " I am glad to see you back again," continued 
 the major, without offering to take his hand. 
 ''You deserted like a coward, and I have been 
 ashamed of you ever since. A young fellow like 
 you, eighteen years old, who will not fight for his 
 country, ought to lose the respect of even his own 
 brother." 
 
 "That is a pleasant greeting," replied Percy, 
 with the suspicion of a sneer on his face. 
 
 " It is all that a coward deserves," replied 
 Lindley severely. 
 
126 TAKEN BY THE EXEMY 
 
 "I am no coward, any more than you are," 
 protested Percy. " You know that father did not 
 wish me to join the army, though I wished to do 
 so." 
 
 " I know that you wished to do so just as any 
 other coward does, — over the left." 
 
 " What could I do when father told me not to 
 go to the war ? " 
 
 " What could you do ? You could have gone ! 
 If you had not been a poltroon, you would have 
 joined the first regiment that came in your 
 way." 
 
 "I never was in the habit of disobeying my 
 father," pleaded the young agent. 
 
 ''You were not? You ran away to New 
 Orleans last winter when your father told you not 
 to go. You came home from the academy when 
 he told you to remain there. You have spent the 
 evening in Mobile when he told 3'ou not to go 
 there. I could tell 3^ou instances all day in which 
 you disobeyed him, and mother too," continued 
 the soldier warmly. 
 
 " That was different." 
 
 " It was different ; and you could obey your 
 father in a bad cause, but not in a good one. I 
 
THE MAJOR OF FORT GAINES 127 
 
 am heartily asliamecl of you, and I don't feel 
 willing to own you as a brother of mine." 
 
 "But my father told me that I could better 
 serve the good cause by going with him than I 
 could by joining the army." 
 
 " And you were willing to go with him, for 
 then you could keep out of danger. Father is 
 getting old, and he is not fit to serve in the 
 army ; and you have been his pet since you were 
 born. But that is no excuse for you ; and if I 
 can get you back into the army, I mean to do 
 so." 
 
 Percy was afraid he might succeed, and he did 
 not feel as confident as he had been ; and he lost, 
 for the time, some of his self-possession. He was 
 confronting the fate he had dreaded when he 
 found the steamer was leaving Nassau. 
 
 " What are you doing here ? " demanded the 
 major, looking down upon the deck of the vessel 
 for the first time. 
 
 '' I am taking this steamer into the bay, where 
 she is to go into the service of the Confederate 
 States," answered Percy, plucking a little more 
 confidence from the nature of his present occupa- 
 tion. 
 
128 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 " You are taking her into the bay ! " exclaimed 
 the older brother. 
 
 " That is what T said, and that is what I mean," 
 added Percy, glad to see that his mission had 
 produced an impression. 
 
 "Taking this steamer into the ba}^!" repeated 
 the major, evidently unable to comprehend the 
 mission of his brother. "Do you mean to say 
 that you are taking her in, Percy ? " 
 
 " That is what I mean to say, and do say." 
 
 " Are you the pilot of the steamer ? I should 
 think you might have been, for she was aground 
 just now," sneered the commander of the 
 fort. 
 
 " I am not the pilot, and I don't pretend to be 
 a sailor ; but the steamer is in my charge," replied 
 Percy, elevating his head to the need of the 
 occasion. 
 
 " In charge of the steamer ! I would not trust 
 a coward like you in charge of a sick- monkey," 
 added Lindley, with his contempt fully expressed 
 in his face. 
 
 " See here, Lindley, I don't mean to be insulted 
 on board of this steamer by ray own brother. If 
 you can't be decent, I have nothing more to say 
 
THE MAJOR OF FORT GAINES 129 
 
 to 5'ou ! " cried Percy, his wrath breaking out 
 quite violently. 
 
 " If you gi\e me an impudent word, I will take 
 you into . the boat and put you into the fort," 
 added the major, as he stepped down upon the 
 deck. 
 
 " No, you won't. I will jump overboard before 
 I will be carried to the fort. I have done just 
 what my father told me to do, to say nothing of 
 my mother ; and I won't be insulted by you. It 
 is you who are the coward and the poltroon, to do 
 so," continued Percy, boiling over with rage. 
 
 "Whatever provocation the major had had for his 
 savage treatment of his brother, the owner of the 
 Bellevite thought his conduct was unjustifiable. 
 The young man was under age ; and whether or 
 not his father was less a patriot than his older 
 son, the latter was certainly unkind, ungenerous, 
 and even brutal. Without being a "milk-and- 
 water man," Captain Passford was full of kind- 
 ness, courtesy, and justice.. He did not like the 
 behavior of the major towards his brother. 
 
 It looked like a family quarrel of the two 
 brothers* on board of the steamer; for Percy was 
 evidently " a weak chicken," after all, though he 
 
130 TAKEX BY THE ENEMY 
 
 had become, desperate under the stings and 
 reproaches of the major. Under present circum- 
 stances, it did not appear that Percy could be of 
 any service on board of the Bellevite, for his 
 brother would not hear a word he said. Captain 
 Passford directed the commander to have every 
 thing ready for a hurried movement at once, for 
 there was but little hope of satisfying a man as 
 unreasonable as the commander of the fort had 
 proved himself to be in his dealing with his 
 brother. 
 
 The captain of the steamer went to Mr. Yapoor, 
 who was standing near the door of the engine- 
 room, and said something to him, which soon 
 produced a lively effect among the coal-passers 
 below. 
 
 '* I will attend to your case in a few minutes, 
 Percy, for I do not allow any one to be impudent 
 to me," growled the major. 
 
 "Nor I either. If you put a finger on me, I 
 will put a bullet through your head, if you are 
 my brother ! " yelled Percy, as he took a small 
 revolver from his hip-pocket. 
 
 This demonstration increased the anger of 
 Lindley; and he ran up the steps to the rail 
 
THE MAJOR OF FORT GAIXES 131 
 
 again, where he called upon two soldiers to come 
 on deck. At the same moment, Captain Breaker, 
 as instructed by the owner, rang the bell on the 
 quarter, and the engine began to move again. 
 Before the men from the boat could leave it, the 
 steamer was moving, and it was no longer possible 
 for them to obey the order. 
 
 " What are you about, sir ? " demanded Major 
 Pierson, rushing to the commander, not a little 
 excited by what had been done. 
 
 " I think this thing has gone about far enough, 
 sir," replied Captain Breaker, as calmly as though 
 there had not been a ripple on the surface of affairs. 
 
 " But I came on board of this steamer to make 
 an examination of the character of the vessel," 
 protested the major, who evidently did not like 
 the present aspect of the situation. 
 
 " I have waited for jou to do so ; but I do not 
 care to lose the tide while you are quarrelling 
 with your brother, sir," added the commander. 
 
 " But I order you to stop, sir ! " continued the 
 major. 
 
 " What am I to do, Mr. Percy ? " asked Captain 
 Breaker, addressing the young man with a 
 revolver in his hand. 
 
132 TAKEX BY THE EXE MY 
 
 There was something on the part of the 
 commander which indicated that he was playing 
 a part, as were all on board, though he seemed 
 to be a little amused to find that he was taking 
 his orders from a boy of eighteen. At the same 
 time he nodded his head slightly, though very 
 significantly, to the young agent. 
 
 " Go ahead just as fast as you can make the 
 steamer travel. Captain Breaker,*' said Percy, 
 with as much energy as though he had been in 
 command of a Confederate fleet. 
 
 " Certainly, Mr. Percy ; I shall obey your 
 order, as you have charge of the vessel,'' added 
 the commander. 
 
 This passage between the authority of the 
 steamer and his brother absolutely confounded 
 the major, and for a couple of minutes he was 
 unable to say any thing at all. But Captain 
 Breaker, who was the only pilot on board, was 
 obliged to leave the ship's guest in order to look 
 out for the course of the steamer. . 
 
 It seemed to be useless to attempt to get over 
 the bar where he had tried to do so ; and 
 lie directed the vessel towards the main ship- 
 channel, finding plenty of water to enable him to 
 
THE MAJOR OF FORT GAIXES 133 
 
 reach it. But he would have to ruu the gauntlet 
 of Fort Morgan, and the chances of a shot were 
 against him. 
 
 " Do you mean to say that Percy is in charge 
 of this steamer, Captain Breaker?" demanded 
 Major Pierson, who had by this time recovered 
 some portion of his self-possession. 
 
 " That is what both he and I said to you," 
 replied Captain Breaker. 
 
 " And the vessel is to be in the service of the 
 Confederate States," added Percy, with more 
 pluck than he had displayed before. " If my 
 brother will not let her pass into the bay, I will 
 go on shore at Fort Morgan, and explain the 
 situation to the officer in command," blustered 
 Percy; and perhaps he would have done just as 
 much under the circumstances if he had known 
 the vessel was on the other side in the coming 
 conflict. 
 
 " Where are your papers, sir ? " asked the major. 
 
 " We have no papers ; and that is wdiy I am 
 come in charge of the steamer," rejDlied the agent, 
 who seemed to be quite able to strain a point 
 when necessary. 
 
 "We met Colonel Richard Pierson in Nassau, 
 
134 TAKEX BY THE EXEMY 
 
 and I believe lie is your father and Mr. Percy's," 
 answered Captain Breaker. 
 
 " He is ; but I can hardly understand how he 
 happened to send my brother home in charge of 
 this fine steamer," said the major, glancing at his 
 brother. 
 
 " Going into the army is not all the duty a man 
 has to do for his country," said Percy warmly. 
 
 "May I ask where this vessel came from?" 
 inquired the commander of the fort. 
 
 " From New York before she went to Bermuda 
 and Nassau ; before that, from England," replied 
 the commander evasively. 
 
 "If you are really in charge of the steamer, 
 Percy, I have nothing more to say," continued 
 Major Pierson. "Now may I ask who owns 
 her?" 
 
 " Captain Horatio Passford, who stands there ? " 
 
 The officer in command of the fort started 
 back as though he had received another surprise, 
 greater than before. 
 
THE BELLEYITE PASSED FORT MORGAN 135 
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 HOW THE BELLEVITE PASSED FOET MORGAN 
 
 Major Lindley Pierson was plainly very 
 much disturbed when the owner of the Bellevite 
 was pointed out to him by the commander. He 
 had practically retreated from the position he had 
 taken with his brother, and had apparently given 
 up the idea of sending him to the fort to be made 
 a soldier. 
 
 From the point which the steamer had reached, 
 just north of Little Pelican Island, Captain 
 Breaker had directed Mr. Dashington to head the 
 vessel to the eastward, through Sand Island 
 Channel ; and she was now moving towards the 
 main ship-channel, which passed under the very 
 guns of Fort Morgan. 
 
 The tug had picked up the boat from the fort 
 on the other side of the bay, and was following 
 the Bellevite, though she had fallen a long way 
 
136 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 behind her in a very short time. It was about 
 two miles to the more formidable fort, and the 
 steamer was going at full speed, so that it could 
 not be long before a shot Avould interrupt the 
 harmony of her movements. 
 
 In the mean time the commander of Fort Gaines 
 was really a prisoner on board of the Bellevite, 
 for Captain Breaker had started her screw before 
 he could get any of his force on board. But the 
 major was not half so much disturbed by this fact 
 as he was by the consciousness that he had 
 behaved in a very rude, brutal, and tyrannical 
 manner in the presence of Colonel Passford's 
 brother, who had thus far spoken not a word to 
 him. 
 
 "Captain Breaker, may I ask you to present 
 me to the owner of the steamer ? " said Major 
 Pierson, after he had looked about him for a time, 
 and perhaps considered how he should atone for 
 his rudeness. 
 
 " Certainly, if you desire it," replied the com- 
 mander, who was as polite as though he had been 
 brought up in Paris, though he was hardly an 
 exception to all naval officers. 
 
 "Will you excuse me if I say that you are 
 
THE BELLEVITE PASSED FORT MORGAN 137 
 
 running at great speed, sir, and a sliot from Fort 
 Morgan cannot be much longer postponed," added 
 the major, as he glanced at the fort on the right. 
 
 " I did not willingly start the steamer, sir ; but 
 it was my duty to protect the agent in whose 
 charge the steamer comes into port. If you say 
 that he shall suffer no further annoyance, either on 
 your own part or that of your people, I will stop 
 the screw and wait your pleasure," said the 
 commander. 
 
 "I have had some difficulty with my brother, 
 and it looked incredible to me that he had come 
 into Mobile Bay in charge of this fine vessel. I 
 apologize to you and the owner for my rudeness, 
 and assure you that I will not trouble Percy again 
 while he remains on board," continued Major 
 Pierson, with no little embarrassment in his 
 manner. 
 
 " I accept the apology, and your explanation is 
 entirely sufficient. What happens to Mr. Percy 
 after he leaves the steamer does not concern me," 
 answered Captain Breaker with a polite boAV, as 
 he went to the quarter and rang the bell to stop 
 her. 
 
 When he had done this, he conducted Major 
 
138 TAKEN BY THE EXEMY 
 
 Pierson to the quarter - deck, where Captain 
 Passford and Christy were seated, and formally 
 presented him to both of them. 
 
 " I am most happy to make your acquaintance, 
 Captain Passford," said the commander of Fort 
 Gaines, as he extended his hand to the owner, 
 which was taken, though the expression of the 
 gentleman from the North did not indicate that 
 he was very well pleased with him. 
 
 To Christy he was as polite as to his father, 
 and to both he was almost obsequious. It was 
 rather difficult for father or son to realize that 
 this was the man who had threatened to send 
 his own brother to the fort as a soldier, to say 
 nothing of the abusive language he had used. 
 
 "I am very glad to see you in the State of 
 Alabama, Captain Passford, and especially at this 
 time," the major began ; and it looked as though 
 the cordiality of his welcome was to compensate 
 for former rudeness. 
 
 "I am not a total stranger here," added the 
 owner rather coldly. 
 
 "It affords me a degree of pleasure I cannot 
 express to see you come here, as events are 
 getting big all around us, and with such a fine 
 
THE BELLEYITE PASSED FORT MORGAN 139 
 
 steamer. I am sure the Government will regard 
 yon as one of its greatest and truest benefactors," 
 continued Major Pierson. 
 
 "It is my intention to serve the good cause 
 with whatever measure of ability I may possess ; 
 but I do not care to say any thing at all about my 
 purpose till I have talked with my brother. I hope 
 I shall find my brother Homer in full sympathy 
 with me in my views," added the owner, though it 
 was not a pleasure to him even to deceive an 
 enemy. 
 
 " Colonel Passford ! " exclaimed the major. 
 " Have you any doubt about him ? " 
 
 " Hardly any, though I prefer to talk with him 
 before I say much on my own account." 
 
 " Colonel Passford is not a very demonstrative 
 man, but no one in the vicinity of Glenfield has 
 any doubt as to how he stands on the great 
 question." 
 
 " I think no one will have any doubt as to how 
 I stand, as soon as I take my position." 
 
 " Certainly, sir, you will give no doubtful 
 sound." 
 
 "I hope not." 
 
 "I came on board to examine this steamer 
 
140 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 before we permitted her to pass the forts," 
 continued Major Pierson. " I find her in charge 
 of my brother, in the absence of any letter from 
 my father or other Confederate agent. I humbly 
 apologize for the rudeness of which I was guilty, 
 though I assure you I have had abundant provo- 
 cation for it." 
 
 "That is a family affair with which we have 
 nothing to do beyond the proper protection of the 
 young agent in charge of the steamer." 
 
 "I wish to say that I am entirely satisfied. 
 Captain Passford, and I am heartily delighted to 
 learn that you are about to make your residence 
 in this section of the country," said the major, who 
 seemed to have assured liimself on this point 
 without much assistance from those most deeply 
 concerned. 
 
 The owner looked at him, and tried to ascertain 
 what was passing in his mind ; and it was not a 
 very difficult enterprise to accomplish his purpose. 
 The hint he had received about the frequent visits 
 of Major Pierson at Glenfield seemed to explain 
 the present operations of his mind. Florry Pass- 
 ford was a beautiful young lady of eighteen, and 
 any young man of twenty-six could easily have 
 
THE BELLEYITE PASSED FORT MORGAN 141 
 
 been excused for making his visits very often at 
 the mansion in which she resided. 
 
 Though the fond father was not disposed to 
 interfere unnecessarily with the choice of his 
 daughter, even the hint that she might be entan- 
 gled more than a thousand miles from her home 
 had given him a positive shock. Now that he had 
 seen the young man, and observed his conduct an 
 board of the Bellevite, he most earnestly hoped 
 that she was not in any degree committed to him. 
 He had an additional inducement to get her away 
 from the home of his brother, and the thought of 
 it nerved him to increased exertion. What he 
 had seen of the commander of Fort Gaines, 
 though he appeared to be a faithful, patriotic, and 
 energetic young man, as he understood his duty 
 to his country, assuredly he was not the person he 
 would have chosen for Florry. But his brother 
 could tell him more about it, and how far the 
 matter had gone, when he saw him. 
 
 By the time Captain Passford had settled his 
 conclusions as far as he could, the tug came up 
 to the steamer, towing the boat from the fort. 
 Percy felt that he had won a victory over his 
 brother, and a Bantam rooster could not have 
 
142 TAKEN BY THE EXEMY 
 
 made a wider spread on the deck. He seemed 
 to feel that he was in command of the steamer, 
 though he did not venture to interfere with any 
 thing on board. 
 
 " I am very sorry to have given you any annoy- 
 ance, Captain Passford," said the major, as the 
 tug came up to the gangway. "I think we 
 shouki have understood eacli other better if your 
 steamer had not got aground." 
 
 "We have suffered little or no inconvenience, 
 sir." 
 
 "Whether you have or not, you shall suffer 
 no more. The tug has come alongside, and T 
 will see that you are not delayed a moment after 
 I can get to Fort Morgan, which will certainly 
 fire upon you if I do not interfere ; and I will 
 go to it in the tug," continued the major, who 
 was still struggling to make all the atonement 
 in his power for his former conduct. 
 
 "You are very kind. Major Pierson, and I am 
 under obligations to you. I have not seen my 
 daughter for nearly six months, or my brother; 
 and the sooner I meet them, the better I shall 
 like it," replied the owner. 
 
 "I have had the pleasure of meeting your 
 
THE BELLEYITE PASSED FORT MORGAN 143 
 
 daugliter ^veral times, as your brother's planta- 
 tion is next to my father's. It is possible that, 
 if the exigencies of the coming war permit, I 
 may desire to address a communication to you 
 at no distant day," said Major Pierson, with 
 considerable embarrassment in his manner. 
 
 Captain Passford made no reply to this remark ; 
 for he thought it was entirely out of place under 
 present circumstances, and hoped matters had not 
 gone far enough even to think of future formali- 
 ties. The major shook hands with the owner 
 and his son, and then with the commander, 
 and went over the side. As he did so, he re- 
 quested Captain Breaker not to advance till he 
 reached the fort, or at least not to attempt to 
 pass it. 
 
 The tug-boat went off on its course, but it 
 was nearly half an hour before it got near enough 
 to the fort to allow the Bellevite to start her 
 screw. As there was nowdiere less than three 
 fathoms of water, and Captain Breaker knew 
 every inch of bottom, he directed Mr. Yapoor 
 to hurry the engine, so that no one should have 
 time to change his mind. The steamer shot by 
 the fort as though she did not like the looks of 
 
144 TAKEN BY THE EXEMY 
 
 it, and in another half an hour she was out 
 of the reach of its guns. 
 
 The commander had piloted the steamer to 
 her present destination before ; and there was 
 plenty of water till she nearly reached the wharf, 
 where the planter could load small vessels with 
 cotton. It was not within the city of Mobile, 
 though it was not far from it ; and it was a sort 
 of low-ground paradise, which money and taste 
 had made very beautiful. 
 
 . " What am I to do noAV, ]\Ir. Pierson ? '' asked 
 Percy, when the steamer had come to her moor- 
 ings alongside the wharf. 
 
 " That will be for you to decide, Mr. Percy ; 
 but you had better take that uniform off before 
 you live any longer, for I am afraid some one 
 will mistake your character if you wear it on 
 shore," replied Christy. 
 
 " I don't know that I shall go on shore," rej^lied 
 the agent doubtfully. " I got by my brother 
 very nicely, thanks to Captain Breaker ; for I 
 should have been sent to the fort if he had not 
 started the screw." 
 
 " Do you think 3'ou are in any danger here ? " 
 asked Christy. 
 
THE BELLE YITE PASSED FORT MORGAN 145 
 
 " I know I am. My father's house is over in 
 that direction about half a mile. My brother 
 can leave the fort any time he likes; and he 
 Avill either do so, or send some of his men up 
 here in the fast tug to catch me." 
 
 "Why don't you go into the army, if your 
 brother is so anxious about it, Percy?" 
 
 " That is just what I want to do, but my father 
 positively forbid my doing so," replied the volun- 
 teer agent. '' I should like to get back to Nassau ; 
 for I know I shall be forced into the army, in 
 spite of my father, if I stay here." 
 
 "My boy," called his father, "I am going on 
 shore now, and I should like to have you go with 
 me to see your uncle." 
 
 Christy was glad to do so; and he departed 
 with the owner, leaving Percy in charge of the 
 commander. 
 
146 TAKEN BY THE EXEMY 
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 A DECIDED DIFFERENCE OF OPINION 
 
 If Homer Passforcl was not a rich man in the 
 sense that his brother was, he was still a wealthy 
 man, and lived in a style as elegant as that of 
 any nabob in the South. More than this, and of 
 vastly more consequence, he was a good and true 
 man. He was a member of his church, and his 
 brother believed that he was a genuine and true 
 religious man. The same principles of justice, 
 humanity, and fairness had been born into both 
 of the brothers, and inherited from the same 
 father. 
 
 - This was the brother whom he from the Xorth 
 was about to visit on the most solemn and 
 momentous questions which could unite or 
 separate the only two sons of the same father. 
 Though Horatio had reasoned himself into the 
 belief that Homer was as strongly a Union man 
 
A DECIDED DIFFERENCE OF OPINION 147 
 
 as he was himself, he had argued without any 
 adequate XDremises ; and now, wdien he was almost 
 on the threshold of his door, he did not feel sure 
 of the position of his brother, though his hope 
 was very strong. 
 
 It was with no little trepidation on this account 
 that he rang the bell at the front door of Glen- 
 field. A few minutes or an hour or two 
 w^ould settle the momentous question, and decide 
 whether or not all the family, as well as Florry, 
 would take passage in the Belle vite for a more 
 Northern clime. 
 
 "De L'od!" exclaimed the venerable colored 
 man that came to the door. " De hull family 
 done be wery glad to see you, Massa 'Ratio." 
 
 '' I hope you are very well, Pedro," replied 
 Captain Passford, as he gave his hand to the 
 old servant. '' Here is Christy." 
 
 " De Lo*d bless Massa Christy ! " And he 
 sliook hands with the son as he had with the 
 father. 
 
 "Is your master at home, Pedro?" asked the 
 visitor, in haste to see his l)rother. 
 
 *" Yes, sar ; all de folks to home ; jes' gwine to 
 lunch. I spects dey all wery glad to see Massa 
 
148 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 'Ratio and Massa Christy. Walk in, sar; took 
 a seat in de parlor ; and I done reckon we call 
 Massa Homer and de rest ob de folks afore you 
 gits to sleep in yer char, thar," said Pedro, as he 
 scurried out of the room where he had shown 
 the visitors. 
 
 It was Florry who caught the first sound of 
 the visitors who had arrived, and she rushed 
 into the drawing-room before the others could be 
 called from up-stairs. She bounded into the 
 room like a fawn, with her eyes swimming with 
 tears, and threw herself into her father's arms. 
 She could not speak a word, and the captain was 
 as dumb as she Avas. 
 
 For a moment she remained folded in his arms, 
 and then she gently disengaged herself, to render 
 the same wealth of affection in its manifestation 
 to her brother, who was standing by her father 
 when she darted into the room. But Christy 
 was a boy, and not as demonstrative as his 
 father, though he discharged the duties of the 
 affecting occasion with becoming fidelit}^, so that 
 tlie loviDg girl was sure that his heart was 
 where it had always been. 
 
 "Why, papa, I had no idea of seeing you 
 
*• Shk was Clasped in her Father's Ar3is " (Page 148) 
 
A DECIDED DIFFERENCE OF OPINION 149 
 
 to-day ! " exclaimed Florry, when she had wiped 
 away her abundant tears. " I did not know that 
 I should ever see you again, for they say that 
 all the roads to the North have been closed to 
 travel." 
 
 '^ We did not come by land, either by railroad 
 or otherwise ; and the Bellevite lies at the 
 wharf near this house," the captain explained. 
 
 " I was terribly afraid I should never see you 
 again, and that I should have to stay here till 
 this war is ended, papa ; but they say it will 
 soon be over," said the fair girl. 
 
 "■ I am afraid it will not be over for a long 
 time, for each side is firmly united in its own 
 cause. But I could not leave you here. Do 
 you want to go back to Bonnydale, Florry?" 
 
 " Do I want to go back ? What a funny 
 question, papa ! " exclaimed she. 
 
 " Why is it a funny question ? " asked the 
 anxious father, recalling the rather presumptuous 
 suggestion the gallant major from Fort Gaines 
 had made. 
 
 "Don't you think I want to see mamma? 
 You have not told me a word about her ; and it 
 is a loug time now since I have heard any thiug. 
 
150 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 I do want to go home, and especially I want to 
 see mamma." 
 
 " Then you shall see her. 
 
 *' Is she here, papa ? " exclaimed Florry, 
 leaping out of the chair in which she had seated 
 herself. 
 
 " She is not here, my child. She is at home, 
 but it will not take many days to bear you to 
 her," replied the devoted father, embracing her 
 again, while she kissed him over and over again. 
 
 " Can I see her before the war is over, papa ? " 
 she asked. 
 
 "Certainly you can, if no accident interferes 
 with my plans. You really want to go home ? " 
 
 " To be sure I do. How cruel it is of you to 
 ask me such a question ! " 
 
 " Then I won't ask it again. But perhaps you 
 will not be able to come to Glenfield again for 
 years," added Captain Passford, looking earnestly 
 into her face. 
 
 '' What makes jou look at me so, papa ? What 
 have I done ? You look just as you did when I 
 was little and pulled the kitten's tail." 
 
 ^' It is a long time since I have seen you, Florry, 
 and I want to look at you all I can." 
 
A DECIDED DIFFERENCE OF OPINION 151 
 
 " Then you may look at me as mucli as 3'ou 
 wish ; and I shall be thankful it is not that Major 
 Pierson who comes here, for he has stared me out 
 of countenance every time he came," replied she, 
 blushing a little. 
 
 " Then you don't like him, do you ? " asked her 
 father, with more interest than he cared to 
 display. 
 
 " I like him well enough, but I wish he would 
 not stare at me all the time. He seems to think 
 I am good for nothing but to look at," replied 
 Florry smartly. 
 
 But the entrance of Mr. and Mrs. Passford 
 turned aside the inquiries the captain was making 
 before he had satisfied himself, though he had 
 obtained enough to afford him some hope. The 
 greeting extended to the brother and nephew was 
 all that could be expected or desired ; and if the 
 country had not been riven into two bitterly hos- 
 tile sections, the interview could not have been 
 more brotherly and affectionate. A full hour was 
 used in talking about the trip of the Bellevite, so 
 anxious were the family, including Florry, to hear 
 the particulars of the voyage. 
 
 ''But how in the world did you get here, 
 
152 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 Horatio, when every public conveyance that leads 
 into the South has been discontinued?" asked 
 Homer. 
 
 "I came as I came before," replied Horatio. 
 
 " You came in the Bellevite ! " exclaimed 
 Homer. 
 
 -I did." 
 
 " But how did you get by the forts? Both of 
 them have been garrisoned, and they have been 
 ordered to allow no vessel to pass unless she give 
 a good account of herself," continued the planter. 
 
 "In other words, it is war now," . added 
 Horatio. 
 
 " Undoubtedly it is war ; and, in my judg- 
 ment, it will be a terrible conflict before it is 
 finished." 
 
 " I full}' agree with you. Homer." 
 
 " But you did not tell me in what manner you 
 passed the two forts, which are already strong 
 enough to blow your steamer into a thousand 
 pieces," suggested Homer. 
 
 "I did not tell you, and I think we had better 
 understand each other a little better before I say 
 any thing at all about the passage of the forts ; 
 though I can assure you that not a single shot 
 
A DECIDED DIFFERENCE OF OPINION 153 
 
 was fired at the Bellevite," said Horatio, some- 
 what embarrassed by the situation. 
 
 " De lunch am ready, saw," said a darky at the 
 door at this moment ; and perhaps the summons 
 saved the owner of the Bellevite from some 
 further annoyance. 
 
 An hour was spent at the table, for there was 
 enough to talk about without meddling with deli- 
 cate subjects. When the repast was over, Florry 
 invited her brother to look at the flower-garden, 
 which was in the height of its glory, and she was 
 followed by Gerty her cousin, and by Mrs. 
 Passford. As in the Northern family, there were 
 only two children ; but Cornelius, or Corny as he 
 was generally called, was not at home, though 
 nothino; at all was said about him. 
 
 Horatio was invited into the library by his 
 brother, and they seated themselves for a long 
 talk. The owner of the Bellevite was confident 
 that he should soon know on which side the 
 planter belonged, though he was still confident in 
 his former views. 
 
 " I suppose there is no other way for you to get 
 here at the present time except in your yacht, 
 and not many men can command so elegant and 
 
154 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 substantial a vessel as the Bellevite," said Homer, 
 when they were seated. " But what in the world 
 do you expect to do with her down here?" 
 
 " I intend to return to my home in her, and to 
 take my daughter back to her mother," replied 
 Horatio, as unmoved as though he had uttered a 
 commonplace expression. 
 
 " Take Florry back to her mother ! " exclaimed 
 Homer, springing out of his armchair as though 
 his five-and-forty years counted for nothing. ''I 
 hope that nothing at all is the matter with your 
 brain, Horatio." 
 
 " Nothing at all, so far as I am aware. Homer. 
 You seem to think it is a great undertaking to 
 take my daughter home," added Horatio. 
 
 " But it is war in this country, and all along the 
 coast. You will certainly be captured, and your 
 daughter sent to a prison, at least till she can be 
 sent home. You have not more than one chance 
 in ten to get to New York." 
 
 " Do you think so ? " asked Horatio, smiling. 
 
 " If 3^ou don't know it, I do, my dear brother, 
 that the Southern Confederacy has sent out agents 
 to buy up all the suitable vessels the}^ can find, to 
 do duty as cruisers and privateers. You are almost 
 
A DECIDED DIFFERENCE OF OPINION" 155 
 
 sure to be captured, and think what Florry would 
 suffer in such an event." 
 
 " You seem to think that the North is going to 
 hokl still, and let you do all this, Homer," added 
 the owner of the Bellevite. 
 
 ''I don't see how the North can help itself." 
 
 '•' My information is rather meagre ; but I am 
 informed that the Government of the United 
 States has proclaimed the blockade, and even that 
 it is enforced farther north, as I am sure it. will be 
 on the south." 
 
 '^ That is all nonsense, Horatio, and you know 
 it." 
 
 ''I don't understand it so." 
 
 '' How is it possible for the Yankee Government 
 to station ships-of-war on the coast of the South- 
 ern States ? It is simply impossible," said Homer, 
 warming up with the argument. " The business 
 of fitting out vessels is already begun, I read in 
 the newspapers; and it will be pushed to the 
 utmost." 
 
 '' I am confident that every Confederate port in 
 the United States will be invested by one or more 
 vessels within a reasonable time." 
 
 ''But your steamer will be captured before 
 
156 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 you can get home, even if you get out of Mobile 
 Bay." 
 
 "I don't apprehend any difficulty on that 
 account. If the Bellevite can't keep out of the 
 way of any thing that floats, she deserves to be 
 captured. She will belong to the Government 
 within a few weeks," added Horatio quietly. 
 
 " The Bellevite ! " exclaimed Homer. 
 
 " The Bellevite, certainly. I should be ashamed 
 to retain her a month after I knew that the Union 
 needs her, and the Union shall have her as a free 
 gift," added Horatio, quite as warmly as his 
 brother had spoken. 
 
 *' You will give j^our steamer to the Yankee 
 Government ! " gasped Homer, rising from his 
 chair again, and darting across the room, as though 
 he was both shocked and disgusted at the conduct 
 of Horatio. "You will allow her to be used hi 
 subduing a free people ? I am sorry." 
 
 Homer was very deeply grieved, and Horatio 
 hardly less so. 
 
THE BLUE AND THE GRAY 157 
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 THE BLUE AND THE GRAY 
 
 To Captain Passford the question seemed to be 
 settled; and lie could no longer doubt that his 
 brother fully sympathized with the leaders of the 
 rebellion, if he was not one of them himself. He 
 was certainly the most enthusiastic person he had 
 yet seen on that side of the question. But Homer 
 was thoroughly sincere, for he never was any thing 
 else on any subject. 
 
 Horatio was unable to understand how his 
 brother could reason himself into the belief that 
 secession was right, when the duty of saviug the 
 Union was to him paramount: and certainly 
 Homer was equally puzzled over the political faith 
 of Horatio. Until the darkness of evening began 
 to gather, they argued the tremendous question ; 
 and they discussed it ably, for both of them were 
 thinkino; and reasonino; men. 
 
 But, when the darkness gathered, they were not 
 
158 TAKEN BY THE EXEMY 
 
 one hair's-breaclth nearer an agreement ; and 
 probably if they had continued to argue till morn- 
 ing, or even till the end of the year, they would 
 have come no nearer together. Each had a sort 
 of horror of the views of the other, though they 
 had lived in peace and harmony all the da^^s of 
 their lives. 
 
 *•' Homer, you are my brother ; and I am sure 
 that an unpleasant word never passed between 
 us," said Horatio, wlien the sun had gone down on 
 the fruitless discussion. 
 
 ''Certainly not, brother; and it grieves me 
 sorely to find that you are upon one side, wliile 1 
 am on the other," replied Homer with a strong 
 manifestation of feeling. " I did not expect to 
 see you at Glen field ; but I felt sure that you 
 would not be found, actually or constructively, in 
 the ranks of the enemies of the South." 
 
 '' And I was equally sure that you would be 
 found on the side of your country, — the whole 
 conntr\% and not a miserable fraction of it," 
 added Horatio, with quite as much warmth as 
 liis brotlier. " I came here in the Bellevite as 
 much to convey you to a place of safety, as to 
 restore Florry to her mother." 
 
THE BLUE AND THE GRAY 159 
 
 " My country is here in the South. I have no 
 oihev country ; and I shall stand by it to the last 
 ditch, wherein I am ready to east all that I have 
 and all that I am. If you thought it possible 
 for me to desert the cause of the South, you 
 strangely misjudged me ; and I do not feel at all 
 complimented by the formation of your opinion 
 of me," said Homer, with a trifle more of bitter- 
 ness in his tone and manner than he had used 
 before. 
 
 "I see how it is with you. Homer; and I 
 realize that it is worse than folly for us to discuss 
 this important question. Your mind is made up, 
 and so is mine ; and I fear that we might quarrel 
 if we should continue to bandy words on the 
 subject. We had better drop it entirely, once 
 for all." 
 
 " Perhaps we had ; but it grieves me sorely, 
 even to think of my only brother taking part 
 wdth the hirelings of the North in an attempt to 
 subdue the free, untamed, and untamable South. 
 It would not hurt my feelings more to know that 
 you were a buccaneer, roving on the ocean for 
 the plunder of all nations." 
 
 ''You should also consider my feelings when 
 
160 TAKEN BY THE EIS^EMY 
 
 I tliink of you in armed rebellion against the 
 best government God ever allowed to exist ; that 
 my own brother is a rebel and a traitor, who is 
 liable to be shot or hung for his armed treason." 
 
 This was too much for Homer, and he gave 
 vent to his emotion in a laugh at the picture his 
 brother had drawn. He walked the library, and 
 chuckled as though he were actually amused at 
 the remarks of the other; and perhaps he was. 
 
 " I am really and heartily sorry for you, 
 Horatio, Your future, I fear, will be terribly 
 dark. Of course, all business will cease at the 
 North : the grass will grow in the streets of New 
 York and other large cities. You have an 
 immense fortune, which I do not believe you can 
 retain a single jeav ; for the war is not to be 
 confined to Southern soil, but will be carried into 
 the North, where the expenses of our men will 
 be paid by the enemy." 
 
 ''I think we had better confine our attention 
 to the present, and let the future take care of 
 itself," said Horatio, with a smile at the prophetic 
 croakings of his brother. 
 
 " Be that as it may, though T feel confident 
 that all I predict will come to pass, I desire to 
 
THE BLUE AND THE GRAY 161 
 
 have one thing understood : when you have lost 
 your fortune, or wasted it on the hireling armies 
 of the North, or on ships for its navy, you may 
 always be sure of a home at Glenfield for yourself 
 and all your family." 
 
 " If you do not lose or waste all that you have 
 on the army of the other side," added Horatio with 
 a smile. " But I am ready to drop this subject." 
 
 " It seems to be useless to continue it ; though, 
 if there were any possible way to convert you 
 from the error of your way of thinking, I would 
 struggle all night with you," said Homer. 
 
 " You cannot make a traitor of me, brother. 
 But I must tell Florry to pack her trunk at 
 once." 
 
 "Pack her trunk? Why are you in such a 
 hurry?" demanded Homer. 
 
 " Because this is not a safe place for me and 
 mine ; and I have my two children with me." 
 
 " You ought to have left Christy at home." 
 
 " I think not. Though he is only sixteen, he 
 has seen so much of the world, and is so bright, 
 that he is almost a man. He will go into the 
 navy within a few weeks, and I shall expect him 
 to give a good account of himself." 
 
162 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 " He is rather young. Corny is eighteen, and 
 he has already enlisted with his mother's blessing 
 and mine. But I think you need not be in such 
 a hurry, Horatio, to get away from here ; for it 
 is a long time since we met." 
 
 " I have expressed my political sentiments very 
 freely to you. Homer , and you know as well as I 
 do, that, if they were known, I should not be safe 
 a single day." 
 
 " Not quite so bad as that, for I think I should 
 have sufficient influence to save you from arrest," 
 added Homer. 
 
 "The Bellevite cost me over half a million 
 dollars, and she is worth all she cost. If I were 
 safe a single day, the steamer and ship's company 
 on board of her would not be. I brought them 
 down here, and I intend to take them back." 
 
 " And then you present this fine vessel to the 
 Yankee Government, and doubtless the men on 
 board of her will go into the service of the 
 navy." 
 
 "I certainly expect as much as that of them." 
 
 ''Then I question whether I ought to allow 
 such a prize to pass out of the bay for such a 
 purpose," said Homer. 
 
THE BLUE AND THE GRAY 163 
 
 " Then, with such a doubt as that in your mind, 
 I ought not to remain here another hour," added 
 Horatio quietly. '' If you have gone far enough 
 in treason to betray your own brother, coming 
 here to your home for no warlike purpose, into the 
 hands of the enemy, why, all I can do is to look 
 out for myself." 
 
 "I did not say that I should betray you, 
 Horatio. It is simply a question with me whether 
 my duty to my country will allow me to let your 
 steamer leave these waters. I have not settled 
 the question in my own mind." 
 
 "I hope you will settle it soon. If I am to take 
 my first step in this fratricidal war by defending 
 myself against my own brother, let him speak, and 
 I am ready," replied Horatio, shaken by an 
 emotion deeper than he had ever experienced 
 before. 
 
 "Horatio, whatever you may do, whatever I 
 may do, each in the discharge of his duty to his 
 country, his country as he understands it, let 
 us have no unfraternal feeling," continued Homer, 
 almost as much disturbed in his feelings as his 
 brother. 
 
 " In other words, if you hand me and my vessel 
 
164 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 over to your leaders, and consequent!}" take from 
 me the means of bearing my daughter to a place 
 of safet}^ I am to put my hand on my heart, and 
 say that my brother has done right, for I will not 
 use any stronger terms," said Horatio, struggling 
 with his emotion. 
 
 "I must do my duty as I understand it," 
 protested Homer. " The question I put to myself 
 is this : can I justify myself, before God and my 
 country, if I permit the finest steamer in the 
 world, as you state it, to be transferred to the 
 Yankee navy, to be used in killing, ravaging, and 
 destroying within the free South ? The steamer is 
 here, and. within my reach. After all you have 
 said, she would be the lawful prize of any tug-boat 
 in the bay that could capture her. I begin to 
 realize that I should be guilty of treason to mj 
 country in letting her go." 
 
 " You must be your own judge in regard to 
 that," replied Horatio bitterly, as he rose from his 
 chair and walked towards the door. 
 
 " One word more, Horatio. I look upon the 
 Bellevite as already belonging to the Southern 
 Confederacy. Of course, being a private yacht, 
 she is not armed ? " 
 
THE BLUE AND THE GRAY 165 
 
 Homer paused and looked at his brother as 
 though he expected an answer to this question ; 
 but the owner of the steamer made no reply. 
 
 "Do you say that the Bellevite is armed, 
 Horatio ? " repeated Homer. 
 
 " I do not say any thing about it. I find that I 
 am in the presence of an enemy, though he is my 
 own brother." 
 
 " Do not assume that tone to me, Horatio : it 
 wounds me to the heart," said Homer, in a depre- 
 catory tone. "If we are enemies because you 
 choose to oppress our peojDle, I cannot help it; 
 but we will still be brothers." 
 
 " The attack upon Fort Sumter was made by 
 the South; and thus far, at least to the extent 
 that I have been informed, the South has been the 
 assailant; and you say that I choose to ojDpress 
 your people. They have taken the sword, and 
 they will perish by the sword." 
 
 Captain Passford could not trust his feelings 
 any longer to remain with his brother, and he left 
 the room. In the hall he met Florry, who had 
 been lying in wait for him for over an hour. She 
 threw herself on his neck as she had done before ; 
 but she found her father full of energy, and he 
 
166 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 was not even willing to use his minutes to caress 
 her. 
 
 "What is the matter, papa?" asked the fair 
 girl, astonished at the manner of her father, for 
 she had never before seen him so agitated. 
 
 "Do not ask me any questions, Florry, for I 
 have not time to answer them now," said he 
 hastily. " Go to your room and pack all your 
 things as quick as you possibly can, and without 
 saying a word to any one." 
 
 " Why, papa ! " 
 
 " Not a word, my dear child," he added, kissing 
 her. 
 
 " It will not take me five minutes, papa ; for I 
 have been packing my trunk this afternoon, when 
 I had nothing else to do." 
 
 " Where is your room, Florry ? " 
 
 " It is on the lower floor, next to the library." 
 
 " I will be there in a few minutes. Dress your- 
 self, and be ready to leave at a minute's notice," 
 continued Captain Passford. " Where is Christy ? " 
 
 " He went out about an hour ago, when he saw 
 from the window a young man I did not know," 
 replied Florry, as she passed into her room. 
 
 Captain Passford wondered who the young man 
 
THE BLUE AND THE GRAY 167 
 
 was whom his son had gone out to meet ; for no 
 one was allowed to leave the deck of the Bellevite 
 who belonged to her, and he was not aware that 
 Christy had any friend in the vicinity. . He was 
 annoyed at his absence, for he wanted him at that 
 very moment. 
 
 Mrs. Passford and Gerty were up-stairs, where 
 nimble fingers were busily at work for the soldiers 
 of the Southern Confederacy, as they were also in 
 the North for the Union. The captain looked all 
 about the house, but he could not see or hear of 
 his son. 
 
168 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 BROTHER AT WAR WITH BROTHER 
 
 Captain Passford was very much annoyed at 
 the absence of Christy at that particular moment, 
 for it seemed to be heavily laden with momentous 
 events to him and his family ; though Christy 
 could not possibly know what had transpired in 
 the library between the two brothers. He waited 
 very uneasily in the hall, after his return from his 
 search. 
 
 Homer Passford did not come out of his library, 
 and he sat brooding over the remarkable interview 
 which had taken place between the brothers. No 
 doubt he would have been glad to believe that he 
 had been wrong ; for he had nothing but the kind- 
 est feelings in the world towards his brother, and 
 had never had in all his life. He was five years 
 older than Horatio ; and, in their earlier life, 
 he had been to some extent his guardian and 
 
BROTHER AT WAR WITH BROTHER 169 
 
 protector, and he had never lost the feeling of 
 boyhood. 
 
 But he had proved himself to be a patriot of the 
 severest type, and proposed to rob his brother of 
 his steamer, his only means of conveying his 
 daughter to his home, for the benefit of the frac- 
 tion of the nation which he called his country, and 
 more to prevent her from being transferred to the 
 navy of the Union. 
 
 While the captain was waiting in the hall, the 
 library door opened, and Homer presented himself. 
 He invited his brotlier to return to the apartment, 
 for he had something to say to him ; but Horatio 
 positively declined to do so, fearful that they 
 might come to an open rupture if the exciting 
 discussion was continued. 
 
 "But you will hear me a moment or two, will 
 you not, Horatio ? " asked Homer ; and his lips 
 quivered under the influence of his active thought. 
 
 " I will as long as that," replied Horatio. 
 
 "I have been thinkino- of the subject of our 
 conversation in relation to the Bellevite ; and I 
 have something to propose to you, which I hope 
 will satisfy you, and at the same time will not rob 
 our Government of what now belongs to it." 
 
170 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 "I am listening," added Horatio, as Homer 
 paused to note the effect of his proposal. 
 
 " You did not tell me how you got by the forts 
 in your steamer, and perhaps you are ready to do 
 so now." 
 
 " I am not ready now ; and I am not likely to 
 be ready at any future time to do so, Homer. You 
 have indicated that we are enemies, and each 
 should keep his own counsels." 
 
 " Of course you will do as you think proper. I 
 cannot reconcile myself to the idea of permitting 
 a fine steamer like the Bellevite, now virtually in 
 possession of the Confederacy, to sail away out of 
 the bay. I feel that I should be guilty of treason 
 to my country to do so." 
 
 " And you propose to steal her from your own 
 brother, if you can. You have done a large 
 business in stealing forts, and one ought not to 
 be surprised when you propose to steal a ship," 
 replied Horatio mildly but sternly. 
 
 "I pass over the injustice and unkindness on 
 your part of that remark, and I hope you will 
 accept my offer." 
 
 " Let me hear it as soon as possible." 
 
 " In spite of your present unfortunate position, 
 
BROTHER AT WAR WITH BROTHER 171 
 
 Horatio, I believe you are still a man of truth, 
 honor, and integrity." 
 " Thank you, Homer." 
 
 " I do not wish to keep Florry here when her 
 mother desires so much to see her, and I have hit 
 upon a plan by which you can do this without 
 making me a traitor to my country." 
 
 "It must have been a happy thought," added 
 Horatio, somewhat interested in what the other 
 was saying. 
 
 "I think it was a happy thought, and I 
 sincerely hope you will be able to accept the plan. 
 I have some little influence in this section, and I 
 have no doubt I can procure a pass for your 
 steamer to go to sea," continued Homer, pausing 
 to study the expression of his brother. 
 
 " Do I understand that you propose to do this, 
 Homer?" asked Captain Passford, not a little 
 astonished at the apparent change his brother had 
 made in his position. 
 
 " On a certain condition, which you can easily 
 meet." 
 
 "It looks as though you were becoming more 
 reasonable. What is the condition on which you 
 will do this? For I should certainly prefer to 
 
172 TAKEN BY THE EXEMY 
 
 have no shots fired at the Bellevite while Flony 
 is on board of her." 
 
 " As I have said, your word is as good as your 
 bond; and I am willing to accept the conse- 
 quences of the step I propose to take, since the 
 Confederacy will not suffer any loss or detriment 
 on account of it." 
 
 "It will not! " exclaimed the captain, beginning 
 to see that he could not accept the conditions. 
 
 "It will not. I could not injure or cheat my 
 country, even to serve my only brother, greatly as 
 I desire to do all I can for him." 
 
 "But what is the condition, Homer?" asked 
 Captain Passford, who had by this time lost all 
 hope of the plan. 
 
 " You shall take Florry to some point, — Ber- 
 muda, for instance, — from which she can obtain 
 passage to New York. Before you go, you shall 
 give me your simple word that you will return to 
 Mobile Bay with the Bellevite, and surrender her 
 to the Confederate authorities. I am entirely 
 willing to accept your promise to do this, without 
 any bond or other writing." 
 
 "Is that all?" asked Horatio, hardly able to 
 contain himself. 
 
BROTHER AT WAR WITH BROTHER 173 
 
 " That is all ; what more do you desire? " 
 
 "Nothing; that is enough. I have already 
 tendered my steamer to the Government of the 
 United States; do you think me capable of 
 surrendering my vessel to rebels and traitors, 
 under any possible circumstances? I would blow 
 her up with all on board of her, before I would do 
 such a thing. You insult me by proposing such 
 treachery to me. Not another word about it, if 
 you please ! " 
 
 Homer returned to his library, and closed the 
 door after him ; for the last remark of the owner 
 of the Bellevite had excited him, and he could not 
 trust himself to remain any longer in the presence 
 of his Union brother. 
 
 " I am all read}-, papa," said Florry, who had 
 opened the door once before, and found that her 
 father was engaged. 
 
 "I cannot find Christy, but I hope he is not far 
 off," added Captain Passford, as he went into the 
 room, and, to the astonishment of his daughter, 
 bolted the door after him. 
 
 "I did not know the young man he went out to 
 see, but I noticed that he looked something like 
 Major Pierson," said Florry. 
 
174 take:n" by the enemy 
 
 " Then it was the major's brother, and he came 
 from Nassau with us on board of the steamer. I 
 hope neither of them will get into any trouble, for 
 all this country is in a very excited condition," 
 said the captain, as he carefully opened the 
 window at the side of the apartment. 
 
 This was quite as singular a movement as bolting 
 the door ; and the fair girl, who had heard some of 
 the energetic conversation in the hall, began to 
 think that something strange was about to trans- 
 pire in the mansion. Her father spent some time 
 in looking out the window ; for it was now quite 
 dark, and he could not make out objects out- 
 doors very readily. 
 
 The window opened upon a lawn covered with 
 orange, magnolia, and other ornamental trees. 
 The house was low on the ground, and it was 
 not more than three feet from the window-sill 
 to the lawn. Without explaining any thing. 
 Captain Passford took his daughter's trunk, 
 carried it to the window, and then dropped it 
 upon the lawn beneath. 
 
 "Now, Florry, I want you to get out at this 
 window ; and you can easily step down upon the 
 trunk," continued the owner of the Bellevite. 
 
BKOTHER AT WAR WITH BROTHER 175 
 
 " Get out of the window, papa ? " demanded the 
 maiden, with a look of intense astonishment at 
 her father. 
 
 " Do just as I tell you, my child, and don't ask 
 any questions now ; for all will be explained to 
 your satisfaction," replied he, as he assisted her 
 to a chair, by which she mounted to the window- 
 stool. 
 
 She dropped lightly down upon the trunk, 
 which had been placed in a convenient position 
 for her, and then to the ground. Her father 
 followed her ; though he stopped long enough to 
 close the window after him, and leave every thing 
 as it had been before. 
 
 " I think I can understand something about it, 
 papa," said Florry, as the captain joined her. 
 " But am I to leave this house, where I have been 
 for six months, without saying good-by to uncle or 
 aunt?" 
 
 " Not a word to any one, my child. I am sorry 
 it must be so ; but this is a time of war, and I 
 have no time to stand on ceremonies," replied her 
 father, as he picked up the trunk, and tossed it on 
 his shoulder as though he had done that kind af 
 work before. 
 
176 TAKEK BY THE ENEMY 
 
 He walked off with a firm step, in spite of his 
 burden, taking the nearest way to the wharf where 
 he had left the Bellevite. The distance was con- 
 siderable, and the millionnaire was obliged to stop 
 and rest two or three times ; and, though Florry 
 insisted upon helping him, he would not allow her 
 to do so. It was nearly ten o'clock at night when 
 the wanderers reached their destination, and were 
 hailed by the vigilant watch on the deck. 
 
 " Florence I " called the owner of the steamer 
 when he was challenged, and gave the word that 
 had been agreed upon. 
 
 " Pass, Florence," replied the sentinel. 
 
 All the officers were still upon board, and Florry 
 received a very respectful greeting from all of 
 them. Her trunk was carried to her stateroom ; 
 and she soon followed it, for the excitement of the 
 afternoon and evening was rather too much for 
 her. 
 
 " Is Percy still on board, Breaker ? " asked the 
 owner. 
 
 " He is not : he lounged about the deck till 
 nearly night, and then he said he would go up and 
 see his mother, to which I had not the least 
 objection," replied the commander. 
 
BROTHER AT WAR WITH BROTHER 177 
 
 "I have no objection to his going where he 
 pleases now, but the worst of it is that Christy 
 appears to have gone witli him. They must have 
 been gone three hours, and I begin to be worried 
 about my son. But no matter for that now: we 
 are ready to sail, and it is necessary to get out 
 into the bay, at least without any loss of time, 
 Breaker. The tide is right now." 
 
 Captain Breaker had not expected to leave so 
 soon, and thought it probable that the vessel 
 would remain where she was for several days or a 
 week. But he had caused the fires to be banked, 
 so as to be ready for any emergency, though he 
 did not anticipate any ; for he reasoned that the 
 powerful influence of the owner's brother would 
 be enough to protect the steamer from interfer- 
 ence. 
 
 The commander called all hands, and the owner 
 requested that the work be done with as little 
 noise as possible. In less than an hour the Belle- 
 vite was floating in the deep waters of the bay. 
 But the owner was far from easy ; though, in spite 
 of all his brother had said, he felt that the steamer 
 was safe for the present : he was not a little 
 alarmed at the continued absence of Christy. 
 
178 TAKEN BY THE EXEMY 
 
 Captain Passford had formed a very decided 
 opinion in regard to Major Pierson, and he did not 
 believe that Percy had seen the end of his troubles 
 in the matter of joining the army. It was not 
 over a three hours' run in a reasonably fast 
 steamer from the forts to the city, and at least ten 
 hours had elapsed since the Bellevite came up. 
 Possibly the major might wonder whether or not 
 the coming of Captain Passford would disturb the 
 residence of Miss Florence at the mansion of her 
 UDcle. It was not improbable that he had, or 
 might, come up to look out for his interests. 
 
 If he came across his brother Percy after he left 
 the steamer, he was likely to make a soldier of 
 him ; and it was unfortunate that Christy had 
 been his companion when last seen. 
 
CHRISTY FIXDS HIMSELF A PRISONER 179 
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 CHRISTY FINDS HIMSELF A PRISONER 
 
 Christy Passford had not gone out of his 
 uncle's house for any particular purpose ; though 
 he saw Percy, and joined hira as he left the 
 mansion. He had visited Glenfield before, and 
 he had some curiosity to see familiar objects 
 again. It was nearly dark, and he wondered 
 where the major's brother was going at that 
 hour. 
 
 " Where are you going now, Mr. Percy," he 
 asked, as he approached the agent. 
 
 "I thought I would go up to the house and 
 see my mother," replied Percy. " Won't you go 
 over with me ? It is only a short distance." 
 
 " No, I think not : I don't care to go a great 
 way from the house." 
 
 " It isn't above half a mile, and I am coming 
 directly back again." 
 
180 TAKEX BY THE ENEMY 
 
 " I will not go as far as joii are going, but I 
 will take a little stroll as far as the gate. Where 
 is your brother now ? " 
 
 " I suppose he is at the fort. If I thought he 
 were about here, I should not leave the steamer. 
 lie has got it into his head that I must join the 
 army, and he will never be satisfied till I am 
 there." 
 
 " He is certainly very much in earnest, judging 
 by his conduct on board of the Bellevite," added 
 Christy. 
 
 " He pretends to believe that my not joining 
 the army will be a disgrace to the family ; but, if 
 my father don't think so, Lindley need not worry 
 his head about the matter." 
 
 " Your brother seems to have a very strong 
 will of his own," suggested Christy. 
 
 " He will send me into the army in spite of my 
 father and mother ; and, for that reason, I don't 
 mean to go where he can put his finger on me. 
 Of course, the Bellevite is going into the 
 Confederate navy." 
 
 Percy looked his companion in the face, as 
 though he had been thinking of something which 
 would benefit his own case. 
 
CHRISTY FINDS HIMSELF A PRISONER 181 
 
 '■' You will have to ask my uncle about that," 
 replied Christy, not willing to say any more than 
 was necessary on this subject. 
 
 "There can be no doubt of it, and I would 
 rather be in the navy than in the army. I hope 
 your uncle will be able to do somethmg for me." 
 
 " I don't know whether he can or not. For 
 aught I know, the steamer may be sent to 
 England, or to some other country," replied 
 Christy, as they approached the gate, which was 
 to be the end in that direction of his walk. 
 
 " At any rate, I mean to stay on board of the 
 Bellevite ; and I shall take my chances of getting 
 a position of some kind on board of her." 
 
 " What kind of a position do you desire ? " 
 
 " I am willing to be one of the lieutenants, or 
 something of that kind," replied Percy with 
 becoming condescension. 
 
 " One of the lieutenants ! " exclaimed Christy. 
 "Of course you know all about handling a ship 
 or a steamer." 
 
 "I can't say I do. In fact, I never went on 
 the sea till I went to Nassau with my father," 
 replied Percy candidly. "But I can soon learn 
 all about it." 
 
182 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 " A nice lieutenant you will make ! Why 
 don't you apply for the position of commander 
 of her ? " 
 
 ''I am willing to take a subordinate position 
 till I learn something about the business." 
 
 "That's right! Be humble at first, and you 
 will be great afterwards." 
 
 " I should have been willing to go into the 
 army as a captain, or even as a lieutenant ; but I 
 couldn't quite stand it to go in as a common 
 soldier, while my brother made a beginning as a 
 major." 
 
 " I think I will not go any farther, Mr. Percy," 
 said Christy, as he halted near the gate. 
 
 "Oh, don't leave me now, Mr. Pierson! We 
 are half way to my father's house," Percy objected. 
 
 " I can't go any farther, for I may be wanted." 
 
 "You will be safe enough, Mr. Pierson. My 
 mother is at home, and she will be glad to see 
 you." 
 
 " I think I will not see your mother to-night," 
 added Christy, as he turned, and began to retrace 
 his steps towards the mansion of his uncle. 
 
 They had halted in the road near the gate, and 
 on both sides of it was a thick undergrowth of 
 
FoLR Mex Sprang in Front of Hm (Page 183) 
 
CHRISTY FINDS HIMSELF A PRISONER 183 
 
 small trees and biisbes ; and in tlie shade of this 
 foliage it had become quite dark. Christy had 
 not taken three steps before four men sprang out 
 of the thicket in front of him, all of them armed 
 with muskets, and wearing a uniform of gray. 
 Two placed themselves in front of Christy ; 
 while the other two rushed after Percy, who 
 took to his heels as soon as he saw them. 
 
 The gate was an impediment to the latter ; and 
 before he could get over or through it, the two 
 soldiers had laid violent hands on him. He 
 could offer no effectual resistance, and it was 
 evident that he was frightened out of his wits ; for 
 he looked and acted like the ghost of despair 
 itself. The two men immediatel}^ tied his hands 
 behind him ; and, though they did not use any 
 undue harshness, they did their work thoroughly. 
 
 Christy was even more astonished than his 
 companion at this sharp discipline. He did not 
 regard himself as a fit subject for such treatment, 
 and he could not understand why he had been 
 subjected to it. Pie was not liable to do military 
 duty, and Major Pierson could hardly think of 
 pressing him into the service of the Confederacy. 
 His two captors were as prompt in their action 
 
184 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 as tlie two wlio had taken Percy, and his hands 
 were also tied behind him. 
 
 " Good-evening, gentlemen," said Christy, as 
 soon as the soldiers had bound him, and then 
 stood in front to take a look at him. " Don't it 
 strike you that you are indulging in rather sharp 
 practice ? " 
 
 " We haven't any thing to do with the practice : 
 all we have to do is to obey orders," replied one 
 of the men. 
 
 " But I think you have mistaken your orders," 
 suggested the prisoner. 
 
 "I think not: if we have, we will set things to 
 rights at once," replied the man, who appeared to 
 be the sergeant in command of the party. " But 
 our business is not so much with you as Avith the 
 other young fellow." 
 
 Upon this, Christy was conducted to the gate, 
 where Percy had not yet recovered any of his self- 
 possession. For his own part, he felt that a mis- 
 take had been made, which must soon be corrected. 
 He knew nothing of the wide difference of 
 opinion which had suddenly become apparent 
 between his father and his uncle, and he Avas sure 
 that the latter could soon effect his release. 
 
CHRISTY FINDS HIMSELF A PRISONER 185 
 
 " This is an outrage ! " exclaimed Percy, wlio 
 perhaps felt that it was necessary for him to say 
 something, now that Christy had come within 
 hearing distance. 
 
 "Perhaps it is, Mr. Pierson," replied the 
 sergeant. " But that isn't any of my business." 
 
 " You will be held responsible for it, sir ! " 
 protested Percy. 
 
 " Perhaps I shall ; but I shall obey my orders," 
 replied the soldier doggedly. 
 
 "Who gave you your orders?" demanded 
 Percy imperatively. 
 
 "Well, I don't belong to the class in catechism, 
 and I don't answer all the questions that are put 
 to me." 
 
 "My father will have something to say about 
 this business." 
 
 " He can say all he likes, but he need not say 
 it to me ; for I only obey my orders, and I have 
 nothing to do with giving them." 
 
 " What are you going to do with me ? " asked 
 Percy, when he found he could make nothing of 
 the sergeant. 
 
 " I don't know what they will do with you ; but 
 I reckon they won't shoot you, as they might a 
 
186 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 fellow whose father was not a man of some con- 
 sequence," replied the sergeant, as he ordered 
 one of his men to open the gate. 
 
 " Shoot me ! " exclaimed, Percy, evidently 
 appalled at the bare possibility of such an event. 
 
 "I reckon they won't do that," added the 
 soldier. 
 
 " This is my father's plantation, and my mother 
 is in the house," continued Percy. 
 
 " She can stay there : we shall not meddle with 
 her." 
 
 " But you are going to take me away from her." 
 
 " You look like a stout young fellow, and you 
 ought to be able to get along for a while without 
 your mother," chuckled the sergeant. "You 
 belong in the army ; and I reckon you will have 
 to go back to it, in spite of your mother." 
 
 '' I don't belong to tlie army," protested Percy. 
 
 " Well, they call you a deserter, anyhow." 
 
 Percy seemed to be overcome by this statement, 
 and Christy thought there was something more 
 of his story than he had told on board of the 
 Bellevite. It was possible, after all, that Major 
 Pierson was not as much of a brute as he had 
 appeared to be. But, if his companion was a 
 
CHRISTY FINDS HIMSELF A PRISONER 187 
 
 deserter, he certainly did not come under that 
 head himself, and he could not understand why 
 he had been arrested. 
 
 " I suppose you don't claim me as a deserter, do 
 you ? " asked Christy good-naturedly. 
 
 '' I don't think they do," replied the sergeant, 
 as pleasantly as he had spoken himself. 
 
 "Then, why do you arrest me?" 
 
 " ]My orders were to arrest any person with Mr. 
 Pierson : and that is all I know about your case, 
 and I am very sorry to give j^ou any annoj^ance. 
 Things are a little mixed, and I hope they will 
 soon get them levelled down. If you don't object, 
 we will march." 
 
 " I suppose you will march all the same, if I do 
 object," added Christy. " I was not aware that it 
 was a crime here to be in the company of that 
 young man." 
 
 " I reckon I was ordered to arrest you as a mat- 
 ter of precaution ; and I dare say they will let you 
 return as soon as we report to the major," said the 
 sergeant, leading his prisoner through the gateway. 
 
 The other men took Percy by the arm ; and, 
 after they had closed the gate, they followed the 
 road for a considerable distance, and then struck 
 
,188 TAKEN BY THE EXEMY 
 
 across the fields. Not far ahead, Christy saw many 
 lights; and he concluded that this must be the 
 location of the mansion of Colonel Pierson, the 
 father of Percy, and for some reason best known 
 to himself, the sergeant desired to avoid going 
 very near it. 
 
 A march of a short distance farther across the 
 field brought them to a road, which they followed 
 till they came to a wagon drawn by two horses. 
 The animals were hitched at the side of the road, 
 and no one seemed to be in charge of the team. 
 But the sergeant halted his party at this point; 
 and, leaving the prisoners in charge of his men, he 
 went to the wagon. 
 
 " Major Pierson," said he ; but no answer came 
 to his question, and he repeated it with no better 
 success. 
 
 Then he mounted the seat in front of the 
 wagon, and looked over into the body of it. Then 
 he reached over ; and a moment later the form of 
 a man was seen to rise from a quantity of hay 
 which filled the body. 
 
 "Is that you, Spottswood?" demanded the 
 rising form. 
 
 " Yes, sir, I am here ; and I have two prisoners. 
 
CHRISTY FINDS HIMSELF A PRISONER 189 
 
 One of them is your brother, and I don't know 
 who the other is," rephed the sergeant. 
 
 "Are you sure that one of them is my brother ? " 
 asked the major. 
 
 " I am as sure as I can be, for I heard the other 
 fellow call him Percy two or three times before I 
 stepped in front of them." 
 
 "Don't you know who the other one is?" 
 
 "I haven't the least idea. I arrested him as 
 you told me, but I did not question him." 
 
 The major ordered him to put his prisoners into 
 the wagon. 
 
190 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 MAJOR PIEESON IS PUZZLED 
 
 Two of the soldiers were placed at the rear of 
 the wagon, one took his place on the hay with 
 Percy, while the major and the sergeant seated 
 themselves on the cushion in front. Spottswood 
 took the reins ; and the officer told him to drive 
 on, without saying a word to the prisoners. 
 
 It was quite dark ; and Christy had not the 
 least idea where he was, or where he was going. 
 He could see that Major Pierson had sent this 
 party to arrest his brother, as Percy seemed to 
 fear that he would do, and had remained and slept 
 away the time in the wagon himself. He liad 
 been introduced to the major, and had been 
 treated with " distinguished consideration '' by 
 him. In view of the possible relations between 
 him and Florry, he did not feel much concerned 
 about his own safety, though he was sorry to have 
 his father and sister worry over 'his absence. 
 
MAJOR PIERSON IS PUZZLED 191 
 
 " Then, it seems you have been in the army, 
 after all," said he to his fellow-prisoner, after they 
 had gone some distance. 
 
 "I never belonged to the army," he replied 
 decidedly. 
 
 " Did you put your name down ? " 
 
 " Yes, I did ; but I supposed I was to be a 
 captain, or something of that sort. When I found 
 I must go as a common soldier, mixed up with all 
 sorts of people, I couldn't stand it. I applied for 
 my discharge ; but they would not give it to me, 
 and I went home without it." 
 
 " That looks very much like desertion," added 
 Christy, and the major went up somewhat in his 
 estimation. 
 
 " But it was not desertion ; for I applied for my 
 discharge, and all they had to do was to give it 
 to me. They understood it so, for they did not 
 come to the house after me," argued Percy. 
 " Then, when my father went to Nassau, he took 
 me with him. But the surgeon said I was not 
 fit for the army, for I had indications of varicose 
 veins. My father sent the certificate to the 
 authorities, and applied for my discharge." 
 
 "Was it £ver granted?" 
 
192 TAKEX BY THE EXEMY 
 
 " I suppose it was, but I don't know." 
 
 " If it had been, your brother would know 
 about it." 
 
 " Will your uncle make you join the army, 
 Mr. Pierson ? " 
 
 " No : my uncle has no authorit}^ over me, and 
 he cannot make me join the army," replied Christy. 
 
 " Where is your father ? " 
 
 " He was at my uncle's plantation. I think we 
 have kept up this farce long enough, Percy," 
 said Christy, laughing. " My father is the owner 
 of the Bellevite." 
 
 " What did you tell me your name was Percy 
 Pierson for ? " demanded the other prisoner. 
 
 " For the same reason that I told you the 
 steamer belonged to the Chinese government, 
 and a dozen other things of the same sort." 
 
 " What is your name, then ? " 
 
 " Christopher Passford ; but" I am commonly 
 called Christy." 
 
 '' Then, you have been fooling me ? " 
 
 " You knew very well that I had been fooling 
 
 you." 
 
 "Then, you are the son of the owner of the 
 Bellevite." 
 
MAJOR PIERSON IS PUZZLED 193 
 
 "I am." 
 
 " Then, you can get me a place on board of her." 
 " Perhaps I can. We will see about that." 
 Christy doubted if their political opinions 
 would permit them to serve on the deck of the 
 same vessel, but he did not suggest any thing 
 of this kind. He had been introduced to Major 
 Pierson under his real name, and he was certain 
 to be identified by him as soon as the light 
 permitted him to see his face ; and he had made 
 the best of it b}^ telling Percy the truth before 
 he found it out himself. 
 
 " You haven't told me who the other prisoner 
 is, Spottswood," said the major, when they had 
 ridden some distance in silence. 
 
 "I don't know who he is," replied the sergeant. 
 " I never saw him before in my life, so far as I 
 know." 
 
 ''Didn't he tell you who he was?" 
 "He did not, and I did not ask him any 
 questions." 
 
 That was all that was said about it; and the 
 major relapsed into silence, and Christy concluded 
 that he had gone to sleep again. The wagon 
 continued on the journey, though at a very slow 
 
194 TAKEN BY THE EXEMY 
 
 pace, for the road could hardly have been any 
 worse. At the end of about two hours more, 
 the vehicle halted near a sheet of water which 
 looked as though it might be a river, or an arm 
 of Mobile Bay. 
 
 The road appeared to end at a rude sort of 
 wharf; but there was no person in the vicinity, 
 no house, and no craft of any kind in the water, 
 so far as Christy could see when he was helped 
 out of the wagon. Percy was assisted to the 
 ground also ; and the two soldiers at the rear of 
 the wagon, who had gone to sleep, were waked, 
 and ordered to get out. 
 
 "We shall not want the wagon any more," 
 said the major. " You can send Boyce back to 
 the house with it." 
 
 " It is five miles from here, and he will not get 
 back till nearly morning." 
 
 " We can wait for him. The Leopard will not 
 be here for some time." 
 
 " I think we ought to send two men, major," 
 suggested the sergeant. 
 
 "Why two?" 
 
 " For company : one of them may get asleep, 
 and two will get back sooner than one." 
 
MAJOR PIERSON IS TUZZLED 195 
 
 " They might as well all of them go, for they 
 can do nothing here," added the major with a 
 terrific yawn. 
 
 Two men were sent away with the wagon. 
 The most of the hay in it was taken out; and 
 with it the superior officer made a bed for himself, 
 and was soon asleep again. The sergeant and 
 the remaining soldier took their knapsacks from 
 a tree where they had put them before, and it 
 was decided that one of them might sleep while 
 the other kept guard over the prisoners. Spotts- 
 wood was the first to take his turn, and his 
 companion stretched himself on the planks of the 
 wharf. 
 
 The sergeant brought out the knapsacks of the 
 two absent soldiers, and gave the blankets to 
 Christy and Percy, both of whom were sleepy 
 enough to follow the example of the others. 
 Spottswood assisted them very kindly, spreading 
 out the blankets for them, and covering them 
 afterwards; for, as their hands were tied behind 
 them, they were almost helpless. 
 
 The two prisoners soon dropped asleep ; and 
 they knew nothing more till after daylight, when 
 Christy was waked by the hissing of steam at the 
 
196 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 rude wharf. The two soldiers who had been sent 
 away with the wagon were asleep on the planks, 
 though neither had. a blanket. The major had not 
 been disturbed by the noise, for he was farther 
 from it than the others. 
 
 With some difficulty Christy got upon his feet, 
 and looked about him. A tug-boat lay at the 
 wharf, with the steam escaping from her pipe. 
 There was nothing else to be seen in the vicinity. 
 The sheet of water, which was apparently half a 
 mile wide, had a bend some clistance from the 
 wharf, so that he could not see any farther ; but 
 he had no difficulty in coming to the conclusion 
 that the water was an arm of the bay. 
 
 On board of the Leopard, for the name was on 
 the front of the pilot-house, he could see only two 
 llien, one of whom came out of the engine-room ; 
 and he judged that they were the pilot and 
 engineer. Doubtless the former was also the 
 caj)tain of the craft. 
 
 While one of the two men seated himself on 
 the rail, the other came on shore. He was a man 
 of very small stature, and looked as though his 
 health was very poor. Indeed, his step was quite 
 feeble, and he seemed to have hardly strength 
 
MAJOR PIERSON IS PUZZLED 197 
 
 enough to handle his frame. As the tng had just 
 come in, doubtless he had been on duty the whole 
 or a portion of the night, which may have 
 explained his exhausted condition. 
 
 " Good-morning, Captain Pecklar," said the 
 sentinel on duty at the wharf. 
 
 " Good morning, Tubbs. Where is Major Pier- 
 son ? " asked the captain of the Leopard, in a very 
 faint voice. 
 
 " He is still asleep, and he has his bed at the 
 foot of that tree yonder," replied the sentinel, 
 pointing at it. "How do you find yourself this 
 morning ? Any better ? " 
 
 "About the same; I am about used-up for this 
 world," replied Captain Pecklar, continuing his 
 painful walk towards the tree indicated. 
 
 " Is that the captain of the Leopard ? " asked 
 Christy. 
 
 "Yes, poor fellow! He came down here two 
 years ago from somewhere North, almost gone in 
 consumption. He got a little better; but he is 
 worse again, and I don't believe he will last much 
 longer," replied the sentry. 
 
 " Has he been out all night on the steamer ? " 
 inquired Christy, who felt that it was his duty to 
 
198 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 obtain all the information lie could in regard 
 to this steamer, as it was in the service of the 
 commander of Fort Gaines. 
 
 " I don't know where he has been ; but I 
 suppose he has been on duty all night, and that 
 don't agree with him at all. We came up here 
 yesterday afternoon — Well, never mind what we 
 have been about. I forgot that you were a pris- 
 oner ; and you may be a Yankee, for aught I know." 
 
 Before Christy had time to make any reply, the 
 sentinel walked away, and the major was seen 
 coming from his bed with CajDtain Pecklar. They 
 went to the wharf together, where they seated 
 themselves on a box which lay there. The pris- 
 oner turned away from them ; and the major took 
 no notice of him, and did not appear to see him, 
 or he would certainly have identified him. 
 
 Christy's bed was just behind them, when they 
 had seated themselves ; and he dropped down on 
 his blanket, rolled it about him as well as he 
 could, and then pretended to be asleep, as Percy 
 was still, in spite of the noise of the escaping 
 steam on board of the boat. 
 
 " What have you done with your men. Captain 
 Pecklar ? " asked the major. 
 
MAJOR PIERSON IS PUZZLED 199 
 
 " I have just told you that the steamer had 
 changed her position," replied the captain. 
 
 " I did not understand you," returned the major. 
 "Do you mean that she has left the wharf? " 
 
 " I do : she was out at least two miles from the 
 shore," added Captain Pecklar. 
 
 " Two miles from the shore I " exclaimed Major 
 Pierson. *' What does that mean ? " 
 
 " I don't know, sir. Lieutenant Dallberg did 
 not know what to make of it ; and he decided to 
 take his two men to the shore, and investigate the 
 matter. He directed me to report this to you." 
 
 "But when did the Bellevite leave the wharf ? " 
 asked the major, evidently very much puzzled at 
 what he regarded as the singular conduct of the 
 owner of the steamer. 
 
 " I don't know, sir. It was after ten o'clock in 
 the evening when we first saw her out in the bay." 
 
 " Was she at anchor? " 
 
 "I think not. I was ordered not to go very 
 near her, and I could not tell." 
 
 " Do you know whether or not Captain Passford 
 is on board of her ? " 
 
 " Of course I do not. In fact, I know nothing 
 at all about her, except that she has left the 
 
200 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 wharf and come out into the bay. I think I 
 heard her screw in motion, though I am not sure ; 
 and that makes me think that she is not at anchor. 
 Mr. Dallberg thought he ought to go on shore, 
 visit Colonel Passford, and obtain further informa- 
 tion if he could." 
 
 The major ordered the captain to embark the 
 party at once. 
 
MORNING TRIP OF THE LEOPARD 201 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 THE MORNING TRIP OF THE LEOPARD 
 
 If Major Pierson had had aii}^ curiosity at all in 
 regard to the person captured by the soldiers with 
 his brother, he appeared to have forgotten all 
 about him. He took no notice of him after he 
 left his bed of hay, but then he was evidently very 
 much disturbed by the fact that the Bellevite had 
 left the wharf. 
 
 Christy Passford was quite as much astonished 
 as the major when he learned that the steamer had 
 left her berth at the wharf, and he was utterly 
 unable to account for the change of positioli. The 
 movement had been made since he left his uncle's 
 mansion ; for at that time the two brothers were 
 still in the library, and he had no knowledge 
 whatever of what was passing between them. 
 
 The major ordered all his men on board the 
 Leopard, and directed the sergeant to conduct the 
 
202 TAKEN BY THE EXEMY 
 
 prisoners to the deck of the tug. Percy was 
 waked when he was wanted, and he had slept 
 soundly till that time. With their hands still tied 
 behind them, they were conducted to the after- 
 deck of the tug, where there was a small space 
 from which opened the stateroom of the captain. 
 
 " I might as well jump overboard first as last," 
 said Percy bitterly, as he seated himself in the 
 place assigned to him by Spottswood. 
 
 " It is hardly worth your while to do that, Percy. 
 I don't think your brother is likely to do you any 
 harm," replied Christy. 
 
 " I would rather be drowned in deep water than 
 be sent into the army as a common soldier," said 
 the victim, as he went to the rail and looked over 
 into the water. 
 
 But his companion was perfectly confident that 
 he would not jump overboard while his hands 
 were tied behind him ; for the chances were all 
 against him, though he might be willing to punish 
 his brother by making a demonstration in the 
 direction indicated. 
 
 " The water is too cold at this time in the morn- 
 ing, Percy," said Christy with a smile. "I think 
 you ought to give your brother the credit of having 
 
MORNING TRIP OF THE LEOPARD 203 
 
 the reputation of your family at heart. If I 
 had a brother, I had about as lief have him drown 
 himself as desert from the army." 
 
 "I don't call it deserting," replied Percy rather 
 warmly. 
 
 " You can call it what you like, but that is what 
 it was." 
 
 "It is no use to talk with you about it. Where 
 are we going now ? " demanded Percy impatiently. 
 
 " We are going to look out for the Belle vite, 
 and perhaps you can get on board her again," 
 suggested Christy. 
 
 " Do you think I can ? " asked the deserter with 
 renewed interest. 
 
 "I am afraid your brother will look out too 
 sharply for you. He has you now, and he will 
 hold on this time." 
 
 Christy had little sympathy for his companion. 
 He was an able-bodied young man of eighteen, 
 with influence enough behind him to give him a 
 good show in the ranks if he did his duty. But 
 he was the youngest child of his father and 
 mother ; and he had evidently been spoiled by 
 indulgence, so that he was not fit for the stern 
 duties of the present emergency. 
 
204 TAKEN BY THE EXEMY 
 
 The steamer seemed to be very short handed, 
 and doubtless part of the work on board was 
 done by the soldiers, for the tug seemed to be 
 in the employ of the fort. There was no crew, 
 so far as Christy could judge, except the captain 
 and engineer; and both of these seemed to be 
 invalids, for the latter was so lame he could 
 hardly go. The soldiers hauled in the fasts, 
 and seemed to be at home with this sort of 
 work. 
 
 The Leopard backed out from the wharf, came 
 about, and headed down the inlet, or whatever 
 it was. She had hardly left the pier before 
 Major Pierson appeared on the quarter-deck, 
 which had been assigned for the use of the 
 prisoners. His gaze was first fixed on Percy; 
 for the other prisoner was looking astern, in order 
 to obtain some idea of where he was, if he could, 
 for he thought such information might be of 
 some use to him in the future. 
 
 " Well, Percy, how goes it now ? " asked the 
 major. 
 
 Christy heard the voice, which was the first he 
 knew of the presence of a third person, and 
 he turned about. The major started back as 
 
MORJ^^ING TRIP OF THE LEOPARD 205 
 
 though he had seen his father with his hands tied 
 behind him by his order. 
 
 " Good Heaven ! Mr. Passford ! " exclaimed the 
 major ; and Christy was satisfied that his aston- 
 ishment was sincere. 
 
 " Tliat is certainly my name : I haven't for- 
 gotten it, if I am a prisoner with my hands tied 
 behind me," replied Christy, as good-naturedly as 
 though he had had no grievance. 
 
 " This is all a mistake ! " ejaculated Major 
 Pierson, evidently greatly disturbed by the dis- 
 covery he had just made, as he rushed upon the 
 prisoner, turned him around, and proceeded to 
 untie the line which bound him. 
 
 "I thought it must be a mistake," added 
 Christy. 
 
 "You must have been with this brother of 
 mine. I told Spottswood to arrest Percy, for 
 he has disgraced himself and his family ; and I 
 told him to capture whoever might be with him, 
 for I did not care to leave behind an informant 
 of what had been done, for it would only have 
 made my mother feel badly. That is really the 
 whole of it. I am very sorry indeed that you 
 were subjected to this annoyance, Mr. Passford; 
 
206 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 and I assure you I will do all in my power to 
 atone for my offence." 
 
 " I am satisfied, Major Pierson ; and the only 
 thing that disturbs me is the fact that my father 
 and sister will worry about my absence," replied 
 Christy. 
 
 "You are no longer a prisoner, Mr. Passford, 
 and you are at liberty to go where you please." 
 
 " But my limits are rather circumscribed on 
 board this tug." 
 
 "But I will soon put you on board your father's 
 steamer." 
 
 "Thank you, sir ; that is all I can desire." 
 
 "Can't you do as much as that for me, 
 Lindy?" asked Percy, when he saw that his 
 brother was about to leave him. 
 
 " If you say that you will return to your place 
 in your regiment, I will release you at once," 
 replied the brother. 
 
 " I won't do that," answered Percy without any 
 hesitation. "But I want to go into the navy. 
 I am better fitted for a sailor than I am for a 
 soldier." 
 
 "The first thing is to wipe out the disgrace 
 you have cast upon yourself and your family," 
 
MORNING TRIP OF THE LEOPARD 207 
 
 added the major warmly. " I induced your 
 officers to look upon it as a freak of a boy, and 
 by returning to your duty you can soon wi^je out 
 the stigma." 
 
 " I shall not become a common soldier if I can 
 help it. My father and mother will stand by me, 
 if the rest of you do not," said Percy. 
 
 " That's enough ; and you will go back to the 
 army, whether or not you are willing," added 
 the major, as he turned on his heel. 
 
 Christy followed him to the forecastle of the 
 tug, where a rather heavy gun was mounted, 
 which took up most of the space. 
 
 " Take a seat, Mr. Passford," said the major, 
 giving him a stool, while he took another himself. 
 " It looks as though your father changed his plans 
 rather suddenly last evening." 
 
 "I was not aware of it," replied Christy. 
 
 " The Bellevite was taken from the wharf 
 where you landed some time in the evening, and 
 came out into the bay, where she seems to be 
 waiting for something, I don't know what. As I 
 understand the matter, your father has sold the 
 steamer to the Confederacy." 
 
 "Where did you learn that. Major Pierson?" 
 
208 TAKEN BY THE EXEMY 
 
 asked Christy, who had not heard any such 
 story. 
 
 " You certainly came from Nassau ? " 
 
 "We did." 
 
 " And you met my father there ? " 
 
 " I did not meet him, but my father did." 
 
 "I understood that my father bought this 
 steamer, or that he bargained for her in some 
 manner, for the use of the Confederacy." 
 
 "I was not present at the interview between 
 your father and mine, and I do not know just 
 what passed between them." 
 
 " And I understood that he sent Percy to act as 
 a sort of agent for the delivery of the vessel ; 
 though it still puzzles me to comprehend how my 
 father should do such a thing, especially when he 
 knew that the boy would be arrested as a deserter 
 if he showed his face anywhere near Mobile." 
 
 Christy felt that his tongue might be a danger- 
 ous member, and he was not disposed to talk about 
 the matter at all. All the information which the 
 major had derived from Captain Passford and 
 others had been accepted from inference ; for the 
 owner of the Bellevite certainly had not said that 
 the steamer was for the use of the Confederacy, 
 
MORNING TRIP OF THE LEOPARD 209 
 
 and lie would have blown her up rather than 
 admit any thing of the sort. 
 
 "It looked to me as though every thing was all 
 right about the steamer, or I would not have let 
 her pass the fort ; and the commander at Fort 
 Morgan was as well satisfied as I was, after I had 
 explained the situation to him." 
 
 Major Pierson looked at Christy as though he 
 expected him to talk on the subject before them ; 
 but the latter would not say any thing, for he saw 
 that he was in an extremely delicate position. He 
 made some sort of answers, but they amounted to 
 nothing. 
 
 " I cannot understand why Captain Passford has 
 moved the Bellevite from the wharf," continued 
 the major. 
 
 " I am as much in the dark as you are, sir. I 
 spent the afternoon with my sister, and my uncle 
 Homer and my father were in the library together 
 all this time," replied Christy. " I have no idea 
 what they were talking about. Just at dark, I 
 saw Percy pass the window ; and I went out for a 
 little walk. I was arrested by your men soon after. 
 Not a word had been said in my hearing about 
 moving the steamer. That is all I know about the 
 
210 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 matter, and I am as much surprised as you can be 
 at the change which has been made." 
 
 "I have no doubt that every thing connected 
 with the steamer is all right. I know that your 
 father is a Northern man, but I am confident that 
 he will be on the right side in .this conflict," added 
 the major. 
 
 " He will certainly be on the right side," said 
 Christy ; but he had gone far enough to know that 
 there were two right sides to the question, and 
 one seemed to him to be as honest, earnest, and 
 resolute as the other. 
 
 "We shall soon know something more about it," 
 added the major, evidently disappointed at not 
 being able to obtain any information from the 
 owner's son. 
 
 The tug went out into the bay, and then 
 changed her course to the eastward. One of the 
 soldiers went to the galley, and breakfast was 
 served to the major and his guest in the captain's 
 room; and Percy was released long enough to 
 take the meal with them. But he was sullen, and 
 even morose, in view of the fate that awaited 
 him. 
 
 " Boat just come round that point," said the 
 
MORNING TRIP OF THE LEOPARD 211 
 
 captain from the pilot-house, when the party had 
 returned to the forecastle. 
 
 Captain Pecklar seemed to be hardly able to 
 speak ; he was so exhausted by his night watch, 
 and by constant fits of coughing, that he could 
 hardly make himself heard. 
 
 " What boat is it, Pecklar ? " asked the major, 
 straining his eyes to discover it. " I don't see it." 
 
 " Take my glass, and you can see it," added the 
 captain, more faintly than before. "I don't think 
 I can stand it any longer, Major Pierson." 
 
 " But we can't get along without you, Pecklar. 
 We haven't another hand that knows how to 
 steer,'* replied the major, as he hastened up to the 
 pilot-house, followed by Christy. 
 
 Captain Pecklar had fainted and fallen from the 
 wheel. 
 
212 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 
 THE EEPORT OF THE SCOUT FROM THE SHORE 
 
 Captain Pecklar had held out as long as it 
 was possible for him to stand it, and he had 
 only given up when his senses deserted him. 
 Major Pierson raised him from his position on 
 the floor of the pilot-house, and, with Christy's 
 assistance, bore him out into the air. 
 
 The wheel had gone over when the sick man 
 could no longer hold it, and the tug was begin- 
 ning to whirl about in an erratic manner, when 
 the major rang the bell to stop the engine. 
 The captain was carried down to his room, and 
 put into his berth, where one of the soldiers 
 was detailed to act as his nurse. 
 
 "I haven't a man on board that knows the 
 first thing about handling a steamboat ; and I am 
 not a bit wiser myself," said the major, when 
 the sick man had been disposed of. Every man 
 
THE REPORT OF THE SCOUT 213 
 
 that is fit to be made into a soldier is sent to 
 the army ; and we have nothing but the lame, 
 and the halt, and the blind to handle these boats.'* 
 
 "It does not look like good policy," added 
 Christy. 
 
 " Dallberg and his two men are soldiers, and 
 they know no more about a steamboat than the 
 rest of us," continued Major Pierson. "It looks 
 as though we should have to stay here till some 
 other boat comes along ; and that may be in three 
 days or a week, for steamers have no occasion to 
 come up here now." 
 
 " Perhaps you may find a pilot among the men 
 in that boat," suggested Christy, as he looked 
 about the pilot-house, where the conversation 
 took place. 
 
 The captain's glass was lying on a shelf in 
 front of the wheel, and he took a look through 
 it in order to find the boat. After searching in 
 every direction, he discovered the boat, which 
 was pulled by two men, with a third in the 
 stern-sheets. He indicated the position of it to 
 the major, and gave him the glass. 
 
 " That's Dallberg, without any doubt ; but he 
 must be five miles off. He can't reach the 
 
214 TAKEl^ BY THE ENEMY 
 
 steamer for a long time," said the major, when 
 he had examined the boat. " But we shall be no 
 better off than we are now when she gets here, 
 for not one of those in it is a sailor." 
 
 Christy was not a little interested in the 
 situation ; for he thought his father must have 
 gone on board of the Belle vite, or she would 
 not have changed her position. It was all a 
 mystery to him as well as to the commandant of 
 Fort Gaines, and the boat in the distance had been 
 to the shore for the purpose of investigating it. 
 
 He had an idea in his head, and he continued 
 to examine the interior of the pilot-house till he 
 found a number of paper rolls in a drawer, which 
 looked ver}^ much like local charts of the bay. 
 He examined several of them, and found one 
 which covered the portion of the waters around 
 him. He had noted the direction taken by the 
 Bellevite the day before, and he had no difficulty 
 in placing the inlet where she had moored at the 
 wharf. 
 
 "What have you got there, Mr. Passford?" 
 asked the major, who had been looking on the 
 floor, thinking what he should do in his present 
 dilemma. 
 
"You A Sailor?" (Page 215) 
 
THE REPORT OF THE SCOUT 215 
 
 "It is a chart of these waters, which appears 
 to have been considerably improved with a pen 
 and ink," replied Christy, still examining it. 
 
 " That is the work of Captain Pecklar. They 
 call him the best pilot for Mobile Bay there is 
 about here, though he has been here but two 
 years." 
 
 "Here is the inlet, or river, where we passed 
 the night ; and the captain has marked the wharf 
 on it." 
 
 "What good is the chart without a man that 
 knows how to steer a steamer ? " asked the major, 
 who was .becoming very impatient in the presence 
 of the delay that confronted him ; for th^ illness of 
 Captain Pecklar deprived him of the ability to 
 do any thing, even to return to the fort. 
 
 " You forget that I am a sailor. Major Pierson," 
 said Christy. 
 
 "You a sailor? I thought you were the son 
 of a millionnaire, who could not possibly know 
 any thing except how to eat and sleep," replied 
 the soldier, laughing. 
 
 " I have steered the Bellevite for a great many 
 hundred miles, and my father says I am com- 
 petent to do duty as a quartermaster." 
 
216 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 " You astonish me ; and, as we are both engaged 
 in the same good cause, I am heartily delighted 
 to find that you are a sailor." 
 
 " Probably I shall astonish you still more before 
 we have got through. With this chart before 
 me, I have no doubt I can find my way about 
 here in the Leopard," said Christy. 
 
 "Then I give you the command of the steamer 
 in the absence of Captain Pecklar," continued the 
 major. " This boat and another are in the service 
 of the forts ; and if you don't want to join 
 the army w^th Percy, perhaps I can obtain the 
 appointment for you, especially as you are hardly 
 old enough to go into the ranks. We will see 
 about that." 
 
 "We will leave all that open for future action, 
 if you please. Major Pierson," replied Christy, 
 as he rang the bell for the steamer to go ahead. 
 
 The major watched him with the most intense 
 interest, as though he feared that the young man 
 would prove to be a failure as a steamboat captain. 
 But the steamer went ahead at the sound of the 
 bell, and in a minute or two Christy had her on 
 her course in the direction of the approaching 
 boat. He examined the chart very carefully, and 
 
THE REPORT OF THE SCOUT 217 
 
 satisfied himself that there was water enough for 
 the tug anywhere outside the headlands which 
 projected into the bay. 
 
 The Leopard held her course as steadily as 
 though the sick captain were still at the wheel ; 
 and the major was entirely satisfied with the 
 qualifications of the nev/ master, after he had 
 watched him for a while. 
 
 - "Spottswood, how is the captain?" called the 
 major from the pilot-house. 
 
 " Just the same : he don't seem to be any 
 better," replied the sergeant. 
 
 " He ought to have a doctor ; for the poor fellow 
 may die here, away from any proper attendance," 
 said the major, with more feeling than the new 
 captain supposed he possessed. 
 
 " There is a very skilful surgeon on board of 
 the Bellevite," suggested Christy. " Dr. Linscott 
 served in the army in Mexico, and had a large 
 practice in New York." 
 
 "Then he shall see Pecklar. Dr. Linscott is 
 just the sort of a surgeon we want in our army ; 
 and I suppose he would not be on. board of the 
 Bellevite if he was not of our way of thinking," 
 added the major. 
 
218 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 Christy knew he was nothing but a Union man, 
 and not of the way of thinking which the soldier 
 suggested : so he said nothing. The Leopard was 
 a faster tug than the one which had come off from 
 Fort Gaines, and she came up with the boat which 
 contained Lieutenant Dallberg and his two men, 
 the Latter of whom were nearly exhausted with 
 the long pull they had taken ; for, as they were not 
 sailors, they did not row to the best advantage. 
 
 The new captain rang the bell to stop her, as 
 soon as the boat came near, and the party came on 
 board. The two men seated themselves on the 
 rail as though they never intended to do another 
 stroke of work, for they had been using the oars 
 most of the time since the evening before. 
 
 "Come up here, Dallberg," called the major 
 from the pilot-house. 
 
 The lieutenant looked as though he had just 
 been through one war ; for he had slept none the 
 night before, and had been on duty without inter- 
 mission. He came to the hurricane-deck, and 
 entered the pilot-house, where he dropped on the 
 sofa abaft the wheel as though he were not in 
 much better condition than the captain when he 
 fell at his post. 
 
THE REPORT OF THE SCOUT 219 
 
 "You have made a night of it, Dallberg," the 
 major began, seating himself by the side of the 
 lieutenant. 
 
 " I am about used up, major. I believe I walked 
 ten miles on shore ; and I am not as strong as I 
 wish I w^as," replied Mr. Dallberg. ''But I found 
 out all I wanted to know, and I expected the 
 Leopard would be somewhere near the creek." 
 
 "I beg your pardon, Major Pierson," said 
 Christy, who was standing at the wheel. " What 
 am I to do now ? " 
 
 " I will tell you in a moment. — Can you tell me, 
 Dallberg, where the Belle vite is at the present 
 time ? " asked the major, turning to the lieu- 
 tenant. 
 
 " She seems to be running up and down across 
 the head of the bay. She is beyond that point 
 now, and you will see her when you go within a 
 mile of the land," replied the lieutenant. 
 
 " Have you been near her ? " 
 
 "Not within a mile of her, I should say." 
 
 " All right , you may head her within a mile of 
 that point. Captain Passford," added the major ; 
 and Christy rang to go ahead. 
 
 When the major applied this high-sounding 
 
220 TAKEX BY THE ENEMY 
 
 title to the new captain, the lieutenant opened 
 his eyes a little ; but he asked no questions, for 
 he had learned as he came on board that Captain 
 Pecklar had fainted at his post. 
 
 "Well, what have you been about, Dallberg?" 
 asked the major rather impatiently, as soon as 
 the boat was under way again. 
 
 " Walking, talking, and rowing most of the 
 time. As the poet says, 'Things are not what 
 they seem,' " replied the scout ; for such appeared 
 to be the duty in which he had been engaged. 
 
 "What do you mean by that?" asked Major 
 Pierson, opening his eyes very wide. 
 
 "We discovered that the steamer had left the 
 wharf last night, and you sent me to investigate 
 when you started off in that wagon." 
 
 " That's so ; and Pecklar reported to me early 
 this morning that the steamer had left the wharf, 
 and was standing off and on in the bay." 
 
 " I went ashore in the evening, leaving Pecklar 
 to watch the steamer. I don't know any thing 
 about his movements." 
 
 " He reported to me this morning about day- 
 light. It is all right as far as he is concerned. 
 What have you done ? " 
 
THE REPOKT OF THE SCOUT 221 
 
 "I landed at the wharf where the Bellevite 
 had been moored, about eleven o'clock, I should 
 say, for I could not see my watch. I went up to 
 Colonel Passford's house, and found it all in 
 commotion." 
 
 " What was the matter ? 
 
 " Colonel Passford was not there : he had gone 
 off to procure assistance." 
 
 " Assistance for what ? " demanded the major. 
 "You are sleepy, Dallberg, and you are mixing 
 your story." 
 
 " I am sleepy and exhausted, but I will try to 
 do better. I saw Mrs. Passford. She told me 
 that her brother-in-law, Captain Horatio Passford, 
 had come to the house that day, with his son ; 
 and you are aware, I believe, that his daughter, 
 Miss Florence, has been there all winter." 
 
 " I know all about that. Go ahead, Dallberg." 
 
 "The two brothers had been shut up in the 
 library all the afternoon, engaged in an earnest 
 discussion ; though the colonel's wife did not know 
 what it was about. Captain Horatio left Colonel 
 Homer in the library some time in the evening, 
 and the colonel remained there till after ten. 
 Then it was found that the captain had left the 
 
222 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 house secretly, with his daughter and his son; 
 though some of the servants had seen the young 
 man going up the road with Percy Pierson." 
 
 " Exactly so ; never mind the young man now. 
 The captain had left the house, and his daughter 
 went with him?" repeated the major, beginning 
 to be a good deal excited. 
 
 '' The house was searched, but they could not 
 be found ; and the young lady's trunk had been 
 removed from her room. Then the colonel went 
 down to the wharf, and found that the Bellevite 
 had left." 
 
 Major Pierson sprang to his feet, hardly able to 
 contain himself. 
 
REBELLION IN THE PILOT-HOUSE 223 
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 
 A EEBELLION IN THE PILOT-HOUSE 
 
 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 con- 
 clusion 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 enough 
 
224 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 that lie was stirred to the very centre of his 
 being. 
 
 " Then Captain Passford has left the man- 
 sion ? " 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 
 oi\ 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 ; but 
 
REBELLION IN THE PILOT-HOUSE 225 
 
 when 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 our- 
 selves 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. Col- 
 onel Passford is as true to the Confederacy as 
 we all know him to be, but Captain Passford 
 
228 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 is 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. 
 
REBELLION IX THE PILOT-HOUSE 227 
 
 "Then Captain Passforcl and his daughter are 
 now on board of the steamer," added the major ; 
 tho'ugh 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," inter- 
 posed the lieutenant. 
 
 " What more is there ? You said you had told me 
 the whole," said the major, with a sneer on his lips. 
 
 " The Belle vite 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. 
 
228 take:n' by the exemy 
 
 " 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." 
 
REBELLION IN THE PILOT-HOUSE 229 
 
 "I tliink 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 Spotts- 
 wood, 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 notliing 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. 
 
230 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 "I am sure I don't know what he is waiting 
 for," rej)lied 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," 
 
REBELLION IN THE PILOT-HOUSE 231 
 
 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 with- 
 out an instant's hesitation ; for he clearly under- 
 stood what he was doing now, and neither really 
 Mor 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 enem}^, Major Pierson?" 
 
 "You must have heard all the information 
 which was brought to me by Lieutenant Dall- 
 berg ; and by this time you are aware that the 
 steamer yon'der is an enemy of the Confederate 
 States," continued the major. 
 
232 TAKEi:^ BY THE ENEMY 
 
 "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 m acts of war. In either 
 case. Homer Passford is a thief and a robber I " 
 
 "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." 
 
REBELLION IN THE PILOT-HOUSE 233 
 
 " 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 embar- 
 rassed. The events of the night, and the informa- 
 tion 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. 
 
234 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 CHAPTER XXI 
 
 THE SICK CAPTAIN OF THE LEOPARD 
 
 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, wdiile he recognized the irreg- 
 ularity 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 using 
 
THE SICK CAPTAIN 235 
 
 force 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 
 w^iser than the owner's brother. 
 
 The major went to the lower deck of the Leop- 
 ard, 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 u-p 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. 
 
236 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 " I was thinking that we should have a storm 
 before long when I looked at the signs this 
 morning," rej^lied 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 T mean heavy 
 guns, — sixty and eighty-four pounders. I think 
 
THE SICK CAPTAIN 237 
 
 there 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 liim. 
 
 " 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. 
 
238 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 "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 assist-. 
 ance 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." 
 
THE SICK CAPTAm 239 
 
 " 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 should 
 
240 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 remove a heavy burden from liis 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 cap- 
 tured 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 the 
 
THE SICK CAPTAIN 241 
 
 pilot-house, or concealed so tliat 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 Christ}^ 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 the 
 
242 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 people of the Bellevite. In a few miniTtes more, 
 tliis 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 Avent 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 apart- 
 
THE SICK CAPTAIN 243 
 
 ment. 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 Belle vite, either by force or b}^ 
 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 would 
 
244 TAKE^ BY THE E?^EMY 
 
 do what lie 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 doAvn 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. 
 
PROCEEDINGS ON THE LOWER DECK 245 
 
 CHAPTER XXII 
 
 THE PROCEEDINGS ON THE LOWER DECK 
 
 Christy Passford did not consider Percy 
 Pierson a competent helmsman, for he had spent 
 bat 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 com- 
 panion 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 upon 
 
246 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 her 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. 
 
PROCEEDINGS ON THE LOWER DECK 247 
 
 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 I " 
 added the major sternly. 
 
 " Bui you are going off, Major Pierson," sug- 
 gested Spikeley. "If that steamer over yonder 
 
248 TAKEN BY THE EXEMY 
 
 looks 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 ba}' ? " 
 
 " 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 where 
 your are," added the major with a chuckle. 
 
 " Are 3^ou 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, or 
 
PROCEEDINGS ON THE LOWER DECK 249 
 
 anybody 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 Pass- 
 ford : that's the young fellow at the wheel. He is 
 the only one that can do any mischief, and I 
 would not have liim 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 organiz- 
 ing 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 the 
 
250 TAKEN BY THE EXEMT 
 
 tug 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. Every- 
 body 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." 
 
PROCEEDINGS ON THE LOWER DECK 251 
 
 " Then I won't tell him. All I want is to get 
 away from him. He will make a common soldier 
 of me, and T 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 ? " 
 
 "Xot a thing: he would hardly speak to me, 
 for he says I have disgraced the family. But, 
 Christy, now I thmk of it, you are not on the 
 South side of this question." 
 
 ''How do you know I am not?" asked Christy, 
 lauo'hinp;. 
 
 '' 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. 
 
252 TAKEN BY THE EXEMY 
 
 "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 can 
 
PROCEEDINGS ON THE LOWER DECK 253 
 
 see througli a brick wall, when there is a hole 
 ill 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 thes3 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 know 
 
254 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 what 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, 3'our 
 brother may think there are few men on board 
 of the vessel." 
 
 "I want to get on board of the Bellevite any- 
 how ! " 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 with 
 
PROCEEDINGS ON THE LOWER DECK 255 
 
 you 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. 
 
256 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 THE EXPEDITION FROM THE LEOPARD 
 
 " What is the matter now ? " demanded Percy 
 Pierson, when the tug ceased to shake under 
 tlie pressure of the engine, and began to roll 
 rather smartly in the sea, though it Avas 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 start 
 
EXPEDITION FKOM THE LEOPARD 257 
 
 her," 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 ring 
 
258 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 one 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 care- 
 fully 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 com- 
 pletion 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, 
 liaA'ing 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. 
 
EXPEDITION FROM THE LEOPARD 259 
 
 " 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 I " 
 exclaimed Percy, whose vexation was in 
 proportion to his zeal. 
 
 He rang the gong again ; but Christy under- 
 stood 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." 
 
260 TAKEX BY THE ENEMY 
 
 " 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 major 
 
EXPEDITION FROM THE LEOPxVRD 261 
 
 declared 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 tlie 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 
 witli 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." 
 
262 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 "■ 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 thr:w 
 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 com- 
 paratively 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 little 
 
EXPEDITION FROM THE LEOPARD 263 
 
 practice 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 I " 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 begin- 
 ning to liglit 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." 
 
264 TAKEX BY THE ENEMY 
 
 " 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 
 CajDtain 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 m3-self 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." 
 
EXPEDITION FROM THE LEOPARD 265 
 
 "Well, what is he after?" 
 
 " He is after the Bellevite ; and if he can 
 take her, he is sure of a colonel's commis- 
 sion." 
 
 " T 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 T can expect of 3'ou ; 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 my 
 
266 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 brotlier 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. 
 
THE ENGINEER IN THE FORECASTLE 267 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 THE ENGINEER GOES INTO THE FORECASTLE 
 
 The wind from tlie 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 closel}'- ; 
 for, as the case then stood, one of them belonged 
 to the blue, wdiile the other was of the gray. 
 But Percy's patriotism was hardly skin deep, 
 
268 TAKEN BY THE EKEMY 
 
 and he had already spoken freely enough to 
 make himself understood. 
 
 "I don't see how you are gomg 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 I You will blow the whole 
 thing np I " 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 father 
 
THE ENGINEER IX THE FORECASTLE 269 
 
 was 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 notliing 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 witli 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 for 
 
270 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 weeks 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 Avith 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. 
 
THE ENGINEER IN THE FORECASTLE 271 
 
 " 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 T 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 I " 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." 
 
272 TAKEN BY THE EIS^EMY 
 
 Christy was a good deal disturbed by the 
 discovery he made ; and. giving no further atten- 
 tion to his companion, he continued to study 
 the approaching craft, at the same time endeavor- 
 ing to account for her appearance. His uncle 
 Homer had gone to find some one who was to 
 render assistance in preventing the Belle vite 
 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 a 
 
THE ENGINEER IN THE FORECASTLE 273 
 
 good 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 build- 
 ings on the shore, at least five miles beyond the 
 steamer. Do you see them ? " 
 
 "I do." 
 
 " Run for them ; and this course will carry you 
 
274 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 a 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 r*" 
 
 " 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, Avhich was 
 also the mess-room of the crew when she had any. 
 Forward of this, and under the forward deck, was 
 
THE ENGINEER IN THE FORECASTLE 275 
 
 the forecastle, to which the inquirer descended. 
 It was fitfed 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. 
 
276 TAKEJT BY THE ]eNEMY 
 
 " 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 1*11 tell you 
 any thing about it. I get my orders from Major 
 Pierson," replied the engineer sourh^ 
 
 " 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. Spikele}^ : 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 ? " 
 
The Engineer Obeyeb" (Page 277) 
 
THE ENGINEER IN THE FORECASTLE 277 
 
 " 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. 
 
278 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 CHAPTER XXV 
 
 THE FIEST LESSON FOR A SAILOR 
 
 As the engineer was a cripple, Christy Passford 
 had not expected to have any difficulty in bring- 
 ing 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. 
 
 The long-boat was still struggling through the 
 
THE FIRST LESSON FOR A SAILOR 279 
 
 waves 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 gone 
 
280 TAKEN BY THE EXEMY 
 
 in 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," re^Deated 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 thougli 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. They 
 
THE FIRST LESSOX FOR A SAILOR 281 
 
 are 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 some- 
 what 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 3^ou 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 of 
 
282 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 these 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 w^ith 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 com- 
 panion. " The steamer, I mean the tug, is 
 already in my possession." 
 
THE FIRST LESSOX FOR A SAILOR 283 
 
 " In your possession ! What do you mean 
 by that ? " asked the captain with a look of 
 astonishment. 
 
 " I have driven the engineer into the fore- 
 castle, 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 Avhat, 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 to 
 
284 TAKEN BY THE EXEMY 
 
 run 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. 
 
THE FIRST LESSON FOR A SxULOR 285 
 
 "Now yon may do it in earnest, Percy," said 
 he. " We are all ready to go ahead. Strike 
 yonr gong." 
 
 " It will be no use to strike it while yon 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 I " 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 took 
 
286 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 hold of the spokes, and looked ahead to get 
 the course of the boat. 
 
 "You will never make a sailor till you mend 
 your wa3^s," 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 Avhile 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 under- 
 stood it." 
 
 " You will never make a sailor, as I said before," 
 added Christy. 
 
THE FIRST LESSON FOR A SAILOR 287 
 
 "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 fore- 
 
288 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 castle. 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 jou have learned 
 the first lesson a sailor has to get through his head, 
 all right; if not, Captain Pecklar wdll 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 POST OF DUTY 289 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI 
 
 THE POST OF DUTY AND OF DANGER 
 
 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 w^as, 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, though 
 
290 TAKEN BY THE EXEMY 
 
 by this time she was not more than half a mile 
 distant. Xo immediate danger was to be appre- 
 hended 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 
 Avhen 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?" 
 
THE POST OF DUTY 291 
 
 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 con- 
 clusion 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 
 theBellevite?" 
 
 "No, I haven't seen any thing in that direc- 
 tion," 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, 
 
292 TAKEN BY THE EXEMY 
 
 and the fastest steamer in these waters. They 
 have been fittmg 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 Christ}". 
 
 " Why, the Bellevite cannot do any thing but 
 run away ; and i\Iajor 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 ques- 
 tion. " 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 father 
 
THE rOST OF DUTY 293 
 
 came 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 the 
 
294 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 approaching vessel was the yacht described hj 
 Captain Pecklar. But he had hardly got his 
 eye on the Daiiphine, 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 Perc}^ 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. 
 
THE POST OF DUTY 295 
 
 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 Belle- 
 vite changed her course again, and run directly 
 towards the tug. 
 
 This movement was a|)parently 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 I " shouted Major Pierson ; 
 and he was near enough now to be distinctly 
 heard. 
 
 " Li 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 1 " exclaimed Percy. " My brother don't 
 
296 TAKEN BY THE EXEMY 
 
 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 
 Christ}^ 
 
 At that moment the crack of a musket was 
 heard, and a bullet craslied 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. 
 
THE POST OF DUTY 297 
 
 " I have no wish to be shot any more than 3^011 
 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 
 w^ant 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 joii 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 uncom- 
 fortably 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." 
 
298 TAKEN BY THE EXEMY 
 
 " 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 Avill 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," contin- 
 ued 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 chap- 
 ter 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." 
 
THE POST OF DUTY 299 
 
 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 under- 
 stand 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. 
 
800 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII 
 
 A CANNON-BALL THROUGH THE LEOPAED 
 
 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 Avhat 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. 
 
A CANNON-BALL 301 
 
 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 liim. But Christy saw that he was losing 
 the game, as he probably would not have done if 
 he had been a sailor, for his cal'culations 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 its 
 
302 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 best, and the tug was in a fair wa}^ 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 command- 
 ant 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 w^hat 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. 
 
A CAKN^ON-BALL 803 
 
 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 com- 
 panions 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 
 unnecessaril)^. 
 
 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 out 
 
304 TAKEX BY THE E^EMY 
 
 from his liidiDg-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, lie 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. 
 
 Tliere 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 tlie 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 the 
 
A CANNON-BALL 305 
 
 gun, as he had dene before, by swinging it around 
 so th:it 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 ail 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 ; T 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 had 
 
306 TAKEX BY THE ENEMY 
 
 undoubtedly made an impression upon him. 
 But he was as glad to take the wheel as 
 Christy w^as 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 T 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-j^iece 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. 
 
 "Ver}^ 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 on 
 
A CANNON-BALL 307 
 
 the 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 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 observed 
 
308 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 and 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 impres- 
 sion. Those on board of the Leopard must be 
 
A CANXOX-BALL 309 
 
 on tlie 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 aban- 
 doned 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." 
 
310 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 " 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 Ins 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 sj^linters fly 
 all around them. 
 
THE AMERICAN FLAG AT THE FORE 311 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII 
 
 THE AMERICAN FLAG AT THE FORE 
 
 Christy rushed out of the engine-room, 
 followed by Captain Peckhar, to ascertain what 
 damage had been done to the tug by the shot. 
 A cloud of smoke rising from the Belle, astern 
 of the Leopard, informed them that the shot had 
 come from her. It had struck the house on 
 deck, carrying away the corner of the captain's 
 state-room ; but, beyond this, no damage appeared 
 to be done. 
 
 But the tug had broached to, and it was 
 evident that Percy had abandoned the whee] 
 when the shot struck the vessel ; and Christy 
 hastened to the pilot-house to restore the vessel 
 to her course. But he was closely followed by 
 the acting engineer. They found the volunteer 
 pilot lying on the deck, where he had been before 
 when the vessel was fired upon. 
 
312 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 "Is that the way you steer the boat, Percy?" 
 said Christy reproachfully, as he went into the 
 pilot-house, and righted the helm. 
 
 " Didn't you hear that cannon-shot that struck 
 her just now?" demanded Percy, partly raising 
 himself from his recumbent posture. 
 
 "Of course I heard it: I am not deaf; and, if 
 I had been, I could have felt it. I don't believe 
 we shall want you on board of the Bellevite, 
 if that is the way you do your duty." 
 
 " I don't want to be shot by my own people," 
 pleaded Percy. "Has the shot ruined the 
 vessel ? " 
 
 " Don't you see that she is going along the same 
 as ever? No harm has been done to her so far 
 as any further use to us is concerned," replied 
 Christy. " But, Captain Pecklar, as things are 
 now, we are running right into the fire." 
 
 Christy was more troubled than he had been 
 at any time before ; and he realized that it was 
 necessary to make some change in the course of 
 the Leopard, though she had the enemy on each 
 side of her. 
 
 " It don't look as well as it might," added the 
 captain gloomily. 
 
THE AMERICAN FLAG AT THE FORE 313 
 
 "The Dauphine is getting altogether too near 
 us, and we are making the distance between us 
 less every minute," added Christy. 
 
 " There comes another shot from the Belle. 
 She means business, and Major Pierson is cer- 
 tainly directing things on board of her. We 
 can't stand that any longer. But she wasted her 
 powder that time, and we must do better than 
 that. What do 3'ou intend to do, Christy." 
 
 "I mean to come about, and take a course 
 between the Belle and the Dauphine : that is the 
 most hopeful thing I can think off," replied 
 Christy, after another careful survey of the posi- 
 tions of the enemy. 
 
 " I think you are right." 
 
 "We will come about, then;" and Christy 
 threw over the wheel. 
 
 " That will bring our gun where we can use it ; 
 and we shall have a better chance at the Belle 
 than she has at us, for she is larger, and has a 
 crowd of men on her main deck," added Captain 
 Pecklar, as he went to the ladder. 
 
 "If you are not afraid of those shots, I am 
 not," said Percy, coming into the pilot-house 
 again ; and he was evidently ashamed of himself 
 
314 TAKEN BY THE EXEMY 
 
 when lie saw a fellow younger than himself taking 
 no notice of them. 
 
 " I don't pretend to like them, or that I am not 
 afraid of them ; but I shall do my duty in 
 spite of them," replied Christy. "I should be 
 ashamed to meet my father, if I ever see him 
 again, if I gave up the fight, and allowed myself 
 to be kept as a prisoner." 
 
 " I want to get away from here as mnch as you 
 do ; and I will take the wheel again, if you will 
 let me," continued Percy. 
 
 **I don't ask you to expose yourself; but, if 
 you take the helm, j^ou must stick to it till you 
 are relieved. We have no time to fool with 
 you." 
 
 " I will stick to it, Christy." 
 
 " Very well, then you shall take it ; but if you 
 desert your post again, I will shoot you the first 
 time I set eyes on you." 
 
 " That is rough." 
 
 " If you think it is, don't take the helm." 
 
 "I will take it, for I had rather be shot by 
 those in the other steamers than by j'ou." 
 
 "I am going below to help Captain Pecklar; 
 but the moment the tug goes wrong, I shall 
 
I HAVE HIT Her" (Fa^e ill.")) 
 
THE AMERICAN FLAG AT THE FORE 315 
 
 send a ball from my revolver up into the 
 pilot-house." 
 
 " I understand you, and it looks as though we 
 were getting into a hot place. I will do my duty 
 as well as I know how. Now tell me how I am 
 to steer." 
 
 " Run for that point you see far off to the 
 northward." 
 
 Christy went to the main deck forward, where 
 he found Captain Pecklar getting the field-piece 
 ready for use. The Belle was now quite near 
 on the one hand, while the Dauphine was hardly 
 farther off on the other hand. The Belle vite 
 was coming down from the north-east, with the 
 lead still going in her chains. The immediate 
 danger was to come from the Belle. 
 
 " That won't do I " exclaimed Captain Pecklar, 
 when they had the gun in position for use. 
 
 " What won't do ? " asked Christy. 
 
 "Didn't you notice that? They are firing 
 rifle-balls from the Belle. One of them just 
 struck the bulkhead." 
 
 "I don't see that we can help ourselves, 
 whether it will do or not." 
 
 " The chances are in our favor, however, for 
 
316 TAKEX BY THE ENEMY 
 
 the men cannot handle their rifles to the best 
 advantage while the Belle heaves in the sea," 
 added the captain. " Don't stand np where 
 they can see you, Christy, but get down on the 
 deck with that lock-string in your hand. When 
 I give you the word, pull it as quick as you 
 can," said the captain, as he sighted the gun, 
 and changed its position several times. 
 
 He was a sailor, and the artillery officers at 
 the forts had trained the men employed on the 
 tugs in handling the pieces put on board of 
 them, to be used in bringing vessels to. Better 
 than any soldier, he could make the proper 
 allowance for the motion of the steamer in the 
 sea, which was becoming heavier. 
 
 '^ Fire ! " shouted he, with more voice than he 
 w^as supposed to have in the feeble condition 
 of his lungs. 
 
 The gunner had loaded the piece himself, and 
 it made a tremendous report when Christy pulled 
 the lock-string. The Leopard shook under the 
 concussion of the discharge, and she was com- 
 pletely enveloped in smoke ; so that they could 
 not see whether the Belle had been hit or not. 
 But in the distance they could hear hoarse 
 
THE AMERICAN FLAG AT THE FORE 317 
 
 shouts in tlie direction of the Belle, and they 
 concluded that something had happened in that 
 quarter. 
 
 Christy had brought down the glass with him ; 
 and he directed it towards the steamer aimed at 
 as soon as the smoke began to blow out of the 
 way, though it was some time before he could 
 get a clear view of her. 
 
 <•' By the great Constitution ! " exclaimed 
 Captain Pecklar, before Christy could cover the 
 Belle with his glass. " I have hit her ! " 
 
 "Where?" asked the other, elated at the 
 intelligence. 
 
 . " Eight on the bow I There is a hole big 
 enough to roll a wheelbarrow through," replied 
 the captain, greatly excited. "She has stopped 
 her wheels." 
 
 " That's a nice hole ! " added Christy, as he 
 got the glass to bear on it, and his hopes began 
 to rise again. " It is just about big enough for 
 a small wheelbarrow. But they have gone to 
 work on it, and are putting mattresses over it." 
 
 "That craft is finished for to-day, and we 
 needn't worry any more about her," said tlie 
 captain. "She will not get that hole stopped 
 
318 TAKEN BY THE EXEMY 
 
 up for an hour or longer, and I hope this affair 
 will be over before this can be done. Shall we 
 give them another shot? What do you think, 
 Christy? She holds still now, and I believe I 
 can hit her every time." 
 
 " Decidedly not : she is disabled for the 
 present, and that is all I care for. We are not 
 in war trim," replied Christy, as he turned his 
 attention in the direction of the other vessels. 
 
 " As I told you, the Dauphine is fast ; and 
 she will be down upon us in less than five 
 minutes more," said Captain Pecklar. 
 
 " I wonder that she don't fire upon us," added 
 Christy. 
 
 " I doubt if she has any guns on board, though 
 she may have a field-piece or two." 
 
 " The Bellevite is waking up, I think," said 
 Christy. 
 
 " She is getting into deeper Avater." 
 
 "But tlie Dauphine is coming right between 
 the Leopard and the Bellevite," continued 
 Christy, as he brought the glass to bear upon 
 her, though she was near enough to be distinctly 
 seen with the naked eye. " Whether she had 
 any guns or not, she has plenty of men on 
 
THE AMERICAN FLAG AT THE FORE 819 
 
 board; and it is easy enough to see what she 
 intends to do." 
 
 '• What do you think she intends to do ? " asked 
 the captain. 
 
 " Of course she carae out here after the Belle- 
 vite, as the Belle did also ; but her people have 
 seen what the Leopard has been about for the last 
 hour, and they intend to dispose of us before they 
 hunt for the bigger game." 
 
 "She may capture the Belleyite after she has 
 finished her business with us," said the captain, 
 looking very anxious. 
 
 '- She may, but I don't believe she will. You 
 have proved that you are all right. Captain 
 Ffcklar, and I don't mind telling you now that 
 the Bellevite is heavily armed. Captain Breaker 
 was a lieutenant in the nav}^ and he knows how 
 to handle a ship," replied Christy. 
 
 "Then, if we escape the Dauphine, w^e shall be 
 all right." 
 
 " The Dauphine will come down, and throw^ a 
 few men on board of us ; boarding us, in fact, as 
 we have no force with which to help ourselves, ' 
 added Christy, as he took a small American flag 
 from his pocket. 
 
320 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 It had been made by his mother on the late 
 cruise of the steamer, and it was a sort of talisman 
 with him, which he had often displayed in foreign 
 lands. He found a pole on the deck, to which he 
 attached the emblem of his whole country, and 
 displayed it at the bow of the tug. He hoped 
 that his father or the captain might see it, and 
 recognize it as the one he had so often seen on 
 board and ashore. 
 
 " That's a handsome flag, Christy ; and it does 
 me good to see it again," said Captain Pecklar, as 
 he took off his hat, and bowed reverently to it. 
 
 " Percy, hard-a-starboard the helm ! " shouted 
 Christy to the helmsman. "Head her for the 
 Belle." 
 
 " All right." 
 
 "I think we can increase the distance a little 
 between us and the Dauphine," added Christy. 
 
 " That's a good move ; for we have been putting 
 ourselves nearer to her when there was no need 
 of it, as there has not been since the Belle was 
 disabled." 
 
 He had hardly spoken the words before a tre- 
 mendous cheer came from the Bellevite, and her 
 fore-rigging appeared to be filled with men. The 
 
THE AMERICAN FLAG TO THE FORE 321 
 
 cheer was repeated till it had been given at least 
 *' three times three." 
 
 "What does that mean, Christy?" asked 
 Captain Pecklar. 
 
 " It means that my father or some one on board 
 has recognized my flag. I should have set it 
 before if we had been near enough for them to 
 make it out. But they have seen it, and I feel 
 sure that all the steamers in the bay could not 
 capture us now. Look at the Bellevite I " 
 
 She seemed suddenly to have taken the bit in 
 her teeth, and she was rushing forward at a speed 
 which she had not before exhibited. Paul Vapoor 
 was evidently wide awake. 
 
 A little later her port-holes flew open. 
 
322 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX 
 
 on' board of the bellevite 
 
 The crisis was at liand ; for the Daupliine was 
 darting in between the Leopard and the Bellevite, 
 between father and son. On the port rail of the 
 former, as if ready to leap upon the deck of the 
 tug, were at least twenty men ; and, for the first 
 time, the plan of the enemy became apparent to 
 Christy Passford. 
 
 He hastened to the hurricane deck of the 
 Leopard, where he could see more clearly ; and 
 it ^\as evident to him that the question before 
 them would be settled witliin a very few minutes. 
 If he and his companions fell into the hands of the 
 enemy, nothing less than a severe fight with the 
 Dauphine, perhaps aided by the Belle, on the part 
 of the Bellevite could undo the mischief. 
 
 Christy was disposed to leave nothing to be 
 undone. Rushing into the pilot-house, he seized 
 
ON BOARD OF THE BELLEVITE 323 
 
 the wheel, and threw it over, determined to 
 redeem the fate of the tug while he could. 
 Captain Pecklar had crowded on all the steam he 
 could, and doubtless the boat was doing her very 
 best. She flew round like a top, careening till 
 her rail was under water. 
 
 " Hard up, Percy I " cried he, while the tug was 
 still whirling. "Those men will drop on board 
 of us if we don't get out of the Dauphine's way." 
 
 " The Bellevite is almost into her," added the 
 volunteer pilot. 
 
 Paul Yapoor evidently understood the situation, 
 and must have been preparing for it for some time, 
 though the shoal-water had prevented the steamer 
 from taking advantage of his effort. She had 
 suddenly begun to dart ahead as though she had 
 been an object shot from one of her biggest guns ; 
 and she seemed almost to leap out of the water in 
 her struggle to come between the Leopard and 
 the Dauphine. 
 
 The Bellevite was certainly making two miles 
 to her rival's one in the race, and it looked as 
 though she would strike her sharp bow into the 
 broadside of the enemy. She seemed to rely 
 on a vigorous blow with her stem rather than on 
 
324 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 her guns ; for as yet she had not fired a .shot, 
 though she was fully prepared to do so. 
 
 The Leopard came about in double-quick time ; 
 and as soon as her keel was at right angles Av^ith 
 that of the Dauphine, Christy righted the lielm, 
 and let her go in the direction of the disabled 
 Belle. She rolled, pitched, and plunged in the 
 sea, which had been increasing very sensibly 
 within a short time ; but she went ahead at her 
 best speed, and that was all Christy wanted of 
 her. 
 
 Tlie Bellevite was still rushing down upon the 
 Dauphine as though she intended to annihilate 
 her when the crash came, as come it must within 
 a minute or two. Christy's heart was in liis 
 throat, for he felt that his own safety depended 
 upon the events of the next two minutes. A 
 tremendous collision was impending, and thus 
 far the Dauphme had done nothing to avoid it. 
 Doubtless her commander had gauged the speed 
 of the Bellevite by what she had been doing 
 in the shoal water, and had not believed she 
 'could overhaul him before he had thrown a force 
 on board of the Leopard. ^ 
 
 " Now, keep her as she is, Percy, and we shall 
 
ON BOARD OF THE BELLEVITE 325 
 
 soon know what is going to happen," said 
 Christy, when the tug had come about so that 
 he could not readily see the movements of the 
 other steamers. 
 
 " We are running right into the Belle," 
 suggested Percy. 
 
 " This thing will be settled before we can 
 come within hail of her, and I don't think she 
 wants any thing more of us at present," replied 
 Christy, as he left the pilot-house, and hastened aft, 
 where he could get a better view of the situation. 
 
 "There is a row on board of the Dauphine," 
 said Captain Pecklar, who had come to the stern 
 for the same purpose as Christy. " Those men 
 are leaping down from the rail." 
 
 " What has happened on board of her ? " 
 asked Christy. 
 
 " Nothing ; but the Bellevite is coming into 
 her full tilt, and they know that the shock will 
 knock all those men overboard ; and I think 
 they don't want to have to stop to pick them 
 up," answered the captain. 
 
 At this moment several sharp orders were 
 given on board of the Dauphine, and her head 
 began to swing around to the northward. 
 
326 TAKEN BY THE EXEMY 
 
 " That's what's the matter ! " exdaimed the 
 captain. " They think they won't wait for 
 the rap the Bellevite is ready to give them." 
 
 The helm of the enemy's steamer had been 
 put hard-a-port ; and as she promptly came about, 
 the sharp bow of the Bellevite shot past her 
 quarter, and she barely escaped the blow. It 
 look as though those on board of either vessel 
 could have leaped to the deck of the other. 
 
 " What is the reason she don't fire upon the 
 Bellevite?" asked Christy, when he felt that 
 the crisis was past. 
 
 " I don't believe she has any guns on board 
 yet, though I don't know," replied the captain. 
 
 " What is she going to do now, I wonder." 
 
 " I think she will come about and try to board 
 the Bellevite now. It seems to me that if she 
 had any guns on board, she would have opened 
 fire before this time." 
 
 " We must look out, or the Bellevite will run 
 into us," added Christy, as he went forward to 
 the pilot-house. 
 
 " That steamer has come about," said Percy, 
 as he joined him. 
 
 ''If she had not come about, the Bellevite 
 
ON BOARD OF THE BELLEVITE 327 
 
 would have cut through her starboard quarter," 
 replied Christy. " But -we are all right now, and 
 I think the excitement is about over."- 
 
 By this time the Bellevite was abreast of the 
 Leopard, and not half a cable's length from her ; 
 but there was no demonstration at all of anj^ 
 sort on board of her. Her high bulwarks con- 
 cealed the whole ship's company; and no one 
 could be seen but the lookouts forward, and a 
 couple of officers in the rigging of the mainmast. 
 
 " Now we will get a little nearer to her," said 
 Christy, as he threw the wheel over. " She is 
 coming about." 
 
 The Bellevite was blowing off steam, and she 
 had reduced her speed as soon as she went clear 
 of the Dauphine. In a minute more, when she 
 had come a little nearer to the Leopard, she 
 stopped her screw. 
 
 " Tug, ahoy ! " shouted some one, in whose 
 voic^ Chiisty recognized that of Captain Breaker. 
 
 "On board the Bellevite ! " responded Christy. 
 
 " Come alongside ! " added the commander of 
 the steamer. 
 
 "That's just what I was going to do," added 
 Christy to his companion. 
 
328 TAKEN BY THE EXEMY 
 
 " I suppose we are all right now, are we not, 
 Christy?" asked Percy. 
 
 " I don't know what will come np next. The 
 Dauphine is still afloat, and in good condition ; 
 and I don't believe she is going to let the 
 Bellevite off without doing something." 
 
 Captain Pecklar was letting off steam also ; for 
 he realized that the battle, so far as the Leopard 
 was concerned, was finished. Christy steered the 
 tug alongside of the steamer ; and when he rang 
 tlie bell finally to stop her, after a rope had been 
 heaved on board of her, he left the engine, 
 with the steam still escaping from the boiler, and 
 the furnace-door wide open, and went to the 
 pilot-house. 
 
 " Hurry up ! " shouted Captain Breaker, appear- 
 ing on the rail of the Bellevite, at the gang- 
 way. 
 
 Captain Pecklar looked astern of tlie tug, and 
 saw that the Dauphine was rapidly approaching. 
 She had come about, and her captain did not 
 appear to be satisfied with saving his own vessel 
 from the collision, and intended to make another 
 movement. But he had gone some distance 
 before lie came about, though he was now rather 
 
ON BOARD OF THE BELLEYITE 329 
 
 too near for the comfort of the Bellevite after she 
 had stopped her screw. 
 
 " What shall we do with this tug ? " asked 
 Christy, who had some doubts whether or not 
 he ought to leave the Leopard in condition for 
 further use by the enemy. 
 
 "We have no time to bother with her, and 
 she don't amount to any thing. Come on board 
 as quick as you can," replied Captain Breaker. 
 
 " Go on board, Captain Pecklar," said Christy, 
 pointing to the gangway. " Come, Percy, your 
 troubles are over for the present." 
 
 The captain went up the ladder, followed by 
 Percy, and Christy went the last ; for he felt that 
 he must see his friends through before he aban- 
 doned the Leopard himself. The moment the 
 owner's son showed himself on the rail, a burst 
 of cheers came from the ship's company, to which 
 he replied by taking off his cap and bowing. 
 
 " I am glad to see you again, Christy," said his 
 father, as he descended to the deck and found 
 himself in the arms of Captain Passford. " I was 
 afraid I should have to leave you here, though T 
 did not intend to do that as long as a plank of 
 the Bellevite remained under me." 
 
330 TAKE?^ BY THE EXEMY 
 
 Cliristy found his father a great deal more 
 demonstrative than he had ever known him tb be 
 before, and he fully realized that he had had a 
 very narrow, and even a wonderful escape since 
 he had been taken by the enemy. 
 
 Captain Breaker did not wait for father and 
 son to finish their affectionate greetings ; but as 
 soon as Christy put his foot on the rail he directed 
 the line to the tug to be cast off, and the order 
 was given to start the screw. The Bellevite went 
 ahead again, and the commander gave out the 
 course for her. 
 
 Before Captain Passford was read}^ to think 
 of any thing except the joyful meeting with his 
 son, Captain Pecklar suddenly dropped to the 
 deck as though a bullet from the enemy had 
 finished his career in the very moment of victory. 
 Christy broke from his father, and hastened to 
 his assistance. He had fainted again from 
 exhaustion after the efforts of the day. Dr. 
 Linscott was at his side almost as soon as Cliristy,- 
 and the sufferer was borne to the cabin, where 
 he was placed in one of the vacant state-rooms. 
 
 "Who is that man, Christy?" asked Captain 
 Passford, as soon as the invalid had been cared 
 for. 
 
ox BOARD OF THE BELLE VITE 831 
 
 " That is Captain Pecklar ; and he is a Union 
 man, though he has been in charge of that tug in 
 the service of the forts. But he is in consump- 
 tion, and he does not believe he can live much 
 fonger. He says lie would rather die at home 
 than live down here," replied Christy. 
 
 " He looks like a sick man," added the owner. 
 
 " He is, and he has worked altogether beyond 
 his strength. But I believe I should not have 
 been here, father, at this moment, if he had not 
 worked with me, and acted with the utmost 
 courage and devotion." 
 
 " Then he* shall want for nothing while he is on 
 board of the Bellevite." 
 
 " But I am sure that the doctor can improve his 
 condition ; at least, I hope he can." 
 
 "He can if any one can. But how happens 
 Percy to be with you in the tug?" asked Captain 
 Passford, as he looked about him for the young 
 man, who was standing near the mainmast, 
 watching the approaching smoke-stack of the 
 Dauphine. 
 
 "Percy has not been as reliable as Captain 
 Pecklar ; but he has done well, and has rendered 
 good service. He has steered the tug for some 
 
332 TAKEN BY THE EXEMY 
 
 time," replied Christy, calling to him the subject 
 of the last remarks. 
 
 " I am glacl to see you again, Mr. Percy," said 
 the owner, giving him liis hand. '' I am under 
 obligations to you for all you have done to assist 
 my son on board of that tug." 
 
 "I was at work too for myself," said Percy, 
 taking the offered hand. " I don't belong on this 
 side of the question, and all I want is to get back 
 to Nassau. I have nothing to expect from my 
 brother, ^lajur Pierson, and my mother cannot 
 protect me." 
 
 " In consideration of the service you have ren- 
 dered to my son, I shall be glad to do all I can to 
 assist you in getting there." 
 
 " Thank you, sir." 
 
 " But where is Florry, father ? " asked Christy, 
 looking about the deck. 
 
 "I could not allow her to be on deck when a 
 shot was liable to come on board. She is in the 
 cabin, and she will be as glad to see you as I 
 have been," replied Captain Passford. 
 
 Christy hastened to the cabin. 
 
RUNNING THE GANTLET 333 
 
 CHAPTER XXX 
 
 RUNNING THE GxiNTLET 
 
 Captain Passford and Percy soon followed 
 Christy into the cabin, and the meeting of the 
 brotlier and sister was quite as affectionate as that 
 between father and son had been. In fact, none 
 of them cared now for the steamers of the enemy, 
 or for any thing else, except to get out of JMobile 
 Bay. Christy told his story ; and he learned that 
 his father had sen.t a party ashore the night before 
 to look for him, though they had been unable to 
 obtain the slightest information in regard to him. 
 
 Captain Breaker insisted that Christy was on 
 board of the Leopard, though not till the soldiers 
 in the long-boat had fired into the tug. The father 
 believed that his son would not tamely submit to 
 being made a prisoner, and the act of Major 
 Pierson had almost convinced him that the com- 
 mander was right. He had not been fully satisfied 
 
334 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 Oil this point till he recognized the silk American 
 flag at the fore of the tug. 
 
 But Captain Passford was too much interested 
 in the situation on deck to remain long in the 
 cabin , and he left Christy there with Florry, who 
 seemed to be supremely happy, now that the 
 family was in a fair way to be re-united at no 
 distant day. 
 
 "I think you know the gentleman who has 
 made all this trouble for me, Florry," said Christy, 
 when he and Percy were alone with her. 
 
 "How can I know him?" asked the fair girl, 
 puzzled. 
 
 " He is my brother. Major Pierson ; and they 
 say he used to call at Colonel Passford's once in 
 a while, while I was away at school," interposed 
 Percy. 
 
 " Then I do know him," replied Florry, 
 blushing. 
 
 " Father thought, or at least he feared, that you 
 might not like to leave the South," added Christy. 
 
 ''Did he say so?" asked the fair maiden, 
 laughing. 
 
 "He did not say a word, but I could tell by 
 his looks." 
 
RUNNING THE GANTLET 335 
 
 *' Then papa was very much mistaken. Major 
 Pierson Avas very kind and polite to me, and I 
 think he is a gentleman ; but I have had no desire 
 to remain at Glenfield on his account." 
 
 Florry spoke as though slie intended this remark 
 to be the end of the conversation on that subject, 
 and Christy felt quite sure that she was not deeply 
 interested in the commander of Fort Gaines. 
 
 " Now, I wonder if I can't go on deck," contin- 
 ued Florry, breaking away from the disagreeable 
 conversation. '*■ They are not firing now." 
 
 '' I don't know, but I will go on deck and ask 
 father if you wish." 
 
 '^Do, Christy, if you please." 
 
 The Bellevite was shaking in all her frame ; for 
 Paul Vapoor was again exercising his skill upon 
 the screw, and she was flying through the water. 
 The Dauphine seemed to be struggling to get up 
 an equal degree of speed; but, fast as she was 
 said to be, the Bellevite was running away from 
 her. There was no excitement on deck, and 
 Christy readily obtained the required permission 
 for his sister. 
 
 Captain Pecklar, under the skilful treatment of 
 Dr. Linscott, had improved a great deal, though 
 
33i3 TAKEN BY THE EXEMY 
 
 he still remained in his bed. He declared that he 
 felt like a new man ; and, whether he lived or died, 
 he was as happy as anuman ought to be on the 
 face of the earth. 
 
 " That steamer off to the north-west has set her 
 ensign with the union down, though I can't make 
 out what the flag is," said Captain Breaker, 
 addressing the owner as Christy came on deck. 
 
 *'What does that mean?" asked Captain Pass- 
 ford, getting upon the rail with the commander. 
 
 " I am sure I don't know. I suppose it is a 
 signal of distress, but it may be a trick of some 
 sort," added Captain Breaker. 
 
 " Do you know any thing about that steamer 
 over there, Christy ? " asked the owner, calling his 
 son. 
 
 " That is the Belle, and I believe she came from 
 Mobile," replied Christy. 
 
 "What is she out here for?" 
 
 " I have no doubt she came out here to capture 
 the Bellevite. Uncle Homer must have sent word 
 to some one in Mobile, judging from what I heard 
 Major Pierson say ; and probably that steamer 
 came out here to prevent the Bellevite from going 
 into the navy of the Union." 
 
RUNNING THE GANTLET 337 
 
 '' But why does slie hoist a signal of distress ? " 
 
 '• I think it is very likely she is in distress." 
 
 '■ She is firing a gun," added Captain Breaker, 
 as a cloud of smoke rose from the Belle. 
 
 " Why do yon think she is in distress, Christy ? " 
 asked his father. 
 
 '* She opened fire on the Leopard, after she had 
 picked up the boat contaii-ing Major Pierson's 
 party ; and Captain Pecklar and I gave her a shot 
 in return, which went through her bow and made 
 a big hole. She stopped her wheels then, and 
 since that she has been out of the fight. 
 
 " The Daupliine is coming about," added 
 Christy, as he joined the commander and his 
 father on the rail. 
 
 *' The Dauphine ? " queried Captain Passford. 
 
 " That is her name. Captain Pecklar can tell 
 you something about her. He says she is fitting 
 up for the Confederate navy, but he thinks she 
 has no guns on board yet." 
 
 ''It is beginning to blow very fresh," said 
 Captain Breaker, as he took a look at the sky and 
 the waters of the bay, "My barometer indicates 
 nast}^ weather." 
 
 "There is too much sea, at any rate, for a 
 
338 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 steamer with a big hole in her bow," said Captain 
 Passford. 
 
 Christy told all he knew about the Belle, and 
 the owner declared that he had no desire to see 
 the larcre number of men on board of her drowned 
 before his eyes. The gun the disabled steamer 
 had fired was regarded as another signal of 
 distress, which indicated that the situation was 
 becoming urgent with her. 
 
 " She has hoisted a white flag," added Captain 
 Breaker ; and no glass was needed to disclose the 
 fact that a panic existed on board of her, for men 
 who could fight bravely for a cause they deemed 
 right might not be willing to be drowned without 
 being able to lift a finger to save tliemselves. 
 
 " Come about. Breaker, and run for the disabled 
 steamer," said Captain Passford, in a decided tone ; 
 and the order was instantly obeyed. 
 
 The commander sent Cln'isty to the chief engi- 
 neer to have him increase the speed of the steamer, 
 at the suggestion of the owner. Paul had not 
 seen him before, and the two friends hugged each 
 other like a couple of girls when they came 
 too-ether. But the chief did not lose a moment in 
 obeying the order brought to him. In a few 
 
RUNNING THE GANTLET 339 
 
 minutes the Bellevite passed the Dauphine, and 
 reached the vicinity of the Belle, which was evi- 
 dently-sinking, for she had settled a good deal in 
 the water. 
 
 Four boats were instantly lowered into the 
 water; and Christy v/as assigned to the command 
 of one of them, while the first and second officers 
 and the boatswain went in charge of tiie others. 
 These boats were skilfully handled, and they 
 dashed boldly up to the sinking craft. The 
 soldiers on board of her were more afraid of water 
 than they were of fire, and the four boats were 
 soon loaded. 
 
 ''Is that you, Christy?" said one of his 
 passengers. 
 
 Christy looked, and saw that the person who 
 addressed him was his uncle Homer. 
 
 " Yes, sir," replied the nephew ; but he did not 
 venture to say any thing more. 
 
 " I was not aware that you were taking an 
 active part in this affiiir till Major Pierson told 
 me that you had taken ^jossession of his steam-tug, 
 and that it was you who had fired the shot which 
 disabled the Belle," continued Colonel Passford, 
 evidently very much troubled and annoyed. 
 
C40 TAKEX BY THE ENEMY. 
 
 "I was made a prisoner by the major, and I 
 have done what I could to get out of his hands,"' 
 replied Christy. " I suppose you came out in this 
 steamer for the purpose of captuiing the Bellevite ; 
 but you have not done it yet, and I don't believe 
 you will." 
 
 " I should like to see your father," added the 
 colonel. 
 
 " We are ordered to put these people on board 
 of tlie Daupliine, and she has just stopped 
 her screw. I cannot disobey my orders, uncle 
 Homer." 
 
 But Christy did not like to prolong the conver- 
 sation, and he told his men to give way. The sea 
 had certainly increased till it made it lively for 
 the boats, and the colonel said no more. The 
 passengers were put on board of the Dauphine, 
 and it was not necessary for more than two of the 
 boats to return to the Belle for the rest of the men 
 on board of her. Colonel Passford insisted upon 
 boarding the Bellevite, after the others had left 
 the boat, and Christy yielded the point. 
 
 The Confederate brother was received by the 
 Union brother as though nothing had occurred to 
 divide them. He was conducted to the cabin, as 
 
RUNNING THE GANTLET 341 
 
 it had just begun to rain, where he was greeted 
 as kindly by Florry. 
 
 "I am sorry you left me in such an abrupt 
 manner, Horatio," said Homer, very much embar- 
 rassed. *' I think you took a rather unfair 
 advantage of the circumstances." 
 
 "Unfair? Wliat? When you said outright 
 that you intended to take steps for the capture of 
 my steamer, the only means of reaching my family, 
 and conveying my daughter to her home, that 
 w^ere within my reach. I came here on a peaceful 
 mission, and I think the unfairness was all on the 
 other side," replied Horatio. 
 
 " I still believe that I had no moral right, before 
 God and my countrymen, to allow^ you to hand 
 this fine steamer over to the Yankee navy : but I 
 was on board of the Belle for the purpose of seeing 
 that no harm came to j^ou, or any member of your 
 family," said Homer with deep feeling. 
 
 " Then I thank jou for your good intentions. 
 But I believed, before God and my countrymen 
 North and South, that I had no moral right to let 
 this vessel be taken for the use of the Confed- 
 eracy . and T would have burned her on the waters 
 of Mobile Bay before I would have given her up," 
 
342 TAKE^ BY THE ENEMY 
 
 added Horatio, quite as earnestly as the other had 
 spoken. 
 
 " Fortune has favored 3'ou this time, Horatio ; 
 but wlien you are sufferinc^ and in ^Yant from the 
 effects of this war, rememl^er that I shall always 
 liave a brother's heart in my bosom, and that it 
 will always be opeii to you and yours." 
 
 " I heartily reciprocate this fraternal sentiment, 
 and I am confident that 3'ou will need m}- assist- 
 ance before I need 3-ours ; but all tliat I have and 
 all that I am shall be at your service. Homer. ' 
 
 " I am glad that we understand each otlier, and 
 r rejoice that I came on board of your steamer for 
 these parting words. I will not ask you what you 
 are going to do next, for 3'ou would not tell me ; 
 but I shall expect to hear that the Bellevite has 
 been sunk in attempting to pass the forts." 
 
 '^Better that than in the service of the enemies 
 of my country. Homer." 
 
 They parted with tears in the eyes of both, 
 and never before had they realized how stern and 
 severe was the mandate of duty. Christy con- 
 veyed his uncle back to the Dauphine, shook 
 hands with him, and returned to the Bellevite. 
 
 The mission of the steamer in Mobile Bay ended, 
 
RUNNING THE GANTLET 343 
 
 and she had nothing: more to do but return to her 
 native waters, though perhaps this would prove to 
 be the most difficult part of the entire enterprise. 
 The steamer stood down the bay in the drenching 
 rain, and was soon buried in a dense fog that was 
 blown in by the wind from the gulf. She hi}^ off 
 and on during the rest of the day, and the com- 
 mander made his preparations for running the 
 gantlet of the forts. 
 
 This was not so difficult and dangerous an 
 enterprise as it became later when the channel 
 was obstructed, though even now the feat could 
 not be accomplished without great difficulty and 
 danger. In the course of the day, Captain Peck- 
 lar left his berth and came on deck. Captain 
 Breaker decided to leave the piloting of the 
 steamer to him, after he had conversed for hours 
 with him. 
 
 No better night in the whole year could have 
 been selected for the undertaking. It had ceased 
 to rain, but the darkness and the fog were a> 
 dense as possible. The pilot manifested entire 
 confidence^ as he had plenty of water in the ojian- 
 nel, and he knew all about the currents, the tide, 
 and the action of the wind. It was an exciting 
 
344 TAKEX BY THE EXEMY 
 
 time, when every light on board was extinguished, 
 and the steamer started down the bay with 
 Captain P^cldar and two quartermasters at the 
 wheeh 
 
 After the Bellevite had passed the dangerous 
 part of the channel, firing was heard from Fort 
 Morgan ; but the vessel was soon in the Gulf of 
 Mexico. Heavy guns were heard for some time, 
 but all on board of the steamer could afford to 
 laugh at them. The ship continued on her course, 
 and among the islands near Nassau Percy Pierson 
 was put on board of a schooner bound to New 
 Providence. 
 
 In eight days from the time she passed the forts, 
 the Bellevite steamed into New York Bay, and 
 then to Bonnydale on the Hudson, where the 
 family were again re-united, and the fond mother 
 wept over her two children, restored to her after 
 all the dangers of the past. 
 
 On his arrival. Captain Passford found letters 
 for him from the Government, and the offer of the 
 Bellevite had been promptly accepted. After 
 having been Taken by the Enemy, on the next 
 voyage Christy found himself Within the Enemy's 
 Lines. 
 
OLIVER OPTIC'S BOOKS. 
 
 THE BOAT-BUILDER SERIES 
 
 Completed in Six Volumes. Illustrated. 
 Per Vol., $1.25. 
 
 1. ALL ADRIFT; 
 
 Or, The Goldwing Clab. 
 
 2. SNUG HARBOR; 
 
 Or, The Champlain Mechanics* 
 
 3. SQUARE AND COMPASS; 
 
 Or, Building the House* 
 
 4. STEM TO STERN; 
 
 Or, Building the Boat* 
 
 6. ALL TAUT; 
 
 Or, Rigging the Boat* 
 
 6. READY ABOUT; 
 
 Or, Sailing the Boat. 
 
 The series includes in six successive volumes the whole art 
 of boat-building, boat-rigging, boat-managing, and practical 
 hints to make the ownershij) of a boat pay. A great deal of 
 useful information will be given in this Boat-Building series, 
 and in each book a very interesting story is sure to be inter- 
 woven with the information. Every reader will be interested 
 at once in "Dory," the hero ot "All Adrift," and one of th^ 
 characters to be retained in the future volumes of the series, 
 at least there are already several of his recently made friends 
 who do not want to lose sight of him, and this will be the 
 case of pretty much every boy who makes his acquaintance 
 in "All Adrift." 
 
OLIVER OPTIC'S BOOKS. 
 
 YOUNa AMERICA ABROAD. 
 
 FIRST SERIES. 
 
 ▲ liibrary of Travel and Adventure in Foreign L-ands. 16m«. 
 
 Illustrated by IVast, Stevens, Perkins, and otiiers. 
 
 Per volume, $1.50. 
 
 1. OUTWARD BOUND; 
 
 Or, Young America Afloat. 
 
 2. SHAMROCK AND THISTLE; 
 
 Or, Young America in Ireland and Scotland, 
 
 3. RED CROSS; 
 
 Or. Young America in England and Wales. 
 
 4. DIKES AND DITCHES; 
 
 Or, Young America in Holland and Belgium. 
 
 5. PALACE AND COTTAGE; 
 
 Or, Young America in France and Switzerland. 
 
 tJ. DOWN THE RHINE; 
 
 Or, Young America in Germany. 
 
 The story from its inception and through the twelve vol 
 umes \6QQ Second Series)^ is a bewitching one, while the in- 
 formation imparted, concerning the countries of Europe and 
 the isles of the sea, is not only correct in every particular, but 
 is told in a captivating stjie. " Oliver Optic" will continue 
 to be the boy's friend, and his pleasant books will continue to 
 he read by thousands of American boj^s. What a fine holiday 
 present either or both series of " Young America Abroad" 
 would be for a j'oung friend ! It would make a little librarj 
 highly prized by the recipient, and would not be an expensiv*. 
 one. — Providence Press, 
 
OLIVER OPTIC'S BOOKS. 
 
 YOUNa AMEEIOA ABROAD 
 
 SECOND SERIES. 
 
 A. library of Travel antl Adventure in Foreign X^ands. 16iao. 
 
 Illustrated by IVast, Stevens, Perkins, and others. 
 
 Per volume, $1.50. 
 
 1. UP THE BALTIC; 
 
 Or, Young America in Norway, Sweden, and 
 Denmark. 
 
 2. NORTHERN LANDS; 
 
 Or, Young America in Russia and Prussia. 
 
 3. CROSS AND CRESCENT; 
 
 Or, Ydung America in Turkey and Greece. 
 
 4. SUNNY SHORES; 
 
 Or, Young America in Italy and Austria. 
 
 5. VINE AND OLIVE; 
 
 Or, Young America in Spain and Portugal. 
 
 6. ISLES OF THE SEA; 
 
 Or, You-ag America Homeward Bound. 
 
 *' Oliver Optic" i^ a norm deplume that is known and loved 
 b}' almost every boy of intelligence in the land. We have 
 seen a highl}" intellectual and world-weary man, a cynic whose 
 heart was somewhat imbittered by its large experience of 
 human nature, take up one of Oliver Optic's books and read 
 it at a sitting, neglecting his work in yielding to the fascina- 
 tion of the pages. When a mature and exceedingly well- 
 informed mind, long despoiled of all its freshness, can thus 
 find pleasure in a book for boys, no additional words of rec- 
 ommendation are needed. — Sunday Times. 
 
OLIVER OPTIC'S BOOKS, 
 
 ARMY AND NAVY STORIES 
 
 Six Volumes. Illustrated. Per vol., $1.50. 
 
 1. THE SOLDIER BOY ; 
 
 Or, Tom Somers in the Army. 
 
 2. THE SAILOR BOY; 
 
 Or, Jack Somers in the Navy. 
 
 3. THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; 
 
 Or, Adventures of an Army Officer. 
 
 4. THE YANKEE MIDDY; 
 
 Or, Adventures of a Navy Ofl5*^r. 
 
 5. FIGHTING JOE; 
 
 Or, The Fortunes of a Staff Offi«»«r, 
 
 6. BRAVE OLD SALT; 
 
 Or, Life on the Qnarter-Deck. 
 
 This series of six volumes recounts the adventures of two 
 dTOthers, Tom and Jack Somers, one in the arm}^ the other in 
 the navy, in the great civil war. The romantic narratives of 
 the fortunes and exploits of the brothers are thrilling in th 
 extreme. Historical accurac}^ in the recital of the greal 
 events of that period is strictly followed, and the result i& 
 not only a librarj^ of entertaining volumes, but also the be»' 
 historj' of the civil war for j^oung people ever written. 
 
OLIVER OPTIC'S BOOKS, 
 
 WOODVILLE STORIES. 
 
 9wdtoTva. witli Library for Toung People. Six vols. 16mo. Illil» 
 trated. Per vol., $1.25. 
 
 1. RICH AND HUMBLE; 
 
 Oi, Tne Mission of Bertha Grant. 
 
 2. IN SCHOOL AND OUT; 
 
 Or, The Conquest of Richard Grant. 
 
 3. WATCH AND WAIT; 
 
 Or, The Young Fugitives. 
 
 4. WORK AND WIN ; 
 
 Or, Noddy Newman on a Craise. 
 
 6. HOPE AND HAVE; 
 
 Or, Fanny Grant among the Indians. 
 
 6 HASTE AND WASTE; 
 
 Or, The Young Pilot of Lake CharaplaiB. 
 
 Thjugh we are not so j'oung as we once were, we relishecj 
 fcheae Btorics almost as much as the hojs and girls for whom 
 they were written. They were really refreshing even to us. 
 Ther^ is much in them which is calculated to iu spire a gener- 
 ous, healthy ambition, and to make distasteful all reading 
 tettiling fvO stimulate base desires. — Fitchbury Reveille. 
 
OLIVER OPTIC'S BOOKS. 
 
 FAMOUS "BOAT-OLUB" SERIES, 
 
 £iibrary lor Toimg People. Six volumes, bandsomely illustrated 
 Per voluiue, $1.35. 
 
 1 THE BOAT CLUB; 
 
 Or^ The Bankers of Rippleton. 
 
 2. ALL ABOARD; 
 
 Or, Life on the Lake. 
 
 3. NOW OR NEVER; 
 
 Or, The Adventures of Bobby Bright. 
 
 4. TRY AGAIN ; 
 
 Or, The Trials and Trinmphs of Harry Wefli 
 
 5. POOR AND PROUD; 
 
 Or, The Fortunes of Katy Redborn. 
 
 6. LITTLE BY LITTLE; 
 
 Or, The Cruise of the Flyaway. 
 
 This is the first series of books written for the young by 
 •• Oliver Optic." It laid the foundation for his fame as the 
 first of authors in which the young delight, and gained for 
 hSxn the title of the Prince of Story-Tellers. The six books 
 !:re varied in incident and plot, but all are entertainixig and 
 ^iginal. 
 
OLIVER OPTIC'S BOOKS. 
 
 THE STARRY FLia SERIES. 
 
 Six volumes. Illustrated. Per vol^, $1.95, 
 
 1. THE STARRY FLAG; 
 
 Or, The Young Fisherman of Cape 
 
 2. BREAKING AWAY; 
 
 Or, The Fortunes of a Students 
 
 S. SEEK AND FIND ; 
 
 Or, The Adventures of a Smart Boy. 
 
 4. FREAKS OF FORTUNE; 
 
 Or. Half Round the World. 
 
 5. MAKE OR BREAK; 
 
 Or, The Rich Man's Daughter. 
 
 6. DOWN THE RIVER; 
 
 Or, Buck Bradford and the Tyrants 
 
 Mr. Adams, the celebrated and popular writer, familiarly 
 itoown as " Oliver Optic," seems to have inexhaustible funds 
 for weaving together the virtues of life ; and notwithstanding 
 he has written scores of books, the same freshness and nov» 
 elty runs through them all. Some people think the sensa- 
 tional element predominates. Perhaps it does. But a book 
 for young people needs this ; and so long as good sentiments 
 are inculcated such books ought to be read. — Pittsburg Go- 
 
OLIVER OPTIC'S BOOKS, 
 
 THE ONWARD AND UPWARD 
 
 SERIES. 
 
 Cemplete iu six volumes. Illustrated. In neat box. 
 Per volume, $1.^5. 
 
 1. FIELD AND FOREST; 
 
 Or, The Fortanes of a Fanner. 
 
 2. PLANE AND PLANK; 
 
 Or, The Mishaps of a Mechanic. 
 
 3. DESK AND DESIT; 
 
 Or, The Catastrophes of a Clerk. 
 
 4. CRINGLE AND CROSS-TREE; 
 
 Or, The Sea Swashes of a Sailer. 
 
 5. BIVOUAC AND BATTLE; 
 
 Or, The Struggles of a Soldier. 
 
 6. SEA AND SHORE; 
 
 Or, The Tramps of a Traveller. 
 
 Paul Farringford, the hero of these tales, is, like most of 
 f\vls author's heroes, a young man of high spirit, and of high 
 aims and correct principles, appearing in the different vol- 
 umes as a farmer, a captain, a bookkeeper, a so^'iier, a sailor, 
 and a traveller. In all of them the hero meets with very 
 exciting adventures, told in the graphic style for which Um 
 *uthor is famous. — Native. 
 
RARE BOOK 
 COLLECTION 
 
 THE LIBRARY OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF 
 
 NORTH CAROLINA 
 
 AT 
 
 CHAPEL HILL 
 
 Wilmer 
 23