THE UNIVERSITY OF 
 
 NORTH CAROLINA 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 THE WILMER COLLECTION 
 
 OF CIVIL WAR NOVELS 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 RICHARD H. WILMER, JR. 
 
gflLMlLft QOLU^i<^- 
 
The Blue and the Gray Series 
 
 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 
 WITHIN THE ENEMY'S LINES 
 
 ON THE BLOCKADE 
 
 STAND BY THE UNION 
 
 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 A VICTORIOUS UNION. 
 
 Lee and Shepard Publishers Boston 
 
Digitized by tine Internet Arciiive 
 
 in 2010 witii funding from 
 
 University of Nortii Carolina at Chapel Hill 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/victoriousunion01opti 
 
"Christy leaped upon ihe rail." Page iSi. 
 
OLIVER OPT'^ 
 
The Blue and -the Gray Series 
 
 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 OLIVER OPTIC 
 
 AUTHOR OF "THE ARMY AND NAVV SERIES ' VOUNG AMERICA ABROAD, FIRST 
 
 AND SECOND SERIES" " THE GREAT WESTERN SERIES" " THE WOODVILLE 
 
 stories" "the STARRY FLAG SERIES" " THE BOAT-CLUB STORIES " 
 
 " THE ONWARD AND UPWARD SERIES " " THE YACHT-CLUB SERIES " 
 
 " THE LAKE SHORE SERIES " " THE RIVERDALE STORIES " " THE 
 
 BOAT-BUILDER SERIES "" TAKEN BY THE ENEMY " " WITHIN 
 
 THE enemy's lines" " ON THE BLOCKADE" " STAND 
 
 BY THE UNION " " FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT " " A 
 
 MISSING million" "a MILLIONAIRE AT 
 
 sixteen" "a young KNIGHT-ERRANT " 
 
 "strange SIGHTS ABROAD" ETC. 
 
 BOSTON 
 LEE AND SHEPARD PUBLISHERS 
 
 lO MILK STREET 
 1894 
 
Copyright, 1893, by Lee and Shepard 
 
 All Rights Reserved 
 
 A Victorious Union 
 
 TTPE-SETTTNO and ELF.CTKOTTPrNQ BY 
 C. J. PETEBS & SON, BOSTON 
 
 S. J. PABKHILI. & Co., PBINTEBS, B08TOK 
 
Ea IHg JTricnB 
 FRANK L. HARRIS 
 
 WHO CAME FROM THE COLD OF THE ARCTIC REGIONS, WHERE HE 
 WAS A MEMBER OF THE HAYES EXPEDITION, AND WENT 
 INTO THE HEAT OF THE WAR OF THE REBEL- 
 LION, SERVING AS A NAVAL OFFICER 
 UNTIL THE END OF THE STRIFE, 
 
 TO WHOM I AM GREATLY INDEBTED FOR MUCH VALUABLE 
 INFORMATION RELATING TO HIS PROFESSION, 
 
 Efjts 33ooft 
 
 IS GRATEFULLY DEDICATED. 
 
 602674 
 
PREFACE 
 
 " A Victorious Union " is the sixth and last of 
 "The Blue and the Gray Series." While the 
 volume is not intended to be a connected histor- 
 ical narrative of the particular period of tlie War 
 of the Rebellion in which its scenes are laid, the 
 incidents accurately conform to the facts, and 
 especially to the spirit, of the eventful years in 
 which they are placed, as recorded in the chroni- 
 cles of the great struggle, and as they exist in the 
 memory of the writer. It is more than thirty years 
 since the war began, and thousands upon thousands 
 of the active participants in the strife as soldiers 
 and sailors, including nearly all the great comman- 
 ders, have passed on to their eternal reward. 
 Thousands upon thousands of men and women 
 have been born and reached their maturity since 
 the most tremendous war of modern times ended 
 in A Victorious Union. Tlie knowledge of the 
 stirring events of those four years of conflict, and 
 
 5 
 
b PREFACE 
 
 of the patriotic spirit which inspired and under- 
 laid them, has come, or will come, to at least one- 
 half the population of this vast nation of sixty-five 
 millions from the printed page or through the lis- 
 tening ear. The other moiety, more or less, either 
 as children or adults, lived in the period of action, 
 saw the gathering battalions, and heard or read the 
 daily reports from the ensanguined battle-fields. 
 
 In some of the States that remained loyal to 
 the Union throughout the long struggle, a military 
 parade had been regarded by many as something 
 very much in the nature of a circus disj^lay, as 
 " fuss and feathers," such as tickled the vanity of 
 both officer and private. Military organizations, 
 except in our small regular army, were disparaged 
 and ridiculed. When the war came, the Northern 
 people were unprepared for it to a very great 
 degree. The change of public opinion was as 
 sudden as the mighty event was precipitate. Then 
 the soldier became the most prominent and hon- 
 ored member of the community, and existing mili- 
 tary bodies became the nucleus of the armies that 
 were to fight the battles of the Republic. 
 
 During the last thirty years the military spirit 
 has been kept alive as a constituent element of 
 
PREFACE 7 
 
 patriotism itself. The love of country has been 
 diligently fostered and nurtured in the young, 
 and public opinion has been voiced and ener- 
 gized in the statutes of many States, and in 
 the educational machinery of many municipalities. 
 Over vast numbers of schoolhouses in our land 
 floats the American flag, the symbol of the Union 
 and the principles that underlie it. 
 
 The flag, the banner now of a reunited nation, 
 means something more than the sentiment of 
 loyalty to the Union as the home of freedom ; for 
 it implies the duty of defending the honor of that 
 flag, the representative idea of all we hold dear in 
 Fatherland. In the East and the West a consider- 
 able proportion of the high schools make military 
 tactics a part of their educational course. Com- 
 panies, battalions, and regiments of young men in 
 their teens parade the streets of some of our cities, 
 showing in what manner the military spirit is kept 
 alive, and, at the same time, how the flag floating 
 over our educational institutions, which means so 
 much more than ever before to our people, is to be 
 defended and perpetuated in the future. 
 
 The author of the six volumes of " The Blue 
 and the Gray Series," as well as of "The Army 
 
8 PilEFACE 
 
 and Navy Series," the latter begun in the heat of 
 the war thirty years ago, earnestly believes in keep- 
 ing active in the minds of the young the spirit of 
 patriotism. In the present volume, as in those 
 Avhich have preceded it, he has endeavored to 
 present to his readers, not only a hero who is 
 brave, skilful, and ready to give his life for his 
 country, but one who is unselfishly patriotic ; one 
 Avho is not fighting for promotion and prize-money, 
 but to save the Union in whose integrity and ne- 
 cessity he believes as the safeguard and substance 
 of American liberty. 
 
 Peace has reigned in our land for nearly thirty 
 years, and the asperities of a relentless war have 
 been supplanted by better and more brotherly 
 relations between the North and the South. The 
 writer would not print a word that would disturb 
 these improving conditions ; and if he has erred at 
 all in picturing the intercourse between Americans 
 as enemies, he has made sure to do so in the inter- 
 ests of justice and magnanimity on both sides. 
 
 In the series of which this volume is the last, 
 the author has confined his narrative of adven- 
 tures to the navy. It has been suggested to him 
 that another series, relating exclusively to inci- 
 
PllEFACE 9 
 
 dents in the armj^, should follow. After forty 
 years of labor in this particular field, and having 
 already exhausted the threescore and ten of human 
 life, he cannot be assured that he will live long- 
 enough to complete such a series, though still in 
 excellent health ; but he intends to make a begin- 
 ning of the work as soon as other encrasfements 
 
 will permit. 
 
 William T. Adams. 
 
 DOKCUESTEK, Maiicii 1G, 1893. 
 
 U , : 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 The Mission to Mobile Point 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 The Departure of the Expedition . 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 A Bivouac near Fort Morgan . 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 The Revelations of the Revellers 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 In the Vicinity of the Confederate Fort 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 Captain Sullendine of the West Wind. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 A Powerful Ally of the Belleviters . 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 On Board of the Cotton Schooner . 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 The Departure of the Tallahatchie 
 
 11 
 
 15 
 
 2G 
 
 37 
 
 48 
 
 59 
 
 70 
 
 81 
 
 92 
 
 103 
 
12 CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 The Casting off of the Towline . . . .114 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 A Happy Return to the Bellevite .... 125 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 A Lively Chase to the South-West .... 136 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 The First Shot of Blumenhoff 147 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 The Progress of the Action 158 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 A Flank Movement Undertaken .... 1G9 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 The Lieutenant's Daring Exploit ... ISO 
 
 CHAPTER XVIL 
 A Magnanimous Enemy 191 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 The Reign of Christianity 202 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 Colonel Homer Passford of Glenfield . . .213 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 A Very Melancholy Confederate .... 224 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 Captain Sullendine Becomes Violent . . . 225 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 13 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 The Disposition of the Two Prizes . 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 The Welcome Home at Bonnydale . 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 Lieutenant-Commander Christopher Passford 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 The Principal Officers of the St. Regis 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 The St. Regis in Commission .... 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 Captain Passford Alone in his Glory 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 Off the Coast of North Carolina . 
 
 240 
 
 257 
 
 268 
 
 279 
 
 290 
 
 301 
 
 312 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 The First Prize of the St. Regis 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 Another Sailing Contest Inaugurated 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 A Victorious Union .... 
 
 323 
 
 334 
 
 345 
 
A YIOTORIOUS UNION 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 THE MISSION TO MOBILE POINT 
 
 " I ALMOST wish you were the second or the third 
 lieutenant of the Bellevite, instead of tlie executive 
 officer, Christy," said Captain Breaker, the com- 
 mander of the steamer, as they were seated together 
 one day on the quarter-deck. 
 
 " Do I fail in the discharge of my duty in my 
 present position. Captain ? " asked Christy, very 
 much astonished, not to say startled, at the remark 
 of the commander. 
 
 "Not in the slightest degree, my dear hoy!" 
 returned Captain Breaker with very decided em- 
 phasis. " You have served in your present capa- 
 city for four months ; and if you were fifty years 
 old, and had twenty years of naval experience be- 
 hind you, it would be hardly possible for you to 
 
 15 
 
16 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 be more correct and dignified in the performance 
 of the details of your office." 
 
 " I thank you, Captain, for the partial view you 
 take of what I have done," added Christy, taking 
 off his cap and bowing to his superior. 
 
 "Well, you ought to be a good officer in any 
 situation, my dear fellow," continued the comman- 
 der. " I doubt if there is another officer in the 
 navy who has enjoyed the advantages you have 
 had in preparing himself for the duties of his pro- 
 fession. You were brought up, so to say, on board 
 of the Bellevite. You were a good scholar in the 
 first place. Without including myself, you have 
 had excellent teachers in every departmoit of 
 science and philosophy, among whom your father 
 was one of the wisest. Poor Dashington was one 
 of the best seamen that ever trod a deck ; and he 
 took especial delight in showing you how to make 
 every, knot and splice, as well as in instructing 
 you in the higher details of practical seamanship. 
 Blowitt and myself assisted him, and old Boxie, 
 who gave his life to his country, was more than a 
 grandfather to you." 
 
 " I have certainly been very grateful to you and 
 to them for all they did for me," replied Cliristy' 
 
THE MISSION TO MOBILE POINT 17 
 
 with a sad expression on his handsome face as the 
 commander recalled the three shipmates of both of 
 them who slept in heroes' graves. 
 
 " Perhaps the brilliant genius of our engine-room 
 did quite as much for you as any other person, 
 though not many years your senior." 
 
 " Paul Vapoor is my friend and crony ; and if he 
 had been my professor in a college he could have 
 done no more for me. I assure you, Captain, that 
 I keep alive my gratitude to all my instructors, 
 including some you have not mentioned." 
 
 " I was only explaining why you are what you 
 ought to be, for you have had very exceptional 
 opportunities, better by far than any other officer 
 in the service. But it is altogether to your credit 
 that you have used those opportunities wisely and 
 well." 
 
 " I should have been a blockhead if I had not." 
 
 " That is very true ; but the mournful wrecks of 
 wasted opportunities strew the tracks of many, 
 many young men. I think you can look back upon 
 as few of them as any one within my knowledge," 
 said the commander, bestowing a look of genuine 
 affection upon his chief ofhcer. " More than once, 
 even before we entered upon this terrible war, I 
 
18 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 have told your father how happy he ought to be in 
 having such a son as you are." 
 
 " Come, come, Captain Breaker, you are praising 
 me ! " exclaimed Christy impatiently. 
 
 " I am speaking only the simple truth, and I have 
 very rarely said as much as I say now. It was when 
 you asked me if you had failed in the discharge of 
 the duties of your present position that I was led 
 into this line of remark ; and I am sure you will 
 not be spoiled by honest and just praise," replied 
 the captain. 
 
 " Then, to go back to the point where you began, 
 why do you almost wish that I were second or third 
 lieutenant, instead of executive officer, of the Belle- 
 vite, Captain ? " continued Christy, rising from his 
 seat, and fixing an earnest gaze upon the face of the 
 commander, for he was very sensitive, and he could 
 not help feeling that he had been lacking in some- 
 thing that would make him a better executive 
 officer than he was. 
 
 " Mr. Ballard, the second lieutenant, and Mr. 
 Walbrook, the third, are gentlemen of the highest 
 grade, and excellent officers; but they are both 
 somewhat wanting in dash and cool impetuos- 
 ity." 
 
THE MISSION TO MOBILE POINT 19 
 
 " ' Cool impetuosity ' is very good, Captain," 
 added Christy with a hiugh. 
 
 " But that is precisely what I mean, my boy, and 
 no two words could express the idea any better. 
 You cannot carry an enemy by boarding with the 
 same precision you man the yards on a ceremonious 
 occasion, or as a regiment of soldiers go on dress 
 parade. It requires vim, dash, spirit. The officers 
 named have this quality in a very considerable 
 degree, yet not enough of it. But what they lack 
 more is ingenuity, fertility in expedients, and the 
 expansive view which enables them to take advan- 
 tage promptly of circumstances. You never lose 
 your head, Christy." 
 
 " I never knew the gentlemen named to lose 
 their heads, and I have always regarded them as 
 model officers," replied the first lieutenant. 
 
 " And so they are : you are quite right, my dear 
 boy ; but it is possible for them to be all you say, 
 and yet, like the young man of great possessions in 
 the Scripture, to lack one thing. I should not dare 
 to exchange my second and third lieutenants for 
 any others if I had the opportunity." 
 
 " I confess that I do not understand you yet. 
 Captain." 
 
20 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 The commander rose from his seat, stretched 
 himself, and then looked about the deck. Taking 
 his camp-stool in his hand he carried it over to the 
 port side of the quarter-deck, and planted it close 
 to the bulwarks. The second lieutenant was the 
 officer of the deck, and was pacing the planks on 
 the starboard side, while the lookouts in the fore- 
 top and on the top-gallant forecastle were attend- 
 ing closely to their duty, doubtless with a vision 
 of more prize money floating through their 
 brains. 
 
 The Bellevite, with the fires banked in the fur- 
 naces, was at anchor off the entrance to Mobile Bay, 
 about two miles east of Sand Island Lighthouse, 
 and the same distance south of the narrow neck of 
 land on the western extremity of which Fort Morgan 
 is located. Her commander had chosen this position 
 for a purpose ; for several weeks before, while the 
 Bellevite- was absent on a special mission, a remark- 
 ably fast steamer called the Trafalgar had run the 
 blockade inward. 
 
 Captain Passford, Senior, through his agents in 
 England, had some information in regard to this 
 vessel, which he had sent to Captain Breaker. Un- 
 like most of the blockade-runners built for this par- 
 
THE MISSION TO MOBILE POINT 21 
 
 ticular service, she had been constructed in the 
 most substantial manner for an English millionaire, 
 who had insisted that she should be built as strong 
 as the best of steel could make her, for he intended 
 to make a voyage around the world in her. 
 
 Unfortunately for the owner of the Trafalgar, 
 who was a lineal descendant of a titled commander 
 in that great naval battle, he fell from his horse in 
 a fox chase, and was killed before the steamer was 
 fully completed. His heir had no taste for the sea, 
 and the steamer was sold at a price far beyond her 
 cost ; and the purchaser had succeeded in getting 
 her into Mobile Bay with a valuable cargo. She 
 was of about eight hundred tons burden, and it was 
 said that she could steam twenty knots an hour. 
 She was believed to be the equal of the Alabama 
 and the Shenandoah. The Bellevite had been 
 especially notified not to allow the Trafalgar to 
 escape. She had recently had her bottom cleaned, 
 and her engine put in perfect order for the service 
 expected of her, for she was the fastest vessel on the 
 blockade. 
 
 When CajDtain Breaker had assured himself that 
 he was out of hearing of the officer of the deck, he 
 invited Christy to take a seat at his side. He spoke 
 
22 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 in a low tone, and was especially careful that no 
 officer should hear him. 
 
 " Perhaps I meddle with what does not concern 
 me, Christy ; but I cannot help having ideas of 
 my own," said the commander, when he was satis- 
 fied that no one but the executive officer could 
 hear him. "There is Fort Morgan, with Fort 
 Gaines three miles from it on the other side of the 
 channel. Mobile Point, as it is called at this end 
 of the neck, extends many miles to the eastward. 
 It is less than two miles wide where it is broadest, 
 and not over a quarter of a mile near Pilot Town.". 
 
 " I have studied the lay of the land very care- 
 fully, for I have had some ideas of my own," added 
 Christy, as the commander paused. 
 
 " If Fort Mors^an had been Fort Sumter, with 
 bad memories clinging to it, an effort would have 
 been made to capture it, either by bombardment by 
 the navy, or by regular approaches on the part of 
 the army," continued Captain Breaker. •' They 
 are still pounding away at Fort Sumter, because 
 there would be a moral in its capture and the 
 reduction of Charleston, for the war began there. 
 Such an event would send a wave of rejoicing 
 through the North, though it would be of less real 
 

 
 THE MISSION TO MOBILE POINT 23 
 
 consequence than the opening of Mobile Bay and 
 the cleaning out of the city of Mobile. Except 
 Wilmington, it is the most pestilent resort for 
 blockade-runners on tlie entire coast." 
 
 " Then you think Fort Morgan can be reduced 
 from the land side ? " asked Christy, deeply inter- 
 ested in the conversation. 
 
 " I have little doubt of it ; and while I believe 
 Farragut will resort to his favorite plan of running 
 by the forts here, as he has done by those of the 
 Mississippi, the army will be planted in the rear of 
 both these forts. As we have lain here for months, 
 I have studied the situation, and I want to know 
 something more about the land on the east of 
 Mobile Point." 
 
 " I should say that it would be easy enough to 
 obtain all the information you desire in regard to 
 it," suggested Christy. ' 
 
 " There is an unwritten tradition that the com- 
 mander must not leave his ship to engage in any 
 duty of an active character, and I cannot explore 
 the vicinity of the fort myself." 
 
 " But you have plenty of officers for such duty." 
 
 " I have no doubt there are pickets, and perhaps 
 a camp beyond the rising ground, and the explora- 
 
24 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 tion would be difficult and dangerous. The two 
 officers I have mentioned before lack the dash and 
 ingenuity such an enterprise requires ; and a blun- 
 der might involve me in difficulty, for I have no 
 orders to obtain the information I desire." 
 
 "The officers named are prudent men within 
 reasonable limits." 
 
 " They are ; but I would give up my idea rather 
 than trust either of them with this duty," replied 
 Captain Breaker very decidedly. "But I have a 
 further and nearer object in this exploration ; in 
 fact, examining the ground would be only second- 
 ary." 
 
 "What is the real object. Captain?" asked the 
 first lieutenant, his curiosity fully awakened. 
 
 " I feel that it will be necessary to use extraor- 
 dinary efforts to capture the Trafalgar, for no 
 steamer of her alleged speed has ever run into or 
 out of Mobile Bay. After I informed the flag- 
 officer in regard to her, which your father's infor- 
 mation enabled me to do, the Bellevite was es- 
 pecially charged with the duty of capturing her, 
 if she had to chase her all over the world." 
 
 "I have not much doubt that you will do it. 
 Captain." 
 
THE MISSION TO MOBILE POINT 25 
 
 " I mean to do so if possible. Now these block- 
 ade-runners usually anchor near the lower fleet, 
 or under the guns of the fort in five fathoms of 
 water. Sometimes they remain there two or three 
 days, waiting for a favorable opportunity to run 
 out. Perhaps the Trafalgar is there now. I wish 
 to know about it." 
 
 " I infer that you consider me fitted for this 
 duty, Captain Breaker," said Christy earnestly. 
 
 " For that reason only I almost wished you were 
 second or third lieutenant, rather than first," re- 
 plied the commander with some earnestness in his 
 manner. 
 
 There was no unwritten tradition that the first 
 lieutenant should not be sent on any duty. 
 
26 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 THE DEPARTURE OF THE EXPEDITION 
 
 The conversation between the captain and the 
 executive officer of the Bellevite was continued 
 till they were called to supper ; but a decision had 
 been reached. On important occasions, as when 
 several boats were ordered upon an expedition, it 
 was not unusual to send the first lieutenant in 
 command. Though only a single whaleboat would 
 be required for the enterprise in which the com- 
 mander was so deeply interested, its importance 
 appeared to justify the selection of the executive 
 officer to conduct it; and Christy was directed to 
 suit himself. 
 
 Of course the expedition was to be sent out at 
 night, for the cover of the darkness was necessary 
 to render it effectual. In the afternoon the wind 
 had come around to the south-west, and already 
 a slight fog had obscured the Sand Island Light- 
 house. It promised to be such a night as a block- 
 ade-runner would select for getting to sea. 
 
THE DEPAP.TUEE OF THE EXPEDITIOIST 27 
 
 Christy was especially warned that the principal 
 business of his expedition was to obtain informa- 
 tion in regard to the Trafalgar, though it was 
 probable that a new name had been given to her 
 for the service in which she was to be engaged. 
 The examination of the surroundings of the fort, 
 the captain strongly impressed upon his mind, was 
 entirely subsidiary to the discovery of the intend- 
 ing blockade-runner. In fact, the commander 
 seemed to have serious doubts as to whether it 
 was proper for him even to reconnoitre without 
 special orders for the use of the army. 
 
 It was several months that Christy had been on 
 board of the Bellevite in his present capacity, and 
 he had become very well acquainted with all the 
 petty officers and seamen of the ship's company, 
 now composed of one hundred and twenty men. 
 After he had finished his supper he walked about 
 the spar-deck to refresh his memory by a sight at 
 all of the men, and selected those who were to 
 take part in his enterprise. 
 
 One of the first persons he encountered in his 
 promenade was the third assistant engineer, Charles 
 Graines, whom he had known as a boy, before the 
 war. He was not only a machinist, but a sailor, 
 
28 A VICTORIOUS UNION" 
 
 having served in both capacities, though now only 
 twenty-five years of age. Through his father 
 Christy had procured his appointment as an engi- 
 neer, and his assignment to tlie Belle vite. The 
 young man was exceedingly grateful to him for 
 this service, and entirely devoted to him. 
 
 Paul Vapoor, the chief engineer, spoke of 
 Graines in the highest terms, not only in his offi- 
 cial capacity, but as a high-toned, patriotic, and 
 thoroughly reliable man. The moment the execu- 
 tive officer put his eye on the assistant engineer, 
 he decided that Graines should be liis right-hand 
 man. As a matter of precaution the proposed ex- 
 pedition was to be a profound secret, for there 
 were white men and negroes about the deck who 
 had been picked up in various ways, and Avere 
 retained till they could be disposed of. They 
 could not be trusted, and doubtless some of them 
 were Confederates at heart, if not encrafred in 
 secret missions. 
 
 Christy invited Graines to the ward room for 
 a conference. There were several officers there, 
 and they retired to the stateroom of the first lieu- 
 tenant, which is the forward one on the starboard 
 side. The plan, as it had been matured in the 
 
THE DEPARTURE OF THE EXPEDITION 29 
 
 mind of the one appointed to carry it out, was 
 fully explained, and the engineer was delighted to 
 be chosen to take part in its execution. The selec- 
 tion of the seamen to compose the expedition was 
 not an easy matter, though every sailor on board 
 would have volunteered for such duty if the 
 opportunity had been presented to him. 
 
 Graines was not so familiar with the merits of 
 the seamen as he was with those of the men in the 
 engineer department. It became necessary for the 
 executive officer to take another walk on the spar- 
 deck, in order to revive his recollection of the men ; 
 and he soon returned to the stateroom with a 
 complete list of those he had selected. The engi- 
 neer suggested an oiler by the name of Weeks as 
 a most excellent man ; and Christy accepted him, 
 completing the number from those of his own 
 choice. Seated at his desk, he wrote outthe names 
 of the ten men chosen. 
 
 " Of course if we should be caught on shore in 
 our ordinary uniforms it would be all night with 
 us," said Christy, as he completed the writing out 
 of the list. " I believe you have never seen the 
 inside of a Confederate prison, Mr. Graines." 
 
 "Never; though I came pretty near it once 
 
30 A VICTOKIOUS UNION 
 
 while I was an oiler on board of the Hatteras," 
 replied the engineer. 
 
 " You have been fortunate, and I hope you will 
 come out of this excursion as well. I spent a 
 short time in a Confederate lock-up ; but I did not 
 like the arrangements, and I took leave of it one 
 night. It was in Mobile, and I don't care to be 
 sent up there again. Therefore we must clothe 
 ourselves in the worst garments we can find ; and 
 I carry a suit for just this purpose, though I have 
 not had occasion to use it lately." 
 
 " I have to wear old clothes when at work on 
 the machinery, and I have a plentiful supply on 
 hand," added Graines. " Perhaps I could help out 
 some of the others." 
 
 " All the seamen have old clothes, and they will 
 need no assistance in arriinging their wardrobes. 
 Now, Mr. Graines, it will excite remark if I in- 
 struct the ten men we have selected, and I must 
 leave that part of the work to you," continued 
 Christy. " But all the instruction you need give 
 them is in regard to their dress, and require them 
 to be at the main chains on the starboard side at 
 ten o'clock to-night precisely." 
 
 " As I have plenty of time I will take the men. 
 
THE DEPART UKE OF THE EXPEDITION 31 
 
 one at a time, to my room in the steerage, and 
 instruct them," replied the engineer. 
 
 " You can tell each one to send in the next one 
 wanted. Above all, make them promise not to 
 speak to any person whatever in regard to the 
 expedition," said the executive officer as his com- 
 panion retired. 
 
 Mr. Graines lost no time in dischargfinnr the 
 important duty assigned to him. Christy reported 
 to the commander, as soon as he found an oj^por- 
 tunity to speak to him privately, what progress he 
 had made in carrying out the duty assigned to him. 
 Captain Breaker looked over the list of the men 
 selected, and gave it his hearty approbation. He 
 was a man of elevated moral and religious charac- 
 ter; he had always exercised a sort of fatherly 
 supervision over his ship's company, and he was 
 better acquainted with those under his command 
 than most commanders. 
 
 " It looks as though it was going to be a good 
 night for blockade-runners, Mr. Passford," said 
 Captain Breaker, as he looked over to windward 
 and saw the banks of fog, not yet very dense, roll- 
 ing up from the open gulf. 
 
 " It is not known, I suppose, whether or not the 
 
32 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 Trafalgar has come down from Mobile ? " inquired 
 Christy. 
 
 " I have been unable to obtain any definite in- 
 formation ; but a negro who came off from the 
 shore yesterday assured me there was a black 
 steamer at anchor between the Middle Ground and 
 Mobile Point. That is all the information I have 
 been able to obtain, though I have examined all 
 who came on board during the last week. It is 
 certainly time for the Trafalgar to come out, as the 
 Confederates are in great haste to re-enforce the 
 Alabama, the Shenandoah, and other cruisers ; for 
 these vessels have made a tremendous impression 
 upon our mercantile marine. She has been in port 
 long enough to rebuild her already, and I am con- 
 fident she must be ready for service." 
 
 " If I don't find her ready to come out to-night, 
 v^ould it not be well to repeat my visit to the shoie 
 until we learn something about her?" asked 
 Christy. 
 
 " That is my purpose," replied the commander. 
 
 " I should like to have the scope of my powers 
 as the officer of this expedition a little more def- 
 initely defined. Captain Breaker," continued the 
 first lieutenant. 
 
THE DEPARTURE OF THE EXPEDITION 33 
 
 " I thought I had fully instructed you, Christy," 
 answered the commander with a smile. 
 
 " Am I to confine myself solely to the two points 
 assigned to me ? " 
 
 "I don't understand what you have in your 
 mind, my boy." 
 
 " I have nothing in my mind, Captain. I have 
 not laid out any plan of operations outside of the 
 instructions you have given me, sir ; and I do not 
 purpose to do so. If I had the intention to do any- 
 thing but the duty assigned to me, I should as- 
 suredly inform you of it, and obtain your orders." 
 
 "I know you would, my dear boy." 
 
 " But if I see an opportunity to do anything for 
 the benefit of my country " — 
 
 " Such as the capture of a sloop of war," inter- 
 posed the commander with a suggestive laugh. 
 " When you were sent to look out for a small 
 steamer, simply to obtain information in regard to 
 her, in Pensacola Bay, you went on your mission, 
 and brought out the Teaser, which afterwards be- 
 came the Bronx, and rendered very valuable ser- 
 vice to the country under your command." 
 
 "I could not very well help doing so when I 
 saw my opportunity," replied Christy, in an apolo- 
 
34 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 getic tone, as though he had been reproved for 
 exceeding his instructions. 
 
 " You did precisely right, Christy ; and that act 
 did more to make the deservedly high reputation 
 you have won than almost anything else you have 
 done, unless it was your achievements at Cedar 
 Keys," added Captain Breaker heartily. 
 
 "I am glad you have brought up the Teaser 
 matter, Captain, for it just illustrates what I have 
 in my mind. If I see an opportunity to do such a 
 thing as that on the present occasion, I simply 
 wish to know whether or not I am to confine my 
 operations to the strict letter of my instructions. 
 Of course, if so instructed, I shall obey my orders 
 to the letter." 
 
 "'The letter killeth, the spirit giveth life,' my 
 boy. Your mission always and everywhere is to 
 serve your country, and you are to do this on the 
 present occasion. What I said about ingenuity in 
 speaking of ni}'- officers is covered in this case. If 
 you can capture and send out the Trafalgar, do it 
 by all means, for that is the object in view in sending 
 off this expedition. Your head is level, Christy ; 
 and that is the reason why I desired you to com- 
 mand this enterprise rather than either of the other 
 
THE DEPARTURE OF THE EXPEDITION 35 
 
 officers. I can trust you, and you have full powers 
 to act on your own judgment." 
 
 "I thank you for your abundant confidence, 
 Captain ; and I shall endeavor not to abuse it," 
 replied Christy. " But it is not even remotely 
 possible that I shall capture the Trafalgar; yet 
 sometimes unexpected opportunities are presented, 
 and the letter of my orders might prevent me from 
 embracing them. I am very glad to know where 
 I stand." 
 
 The night came on, and with it more fog ; but it 
 was of that flitting kind which settles down and 
 then blows away. It seemed to come in banks 
 that were continually in motion. The men who 
 were to go to the shore had all been instructed, 
 and at precisely ten o'clock they were seated in 
 the whaleboat, with Mr. Graines in the stern sheets. 
 They were all armed with two revolvers apiece, and 
 there was a cutlass for each in the boat. The men 
 had not only changed their dress, but they had dis- 
 guised themselves, smooching their faces with coal 
 dust, and tearing their garments till they were in 
 tatters. 
 
 Christy Kad dressed himself in his old garments, 
 but added to them a gray coat he had obtained on 
 
36 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 board of a prize. The watch on deck had been 
 ordered to the forecastle, so that they need not too 
 closely observe the crew of the whaleboat. The 
 chief of the expedition had quietly descended to 
 the platform of the after gangway, and when the 
 boat dropped astern, he stepped into it, selecting 
 his place by the side of the engineer, who had 
 taken the tiller lines. The boat pulled away at 
 once, with four hands at the oars, and Mr. Graines 
 headed it to the north-east by the compass, the 
 side lights of which were covered so that they 
 should not betray the approach of the boat to the 
 shore, if any one was there. 
 
 On the way Christy gave the men full instruc- 
 tions in regard to their conduct ; and in less than 
 an hour the party landed. 
 
A BIVOCJAC NEAR FORT MORGAN 37 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 A BIVOUAC NEAR FORT MORGAN 
 
 The expedition landed about two miles east of 
 Fort Morgan. The sea was not heavy, as it some- 
 times is on these sand islands, and the debarkation 
 was effected without any difficulty. At this dis- 
 tance from the defences of the bay not a person 
 was to be seen. The fog banks still swept over 
 the waters of the gulf as during the latter part of 
 the afternoon, and if any number of persons had been 
 near the shore, they could hardly have been seen. 
 
 " We are all right so far, Mr. Graines," said 
 Christy, as the bowmen hauled up the boat on the 
 beach. 
 
 " It is as quiet as a tomb in this vicinity," re- 
 plied the engineer, as he led the way to the shore. 
 
 " Now, my men, haul the boat out of the water. 
 I think we need not use any of our small force as 
 boat-keepers, for we can hardly spare them for 
 this purpose, Mr. Graines," Christy proceeded very 
 promptly. 
 
38 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 " It does not look as though the boat, or any- 
 thing else, would ever be molested in this lonely 
 locality," replied Graines, as the men lifted it from 
 the water. 
 
 " Now carry it back about half a cable from the 
 shore," continued the principal of the party. " If 
 one or two strollers should happen this way, they 
 would not be able to put it into the water, though 
 four men can carry it very easily." 
 
 The whaleboat was borne to a spot indicated by 
 the lieutenant, and left as it had been taken from 
 the surf. Everything in it was arranged in order, 
 so that it could be hastily put into the water if cir- 
 cumstance demanded a hurried retreat from the 
 scene of operations. Near the spot was a post set 
 up in the sand, which might have been one of the 
 corners of a shanty, or have been used j^ears before 
 by fishermen drying their nets or other gear. 
 
 " Do you see that post, my men ? " asked Christy, 
 as he pointed to it, not twenty feet from the spot 
 where the boat had been deposited. 
 
 "AjT-, ay, sir!" the seamen responded, in low 
 tones, for they had been warned not to speak out 
 loud. 
 
 " That will be your guide in finding the boat if 
 
A BIVOUAC NEAR FORT MORGAN 39 
 
 we should get scattered," added the officer. " Now, 
 do you see the two stars about half way between 
 the horizon and the zenith ? " 
 
 " Ay, ay, sir !" answered Weeks, the oiler. " The 
 Band of Orion." 
 
 " Quite riglit, Weeks," added Christy. " Fort 
 Morgan lies about west of us ; anu a course from 
 there in the direction of the two stars will bring 
 you to the coast and the boat. Every man must 
 act for himself to some extent, and you are ex- 
 pected to be prudent, and use your own judgment. 
 It will not be safe for us to keep together, for a 
 dozen men seen all at once would be likely to 
 awaken suspicion." 
 
 " If there is not a crowd of men over by the fort, 
 we can hardly expect to avoid coming together," 
 suggested Weeks, who proved to be a very intel- 
 ligent man, with excellent judgment. 
 
 " I cannot tell whether or not we shall find any 
 gathering of men in the vicinity of the fort," re- 
 plied Christy. " We shall be obliged to govern 
 ' ourselves according to circumstances. If you find 
 any number of people over there, you can mingle 
 with them. Some of you are very good scholars ; 
 but if any of you are disposed to indulge in fine 
 
40 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 talk, don't do it. Make your speech correspond 
 with your dress, and let it be rough and rude, for 
 that is the fashion among the laboring class in this 
 region." 
 
 " I suppose sea-slang will not be out of order," 
 said Weeks. 
 
 " Not at all. Simply consider that you are sail- 
 ors and laborers, and do not forget it," answered 
 Christy ; and he was confident that he had selected 
 only those who were competent to conduct them- 
 selves as the occasion might require. " Now, Mr. 
 Graines, tell off five men — any five." 
 
 The engineer called off five of the seamen, whose 
 names he had learned from the list given him by 
 his superior officer. 
 
 " Now these five men will each choose his partner, 
 who is to be his companion while we are on shore, 
 and who is to act with him," continued Christy. 
 " I do not know yet any better than you do what 
 you are to do ; but if you are called upon to do 
 any difficult or dangerous work, remember that 
 you are American seamen, and do your best for 
 your country. If you are required to do any fight- 
 ing, as I do not expect you will, our success de- 
 pends upon your strong arms and your ready wills. 
 
A BIVOUAC NEAR FORT MORGAN 41 
 
 You will do your whole duty, whatever it may be, 
 and do it like true American sailors." 
 
 " Ay, ay, sir ! " came in a unanimous voice from 
 the knot of men, though in subdued tones. 
 
 " Call the first name again, Mr. Graines," added 
 Christy. 
 
 " Weeks," replied the engineer. 
 
 "Select your man. Weeks." 
 
 " Bingham," said the oiler. 
 
 The names of the other four men who had been 
 selected were called in turn, and each of them se- 
 lected his partner, each one of course choosing his 
 best friend, if he had not already been appropriated. 
 
 " Now, my men, Weeks and Bingham, the first 
 couple, to be called simply ' One ' when wanted, 
 and they will answer to this designation, will start 
 first. The next couple, to be called ' Two,' will 
 follow them ; and so on, the other pairs coming in 
 order," continued Christy, designating each by 
 name and number. " Two will start in ten or fif- 
 teen minutes after One, as nearly as you can guess 
 at the time, for it is too dark to see watches if you 
 have them." 
 
 " Are we to choose our own courses ? " asked 
 Weeks. 
 
42 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 " No ; I was coming to that next. Each couple 
 will stroll due north as nearly as he can make it 
 out, till they come to the waters of Mobile Bay. 
 If you see any houses or tents, avoid them, and keep 
 clear of any collection of people before you reach 
 the vicinity of the fort. The bay is the first point 
 you are to reach ; then follow the shore to the fort. 
 If you meet any person, talk to him in a friendly 
 way, if necessary, and be as good Confederates as 
 any in this region, even inside of Fort Morgan." 
 
 Weeks and Bingham took up the line of march 
 in the direction indicated, and soon disappeared 
 beyond the rising ground in the middle of the neck 
 of land, which was here about three-eighths of a 
 mile wide. A quarter of an hour later Lane and 
 McGrady followed them. While they were wait- 
 ing, each of the pairs gave a specimen of the dialect 
 they intended to use. McGrady was an Irishman, 
 educated in the public schools of the North, and 
 his language was as good as that of any ordinary 
 American ; but now he used a very rich brogue. 
 
 Every man followed his own fancy. Lane had 
 lived in tlie South, and " mought " and " f otch " 
 came readily to his aid. The Crackers of Florida, 
 the backwoodsmen of North Carolina, the swag- 
 
A BIVOUAC NEAR FORT MORGAN 43 
 
 gering Kentuckian, the wild Texan, were all rep- 
 resented ; and Christy could easily have believed 
 he had a company of comedians under his command, 
 instead of a band of loyal Northerners. 
 
 The executive officer and the engineer had de- 
 cided before this time to keep together ; and, as 
 soon as they had seen the second couple depart, 
 they set out on their wandering march to the fort 
 in a direction different from that of the others of 
 the part3^ They walked directly towards the fort, 
 for Christy intended to make his examination of 
 the ground to the eastward of the fortification, 
 on his way to some spot where he could ascertain 
 what vessels were at anchor between the point and 
 the Middle Ground. He discharged this duty 
 very faithfully ; and before he reached his object- 
 ive point he was confident he could draw a map 
 of the region, with what information he had 
 obtained before, which would meet the require- 
 ments of Captain Breaker. 
 
 " What's that ? " demanded Graines, suddenly 
 placing his hand on the arm of his companion, and 
 stopping short, as they were approaching the crown 
 of the elevation. 
 
 A fire was burning on the ground in a depression 
 
44 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 of the surface, which doubtless concealed its light 
 from persons in the vicinity of the fort, if there 
 were any there. Around it could be seen four 
 men, as the two officers looked over the crest of 
 the hill, who appeared to be engaged in eating and 
 drinking ; and they were doing more of the latter 
 than of the former, for the bottle passed very fre- 
 quently from one to another. 
 
 " It looks like a bivouac on the part of those 
 fellows," said Christy in a low tone. 
 
 " But who and what are they? " asked Graines. 
 
 " They may be deserters from Fort Morgan, 
 though if they were they would hardly bivouac so 
 near it," replied Christy, who did not seem to his 
 companion to be at all disturbed by the discovery 
 of the men. "They are more likely to be sailors 
 from some intendine: blockade-runner at anchor off 
 the point, who have come on shore to make a night 
 of it; and they appear to have made considerable 
 progress in the debauch." 
 
 "They are not soldiers, for you can see by the 
 light of the fire that they are not dressed in uni- 
 form," added the engineer. 
 
 " This is the third year of the war, and uniforms 
 for the soldiers are not particularly abundant in 
 the Confederacy." 
 
A BIVOUAC NEAR FORT MORGAN 45 
 
 " We can't see the waters of the bay till we 
 reach the top of the knoll yonder, and we don't 
 know whether there are any vessels at anchor 
 there or not. But we can easily avoid these fel- 
 lows by keeping behind the ridge till we get where 
 they cannot see us." 
 
 " I don't know that we want to avoid them, for 
 I should like very much to know who and what 
 they are. They must be tipsy to a greater or less 
 degree by this time, for they do twice as much 
 drinking as eating," answered Christy, as he ad- 
 vanced a little way farther up the hill. " They 
 have a basket of food, and I do not believe they 
 are mere tramps. They are more likely to be 
 engaged in some occupation which brought them 
 to this point, and I think we had better fraternize 
 with them. They may be able to give us some 
 valuable information ; and it looks as though they 
 were drunk enough to tell all they know without 
 making any difficulty about it." 
 
 " Do you think it is quite prudent, Mr. Passford, 
 to approach them ? " asked the engineer. 
 
 " When we come on an excursion of this kind 
 we have to take some risk. If I were alone I 
 should not hesitate to join them, and take my 
 
46 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 chances, for they must know something about 
 affairs in this vicinity," replied Christy in a quiet 
 tone, so that his answer might not be interpreted 
 as a boast or a reproach to his companion. 
 
 " I am ready to follow you, Mr. Passford, wher- 
 ever you go, and to depend upon your judgment 
 for guidance," said Graines very promptly. "If it 
 comes to a fight with those fellows, I beg you to 
 understand that I will do my full share of it, and 
 obey your orders to the letter." 
 
 " Of course I have no doubt whatever in regard 
 to your courage and your readiness to do your 
 whole duty, Mr. Graines," added Christy, as he 
 led the way to the summit of the elevation. "Now 
 lay aside your grammar and rhetoric, and we must 
 be as good fellows as those bivouackers are making 
 themselves. We are simply sailors who have just 
 escaped from a captured blockade-runner." 
 
 " I don't see anything around the fire that looks 
 like muskets," said the engineer, as they descended 
 from the elevation. 
 
 " I see nothing at all except the provision-basket 
 and the bottles," replied Christy. 
 
 "But they may be armed for all that." 
 
 " We must take our chances. They are so busy 
 
A BIVOUAC NEAR FORT MORGAN 47 
 
 eating and diinking that they have not seen us 
 yet. Perhaps we had better be a little hilarious," 
 continued the lieutenant, as he began to sing, 
 " We won't go home till morning," in which he 
 was joined by his companion as vigorously as the 
 circumstances would permit. 
 
 Singing as they went, and with a rolling gait, 
 they approached the revellers. 
 
48 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 THE REVELATIONS OF THE EEVELLERS 
 
 " 'We won't go home till morning,' " sang the 
 two counterfeit revellers, as they approached the 
 fire of the bivouackers. 
 
 The four carousers sprang to their feet when 
 the first strain reached their ears. They were not 
 as intoxicated as they might have been, for they 
 were able to stand with considerable firmness on 
 their feet, after the frequency with which the 
 bottle had been passed among them. They did 
 not do what soldiers would naturally have done at 
 such an interruption, grasp their muskets, and it 
 was probable they had no muskets to grasp. 
 
 " ' We won't go home till morning, till daylight 
 doth appear,' " continued the two officers, without 
 halting in their march towards the revellers. 
 
 No weapons of any kind were exhibited ; but 
 the tipplers stood as though transfixed with aston- 
 ishment or alarm where the}^ had risen, but were 
 rather limp in their attitude. They evidently did 
 
■The two Cor.NTERFEIT KE\'EIJ,EKS.'" Page 48. 
 
THE KEVELATIONS OF THE REVELLERS 49 
 
 not know what to make of the interruption, and 
 they appeared to be waiting for further develop- 
 ments on the part of the intruders. 
 
 " It isn't mornin' yit, but we just emptied our 
 bottle," said Christy, with a swaggering and 
 slightly reeling movement, and suiting his sjDeech 
 to the occasion. " How are ye, shipmates ? " 
 
 " Up to G, jolly tars," replied one of the men, 
 with a broad grin on his face. " We done got 
 two full bottles left, at your sarvice." 
 
 " Much obleeged," returned the lieutenant, as 
 he took the bottle the reveller passed to him. 
 " Here's success to us all in a heap, and success 
 to our side in the battle that's go'n' on." 
 
 " I'm with you up to the armpits," added Graines, 
 as another of the four handed him a bottle. 
 
 One sniff at the neck of the bottle was enough 
 to satisfy Christy, who was a practical temperance 
 man of the very strictest kind, and he had never 
 drank a glass of anything intoxicating in all his 
 life. The bottle contained " apple-jack," or apple- 
 brandy, the vilest fluid that ever passed a tippler's 
 gullet. He felt obliged to keep up his character, 
 taken for the occasion, and he retained the mouth 
 of the bottle at his lips long enough to answer the 
 
60 VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 requirement of the moment; but he did not open 
 them, or permit a drop of the nauseous and fiery 
 liquor to pollute his tongue. It was necessary for 
 him to consider that he was struggling for the 
 salvation of his beloved country to enable him 
 even to go through the form of " taking a 
 drink." 
 
 Graines was less scrupulous on the question of 
 temperance, and he took a swallow of the apple- 
 jack ; but that was enough for him, for he had 
 never tasted anything outside of the medicine- 
 chest which was half as noxious. If he had been 
 compelled to keep up the drinking, he would have 
 realized that his punishment was more than he 
 could bear. Fortunately the tipj)lers had no tum- 
 blers, so that the guests were not compelled to 
 pour out the fluid and drink it off. All drank 
 directly from the bottles, so that the two officers 
 could easily conceal in the semi-darkness the ex- 
 tent of their indulgence. 
 
 " Who be you, strangers ? " asked the man who 
 had acted thus far as spokesman of the party. 
 
 "My name is Tom Bulger, born and brought 
 up in the island of Great Abaco, and this feller 
 is my friend and shipmate, Sam Riley," replied 
 
THE REVELATIONS OF THE REVELLERS 51 
 
 Christy, twisting and torturing Lis speech as much 
 as was necessary. " Now who be you fellers ? " 
 
 " Born and fotched up in Mobile : my name is 
 Bird Riley ; and I reckon t'other feller is a first 
 cousin of mine, for he's got the same name, and 
 he's almost as handsome as I am. Where was you 
 born, Sam ? " 
 
 "About ten miles up the Alabama, where my 
 father was the overseer on a plantation before the 
 war," replied Graines as promptly as though he 
 had been telling the truth. 
 
 " Then you must be one of my cousins, for I 
 done got about two hundred and fifty on 'em in 
 the State of Alabammy. Give us your fin, Sam." 
 
 Bird Riley and Sam shook hands in due and 
 proper form, and the relationship appeared to be 
 fully established. The names of the three other 
 revellers were given, but the spokesman was dis- 
 posed to do all the talking, though he occasionally 
 appealed to his companions to approve of what he 
 said. It was evident that he was the leading 
 spirit of the party, and that he controlled them. 
 He was rather a bright fellow, while the others 
 wei'e somewhat heavy and stupid in their under- 
 standing. The bottles were again handed to the 
 
52 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 guests, both of whom went through the form of 
 drinking without taking a drop of the vile stuff. 
 
 " What be you uns doin' here ? " asked Bird 
 Riley, after the ceremony with the l)ottle had been 
 finished. 
 
 " We was both tooken in a schooner that was 
 gwine to run the blockade," answered Christy. 
 " We was comin' out'n Pass Christian, and was 
 picked up off Chand'leer [Chandeleur] Island, and 
 fotched over hyer. We didn't feel too much to 
 hum after we lost our wages, and we done took a 
 whaleboat and came ashore here, with only one 
 bottle of whiskey atween us. That's all there is 
 on't. Now, how comes you uns hyer? " 
 
 "I'm the mate of the topsail schooner West 
 Wind, and t'others is the crew ; all but two we 
 done left on board with the cap'n," replied Bird, 
 apparently with abundant confidence in his newly 
 found friends. 
 
 " You left her ? " asked Christy. 
 
 " That's just what we done do." 
 
 "Where is the West Wind now?" inquired 
 Christy, deeply interested in the subject at this 
 point. 
 
 " She done come down from Mobile three days 
 
THE llEVELATIONS OF THE REVELLEr.S 53 
 
 ago, and done waited for a chance to run the 
 blockade. Her hole is full o' cotton, and she done 
 got a deck-load too," answered Bird Riley without 
 any hesitation. 
 
 "Where does the West Wind keep herself now, 
 Bird?" 
 
 " Just inside the p'int, astern of the Trafla- 
 dagar." 
 
 "The Trafladagar?" repeated Christy. 
 
 "That's her name, or sunthin like it. I never 
 see it writ out." 
 
 "She's a schooner, I reckon," continued Christy, 
 concealing what knowledge he possessed in regard 
 to the vessel. 
 
 "She ain't no schooner, you bet; she's jest the 
 finist steamer that ever runned inter Mobile, and 
 they've turned her into a cruiser," Bird Riley 
 explained. 
 
 "How big is she? " 
 
 " I heerd some un say she was about eight 
 hun'ed tons ; an' I'll bet shell pick up every 
 Yankee craft that she gits a sight on." 
 
 " And you say the Trafladagar is at anchor off 
 the p'int?" added Christy, not daring to call the 
 steamer by her true name. 
 
54 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 " That's jest where she is ; and the West Wind 
 is hitched to her, like a tandem team," replied 
 Bird Riley. " Look yere, Tom Bulger, you don't 
 make love to that bottle as though you meant 
 business. Take another drink, and show you done 
 got some manhood in yer." 
 
 The bottle went the rounds again, and the 
 guests apparently took long pulls ; but really they 
 did not taste a drop of the infernal liquid. 
 
 " That's good pizen, Bird Riley ; but it is not 
 jest the stingo that I like best," said Christy, as he 
 wiped his mouth with his sleeve in proper form, 
 for he did not like the smell of the fluid ligfhtnino- 
 that clung to his lips. 
 
 "Whiskey suits me most; but they waste the 
 corn makin' bread on't, and there ain't much on't 
 left to make the staff of life. Howsomever, we 
 don't choke to death on apple-jack, when we can 
 get enough on't," argued Bird Riley. 
 
 " Jest now you got a tandem team hitched up 
 out on the Trafladagar and the West Wind," con- 
 tinued Christy cautiously, and with apparent in- 
 difference, drawing the mate of the schooner back 
 to the matter in which he was the most deeply 
 interested. " What's this team hitched up that 
 
THE KEVELATIONS OF THE REVELLERS 55 
 
 way for? Is the steamer go'ii' to tow the schooner 
 up to Mobile?" 
 
 " I reckon you're a little more'n half drunk, 
 Tom Bulger," replied Bird Riley, with a vigorous 
 horse laugh. " Tow the schooner up to Mobile ! 
 Didn't I tell yer the Trafladagar's been waiting 
 here three days for a good chance to run out?" 
 
 " You said that as true as you was born," 
 added Graines, who thought it necessary to say 
 something, for he had been nearly silent from 
 the beginning. 
 
 " Sam Riley ain't quite so drunk as you be, Tom 
 Bulger; an' he knows what's what ; and thar he 
 shows the Riley blood in his carcass," chuckled 
 the mate. 
 
 " And you said the West Wind was loaded with 
 cotton, in the hole and on deck," added Graines, 
 hoping to hurry the conference along a little more 
 rapidly. 
 
 " That's jest Avhat I said. I reckon you ain't 
 much used to apple-jack, fur it fusticates your in- 
 telleck, and makes yer forget how old y'are. Come, 
 take another, jest to set your head up right," said 
 Bird, passing the bottle to Christy, who was doing 
 his best to keep up the illusion by talking very 
 
66 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 thick, and swaying his body about like a drunken 
 man. 
 
 Both the guests went through the ceremony of 
 imbibing, which was only a ceremony to them. 
 The fire had exhausted its supply of fuel, and it 
 was fortunate that the darkness prevented the 
 revellers from measuring the quantity left in the 
 bottles as they were returned to the owners, or 
 they might have seen that the strangers were not 
 doing their share in consuming the poison. 
 
 " Sam Riley does honor to the blood as runs in 
 his body, for he ain't no more drunk'n I am; an' 
 he knows what we been talkin' about," said the 
 mate, who seemed to be greatly amused at the sup- 
 posed effect of the liquor upon Christy. "You 
 won't know nothin' about the Trafladagar or the 
 West Wind in half an hour from now, Tom 
 Bulger. I reckon it don't make no difference to 
 you about the tandem team, and to-morrer mornin' 
 you won't know how the team's hitched up." 
 
 "I don't think I will," replied Christy boozily, 
 as he rolled over on the sand, and then struggled 
 for some time to resume his upright position, to 
 the great amusement of Bird Riley and his com- 
 panions. " But Sam Riley's got blood in him, the 
 
THE REVELATIONS OF THE REVELLERS 57 
 
 best blood in Alabammy, and he kin tell you all 
 about it if yer want ter know. He kin stan' up 
 agin a whole bottle o' apple-jack." 
 
 "I say, Cousin Bird, what's this tandem team 
 hitched up fer?" asked Graines, permitting his 
 superior officer to carry out the illusion upon 
 which he had entered, in order more effectually 
 to blind the mate, and induce him to talk with 
 entire freedom. 
 
 " I reckon you ain't too drunk to un'erstan' 
 what I say, Sam, as t'other feller is." 
 
 " I'm jest drunk enough to un'erstan' yer. Cousin 
 Bird ; but I cal'late I won't know much about it by 
 to-morrer mornin'," added Graines. 
 
 " Let's take another round, Sam ; but I reckon 
 Tom Bulger's got more'n he can kerry now," con- 
 tinued the mate. 
 
 Bird took a long draught from the bottle, and 
 then passed it to his guest. Three of the four 
 revellers had already toppled over at full length 
 on the ground ; and Christy thought he could 
 hurry matters by doing the same thing, and he 
 tumbled over all in a heap. Graines drank noth- 
 ing himself, though he contrived to spill a quantity 
 of the fluid on the ground, so that it might not 
 
58 A VICTOEIOUS UNION 
 
 seem too liglit to his only remaining wakeful com- 
 panion. The last dram of Bird had been a very 
 heavy one, and the engineer realized that he could 
 not hold out much longer. 
 
 "What's that tandem team fer?" asked Graines, 
 in the thickest of tones, while he swayed back and 
 forth as Bird was doing by this time. 
 
 " The Trafiadagar's gwine to tow the West Wind 
 out; and both on 'em's sure to be tooken," stam- 
 mered the mate. "We uns don't bleeve in't, and 
 so we runned away, and left Captain SuUendine to 
 paddle his own punt. They get off at three in the 
 mornin'." 
 
 Bird Riley took another drink, and then he 
 toppled over. 
 
VICINITY OF THE CONFEDERATE FOIIT 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 IN THE VICINITY OF THE CONFEDERATE FORT 
 
 It was a favorable night for running tlie block- 
 ade, for the fog had settled down more densely 
 upon the region in the vicinity of the ship chan- 
 nel, though it occasionally lifted, and permitted 
 those on board of the Bellevite to see the tall tower 
 of the Sand Island Lighthouse, which had not been 
 illuminated for three years. The mists were gen- 
 erally thicker and remained longer towards daylight 
 than at any other time, and this was the evident 
 reason why three o'clock in the morning had been 
 fixed upon for the departure of the Trafalgar and 
 the West Wind in tow. 
 
 The engineer's head was as clear as it had ever 
 been, notwithstanding the tipsy swaying and doub- 
 ling-up of his body which he simulated, and he re- 
 alized that his companion and himself had obtained 
 very important revelations from the revellers. The 
 hour at which the steamer was to leave, evidently 
 by arrangement with the officers of the fort, was 
 
60 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 valuable knowledge, and lie hoped they would be 
 able to carry or send seasonable warning of the 
 time to the Bellevite, for she was the only ship on 
 the blockade that could be counted upon to over- 
 haul the Trafalgar, if the reports of her great speed 
 had been correctly given. 
 
 Both Christy and Graines had listened atten- 
 tively to the revelations of Bird Riley ; but neither 
 of them could understand why the four men, in- 
 cluding the mate, had deserted the West Wind 
 only a few hours before she was to depart on her 
 voyage to Nassau, where she was believed to be 
 bound. The reason assigned by the tipsy mate 
 was that she was going out in tow of the steamer, 
 and was sure to be taken by the blockaders. Both 
 of the listeners thought this fact improved her 
 chances of getting clear of any possible pursuers. 
 
 Bird Riley had fallen back on the ground ; but 
 he still continued to talk, though his speech was 
 very nearly incoherent. Graines was very anxious 
 to know what time it was, for the most important 
 part of the enterprise was to give the Bellevite 
 timely notice of the coming of the Trafalgar. He 
 struck a match and lighted a cigar, offering one 
 to the mate, which he took and lighted. It was 
 
VICINITY OF THE CONFEDEllATE FORT 61 
 
 half-past twelve by his watch, as he informed Bird, 
 tliousfh he did so more for the information of the 
 lieutenant than of the mate. 
 
 " I reckon we are all about full enough to go to 
 sleep, and we might as well turn in," said Graines. 
 " But I suppose you uns mean to sleep on board of 
 the West Wind." 
 
 "I don't reckon we'll do nothin' o' that sort," 
 hiccoughed the mate. "We done got a p'int to 
 kerry, and I reckon we're gwine to kerry it." 
 
 " All right," gobbled the engineer, who overdid 
 his part, if anything. " What's the p'int, shipmate ? " 
 
 " Cap'n Sull'dine's sho't handed," replied the 
 mate, his speech turning somersets as he labored 
 to utter the words, for he still had a portion of liis 
 senses left. 
 
 " I see," added Graines, tumbling over, but re- 
 gaining his perpendicularity with a trying effort. 
 " Only six men left after you four done runned 
 away." 
 
 " Six ! " exclaimed Bird, raising himself up with 
 a desperate struggle, like a wounded hawk. " No 
 six in it ; only two left. He don't, can't no how, 
 go to sea with only two men. I'll pilot the 
 schooner out by the Belican Channel an' Mis'sip' 
 
62 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 Sound. Cap'ii SuU'dine 'n' I fit over it, an' I left, 
 with most of the crew. Hah, ha, ha ! He done 
 got 'nuff on't ! Let's take a swigger, and then we 
 gwine to go to sleep, like the rest on 'em." 
 
 With no little difficulty Bird Riley got the bot- 
 tle to his lips, wasting no little of the liquor in 
 the operation. He was entirely " full " then. He 
 handed the bottle to the engineer, and dropped 
 over on his back, overcome by his frequent potions. 
 Graines did not find it necessary to go through 
 the form of putting the bottle to his lips again, and 
 after waiting a few minutes he was satisfied that 
 the mate was in a deep slumber, from which he 
 was not likely to wake for several hours. 
 
 But all the information he appeared to be capa- 
 ble of giving had been imparted, and Graines rose 
 to his feet as steady as he ever was in his life, 
 having taken hardly a swallow of the repulsive 
 poison. He walked away from the sleeping group 
 on the ground, halting about twenty feet from 
 them. Christy saw him, for his eyes were open 
 all the time, and he had listened with intense in- 
 terest to the conversation between the engineer 
 and the mate of the West Wind. 
 
 The lieutenant straightened himself up and 
 
VICINITY OF THE CONFEDERATE FORT 63 
 
 looked about him. The fire was entirely extin- 
 guished ; the four men lay with their feet to the 
 embers, and not one of them showed any signs of 
 life. Carefully raising himself to his feet, so as 
 not to disturb the sleeper nearest to him, he crept 
 away to the spot where his associate awaited him. 
 Christy led the way in the direction of the fort, 
 but both of them were silent till they reached the 
 summit of the knoll which concealed the inner 
 bay from their vision, or would have done so if the 
 fog had not effectually veiled it from their sight. 
 
 "I suppose you heard all that was said, Mr, 
 Passford, after you ceased to lead the conversa- 
 tion," said Graines, as he glanced back at the foot 
 of the hollow where the revel had taken place. 
 
 "Every word of it; and I could insert a good 
 deal of Avhat might have been read between the 
 lines if the talk had been written out," replied the 
 lieutenant. " As you were the cousin of the mate, 
 he seemed to be more communicative to you than 
 to me, and I thought it best to leave you to con- 
 duct the conversation. You did it extremely well, 
 Charley, and there was no occasion for me to inter- 
 fere. I find that you have no little skill as a de- 
 tective, as well as a sailor and an engineer, and I 
 
64 A VICTOUIOUS UNION 
 
 shall make a good report of you to Captain Breaker. 
 I could almost believe that we were boys together 
 again as we were carrying on the farce this 
 evening." 
 
 "Thank you, Christy — Mr. Passford," added 
 Graines. 
 
 " You need not stand on ship formalities while 
 we are alone, Charley. But we must put together 
 the threads we have gathered this evening, and, if 
 I mistake not, we shall make a net of them, into 
 which the Trafalgar, or whatever her new name 
 may be, will tumble at no very distant time. It 
 appears tliat she is not to tow out the West Wind, 
 for Captain SuUendine cannot go to sea with only 
 two men before the mast, and no mate." 
 
 " Bird Riley played his cards very well to ac- 
 complish the purpose he had in view, which was 
 to keep the West Wind from going to sea in tow 
 of the steamer," replied Graines, keeping up with 
 the lieutenant, who had taken a very rapid pace. 
 
 " I should say that the schooner would have a 
 much better chance to get through the blockaders 
 in tow of the Trafalo-ar than in gfoino- on her own 
 hook. Bird is a big fellow in his own estimation ; 
 but it struck me that Captain SuUendine had an 
 
VICINITY OF THE CONFEDERATE FORT 65 
 
 ignorant and self-willed fellow for a mate, and 
 probably he took the best one he could find ; for I 
 think good seamen, outside of the Confederate 
 navy, must be very scarce in the South," 
 
 " The fellow had a notion in his head that he 
 could take the schooner out by Pelican Channel, 
 and he quarrelled with the captain on this point. 
 It occurred to me that he deserted his vessel ou 
 account of the quarrel rather than for any other 
 reason." 
 
 " We need not bother our heads with that ques- 
 tion, for it does not concern us ; and we will leave 
 the captain and his mate to fight it out when they 
 meet to-morrow, for it is plain enough that the West 
 Wind cannot go to sea with no mate and only two 
 hands before the mast," returned Christy, who was 
 hastenincr forward to discharcre what he considered 
 his first duty thus far developed by the events of 
 the night. "What time is it now, Charley? I 
 have a watch, but no matches." 
 
 The engineer's cigar had gone out when he 
 lighted it before, and he had jmt it in a pocket of 
 his sack coat. Putting it in his mouth, he struck 
 a match, and consulted his watch. 
 
 " Quarter of one, Christy ; and we have plenty 
 
66 A VICTORIOUS UNIOX 
 
 of time," he replied as lie lighted his cigar ; for he 
 thought it would help him to maintain his indiffer- 
 ence in whatever event might be next in order. 
 
 " But we have no time to spare," added the lieu- 
 tenant, as he increased the rapidity of his pace. 
 " Our five pairs of men must have reached the 
 vicinity of the fort before this time, for we have 
 had a long conference with those spreeists." 
 
 " About an hour and a half ; and the informa- 
 tion we have obtained will fully pay for the time 
 used." 
 
 " No doubt of it ; and we must hurry up in order 
 to make a good use of it," said Christy. " The 
 fog is lifting just naw, as it has been doing all the 
 evening, and we can see the fort. There are very 
 few people about ; for it cannot be an uncommon 
 event to see a blockade-runner get under way." 
 
 It was not probable that any of the persons in 
 sight were soldiers, for they had abundant oppor- 
 tunity to see all there was to be seen within the 
 solid walls that sheltered them. The rapid pace 
 at which the lieutenant led his companion soon 
 brought them to the group of people near the shore 
 of the channel leading to Pilot Town. The five 
 pairs of seamen were well scattered about, as they 
 
VICINITY OF THE CONFEDERATE FOKT 67 
 
 had been instructed to be, and they did not appear 
 to have attracted the attention of tlie others in the 
 vicinity. 
 
 Pair No. Three were the first of the party tlie offi- 
 cers encountered, and no others appeared to be near 
 them. One of them was smoking his pipe, and 
 botli of them were taking it very easily. Not far 
 from them was a knot of men who seemed to be 
 disturbed by some kind of an excitement. As the 
 couple encountered manifested no interest in the 
 affair, Christy concluded that they must know 
 something about it, unless they were extremely 
 scrupulous in adhering to the orders given 
 them. 
 
 "What is the row there, French?" asked Christy 
 in a low and guarded tone, though there was no 
 stranger very near him. 
 
 " The man in the middle is the captain of that 
 schooner you see off the shore, sir. His mate and 
 three of his crew have deserted the vessel, and he 
 can't go to sea without them," replied French. 
 
 "They say the steamer ahead is to tow the 
 schooner out; but the captain cannot go because 
 he has only two men left," added Lines, the other 
 man of the pair. 
 
68 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 "Do you know where to find Nos. One and 
 Two? " continued the leader of the expedition. 
 
 "I do not, sir; for we keep clear of each other, 
 as we were ordered," answered French, as he looked 
 about him for the men designated. 
 
 " You two will separate, and find One and Two. 
 Send them to me, and I will wait here for them," 
 added Christy ; and the men departed on the 
 errand. "While I am waiting for them, Mr. 
 Graines, you may go down to that group, and pick 
 up what information you can." 
 
 The engineer sauntered down the declivity, 
 smoking his cigar, and making himself as much at 
 home on the enemy's territory as though he had 
 been the commander of the Confederate fort. 
 Christy was not kept long in waiting, and the first 
 pair that reported to him were Weeks and Bing- 
 ham, No. One. The former was the oiler who 
 had been selected on account of his ingenuity and 
 good judgment by Graines. 
 
 " Are you a sailor as well as a machinist, Weeks ? " 
 asked Christy. 
 
 " I am not much of a sailor, sir, though I have 
 handled a schooner. I have been a boatman more 
 or less of the time all my life," replied the oiler 
 modestly. 
 
'i 
 
 VICINITY OF THE CONFEDERATE FORT 69 ] 
 
 i 
 
 By this time No. Two, Lane and McGrady, re- , 
 
 ported, but French and Lines kept their distance, i 
 
 in conformity with the spirit of their orders. [ 
 
 "Nos. One and Two will return to the whale- ■ 
 
 boat, and Weeks will be in command of the party," ^ 
 
 continued Christy. "The rest of you will obey ■ 
 him as your officer. Is this understood ? " 
 
 "Ay, ay, sir," responded the tliree men. -i 
 
 " Weeks, you will carry the boat to the water, i 
 
 and return to the ship with all possible haste. 
 
 Inform Captain Breaker that the Trafalgar will '■ 
 
 sail at three o'clock in the moriiing. I will report 
 
 to him later." 
 
 j 
 The four men started off as thougli they meant ! 
 
 to obey this order to the letter. 
 
70 A yiCTOEIOUS UNION 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 CAPTAIN SULLENDINE OF THE WEST WIND 
 
 Weeks and his companions divided up as tliey 
 had been ordered to do in coming to the fort, and 
 departed in different directions. The lieutenant 
 pointed out to them tiie locality of the bivouac 
 where he had passed so much of the evening, so 
 that they might avoid it. It was about one o'clock 
 in the morning when they left, and Christy cal- 
 culated that they Avould reach the ship in an hour 
 and a half, which would give the commander amjjle 
 time to get up steam from the banked fires, and 
 move down four or five miles to the southward of 
 his present position. 
 
 The chief of the expedition had sent no mes- 
 sage to the captain of the Bellevite in regard to 
 his own movements, but simply that he would 
 report to him later. He had already grasped an 
 idea, though he had had no time to work it up in 
 detail. It looked practicable to him, and he had 
 jumped to a conclusion as soon as he Avas in pos- 
 
CAPTAIN SULLENDINE OF THE WEST WIND 71 
 
 session of the facts covering the situation in the 
 vicinity of Fort Morgan. 
 
 With only a plan not yet matured in his mind, 
 perhaps he had been more rash than usual in send- 
 ing away the whaleboat before he had provided 
 for his own retreat from the enemy's territory ; but 
 he had considered tliis difficulty, and had come to 
 the conclusion that the Trafalgar must be captured 
 if possible, even if he and his associates were sent 
 to a Confederate prison. 
 
 But he did not anticipate any such result. He 
 had three pairs of the seamen left ; and the party 
 still consisted of eight men, all well armed. If 
 the plan he had considered should fail, he had 
 force enough to carry a light boat from Pilot 
 Town, or any other point on the inner shore, in 
 which they could make their escape to the Belle- 
 vite or some other blockader. He did not feel, 
 therefore, that he had "burned his bridges," and 
 left open no means of retreat in case of disaster. 
 
 Christy and Graines were left alone in the dark- 
 ness and the fog, a bank of wliich was just then 
 sweeping over the point ; but they could hear the 
 violent talk of Captain Sullendine in the distance, 
 as he declaimed against the perfidy of his mate and 
 
72 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 the three seamen just at the point where he needed 
 them most. Evidently he could not reconcile him- 
 self to the idea of being left behind by the Trafal- 
 gar, which seemed to be inevitable under present 
 circumstances. 
 
 " The skipper of the West Wind seems to be in 
 an ocean of trouble, and he is apparently resolved 
 not to submit to the misfortune which has over- 
 taken him," said Christy, as he led the way 
 towards the knot of men who were the auditors of 
 the rebellious captain. 
 
 " He may jaw as much as he pleases, if it makes 
 him feel any better, but I don't see how he can 
 help himself," replied Graines. " The schooner 
 looked like a rather large one when I got a sight of 
 her just before I came back to you, which I did as 
 soon as I saw the four men leave you." 
 
 "I sent Weeks as a messenger to Captain 
 Breaker, to inform him that the Trafalgar would 
 sail at three in the morning," added Christy. 
 
 " I concluded that was the mission upon which 
 you sent him," replied the engineer ; and, whatever 
 doubts the lieutenant's action might have raised 
 in his mind, he asked no questions. 
 
 Every man on board of the Belle vite was well 
 
CAPTAIN SULLENDINE OF THE WEST WIND 73 
 
 acquainted with the record and reputation of the 
 executive officer ; and he concluded at once that 
 Christy had already arranged his method of opera- 
 tions. It was not " in good form " to ask his 
 superior any questions in regard to his intentions. 
 
 "Did you go down to the shore, Charley?" 
 asked Christy, as they walked in that direction. 
 
 " I did not, but I went far enough to hear what 
 the captain of the West Wind was talking about. 
 I had no orders, and as soon as I saw the four men 
 leave you, I thought I had better rejoin you," 
 answered Graines. 
 
 " Quite right," said the lieutenant as he halted; 
 for they were as near the group on the shore as it 
 was prudent to go, for the fog was lifting. " What 
 did the captain say?" 
 
 " fie offered ten dollars apiece for the recovery 
 of the men who had deserted, if they were brought 
 back within two hours," replied Graines. "He 
 did an immense amount of heavy swearing ; and it 
 was plain that he was mad all the way through, 
 from the crown of his head to the sole of his 
 foot." 
 
 " Was any one inclined to accept his offer, and 
 go in search of the runaways ? " 
 
74 A VICTORIOUS UNIOX 
 
 " I can't say, but I saw no one leave on that or 
 any other mission. I was there but a few minutes, 
 and the fog dropped down on the party so that I 
 could not see them at all." 
 
 " We must join that assemblage, and we may 
 be able to help Captain Sullendine out of his 
 dilemma," said Christy. 
 
 " Help him out of it ! " exclaimed Graines. 
 
 " Not a word more, Charley. I have an idea or 
 two left, but it is not prudent to say a word about 
 it here," replied the lieutenant cautiousl}^ "You 
 know the cut of my jib in my present rig, and I 
 want you to keep an eye on me, for we must 
 separate now. When you see me take off this old 
 soft hat with my left hand, and scratch my head 
 with my right, moving off a minute later, you will 
 follow me. By that time I shall know what we 
 are to do." 
 
 " All right, Christy ; I will follow the direction 
 to the letter," added Graines. 
 
 " While you go off to the left of that pile of 
 rubbish yonder, I will go to the right of it. If you 
 speak to any of our men, do so with the utmost 
 caution." 
 
 "They have been down there some time, and 
 
CAPTAIN SULLENDINE OF THE WEST WIND 75 
 
 they have full information in regard to what is 
 going on in this locality," suggested Graines. 
 
 "Use your own judgment, Charley, only be 
 careful not to give us away," replied the lieutenant, 
 as he moved towards the pile of rubbish. 
 
 A walk of a few minutes brought him to the 
 group on the shore, which consisted of not more 
 than a dozen persons, and half of them belonged 
 to the Bellevite. Christy halted before he reached 
 the assemblage, in order to listen to the eloquence 
 of the captain of the West Wind. He talked very 
 glibly ; and it did not take his outside auditor 
 long to perceive that he had been drinking some- 
 what freely, tliough he was not what non-temper- 
 ance men would have called intoxicated. 
 
 " I use my men well, and give 'em enough to 
 eat and drink, and what's sfood enoucfh," the 
 nautical orator declaimed with a double-handed 
 gesture. " Why, my friends, I gave each of the 
 villains that deserted the schooner a bottle of 
 apple-jack. I don't drink it myself, but it is good 
 enough for niggers and sailors ; in fact, my men 
 liked it better'n whiskey, because it's stronger. 
 They served me a mighty mean trick, and I'll give 
 ten dollars apiece to have 'em fetched back to me. 
 
76 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 That's a good chance for some on you to make 
 some money to-night." 
 
 His audience listened to him as they would have 
 done to a preacher with whom they had no sym- 
 pathy, and no one was tempted by the reward to 
 go in search of the deserters. Christy moved up 
 nearer to the speaker. In his disguise, with his 
 face smooched with some of the color he had re- 
 ceived as a present from Mr. Gilfleur, the French 
 detective, with whom he had been associated on 
 his cruise some months before, he did not appear 
 at all different from most of those who listened to 
 Captain Sullendine. He had laid aside his gentle- 
 manly gait and bearing, and acted as though he 
 had lately joined the " awkward squad." 
 
 "How d'e ? " called the orator to him, as he saw 
 him join the group of listeners. " I see you come 
 from the other side of the p'int." 
 
 " Well, is that agin the laws o' war ? " demanded 
 Christy. 
 
 " Not a bit on't," replied the captain pleasantly, 
 as though his potations of whiskey were still in full 
 effect upon him. " If you come from that way, 
 have you seen anything of my four men that de- 
 serted the schooner ? " 
 
CAPTAIN SULLENDINE OF THE WEST WIND 77 
 
 "I wasn't lookin' for 'em; didn't know ye'd lost 
 some men," replied Christy, staring with his mouth 
 half open at the orator. " Was one on 'em the 
 mate ? " 
 
 " Yes ! " exclaimed the captain eagerly. 
 
 " Well, I hain't seen nothin' on em," added 
 Christy in a mumbling tone. 
 
 " I'll bet you have I " protested the skipper of 
 the West Wind. " How'd you know one on 'em 
 was the mate if you didn't see 'em ? " 
 
 " I didn't know one on 'em was the mate ; I only 
 axed yer so's ter know." 
 
 " I reckon you know sunthin about my men," 
 persisted the captain ; and by this time the atten- 
 tion of all the party had been directed to him. 
 
 " I don't know nothin' about yer men, and I 
 hain't been interduced to 'em. If you want to ship 
 a new crew, I'm ready to jine with yer." 
 
 " One man ain't enough," added the skipper. 
 
 "Some o' these men'll jine too, I reckon," sug- 
 gested Christy, who had proceeded in this manner 
 in order to attract the attention of the disconsolate 
 master of the West Wind. 
 
 " I don't reckon they can ship, 'cause most on 
 'em belongs to the Tallahatchie, and they can't 
 leave." 
 
78 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 "That's so," shouted several of the group, in- 
 cluclinor some of the crew of the Bellevite. 
 
 "What's the Talla-what-you-call-her ? " de- 
 manded Christy. 
 
 " She's the steamer you can see when the fog 
 lifts," answered Captain Sullendine. " The Talla- 
 hatchie is her name. Are you a sailor, my lively 
 lad?" 
 
 "I reckon I know the bobstay from the main- 
 mast." 
 
 " You know sumthin about my mate and men, 
 my jolly tar, and I'll give you five dollars apiece 
 for any news on 'em that Avill help me to ketcli 
 'em ; and I'll ship you into the bargain, for I want 
 more hands," the captain proceeded in a more busi- 
 ness-like manner, though at the expense of his 
 oratory. 
 
 Just at this moment three short and sharp whis- 
 tles sounded from off the shore, and about half of 
 the skipper's audience turned upon their heels and 
 walked down to the water, where they embarked 
 in a boat. Tliey were evidently members of the 
 ship's company of the Tallahatchie, on shore on 
 leave, and the whistles were the signal for their 
 return. The remainder of the group, with two or 
 
CAPTAIN SULLENDINE OF THE WEST WIKD 79 
 
 three exceptions, were the seamen of the block- 
 acler. 
 
 " Where'd you come from, my hearty ? " de- 
 manded the captain of the schooner, turning to 
 Christy again. 
 
 " I was tooken in a blockader, eight on us. We 
 done stole a whaleboat and comed ashore," replied 
 Christy, enlarging upon the story he had told the 
 bivouackers. 
 
 " Eight on you ! " exclaimed the master of the 
 schooner. " Where's the rest on ye ? " 
 
 " They're all about here somewliar, and I reckon 
 I kin find em. They're lookin for sunthin t'eat. 
 They all want to ship, and the mate of the Rat- 
 tler's one on 'em," continued Christy, guiding 
 himself by the circumstances as they were devel- 
 oped to him. 
 
 " What's your name, my man ? " 
 
 "My name's Jerry Sandman; and I ain't 
 ashamed on't." 
 
 " Are your men all sailors, Je^ry ? " 
 
 " Every one on 'em." 
 
 " I want eight good men, Jerry, the mate bein' 
 one on 'em," 
 
 " Then we kin fix you like a 'possum in a hole." 
 
80 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 " I've got two boats on the shore ; the deserters 
 stole one on 'em, and I come ashore in t'other arter 
 'em. I reckon I'll get a steamer in Nassau, and I 
 want all the good men I can find to man her. I'll 
 ship the whole on you. Find your men, Jerry, 
 and fetch 'em down to the boats. I'll give 'era all 
 sumthin t'eat. Now be lively about it," said 
 Captain SuUendine, as he walked away towards 
 the shore. 
 
 " I'll find 'em in no time," replied Christy, as he 
 removed his soft hat with his left hand, and 
 scratched his head with the other. 
 
 The rest of the party scattered, and Graines 
 joined the lieutenant. 
 
A POWERFUL ALLY OF THE BELLEVITEKS 81 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 A POWERFUL ALLY OF THE BELLEVITERS 
 
 The seamen of the Bellevite had listened with 
 intense interest to the conversation between the 
 commander of the West Wind and the lieutenant ; 
 and there Avas not a single one of them who did 
 not comprehend the purpose of the chief of the 
 expedition. They were greatly amused at the 
 manner in which Christy conducted himself, and 
 especially at the mongrel dialect he had used. It 
 was a little difficult for them to realize that the 
 awkward fellow who was in conversation with the 
 skipper of the schooner was the gentlemanly, well- 
 spoken officer they had been accustomed to see on 
 the quarter-deck of the Bellevite. 
 
 They separated as they had been instructed to 
 do ; but they were careful not to go to any great 
 distance from the spot, for they understood that 
 they should be wanted in a few minutes. Graines 
 had not spoken a word on this occasion, though he 
 had done most of the talking at the bivouac. lie 
 
82 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 was ready to do his part ; but the skipper had ad- 
 dressed his companion first, introducing the sub- 
 ject, and he had no opportunity to get in a single 
 word. 
 
 "I suppose you understand it all, Charley," 
 said Christy as soon as they were alone. 
 
 " I could not very well have helped doing so if 
 I had tried. The only thing that bothered me was 
 when you appeared to be betraying yourself by 
 alluding to the mate," replied Graines. 
 
 " I did not do that by accident ; but I desired to 
 get the whole attention of the captain, and I got 
 it. The rest all followed in due course. Now tell 
 all the men to go down to the shore, and wait a 
 little distance from the two boats till you and I 
 join them. Tell them all to be hungry. Your 
 name is Mr. Balker, the mate of the Rattler, the 
 blockade-runner from which we escaped in a whale- 
 boat. My name is Jerry Sandman, the second 
 mate, for the want of a better. Tell them not to 
 forget any of these names," continued Christy. 
 
 " They heard the whole story, and they were 
 deeply interested in it, for they could not help 
 seeing what was coming," added the engineer, as 
 he went to carry out the order he had just received. 
 
A POWERFUL ALLY OF THE BELLEVITERS 83 
 
 The seamen still kept together in pairs, and 
 Graines instructed them by twos, impressing them 
 with the necessity of remembering the names they 
 had heard in the lieutenant's story, which was a 
 "story" in the double sense of the Avord. As 
 each couple received their lesson, they sauntered 
 in the direction of the shore. 
 
 '' What's going to be done, Mr. Graines ? " asked 
 French, who was one of the second pair the en- 
 gineer instructed. 
 
 " That is none of your business, French. You 
 are to remember the names I have given you, and 
 then obey orders," replied Graines rather sharpl}^, 
 for it was a very unusual thing for a seaman, or 
 even an officer, to ask such a question of his supe- 
 rior ; and the discipline of the Bellevite was as 
 exacting as it Avas kind and fatherly. 
 
 " Excuse me, Mr. Graines ; I only Avanted to be 
 ready for AA'hatever Avas coming," pleaded French. 
 
 " Excused ; but don't ask such questions. You 
 listened to the conversation between your officer 
 and the captain of the schooner ; and if you cannot 
 comprehend the meaning of it, ask Lines, and he 
 Avill explain it," added the engineer. "Where are 
 Londall and Vogel?" 
 
84 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 "Right by that pile of rubbish, sir," replied 
 French, as he led the Avay to the shore. 
 
 The last pair were instructed and sent with the 
 others, and they asked no questions. Grain es 
 joined the lieutenant, who had seated himself on a 
 log, and reported that all was going on right. 
 
 " As I said before, Charley, you will be the mate 
 of the Rattler, and will no doubt be engaged for 
 the same position on board of the West Wind. I 
 will ship as second mate, if one of the two men 
 now on board of the vessel is not shipped as such, 
 for I wish to be among the men," said Christy, after 
 looking about him to see that no one was within 
 hearing distance of them. 
 
 " I take it I shall ' not make a long voyage as 
 mate," replied Graines. 
 
 " Probably not, though I cannot tell how long 
 you will have to serve in that capacity. I purpose 
 to have the Tallahatchie tow the schooner as far 
 down as practicable ; but we shall doubtless have 
 business on our hands before it is time to cut the 
 towline. Now we will wait upon the captain." 
 
 They found him walking up and down the shore, 
 apparently somewhat excited; and doubtless he had 
 not entire confidence in the promises of " Jerry 
 
A POWERFUL ALLY OF THE BELLE VITERS 85 
 
 Sandman." The six seamen had not joined Cap- 
 tain Sullendine on the shore, but had placed them- 
 selves behind a coal shanty quite near the water. 
 
 " I've brought the mate down, Cap'n SuU'dine," 
 Christy began, as he and the engineer halted in 
 front of the master of the schooner. " Here he is, 
 an' I reckon there ain't no better sailor in the 
 great Confed'racy. This yere is Mr. Balker." 
 
 " How are ye, Mr. Balker ? You are just the 
 man I want more'n I want my supper. Now tell 
 me something about yourself." 
 
 Graines invented a story suited to the occasion. 
 Then the conversation was about wages ; and the 
 candidate haggled for form's sake, but finally 
 accepted the lay the captain offered. 
 
 " By the way. Captain Sullendine, do you hap- 
 pen to have a second mate ? " asked the engineer 
 when the terms were arranged. 
 
 " I had one ; but he run away with Bird Ililey. 
 He wa'n't good for nothin', and I'm glad he's 
 gone," replied the skipper. 
 
 " The man you talked with is Jerry Sandman, 
 and he was the other mate of the Rattler. He isn't 
 a showy fellow, but he was a first-class second 
 mate," continued Graines. 
 
86 A viCTortious union 
 
 "Then I ship him as second mate ; " and they 
 arranged the wages without much difficulty. 
 
 The six seamen were promptly shipped. The 
 whole party then embarked in the two boats, Cap- 
 tain Sullendine dividing them into two parties for 
 the purpose. The fog had settled down very 
 densely upon the shore ; but the "West Wind was 
 easily found, and they went on board, where one 
 boat was hoisted up to the stern davits, and the 
 other on the port quarter. 
 
 "Here you be, Mr. Balker," said Captain Sul- 
 lendine when the party reached the quarter-deck ; 
 and he was so lively in his movements, and so glib 
 in his speech, as to provoke the suspicion that he 
 had imbibed again at the conclusion of his oration 
 on shore. " Here, you, Sopsy ! " he continued in a 
 loud voice. 
 
 A lantern was burning on the companion, which 
 enabled the party to see that the waist of the 
 vessel was compactly packed with bales of cotton. 
 The schooner seemed to be of considerable size, 
 and Christy thought she must be loaded with a 
 very large cargo of the precious merchandise. In 
 answer to tlie captain's call, Sopsy, who proved to 
 be the negro cook of the vessel, presented himself. 
 
A POWERFUL ALLY OF THE BELLEVITERS 87 
 
 " All these people Avant something to eat, Sopsy. 
 Let the crew eat in the deck-house for'ad, and 
 bring a lunch into the cabin right off," continued 
 Captain Sullendine. 
 
 " Yis, sar," replied the cook with emphasis. 
 " Git 'em quicker'n a man kin swaller his own 
 head. Libes dar a man wid soul so dead " — 
 
 "Never mind the varse, Sopsy," interposed the 
 captain. 
 
 " — As never to hisself have said " — 
 
 " Hurry up, Sopsy ! " 
 
 " He don't say dat, Massa Cap'n," added the 
 cook, as he shuffled off over the bales of cotton. 
 
 " Hullo there, Bokes ! Where are you, Bokes ? " 
 called the captain again. 
 
 " On deck, Cap'n," replied a white man, crawl- 
 ing out from a small opening in the bales. 
 
 " Wake up, Bokes ! You ain't dead yet." 
 
 " No, sir ; wide awake's a coon in a hencoop," 
 added the man, who appeared to be one of the two 
 left on board by the deserters, the cook being the 
 other. 
 
 " Be alive, Bokes ! Here, wait a minute ! " and 
 the captain ran down the companion ladder to the 
 cabin, from which he presently appeared with a 
 
88 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 bottle in each hand. " Do you see them men on 
 the cotton, Bokes ? " he asked, pointing with one 
 of them at the six Belleviters, who stood where 
 they had taken their stations after hoisting up the 
 quarter-boat. 
 
 " I see sunthin over thar," replied the seaman, 
 who seemed to be hardly awake yet. 
 
 " Them's the new crew I shipped to-night — six 
 on 'em, or seven with the second mate," added 
 the captain. " Show 'em over to the deck-house, 
 and let 'em pick out their bunks." 
 
 " Seven on 'em ; the cook and me makes nine, 
 and they ain't but eight berths in the deck-house, 
 Cap'n," replied Bokes, who seemed to be afraid of 
 losing his own sleeping quarters. 
 
 " You can sleep on the deck, then. These are 
 all good men, and they must have good berths," 
 added the captain. " You can sleep as well in the 
 scuppers as anywhere else, Bokes ; and you ain't 
 more'n half awake any time." 
 
 " Must have my berth, Cap'n, or I go ashore," 
 persisted the seaman. 
 
 "Small loss anyhow," growled the captain. 
 
 " How is the cabin. Captain Sullendine ? " 
 interposed Graines. 
 
A POWERFUL ALLY OF THE BELLEVITERS 89 
 
 " Two staterooms and four berths," replied the 
 master. 
 
 " Then why can't the second mate take one of the 
 berths in the cabin ? " suggested the new mate. " He 
 is a first-rate fellow, and I reckon he's a better sailor 
 than I am, for he's been to sea about all his life." 
 
 " ' Tain't reg'lar to have the second mate in the 
 cabin. He'll have t'eat with us if he bunks there," 
 argued the master. 
 
 " He'll have to keep his watch on deck when we 
 eat, and I reckon he'll have to take his grub alone," 
 reasoned the mate. 
 
 " I'd ruther live in the deck-house with the crew," 
 said Christy. 
 
 " But there ain't no room thar," added Graines, 
 who thought his superior had made the remark 
 simply to keep up his character. 
 
 " Let him come into the cabin, then," said Cap- 
 tain SuUendine, in order to settle the question. 
 " Now, Bokes, take this apple-jack, and show the 
 'other six to the deck-house. Give 'em one or two 
 drinks all round. It'll do 'em good." 
 
 Bokes obeyed the order, after the master had 
 lighted another lantern for his use, and he went 
 over the bales of cotton to the seamen. 
 
 I 
 
90 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 Captain Sullendine remarked with great com- 
 placency that he always treated his men well, gave 
 them enough to eat and drink, and he thought the 
 apple-jack he had sent them would do them good. 
 He liked to be liberal Avith his crew, for he believed 
 a tot of grog would go further with them than 
 "cussin' 'em;" and the two mates did not gainsay 
 him, though they believed in neither grog nor 
 " cussin'." 
 
 Though Christy ncA^er drank a drop of intoxicat- 
 ing fluid under any circumstances, and Graines 
 almost never, both of them believed that " apple- 
 jack" had been a very serviceable ally during the 
 night so far. But they considered it useful only 
 in the hands of the enemy, and they were sorry to 
 see the bottles sent forward for the use of Bellevi- 
 ters ; for they were afraid some of them might mud- 
 dle and tangle their brains with the fiery liquor. 
 
 " Come, mates, let's go down into the cabin now," 
 continued the captain, descending the ladder with- 
 out waiting for them. 
 
 " I will go forward for a few minutes, Charley," 
 whispered Christy in the ear of the engineer, who 
 followed the captain below. 
 
 When the lieutenant reached the deck-house he 
 
A POWERFUL ALLY OF THE BELLEVITEUS 91 
 
 found the men there, with Bokes in tlie act of tak- 
 ing a long pull at one of the bottles, while French 
 was holding the other. 
 
 " Here's the second mate," said the seaman with 
 the bottle. 
 
 " You can keep the bottle you have, Bokes," 
 said Christy. "Now go aft with it." The sleepy 
 sailor was willing enough to obey such a welcome 
 order, and the lieutenant took the other bottle to 
 the side and emptied it into the water. The men 
 did not object, and the new second mate joined the 
 master in the cabin. 
 
92 A VICTOIilOUS UNION 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 ON BOAED OF THE COTTON SCHOONER 
 
 Probably some, if not all, of the six men in the 
 deck-house of the West Wind were in the habit of 
 taking intoxicating liquors when they were ashore, 
 and when it was served out on board of the ship in 
 conformity with the rules and traditions of the 
 navy. The commander and his executive officer 
 labored for the promotion of total abstinence among 
 the officers and crew. More than the usual propor- 
 tion of the men commuted their " grog ration " 
 for money, through the influence of the principal 
 officers. 
 
 While the commander of the present expedition 
 accepted the aid of the powerful ally, " apple- 
 jack," in the service of his country, drinking 
 freely appeared to him to be about the same thing 
 as going over to the enemy ; and he could not per- 
 mit his men to turn traitors involuntarily, when he 
 knew they would not do so of their own free will 
 and accord. He had settled the liquor question 
 
ON BOAED OF THE COTTON SCHOONER 93 
 
 to his own satisfaction in the deck-house, return- 
 ing the bottle to French. 
 
 When Graines went below, a minute or two later 
 than Captain SuUendine, he saw his new superior 
 in the act of tossing off another glass of whiskey, 
 as he concluded it was from the label on the bot- 
 tle which stood on the cabin table. He had been 
 considerably" exhilarated before, and he was in a 
 fair way to strengthen the ally of the loyalists by 
 carrying his powerful influence to the head of 
 the commander of the intending blockade-run- 
 ner. The captain seated himself at the table, 
 and Christy saw that he had a flat bottle in his 
 breast-pocket. 
 
 "Now, Mr. Balker, we had better seal up the 
 bargain we've made with forty drops from this 
 bottle," said he, as he poured out a glass for him- 
 self, regardless of the fact that he had just indulged; 
 and at the same time he pushed the bottle and 
 another glass towards the new mate. 
 
 Graines covered the lower part of the glass with 
 his hand, and poured a few drops into it. Putting 
 some water with it from the pitcher, he raised the 
 tumbler in imitation of the captain. 
 
 " Here's success to the risfht side," added the 
 
94 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 master, as he drank off the contents of the 
 glass. 
 
 " I drink that toast with all my mind, heart, and 
 soul," added the engineer, with decided emphasis, 
 though he knew that " the right side " did not 
 always convey the same idea. 
 
 " Help yourself, Mr. — I've forgot your name. 
 Second Mate," he added as he moved towards the 
 companion ladder. 
 
 " Jerry Sandman, sir, and I will help myself to 
 what I want," replied Christy. 
 
 " That's right, Mr. Sandman ; make yourself at 
 home in this cabin. I must go on deck and take a 
 look at the Tallahatchie," added the master as he 
 went up the ladder, followed by Graines. 
 
 The lieutenant helped himself to a glass of water, 
 after rinsing the tumbler, for that was what he 
 wanted. Sopsy the cook immediately appeared, 
 bearing a tray on which were several dishes of 
 eatables, bread and ham being the principal. The 
 bottle was in his way ; and after he had drunk off 
 half a tumblerful of its contents, he removed it 
 to the pantry. He proceeded to set the table. 
 
 " Oft in der chizzly night, 'fore slumber's yoke 
 hab tooken me," hummed Sopsy as he worked at 
 the table. 
 
ON BOARD OF THE COTTON SCHOONER 95 
 
 "Where is this schooner bound, Sopsy?" asked 
 Christy. 
 
 " Bound to dat boon whar no trab'ler returns," 
 replied the cook, pausing in his occupation and 
 staring the second mate full in the face. 
 
 " That bourn is Nassau, I reckon," laughed the 
 lieutenant. 
 
 "I s'pose she's gwine dar if she don't go to dat 
 boon where no trab'lers come back agin," answered 
 Sopsy seriously. " Be you Meth'dis' o' Bab'tis', 
 Massa Mate ? " 
 
 " Both, Sopsy." 
 
 " Can't be bof, Massa." 
 
 " Then I'm either one you like." 
 
 "That ain't right, Massa Secon' Mate, ' cordin' 
 as you was brung up," said the cook, shaking his 
 head violently, as though he utterly disapproved of 
 the mate's theology. 
 
 "I'm a theosophist, Sopsy." 
 
 " A seehossofist ! " exclaimed the cook, dropping 
 a plate in his astonishment. " We don't hab none 
 o' dem on shore in de Souf. I reckon dey libs in 
 de water." 
 
 " No ; they live on the mountains." 
 
 "We hain't got no mount'ns down here, and 
 
96 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 dat's de reason we don't liab none on 'em," added 
 Sopsy as he went to the pantry ; but presently 
 returned with a plate of pickles in one hand and 
 the whiskey bottle in the other. " Does dem sea- 
 hosses drink whiskey, Massa Secon' ]\Iate ? " 
 
 " They never drink a drop of it." 
 
 " Dis colored pusson ain't no sea-hoss, and he do 
 drink whiskey when he kin git it," added the 
 cook ; and he half filled a tumbler with the con- 
 tents of the bottle, and drank it off at a single 
 gulp. 
 
 He had hardly placed it on the table in the 
 middle of the dishes before the captain came below. 
 His first step was to take a liberal potation from 
 the bottle. As he raised it to the swinging lamp, 
 he discovered that the fluid had been freely ex- 
 pended in his absence. 
 
 "You've punished this bottle all it deserves," said 
 he when he perceived that its level had been con- 
 siderably lowered, and he did not ask the new offi- 
 cer to join him. " That's all right, Mr. Sandman ; 
 but I don't want you to take more than you can 
 manage to-night, for we have a big job on our hands, 
 and we want our heads where we shall be able to 
 find them. Now go on deck, and learn what you 
 
ON BOARD OF THE COTTON SCHOONER 97 
 
 can about the vessel, for we hain't got but half an 
 hour more before the Tallahatchie goes to sea. We 
 may have lots of music after we get outside ; but 
 I reckon our steamer can outsail anything the 
 Yankees have got on the blockade. Don't drink 
 no more, Mr. Sandman ; and when we git to Nassau 
 you can have a reg'lar blowout." 
 
 " I won't touch another drop before we get out 
 of the bay, Cap'n Sullendine," protested Christy, 
 without betraying the misdemeanor of the cook, as 
 doubtless it was. 
 
 " That's right, Mr. Sandman; we must all have 
 our heads on our shoulders to-night," said the 
 captain, as he drank oif the potion he had prepared. 
 
 Christy wished to hold the commander to his 
 own advice ; but that would have been fighting on 
 the wrong side for him, and Sopsy escaped a repri- 
 mand, if not a kick or two, by his forbearance. By 
 this time the bottle was nearly empty ; but the 
 skipper put it under lock and key in a closet, 
 which seemed to be well filled with others like it. 
 Christy went on deck, in obedience to the order 
 he had received, and found the engineer on the 
 quarter-deck buried in the fog, which was just 
 then more dense than at any time before. 
 
98 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 " The captain's pretty well set ' up,' isn't he 
 Christy ? " said Graines in a low tone. 
 
 "About half seas over; but he knows what he 
 is about, though he took another lieavy potion just 
 now," replied the lieutenant. 
 
 "All right; I think we can manage this craft 
 very well without him," added Graines with a 
 smile, which could not be seen in the darkness. 
 
 But the conversation was interrupted at this 
 point by the appearance of the cook, whose legs 
 were more tangled up by his tipples than his 
 master's. He delivered the request of Captain 
 Sullendine that they should come into the cabin, 
 and partake of the lunch which had been set out 
 for them. As they moved towards the companion, 
 they saw Sopsy creep over to the alley where Bokes 
 had been sleeping, and take up the bottle of apple- 
 jack Christy had given him, and drink from it. It 
 was evident to them that the cook could not be 
 much longer in condition for any duty. 
 
 The two mates went below as invited, and found 
 the captain at the table. He had brought out the 
 bottle of whiskey, and was eating of the dishes 
 before him, but plaiidy with little relish, 
 
 "Have another little drink, Mr. Balker; but I 
 
■ ON BOARD OF THE COTTON SCHOONER 99 
 
 think Mr. Sandman had better not take any more," 
 said the master, whose speech was rather thick by 
 this time. 
 
 " Thank you, Captain Sullendine ; I will do a 
 little in that way, for we are likely to have a very 
 damp night of it," replied Graines, as he helped 
 himself, though he did not take ten drops. 
 
 "A little does one good; but it don't do to take 
 too much when, we have very important business 
 on our hands. After that one, Mr. Balker, I ad- 
 vise you not to take any more till we get clear of 
 the blockaders," added the skipper, as he emptied 
 the bottle into his glass. 
 
 The ham on the table was of excellent quality, 
 and the two mates ate heartily of it, with the ship- 
 bread. The last dose the captain had taken ap- 
 peared to cap the climax, and he could no longer 
 eat, or talk so as to be clearly understood. When 
 the mates had finished their lunch, they saw that 
 the skipper had dropped asleep in his chair. They 
 rose from their places, and rattled the stools. The 
 noise roused the sleeper, and he sprang to his feet 
 with a violent start. 
 
 " What's time'z it, Mr. Zbalker ? " he demanded, 
 catching hold of the table to avoid falling on the 
 cabin floor. 
 
100 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 He seemed to be tionscioiis that he was not pre- 
 senting a perfectly regular appearance to his new 
 officers ; and he dropped into his chair, making a 
 ludicrous effort to stiffen his muscles and put on 
 his dignity, but it was a failure. 
 
 " Quarter-past two. Captain Sullendine," replied 
 Graines in answer to the question. 
 
 " Most an hour more 'fore we git started," stam- 
 mered the invalid. " I didn't sleep none last night, 
 I'm sleepy. I'm go'n to turn in for half an hour, 
 'n then I'll be on deck ready for busi — ready for 
 buzness." 
 
 Graines assisted him to his stateroom, for he 
 could not walk, and he was afraid he would fall 
 and hurt himself. He helped him into his berth, 
 and arranged him so that he could sleep it off, and 
 he did not care if he did not do so before the next 
 day. He waited till he had dropped off into a deep 
 slumber, and then joined Christy in the cabin. 
 
 " If I had not been a temperance man before, 
 I should be now," said the lieutenant. " It is just 
 as well that the captain is clean over the bay, for 
 we miofht have been obliged to shoot him if he had 
 been sober." 
 
 " But we could have taken possession of the 
 
ON BOARD OF THE COTTON SCHOONER 101 
 
 vessel in spite of him, if the steamer had not in- 
 terfered," replied Graines, as he led the way to the 
 deck, "I don't see that we have anything to do 
 but wait for the moving of the waters, or for the 
 moving of the steamer. I suppose our men are all 
 right forward." 
 
 " I have no doubt of it, though I have not seen 
 them lately. I gave one of the bottles of apple- 
 jack the captain sent forward for them to Bokes, 
 and poured the contents of the other into Mobile 
 Bay. I think we had better go forward and look 
 the vessel over," said Christy. 
 
 They had gone but a few steps before they stum- 
 bled over the body of Sopsy, Avho had evidently 
 succumbed to the quantity of firewater he had con- 
 sumed. He had assisted Bokes to empty the bottle 
 given to him, and both of them were too far gone 
 to give an alarm if they discovered at any time 
 that something was wrong about the movements 
 of the West Wind. 
 
 They found the Belleviters lounging about on 
 the cotton bales, some of them asleep, and others 
 carrying on a conversation in a low tone. They 
 were glad to see their officers, who told them the 
 time for some sort of action was rapidly approach- 
 
102 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 ing. Then tliey went to the bow of the vessel, 
 where they found that she was anchored, though 
 the chain had been hove short. The hawser by 
 which she was to be towed to sea was made fast 
 to the bowsprit bitts, and led to the stern of the 
 steamer, where it was doubtless properly secured. 
 
 While they were looking over the bow, a boat 
 approached from the Tallahatchie, and an officer 
 hailed, asking for Caj)tain Sullendine. 
 
 " He is in the cabin; I am the mate," replied the 
 engineer, "and the captain has shipped a new crew, 
 we are all right now." 
 
 "Weigh your anchor at three short whistles," 
 added the officer. 
 
 " Understood, and all right," said the new mate. 
 
 The boat pulled back to the steamer. 
 
THE DEPAliTUliE OF THE TALLAHATCHIE 103 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 THE DEPARTURE OF THE TALLAHATCHIE 
 
 The fog, which had been coming and going dur- 
 ing the whole of the night, had now lifted so that 
 everything in the vicinity of the fort could be 
 seen ; but across the point, down the ship channel, 
 it was dense, dark, and black. The wind was fresh 
 from the south-west, which rolled uj) the fog banks, 
 and then rolled them away. Such was the atmos- 
 pheric condition near Mobile Point, and Christy 
 believed it was the same at the southward. He 
 thought it probable that the commander of the Tal- 
 lahatchie would wait for a more favorable time than 
 the present appeared to be before he got under way. 
 
 " All hands to the forecastle," he called to the 
 men on the cotton bales. 
 
 All of them, knoAving his voice as well as they 
 knew their own names, hastened to answer to the 
 call. 
 
 " We have to heave up the anchor with a wind- 
 lass, Mr. Graines," said he to the engineer. " We 
 
104 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 had better get the hang of it while we have time 
 to do so. Ship the handspikes, my men." 
 
 Doubtless all of them had worked a windlass 
 before, for every one of them was an able seaman, 
 which had been one of the elements in their se- 
 lection, and they went to work very handily. A 
 turn or two was given, which started the vessel 
 ahead, showing that the anchor was not hove en- 
 tirely short. Graines went to the bow, and re- 
 ported a considerable slant of the cable with the 
 surface of the water. Christy ordered the six sea- 
 men to work the windlass, with French to take in 
 the slack. They continued to heave over with the 
 handspikes for some time longer. 
 
 " Cable up and down, sir," reported Graines. 
 
 "Avast heaving!" added the lieutenant; and 
 he had taken the command, paying no attention to 
 the fact that he was the second mate under the 
 new order of things, and the engineer did not re- 
 mind him that he was the chief officer. " Let off 
 the cable a couple of notches, so that the anchor 
 will not break out. Make fast to the bitts, 
 French, but don't foul it with the towline." 
 
 "We are all right now," said Graines, as he 
 moved aft from the heel of the bowsprit. 
 
THE DEPArvTURE OF THE TALLAHATCHIE 105 
 
 What time is it now?" asked the lieutenant. 
 " Bring that lantern forward, Lines." 
 
 " Ten minutes of three," replied the engineer, 
 holding his watch up to the light. 
 
 " The fog is settling down again, and I have no 
 douLt the captain of the steamer will get under 
 way at about the hour named," said Christy, put- 
 ting his hand on the wire towline, and giving it a 
 shake, to assure himself that it was all clear. 
 " Now, Mr. Graines, or rather, ]\Ir. Balker, as you 
 are the mate and I am only the second mate, I 
 think you had better go aft and see that all goes 
 well there." 
 
 "Very well, Mr. Sandman; I will leave you in 
 charge of the forecastle," replied the engineer, 
 with a light laugh ; but they had been boys to- 
 gether, and understood each other perfectly. 
 
 " Captain Sullendine is the only dangerous man 
 on board, and I think you had better look after 
 him," added Christy. " If there is any lock on 
 the door of his stateroom, it would be well to turn 
 the key." 
 
 " I will look after him at once, sir," answered 
 Graines, as he leaped upon the cotton bales and 
 made his way to the quarter-deck. 
 
106 A VICTOllIOUS UNION 
 
 On the way lie examined the condition of Sopsy, 
 and found liim snoring like a roaring lion, in an 
 uneasy position. He turned him over on his side, 
 and then went to the lair of Bokes, who was in 
 the same condition ; and he concluded that neither 
 of them would come to his senses for a couple of 
 hours at least. 
 
 Captain Sullendine had been assisted to a com- 
 fortable position when he turned in, and he was 
 sleeping with nothing to disturb him. There was 
 no lock on the door, and Graines could not turn 
 the key. The interior of the cabin was finished in 
 the most primitive manner, for the vessel had not 
 been built to accommodate passengers. The door 
 of the captain's stateroom was made of inch and a 
 half boards, with three battens, and the handle was 
 an old-fashioned boAV-latch. There was a heavy 
 bolt on the inside, as though the apartment had 
 been built to enable the master to fortify himself 
 in case of a mutiny. 
 
 The engineer could not fasten the door with any 
 of the fixtures on it ; but it opened inward, as is 
 generally the case on shipboard, and this fact sug- 
 gested to the ingenious officer the means of secur- 
 ing it even more effectually tlian it could have 
 
THE DEPARTURE OF THE TALLAHATCHIE 107 
 
 been done with a lock and key. In the pantry he 
 found a rolling-pin, which the cook must have left 
 there for some other purpose. 
 
 This implement he ajjplied to the bow-handle of 
 the fixture on the door. It would not fit the iron 
 loop, but he whittled it down on one side with his 
 pocket-knife till he made it fit exactly in its place 
 with some hard pressure. But shaking the door 
 might cause it to drop out, and he completed the 
 job by lashing it to the handle of the door with a 
 lanyard he had in his pocket. When he liad fin- 
 ished his work he was confident the captain could 
 not get out of his room unless he broke down the 
 door, which he lacked the means to accomplish. 
 
 " West Wind, ahoy ! " shouted some one from 
 the stern of the steamer before the ensrineer had 
 completed his work in the cabin. 
 
 Christy thought that French's voice was a better 
 imitation of Captain Sullendine's than his own, 
 and he directed him to reply to the hail, telling 
 him what to say. 
 
 " On board the Tallahatchie ! " returned the 
 seaman at the lieutenant's dictation. 
 
 " Are you all ready? " sliouted the same officer. 
 
 " All ready, sir ! " replied French. 
 
108 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 " Captain Rombold will get under way in five 
 minutes ! " called the speaker on the stern of the 
 steamer. "Wait for three short whistles, and 
 then heave up your anchor ! " 
 
 " Understood, and all right," added the spokes- 
 man of the West Wind. 
 
 " Captain Rombold ! " exclaimed Christy to him- 
 self, as he heard for the first time the name of the 
 commander of the Tallahatchie. 
 
 The lieutenant, acting as the servant of the 
 French detective at St. George's in the Bermudas, 
 had seen Captain Rombold, and had heard him 
 converse for an hour with Mr. Gilfleur, when he 
 was in command of the Dornoch, which had been 
 captured by the Chataugay, on board of which 
 Christy was a passenger. He was known to be 
 a very able and brave officer, and his defeat was 
 owing more to the heavier metal of the loyal ship 
 than to any lack of skill or courage on the part of 
 the Confederate commander. The last the young 
 officer knew about him, he was a prisoner of war 
 in New York, and had doubtless been exchanged 
 for some loyal officer of equal rank, for the enemy 
 had plenty of them on hand. 
 
 " Man the windlass, my lads," said Christy in a 
 
THE DEPARTURE OF THE TALLAHATCHIE 109 
 
 quiet tone, though he Avas still thinking of the 
 commander of the steamer which was to tow out 
 the schooner. 
 
 While he was waiting for the three short whistles, 
 Graines came forward and reported in what man- 
 ner he had secured the captain, and that the two 
 men on the cotton bales were still insensible. 
 
 " You may be sure the captain will not come 
 out of his stateroom until we let him out," added 
 the engineer ; and Christy proceeded to explain 
 what had passed between the schooner and the 
 steamer. 
 
 " The Tallahatchie has one of the ablest com- 
 manders that sail the ocean, for I have seen and 
 know him," continued the lieutenant. "It is Cap- 
 tain Rombold, now or formerly, of the British Navy. 
 He is a gentleman and a scholar, as well as a brave 
 and skilful officer." 
 
 " Then Captain Breaker may have his hands full 
 before he captures the steamer," added the engi- 
 neer. 
 
 " He certainly will ; but a great deal depends 
 upon the weight of the Tallahatchie's metal." 
 
 " We shall soon have a chance to judge of that." 
 
 " I should like to know somethincf more about 
 
110 A VICTOllIOUS UNION 
 
 this steamer, though my father's letter gives us 
 the principal details ; but we have no time now to 
 examine her," continued Christy. 
 
 "Who's that?" demanded Graines, as he saw 
 a man walking forward over the bales of cotton. 
 
 It proved to be Bokes, who had slept off a part 
 of the effects of the debauch ; but Sopsy had prob- 
 ably consumed a large portion of the contents of 
 his bottle. 
 
 " Does you uns happen to have any more apple- 
 jack ? " asked the fellow. "Somehow I lost nigh 
 all o' mine, and I'm sufferin', dyin' for a drink." 
 
 " French, take him to the deck-liouse, and fasten 
 him in," said Christy in a low tone. 
 
 " Come with me, my hearty, and we'll see what 
 there is in the deck-house," said the seaman, as he 
 took the man by the arm and led him to the j^lace 
 indicated. " Now go in and find your bunk. Get 
 into it, and I will look for a bottle here." 
 
 Bokes crept to his bunk, and stretched himself 
 out there. French took the bottle the lieutenant 
 had emptied into the bay, and gave it to liini. 
 Then he closed the door, and finding a padlock 
 and hasp on it, he locked him in. Two of the 
 three men who had remained on board of the 
 
DoWSK TltAT CLINr IN VI H'R Fi >'CAS ILK." Page III. 
 
THE DEPAETUEE OF THE TALLAHATCHIE 111 
 
 schooner were now prisoners ; and Sopsy was con- 
 sidered as harmless as a fishworm. 
 
 French had hardly reported what he had done 
 before the three short whistles were sounded, and 
 Christy gave the order to heave np the anchor. 
 
 " West Wind, ahoy ! " shouted the same officer 
 who had spoken before. 
 
 "On board the steamer!" replied French, when 
 he was directed to reply. 
 
 " Dowse that glim on your fo'castle ! " shouted 
 the officer, as with a liberal dose of profanity he 
 demanded if they were all fools on board of the 
 schooner. " Put out every light on board! " 
 
 " Ay, ay, sir ! " responded French, as Graines 
 extinguished the lantern on the forecastle ; and 
 Christy directed him to do the same with the cabin 
 lamp. 
 
 He looked at his watch before he put it out, and 
 found it was quarter-past three. The captain of 
 the steamer had evidently waited for a favorable 
 moment to start on his perilous voyage, and the 
 engineer noticed when he went forward after he 
 had secured Captain Sullendine, that the fog was 
 again settling down on the bay. 
 
 " On board the steamer ! " shouted French, as 
 
112 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 directed. " Anchor aweigli, sir ! " Then a minute 
 hiter, " All clear, and the towline slack ! " 
 
 From the sounds that came from the forward 
 part of the steamer, it was evident that she had 
 heaved up her anchor before she gave the three 
 whistles for the schooner to do so. 
 
 " West Wind, ahoy ! " called the officer from the 
 Tallahatchie. " Stand by your helm with your 
 best man ! " 
 
 Graines had just gone aft, and had taken the 
 wheel of the vessel ; but Christy sent French to 
 take his first trick at the helm. The tide was still 
 setting into the bay, and it was within half an 
 hour of the flood. The schooner was beginning 
 to sway off from tlie shore as the tide struck her, 
 when the gong bell in the engine-room of the 
 steamer was heard. She went ahead very slowly, 
 and straightened the towline. Christy took a 
 careful survey of its fastenings, to assure himself 
 that it was all right, and then mounted the cotton 
 bales, to observe the progress of the vessel. 
 
 Of course the steamer was under the direction 
 of a skilful pilot, doubtless the best that could be 
 had, for the present venture was an exceedingly 
 important one to the Confederate cause. The 
 
THE DEPARTURE OF THE TALLAHATCHIE 113 
 
 Tallahatchie was perhaps a better vessel than any 
 of those which had done so much mischief amongf 
 the ships of the loyal American marine, and in no 
 manner could the Southern cause be more effect- 
 ually assisted than by these cruisers. 
 
 As the vessels headed to the southward, Christy 
 went to the binnacle, and watched the course. 
 
114 THE CASTING OFF OF THE TOWLINE 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 THE CASTING OFF OF THE TOWLINE 
 
 Christy Passfoed had been through this 
 channel at least half a dozen times in the Bellevite, 
 and knew all the courses and bearings, though the 
 latter did not count in the dense fog which had 
 settled down on the vicinity of the fort. The 
 lights in the binnacle of the West Wind had not 
 been put out, though they could not be noticed 
 outside of the schooner. The great fortress could 
 not be seen, and it was as silent as a tomb. 
 
 " How does she head, Christy ? " asked Graines, 
 as they met at the wheel. 
 
 " South a quarter west," replied the lieutenant, 
 " which is the correct course. The fog is very 
 dense just now. I think we have passed the ob- 
 structions by this time, though I do not know 
 precisely where they are placed." 
 
 "I should call it mighty ticklish navigation just 
 here," added the engineer. 
 
 "It is all of that, or will be in five or ten min- 
 
THE CASTING OFF OF THE TOWLINE 115 
 
 utes more. Sand Island Lighthouse is not more 
 than a quarter of a mile from the middle of the 
 channel, and at that point the course changes. 
 Perhaps the pilot can make out the lighthouse in 
 the fogf. If he don't he Avill run into five or six 
 feet of water in a few minutes, out of eight fathoms 
 or more." 
 
 " I suppose you are prepared to let go the tow- 
 line if anything goes wrong, Mr. Passford?" 
 added the engineer, perhaps as a suggestion rather 
 than as a question. 
 
 " I hope it will not come to that, for the schooner 
 might get aground on the Knoll before we could 
 make sail," replied Christy. 
 
 " The steamer has shifted her helm," said Graines, 
 to the great relief of the lieutenant. " The fog is 
 lifting again, and the pilot must have seen the 
 lighthouse. We are headed more to the eastward 
 now." 
 
 " The course is south by west, three-quarters 
 west, when the lighthouse bears west by south. 
 We are out of the woods now, and there will be 
 no trouble at all till some blockader stirs up the 
 waters," said Christ3\ 
 
 " I wonder Avhere the Bellevite is just now," 
 
116 A VICTOKIOUS UNION 
 
 added Graines, as lie looked all about him as the 
 fog lifted a little more, though it was still too 
 thick to make out any vessel, if there were any 
 near. 
 
 " If my messenger reached the ship in time, she 
 will be found somewhere near the channel," re- 
 plied Christy. " Call Lines, if you please, Mr. 
 Graines. " 
 
 The seaman presently appeared; and the lieu- 
 tenant directed him to take the wheel, French in- 
 structing him how to keep the vessel in line with 
 the steamer. 
 
 "I believe you have sailed a schooner, French," 
 said Christy, when he had taken the man to the 
 quarter. 
 
 " Yes, sir ; I was mate of a coaster for three 
 years, and I should have become master of her if 
 the war had not come, and I felt that I ought to 
 go into the navy, though I haven't got ahead 
 much yet, as I expected I should ; but I am satis- 
 fied to fight for my country where I am." 
 
 " That is patriotic ; and I hope a higher position 
 will be found for you. But we have not time to 
 talk about that now," continued Christy. "It may 
 be necessary or advisable for Mr. Graines and my- 
 
THE CASTING OFF OF THE TOWLINE 117 
 
 self to leave the West Wind at any moment now. 
 In that case I shall place this vessel in your 
 charge, and you will take her off \A'here the Belle- 
 vite was moored last night, and come to anchor." 
 
 " Thank you, sir ; and I will endeavor to do 
 my duty faithfully," replied French, touching his 
 cap. 
 
 " Now call the men aft, and I will explain the 
 matter to them." 
 
 The lieutenant explained the situation, and di- 
 rected the other five seamen to respect and obey 
 the man he had selected as captain. Then he di- 
 rected French to cast off the stops from the fore- 
 sail and mainsail, and have the jib and flying-jib 
 ready to set at a moment's notice. 
 
 " I don't think Captain Sullendine can get out 
 of his stateroom, where he has been confined, or 
 Bokes out of the deck-house ; but if either of them 
 should do so, you must secure them as you think 
 best," continued Christy. "Do you fully under- 
 stand your orders, French ? " 
 
 "Perfectly, Mr. Passford; and I will do my duty 
 as well as I know how," answered the able seaman, 
 who, like many others in the service, deserved a 
 better position. 
 
118 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 The new officer and crew went to work on the 
 sails, and in a few minutes they were ready to be 
 set. Another bank of fog was rolling up, in which 
 the two vessels would soon be involved. But the 
 Tallahatchie was in a position where it was plain 
 sailing now, and her future troubles would all 
 come from the blockaders. 
 
 " There you are ! " exclaimed the engineer, as 
 the peal of a gun boomed over the water from the 
 westward. " The steamer has been seen by a block- 
 ader, and she will catch it now." 
 
 " I don't believe that was one of the Bellevite's 
 guns," added Christy. " Ca2;)tain Breaker would 
 not take a position over to the westward, for that 
 would give him the outside track, and he always 
 goes at anything by the shortest way." 
 
 "We have the fog again for the next ten or 
 fifteen minutes. The blockader that fired that 
 shot must have got a sight at the steamer, and she 
 is still pegging away at her. We may get knocked 
 over by our own guns," continued Graines. 
 
 " There is no danger at present. She can't hit 
 anything in this fog except by a chance shot." 
 
 "And one of them sometimes does the most 
 mischief. The fog is heavier just now than it has 
 
THE CASTING OFF OF THE TOWLTNE 119 
 
 been at cany time during the night. I can't see the 
 Tallahatchie just now." 
 
 " It is blacker than a stack of blackbirds," 
 added Christy. " I am confident that we are at 
 least a mile south of the lighthouse, and we will 
 take advantage of the gloom to hoist the mainsail, 
 and then the foresail if it holds as it is now ; " and 
 he gave the order to French, who was assisted by 
 the engineer in the work. 
 
 The lieutenant took the wheel, and sent Lines 
 to assist the others. The blockader to the west- 
 ward continued to discharge lier guns ; but her peo- 
 ple could see nothing, and her solid shot began to 
 fall astern of the West Wind, and the Tallahatchie 
 took no notice of her or her guns. Christy saw 
 that the fog was lifting again, and this would 
 reveal to the steamer ahead what he had been 
 doing. Besides, he had gone in tow as long as he 
 intended. Graines reported the two sails as set. 
 
 "Stand by to hoist the jib!" he shouted, 
 deeming it no longer necessary to conceal his 
 movements. 
 
 "What are you doing there?" demanded the 
 officer, who seemed to be in charge of the after part 
 of the steamer; and his tones, with the flood of 
 
120 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 profanity he poured out, indicated tliat he was in 
 a violent fit of anger. 
 
 "I reckon we won't tow any farther," replied 
 Christy, who was still at the wheel, and the officer 
 yelled loud enough for him to hear at the helm ; 
 but French repeated his answer. 
 
 "All ready to hoist the jib," Graines reported. 
 
 " Cast off the towline ! " shouted Christy at the 
 top of his lungs. " Hoist the jib ! " 
 
 " Towline all clear ! " called the engineer a mo- 
 ment later, and the jib went up in a hurry. 
 
 The jib filled on the starboard tack, and the 
 West Wind went off to the south-east as Christy 
 put up the helm. The fog lifted just enough to 
 enable the officer at the stern of the steamer to see 
 the West Wind as she went off on her new course. 
 No one on the former could have suspected that 
 the latter had changed hands ; for French had 
 answered for Captain SuUendine every time a 
 call was made, and his voice was not unlike that 
 of the master of the schooner. 
 
 Christy could not understand why the officer 
 M' ho used so many expletives should be dissatisfied, 
 for the Tallahatchie could certainly make better 
 time when no longer encumbered by the towing of 
 
THE CASTING OFF OF THE TOW LINE 121 
 
 the West Wind. But it must look to him just 
 as though the schooner would be captured by the 
 steamer to the westward, which had been uselessly 
 firino- at the blockade-runners in the densest of the 
 fog. He could not help seeing that the vessel in 
 tow had set her sails, and therefore the casting off 
 of the wire rope could not have been caused by an 
 accident. 
 
 The action of the captain of the schooner, for 
 they had no reason to suppose the change on board 
 of the schooner was not made by him, must have 
 bewildered the officers of the Tallahatchie. But 
 the fog was lifting, the steamer to windward was 
 now under way, though moving very slowly, and 
 her solid shot fell very near to the Confederate 
 vessel. 
 
 By this time the sails of the West Wind were 
 all drawing full, and the craft was making very 
 good headway through the water. The fog bank 
 had scattered, and appeared now to be in a dozen 
 smaller masses, floating off in the direction of 
 Mobile Point. Christy still retained the wheel, 
 while Graines was putting everything in order for- 
 ward and in the waist, after setting the sails. 
 
 " Send French aft to take the wheel, Mr. Graines," 
 
122 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 called Christy, as the engineer came aft to see the 
 main sheet. 
 
 This man, who was the caj^tain of the forecastle, 
 one of the most important and best-paid of the 
 petty officers, hastened aft to relieve the chief of 
 the expedition, who went to work with his own 
 hands when the exigency of the service required. 
 
 " Make the course south-west, French," said 
 Christy, as he abandoned the wheel to the petty 
 officer. 
 
 " South-west, sir," repeated the seaman. 
 
 " Can you make out the Bellevite, Mr. Graines ? " 
 asked he, as he met the engineer on the quarter- 
 deck. 
 
 " I have kept a sharp lookout for her, Mr. Pass- 
 ford, but I have not seen her yet," replied Graines, 
 as he looked earnestly in the direction in which 
 the schooner was headed. 
 
 "If Captain Breaker received mj^ message sent 
 by Weeks, the ship must have taken a position 
 somewhere below the entrance to the channel, and 
 that is about four miles soutli of the fort, and out 
 of the reach of any of its guns," added the lieuten- 
 ant. 
 
 " There are half a dozen of those fog banks 
 
THE CASTING OFF OF THE TOWLINE 123 
 
 floatinof about near the water in that direction, and 
 she may be there," replied Graines, as he took a 
 spy-glass from the brackets in the companion. 
 " Very likely she is down that way somewhere, 
 and the Tallahatchie may run right into her." 
 
 " I don't think Captain Breaker would place his 
 ship where anything of this kind would be likely 
 to happen," replied Christy. " It is still as dark 
 as Egypt ahead, and I think we shall see the Belle- 
 vite very soon." 
 
 The Confederate steamer had sensibly increased 
 her 'speed, and gave no attention whatever to the 
 schooner or the blockader to the westward of her. 
 Captain Rombold seemed to be possessed of a 
 supreme confidence in the speed of his steamer, and 
 a complete assurance that he should escape un- 
 scathed from all pursuers, if any attempted to 
 follow him. He was not aware that the Bellevite 
 had recently had her bottom cleaned, and her engine 
 put in thoroughly good condition, so that she could 
 make as many knots in an hour as ever before ; 
 and that was saying more than could be said of any 
 other craft in the navy. 
 
 " I would give my month's pay to know what 
 the Tallahatchie has for a midship gun," said 
 
124 A viCTomous union 
 
 Christy, still gazing at the Confederate vessel as 
 she continued to increase her speed. 
 
 Suddenly, without saying anything, Graines, 
 who had been at his side, left him, and hastened to 
 the companion, where he stooped down and gazed 
 into the cabin. Christy had heard nothing to 
 attract his attention, but he concluded that Captain 
 SuUendine had escaped from his prison, and he 
 called the two men who had been stationed in the 
 waist to the quarter-deck to render such assistance 
 as the engineer might need ; but this officer 
 remained at the entrance to the cabin, and made 
 no further movement. 
 
A HAPPY KETUllN TO THE BELLEVITE 125 
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 A HAPPY KETUEN TO THE BELLEVITE 
 
 Although lie anticipated a disagreeable scene 
 with the captain of the West Wind, who, he 
 supposed, had slept off the fumes of the inordinate 
 quantity of liquor he had drunk, he did not con- 
 sider that there was any peril in the situation, for 
 he had plenty of force to handle him easily. His 
 curiosity was excited, and he walked over to the 
 companion, where Graines appeared to be gazing 
 into the darkness of the cabin ; but he did not 
 interfere with the proceedings of his fellow-officer. 
 
 " We don't need the men you have called from 
 the waist," said the engineer in a low tone. 
 
 Christy sent the two men back to their former 
 station. As he was returning to his chosen posi- 
 tion abaft the companion, he saw a glimmer of light 
 in the gloom of the cabin. Graines invited him 
 to take a place at his side, chuckling perceptibly 
 as he made room for him. The lieutenant stooped 
 down so that he could see into the cabin, and dis- 
 
126 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 covered a man with a lighted match in his hand, 
 fumbling at the door of the closet where Captain 
 SuUendine kept his whiskey. 
 
 '•' Is that the captain?" whispered Christy, who 
 could not make out the man, though he was not 
 as tall as the master of the West Wind. 
 
 "No; it is Bokes," replied Graines. " He must 
 have got out of the deck-house through one of the 
 windows. He found the bottle French gave him 
 was emjDty, and I have no doubt his nerves are in 
 a very shaky condition." 
 
 Both of the officers had leaned back, so that 
 their whispers did not disturb the operator in the 
 cabin. His first match had gone out, and he lighted 
 another. Captain SuUendine had been too much 
 oveicome by his potations to take his usual j)recau- 
 tions for the safety of his spirit-room, and the ob- 
 servers saw that the key was in the door. Bokes 
 took one of the bottles, and carried it to the table. 
 His match went out, and he poked about for some 
 time in the cabin. 
 
 Presently he was seen again, coming out of the 
 pantry with a lighted lantern in his hand, which 
 he placed on the table. He had a corkscrew in 
 the other hand, with which he proceeded, as hur- 
 
A HAPPY RETURN TO THE BELLEVITE 127 
 
 riedly as his trembling hands would permit, to open 
 the bottle, for the master had drained the last one. 
 Then he poured out a tumblerful of whiskey, as 
 the observers judged it was from its color, and 
 drank it off. At this point Graines descended to 
 the cabin and confronted the fellow. 
 
 Christy, after taking a long look to the south- 
 east, followed the engineer into the cabin, for it 
 was possible that his companion intended to look 
 into the condition of Captain Sullendine, and he 
 desired to be present at the interview. 
 
 " Good-morning, Bokes," said Graines, as he 
 placed himself in front of the seaman. 
 
 " Mornin', Mr. Balker," replied Bokes ; and the 
 heavy drink he had just taken appeared to have 
 done nothing more than steady his nerves, for he 
 seemed to have the full use of his faculties. 
 
 " How do you feel this morning, my friend ? " 
 continued the engineer ; and Christy thought he 
 was making himself very familiar with the boozing 
 seaman, who was at least fifty years old. 
 
 "Fine's a fiddle-string," replied Bokes. "We 
 done got out all right, I reckon ; " and it was plain 
 that he had not taken notice that the schooner was 
 no longer in tow of the steamer. 
 
128 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 "All right," replied Graines, as he placed him- 
 self on a stool, and pushed another towards the 
 sailor, who seated himself. " By the way, friend 
 Bokes, I suppose you have been on board of the 
 Tallahatchie ? " 
 
 " More'n a dozen times, here 'n ' up in Mobile. 
 My fust cousin's an 'iler aboard on her," replied 
 Bokes. 
 
 " How many guns does she carry ? " asked the 
 engineer in a very quiet tone, though the man did 
 not seem to be at all suspicious that he was in 
 the act of being used for a purpose. 
 
 " I don't jest know how many guns she kerries ; 
 but she's got a big A'mstrong barker 'midships 
 that'll knock any Yankee ship inter the middle o' 
 next year 'n less time 'n it'll take you to swaller a 
 tot o' Kaintuck whiskey. It's good for five-mile 
 shots." 
 
 " This is her midship gun, you say ? " 
 
 " Midship gun, sir ; 'n I heard 'em say it flung a 
 shot nigh on to a hundred pounds," added Bokes. 
 
 Both Christy and Graines asked the man otlier 
 questions; but he had not made good use of his 
 opportunities, and knew very little about the arm- 
 ament of the Tallahatchie ; yet he remembered 
 
A HAPPY RETURN TO THE BELLEVITE 129 
 
 what he had heard others say about her principal 
 gun. The lieutenant knew all about the Arm- 
 strong piece, for he had in his stateroom the volume 
 on" Ordinance and Gunnery," by Simpson, and he 
 had diligently studied it. 
 
 "Mr. Passford," said one of the hands at the 
 head of the companion ladder. 
 
 " On deck," replied Christy. 
 
 " Steamer on the port bow," added the seaman. 
 
 " That must be the Bellevite," said the lieutenant. 
 
 " Now you may go on deck, Bokes," added 
 Graines, as he drove the boozer ahead of him, and 
 followed his superior. 
 
 He instructed the men in the waist to keep an 
 eye on Bokes, and sent him forward. Then he 
 took the precaution to lock the doors at the com- 
 panion-way, and joined Christy on the quarter- 
 deck. 
 
 " That's the Bellevite without a doubt," said 
 Christy, as he directed the spy-glass lie had taken 
 from the brackets, and was still looking through 
 it. " But she is farther to the eastward than I ex- 
 pected to find her." 
 
 " I suppose her commander knows what he is 
 about," replied Graines. 
 
130 A VICTORIOUS UNIOX 
 
 "Certainly he does; and I do not criticise his 
 action." 
 
 All the steamers on the blockade except the 
 Bellevite and the one in the west had l)een sent 
 away on other duty, for it was believed that the 
 former would be enough to overhaul anything that 
 was likely to come out of Mobile Bay at this stage 
 of the war. Sure of the steamer of which he was 
 the executive officer, Christy directed liis glass 
 towards the one on the other side of the chan- 
 nel. She had received no notice of tlie approach 
 of a powerful blockade-runner, and she had not a 
 full head of steam when she discovered the Talla- 
 hatchie. Besides, she was one of the slowest ves- 
 sels in the service. 
 
 The black smoke was pouring out of her smoke- 
 stack as though she was using something besides 
 anthracite coal in her furnaces, and she was doing 
 her best to intercept the Confederate. She was 
 still firing her heaviest gun, though it could be 
 seen that her shots fell far short of the swift 
 steamer. 
 
 " Tliey have seen the Bellevite on board of the 
 Tallahatchie, and she has changed her course," 
 said Graines, while Christy was still watcliing the 
 
A HAPPY RETUnisr TO THE BELLEVITE 131 
 
 movements of the blockader in the west. " Prob- 
 ably Captain Ronibold knows all about the Belle- 
 vite, and he is not anxious to get too near her." 
 
 " She has pointed her head to the south-west, 
 and the Bellevite is changing her course. I hope 
 we shall not miss her," added Christy. 
 
 When the fog bank blew over and revealed her 
 presence on board of the West Wind, the Bellevite 
 was not more than half a mile to the southward, 
 but she was at least two miles to the eastward of 
 her. 
 
 " Can we get any more sail on this craft, Mr. 
 Graines ? " asked the lieutenant. 
 
 "We can set her two gaff-topsails." 
 
 " Do so as speedily as possible." 
 
 Christy went to the wheel, and Graines, with 
 three men at each sail, assisting himself, soon had 
 shaken out and set the gaff -topsails. The effect 
 was immediately apparent in the improved sailing 
 of the schooner. A Confederate flag was found in 
 the signal chest, and it was set at the main top- 
 mast head, with the American ensign over it, so 
 that it could be easily seen on board of the Belle- 
 vite. The lieutenant was now very confident that 
 he should intercept his ship. 
 
132 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 " Now clear away tliat quarter-boat, so that we 
 can drop it into the water without any delay," con- 
 tinued Christy, as he gave up the wheel to Lines 
 again. 
 
 Graines hastened to obey the order, for the Bel- 
 levite was rushing through the v/ater at her best 
 speed, and it was evident enough by this time that 
 Weeks had faithfully performed the duty assigned 
 to him. 
 
 " A small pull on the fore-sheet, Londall," called 
 Christy to one of the men on the forecastle. " An- 
 other on the main sheet," he added to Fallon in the 
 waist. 
 
 The bow of the West Wind was thus pointed 
 closer into the wind ; and the gaff-topsails enabled 
 her to hold her speed after this' change. Paul 
 Vapoor, the chief engineer of the Bellevite, was 
 plainly doing his best in the engine-room, and if 
 the lieutenant had been a sporting man, he would 
 have been willing to wager that his ship would 
 overhaul the Tallahatchie ; for on an emergency 
 she had actually steamed twenty-two knots an 
 hour, and Christy believed she could do it now, 
 being in first-rate condition, if the occasion re- 
 quired. 
 
A HAPPY llETUr.N TU THE BELLEVITE loo 
 
 " What time is it now, Mr. Graines ? " asked 
 Christy. 
 
 " Quarter-past four," replied the engineer, when 
 he had lighted a match and looked at his watch. 
 
 " I thought it was later than that, and I have 
 been looking for some signs of daylight," replied 
 the lieutenant. 
 
 " It is just breaking a little in the east." 
 
 " I suppose Captain Sullendine is still asleep." 
 
 " No doubt of it ; he has not had two hours yet 
 in his berth, and he is good for two hours more at 
 least." 
 
 " I think we shall be on board of the Bellevite 
 in ten minutes more," continued Christy, as he 
 noted the position of the ship. " Have you in- 
 structed French what to do with Captain Sullen- 
 dine if he should attempt to make trouble ? " 
 
 "I told him to keep him in his stateroom, and 
 I feel pretty sure he can't get out. If Bokes, who 
 must have an idea of what is going on by this time, 
 is troublesome, I told French to tie his Imnds behind 
 him, and make him fast to the fore-rigging." 
 
 " The fosr is settlinfj down ao-ain on tlie Talla- 
 
 O O O 
 
 liatchie ; but Captain Breaker knows where she is, 
 and he will not let up till he has got his paw on 
 
134 A VICTOllIOUS UNION 
 
 her," said Graines. " The blockader in the west 
 isn't anywhere now. She could not do a thing 
 with such a steamer as that Confederate." 
 
 The West Wind was now directly in the path of 
 the Bellevite, and in five minutes more she stopped 
 her screw. Possibly her commander was bewil- 
 dered at the sight of the schooner, whose flag indi- 
 cated that she was already a prize, though he could 
 hardly understand to what vessel ; for nothing was 
 known on board of her in regard to the cotton ves- 
 sel the Tallahatchie was to tow to sea. 
 
 " Stand by to lower the boat on the quarter ! " 
 shouted Christy, perhaps a little excited at the pros- 
 pect of soon being on the deck of»his own ship, as 
 he and Graines took their places in the craft. 
 
 The four men at the falls lowered the boat into 
 the water in the twinkling of an eye, and the two 
 officers dropped the oars into the water as soon as 
 it was afloat. They pulled like men before the 
 mast, and went astern of the schooner, whose head 
 had been thrown up into the wind to enable the 
 officers to embark in safet3\ French was now in 
 command of the schooner, and he filled away as soon 
 as the boat pulled off from her side. 
 
 The Bellevite had sto2:»ped her screw a little dis- 
 
A HAPPY RETCTRX TO THE BELLEVITE 135 
 
 tance from the West Wind, and, as the boat ap- 
 proached her, she backed her j^i'opeller. Her 
 gangway had been lowered, and the two officers 
 leaped upon the landing. They had hardly done 
 so before the great gong in the engine-room was 
 heard, and the steamer went ahead again. The 
 boat was allowed to go adrift ; but Christy shouted 
 to French to pick it up- The lieutenant's heart 
 beat a lively tattoo as he mounted the steps, and 
 ascended to the deck. 
 
13G A LIVELY CHASE TO THE SOUTH-WEST 
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 A LIVELY CHASE TO THE SOUTH-WEST 
 
 Captain Breaker, had been in the main rigging 
 with his night-glass, watching the movements of 
 the chase ; hut he recognized the voice of Christy 
 when he shouted to French to pick up the quarter- 
 boat of the schooner, as he could no longer make 
 out the Tallahatchie in the fog. 
 
 " Good-morning, Mr. Passford," said he, as he 
 met Christy when he descended from the rail. " I 
 am glad to see you again." 
 
 " Good-morning, Captain Breaker," replied the 
 lieutenant, as he took the offered hand of the com- 
 mander. " I hope all is well on board, sir." 
 
 " Entirely well, and your messenger came on 
 board in good time, so that we were in position to 
 get the first sight of the Trafalgar when she showed 
 herself off Sand Island Lighthouse," replied the cap- 
 tain, as he led the way to his cabin. " Mr. Ballard, 
 keep a sharp lookout for the chase," he added to 
 the actings executive officer. 
 
A LIVELY CHASE TO THE SOUTH-WEST 137 
 
 " Will you allow me to put on my uniform, Cap- 
 tain? " asked Christy. " I don't feel quite at home 
 on board the ship in the rigout I have woiii all 
 night." 
 
 " Certainly ; for I do not wish j^ou to show your- 
 self to the ship's company while you look so little 
 like a naval officer," replied the captain, as he 
 went to take another look at the the darkness ahead. 
 
 The lieutenant hastened to his stateroom, and 
 in a very short time he had washed off the smut 
 from his face and hands, and dressed himself in 
 his uniform, so that he looked like quite another 
 person. Graines had gone to his room in the steer- 
 age for the same purpose, for neither of them de- 
 sired to show himself as he had appeared before 
 Captain Sullendine. 
 
 Christy hurried to the deck as soon as he had 
 made the change, and met the commander on the 
 quarter-deck. Lookouts were stationed aloft and 
 on the top-gallant forecastle, and all hands were in 
 a state of healthy excitement in view of the stirring 
 event which was likely to transpire before the 
 lapse of many hours ; and doubtless some of the 
 men were moved by the prospect of prize-money, 
 not only from the proceeds of the sale of the steamer 
 
lo8 A VTCTORTOITS UNION 
 
 they were chasing, but from the full fi'cight of 
 cotton on board of the schooner, the deck load 
 of which had been noted by some of the crew. 
 
 The schooner which had come so close aboard of 
 the Bellevite was a mystery to all, from the captain 
 down to the humblest seaman ; but the American 
 ensign over the Confederate flag had been observed 
 by a few, and this settled her status. Not more 
 than half of the seamen were aware that an expedi- 
 tion had left the ship at ten o'clock the evening 
 before, and they had had no opportunity to notice 
 the absence of the executive officer during the 
 night ; and even yet all hands had not been called, 
 for the regular watch was enough to get the ship 
 under way. 
 
 The commander conducted the executive officer 
 to his own cabin, again reminding Mr. Ballard to 
 keep a sharp lookout for tlie chase. Christy felt 
 like himself again in his neat uniform, and his vig- 
 orous and well knit, as well as graceful form, did 
 more to show off the dress than the dress did to 
 adorn his person. 
 
 " I am very glad to see you again, Christy," said 
 Captain Breaker, seating himself and pointing to 
 an arm-chair for the lieutenant, while he came down 
 
A LIVELY CHASE TO THE SOUTH-WEST 139 
 
 from the stately dignity of the commander of a 
 man-of-war to the familiarity with Avhich he treated 
 his chief officer when they were alone. " I had no 
 doubt that you would give a good account of your- 
 self, as you always do. You were going on the 
 enemy's territory, and you were in j^eril all the 
 time. Now you come off in a schooner, which 
 appears to be loaded with cotton, and how or where 
 you picked her up is a mystery to me ; " and the 
 commander indulged in a laugh at the oddity of 
 the young officer's reappearance. " Your messen- 
 ger reported that the Trafalgar would sail at three 
 o'clock in the morning, and I judge that she left 
 at about that hour." 
 
 " Within ten minutes of it, and probably made 
 an arrangement with the commandant of the fort 
 to that effect," added Christy. " But they do not 
 call her the Trafalgar now ; though Weeks was 
 not aware of the fact when I sent him on board. 
 She is now the Tallahatchie, though I noticed that 
 some in the vicinity of the fort still called her by 
 her old name." 
 
 " Never mind the name ; she will answer our 
 purpose as well under one appellation as another. 
 When I asked your messenger about you and the 
 
140 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 other six men of 3'our party, he was unable to give 
 me any information in regard to your movements ; 
 and he could not tell me how you had ascertained 
 the hour at which the steamer was to sail," con- 
 tinued the captain. 
 
 " Graines and myself sepai-ated from the party 
 as soon as we landed on the point ; and we had 
 obtained our information before we joined them 
 again on the shore of Mobile Bay, sir. At the 
 same time we had learned all about the West 
 Wind" — 
 
 " The what ? " interposed the commander. 
 
 " I mean the schooner West Wind, the one from 
 which we came on board of the Bellevite, which 
 was to be towed out by the Tallahatchie, and 
 which was towed out by her till we on board of 
 her cast off the towline." 
 
 " Perhaps you had better narrate the events of 
 your expedition seriatim, for all you say in this 
 disconnected manner only thickens the. mystery," 
 said the commander : and he knew that his officer 
 had an excellent command of the English language, 
 and could make a verbal report in a very attractive 
 and telling style, though perhaps his fatherly in- 
 terest in the young man had something to do with 
 the matter. 
 
A LIVELY CHASE TO THE SOUTH-WEST 141 
 
 Christy began his narrative with the departure 
 from the ship, passing liglitly over the minor 
 details till he came to the meeting with the de- 
 serters from the West Wind, bivouacking in the 
 hollow. He described the drinking bout which 
 followed, in which he and Graines had pretended 
 to join, stating the information lie had obtained 
 from them. He rehearsed a portion of Captain 
 SuUendine's speech, adding that most of his audi- 
 tors were the seamen from the Bellevite, though 
 he had sent four of them back to the ship before 
 he reached the shore. 
 
 He detailed his interview with the master of the 
 West Wind, explaining how he had shipped the 
 new crew with him. The scenes in the cabin were 
 described in full ; in fact, every incident of any 
 importance which had transpired during the night 
 was related. The commander was deeply inter- 
 ested, and listened without comment to the narra- 
 tive up to the moment when the narrator had come 
 on board of the Bellevite. He was not sparing in 
 his praise of the engineer, and separated what he 
 had said and done as far as he could from his own 
 words and actions. 
 
 The commander then questioned him in regard 
 
142 A vicTomous union 
 
 to the armament of the TaUahatchie, and he 
 repeated the meagre information he had obtained 
 from Bokes. Some conversation concerning Arm- 
 strong guns followed ; but both of them were well 
 posted in regard to this long-range piece. Christy 
 read the satisfaction with which the captain heard 
 his statements on his face. 
 
 A knock at the door of the cabin disturbed the 
 conference, and the lieutenant was directed to 
 open the door. The shaking and straining of the 
 ship had for some time indicated that Paul Vapoor 
 was fully alive to the importance of getting the 
 Bellevite's best speed out of her on the present 
 occasion ; and he did not intrust the duty to his 
 subordinates. Christy opened the cabin door, and 
 Midshipman Walters asked for the commander, 
 and was admitted. 
 
 " Mr. Ballard directs me to inform you, sir, tliat 
 we are gaining on the chase," said the young officer. 
 " The fog has lifted again, and we can make her 
 out very clearly. The Holyoke has abandoned the 
 chase, and appears to be headed for the schooner 
 that came to on the starboard of the ship." 
 
 "Tell Mr. Ballard to keep the ship as she is, 
 headed for the Tallahatchie," replied Captain 
 Breaker. 
 
A LIVELY CHASE TO THE SOUTH-WEST 143 
 
 "The Tallaliatcliie, sir?" queried tlie midship- 
 man. 
 
 " Formerly the Trafalgar," added the com- 
 mander. 
 
 The young officer touched his cap and retired. 
 
 "This Captain Sullendine is still secured in his 
 stateroom on board of the West Wind, is he ? " 
 asked the captain, rising from his arm-chair. 
 
 " Pie was when I left the schooner, sir," replied 
 Christy. " French, the captain of the forecastle, 
 is in charge of the vessel, with orders to anchor 
 her a couple of miles to the eastward of the light- 
 house. I have already commended French to your 
 attention, Captain, as a faithful and reliable man, 
 and I think he deserves promotion." 
 
 " Your recommendation will go a great way to 
 procure it for him," added the commander with a 
 significant smile. 
 
 " He is a thorough seaman, has been the mate 
 of a large coaster, and would have become master 
 of her if his patriotic duty had not led him to ship 
 
 I in the navy." 
 " He is a resolute and brave fellow in action, as 
 I have had occasion to observe, and I shall remem- 
 ber him. When you are writing to your father it 
 ! 
 
144: A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 would be well for you to mention him ; and tlie 
 tiling will be done at j-our request if not at mine." 
 
 " It certainly would not be done without j^our 
 indorsement, for my father will not indulge in 
 any favoritism aside from real merit," protested 
 the lieutenant, with some warmth. 
 
 " You are quite right, Christ}^ We must go on 
 deck now," added Captain Breaker, as he moved 
 towards the door. " You have been up all night, 
 my boy; it will be some hours before we come 
 within reach of the chase, and you can turn in and 
 get a little sleep before anything stirring takes 
 place on board." 
 
 The excitement which had animated the young 
 officer during the night had subsided with the ren- 
 dering of his report, and the responsibility of a 
 command no longer rested upon him, and for the 
 first time since he embarked in the whaleboat, he 
 began to feel tired and sleep3^ He went on deck 
 with the commander, and took a survey, first of 
 the chase, then of' the Holyoke, and finally of the 
 West Wind. 
 
 Captain Breaker thought the Tallahatchie was 
 about five miles distant. Seen through the glass, 
 for the fog had all blown away, and the daylight 
 
A LIVELY CHASE TO THE SOUTH-WEST 145 
 
 had begun to obscure the stars, the steamer seemed 
 to be doing her best. The Holyoke was headed to 
 the eastward, evidently intending to chase the 
 West Wind, for she could not yet make out her 
 flags, indicating that she was already a prize. She 
 need not have troubled herself to pursue the 
 schooner if she had known the facts in regard to 
 her, for she was entitled to a share of the prize as 
 a member of the blockading fleet at the time of her 
 capture. But she could prevent her from being 
 retaken by any boat expedition sent from the 
 shore, as her lonely position where the Bellevite 
 had been for several days might tempt some enter- 
 prising Confederate officer to do. 
 
 Although the last heaving' of the log showed 
 twenty knots, it was a quiet time on the deck of 
 the Bellevite, and all the excitement on board 
 was confined to the engine and fire rooms. With 
 sundry gapes Christy had taken in the situation, 
 and then he concluded to avail himself of the com- 
 mander's permission to retire to his stateroom, 
 where he was soon in a sound slumber. 
 
 Just before, Captain Breaker had retired to his 
 cabin, where he had a chart of the Gulf of Mexico 
 spread out on his table. Assuming the point 
 
146 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 where the Tallahatchie had changed her course to 
 the south-west, he drew a line in that direction, 
 and realized that the chase could not go clear of 
 the Passes of the Mississippi River ; and she was 
 likely to sight some Federal steamer in that 
 locality. 
 
 As the daylight increased the weather improved 
 so far as the fog was concerned and it promised to 
 be a clear day, for the stars had not been obscured 
 at any time during the night. The only alterna- 
 tive the commander could see for the chase, as he 
 studied the chart, was to go to the southward be- 
 fore he could sight the Pass a I'Outre. He was so 
 confident that this must be his course, that he de- 
 cided to take advantage of the situation, and he 
 went on deck at once, where he ordered the officer 
 of the deck to make the course south south-west. 
 
THE FIllST SHOT OF CLUMENHOFF 147 
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 THE FIRST SHOT OF BLUMENHOFF 
 
 Captain Breaker watched the Tallahatchie 
 with the most earnest attention ; and it was not 
 five minutes after he had o^iven out the new course 
 before she changed her direction, though not to the 
 south, but enough to carry her clear of the Passes 
 of the Mississippi. Paul Vapoor was still crowding 
 the engine to the utmost that could be done with 
 safety, and he s[)ent no little of his time in the fire 
 room, personally directing the men in the work of 
 feeding the furnaces. 
 
 It was evident to the commander that his ship 
 was gaining on the Tallahatchie, at least a knot an 
 hour, as he estimated it, and the chase could not 
 now be more than four miles distant. This was 
 within the range of her Armstrong gnn, if it was 
 of the calibre reported by Bokes, Avhose informa- 
 tion was mere hearsay, and was ojjen to many 
 doubts. 
 
 " She is changing her course again, Captain 
 
148 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 Breaker," said Mr. Ballard, who had been observing 
 the chase with the best glass on board. 
 
 " Probably she has discovered a man-of-war in 
 the distance," added the captain. 
 
 " I cannot make out an3^thing to the westward 
 of her," said Mr. Ballard, who had directed his 
 glass that way. 
 
 " She knows very well that she is liable to en- 
 counter a Federal ship on the course she is running. 
 How does she head now ? " 
 
 "As nearly south as I can make it out." 
 
 " Then we have made something on her by going to 
 the south south-west in good season ; and I am sorry 
 I did not do it sooner," rej^lied the commander, as 
 he went into a fine calculation, estimating sundry 
 angles, and figuring on the gain he was confident 
 he had already made. 
 
 " I think she is headed due south now, Captain," 
 said Mr. Ballard. 
 
 " So I should say, and we are headed a little too 
 much to the westward. Make the course south by 
 west half west, Mr. Ballard." 
 
 This course was given to the quartermaster con- 
 ning the wheel. For another hour the two steamers 
 kept on the course taken, at the end of which 
 
THE FIRST SHOT OF BLUMENHOFF 149 
 
 time the captain believed they were within three 
 miles of each other ; and the appearance, as viewed 
 by skilful and experienced officers, verified his es- 
 timate of the relative speed of both — that the 
 Bellevite was gaining about a knot an hour on the 
 chase. 
 
 They had hardly agreed upon the situation before 
 a cloud of smoke was seen to rise from the Avaist 
 of the Tallahatchie, followed by the report of a 
 heavy gun. The' projectile struck the water at 
 least a quarter of a mile ahead of the Bellevite, at 
 which the watch on deck gave a half-suppressed 
 cheer. 
 
 " They must have better gunners than that in- 
 dicates on board of that steamer, for she has been 
 fitted out as a cruiser," said the commander with 
 a quiet smile. 
 
 Twenty minutes later another j^uff of smoke, 
 followed by a second report, excited the attention 
 of an officer on the deck of the loyal ship. The 
 shot struck the water only a little less ahead of the 
 ship than the former, and the crew gave a more 
 vigorous cheer: but it was observed that it hit tlie 
 sea a little on the starboard bow, so that if it had 
 been better aimed it would not have reached the ship. 
 
150 A VICTOEIOUS UNION 
 
 " She is wasting her ammunition," said the cap- 
 tain. " She seems to be jesting, or else she is trying 
 to frighten us." 
 
 " I think it is something worse than that, Captain 
 Breaker," replied Mr. Ballard. 
 
 " What could be worse ? " 
 
 " I am inclined to the opinion that she cannot 
 swing the gun around so as to make it bear on an 
 object so far astern of her as this ship is at the 
 present moment," said the lieutenant. 
 
 " He has an all sufficient remedy for that," added 
 the captain. " He can swing his ship's head around 
 so his gun will bear on us." 
 
 "But that would cause him to lose a quarter of 
 a mile or more of his advantage ; and she seems to 
 be more inclined to run away from the Bellevite 
 than to fight her," suggested the lieutenant. 
 
 " Call all hands, Mr. Ballard," said the com- 
 mander ; and in a few minutes all the officers and 
 seamen were at their stations. 
 
 The call awoke Christy from his slumber, which 
 the report of tlie gun and the cheering of the men 
 had failed to do. But he understood the summons, 
 and thoucrht the action was about to begin. He 
 adjusted his dress and hastened to the quarter deck. 
 
THE FIRST SHOT OF BLU.MENPIOFF 151 
 
 AA'here he reported, in clue form to tlie captain. Mr. 
 Ballard was relieved of his duties as acting execu- 
 tive officer, and went to his proper station to take 
 command of his division. Christy took a careful 
 survey of the situation, and saw that the Bellevite 
 had gained at least two knots on the chase. The 
 Holyoke and the West Wind were no longer in 
 sight, though the fog seemed to be still hanging 
 about the entrance to Mobile Bay. 
 
 " The Tallahatchie has fired two shots at us, Mr. 
 Passford ; but she wasted her ammunition," said the 
 commander. " I am inclined to agree with TMr. 
 Ballard that she cannot swinsr her Arrastrono- crun 
 
 O (DO 
 
 SO as to cover the Bellevite." 
 
 " She has stopped her screw, sir ! " exclaimed the 
 first lieutenant, who was looking at the chase 
 through the best glass. 
 
 " Make the course west, Mr. Passford ! " said 
 the captain witli energy. 
 
 " Quartermaster, make it west ! " shouted Christy. 
 
 " West, sir ! " repeated the quartermaster, as he 
 caused the helmsmen to heave over the wheel. 
 
 Directing his glass to the chase again, Christy 
 saw the Tallahatchie swing around so that she was 
 broadside to the Bellevite. Almost at the same 
 
152 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 moment the smoke rose from her deck, and the 
 sound of the gun reached the ears of the officers 
 and crew. The shot passed with a miglity wliiz 
 between the fore and main mast of the sliip, cutting 
 away one of tlie fore topsail braces, but doing no 
 otlier damage. The seamen cheered as they had 
 before. The Tallaliatcliie started her screw as soon 
 as slie had discharged her gun, and resumed her 
 former course, the Bellevite doing the same. 
 
 If the loyal ship had not promptly altered her 
 course, the projectile would have raked her, and 
 must have inflicted much greater injury in the 
 spars and rigging. But both vessels promptly re- 
 sumed their former relative positions, though the 
 Tallahatchie had lost some of her advantage by 
 coming to, while her pursuer had only made a 
 small circuit without stopping her engine for a 
 moment. 
 
 " If she does that again, Mr. Passford, we must 
 be ready to return her fire," said the captain. 
 " Have the pivot gun ready, and aim for her 
 Armstrong, which seems to be sufficiently promi- 
 nent on her deck to make a good target." 
 
 Christy hastened forward, and gave the order to 
 Mr. Ballard, in wliose division the great Parrot 
 
I 
 
 THE FIRST SHOT OF ULUMENHOFF 153 
 
 was included. The signal was promptly given for 
 manning the gun, and seventeen men immediately 
 sprang to their stations. The men were armed 
 with cutlasses, muskets, battle-axes, pistols, and 
 pikes, which were so disposed as to be in readiness 
 for boarding the enemy, "or repelling boarders. 
 
 " A solid shot, and aim at the pivot gun of the 
 enemy," said Christy in a low tone to the second 
 lieutenant, who had the reputation of being an ex- 
 pert in the handling of guns of the largest calibre. 
 
 There were two captains to the pivot gun, one 
 on each side, stationed nearest to the base of the 
 breech. Seventeen men Avere required to work 
 the pivot gun, whose duties were defined in the 
 names applied to them, the powderman being the 
 odd one. The first and second captains were num- 
 bers o-ne and two ; the odd numbers being on the 
 right, and the even on the left of the piece : num- 
 ber three was the first loader, four the first spon- 
 ger, five the second loader, six the second sponger, 
 seven the first shellman, eight the second shellman, 
 nine the first handspikeman, ten the second hand- 
 spikeman, eleven the first train tackleman, twelve 
 the second train tackleman (the last two at the 
 breech, next to the captains), thirteen first side 
 
154 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 tackleman, fourteen second side tackleman, fifteen 
 first port tackleman, sixteen second port tackleman. 
 
 The gun creAV had been frequently drilled in the 
 management of the piece, and the men were en- 
 tirely at home in their stations. Other hands had 
 been trained in serving the gun, so that the places 
 of any disabled in action could be replaced. The 
 service at the Parrot was not all that was required 
 of the men forming the gun crew, for each was also 
 a first or second boarder, a pumpman, or something 
 else, and to each number one or two weapons were 
 assigned, as musket and pike, sword and pistol, 
 battle-axe. When the order to board the enemy 
 was given, every man knew his station and his 
 proper officer. 
 
 " Silence, men ! " commanded the second lieu- 
 tenant, " Cast loose and provide ! " 
 
 These orders were repeated by the first captain 
 of the gun. It is his duty to see the piece cleared 
 and cast loose, and everything made ready for 
 action. He and the second captain "provide" 
 themselves with waist belts and primers, and the 
 first with some other implements. But the hand- 
 ling of one of these great guns is about as techni- 
 cal as a surgical operation would be, and it would 
 
THE FIRST SHOT OF BLUMENHOFF 155 
 
 be quite impossible for the uninitiated to under- 
 stand it, though it is every-day work to the ordi- 
 nary man-of-war's-man. 
 
 Prompted by the executive officer, ^^'ho had been 
 further instructed by the captain, all the series of 
 steps had been taken which put the piece in readi- 
 ness to be discharged, and all that remained to be 
 done was to adjust the aim, which is done by the 
 first captain. At this time the distance between 
 the two ships had been considerably reduced. 
 The captain and the first lieutenant were closely 
 watchino- the chase with (^lasses. 
 
 The crew of the Tallahatchie could be seen at 
 work at the long gun, and another shot from it 
 was momentarily expected. The instant the bow 
 of the enemy began to swerve to port, the captain 
 of the Bellevite gave the order to put the helm to 
 starboard. Almost at the same instant the enemy 
 stopped her screw, swung round and fired her long 
 gun. The projectile crashed through the bulwarks 
 between the foremast and top-gallant forecastle, 
 wounding two men with the splinters which flew 
 in every direction. 
 
 Dr. Linscott and his mates had established 
 themselves in the cockpit, to which the wounded 
 
156 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 are conveyed, in action, for treatment. The two 
 men who had been injured by the splinters were 
 not disabled, and they were ordered to report to 
 the surgeon. Before the enemy could resume her 
 course, the captain of the pivot gun had caught 
 his aim, and discharged the Parrot. All hands 
 watched for the result of the shot, and the glasses 
 of the captain and the first lieutenant were directed 
 to the chase. 
 
 She was near enough now to be observed with the 
 naked eye v/ith tolerable accuracy, and a shout 
 went up from the men at the pivot gun, in which 
 the rest of the crew on deck joined, as they saw 
 that the shot had struck the midship gun of the 
 enemy, or ver}^ near it ; and this was the point 
 where old Blumenhoff, the captain of the gun, had 
 been directed to aim. He was a German, but he 
 had served for twenty-one years in the British 
 navy, and had won a brilliant reputation in his 
 present position. 
 
 It could not be immediately determined whether 
 or not the Armstrong had been disabled. The 
 Tallahatchie had swung round again and resumed 
 her flight ; but her commander must have realized 
 by this time that he was getting the worst of it. 
 
THE FIRST SHOT OF BLUMENHOFF 157 
 
 Paul Vapoor had not left his post in the engine 
 and fire room, to ascertain how the battle was 
 going, but still plied all his energies in driving the 
 Bellevite to the utmost speed she could possibly 
 attain. The log was frequently heaved, and the 
 last result had been sent down to him by Midship- 
 man Walters, and it was twenty-one knots. 
 
 During the next hour the long gun of tlie enemy 
 was not again discharged, and the officers of the 
 loyal ship were assured that it had been rendered 
 useless by Blumenhoff's only shot. 
 
158 THE PEOGEESS OF THE ACTION 
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 THE PROGKESS OF THE ACTION 
 
 The tremendous speed of the Bellevite had 
 been telling with prodigious effect upon the dis- 
 tance between the two steamers, which was now 
 reduced to not more than a mile and a half. 
 Captain Rombold could not help realizing by this 
 time that the American-built vessel outsailed the 
 English-built. If the Trafalgar was good for 
 twenty knots an hour, as represented, she had 
 hardly attained that speed, as Captain Breaker 
 judged by comparison with that of his own ship. 
 
 The Armstrong gun was still silent, and it was 
 pretty well settled that it had been disabled. In 
 this connection Christy recalled something he had 
 read in Simpson about the " inability of the 
 Armstrong gun to resist impact," and he sent Mid- 
 shipman Walters to bring the volume from his 
 state-room. When it came he found the place, and 
 read that three shots had been fired into one of 
 them from a nine-pounder, either of which would 
 
THE PIIOGIIESS OF THE ACTION 159 
 
 have been fatal to the piece ; and the section de- 
 scribed the effect of each upon it. 
 
 He showed the book open at the place to Captain 
 Breaker ; but he had read it, and carried the whole 
 matter in his mind. The gun quoted was weak, 
 though the one on the deck of the Tallahatchie 
 was vastly larger; but a correspondingly heavy 
 force had been brought to bear upon it. 
 
 " I am satisfied that the enemy's long gun has 
 been disabled ; and while she continues the attempt 
 to run away from us, she is unable to use her broad- 
 side guns to advantage, for she cannot bring them 
 to bear upon us without coming to," said the com- 
 mander. " But we are rainino^ at least a knot and 
 a half an hour on her, and she must soon change 
 her tactics." 
 
 "• That is evident enough, sir," added Christy. 
 
 " The captain of that ship is a brave fellow, and 
 I am confident he will fio-ht as lonsf as there is 
 anything left of him," continued the captain as he 
 occasionally directed his glass at the chase. 
 
 " He certainly will, sir, for I have seen his ship 
 knocked out from under him, when he had abun- 
 dant excuse for haulino' down his flasf before he did 
 so ; and we had hardly time on board of the Cha- 
 
160 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 teaugay to save his people before his vessel went 
 to the bottom," continued Christy. " More than 
 that, he is a gentleman and a scholar." 
 
 " You have told me about him, Christy ; and I 
 believe you suggested to Captain Chantor his best 
 j)lan of action." 
 
 "I simply indicated what I should do in his 
 place, and he adopted the method I mentioned," 
 added Christy modestly. 
 
 "We may find it advisable to resort to the same 
 plan, thougli I must add that it is by no means 
 original with you. It was adopted in the war of 
 1812 with England." 
 
 "I did not claim the method as original, and 
 knew very well that it was not so," replied the 
 lieutenant. 
 
 " The conditions on both sides must be favorable 
 to the method or it cannot be ado^Dted. One of the 
 ships must have heavier metal than the other, so 
 that she can knock her enemy to pieces at her 
 leisure, and at the same time greater speed, so that 
 she can keep out of the reach of guns of shorter 
 rano-e." 
 
 " I am sorry I could not obtain more definite in- 
 formation in resrard to the broadside ofuns of the 
 
THE PROGRESS OF THE ACTION 161 
 
 Tallahatchie," added Christy. " Bokes was a stu- 
 pid fellow, drunk whenever he could obtain liquor, 
 and could remember very little of what he heard 
 on board of the steamer. But you have the long 
 range Parrot, and I have no doubt you can knock 
 her to pieces in your own time, since it has been 
 demonstrated that we can outsail her." 
 
 But at this moment the conversation was dis- 
 turbed by the movement of the chase, which ap- 
 peared to be again preparing to come about. The 
 commander ordered the helm to be put to starboard 
 to avoid being raked, and directed that the pivot 
 gun should be discharged at the enemy. The 
 enemy fired a broadside of three guns in quick 
 succession, the solid shots from all them striking 
 the Bellevite between wind and water. The car- 
 penter's gang was hurried below to plug the shot 
 holes. 
 
 Blumenhoff secured his aim and fired ; but this 
 time he was less happy than on the former occasion, 
 and thougli the shot went between the masts, no 
 great damage appeared to be done. The enemy 
 started her screw immediately, and swung around 
 so as to present her starboard broadside before the 
 Parrot could be made ready for another shot. The 
 
162 A VICTOKIOUS UNION 
 
 Tallahatchie delivered another three shots, two of 
 which went wide of the mark. The third struck 
 the carriage of the pivot gun, but fortunately it 
 was not disabled, for it had been built to resist a 
 heavier ball than the one which had struck it. 
 
 The captain of the Bellevite gave the order to 
 Christy to swing to the ship, and give the enemy a 
 broadside. The order was promptly executed as 
 the enemy came about and resumed her course to 
 the southward, which was certainly a very bad 
 movement on her part. The four guns on the 
 port side, two sixties and two thirties, sent their 
 solid shots over the stern of the Tallahatchie. 
 
 A moment later, as the fresh breeze carried away 
 the smoke to the north-east, the crew set up a lively 
 cheer, for the mizzen mast of the chase toppled 
 over into the water, and the pilot house seemed to 
 have been knocked into splinters. 
 
 " Well done ! " exclaimed Captain Breaker, clap- 
 ping his hands as he faced the guns' crews on the 
 port side, and Christy joined him in the demon- 
 stration. 
 
 The men of the division gave another lusty cheer 
 
 - in response to the approval of the two chief officers. 
 
 The captain had already ordered the ship to be put 
 
THE PEOGEESS OF THE ACTION 163 
 
 about so as to deliver the starboard broadside, and 
 the other division of gnns were impatient to have 
 their chance at the enemy. 
 
 Christy had clapped his hands with his spy-glass 
 under his arm ; and when he had rendered his 
 tribute of aj^plause, he directed the instrument to 
 the enemy. A squad of men were at work over 
 the ruins of the pilot house, which was still for- 
 ward, as the vessel had been built for a pleasure 
 yacht, and another gang were getting the extra 
 wheel at the stern ready for use. 
 
 The Bellevite came about in obedience to the 
 order Christy had given to the quartermaster con- 
 ning the wheel, and the guns on the starboard side 
 were all ready to deliver their messengers of death 
 and destruction. 
 
 " Aim at that extra wheel," said the captain ; and 
 Christy delivered the order to the officers of the 
 division. 
 
 The broadside was of the same metal as on the 
 port side, and the result was looked for with even 
 more interest than before. The appearance was 
 that all three shots had struck at or near the wheel 
 at the stern, and Christy promptly directed his 
 glass to that part of the steamer, the captain doing 
 the same thing. 
 
164 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 " There is nothing of the wheel left in sight," 
 said the lieutenant. " The taffrail is knocked 
 away, and at least one of those shots must have 
 knocked the captain's cabin into utter confusion." 
 
 " Go ahead at full speed, Mr. Passford," said 
 Captain Breaker, after he had fully measured with 
 his eye the damage done to the enemy. 
 
 " Her steering gear seems to be entirely disabled, 
 sir," continued Christy, after he had given the 
 order to the chief engineer. " She does not appear 
 to be able to come about, as no doubt she would if 
 she could, so as to bring her broadside guns to bear 
 upon us." 
 
 The order had been given before to load the 
 broadside and pivot guns with shells. The enemy 
 had not started her screw for the reason that the 
 ship was unmanageable with her steering gear dis- 
 abled. The action had certainly gone against her ; 
 but she gave no indication that she was ready to 
 surrender, for tlie Confederate flag, which had been 
 hoisted at the mainmast head when the mizzen was 
 shot away, still floated in the breeze. 
 
 A gang of men were still at work where the 
 extra wheel had been, and the commander evi- 
 dently expected he should be able to repair the 
 
THIC PROGRESS OF THE ACTION 105 
 
 damage in some manner so that he could steer his 
 ship. CajDtain Breaker gave the command to stop 
 the screw, and a mighty hissing and roaring of 
 steam followed when Christy transmitted it to the 
 engine room. The order to come about on the 
 headway that remained succeeded, and the three 
 shells immediately exploded on the deck or in the 
 hull of the enemy ; but the extent of the damage 
 could not be estimated. 
 
 The three from the starboard guns were next 
 sent on their mission ; but so far as could be seen 
 no damaore was done. The Wg: Parrot was next 
 discharged ; but the expert captain of the gun was 
 unfortunate this time, for the projectile dropped 
 into the water beyond the steamer, though it 
 seemed to pass very near the stern. For the next 
 half hour the midship piece was kept busy, and its 
 shots made destructive work about the deck of the 
 Tallahatchie. 
 
 " I think we had better finish this business at 
 once, and before the enemy has time to rig a new 
 steering apparatus, Mr. Passford," said Captain 
 Breaker, as they came together on the quarter-deck. 
 
 "1 think we can knock her all to pieces with 
 the Parrot gun, sir," replied Christy. 
 
166 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 "But it miglit take all day to do that; and the 
 Tallahatchie exhibits an astonishing power of re- 
 sistance. Besides, she will soon repair her extra 
 wheel, and have it ready for use. I am inclined 
 to believe that we are wasting time, which will 
 make it all the worse for us in the end," reasoned 
 the commander. " I am prepared to board her, for 
 I think she must have lost a great many men." 
 
 " No doubt of it, sir," added the lieutenant. 
 
 "Lay her aboard on the port sid.e, and have 
 everything ready," continued Captain Breaker. 
 
 Christy gave the necessary orders for this de- 
 cided action, and the officers and the crew seemed 
 to be delighted with the prospect of a hand-to-hand 
 fight with the enemy. The lieutenant was not 
 wholly confident that the commander was right in 
 his reasoning, but like a loyal officer and a true sailor 
 who knows no duty but obedience, he heartily 
 supported his superior. He walked the deck in 
 the discharge of his duty ; but he was thinking of 
 something since the order to board had been given. 
 
 "Is there anything like a flank movement in 
 boarding. Captain Breaker ? " he asked, as he halted 
 at the side of the commander. 
 
 " Of course the officei's do their best to flank the 
 
THE PROGUESS OP THE ACTION 167 
 
 enemy after they reach the deck," replied the ca])- 
 tain, looking with some astonishment at the lieu- 
 tenant. 
 
 " I have reference to another sort of flanking," 
 added the inquirer. 
 
 " Of course in a squadron some of the ships may 
 be ordered to operate in that manner ; but a single 
 ship acting against another can hardly do any 
 flanking." 
 
 "But I mean in boarding." 
 
 " You had better explain yourself a little more 
 definitely, for I do not understand you," replied 
 the commander with a puzzled expression on his 
 face. 
 
 " We have one hundred and twenty men, with 
 six absent on other duty," continued the lieuten- 
 ant. " Judging by what I learned from Bokes, I 
 believe the Tallahatchie has less than a hundred, 
 for he said she expected to recruit twenty or thirty 
 men at Nassau. She has lost more men so far than 
 we have, sir." 
 
 " Grant all that you say, and where does the 
 flanking come in ? " 
 
 " Your order is to board on the port side of the 
 enemy, which will bring the starboard side of the 
 
168 A vicTorjous union 
 
 Bellevite alongside of lier. Suppose you put 
 twenty men or more into the launch, on the port 
 side of the ship, where it cannot be seen by the 
 enemy, just before the order to board is given. At 
 the right time let this boat hurry to the starboard 
 side of the Tallahatchie, where the twenty men or 
 more will board, and take the enemy in the rear." 
 
 The commander took off his cap and rubbed his 
 bald head as if to stimulate his ideas ; but he made 
 no answer then to the suggestion. 
 
 Paul Vapoor was driving the engine to its ut- 
 most, and the ship was rapidly approaching the 
 enemy. 
 
A FLANK MOVEMENT UNDERTAKEN 169 
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 A FLANK MOVEMENT UNDERTAKEN 
 
 The commander of the enemj^'s ship could not 
 know that the Bellevite intended to board ; but he 
 could hardly help regarding with anxiety the 
 rapid progress she was making through the water. 
 The loyal ship was getting nearer to him, and 
 Captain Rombold could not avoid seeing that his 
 situation was becoming desperate. It was ab- 
 solutely necessary for him to do something, unless 
 he was ready to haul down his flag, which Christy, 
 for one, having been present at a battle with him, 
 did not expect him to do yet. 
 
 The executive officer kept a close watch upon 
 the enemy, frequently using his glass, even while 
 he was discussing his suggestion with the captain. 
 There was great activity on deck near the stern of 
 the Tallahatchie, and her commander must have 
 been at least hopeful that the steering apparatus 
 could be restored to some degree of efficiency. In 
 the meantime he could not bring his broadside 
 
170 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 guns to bear on the Bellevite for he was unable to 
 come about. The Federal ship was headed di- 
 rectly for the enemy, and as Captain Breaker was 
 impatient to board, he could not fire the Parrot or 
 the broadside battery without losing time to put 
 his vessel in position for throwing shot or shell. 
 
 " She is starting her screw again ! " exclaimed 
 Christy suddenly, as he discovered the stirring up 
 of the water astern of the enemy. 
 
 "I see she is," added the commander. "She 
 has not got her extra wheel in position yet, and 
 probably she has pried her tiller over, or hauled it 
 over with a purchase. Make the course west, Mr. 
 Passford." 
 
 Christy gave the order to the quartermaster, 
 and without checking her speed, the Bellevite 
 described a quarter of a circle and came to the 
 desired course. The three guns of her port bat- 
 tery were immediately discharged, loaded with 
 shell as on the last occasion. One of them was 
 seen to explode in the midst of the gang of men 
 who were at work on the extra wheel. The other 
 two burst in the air, too far off to do any serious 
 damaofe. 
 
 Very slowly, and apparently with great diffi- 
 
A FLANK MOVEMENT UNDERTAKEN 171 
 
 culty, the Tallahatchie swung around, so that her 
 port guns could be brought to bear upon the 
 Belle vite, and the two ships were abreast of each 
 other so that neither could rake the other. The 
 loyal ship continued on her course to the west- 
 ward, and in ten minutes she had made three miles 
 and a half, which placed her out of the reach of 
 the broadside guns of the Tallahatchie. 
 
 Christy did not abate his watchfulness over the 
 movements of the enemy. The shot from the 
 sixty-pounder which had struck on the quarter of 
 the Confederate, had evidently created a great 
 deal of confusion in that part of the vessel. Slie 
 had intended to describe a quarter of a circle in 
 order to render her port broadside guns available, 
 but she had not made more than the eighth of the 
 circuit before she appeared to be going ahead, and 
 her direction was diagonal to that of the Belle- 
 vite. 
 
 " What does that mean ? " asked Christy of the 
 commander who stood near him, though he had a 
 very decided opinion of his own on the subject. 
 
 " It simply means that the last shot which 
 struck her deranged whatever expedient her cap- 
 tain had adopted for controlling the rudder," re- 
 
172 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 plied the commander. " It failed when she was 
 half round, and then she went ahead." 
 
 " She has stopped her screw again, sir," added 
 the first lieutenant. 
 
 " It is time for her to haul down her flag ; but 
 she does not seem to be disposed to do it," continued 
 Captain Breaker. " It is certainly a hopeless case, 
 and he ouglit to spare his men if not himself." 
 
 " Captain Rombold is not one of that sort. 
 Though he is a Briton, he is a 'last ditch' man." 
 
 "Probably a very large majority of his ship's 
 company are English, or anything but Southern 
 Americans, and he ought to have a proper regard 
 for them." 
 
 " I think he must see some chance of redeeming 
 himself and his ship, for I never met a more high- 
 toned and gentlemanly man in all my life, and I 
 don't believe he would sacrifice his people unless 
 with a hope that he considers a reasonable one." 
 
 " Come about, Mr. Passford, and bear down 
 on the enemy. Unless he works his steering gear, 
 we have her where she is utterly helpless," said 
 the commander. 
 
 " I wonder she does not get a couple of her 
 heaviest guns in position on her quarter-deck, and 
 
A FLANK MOVEMENT UNDERTAKEN 173 
 
 use them as stern chasers," said Christy, after he 
 had obeyed the captain's order, and the Belle- 
 vite was again lieaded directly for the enemy, 
 
 " She appears to require all the space there for 
 the work on her steering appliances," replied 
 Captain Breaker. " In ten minutes more I hope 
 we shall be able to board her ; and I think we can 
 then make very short work of this business. About 
 the flanking movement you propose, Mr. Passford, 
 I have never seen anything of the kind done, for 
 most of my fighting experience with blockade- 
 runners has been at long range, though I was in the 
 navy during the Mexican war, where our operations 
 were mostly against fortifications and batteries." 
 
 " I do not consider the plan practicable except 
 under peculiar circumstances, like the present," 
 returned Christy. "I am confident that we out- 
 number the enemy, and the men for the flank 
 movement are available." 
 
 " If we were boarding in boats we should natu- 
 rally attack both on the starboard and port sides. 
 But, Mr. Passford, the executive ofhcer cannot be 
 spared to command the launch and its crew." 
 
 " I was not thinkincr of commandinof the flank- 
 ing party myself, sir." 
 
174 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 " Neither can the officers of divisions be spared." 
 
 " I think I can find a volunteer, not in the sail- 
 ing department, who would conduct the movement 
 to a successful issue, Captain," added Christy, 
 very confidently. 
 
 "Mr. Vapoor? But we cannot spare him from 
 the engine room for a minute," protested the com- 
 mander, who was well aware that the chief engi- 
 neer was the lieutenant's especial crony. " That 
 would not do at all." 
 
 " I was not thinking of Mr. Vapoor, sir," inter- 
 posed Christy. 
 
 " Who, then ? " demanded the commander, lower- 
 ing his spy-glass to look into the young man's 
 face. 
 
 " My associate in the expedition to Mobile Point, 
 who did quite as much as I did, if not more, to 
 make it a success. I mean Mr. Graines, the third 
 assistant engineer. I know that he is a brave man 
 and an officer of excellent judgment," replied the 
 lieutenant, with more enthusiasm tlian he usually 
 manifested when not in actual combat. 
 
 "Very well, Mr. Passford ; I give you the order 
 to carry out your plan, and I hope it will work to 
 your satisfaction. But you must not take more 
 
A FLANK MOVEMENT UNDERTAKEN 175 
 
 than twenty men," said the commander in con- 
 clusion of the whole matter. 
 
 "Mr. Walbrook," called Christy without losing 
 a moment in the preparations for carrying out his 
 scheme, which neither the captain nor himself 
 could say was an original idea. 
 
 The station of the second lieutenant at quarters 
 is on the forecastle, and of the third in the waist, 
 or the middle of the ship. The third lieutenant 
 stepped forward at the call of the executive officer, 
 touched his cap, for " the honors due the quarter- 
 deck cannot be dispensed with," even at exciting 
 times. 
 
 Christy gave him the order to cast loose the 
 launch, and have it in readiness to lower into the 
 water at a moment's notice ; and Mr. Walbrook 
 proceeded to obey it without delay. The first 
 lieutenant then called Mr. Walters, a midshipman, 
 and directed him to give his compliments to Mr. 
 Vapoor, and ask him if he could spare the third 
 assistant engineer for special duty for a couple of 
 hours, more or less. 
 
 The messenger returned with the reply that the 
 chief engineer would be happy to detail Mr. Graines 
 for special duty at once. In five minutes more 
 
176 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 the assistant engineer appeared upon the quarter- 
 deck in uniform, and touched his cap to the 
 executive officer. 
 
 " I am directed to report to you, Mr. Passford, 
 for special duty," added Graines. 
 
 " I wish you to assume this duty, Mr. Graines, 
 as a volunteer, if at all," replied Christy. " All 
 the officers on deck are required at their stations, 
 and the commander has authorized what I call a 
 flanking movement, which I purpose to send out 
 under your orders." 
 
 " I am very much obliged to you, Mr. Passford, 
 for the honor you do me in selecting me for this 
 duty ; and I accept the position with pleasure," 
 answered the engineer, touching his cap again. 
 
 " But this is a fighting position, Mr. Graines," 
 added Christy with a smile. 
 
 " So much the better, sir ; and if my education 
 permitted, I should prefer to be in the thickest of 
 the fight rather than sliut up in the engine room," 
 returned the engineer; and this was just the 
 estimate the lieutenant had made of him, 
 
 He had been well educated ; but he liad learned 
 the trade of a machinist, and the want of any naval 
 training rather than his own inclination had driven 
 
A FLANK MOVEMENT UNDERTAKEN 177 
 
 him into tlie engine room. But he had been three 
 years at sea as a sailor, and came home as second 
 mate of an Indiaman. 
 
 Cliristy explained to liim very fully the plan he 
 had suggested, and Graines readily grasped the 
 idea. He provided himself with a cutlass and 
 revolver, and became very enthusiastic in the dis- 
 cliarge of his special duty. With the aid of the 
 first lieutenant he selected the men for the move- 
 ment, though Christy would not permit the detail 
 to consist of all the best men, for that would r.ot 
 be fair or generous to the officers of divisions. 
 They were a fair average of the quality of the sea- 
 men. 
 
 The Tallahatchie made an attempt to come 
 about in order to make her guns available ; but for 
 some unknown reason it appeared to be a failure, 
 for she presently stopped her screw again. The 
 Bellevite was rapidly approaching her, and her 
 commander evidently realized that the loyal ship 
 intended to board, for he made his preparations to 
 meet the onslaught. 
 
 Captain Rombold, in spite of his misfortune in 
 the Dornoch the year before, was inclined to dis- 
 parage the bravery and skill of the officers of the 
 
178 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 United States Navy, and to regard the seamen as 
 inferior to those of his own countr}^, though he 
 was too gentlemanly to express himself directly to 
 this effect. Christy had drawn this inference from 
 what he said in the conversations with him when 
 Colonel Passford and he were prisoners on board 
 of the Chateaugay. 
 
 Holding this view, as Christy was confident he 
 did, it was plain from his action that he expected, 
 or at least hoped, to win a victory in the hand-to- 
 hand encounter which was impending. Of course 
 it was possible that he might do so, and come into 
 possession of the Bellevite, which had outsailed 
 him, and disabled his ship for a combat at longer 
 range. 
 
 As the Federal steamer drew near to the enemy 
 a volley of musketry was poured into her, which 
 was promptly returned, and several of the crew on 
 both sides dropped to the deck, and were borne to 
 the cockpit, though the relative strength of each 
 remained about as before, as nearly as the officers 
 on the quarter-deck of the Bellevite could judge. 
 
 The speed of the attacking ship had been greatly 
 reduced as she neared the Tallahatchie, and the 
 launch was already in the water with its crew of 
 
A FLANK MOVEMENT UNDERTAKEN 179 
 
 twenty men on board. The crew of the latter 
 were armed with all the boarding weapons in use, 
 and before the hands on deck had fastened to the 
 enemy, the flanking party were working their 
 heavy craft around the stern of the steamer. 
 
 The loyal ship came in contact with the side of 
 the Confederate. The grappling irons were cast, 
 and in an incredibly short space of time the two 
 vessels were firmly attached to each other. The 
 supreme moment had come, as all thought, but for 
 some reason not apparent, the command to board 
 was withheld. Captain Breaker who stood on the 
 quarter deck with Christy, appeared to be per- 
 plexed. He saw that the seamen of the enemy 
 were drawn up on the starboard side, instead of at 
 the port bulwarks. 
 
180 THE lieutenant's DARING EXPLOIT 
 
 CHPATER XVI 
 
 THE lieutenant's DARING EXPLOIT 
 
 Captain Breaker was perplexed when his 
 ship came alongside the enemy and was made fast 
 to her, for things were not working according to 
 the usual rules made and provided for such occa- 
 sions, and Captain Rombold was evidently resort- 
 ing to some unusual tactics. The two steamers 
 were of about the same height above water, so 
 their decks were very nearly on a level. 
 
 The men with muskets on both sides were reload- 
 ing their weapons, and those with navy revolvers 
 were discharging them at the enemy; but the 
 officers of divisions concealed their men behind the 
 bulwarks when the order to board did not come. 
 
 Christy saw the perplexity of the commander at 
 his side, and it was evident to both of them that 
 some unusual strategy was to be adopted, and 
 Captain Breaker did not intend to fall into a trap 
 if he could avoid it. They could see nothing that 
 
THE lieutenant's DAlllNG EXPLOIT 181 
 
 looked suspicious except the position of the enemy's 
 force on the starboard side of the ship. 
 
 Before the captain couki stop him, the first lieu- 
 tenant had leaped into the mizzen rigging, and 
 ascended far enough to obtain a view of the quarter 
 deck over the bulwarks, while the commander 
 walked aft far enough to accomplish the same 
 purpose by looking through the aperture made by 
 the shot which had carried away the wheel of the 
 enemy, without exposing himself to the fire of the 
 seamen on board of her. 
 
 Christy's action occupied but the fraction of a 
 minute ; but several muskets and revolvers were 
 discharged at him in this brief time. Letting go 
 his hold of the rigging, he dropped to the deck 
 before the captain could see what he was doing; 
 and it was supposed that the daring officer had 
 been brought down by the shots fired at him. 
 
 " Second division, follow me ! " he cried, as he 
 picked up the cutlass he had dropped. 
 
 About thirty men rushed to the quarter-deck, 
 hurried on by Mr. Walbrook. Christy leaped upon 
 the rail, with the cutlass in his right hand, and the 
 revolver in his left, and dropped down upon the 
 quarter deck of the Tallahatchie, upon a squad of 
 
182 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 seamen who were lying low behind a thirty -pounder, 
 whose carriage was close to the bulwark, the piece 
 pointed forward. 
 
 The first lieutenant had seen from his position 
 in the mizzen rigging the trap which had been set 
 for the crew of the Bellevite. They were expected 
 to leap to the rail, and cut away the boarding net- 
 tings — not alwaj^s used, but were on this occasion 
 — and then drop down to the deck. The first 
 command would naturally have been to " Repel 
 boarders ; " but this was not given, and no fighting 
 was to be done till the boarders reached the ship, 
 when the thirty-pounder, doubtless loaded with 
 grape or shrapnel, was to mow down the invaders 
 of the deck. 
 
 Christy's men poured down after him, and before 
 the crew of the gun, who had no doubt been 
 ordered to conceal themselves, could get upon their 
 feet they were cut down by the impetuous tars 
 from the Bellevite. It was the work of but a 
 moment. Christy had taken some pains to have 
 the opinion of Captain Rombold that American 
 seamen were inferior to British circulated, and the 
 men evidently intended to prove that they were 
 the equals of any sailors afloat. 
 
t 
 
 THE lieutenant's DARING EXPLOIT 183 
 
 "Swing the muzzle of the gun to starboard!" 
 shouted Christy, as lie took hold with his own 
 hands to point the piece, which was in position in 
 a moment. 
 
 Captain Rombold stood but a short distance from 
 the stump of the mizzen mast with a cutlass in his 
 hand. He rushed forward to rally his crew; and 
 he seemed to be rendered desperate by the failure 
 of the scheme to which he had resorted. At this 
 moment Christy heard Captain Breaker shout the 
 order to board, and the men were springing to the 
 rail, and tearing away the boarding netting. 
 
 "Stand by the lanyard I " cried the first lieuten- 
 ant on the quarter-deck of the enemy, and he had 
 sighted the piece himself in the absence of any 
 regular gun crew. " Fire ! " 
 
 The cloud of smoke concealed all of the deck 
 forward of the mizzen mast, and Christy could not 
 see what effect had been produced by the charge 
 of grape, or whatever it was. At any rate the men 
 the commander had rallied for a charge did not 
 appear. 
 
 The smoke was blown away in a minute or so, 
 and the Bellevite's sailors had made a lodgment 
 on the deck of the enemy. They were led by the 
 
184 A VICTORIOUS UNION- 
 
 ofificers of the divisions, and were rushing over to 
 the starboard, where the enemy's men had been 
 concentrated. They were brave men, whether 
 English or not, and the moment the}^ coukl see tlie 
 boarders, they rushed at them by command of their 
 officers ; but they pushed forward, as it were, out 
 of a heap of killed and wounded, those who had 
 fallen by the grape-shot intended to decimate the 
 ranks of the loyal band. 
 
 Christy rallied his men as soon as they had done 
 their work in the vicinity of the thirty-j)ounder, 
 and ordered them to join their division under the 
 command of the third lieutenant. But the seamen 
 on the part of the Confederates seemed to be dis- 
 pirited to some extent by the bad beginning they 
 had made, and by the heap of slain near them 
 Captain Rombold lay upon the deck, propped up 
 against the mizzen mast. He looked as pale as 
 death itself ; but he was still directing the action 
 giving orders to his first lieutenant. Two of his 
 officers were near him, but both of them appeared 
 to be severely wounded. 
 
 The battle was raging with fearful energy on 
 tlie part of the loyal tars, and with hardly less 
 vigor on the part of the enemy, though the latter 
 
THE lieutenant's DARING EXPLOIT 185 
 
 fought in a sort of desperate silence. The wounded 
 commander was doing his best to reinspire them ; 
 but his speech was becoming feeble, and perhaps 
 did more to discourage than to strengthen them. 
 
 At this stage of the action Graines, closely fol- 
 lowed by his twenty men, sprang over the starboard 
 bulwarks, and fell upon the eneniy in the rear. 
 Finding themselves between an enemy in front 
 and rear, they could do no more ; for it was sure 
 death to remain where they were, and they fled 
 precipitately to the forecastle. 
 
 " Quarter ! " shouted these men, and the same 
 cry came from the other parts of the deck. 
 
 " Haul down the flag, Mr. Brookfield ! " said the 
 commander in a feeble tone. 
 
 The first lieutenant of the Tallahatchie, with 
 his handkerchief tied around his leg, directed a 
 wounded quartermaster to strike the colors, and 
 three tremendous cheers from the victorious crew 
 of the Bellevite rent the air. Captain Breaker 
 had come on board of the enemy, sword in hand, 
 and had conducted himself as bravely as the un- 
 fortunate commander of the prize. 
 
 The moment he saw Christy he rushed to him 
 with both hands extended, and with a smile upon 
 
 I 
 
186 A VICTOEIOUS UNION 
 
 his face. The four hands were interlocked, but 
 not a word was spoken for the feelings of both 
 were too big for utterance. A loyal quartermaster 
 was ordered to hoist the American ensign over the 
 Confederate flag which had just been hauled down. 
 
 The situation on board of the prize was so terri- 
 ble that there was no danger of an attempt to re- 
 capture the vessel, and immediate attention was 
 given to the care of the wounded, the survivors in 
 each vessel performing this duty under its own 
 officers. 
 
 Mr. Brookfield, the executive officer of the Tal- 
 lahatcliie, was wounded in the leg below the knee, 
 but he did not regard himself as disabled, and su- 
 l^erintended the work of caring for the sufferers. 
 Mr. Hungerford, the second lieutenant, appeared 
 to be the only principal officer who had escaped 
 uninjured; wliile Mr. Len wold, the third lieuten- 
 ant, had his arm in a sling in consequence of a 
 wound received from a splinter in the early part 
 of the action. These gentlemen, who had seemed 
 like demons only a few minutes before, so earnest 
 were they in the discharge of their duties, were 
 now as tender and devoted as so many women. 
 
 Captain Breaker directed his own officers to re- 
 
THE lieutenant's DARING EXPLOIT 187 
 
 turn to the deck of the Bellevite and provide for 
 the wounded there ; but they were few in num- 
 ber compared with those strewed about the deck 
 of the prize. While the Confederate ship had 
 been unable to discharge her guns, and the officers 
 were using their utmost exertions to repair the dis- 
 abled steering apparatus, the Bellevite had had a 
 brief intermission of the din of battle, during 
 which the wounded had been carried below where 
 the surgeon and his mates had attended to their 
 injuries. 
 
 It was ascertained that only six men had been 
 killed during the action, and their silent forms 
 had been laid out in the waist. Seventeen men 
 were in their berths in the hospital or on the 
 tables of the surgeon, eight of whom had been 
 wounded by the muskets and revolvers of the 
 enemy as the ship came alongside the prize. Four 
 others had just been borne to the cockpit with 
 wounds from pikes and cutlasses. 
 
 The loss of the enemy was at least triple that of 
 the Bellevite, a large number of whom had fallen 
 before the murderous discharge of the thirty- 
 pounder on the quarter-deck, which had been in- 
 tended to decimate the ranks of the loyal boarders ; 
 
188 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 and, raking the column as the men poured into the 
 ship, it would probably have laid low more than 
 one in ten of the number. This was an original 
 scheme of Caj^tain Rombold ; and but for the cool- 
 ness and deliberation of Captain Breaker, and the 
 daring of his chief officer, it must have been a ter- 
 rible success. As it was, the Confederate com- 
 mander, who was the only foreign officer on board, 
 " had been hoisted by his own petard." 
 
 Christy had done all that required his attention 
 on board of the Belle vite, and he paid another 
 visit to the deck of the Tallahatchie, where he de- 
 sired to obtain some information which would 
 enable him the better to understand the action 
 which had just been fought. He was especially 
 anxious to ascertain the condition of the Arm- 
 strong gun which had been disabled by the first 
 shot of Blumenhoff with the midship Parrot. As 
 he went on deck, he saw Captain Rombold, seated 
 in an arm-chair his cabin steward had brought up 
 for him, with his right leg resting on a camp stool. 
 
 " Good-morning, Mr. Passford," said tlie 
 wounded commander, with a slight smile on his 
 pale face. " Comment allez-vous ce matinf'' (How 
 do you do this morning?) 
 
THE lieutenant's DAlllNG EXPLOIT 189 
 
 " Tres Men, Monsieur le capitaine. Je suis Men 
 fdche que vous etes Messe. (Very well, Captain. I 
 ani very sorry that you are wounded.) You need 
 the attention of the surgeon, sir," replied the loyal 
 officer. 
 
 "I take my turn with my men, Mr. Passford, 
 and my officers do the same. The fortune of war 
 is with you again, and I congratulate you on the 
 success which has attended you. I saw that it 
 was you who upset my plan for receiving your 
 boarders. I was confident, with that device of 
 mine, I should be able to beat off your boarders, 
 and I intended to carry your deck by boarding 
 you in turn. I think your commander can give 
 you the credit of winning the victory for the 
 Bellevite in his despatches ; for I should have 
 killed more of your men with that thirty-pounder 
 than you did of mine, for I should have raked the 
 column. You saved the day for the United States 
 when 3^ou ran up the mizzen rigging and unmasked 
 my battery. You are a gentleman and a magnani- 
 mous enemy, Mr. Passford, and I congratulate 
 you on your promotion, which is sure to come. 
 But yon look ^^ale this morning." 
 
 " One of your revolvers had very nearly pinked 
 
190 A VICTORIOUS UNIOK 
 
 me when I was in the rigging ; for the ball passed 
 between my arm and my side, and took out a piece 
 of the former, Captain Rombold," replied Christy, 
 who was beginning to feel languid from the loss 
 of blood, for the drops of red fluid were cbopping 
 from the ends of his fingers. "But you exagger- 
 ate the service I rendered ; for Captain Breaker, 
 suspecting something from the position in which 
 yoar men were drawn nj), had di'opped a hawser 
 port, and inteuded to look through the aperture 
 made by one of our solid shots. He would have 
 discovered your trap." 
 
 "He could not have seen the gun or the men."' 
 At that moment Christy sank down upon the 
 deck. 
 
A MAGNANIMOUS ENEMY 191 
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 A MAGNANIMOUS ENEISIY 
 
 It had not occurred to Christy Passford before 
 Captain Rombold mentioned it that his daring 
 exphiit had in any especial manner assisted in tlie 
 final and glorious result of the action. He was 
 confident tliat, if he had not unmasked the plan 
 of the Confederate commander, Captain Breaker 
 would have discovered it, and perhaps had ah'eady 
 done so when, without any order, he had impetu- 
 ously leaped over the rail, followed by a portion 
 of the second division, urged forward by lieuten- 
 ant Walbrook, to capture the gun before it could 
 be discharged. 
 
 He realized, as the thought flashed through his 
 brain like a bolt of lightning, that the Confederate 
 commander's scheme must be counteracted on the 
 instant, or Captain Breaker might give the com- 
 mand to board, for which the impatient seamen on 
 his deck were waiting. He had accomplished his 
 purpose in a iew seconds ; and the enemy's force, 
 
192 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 huddled together on the starboard side, were sud- 
 denly piled up in a heap on the planks, weltering 
 in their gore, and a large proportion of them killed. 
 
 Captain Ronibold was standing abreast of the 
 stump of his mizzen mast observing the whole 
 affair, and he had a better opportunity to observe 
 it than any other person on the deck of either ship. 
 He had ordered up his men to receive the boarders 
 on the quarter-deck when the gun was discharged, 
 and before he believed it could be done. Christy 
 had only to reverse the direction of the carriage, 
 hastily sight the piece, and pull the lanyard. The 
 missiles with which the thirty-pounder was loaded 
 cut down the advancing column, rushing to 'obey 
 their commander's order, and then carried death 
 and destruction into the crowd of seamen in their 
 rear. 
 
 " Good Heavens, Mr. Passford ! " exclaimed the 
 Confederate commander, rising with difficulty from 
 his seat. " You are badly wounded ! " 
 
 " Not badly, Captain Rombold," replied the 
 young officer, gathering up his remaining strength, 
 and resting his right arm upon the planks. 
 
 " But my dear fellow, you are bleeding to deatli, 
 and the blood is runnin"- in a stream from the ends 
 
A MAGNANIMOUS ENEMY 193 
 
 of the fingers on your left hand ! " continued the 
 Confederate commander, apparently as full of 
 sympathy and kindness as though the sufferer 
 had been one of his own officers. " Gill ! " he 
 called to his steward, who was assisting in the 
 removal of the injured seamen. " My compli- 
 ments to Dr. Davidson, and ask him to come on 
 deck instantly." 
 
 Christy had hardly noticed the ball which passed 
 through the fleshy part of his arm above the elbow 
 at the time it struck him. While he kept the 
 wounded member raised the blood was absorbed 
 by his clothing. It had been painful from the 
 first ; but the degree of fortitude with which a 
 wounded person in battle endures suffering amount- 
 ing to agony is almost incredible. So many had 
 been killed, and so many had lost legs and arms 
 on both sides, that it seemed weak and pusillani- 
 mous to complain, or even mention what he re- 
 garded as only a slight wound. 
 
 " This is the executive officer of the Bellevite, 
 Dr. Davidson," said Captain Rombold when the 
 surgeon appeared, not three minutes after he had 
 been sent for. " But he is a gentleman in every 
 sense of the word, and the bravest of the brave. 
 
194 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 It was he who defeated my scheme ; but I admire 
 and respect him. Attend to him at once, doctor." 
 
 " If he saved the day for the Yankees, it is a 
 pity that his wound had not killed him," added 
 the surgeon, with a pleasant smile on his hand- 
 some face. " But that is taking the patriotic 
 rather than the humane view of his case." 
 
 "It would have been better for us, and espe- 
 cially for me, if he had been killed ; but I am sin- 
 cerely glad that he was not," added the commander. 
 
 " Thank you. Captain Rombold," said Christy. 
 " You are the most magnanimous of enemies, and 
 it is a pleasure to fight such men as you are." 
 
 " Good-morning, Mr. Passford," continued Dr. 
 Davidson, as he took the right hand of the patient. 
 " I like to serve a brave man, on whichever side 
 he fights, when the action is finished." 
 
 " You are very kind, doctor," added Christy 
 faintly. 
 
 With the assistance of Gill, the surgeon removed 
 the coat of the lieutenant, and tore off the shirt 
 from the wounded arm. 
 
 " Not a bad wound at all, Mr. Passford," said 
 Dr. Davidson, after he had exaimed it. " But it 
 has been too long neglected, and it would not have 
 
A MAGNANIMOUS ENEMY 195 
 
 given you half the trouble if you had taken it to 
 your surgeon as soon as the action was decided. 
 You have lost some blood, and that makes you 
 faint. You will have to lie in your berth a few 
 days, which might have been spared to you if you 
 had had it attended to sooner." 
 
 The doctor sent for needed articles ; and as soon 
 as Gill brought them he dressed the wound, after 
 giving the patient a restorative which made him 
 feel much better. While the surgeon was still at 
 work on his arm, Captain Breaker rushed in desper- 
 ate haste to the scene of operations, for some one 
 had informed him that the surgeon of the Talla- 
 hatchie was dressing a wound on his executive 
 ofhcer. 
 
 " Merciful Heaven, Mr. Passford ! " exclaimed 
 the loyal commander. " Are you wounded ? " 
 
 " Nothing but a scratch in the arm. Captain. 
 Don't bother about me," replied Christy, whose 
 spirits had been built up by the medicine Dr. 
 Davidson had given him ; but he did not know 
 that it was half brandy, the odor of which was dis- 
 guised by the mixture of some other ingredient. 
 
 " I did not know that you were wounded, my 
 dear boy," said his commander tenderly ; so ten- 
 
 k 
 
196 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 deiiy tliat the patient could hardly restrain the 
 tears which were struo^crlinw for an outflow. 
 
 "Mr. Watts," called Captain Breaker to the 
 chief steward of the Bellevite, who happened to he 
 the first person he saw on the deck of his own ship. 
 
 " On deck, Captain," replied the steward, touch- 
 ing his cap to the commander. 
 
 " My compliments to Dr. Linscott, and ask him 
 to come to the deck of the prize without any 
 delay," added the captain. 
 
 Such a message implied an emergency ; and the 
 surgeon of the Bellevite, who was a man well 
 along in years, hastened with all the speed he 
 could command to the place indicated. The cap- 
 tain, who had heard the name of the Confederate 
 medical officer, introduced his own surgeon, with 
 an apology for summoning him. 
 
 " My executive officer, the 2)atientin your hands, 
 is the son of my best friend on earth, for whom I 
 sailed for years before the war, and I lioj^e you 
 will pardon my great anxiety for your patient. Dr. 
 Davidson," said he. 
 
 " The most natural thing in the world. Captain 
 Breaker, and no apology or explanation is neces- 
 sary," politely added the Confederate surgeon, as 
 
A MAGNANIMOUS ENEMY 197 
 
 he and Dr. Linscott sliook hands. " My patient is 
 not sever-^ly wounded ; but I should be hapjiy to 
 have you examine his injury. It was too long 
 neglected, and he is rather weak from the loss 
 of blood." 
 
 "Mr. Passford was too proud a young man to 
 mention his wound or to call upon the surgeon of 
 his ship ; but I was determined that he should no 
 longer be neglected," interposed Captain Rombold. 
 
 Christy was aware that the two commanders had 
 never met before, and he introduced them while 
 Dr. Linscott was examining his arm. They were 
 both brave and noble men, and each received the 
 other in the politest and most gentlemanly manner. 
 It was evident to all who witnessed the interview 
 that they met with mutual respect, though half an 
 hour before they had been engaged in a desperate 
 fight the one against the other. But enemies can 
 be magnanimous to each other without any sacri- 
 fice of their principles on either side. 
 
 " I thank you most heartily. Captain Rombold, 
 for your kindness to my principal officer; and if the 
 opportunity is ever presented to me, I shall recip- 
 rocate to the extent of my ability," continued 
 Captain Breaker. " You have been more than 
 
198 A VICTOKIOUS UNION 
 
 magnanimous; you have been a self-sacrificing 
 Christian, for you have required your surgeon to 
 bind up the wound of an enemy before he assuaged 
 your own. This is Christianit}^ in war; and I 
 shall strive to emulate your noble example." 
 
 " You are extremely considerate, Captain; and 
 we are friends till the demands of duty require us 
 to become technical enemies on the quarter-deck 
 each of his own ship," said Captain Rombold, as 
 he grasped the hand of the loyal commander. 
 
 " I heartily ap]3rove of the treatment of my friend 
 Dr. Davidson, and fully indorse his opinion that 
 the wound of Mr. Passford is not a dangerous or 
 very severe one," interposed Dr. Linscott. " I 
 agree with him that the patient had better spend a 
 couple of days or more in his berth." 
 
 The Confederate surgeon had finished the dress- 
 ing of Christy's wound, and he was in a hurry to 
 return to his duty in the cockpit. He shook liands 
 with Dr. Linscott, and both of them hastened to 
 their posts. The patient had been seated on a 
 bench, and Captain Rombold had returned to his 
 former position. He had tied his handkerchief 
 around his thigh, and both of them appeared to be 
 very comfortable. 
 
A MAGNANIMOUS ENEMY 199 
 
 " Well, Mr. Passford, if you are ready to return 
 to the Bellevite, I will assist you to the ward 
 room," said Captain Breaker. 
 
 " Excuse me, Captain, if I detain you a few 
 minutes, for I desire to settle a point in dispute 
 between INIr. Passford and myself, though it is 
 doubtless his extreme modesty which creates this 
 difference between us," interposed the Confederate 
 commander. 
 
 He proceeded to state his view of the exploit of 
 Christy, by which he had rendered inutile the 
 scheme to slaughter the loj-al boarders. 
 
 " I was absolutely delighted. Captain Breaker, 
 when I realized that you intended to board the 
 Tallahatchie," he continued. "I was confident 
 that I should defeat your boarders, and board and 
 carry your deck in my turn. I have not yet 
 changed my view of the situation. You can 
 judge of my consternation when I saw Mr. Pass- 
 ford leap into the mizzen rigging with the agility 
 of a cat, and especially when the order to board my 
 ship was withheld." 
 
 " Mr. Passford acted without orders, for I should 
 hardly have sent him into the rigging while we 
 were alongside, for it was almost sure death, for 
 
200 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 your men, armed with muskets and revolvers, were 
 all looking for the firing of the thirty-pounder," 
 added Captain Breaker. 
 
 " He was as nimble as a cat, and it seemed to 
 me that he was twice as quick. But all he needed 
 to unearth my scheme was a single glance at the 
 gun and its crew on the quarter-deck. In the 
 twinkling of an eye he dropped to the deck, called 
 his boarders, and leaped over the rail into our 
 midst. It was the most daring and quickly exe- 
 cuted manoeuvre I ever observed," continued the 
 Confederate commander with enthusiasm. 
 
 " I quite agree with you, Captain Rombold," 
 replied Captain Breaker, as he looked with an 
 affectionate expression upon the pale face of the 
 patient. 
 
 " Now, Mr. Passford chooses to regard his bril- 
 liant exploit as a matter of little consequence, for 
 he declares that you had discovered, or would have 
 discovered, my plan to annihilate your boarders." 
 
 " Mr. Passford is entirely in the wrong so far as 
 I am concerned," protested Captain Breaker with 
 a good deal of earnestness. " To make the matter 
 clear, I will explain my own actions. When the 
 Bellevite ranged alongside the Tallahatchie, every- 
 
A MAGNANIMOUS ENEMY 201 
 
 tiling was in readiness for boarding. I was about 
 to give the order to do tins when I discovered that 
 the crew of your ship were drawn up on the star- 
 board side, instead of the port, and it suggested to 
 me that something was wrong, and I withheld the 
 command. In order to obtain more information, I 
 went further aft, where I hoped to get a view of 
 a portion of the deck of your ship. I had raised a 
 hawser port with the assistance of a quartermaster ; 
 but I could see only the wreck of your spare wheel. 
 At this moment Mr. Passford was in the mizzen 
 I'igging. He did all ; I did nothing." 
 
 " I hope your report of the action will do him 
 full justice, for he deserves promotion," added 
 Captain Rombold. 
 
 " My admiration of the conduct of Mr. Passford 
 is equal to yours." 
 
 They separated after some further conversation, 
 and her commander and Christy returned to the 
 Bellevite. 
 
202 THE REIGN OF CHRISTIANITY 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 THE REIGN OF CHRISTIANITY 
 
 Captain Breaker took Christy by his right 
 arm to support him as they returned to the deck 
 of the Bellevite, and to assist him over the bulwarks. 
 The wounded had all been cared for, and the crew 
 were swabbing up the deck ; but the moment they 
 discovered the caj^tain and the executive officer on 
 the rail, they suspended their labor and all eyes 
 were fixed upon the latter. 
 
 " Three cheers for Mr. Passford ! " shouted the 
 quartermaster who had been at the wheel when 
 Christy sprang into the mizzen rigging. 
 
 Three heartier cheers were never given on the 
 deck of any ship than those which greeted the 
 hero of the action as he ajDpeared on the rail. Not 
 satisfied with this demonstration, they all swung 
 their caps, and then gave two volleys more. There 
 was not a man that did not take part in this triple 
 salute, and even tlie officers joined with the sea- 
 men in this tribute. 
 
 202 
 
THE REIGN OF CHRISTIANITY 203 
 
 " I hope Mr. Passford is not badly wounded, 
 sir," said Quartermaster Thompson, touching his 
 cap most respectfully. "And I speak for the 
 whole ship's company, sir." 
 
 "Mr. Passford is not very severely wounded, 
 Thompson," replied the commander, while Christy 
 was acknowledging the salute. " He did not men- 
 tion the fact that he was hurt, and lost more blood 
 than was necessary, so that he is very weak." 
 
 The quartermaster reported the answer of the 
 captain to the ship's company, whereupon they 
 gave three more cheers, as Christy and his sup- 
 porter descended to the deck ; and tlie hero ac- 
 knowledged the salute. At the companion they 
 encountered Dr. Linscott, who had just come on 
 deck from the cockpit. Graines was standing 
 near, waiting for an opportunity to speak to his 
 late associate in the expedition. 
 
 " You gave us a bad fright, Mr. Passford," said 
 the surgeon, as he took the right hand of the 
 wounded oflicer. " But you will do very well now. 
 I have something here which will keep you com- 
 fortable ; " and he proceeded to place the left arm 
 in a sling, which he adjusted with great care, pass- 
 ing a band from it around his body so as to pre- 
 
204 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 vent the member from swinging, or otherwise get- 
 ting out of position. 
 
 " Is it necessary that I should take to my berth, 
 Dr. Linscott ? " asked the patient. " I am feeling 
 very nicely now ; and since my arm was dressed it 
 gives me very little pain." 
 
 " Dr. Davidson ordered you to your berth be- 
 cause you were so weak you could not stand," 
 replied the surgeon. 
 
 "But I have got over that, and I feel stronger 
 now." 
 
 " We will see about that later, Mr. Passford. 
 Captain Breaker, all our wounded except a few 
 light cases, which my mates can treat as well as I 
 can, are disposed of," added the doctor. 
 
 " I am very glad to hear it," replied the captain. 
 
 " May I stay on deck, doctor?" asked Christy, 
 who did not like the idea of being shut up in his 
 stateroom while the arrangements for the disposal 
 of the prize were in progress. ' 
 
 " You may for the present if you feel able to do 
 so," answered the surgeon. " But you must have 
 a berth-sack or an easy chair on deck, and keep 
 very quiet." 
 
 " Punch ! " called the commander ; and this was 
 
THE REIGN OF CHRISTIANITY 205 
 
 the name of the cabin steward, who was not, how- 
 ever, as bibulous as his surname indicated. " Pass 
 the word for Punch." 
 
 The steward, like everybody else on board able 
 to be there, was on deck, and immediately pre- 
 sented himself. 
 
 " Bring- up the large easy-chair at my desk, and 
 place it abreast of the mizzen mast," added the 
 commander. 
 
 Something else called off the attention of Cap- 
 tain Breaker at this moment, and the surgeon 
 remained in conversation till Puncli reported the 
 chair in position. Dr. Linscott conducted Christy 
 to it, and adjusted him comfortably, sending for 
 a blanket to cover his lower limbs. The captain 
 soon returned, and saw that the patient was easy 
 in a position where he could see all that transpired 
 on the deck. 
 
 " As you have finished your duties on board of 
 the Bellevite, I desire to reciprocate the kindness 
 of Captain Rombold in attending to Mr. Passford 
 when perhaps he needed the attention of his own 
 surgeon more than our patient, and I desire to have 
 you dress the Confederate commander's wound," 
 said Captain Breaker. 
 
206 A VICTOEIOUS UNION 
 
 " With all my heart ! " exclaimed the surgeon 
 earnestly. " I will be with you in a moment, as 
 soon as I procure my material ; " and he hurried 
 below. 
 
 "You will find me with Captain Rombold," 
 added the commander, as he hastened to the deck 
 of the prize. 
 
 "I am glad to see you again, Captain Breaker," 
 said the Confederate chief very politely. 
 
 " I have come to tender the services of our sur- 
 geon, who has disposed of all our seriously injured 
 men, to dress your wound, in the first instance, for 
 I fear you were more in need of such assistance 
 than my officer when you so magnanimously called 
 Dr. Davidson to dress Mr. Passford's wound. He 
 will be here in a few minutes," returned Captain 
 Breaker, proceeding to business at once. 
 
 " I am exceedingly obliged to you, Captain, for 
 I am beginning to feel the necessity of attending 
 to my wound. The thirty-pounder, which was to 
 have reduced the ranks of your crew l)y one-half, as 
 I am assured it would have done, made terrible 
 havoc among my own men. In addition to the 
 dead who have already been committed to the deep, 
 we have a great number wounded," replied Captain 
 
THE REIGN OF CHillSTIANITY 207 
 
 Rombold. " The cockpit is full, and I have given 
 up my cabin to the surgeon, who is extremely busy. 
 I accept the services of Dr. Linscott very grate- 
 fully." 
 
 " He is extremely happy to serve you." 
 
 By this time the surgeon of the Bellevite ap- 
 peared with one of his mates, and some pleasant 
 words passed between him and his new patient. 
 
 " Now, where is your wound, Captain Rombold?" 
 asked Dr. Linscott. 
 
 " In the right thigh," replied the patient ; and the 
 bullet hole in his trousers indicated the precise spot. 
 
 " It will be necessary to remove your clothing. 
 Captain," continued the surgeon. 
 
 "My cabin is already turned into a hospital, and 
 Dr. Davidson is hard at work there," replied the 
 patient. " I shall have to send for a berth-sack, 
 and let you operate on deck, for " — 
 
 "My cabin is entirely at your service, Captain 
 Rombold," interposed the commander of the Belle- 
 vite. " It will afford me the very greatest pleasure 
 in the world to give it up to you." 
 
 " Oh, no. Captain ! " exclaimed the sufferer, as 
 lie really was by this time. " That is too great a 
 sacrifice." 
 
208 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 " Not at all ; do me the very great favor to ac- 
 cept the use of my cabin," persisted Captain 
 Breaker. "How shall we move him, doctor?" 
 
 " Call four of your men ; we will carry him to 
 your cabin in his chair, jnst as he sits ; and we can 
 do it without incommoding him at all," answered 
 Dr. Linscott, as he sent his mate to call the men 
 required. 
 
 "Really, CaiDtain," — the sufferer began, but 
 rather faintly. 
 
 " The surgeon thinks you had better not talk 
 any more. Captain Rombold," interposed the com- 
 mander. " Here are the men, and we will liandle 
 you as tenderly as an infant." 
 
 " You are as kind as the mother of the infant," 
 added the sufferer with a slight smile ; but he 
 made no further opposition. 
 
 The four men lifted the chair, and the doctor 
 instructed them how to carry it. The Bellevite 
 had been moved aft a little so as to bring the 
 gangways of the two ships abreast of each other. 
 The commander was so interested and so full 
 of sympathy for his injured enemy, now a friend, 
 that he could not refrain from assisting with his 
 own hands, and he directed the operations of the 
 
THE PvEIGN OF CHRISTIANITY 209 
 
 seamen when they came to the steps. They lifted 
 the chair clown to the deck of the ship, and then 
 it was borne to the captain's cabin. 
 
 The wounded commander was placed in the 
 broad berth of the cabin, and the seamen sent on 
 deck.- Dr. Linscott, with the assistance of his 
 mate, proceeded to remove the clothing of the 
 patient, Captain Breaker aiding as he would 
 hardly have thought of doing if the sufferer had 
 been one of his own officers. The injury proved 
 to be of about the same character as that of 
 Christy ; it was a flesh wound, but the ball had 
 ploughed deeper than in his case, and was there- 
 fore severe. A stimulating remedy was given 
 to the patient, and the doctor dressed the wound 
 with the utmost care, as he always did, whether 
 the patient was a commander or a coal-heaver from 
 the bunkers. 
 
 The sufferer had revived somewhat under the 
 influence of the medicine administered ; and after 
 taking the hand of Captain Rombold, with a 
 hearty wish for his early recovery, the captain of 
 the Bellevite took his leave, and went on deck. 
 
 He proceeded first to the chair of the wounded 
 lieutenant, reporting to him the condition of the 
 
210 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 Confederate commander. Christy was extremely 
 glad to hear so favorable a report of the condition 
 of the patient, and so expressed himself in the 
 heartiest terms. " Federal " and " Confederate " 
 seemed to be words without any meaning at the 
 present time, for all had become friends. The 
 officers were vying with each other in rendering 
 kindly offices to the vanquished, and even the 
 seamen were doing what they could to fraternize 
 with the crew of the Tallahatchie, while both were 
 engaged in removing the evidences of the hard- 
 fought action. 
 
 It was now only nine o'clock in the morning, 
 and six hours had elapsed since the prize, witli 
 the West Wind in tow, had sailed from Mobile 
 Point on what had proved to be her last voyage in 
 the service of the Confederacy. Events had suc- 
 ceeded each other with great rapidity, as it may 
 require a whole volume to report in detail a naval 
 battle begun and ended in the short space of an 
 hour. 
 
 The men were piped to breakfast ; and during 
 the meal there was an interchange of good feel- 
 ing when it was found that the crew of the Talla- 
 hatchie had only a short supply of coffee and bread, 
 
THE REIGN OF CHRISTIANITY 211 
 
 intending to supply these articles at Nassau. Tlie 
 loyal tars were as magnanimous as the officers of 
 both ships had proved themselves to be ; and tliey 
 passed the needed articles over the rails, till they 
 exhausted their own supply, hungry as they were 
 after six hours of active duty. The commander 
 discovered what his men were doing ; and he 
 ordered the rations to be doubled, besides sending 
 a quantity of ship bread and coffee on board of the 
 prize. War had mantled his savage front, and 
 Christianity was presiding over the conduct of 
 those who had so recently been the most deter- 
 mined enemies. 
 
 There was something forward of the foremast to 
 remind all who approached of the battle which 
 had been fought. It was a spare sail which cov- 
 ered the silent and motionless forms of those 
 whose loyalty to their country had led them 
 through the gates of death to " the undiscovered 
 country, from whose bourn no traveller returns," 
 but whose fadeless record is inscribed in the hearts 
 of a grateful nation. 
 
 During or after a severe action on board a ship 
 of war, the dead are usually disposed of with but 
 little or no ceremony, as the exigency of the hour 
 
212 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 may require, as had been clone on board of the 
 prize. But Captain Breaker was more consid- 
 erate, as tlie conditions permitted him to be ; and 
 the killed had been sewed up in hammocks, prop- 
 erly weighted. 
 
 " All hands to bury the dead ; " piped the boat- 
 swain of the Bellevite, when breakfast was fin- 
 ished. 
 
 By this time the deck had been cleaned up, and 
 dried off under the warm sun which had dissipated 
 the fog and the morning mists. The bodies of the 
 slain had been previously placed at the port gang- 
 way, covered with the American flag. The sea- 
 men removed their caps, the commander read the 
 service, and the bodies were committed to the 
 deep. The officers and seamen witnessed the 
 ceremony with uncovered heads, and in reverent 
 silence. 
 
COL. HOMEU I'ASSFOKU OF GLENFIELD 213 
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 
 COLONEL HOMER PASSFOED OF GLENFIELD 
 
 As soon as the battle on the deck of the Talla- 
 hatchie had been decided, Graines, in conniiand 
 of the flanking party, had returned to the engine 
 room of the Bellevite. He and his men had fought 
 bravely and effectively in the action, though the 
 full effect of the movement under his charge could 
 not be realized in the change of circumstances. 
 The engine of the ship had now cooled off, 
 and Paul Vapoor hastened to the deck to see his 
 friend and crony, the news of whose wound 
 had been conveyed to the engine room in due 
 time. 
 
 He was heartily rejoiced to find that it was no 
 worse, and he had news for the patient. Just be- 
 fore the burial of the dead he had been sent by the 
 commander to examine and report upon the con- 
 dition of the engine of the prize. Captain Rom- 
 bold had protected it with chain cables dropped 
 over the side, so that it remained uninjured, and 
 
214 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 the British engineers declared that it was in per- 
 fect working order. 
 
 " But whom do you suppose I saw on board the 
 prize, Cliristy ? " asked the chief engineer, after 
 he had incidentally stated the condition of the 
 engine. 
 
 " I cannot guess ; but it may have been my 
 cousin Corny Passford, though he has alwaj's 
 been in the military service of the Confederacy," 
 replied the wounded lieutenant. 
 
 " It was not Corny, but his father," added Paul. 
 
 " His father ! " exclaimed Christy. " Uncle 
 Homer Passford ? ' ' 
 
 " It was he ; I know him well, for I used to 
 meet him at Glenfield in other days. I am as 
 familiar with his face as with that of your father, 
 though I have not seen either of them for over three 
 years." 
 
 " Where was he ? What was he doing ? " asked 
 Christy curiously. 
 
 " He was just coming up from below ; and Mr. 
 Hunsrerford, the second lieutenant, told me he had 
 been turned out of the captain's cabin, which had 
 been made into a hospital for the wounded," added 
 Paul. " I had no opportunity to speak to him, for 
 
COL. HOMER PASSFORD OF GLENFIELD 215 
 
 he averted his gaze and moved off in another direc- 
 tion as soon as he saw me. He looked pale and 
 thin, as though he had recently been very sick." 
 
 " Poor Uncle Homer ! " exclaimed the lieu- 
 tenant. " He has been very unfortunate. The 
 last time I saw him, I conducted him to my 
 father's place at Bonnydale, after he had been a 
 prisoner on board of the Chateaugay. He was on 
 l^arole tlien, and I suppose he and Captain Rom- 
 bold were both exchanged." 
 
 " Doubtless he will tell you all about it when 
 you see him, as you will soon." 
 
 " He had his eyes opened when he passed 
 through New York City with me, for he did not 
 find the grass growing in the streets, as he had 
 expected, in spite of all I had said to him at sea. 
 He was astonished and confounded when he found 
 business more lively than ever before there ; but 
 he remained as virulent a rebel as ever ; and I am 
 sure he regards it as a pious duty to stand by the 
 Southern Confederacy as long as there is any- 
 thing left of it. I know no man more sincerely 
 religious than Uncle Homer." 
 
 " He is as good a man as ever walked the earth," 
 added Paul heartily. 
 
216 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 " For his sake, if for no other reason, I shall re- 
 joice when this war is over," said Christy, with a 
 very sad expression on his pale face. 
 
 " Was Mr. Graines of any use to you on deck, 
 Christy ?" asked the chief engineer, as he turned 
 to take his leave. 
 
 " He behaved himself like a loyal officer, and 
 fought like a tiger on the deck of the Tallahatchie. 
 I shall give a very good report of him to the captain 
 for his conduct in the action, and for his valuable 
 services in the expedition last night. I did not 
 over-estimate him when I selected him for both of 
 the positions to which he was appointed." 
 
 " He wants to see you, and I told him he should 
 come on deck when I returned," added Paul, as he 
 took the hand of Christy and retired. 
 
 "How do you feel now, Mr. Passford?" asked 
 Captain Breaker, coming to his side the moment 
 the chief engineer left him. 
 
 "I feel quite weak, but my arm does not bother 
 me much. The Confederate surgeon did a good job 
 when he dressed it," replied Christy with a smile. 
 
 " I will get him to send you a second dose of the 
 restorative that strengthened you before," said the 
 commander, as he pencilled a note, which he tore 
 
COL. HOMER PASSFORD OF GLENFIELD 217 
 
 out of his memorandum book, and sent it by Punch 
 to Dr. Davidson. 
 
 " Mr. Vapoor brought me a piece of news, Cap- 
 tain," continued Christy. "Uncle Homer Passford 
 is on board of the Tallahatchie." 
 
 " Your uncle ! " exclaimed the commander. " I 
 supposed he was still on parole at the house of 
 your father." 
 
 "I did not know to the contrary myself, for I 
 have had no letter from my father for a long time. 
 He and Captain Rombold must have been ex- 
 changed some time ago. Mr. Vapoor says my 
 uncle looks pale and thin, as though he had 
 recently been very sick." 
 
 " I am very sorry for him, for he was the equal 
 of your father in every respect, except his loyalty 
 to his true country," added the captain. 
 
 "Poor Uncle Homer!" exclaimed Christy, as he 
 wiped a tear from his eye. " He was the guest of 
 Captain Rombold; but he has been turned out of 
 his cabin to make room for the wounded." 
 
 " Dr. Linscott with his two mates has gone to 
 the assistance of Dr. Davidson, whose hands are 
 more than full, and perhaps he will see your uncle. 
 Where is he now?" inquired the captain. 
 
218 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 " Mr. Vapoor saw him on the deck, but he did not 
 speak to him, for Uncle Homer avoided him. The 
 ward room of the prize has at least two wounded 
 officers in it, and I don't know how many more, so 
 that my poor uncle has no place to lay liis head if 
 he is sick," said Christy, full of sympathy for his 
 father's brother. 
 
 " That will never do ! " exclaimed the comman- 
 der bruskly. " lie shall have a place to lay his 
 liead, sick or well. Captain Rombold occupies one 
 of the staterooms in my cabin, and your uncle shall 
 have the other." 
 
 "But where will you berth, captain?" demanded 
 Christy. 
 
 " No matter where ! I will go and find your 
 uncle at once ; " and Christy saw him next mount- 
 ing the gangway steps. 
 
 The commander had no difficulty in finding the 
 gentleman he sought ; for he was wandering about 
 the deck of the prize, and no one seemed to take 
 any notice of him. He had been the honored 
 guest of Captain Rombold, though he had hardly 
 shown himself on deck since the steamer left 
 Mobile, and few of the ship's company seemed to 
 know who he was. 
 
COL. HOMER PASSFORD OF GLENFIELD 219 
 
 " Good-morning, Colonel Passford,*' said Cap- 
 tain Breaker, as he confronted him in the midst 
 of the ruins of the spare wheel, the wrecks of the 
 niizzen mast, and the bulwarks on the quarterdeck. 
 
 " Good-morning, Captain Breaker," replied the 
 planter, taking the offered hand of the commander, 
 with a feeble effort to smile. " Of course I knew 
 that you were near, for you have given abundant 
 proofs of your presence on board of this vessel." 
 
 " But we meet now as friends, and not as 
 enemies. I know that you have done your duty 
 to your country as you understand it, and I have 
 done the same," continued the commander, still 
 holdinof the hand of the colonel. 
 
 "You have been very kind to Captain Rombold, 
 Gill informs me, and " — 
 
 "He set the example for me, and I have striven 
 to follow it," interposed the captain. " But his 
 generosity was first exercised in behalf of your 
 nephew, Christy." 
 
 " The steward informed me that Christy had 
 been w^ounded ; and Captain Rombold assured me 
 that the Tallahatchie was captured in consequence 
 of a very daring act on tlie part of my nephew," 
 added the planter. 
 
220 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 " I should not state it quite so strongly as that, 
 though his action certainly enabled us to capture 
 the ship sooner, and with less loss on our part than 
 would otherwise have been the case. As to the 
 ultimate result of the battle. Captain Rombold 
 and myself would disagree. But with your assent. 
 Colonel Passford, I think we had better cease to 
 discuss the action, which is now an event of the 
 past. I am informed that you have been com- 
 pelled to leave the captain's cabin." 
 
 " And I cannot find a resting place in the ward 
 room or steerage," added the planter. 
 
 " I have come on board of the prize to invite you 
 to share my cabin with Captain Rombold, for I 
 have two staterooms," said Captain Breaker, sud- 
 denly changing the subject of conversation. 
 
 "You are very kind, my dear sir; but your 
 arrangement would incommode yourself," sug- 
 gested the colonel. 
 
 " My cabin is quite large, and I shall be able to 
 make ample accommodations for myself," persisted 
 the commander, as he took the arm of the planter. 
 "Permit me to conduct you to your new quarters." 
 
 "As I am once more a prisoner" — 
 
 "Hardly," interposed the captain, as he led the 
 
COL. HOMER PASSFOED OF GLENFIELD 221 
 
 planter to the gangway, " I shall regard you as a 
 non-combatant, at least for the present ; and I de- 
 sire only to make you comfortable. The flag- 
 officer must decide upon your status." 
 
 Colonel Passford allowed himself to be conducted 
 to the deck of the Belle vite ; and he was no stranger 
 on board of the ship, for when she was a yacht he 
 had made several excursions in her in company with 
 his family. The first person he observed was his 
 nephew, seated in his arm-chair where he could 
 overlook all that took place on the deck. He 
 hastened to him, detaching his arm from the hand 
 of the captain, and gave him an affectionate greeting. 
 
 " I was very sorry to learn that you were wounded, 
 Christy," said he, holding the right hand of the 
 young officer. 
 
 " Not badly wounded, Uncle Homer," replied 
 Christy. " I hope you are well." 
 
 " I am not very well, though I do not call myself 
 sick. Have you heard from your father lately, 
 Christy ? " asked his uncle. 
 
 " Not for a long time, for no store-ship or other 
 vessel has come to our squadron for several months, 
 though we are waiting for a vessel at the present 
 time. You look very pale and thin. Uncle Homer." 
 
222 A vicTor.rous union 
 
 " Perhaps I look worse than I feel," replied the 
 planter with a faint smile. " But I have suffered 
 a great deal of anxiety lately." 
 
 " Excuse me, Colonel Passford, but if you will 
 allow me to install you in your stateroom, you 
 will have abundance of time to talk with your 
 nephew afterwards," interposed Captain Breaker, 
 who was very busy. 
 
 " Certainly, Captain ; pardon me for detaining 
 you. I am a prisoner, and I shall need my trunk, 
 which is in my stateroom on board of the Talla- 
 hatchie. Gill will bring it on board if you send 
 word to him to do so," replied the colonel. 
 
 He followed the captain to his cabin. The door 
 of the Confederate commander's room was open, 
 and the planter exchanged a few words with him. 
 He was shown to the other stateroom, and Punch 
 was ordered to do all that he could for the comfort 
 of the passenger. Captain Breaker spoke a few 
 pleasant words with the wounded commander, and 
 then hastened on deck. 
 
 Mr. Ballard, the second lieutenant, had again 
 been duly installed as temporary executive officer ; 
 Mr. Walbrook had been moved up, and Mr. Bost- 
 wick, master, had become third lieutenant. As 
 
COL. HOMER PASSFORD OF GLENFIELD 223 
 
 usual, the engineers were Englishmen, who had 
 come over in the Trafalgar, as well as the greater 
 part of the crew, though the other officers were 
 Southern gentlemen who had "retired " from the 
 United States Navy. The foreigners were willing 
 to remain in the engine room, and promised to do 
 their duty faithfully as long as their wages Avere 
 paid ; but Leon Bolter, the first assistant engineer 
 of the Bellevite, was sent on board of the prize to 
 insure their fidelity. 
 
 Ensigns Palmer Drake and Richard Ley ton, who 
 were serving on board of the steamer while waiting 
 for positions, were sent to the Tallahatchie, the 
 first named as prizemaster, and the other as liis 
 first officer, with a prize crew of twenty men, and 
 the two steamers got under way. 
 
224 A VERY MELANCHOLY CONFEDERATE 
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 
 A VERY MELANCHOLY CONFEDERATE 
 
 Notwithstanding his military title, Colonel 
 Homer Passford was not a soldier, though he had 
 once been a sort of honorary head of a regiment of 
 militia. His brother, Captain Horatio Passford, 
 Christy's father, was a millionaire in the tenth 
 degree. More than twenty years before the war 
 he had assisted Homer to all the money he required 
 to buy a plantation in Alabama, near Mobile, where 
 he had prospered exceedingly, though his posses- 
 sions had never been a tenth part of those of his 
 wealthy brother. 
 
 Homer had married in the South, and was the 
 father of a son and daughter, now approaching 
 their maturity, and Corny, the son, was a soldier 
 in the Confederate army. The most affectionate 
 relations had always subsisted between the two 
 families ; and before the war the Bellevite had 
 always visited Glenfield, the plantation of the 
 colonel, at least twice a year. 
 
A VERY MELANCHOLY CONFEDERATE 225 
 
 Flony Passford, the captain's daughter, being 
 somewhat out of health, had passed the winter 
 before the beginning of the war at Glenfield, and 
 was there when the enemy's guns opened upon 
 Fort Sumter. Cajotain Passford had not supposed 
 that his brother in Alabama would take part with 
 the South in the Rebellion, and with great diffi- 
 culty and risk he had gone to Glenfield in the 
 Bellevite, for the purpose of conveying his daughter 
 to his home at Bonnydale on the Hudson, not 
 doubting that Homer and his family would be his 
 passengers on the return to the North. 
 
 He was entirely mistaken in regard to the polit- 
 ical sentiments of the colonel, and found that he 
 was one of the most devoted and determined advo- 
 cates of the Southern cause. The southern brother 
 did not conceal his opinions, and it was plain 
 enough to the captain that he was entirely sincere, 
 and believed with all his mind, heart, and soul, 
 that it was his religious, moral, and social duty 
 to espouse what he called his country's cause ; 
 and he had done so with all his influence and his 
 fortune. He had even gone so far in his devotion 
 to his duty as he understood it, as to attempt to 
 hand over the Bellevite, though she was not in 
 
226 A viCTomous union 
 
 Mobile Bay on a warlike mission, to the new gov- 
 ernment of the South, and had taken part person- 
 ally in an expedition extended to capture her. 
 
 The steam-yacht had been armed at the Bermu- 
 das, and fought her way out of the bay ; and on 
 her return to New York her owner presented her 
 to the Government of the United States. She 
 had done good service, and Christy had begun 
 his brilliant career as a naval officer in the capa- 
 city of a midshipman on board of her. In s]3ite of 
 the hostile political attitude of the brothers to each 
 otlier, the same affectionate relations had continued 
 between the two families, for each of them believed 
 that social and family ties should not interfere with 
 his patriotic duty to his countr}^ 
 
 The commander of the Confederate forces at 
 Hilton Head — one of the highest-toned and 
 most estimal^le gentlemen one could find in the 
 North or the South — informed the author that 
 his own brother was in command of one of the 
 Federal ships that were bombarding his works. 
 While Commodore Wilkes, of Mason and Slidell 
 memory, was capturing the Southern representa- 
 tives who had to be given up, his son was in the Con- 
 federate navy, and then or later was casting guns 
 
A VERY MELANCHOLY CONFEDERATE 227 
 
 at Charlotte for tlie use of the South : and the 
 writer never met a more reasonable and kindly 
 man. Fortunately our two brothers were not 
 called upon to confront each otlier as foes on the 
 battlefield or on the sea, though both of them 
 would have done their duty in such positions. 
 
 The last time Christy had seen his Uncle Homer 
 was when he was captured on board of the Dor- 
 noch with Captain Rombold, as he was endeavoring 
 to obtain a passage to England as a Confederate 
 agent for the purchase of suitable vessels to prey 
 upon the mercantile marine of the United States. 
 He and the commander of the Tallahatchie had 
 been exchanged at about the same time ; and they 
 had proceeded to Nassau, where they embarked 
 for England in a cotton steamer. There they had 
 purchased and fitted out the Trafalgar; for the 
 agent's drafts, in which the last of his fortune had 
 been absorbed, could not be made available to his 
 captors. Colonel Passford had an interview with 
 Captain Rombold after Gill had brought his trunk 
 on board ; and it was a very sad occasion to the 
 planter, if not to the naval officer. They had not 
 liad an opportunity to consider the disaster that 
 had overtaken the Confederate steamer, which had 
 
228 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 promised such favorable results for tlieir cause ; 
 for the commander had been entirely occupied till 
 he received his wound, and even then he had at- 
 tended to his duties, for, as before suggested, he 
 was a " last ditch" man. He was not fighting for 
 the South as a mere hireling; for he had married a 
 Southern wife, and she had enlisted all his sympa- 
 thies in the cause of her people. 
 
 '• I suppose we have nothing more to hope for. 
 Captain Rombold ; and we can only put our trust 
 in the All- Wise and the All-Powerful, who never 
 forsakes his children when they are fighting for 
 right and justice," said Colonel Passford, after he 
 had condoled with the commander on his wounded 
 condition. 
 
 " We shall come out all right in the end, Col- 
 onel ; don't be so cast down," replied the cap- 
 tain. 
 
 " I raised the money by mortgaging my planta- 
 tion and what other property I had left for all 
 the money I could get upon it to a wealthy Eng- 
 lishman, the one who came to Mobile with us from 
 Nassau, to obtain the cargoes for this steamer. I 
 had borrowed all I could before that for the pur- 
 chase of the Trafalgar ; and if the current does not 
 
A VERY MELANCHOLY CONFEDERATE 229 
 
 change in our favor soon, I shall be a beggar," 
 added the colonel bitterly. 
 
 " The tide will turn, my good friend ; and it 
 would have turned before now if all the planters 
 had been as self-sacrificing as you have," said the 
 captain. 
 
 " Cotton and gold are about the same thing just 
 now ; and with the large cargo on board of the West 
 Wind, which I induced my friends to contribute to 
 the good cause, and that in the hold of the Talla- 
 hatchie, I was confident that I could purchase the 
 Kilmai-nock, which you say is good for eighteen 
 knots an hour. Now the West Wind and the 
 Tallahatchie are both prizes of the enemy, and 
 there is no present hope for us," continued the 
 colonel ; and there was no wonder that he had 
 become pale and thin. 
 
 " We are in a bad situation. Colonel Passford, 
 I admit, for both of us are prisoners of war, so that 
 we can do nothing, even if we had the means ; but 
 everything will come out right in the end," replied 
 the wounded officer, though he could not explain 
 in what manner this result was to be achieved. 
 
 " Well, Captain Rombold, how are you feel- 
 ing?" asked Dr. Linscott, darkening the door 
 
230 A VICTOIMOUS UNION 
 
 when the conversation had reached this gloomy 
 point. 
 
 " Very comfortable, Doctor," replied the com- 
 mander. " My friend is Colonel Passford.'" 
 
 " Bless me ! " exclaimed the surgeon, as he ex- 
 tended his hand to the visitor. " I am very glad 
 to see you, and I ho2:)e you are very well. I am 
 happy to inform ^^ou that your nephew, who was 
 wounded in the engagement, is doing very well." 
 
 " Yes ; I met him on deck," replied the planter 
 very gloomil3^ 
 
 " What is the matter, Colonel Passford ? You 
 look quite pale, and you have lost flesh since I met 
 you last. Can I do anything for you ? " 
 
 "Nothing, Doctor; I am not very well, though 
 nothing in particular ails me. With your permis- 
 sion I will retire to my stateroom," said the colonel, 
 as he rose from his seat. 
 
 " By the way. Colonel Passford, the captain 
 wished me to ascertain if you have been to break- 
 fast," added the surgeon, following him out into 
 the cabin. 
 
 " I have not. Doctor ; but it was because I wanted 
 none, for I do not feel like eating," replied the 
 pale planter. 
 
A VERY MELANCHOLY CONFEDERATE 231 
 
 " Punch, go to the galley, get a beefsteak, a plate 
 of toast, and a cnp of coffee. Set out the cap- 
 tain's table, and call this gentleman when it is 
 ready." 
 
 " Yes, sir," replied Punch, who was a very gen- 
 teel colored person. 
 
 The colonel attempted to protest, but the surgeon 
 would not hear him. He remained with the planter, 
 whom he already regarded as a patient, and though 
 he could not say anything to comfort him, he talked 
 him into a pleasanter frame of mind. Punch set 
 the table, and in due time brought the breakfast. 
 The doctor sat down opposite to him at the table, 
 and actually compelled him to eat a tolerably hearty 
 meal. He was decidedly less gloomy when he had 
 finished, and it was plain to his companion that 
 his empty stomach was responsible for a portion of 
 his depression of spirits. 
 
 The surgeon had remained on board of the prize 
 till the order to get under way was given, and then 
 Captain Breaker sent for him ; but the two medical 
 gentlemen had disposed of most of the wounds 
 among the Confederate crew. As the English 
 engineer had reported, the machinery and boilers 
 of the Tallahatchie were in good condition, and 
 
232 A VICTOIIIOUS UNION 
 
 the two steamers went on tlieir course towards the 
 entrance to Mobile Bay, where French had been 
 ordered to anchor the West Wind, at full speed, 
 though neither was driven ; but the log showed 
 that they were making about eighteen knots. 
 
 After the brief talk with his uncle, Christy had 
 waited for him to return to the deck, as he sup- 
 posed he would after what the captain had said to 
 him ; but he did not appear. In fact. Colonel 
 Passford was too much cast down by the capture 
 of the two vessels, and the loss of his fortune 
 thereb}', that he was not disposed to see any person 
 if he could avoid it. 
 
 " Don't you think you had better turn in, Mr. 
 Passford? " asked the commander, as he halted in 
 his walk at the side of the lieutenant. 
 
 " I have been waiting here to see my uncle ; for 
 I thought, after what you said to him, that he 
 would come back," added Christy. 
 
 "I sent Dr. Linscott down to see him, for he 
 looks so pale and feeble that I thought he must be 
 sick. The surgeon reported to me half an hour 
 ago that he had made him eat his breakfast against 
 his will, and he was feeling better and more cheer- 
 ful. He thinks your Uncle Homer's trouble is 
 
A VERY MELANCHOLY CONFEUEllATE 233 
 
 entirely mental, and he does not feel like seeing 
 any person," answered the commander. 
 
 " What mental trouble can he have ? " asked 
 Christy, as he gazed into the face of the captain, 
 wondering if his father's brother was insane. 
 
 " The colonel has shipped a vast amount of 
 cotton intending to use the proceeds of its sale to 
 purchase ships for the Confederacy ; and he has lost 
 most of them, for you captured quite a number 
 of them when you were in command of the Bronx. 
 I have no doubt he was interested in the cargoes of 
 the prize and the West Wind ; and the capture of 
 these two vessels involves a fearful loss. I believe 
 that is all that ails him," the captain explained. 
 " Doubtless he feels as kindly towards his nephew 
 as ever before in his life ; but he does not care to 
 see him just now." 
 
 Early in the afternoon the Bellevite and her 
 prize came in siglit of the West Wind, anchored in 
 accordance with French's orders, with the Holyoke 
 almost within hail of her ; for the captain of the 
 steamer had doubtless considered the possibility of 
 a recajDture of the schooner by boats from the 
 shore, if she was left unprotected. 
 
 In due time the Bellevite let go her anchor at 
 
234 A VICTOllIOUS UNION 
 
 about a cable's length from the West Wind, and 
 the prize-master of the Tallahatchie had done the 
 same at an equal distance from the ship. Mr. 
 Graines, who had not met his late associate on 
 shore since he was wounded, came to his side as 
 soon as the steamer had anchored ; for both Christy 
 and he were anxious to hear the report of French 
 in regard to the prisoners left in his care. 
 
 The anchor of the Bellevite had hardly caught 
 in the sand before a boat put off from the West 
 Wind containing four persons. Two of the ship's 
 seamen were at the oars, French was in the stern 
 sheets, and the engineer soon recognized Captain 
 Sullendine as the fourth person. 
 
CAPTAIN SULLiENDINE BECOMES VIOLENT 235 
 
 CHAPTER XXI 
 
 CAPTAIN SULLENDINE BECOMES VIOLENT 
 
 French ascended tlie gangway followed by Cap- 
 tain SuUendine. The seaman who had acted as 
 prize-master of the West Wind tonched his cap 
 very respectfully to the first officer he met when 
 he came on board. Christy had asked the chief 
 eno-ineer to send Mr. Graiues to him, and he was 
 talking to him about the prize and the chief pris- 
 oner when French presented himself before them. 
 
 " I have come on board to report, sir," said the 
 prize-master of the West Wind. 
 
 "Is all well on board, French?" asked the 
 wounded lieutenant. 
 
 " All well now, sir," replied the seaman, with a 
 suggestive emphasis on the last word. " I am 
 very sorry to learn that you have been wounded, 
 Mr. Passford." 
 
 "Not severely, French," replied Cliristy. "I 
 am ready to hear your report." 
 
 " I have something to say about this business, 
 
236 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 Jerry Sandman," interposed the captain of the 
 West Wind, whose wrath had suddenly got the 
 better of his judgment, interlarding his brief remark 
 with a couple of ringing oaths. 
 
 "I will hear the prize-master first," replied 
 Christy very quietly. 
 
 The discomfited master of the schooner called 
 down a shocking malediction upon the prize-master 
 just as Captain Breaker presented himself before 
 the group assembled at the arm-chair of tlie lieu- 
 tenant, and had heard the last oaths of the angry 
 man. 
 
 "Who is this man, Mr. Passford? " asked the 
 commander. 
 
 " I'll let you know who I am ! " exclaimed 
 Captain Sullendine, with another couplet of oaths. 
 
 " I do not permit any profane language on the 
 deck of this ship," said Captain Breaker. " Pass 
 the word for the master-at-arms," he added to the 
 nearest officer. 
 
 " Oh, you are the cap'n of this hooker," added 
 the master of the West Wind, this time without 
 any expletives. "I have soinethin' to say to you, 
 Cap'n, and I- want to complain of your officers." 
 
 "When you have learned how to behave your- 
 
CAPTAIN SULLENDINE BECOMES VIOLENT 237 
 
 self, I will hear you," replied the commander, as 
 the master-at-arms, who is the chief of police on 
 board a ship of war, presented himself, touching 
 his cap to the supreme authority of the steamer. 
 "What is the trouble here, Mr. Passford?" asked 
 Captain Breaker in a very gentle tone, in contrast 
 with the quiet sternness with which he had spoken 
 to Captain Sullendine. 
 
 " No trouble at all, sir ; I was about to hear the 
 report of French, the prize-master of tlie schooner, 
 when the captain of her interfered," replied 
 Christy. 
 
 " My story comes in before the prize-master's, 
 as you call him, though he ain't nothin' but a 
 common sailor," interposed Captain Sullendine 
 again. 
 
 " Will you be silent?" demanded the commander. 
 
 " No, I will not ! This is an outrage ! " stormed 
 the captain of the West Wind, with a liberal 
 spicing of oaths in his speech. 
 
 " Put this man in irons, master-at-arms, and 
 commit him to the brig," added Captain Breaker. 
 
 The petty officer called upon the ship's corporal, 
 whom he had brought with him, and placed liis 
 hand on the arm of the rebellious master, who 
 
238 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 showed fight. A couple of seamen were called to 
 assist the police force, and Captain Sullendine was 
 dragged below with his wrists ironed behind him. 
 
 "Now you can proceed, French," said the captain. 
 
 " When I left you, all was quiet on board of the 
 West Wind," added Christy, beginning to mal^e a 
 slight explanation for the benefit of the comman- 
 der. " Captain Sullendine was very drunk, asleep 
 in his berth, with the door of his stateroom securely 
 fastened upon him. Bokes the seaman and Sopsy 
 the cook were in the same condition. Go on, 
 French." 
 
 "I picked up the boat you set adrift, Mr. Pass- 
 ford, and then headed for the eastward of Sand 
 Island lighthouse, where you ordered me to anchor. 
 The Holyoke followed the schooner, and came to 
 anchor near the West Wind. She sent a boat on 
 board, and I told my story to the second lieutenant. 
 We did not need any assistance, and he left us. 
 
 " About four bells in the forenoon watch I heard 
 a tremendous racket in the cabin, and I went 
 below. Captain Sullendine was doing his best to 
 break down the door of his stateroom, cursing hard 
 enough to make the blood of a Christian run cold. 
 But he had nothing to work with, and I let him 
 
"Captain Sullexdine was dragged below." Page 238. 
 
CAPTAIN SULLEXDINE BECOMES VIOLENT 239 
 
 kick and pound till he got tired of it. I put 
 Vogel in the cabin to keep watch of him, and went 
 on deck. 
 
 " He kept it up for half an hour or more, and 
 then he seemed to have enough of it. Vogel came 
 on deck and told me the prisoner was very humble 
 then, and wanted to come out. I knew you did 
 not mean that I should starve him, and I made 
 Sopsy put his breakfast on the table in the cabin ; 
 but I did not do so till I had locked the liquor 
 closet and put the key in my pocket. 
 
 " I let him out then, and his first move was to 
 get at his whiskey ; but the door was locked. He 
 begged like a child for a drink ; but I did not give 
 him a drop. Sopsy and Bokes, who were tied up 
 forward, did the same ; but they did not get any. 
 Captain Sullendine ate his breakfast, and I told 
 him his vessel was a prize to the United States 
 steamer Bellevite. Then he was so furious that 
 we had to shut him up in his stateroom again. 
 
 " After a while he promised to behave himself, 
 and I let him out again. He declared that his 
 vessel was not a legal prize, and got off a lot of 
 stuff that I did not take any notice of. He wanted 
 to make a protest to the commander of the Belle- 
 
240 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 vite, and when he promised to behave like a gentle- 
 man, I let him come on board with me." 
 
 " You acted with very good judgment, French, 
 and Mr. Passford has already commended your 
 good conduct in the expedition last night," said the 
 commander. 
 
 "Thank you, sir," replied the prize-master, 
 touching his cap, and backing away without another 
 word. 
 
 " Loring," called the captain to the master-at- 
 arms, who had just returned to the quarter-deck, or 
 as near it as etiquette permitted him to go. " How 
 is your prisoner? " 
 
 " He broke down completely after he had been 
 in the brig a few minutes, and promised to behave 
 like a gentleman if the commander would hear 
 him." 
 
 "Bring him to the quarter-deck," added tlie 
 captain. 
 
 In a few minutes, the ship's corporal conducted 
 him into the presence of the commander. He began 
 with a very lame apology for his previous conduct, 
 and then declared that he was the victim of a 
 " Yankee trick," and that the West Wind had not 
 been fairly captured. 
 
CAPTAIN SULLENDINK BECOMES VIOLENT 2J:1 
 
 " Your officers imposed upon me," he continued. 
 " Mr. Balker and Jerry Sandman " — 
 
 " Who are they ? " inquired Captain Breaker, 
 interrupting him. 
 
 " I was Mr. Balker, engaged as mate of the 
 West Wind, selected for that position by Mr. 
 Passford, while the lieutenant was Jerry Sandman, 
 second mate, which he chose to be himself so that 
 he could be with the men," interposed Mr. Graines. 
 
 " I did not know what their names was, and I 
 reckoned all was honest and square. These men, 
 whoever they were, got me drunk, and got drunk 
 themselves ; and while I was taking a nap, waiting 
 for the steamer to get under way, they fastened 
 me into my stateroom so I couldn't get out." 
 
 " I went through the forms, but I did not take 
 a drop of liquor into my mouth," said Christy. 
 
 " I did not take more .than a tablespoonful both 
 on board and at the camp of the runaways," added 
 Mr. Graines. 
 
 " Then you cheated me more'n I thought." 
 
 " Is this all the complaint you have to make, 
 Captain Sullendine ? " asked Captain Breaker, 
 turning to the master of the West Wind. 
 
 "I reckon that's enough!" protested the com- 
 
242 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 plainant. " I say it was not a fair capture, and 
 you ought to send my vessel back to Mobile Point, 
 where your officers found her." 
 
 " I shall not do that, but I will compromise the 
 matter by sending you to Mobile Point, as I have 
 no further use for you," replied the commander. 
 " You are a non-combatant, and not a prisoner of 
 war." 
 
 French was ordered to leave Captain Sullendine, 
 Bokes, and Sopsy at the shore where the whale- 
 boat had made a landing, as soon as it was dark. 
 For some reason not apparent, the master of the 
 West Wind protested against this sentence ; but 
 no attention was given to his protest. The com- 
 mander was confident that he had evidence enough 
 to secure the condemnation of the prize, and he re- 
 garded such an unreasonable fellow as her late cap- 
 tain as a nuisance. That night the order in regard 
 to him and his companions were carried out. 
 
 Captain Breaker asked some questions in regard 
 to French, which Christy and Mr. Graines were 
 able to answer. He was one of those men, of whom 
 there were thousands in the army and navy who 
 had become soldiers and sailors purely from patri- 
 otic duty, and at the sacrifice of brighter present 
 
CAPTAIN SULLENDINE BECOMES VIOLENT 243 
 
 prospects. French had been the mate of a large 
 coaster, whose captain had become an ensign in 
 the navy, and he might have had tlie command of 
 her if he had not shipped as an able seaman in the 
 same service. 
 
 He understood navigation, and had been the sec- 
 ond mate of an Indiaman. The commander said 
 nothing when he had learned all he could about 
 the prize-master ; but it was evident that he had 
 somethincT in view which might be of interest to 
 the subject of his inquiries. He turned his atten- 
 tion to the condition of his first lieutenant then, 
 asking about his arm. 
 
 " It does not feel quite so easy as it did," replied 
 Christy, who had been suffering some pain from 
 his wound for the last two hours, though he was 
 so interested in the proceedings on board, and es- 
 pecially in the report from the West Wind, that 
 he had not been willing to retire to his stateroom. 
 
 " Then you must turn in at once, Mr. Passford," 
 said the commander, with more energy than he had 
 spoken to the lieutenant before. " I am afraid you 
 have delayed it too long." 
 
 " I think not, sir," replied the wounded officer. 
 
 "Mr. Graines shall go with you and assist you," 
 
244 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 added the captain. "I will send Dr. Linscott to 
 you as soon as you get into your berth." 
 
 Christy had been sitting so long that he was 
 quite stiff when he attempted to get out of his 
 chair, and the engineer assisted him. He was still 
 very weak, and Mr. Graines supported him, though 
 he presently recovered himself. The ship's com- 
 pany, by this time relieved of all heavy work, had 
 been observing him with affectionate admiration, 
 and rehearsing the daring exploit in which he had 
 received his wound, gave three rousing cheers as 
 he rose to leave the quarter-deck. 
 
 Christy turned Ijis pale face towards them, 
 raised his cap, and bowed to them. Another cheer 
 followed, and then another. The men knew that 
 his prompt action in mounting the mizzen rigging, 
 boarding the Tallahatchie, and firing the thirty- 
 pounder after he had reversed its position, had 
 saved the lives or limbs of a great number of them, 
 and they were extremely grateful to him. 
 
 With the assistance of his friend the engineer, 
 Christy was soon between the sheets in his berth. 
 Dr. Linscott came in as soon as he was in his bed, 
 spoke very tenderly to him, and then proceeded to 
 dress his injured arm. He found the member was 
 
CAPTAIN SULLENDINE BECOMES VIOLENT 245 
 
 somewhat swollen, and the patient's pulse indicated' 
 some fever. 
 
 "I must send you home, Mr. Passford," said the 
 surgeon. " You are the hero of the day, you have 
 earned a vacation, and you will need your mother's 
 care for the next tln-ee weeks." 
 
 In spite of Christy's protest, the doctor insisted, 
 and left him. 
 
246 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 CHAPTER XXII 
 
 THE DISPOSITION OF THE TWO PRIZES 
 
 The surgeon reported the condition of the first 
 lieutenant to the commander at once, and a long 
 conversation between them followed. Devoted as 
 Captain Breaker was to his executive officer, and 
 filled with admiration as he was for the gallant ex- 
 ploit of that day, lie was not willing to do anything 
 that could be fairly interpreted as favoritism 
 towards the son of Captain Passford. The sum- 
 mer weather of the South was coming on, and the 
 heat was already oppressive, even on board of 
 the ships of war at anchor so much of the time 
 on the blockade, and this was the strong point of 
 the doctor in caring for his patient. 
 
 Dr. Linscott was Very earnest in insisting upon 
 his point ; and the commander yielded, for he could 
 hardly do otherwise in the face of the surgeon's 
 recommendation, for the latter was the responsible 
 person. The next morning, after the wounded 
 officer had passed a feverish night, Captain Breaker 
 
THE DISPOSITION OF THE TWO PRIZES 247 
 
 visited him in his stateroom, and announced the 
 decision. Christy began to fight against it. 
 
 "I am not so badly off as many officers who 
 have been treated in the hospital down here ; and 
 if I am sent home it will be regarded as favoritism 
 to the son of my father," protested the lieutenant. 
 
 " You are too sensitive, ray dear boy, as you have 
 always been ; and you are entirely mistaken. You 
 have earned a furlough if you choose to ask for it, 
 and every officer and seaman who has served with 
 you would say so," argued the captain. " I shall 
 insert in my report, with other matter concerning 
 you, Christy, that you were sent home on the cer- 
 tificate of the surgeon ; and even an unreasonable 
 person cannot call it favoritism." 
 
 " I don't know," added Christy, shaking his head. 
 
 " I know, my boy. Merciful Heaven ! " ex- 
 claimed Captain Breaker. " You did enough yes- 
 terday to entitle you to any favor it is possible for 
 the department to extend to you. You saved the 
 lives of a quarter or a third of the ship's company. 
 But it was not simply a brave and daring exploit, 
 my boy, though even that would entitle you to the 
 fullest commendation ; but it included sound judg- 
 ment on the instant, lightning invention, and con- 
 
248 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 summate.y skilful action ; " and the commander 
 became positively eloquent as he proceeded. 
 
 " Come, come, Captain Breaker ! You are pil- 
 ing it on altogether too thick," cried Christy, over- 
 whelmed by the torrent of praise. " I only did 
 what I could not help doing." 
 
 " No matter if you did ; it was the right thing 
 to do, and it was done at precisely the right instant. 
 A moment's delay would have brought the whole 
 force of the enemy down upon you. It was abso- 
 lutely wonderful how you got that gun off in such 
 a short space of time. I report Captain Rombold's 
 words to you." 
 
 "He is a magnanimous gentleman," said Christy. 
 
 " He says, too, that a dozen muskets and revol- 
 vers were discharged at you, and it is a miracle 
 that only one bullet struck you." 
 
 " I found a bullet-hole in my cap, and two more 
 in the skirt of my coat," added the patient with a 
 smile, as he pointed to his coat and cap. 
 
 "But we are off the subject; and I was only 
 trying to show that you are entitled to a furlough," 
 said the commander ; but the discussion was con- 
 tinued for some time longer, though Christy con- 
 sented to be sent home in the end. 
 
THE DISPOSITION OF THE TWO PRIZES 249 
 
 The thought of going to Bonnydale was exceed- 
 ingly pleasant to him, and he allowed his mind 
 to dwell upon each member of the family, and to 
 picture in his imagination the greeting they would 
 all give him. Not to the members of his family 
 alone did he confuie his thoughts ; for they included 
 the beautiful Bertha Pembroke, whom, with her 
 father, he had taken from the cabin of a cotton 
 steamer he had captured. He concluded that the 
 surgeon's certificate would shield him from adverse 
 criticism, after he had fully considered the matter. 
 
 The flag-officer of the Eastern Gulf Squadron 
 was not off Mobile Point ; and Captain Breaker, as 
 the senior officer present, was obliged to dispose 
 of his prizes himself. Some necessary repairs had 
 to be made upon both ships before anything could 
 be done ; and the carpenter and his gang, with all 
 the other seamen who could handle an axe or an 
 adze, were hurrying forward the work. The prize 
 had lost her mizzen mast, her steering gear had 
 been knocked to pieces both forward and aft, she 
 had been riddled in a dozen places, and shot-holes 
 in the hull had been hastily plugged during the 
 action. 
 
 Her Armstrong gun amidships had been dis- 
 
250 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 abled by Blumenlioff at his first fire. Christy had 
 not found the opportunity to examine this piece, 
 as he desired ; but Mr. Grtiines had done so for 
 him; and it was found that the gun carriage had 
 been knocked into a shapeless mass so that it could 
 not be put in condition for use. The machinists 
 from the engine room of both vessels, for those of 
 the Tallahatchie had no feeling on the subject, 
 were restoring the steering apparatus, and were 
 likely to have the work completed the next day. 
 
 Captain Breaker was in great doubt as to what 
 he ouglit to do with Colonel Passford. He was 
 certainly a non-combatant; and it could not be 
 shown that he had any mission to Nassau or else- 
 where in the service of the Confederacy, though it 
 would have been otherwise if the steamer and the 
 West Wind liad not been captures, for he was to 
 sell the cotton in England, and purchase a steamer 
 with the proceeds ; but his mission ended with the 
 loss of the vessels. He finally decided to send him 
 to Fort Morgan under a flag of truce. 
 
 Before he left he called upon his nej^hew. He 
 was still in a state of despondency over his own 
 losses, and his failures to benefit the Confederac3% 
 whose loss he counted as greater than liis own. 
 
THE DISPOSITION OF THE TWO PRIZES 251 
 
 He stated that the commander had announced his 
 intention to send him on shore. Christy had seen 
 him but for a moment, for his uncle had not 
 desired to meet him again. 
 
 " We will not talk about the war, Uncle Homer," 
 said Christy. " How are Aunt Lydia, Corny, and 
 Gerty? I hope they are all very well." 
 
 " Your aunt is not very well, for the hardships 
 of the war have worn upon her. Except Uncle 
 Jerry and Aunty Chloe, the cook, all our negroes 
 have left us, or been taken by the government to 
 v/ork on fortifications, and my wife and Gerty 
 have to do most of the housework," replied Uncle 
 Homer very gloomily ; and it was plain to Christy 
 that the mansion at Glenfield was not what it had 
 been in former years. 
 
 "How is Corny? I have not heard from him 
 lately." 
 
 " Corny is now a captain in the Army of Vir- 
 ginia, and is doing his duty like a man," answered 
 the colonel proudly; and this fact seemed to be 
 almost the only pleasant feature of his experience. 
 "We have been called upon to endure a great 
 many hardships ; but we still feel that the God of 
 justice will give us the victory in the end, and we 
 
252 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 try to bear our burdens with resignation. The cap- 
 tain informs me that you are going home, Christy." 
 
 " The surgeon has ordered me to the North on 
 account of the heat in this locality." 
 
 " I learned in Nassau as well as when I was at 
 Bonnydale, that your father holds a very promi- 
 nent and influential position among your people, 
 and your advancement seems to be made sure," 
 added the planter. 
 
 " He has never held any office under the United 
 States government, and I hope I do not owe my 
 advancement to him ; and he has often assured me 
 that he never asked for my promotion or appoint- 
 ment," said Christy. 
 
 " You have been of very great service to your 
 government, as I know to my sorrow, and I have 
 no doubt you deserved whatever promotion you 
 have obtained," added the colonel, observing that 
 he had touched his nephew in a very tender spot. 
 " But I suppose the boat is waiting for me, and I 
 must bid you good-by. Remember me in the kind- 
 liest manner to your father and mother, and to 
 Miss Florry. They were all as good to me when 
 I was on parole at Bonnydale as though no war 
 had ever divided us." 
 
THE DISPOSITION OF THE TWO PRIZES 253 
 
 The colonel took Christy by the hand, and 
 betrayed no little emotion as they parted. The 
 lieutenant realized that his uncle was suffering 
 severely under the hardships and anxieties of the 
 war, and he was profoundly sorry for him, though 
 he uttered no complaint. Both on his own account 
 and on that of the Confederacy, he had shipped 
 several cargoes of cotton to Nassau to be sent from 
 there to England; but every one of them had been 
 captured, most of them by his nephew while in 
 command of the Bronx. But he was still confi- 
 dent that the Confederacy would triumph. 
 
 Colonel Passford had been sent to the fort under 
 a flag of truce, and had been received by the com- 
 mandant. In a couple of days the repairs of both 
 ships had been completed. CajDtain Rombold, 
 though his wound was quite severe, was getting 
 along very well. Captain Breaker had completed 
 his arrangements for the disposal of the prizes and 
 prisoners ; and it became necessary to remove the 
 wounded commander to the cabin of the Tallahat- 
 cliie, to which he did not object, for the wounded 
 in his cabin had been placed in a temporary hospi- 
 tal between decks. He was permitted to occupy 
 the stateroom he had used while in command. 
 
254 A VICTOIUOUS UNION 
 
 while the other was reserved for the prize- 
 master. 
 
 Ensign Pahner Drake, the senior of the two 
 officers waiting appointments, was made prize- 
 master of the Tallahatchie, for he had proved to 
 be an able and brave man in the recent action. 
 Mr. Ballard became executive officer of the Belle- 
 vite, and Mr. Walbrook the second lieutenant, 
 while the place of the third was filled by Mr. Bost- 
 wick, who had been master. French was appointed 
 prize-master of the West Wind, with a crew of five 
 men, as she was to be towed by the prize steamer. 
 
 It was found that the Tallahatchie had gone into 
 the action with ninety-five men, including the 
 forward officers. More than one-third of them had 
 been killed or disabled, without counting those 
 who were still able to keep the deck and sleep in 
 their hammocks. Fifty of them were in condition 
 to do duty ; and Captain Breaker did not consider it 
 prudent to send so many prisoners to the North in 
 the prize. He therefore sent forty of them to Key 
 West in the Holyoke, assured that the Bellevite 
 was abundantly able to maintain the blockade, even 
 with her reduced ship's company, during the ab- 
 sence of his consort. 
 
I 
 
 THE DISPOSITION OF THE TWO PHIZES 255 
 
 The engineers of the prize were willing to con- 
 tinue their services at the expense of their new 
 employer, or even to accept permanent appoint- 
 ments ; for they did not belong to the upper classes 
 in England who favored the cause of the Con- 
 federacy, and were only looking for the highest 
 wages. Weeks, the oiler, and Bingham, a boat- 
 swain's mate, were appointed first and second 
 officers of the Tallahatchie, and twenty seainen 
 were detailed as a prize crew. To insure the fidel- 
 ity of the four foreign engineers Mr. Graines was 
 sent as a sort of supervisor, with the knowledge and 
 assent of those in actual charge of the machinery. 
 
 When all ^A^as ready for her departure, Christy 
 went on board of the Tallahatchie in the same 
 boat with the engineer, after a rather sad parting 
 with the captain and his fellow-officers, and amid 
 the cheers of the seamen, who had mounted the 
 rail and the rigging to see him off. Mr. Drake 
 conducted him to the captain's cabin when he went 
 on board of the prize, where he met Captain Rom- 
 bold, with whom he exchanged friendly greetings. 
 
 " Fellow passengers again, Mr. Passford ; but 
 you are going to your reward, and I to my punish- 
 ment," said the late commander very cheerfully. 
 
256 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 " Hardly to my reward, for I neither desire nor 
 expect any further promotion," replied Christy. 
 " I am not yet twenty years old." 
 
 " But God makes some fully-developed men be- 
 fore they are twenty-one, and you are one of 
 them." 
 
 " Thank you, Captain." 
 
 "I am willing to wager the salary I have lost 
 that you will be promoted whether you desire it 
 or not." 
 
 "I hope not," replied the lieutenant, as he went 
 to the temporary stateroom which had been pre- 
 pared for him. 
 
 The apartment was much larger than the per- 
 manent ones, and it was provided with everything 
 that could contribute to his comfort. While Mr. 
 Graines was assisting him to arrange his baggage, 
 the steamer got under way. 
 
THE WELCOME HOME AT BONNYDALE 257 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 THE WELCOME HOME AT BONNYDALE 
 
 Even with the West Wind in tow, the Talla- 
 hatchie could make fifteen knots an hour ; for the 
 sea was smooth, with every prospect of continued 
 fine weather. Dr. Davidson was a prisoner of war, 
 but he remained on board in charge of the 
 wounded of both sides. He was very devoted to 
 Christy, and dressed his wound every morning as 
 tenderly as his mother could have done it. He 
 was a gentleman in the highest sense of the word, 
 and belonged to one of the best families in the 
 South. 
 
 Captain Rombold was a very agreeable person ; 
 and most of the conversation in the cabin was 
 carried on in French, for the commander was de- 
 lighted when he could obtain an opportunity to 
 practise the language, and Dr. Davidson spoke it 
 as fluently as a Frenchman, though Captain Drake 
 was unable to understand a word of it. If one 
 had looked in upon them he would have supposed 
 
258 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 they were enjoying a j-achting excursion, and 
 could not have told who were prisoners and' who 
 were not. 
 
 The two wounded officers passed a portion of 
 every day on deck, and the time slipjoed away very 
 pleasantly. Mr. Graines spent much of his days 
 and some of his nights in the engine-room, and was 
 on the best of terms with the English engineers ; 
 but he could discover no signs of treachery on 
 their part. The prisoners forward were well treated 
 and well cared for, and they made no trouble. 
 
 The ship made a quick passage to New York, 
 and went into the harbor with the American flag 
 flying over the Confederate ; but this was not an 
 uncommon sight, and it did not attract much at- 
 tention. The pilot brought a file of newspapers, 
 and the lieutenant learned that Grant was still 
 " hammering away " at the Confederate forces in 
 Virginia, though without any decided success. 
 The ship came to anchor at the navy yard, and 
 Captain Drake reported to the commandant. 
 
 Lieutenant Passford was well known there, 
 thouofh the intelliorence of his latest achievement 
 had not yet reached there. Christy had written 
 out his report of the expedition to Mobile Point, 
 
THE WELCOiSIE HOME AT BONNYDALE 259 
 
 and Captain Drake brought that of Captain 
 Breaker of the action with the Tallahatcliie. The 
 lieutenant had no official duty to perform, and he 
 was at liberty to go where he pleased. He pro- 
 cured leave of absence for Mr. Graines ; for he was 
 himself still on fever diet, and was rather weak so 
 that he needed his assistance. 
 
 " Home again, Charley ! " exclaimed Christy, 
 when they had landed at the navy yard. 
 
 " That's so, and my folks at home will not 
 expect to see me," replied the engineer. 
 
 " Neither will any one at Bonnydale anticipate 
 a visit from me," added Christy. " We know all 
 about the sharp action of the Bellevite with the 
 Tallahatchie ; but no one in these parts can have 
 heard a word about it. Now, Charley, see if you 
 can find a carriage for me ; " and the wounded 
 officer went into an office to wait for it. 
 
 The uniform of the messenger carried him past 
 all sentinels ; and in half an hour he returned in a 
 carriage, which was permitted to enter the yard on 
 Mr. Graines's statement of its intended use. 
 Christy was assisted into it. " Wall Street Ferry," 
 said the lieutenant to the driver. 
 
 " Why do you go there ? " asked the engineer. 
 
260 A YiCTOiiroiJS union 
 
 "You wish to go to the railroad station, do you 
 not?" 
 
 " I want to find my father if I can, and I tliink 
 he must be in the city," rejDlied Christy, as he gave 
 his companion the location of the office where he 
 did his business with the government, though he 
 made frequent visits to Washington for consulta- 
 tion witli the officials of the Navy Department. 
 
 The carriage was retained, and in another hour 
 they reached the office. Captain Passford was not 
 there ; he had gone to Washington three days 
 before, and no one knew when he would return. 
 Christy was prepared for this disappointment, 
 and he had arranged in his mind the wording of a 
 telegraphic message to his father. While he was 
 writing it out a gentleman came out of the office 
 whom the lieutenant had met before. 
 
 " I am delighted to see you, Mr. Passford ! " 
 exclaimed the gentleman, who was in the uniform 
 of a naval officer, as he extended his hand to the 
 visitor. " One of our people informed me that 
 the son of Captain Passford was at the door, and I 
 hastened out to see you. Won't you come into 
 the office?" 
 
 " No, I thank you ; I am not very well, for I 
 
THE WELCOME HOME AT BONNYDALE 261 
 
 was wounded in the left arm in our last action, 
 and I am sent home by the surgeon on a furlough,"" 
 replied Christy. " Permit me, Captain Bentwick, 
 to introduce my friend, Mr. Graines, third assist- 
 ant engineer of the Bellevite." 
 
 " I am very happy to know you, Mr, Graines," 
 added Captain Bentwick, taking his hand. " I 
 am very sorry you are wounded, Mr. Passford. 
 What can I do for you? " 
 
 " Nothing, I thank you, at present. I am writ- 
 ing a message to send to my father. I was just 
 finishing it when you came," replied Christy, as 
 he added the finishing words, and passed it to the 
 official. 
 
 " ' Sent home on furlough, slightly wounded. 
 Wish paroles for Captain George Rombold and 
 Dr. Pierre Davidson,' " Captain Bentwick read 
 from the paper. "I will have it sent at once from 
 this office. But, Mr. Passford, I can parole these 
 officers, and it is not necessary for you to trouble 
 your father with such a matter. Who and Avhat 
 are the officers?" 
 
 " Captain Rombold was the commander of the 
 Tallahatchie, prize to the Bellevite," answered 
 Christy. " When I was in danger of fainting 
 
262 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 after the action on the deck of his ship, he sent 
 for his surgeon, Dr. Davidson, though his own 
 wound had not been dressed. Both he and the 
 surgeon were extremely kind to me, and I desire 
 to reciprocate their good offices by inviting them 
 to my father's house." 
 
 "Where are these gentlemen now, Mr. Pass- 
 ford ? " 
 
 " I left them on board of the prize at the navy 
 yard, sir. I am not sure that they will accept 
 parole, for I have not spoken to them about it ; 
 but I am very anxious to serve them." 
 
 " I know what your father would say if he were- 
 here, and I will send an officer authorized to take 
 their parole to the navy yard at once. I will in- 
 struct him to represent your desire to them in the 
 strongest terms, and if they accept, to conduct 
 them to Bonnydale, for I know you must be in 
 a hurry to get there," continued Captain Bent- 
 wick, as he shook the hands of both officers, and 
 I'eturned to the office. 
 
 " That shows what it is to have powerful 
 friends," said Mr. Graines, when his companion 
 had directed the driver to the railroad station. 
 
 " I have not asked anything unreasonable, 
 
THE WELCOME HOME AT BONNYDALE 268 
 
 Charley," replied Christy, sensitive as usual in 
 regard to influential assistance. 
 
 " Certainly not ; but if I had asked to have 
 your Confederate friends paroled, a thousand 
 yards of red tape would have to be expended 
 before it could be done," added the engineer 
 with a laugh. 
 
 They reached the station, and discharged the 
 carriage ; but they found they had to wait two 
 hours for a train to Bonnydale. As it was after 
 noon, they went to a hotel for dinner, and passed 
 tlie time very impatiently in waiting for the train. 
 Both of them were burning with the desire to see 
 their friends at home ; but the train started in due 
 time, and they left it at the nearest station to 
 Bonnydale, proceeding there in a carriage. 
 
 Christy gave the bell a very vigorous pull, and 
 the servant that came to the door was a stranrfcr 
 to him. He wished to see Mrs. Passford ; and the 
 man was about to conduct him to the reception 
 room, when he bolted from him. 
 
 " Mrs. Passford is engaged just now, sir ; but she 
 will be down in a few minutes," said the servant, 
 laying his hand on his arm for the purpose of de- 
 taining him. 
 
264 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 "But I cannot wait," returned the lieutenant 
 very decidedly, and he shook off the man, and 
 began to ascend the stairs. 
 
 An instant later there was a double scream on 
 the floor above, and Mrs. Passford rushed down 
 the steps, followed by Florry. Christy retreated 
 to the hall, and a moment later he was folded in 
 the arms of his mother and sister, both of whom 
 were kissing him at the same time. 
 
 " But, my son, your arm is in a sling ! " exclaimed 
 Mrs. Passford, falling back with an expression of 
 consternation on her face. 
 
 "You are wounded, Christy!" cried Florry, 
 as a flood of tears came into her eyes. 
 
 " Only a scratch, mother ; don't be alarmed," 
 protested the lieutenant. " It was all nonsense to 
 send me home on a furlough ; but it was the com- 
 mander's order, at the recommendation of Dr. 
 Linscott." 
 
 " But you are wounded, my son," persisted his 
 mother. 
 
 " You have been shot in the arm, Christy," 
 added Florry. 
 
 "Bat I was not shot through the head or the 
 heart; it is not a bit of use to make a fuss about 
 
THE WELCOME HOME AT BONNYDALE 265 
 
 it; and Paul Vapoor was not wounded, for he had 
 to stay in the engine room during the action, and 
 he is as hearty as a buck," rattled the lieutenant, 
 and making his pretty sister blush like a fresh rose. 
 
 " I am really worried about it, my son. Where 
 is the wound ? " asked his mother. 
 
 " Here, Charley, tell them all about it," called 
 Christy to his companion, who had been forgotten 
 in the excitement of the moment. 
 
 " Why, Charley Graines ! " exclaimed Florry, 
 rushing to him with an extended hand. " I did 
 not know you were here." 
 
 "I am glad to see you, Charley, especially as 
 you have been a fiiend and associate of my son, 
 as you were before the war," added Mrs. Pass- 
 ford. 
 
 " I am very glad to see you, Mrs. Passford and 
 Miss Passford," said he, bowing to both of them. 
 " I have been on duty recently with Christy, and 
 I have been looking out for him on the voyage 
 home." 
 
 " Charley has been a brother to me, and done 
 everything under the canopy for me. I am some- 
 what fatigued just now," added the lieutenant, as 
 he seated himself on a sofa in the hall. " He will 
 
266 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 answer your questions now, and tell you that I am 
 not killed." 
 
 " But come into tlie sitting-room, m}^ son, for 
 we can make you more comfortable there," said his 
 mother, taking him by the right arm, and assisting 
 him to rise. 
 
 " I don't need any help, mamma," added Christy 
 playfully, as he rose from the sofa. ■•' I have not 
 been butchered, and I haven't anything but a little 
 bullet-hole through the fleshy part of my left arm. 
 Don't make a baby of me ; for a commander in the 
 Confederate navy told me that God made some 
 fully-developed men before they were twenty-one, 
 and that I was one of them. Don't make me fall 
 from my high estate to that of an overgrown 
 infant, mother." 
 
 " I will not do anything of the kind, my son," 
 replied Mrs. Passford, as she arranged the cushions 
 on the sofa for him. " Now, Florry, get a wrap 
 for him." 
 
 Christy stretched himself out on the sofa, for he 
 was really fatigued by the movements of the fore- 
 noon and the excitement of his return to the scenes 
 of his childhood. 
 
 " Tell them what the doctors said about my 
 
" Mrs. Passford rushed down the steps." Page 264. 
 
THE WELCOME HOME AT BONNYDALE 267 
 
 wound, Charley," he continued, as he arranged 
 himself for the enjoyment of a period of silence. 
 
 " Mr. Passford has had two surgeons," Mr. 
 Graines began. 
 
 " Then he must have been very badly wounded ! " 
 ejaculated Florry, leaping to a very hasty con- 
 clusion. 
 
 " Not at all," protested the engineer. " Both 
 of them said he was not severely wounded." 
 
 " Why was he sent home on a furlough ? " 
 asked Mrs. Passford. 
 
 " Because the weather was getting very hot in 
 the Gulf of Mexico, and it was believed that he 
 would do better at home. He has been somewhat 
 feverish ; but he is improving every day, and in a 
 couple of weeks he will be 'as well as ever." 
 
 "Thank God, it is no worse ! " exclaimed Mrs. 
 Passford. 
 
 Then she insisted that he should be quiet, and 
 tliey all retired to the library. 
 
268 A VICTOIIIOUS UNION 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 LIEUTENANT-COMMANDER CHRISTOPHEE PASSFOED 
 
 Christy Passford dropped asleep when left 
 alone in the sitting-room, and his slumber lasted 
 a full hour. During this time Mr. Graines had 
 related the incidents of the action in which he had 
 been wounded, and given a full account of the 
 expedition to Mobile Point. He was not sparing 
 in his praise ; but he brought it out in what had 
 been said by others, especially by the commanders 
 of both vessels and in the demonstrations of the 
 seamen of the Bellevite. 
 
 When the wounded officer awoke it was with a 
 start, and he was surprised to find he had been 
 asleep in the midst of such happy surroundings. 
 He rose from his couch, and found that his mother 
 and sister had left the room. He passed out into 
 the hall, and there heard the voice of the engineer 
 in the library which he entered at once. 
 
 " I hope you feel better, my son," said his 
 mother, as she and Florry rose from their chairs 
 
LIEUT.-COM. CHRISTOPHER PASSFORD 269 
 
 rejoicing anew at his return home after the fearful 
 peril through which he had passed, for the recital 
 of his brilliant exploits by his friend had been 
 intensely thrilling to both of them. 
 
 " I'm all right, mother dear ; I was only tired a 
 little, for I have taken more exercise to-day than 
 usual lately," replied Christy, as Mrs. Passford 
 kissed him again and again, and Florry followed 
 her example. 
 
 " Charley Graines has told us all about it, 
 Christy," said his sister. 
 
 " So you have been spinning a yarn, have you, 
 Charley ? " asked the hero. 
 
 " I have related only the simple truth, Christy, 
 for I knew you would not tell them the whole of 
 it," replied the engineer. 
 
 " I am afraid you were reckless, my son." added 
 Mrs. Passford. 
 
 " Reckless ! " exclaimed Christy. "When I saw 
 my duty there was no alternative but to do it ; and 
 that was all I did. "You have been decorating 
 your yarn, Charley." 
 
 " Not a particle ; and Captain Breaker would 
 confirm everything I have said," protested Mr. 
 Graines. " So would Captain Rombold, if he were 
 here, as I suppose he will be soon." 
 
270 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 " That reminds me, mother, that you are to have 
 some visitors ; for I expect Captain Rombold and 
 Dr. Davidson will be here some time to-day, for I 
 have spoken to have them paroled," interposed 
 Christy. 
 
 "Who is Dr. Davidson, my son?" asked his 
 mother. 
 
 " He was the surgeon of the Tallahatchie. Both 
 of your visitors are rebels to the very core," added 
 the lieutenant playfully. " I was hit in the arm by 
 a bullet when I was in the mizzen rigging ; but I 
 did not report to the surgeon " — 
 
 " As you ought to have done," interrupted the 
 engineer. 
 
 " Dr. Linscott had his hands full, and I did not 
 want to bother him then. I went on board of the 
 prize to take a look at the disabled Armstrong 
 gun. Captain Rombold, who was wounded in the 
 right thigh, was sitting on the quarter-deck. He 
 spoke to me, for I was well acquainted with him. 
 While we were talking, I began to feel faint, and 
 slumped down on the deck like a woman. The 
 captain sent for his surgeon, though his own wound 
 had not been dressed; and Dr. Davidson was the 
 gentleman who came, and very soon I felt better. 
 
LIEUT.-COM. CHRISTOPHER PASSFORD 271 
 
 They treated me like a brother ; and that is the 
 reason I have asked to have them both sent here." 
 
 " I am very glad you did, Christy ; and we will 
 do everything we can for them," added Mrs. 
 Passford. 
 
 The father and mother of Mr. Graines lived in 
 Montgomery, two miles distant, and he was anxious 
 to see them. Leaving Christie in the hands of his 
 mother and sister, he took his leave early in the 
 afternoon. Later in the day a carriage stopped at 
 the mansion, and the expected visitors, attended 
 by the naval officer who had paroled them, were 
 admitted by the servant. As soon as they were 
 announced, Christy hastened to the hall, foUoAved 
 by his mother and sister. The captain carried a 
 crutch, and was also supported by the doctor and 
 the naval lieutenant. 
 
 " I am very glad to see you. Captain Rombold," 
 said Christy, as he gave his hand to the com- 
 mander. " And you, Dr. Davidson ;" and he pro- 
 ceeded to present them to his mother and sister. 
 
 " This is Lieutenant Alburgh of your navy, Mr. 
 Passford ; and he has been very attentive to us," 
 interposed the surgeon, introducing the paroling 
 'officer. 
 
272 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 " I am very happy to know you, Mr. Alburgh ; " 
 and he presented him to Mrs. Passford and Florry. 
 
 The lieutenant declined an invitation to dinner; 
 for he was in haste to return to New York, going 
 back to the station in the carriage that had brougfht 
 him. Mrs. Passford invited the party to the sitting. 
 room, and Christy and the doctor assisted the 
 wounded commander. He was placed upon the 
 sofa, where he reclined, supported by the cushions 
 arranged by the lady of the house. 
 
 " I am extremely grateful to you both, gentle- 
 men, for your kindness to my son when he was 
 beyond my reach, and it affords me very great 
 pleasure to obtain the opportunity to reciprocate 
 it in some slight degree," said Mrs. Passford, when 
 the captain declared that he was very comfortable 
 in his position on the sofa. 
 
 " And I thank you with all my heart for what 
 you did for my brother," added Florry. 
 
 " You more than repay me ; and, madam, permit 
 me to congratulate you on being the mother of such 
 a son as Lieutenant Passford," replied Captain Rom- 
 bold warmly. " I am still a rebel to the very cen- 
 tre of my being ; but that does not prevent me 
 from giving the tribute of my admiration to an 
 
LIEUT.-COM. CHRISTOPHER PASSFORD 273 
 
 enemy who has been as brave, noble, and generous 
 as your son. The brilliant exploit of Mr. Passford, 
 I sincerely believe, cost me my ship, and at least 
 the lives or limbs of a quarter of my ship's com- 
 pany. It was one of the most daring and well- 
 executed movements I ever witnessed in my life, 
 madam." 
 
 " Please to let up, Captain," interposed Christy, 
 blushing as Florry would have done if Paul Vapoor 
 had entered the room at that moment. 
 
 " He is as modest as he is brave, Mrs. Passford. 
 It was sheer admiration for the young officer which 
 compelled me to send for my own surgeon when 
 he sank fainting upon the deck, with the blood 
 streaming from the ends of his fingers," added the 
 commander. 
 
 " If you are going to talk about this matter the 
 rest of the day, Captain Rombold, I must beg you 
 to excuse me if I retire," interposed Christy, rising 
 from his chair. 
 
 " I won't say another word about it, Mr. Pass- 
 ford ! " protested the captain. " But I hope your 
 mother will have a chance to read Captain Break- 
 er's report of the action, for he and I are of the 
 same opinion in regard to the conduct of your son." 
 
274 A viCTonious union 
 
 " My husband will doubtless bring me a copy of 
 it," added the lady. 
 
 In deference to the wishes of Christy, nothing 
 more was said about the action, at least so far as 
 it related to him. After some general conversa- 
 tion, the surgeon suggested that he had not dressed 
 the wounds of his patients that day, and the com- 
 mander was assisted to the principal guest chamber, 
 while the lieutenant went to his own apartment. 
 
 Captain Passford was detained three days in 
 Washington by important business at the Navy De- 
 partment. Captain Breaker's report of the action 
 resulting in the capture of the Tallahatchie had 
 reached its destination, and the proud father was 
 in possession of all the details of the battle. He 
 telegraphed and wrote to his son ; and it Avas 
 another joyful occasion at Bonnydale when he 
 arrived there. 
 
 Dr. Davidson remained at the mansion for three 
 weeks, until his patients were convalescent, though 
 he went every day to the hospital of the prisoners 
 of war to see the wounded of his ship. Captain 
 Passford had given the visitors a very cordial 
 and hearty welcome on his return, and expressed 
 his gratitude to them for their kindness to his son 
 
LIEUT.-COM. CHRISTOPHER PASSFORD 275 
 
 in the strongest terms. He did every possible thing 
 to promote their comfort and happiness, and the 
 reign of Christianity continned at Bonnydale as it 
 had been begun on board of the Bellevite and the 
 Tallahatchie. 
 
 In two weeks Christy's wound had practically 
 healed, though his arm was not yet the equal of 
 the other. His father spent all the time he could 
 spare at home, and long talks between father and 
 son were the order of the day. The lieutenant 
 had been informed on his arrival of the death of 
 Mr. Pembroke, Bertha's father, two months before ; 
 but she had gone to visit an uncle in Ohio, and 
 Christy had not yet seen her. 
 
 " I expect Miss Pembroke will be here to-morrow, 
 Christy," said Captain Passford one day, about 
 three weeks after his return. " I suppose you are 
 of the same mind in regard to her." 
 
 " I am, father," replied Christy, for he was about 
 the same as a younger brother in his relations with 
 him. " But I have not heard a word from her, any 
 more than from you, since I left home." 
 
 " There has been no occasion to send a store-ship 
 or other vessel to the Eastern Gulf squadron, 
 though one sailed about a week before your arrival. 
 
276 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 and letters were forwarded to you," replied the 
 captain. " Doubtless one or more went from her 
 to you. She cannot have heard of your arrival ; 
 for I lost the address of her uncle in Ohio, and we 
 could not write to her. Her father had a little 
 property; and at her request I have been appointed 
 her guardian, and she will reside at Bonnydale in 
 the future." 
 
 Bertha Pembroke arrived the next day, and what 
 Christy needed to complete his happiness was sup- 
 plied, and now his cup was overflowing. But he 
 did not forget that he still owed a duty to his suf- 
 fering country. Even the fascinations of the beau- 
 tiful girl could not entice him to remain in his 
 beloved home while his arm was needed to help on 
 the nation's cause to a victorious Union. 
 
 At the end of four weeks, he felt as well as ever 
 before in his life, and he was impatient to return 
 to the Bellevite. For a week before he had been 
 talking to his father about the matter ; and Bertha 
 knew her betrothed, as he was by this time, too 
 well to make any objection to his intended depar- 
 ture. 
 
 The Tallahatchie had been promptly condemned, 
 and the fact that she was a superior vessel for war 
 
LIEUT.-COM. CHEISTOFHER PASSFORD 277 
 
 purposes, and her great speed compared with most 
 vessels in the navy, had caused her to be appropri- 
 ated to the use of the government. Orders had 
 been given weeks before for lier thorough repair 
 and better armament, all of which had been hastily 
 accomplished. Christy had not been to New York 
 since his return ; and for some reason of his own, 
 liis father had said very little to him about the 
 service, perhaps believing that his son had better 
 give his whole mind to the improvement of his 
 health and strength. 
 
 " I hope you have found a vessel by which I can 
 return to the Eastern Gulf squadron, father," said 
 Christy one morning, with more earnestness than 
 usual. " I begin to feel guilty of neglect of duty 
 while I am loafing about home." 
 
 "Don't trouble yourself, my son," replied Cap- 
 tain Passford, who seemed to be rather exhilarated 
 about something. " You shall return to your duty 
 in due time, though not in exactly the same posi- 
 tion as before." 
 
 " Am I to be appointed to same other ship, 
 father?" asked Christy, gazing earnestly into the 
 captain's face to read what was evidently passing 
 in his mind, for it made him very cheerful. 
 
278 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 " You are to sail in another ship, Christy ; but 
 wait a minute and I will return," said Captain 
 Passford, as he left the sitting-room and went to 
 his library. 
 
 Opening his safe he took from it a ponderous 
 envelope bearing official imprints, and returned to 
 the sitting-room. Handing it to his son, he dropped 
 into an arm-chair and observed him with close 
 attention. 
 
 "What's this, father? " asked the young officer, 
 
 " I have had it about three weeks; but waited 
 for your entire recovery before I gave it to you," 
 replied the captain. " Open it." 
 
 Christy did so, read it, and then in his excite- 
 ment, dropped it on the floor. It was his com- 
 mission as a lieutenant-commander. 
 
PRINCIPAL OFFICERS OF THE ST. REGIS 279 
 
 CHAPTER XXV 
 
 THE PRINCIPAL OFFICERS OF THE ST, REGIS 
 
 Christy Passford was astounded and con- 
 founded when he read the commission. He mod- 
 estly believed that he had ah-eady been promoted 
 beyond his deserving, though no one else, not even 
 his father, thought so. He had not sought pro- 
 motion at any time, and he had been hurried 
 through four grades in something over three years. 
 He was the heir of millions, and he had given all 
 his pay to wounded sailors and the families of those 
 who had fallen in naval actions. 
 
 His share of the prize money resulting from the 
 captures in which he had taken part as commander 
 or in some subordinate position had made him a 
 rich man ; and with his mother's assistance, he was 
 disbursing no small portion of his wealth among 
 those who had been deprived of their support by 
 the casualties of the war. He had not expected 
 or even hoped for any further promotion, though 
 
280 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 the newspapers had extolled to the skies his bril- 
 liant exploit in the Gulf. 
 
 " What does this mean, father? " asked Christy, 
 dropping into a chair as if overwhelmed by the 
 contents of the envelope. 
 
 " It means just what it says, my son," replied 
 Captain Passford. " But I know that it is neces- 
 sary now for me to explain that this promotion is 
 none of my doing ; for I liave not asked it, I have 
 not urged it, I have not made the remotest sug- 
 gestion that you should be made a lieutenant-com- 
 mander, as I have not done on any former occasion." 
 
 " That is enough, father ; your plea of not guilty 
 would have been enough to satisfy me," added 
 Christy. 
 
 " I prevented your appointment to the command 
 of the Chateaugay, .and procured your position as 
 second lieutenant of the Bellevite ; and these two 
 instances are absolutely all the requests I have 
 ever made to the department in relation to you," 
 protested the captain. 
 
 " That helps the matter very much," answered 
 Christy. " I have been the victim of supposed 
 partiality, ' a friend at court,' and all that sort of 
 thing, till I am disgusted with it." 
 
PRLNCIPAL OFFICERS OF THE ST. REGIS 281 
 
 " And all that has been in consequence of your 
 over-sensitiveness rathej- than anything that ever 
 was said about you." 
 
 "Perhaps it was. But as a lieutenant-com- 
 mander I might still remain as executive officer of 
 the Bellevite, for Captain Breaker has been a com- 
 mander for over two years," suggested Christy. 
 
 " The department has made another disposition 
 of you, and without any hint or suggestion from 
 me, my son," said Captain Passford, as he took 
 another envelope from his pocket, and presented it 
 to his son. " This came to me by tliis morning's 
 mail ; and I have withheld the commission till I 
 received it." 
 
 " And what may this be, father ? " asked Christy, 
 looking from the missive to the captain's face, 
 which was glowing with smiles, for he was as proud 
 of his only son as he ought to have been. 
 
 " Christy, you remind me of some old ladies I 
 have met, who, when they receive a letter, wonder 
 for five or ten minutes whom it is from before they 
 break the envelope, when a sight of the contents 
 would inform tliem instantly," added the captain, 
 laughing. 
 
 " But I am afraid the contents of this envelope 
 
282 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 will be like the explosion of a mine to me, and 
 therefore I am not just like the old ladies you have 
 met," returned the lieutenant-commander. " One 
 mine a day let off in my face is about all I can 
 stand." 
 
 " Open the envelope ! " urged his father rather 
 impatiently. 
 
 " It never rains but it pours ! " exclaimed Christy, 
 when he had looked over the pajDcr it enclosed. 
 " I am appointed to the command of the St. 
 Regis ! I think some one who gives names to our 
 new vessels must have spent a summer with Paul 
 Smith at his hotel by the river and lake of that 
 name ; and the same man probably selected the 
 name of Chateaugay. I suppose it is some little 
 snapping gunboat like the Bronx ; but I don't 
 object to her on that account." 
 
 " She is nothing like the Bronx, for she is more 
 than twice as large ; and you have already seen 
 some service on her deck." 
 
 " Some steamer that has had her name changed. 
 But I have served regularly only on board of the 
 Bellevite and the Bronx, and it cannot be either 
 of them," said Christy, with a puzzled expres- 
 sion. 
 
PRINCIPAL OFFICERS OF THE ST. REGIS 283 
 
 "She is neither the one nor the other. She has 
 had three names : the first was the Trafalgar, the 
 second the Tallahatchie, and the third the St. 
 Regis," continued the captain. 
 
 " Is it possible ! " exclaimed Christy, relapsing 
 into silent thoughtfulness, for he could hardly 
 believe the paper from which he had read his 
 appointment ; and officers far his senior in years 
 would have rejoiced to receive the command of 
 such a ship. 
 
 " Not only possible, but an accomplished fact ; 
 and the only sad thing about it is that you must 
 sail in the St. Regis day after to-morrow." 
 
 " I am informed that my orders will come by 
 to-morrow," added the lieutenant-commander. 
 
 " The ship is all ready for sea. An eight-inch 
 Parrot has been substituted for the Armstrong gun, 
 the same as the midship gun of the Bellevite," 
 the captain explained. " Perhaps you would like 
 to know something about your fellow-officers, 
 Christy." 
 
 " I certainly should, father, for whatever success 
 I may have will depend largely upon them," 
 replied the embryo commander of the St. Regis. 
 
 " Your executive officer will be Lieutenant 
 
284 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 George Baskirk," continued Captain Passford, 
 reading from a paper he took from his pocket. 
 
 " Good ! He was the second lieutenant of the 
 Bronx when I was in command of her ; and a better 
 or braver officer never planked a deck." 
 
 " He was available, and I suggested him. Your 
 second lieutenant is Joel Makepiece, just promoted 
 from the rank of master. He is fifty-two years 
 old, but as active as ever he was. He is a regular 
 old sea dog, and commanded an Indiaman for me 
 fifteen years ago ; but you never met him. He 
 has made a good record in the war, and I feel sure 
 that you will like him." 
 
 " I have no doubt I shall, father ; and I like the 
 idea of having an officer who is old enough to be 
 my father, and who has had a great deal of ex- 
 perience at sea," replied Christy. 
 
 "He was an able seaman and petty officer in the 
 navy for three years when he was a young man, 
 and has served as a master from the beginning of 
 the war," continued Captain Passford. 
 
 " Probably he does not like the idea of being 
 under the command of one who has not yet reached 
 his majority in years," suggested the commander 
 of the St. Regis. 
 
PRINCIPAL OFFICERS OF THE ST. REGIS 285 
 
 " On the contrary, he seemed to be delighted 
 with his appointment. Your third lieutenant is 
 Ensign Palmer Drake who brought home your 
 prize." 
 
 " He is a good man and a good officer, and I am 
 entirely satisfied with him." 
 
 " Ensign Barton French is to serve as master on 
 board of your ship. Some doubts were expressed 
 in regard to his knowledge of navigation, and he 
 passed a very creditable examination." 
 
 " I am very glad indeed that he has obtained 
 his promotion, and that he is to sail with me," 
 added Christy, who had taken quite an interest 
 in him as an able seaman, and had procured his 
 appointment as prize-master of the West Wind. 
 
 " Dr. Connolly, who was with jow in the Bronx, 
 is your surgeon. The chief engineer of the St. 
 Regis is one Paul Vapoor," continued Captain 
 Passford, with a very obvious twinkle of the eyes. 
 
 " Paul Vapoor ! " exclaimed Christy, leaping out 
 of the chair in which he had just settled himself 
 after the excitement of his father's first announce- 
 ment had partly subsided. 
 
 " Paul Vapoor," repeated the captain. 
 
 "It can hardly be possible," persisted Christy. 
 
286 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 " What is the matter ? Has Captain Breaker 
 fallen out with him? " 
 
 " Not at all ; the commander of the Bellevite 
 thinks as much of him as ever he did, and even a 
 great deal more." 
 
 " Then how under the canopy does Paul happen to 
 be appointed to the St. Regis?" demanded Christy. 
 
 Captain Passford took from his pocket a letter 
 he had received from Captain Breaker, and pro- 
 ceeded to read portions of it, as follows : " If 
 Christy is not promoted and given an adequate 
 independent command, I shall be disappointed ; and 
 given such whether he consents or not. He has 
 never been wanting in anything ; and though I say 
 it to his father, there is not a more deserving 
 officer in the service, not even one who is ten years 
 older. I have expressed myself fully in my report. 
 I believe his gallant exploit in the late action with 
 the Tallahatchie saved the lives of at least one- 
 fourth of my ship's company ; and it thinned out 
 the ranks of the enemy in about the same propor- 
 tion. Captain Rombold insists that he should have 
 captured the Bellevite if the tide had not been thus 
 turned against him ; but I do not admit this, of 
 course. 
 
PEINCIPAL OFFICERS OF THE ST. REGIS 287 
 
 " I still set the higliest value upon the services 
 of Chief Engineer Paul Vapoor, and I should 
 regret exceedingly to lose him. But Christy and 
 Paul have been the most intimate friends from 
 their school days ; and if your son is appointed to 
 an independent command, as I believe he ought to 
 be, it would do something towards reconciling him 
 to his appointment if his crony were in the same 
 ship with him. For this reason, and this alone, I 
 am willing to sacrifice my own wishes to the good 
 of the service. I have talked with Paul about the 
 matter, and he would be delighted to be the com- 
 panion of Christy, even in a small steamer." 
 
 " Captain Breaker is very kind and very con- 
 siderate, as he always was ; and I shall certainly 
 feel more at home on board of the St. Regis with 
 Paul Vapoor as her chief engineer," replied Christy ; 
 and the effect seemed to be what the commander 
 of the Bellevite anticipated. " Go on with the 
 list, father." 
 
 " Paul's first assistant engineer will be Charles 
 Graines," continued Captain Passford. 
 
 " That is very good ; but Charley is a sailor as 
 well as a machinist, and I may borrow him of Paul 
 on some special occasions, for he has what Captain 
 
288 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 Breaker calls ingenuity, as well as bravery and 
 skill." 
 
 " The second assistant is Amos Bolter, a brother 
 of Leon, who has been first assistant of the Belle- 
 vite from the beginning of the war, and who has 
 been promoted to chief at the suggestion of the 
 commander in the letter from which I have just 
 read. The third assistant is John McLaughlin, 
 whom Paul knows if you do not. These are your 
 principal officers ; and we had better go and see 
 your mother and Florry now." 
 
 " I have good news for you and your family. 
 Captain Passford, for I am informed that I have 
 been exchanged, and need trespass no longer upon 
 your generous and kindly hospitality," said the 
 commander. 
 
 " That is no news to me. Captain Rombold, for 
 I had the pleasure of suggesting the officers for 
 whom you and the doctor might be exchanged," 
 replied the host with a pleasant laugh. "But I 
 assure you in all sincerity that you have both of 
 you been the farthest possible from trespassers." 
 
 " I do not feel that I have yet half reciprocated 
 the kindness you extended to my son," added 
 Mrs. Passford. 
 
PRINCIPAL OFFICERS OF THE ST. REGIS 289 
 
 " I wish I could do ten times as much for you as 
 I have been able to do," said Floriy. 
 
 "Though wounded I have passed four of the 
 pleasantest weeks of my life here ; and I shall 
 never forget your kindness to me," said the com- 
 mander, grasping the hand of his host; and his 
 example was followed by the surgeon. 
 
 " We have been made happier by your presence 
 with us than we could have made you, gentle- 
 men," added Mrs. Passford. 
 
 Not a word about politics or the cause of the 
 war had been spoken. 
 
290 A VICTORIOUS U>JION 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI 
 
 THE ST. REGIS IN COIMMISSION 
 
 The kindly expressions of feeling which passed 
 between the hosts and their guests were far from 
 being mere compliments, for the Confederate com- 
 mander and surgeon had made themselves very- 
 agreeable. Quite a number of pleasant parties 
 had been given in compliment to them and Christy. 
 But the family felt that they owed a debt of 
 gratitude to their guests which they could not 
 repay; and enemies though they were, the most 
 eminent personages on the Federal side could not 
 have been better treated. 
 
 " I am sorry you are going, though I congrat- 
 ulate you on the prospect now before you of 
 returning to your friends," said Captain Passford, 
 after the conversation had continued for half an 
 hour. " But I did not come in to receive your 
 adieus ; only to introduce to you, and to Mrs. 
 Passford and Florry, a new character, who has just 
 stepped upon the stage of action. 
 
THE ST. REGIS IN COMMISSION 291 
 
 " Draw it mild, papa," interposed Christy, shrug- 
 ging his shoulders. 
 
 "I have the pleasure oi presenting to you 
 Lieutenant-Commander Christopher Passford." 
 
 Captain Rombold and Dr. Davidson set to clap- 
 ping their hands as though they had suddenly 
 gone crazy. When the former had nearly blis- 
 tered his own, he rushed to the newly-promoted, 
 and grasped his hands with a pressure which made 
 the recipient of his warm greeting squirm with pain, 
 
 " I congratulate you with all my heart and 
 mind, Commander Passford," he added, with ex- 
 ceeding warmth. " I know that you deserved this 
 promotion, and I was sure you would get it from 
 the moment I saw you in the mizzen rigging of 
 the Bellevite, and within the same minute leaping 
 over the rail of the Tallahatchie, closely followed 
 by thirty or forty of your seamen. I lost all hope 
 of taking your ship then, for almost at the same 
 instant came the discharge of the thirty-pounder I 
 had prepared to lay low half your boarders. I told 
 you tliis would come, but you seemed to be doubt- 
 ful of it ; and I repeat what I have said before, that 
 God makes some fully-developed men before they 
 are twenty-one." 
 
292 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 The surgeon followed the example of his fellow- 
 prisoner ; and then Christy's mother and sister 
 hugged and kissed him, and he heartily returned 
 their affectionate embraces. 
 
 " I have only to add that my son has been 
 appointed to the command of the St. Regis, a 
 steamer of over eight hundred tons, and reputed 
 to have a speed of twenty knots an hour, though I 
 have some doubts in regard to the last item," said 
 Captain Passford. 
 
 " I cannot wish him success in his new command, 
 for that would be treason ; but I have no doubt he 
 will damage our cause even more than he has in 
 the past ; and so far as he is personally concerned, 
 I can wish liim success with all my heart," added 
 Captain Rombold. " I have kept a list of the 
 names of the vessels in the Federal navy so far as 
 I could obtain them ; but it does not include the 
 St. — What 3^ou call her? I never heard the 
 name before." 
 
 "The St. Regis, after a river in the Adiron- 
 dacks," ^rid Captain Passford, laughing. " But I 
 can assure you, Cajitain, that you know her better 
 than any of the rest of us, for I never even saw 
 her." 
 
THE ST. EEGIS IN COMMISSION 293 
 
 " The St. Regis? " interrogated the commander, 
 puzzled by the assertion. 
 
 " Just now this steamer is something like a 
 newly-married widow, for she is entering upon her 
 third name," continued the host, very lightly. 
 " Formerly she was the Trafalgar, a highly hon- 
 ored name in British history; but more recently 
 she received the name of Tallahatchie; and now 
 she becomes the St. Regis." 
 
 " I see," replied the Confederate commander, 
 evidently trying to hide his intense chagrin that 
 the magnificent steamer, purchased by Colonel 
 Homer Passford for him, had so soon become 
 a ship belonging to the Federal navy. " You 
 expressed a doubt in regard to her speed, my dear 
 Captain." 
 
 " I simply doubted if she could make twenty 
 knots an hour, for the Bellevite overhauled her 
 without difficulty." 
 
 " That was because our coal was very bad. 
 The Trafalgar made twenty knots an hour several 
 times when she was under my command." 
 
 " So much the better. Captain ; if the speed is 
 in her, her new engineer will get it out of her," 
 replied the host. " But I must take the next 
 
294 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 train for New York, and I am going over to see 
 the St. Regis, for slie has been put in the best 
 of repair. Perhaps you would like to go with me, 
 Christy." 
 
 " I should, father ; I was expecting Charley 
 Graines over this morning, and he would like to 
 see his future home on the deep," replied the 
 lieutenant-commander. 
 
 " He is in the reception-room now, waiting to 
 see you," said Florry. 
 
 " I have his appointment in my pocket, and you 
 may give it to him, my son," added the captain. 
 
 The guests were not to leave at once, and the 
 trio hastened to the train. As soon as they were 
 seated, Christy gave his friend the envelope con- 
 taining his appointment, and Charley Graines was 
 quite as happy as the future commander of the St. 
 Regis. On the way the latter gave the other all 
 the news that had come out that morning. 
 
 " I suppose Paul Vapoor will not come on board 
 till we get to the Gulf, father," said Christy. 
 
 " You will receive your orders to-morrow, as you 
 have been advised ; and though I cannot properly 
 inform you where yoT will be bound, I can tell 
 you where you are )t bound ; you are not going 
 
THE ST. REGIS IN COMMISSION 295 
 
 to the Gulf^ of Mexico/' answered Captain Pass- 
 ford. 
 
 " Not to the Gulf ? All my service so far in 
 blockaders has been in the Gulf, and this will be a 
 tremendous change for me. But where shall we 
 pick up our chief engineer ? " 
 
 "About all the business growing out of the 
 capture of the Tallahatchie, including the promo- 
 tions, was done very nearly four weeks ago. I 
 was in Washington when Captain Breaker's very 
 full report came, and the officers were promoted 
 then. The appointments were also made then ; 
 but I have been obliged, for reasons not necessary 
 to be named, to keep them to myself. The steamer 
 that carried a cargo of coal, provisions, and stores 
 to the Eastern Gulf squadron, was the bearer of 
 Paul's appointment to the St. Regis, and Mr. 
 Bolter's commission as chief engineer of the 
 Bellevite. Your friend was ordered to report at 
 the Brooklyn Navy Yard at once. The steamer 
 in which he came put in at Delaware Breakwater, 
 short of coal. He v»^ill be here by to-morrow 
 morning, or sooner." 
 
 After a visit at his office Captain Passford and 
 his companions proceeded to the navy yard. The 
 
296 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 St. Regis was off the shore at anchor. She was a 
 magnificent steamer; and the captain indulged in 
 an exclamation, which he seldom did, when she 
 was pointed out to him. She was all ready for 
 sea, and would go into commission as soon as her 
 commander presented himself. They went on 
 board of her, and were heartily welcomed by such 
 officers as had already occupied their staterooms. 
 
 Captain Passford went all over her, accom- 
 panied by Christy, while the new first assistant 
 engineer confined his attention to the engine. The 
 lieutenant-commander informed the proper officer 
 of the yard that he would hoist the flag on board 
 of the St. Regis at noon the next day. The party 
 took their leave, and in the afternoon returned to 
 Bonnydale. 
 
 The guests were now relieved from their pa- 
 role, and they took their leave before night, with 
 a repetition of the good wishes which had been ex- 
 pressed before. The next morning Christy was at 
 the railroad station on the arrival of the train from 
 New York, and the first person that rushed into 
 his arms like a school-girl was Paul Vapoor. Of 
 course Christy was delighted to see him, but he 
 kept watching the steps of the principal car all the 
 
THE ST. EEGIS IN COMMISSION 297 
 
 time. At last he discovered Bertha Pembroke, 
 and he rushed to her, leaving Paul talking into 
 the air. 
 
 He grasped the beautiful maiden by both hands, 
 and both of them blushed like a carnation pink. 
 The young officer was not given to demonstrations 
 in public, and he reserved them to a more suitable 
 occasion. He picked up her hand-bag and bundles 
 which she had dropped when the lover took pos- 
 session of her, and conducted her to his father's 
 carriage. 
 
 Christy presented her to Paul, who had heard 
 much about her, but had never seen her. He was 
 simply polite, though there was mischief in his eye, 
 and the commander was in danger of being teased 
 very nicely when they were alone together. Both 
 Bertha and Paul were cordially welcomed by Mrs. 
 Passford and Florry, and Christy needed nothing 
 more to complete his happiness. 
 
 But there was no time to spare, and Captain 
 Passford hurried them without mercy, and with- 
 out considering that the lovers had not met before 
 for several months ; but the commander of the St. 
 Regis was to hoist his flag at noon, and there was 
 no room for long speeches. Christy and Paul 
 
298 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 hurried themselves into their new uniforms, not 
 made for the occasion, but kept in store. The en- 
 gineer's uniform was all right as it was, for he had 
 before reached the top of the ladder in his profes- 
 sion, but Florry had changed the shoulder-straps of 
 her brother. 
 
 Captain Passf ord was not remorseless in separat- 
 ing the newly reunited friends ; for Paul and Flora 
 had done some blushing, and had crept away into a 
 corner of the great drawing-room as soon as he had 
 put on his best uniform, and he finally insisted that 
 all the ladies should go to the navy yard and wit- 
 ness the ceremony. The company were rather late ; 
 but the captain had sent a man to the station in 
 advance, and the train was held for them. 
 
 It is hardly necessary to state in what manner 
 the seats in the car were occupied ; but the captain 
 and Mrs. Passf ord had to sit together. A navy yard 
 tugboat was at the foot of Grand Street on the ar- 
 rival of the party, for it had been telegraphed for 
 early in the morning. Captain Passford was a 
 very distinguished magnate in the eyes of all naval 
 officers, not only on account of his great wealth, 
 but because he was the most influential man in the 
 city at the department. 
 
THE ST. REGIS IN COMMISSION 299 
 
 Half an hour before the time the party were on 
 the deck of the St. Regis. All the officers were 
 now on board ; and while Paul was showing the 
 ladies over the vessel, the commander was renew- 
 ing his acquaintance with Mr. Baskirk, the execu- 
 tive officer. His father introduced Mr. Makepeace 
 to him ; and he found him a sturdy old salt, without 
 as much polish as many of the officers, but a gentle- 
 man in every respect. 
 
 " I am very glad to know you. Captain Pass- 
 ford," said Mr. Makepeace. "We have one of the 
 most brilliant commanders in the service, and I 
 suppose he will make things hum on board of the 
 St. Regis, if we get into action, as we are likely to 
 do under his lead." 
 
 " I shall try to do my whole duty, and I shall 
 endeavor not to make any sensation about it," re- 
 plied Christy, as he turned from the second to 
 greet the third lieutenant, Mr. Drake, who had 
 been his shipmate on board of the Bellevite, and 
 the commander of the Tallahatchie while he was a 
 passenger on board. 
 
 The ship's company had already been mustered 
 on deck. They were dressed in their best uni- 
 forms, and they were a fine-looking set of men. 
 
800 A VICTOKIOUS UNION 
 
 They had all heard of Lieutenant Passford, and 
 they were proud and happy to serve under his com- 
 mand. Promptly at noon, as the church bells on 
 shore were striking the hour, Commander Passford 
 mounted a dais, and his commission was read to 
 the ship's company. He then made a short speech 
 suited to the occasion, and ordered the colors to be 
 run up to the peak. The ship was then in com- 
 mission, and she was to sail on the tide the next 
 day. The subordinate officers and seamen tlieii 
 gave three cheers, in which every person seemed 
 to put his whole heart. 
 
 Christy conducted Bertha to the captain's cabin, 
 which had been restored to its original condition 
 and refurnished. A lunch was served to the whole 
 party under an awning on the quarter-deck. Mr. 
 Drake, an eye-witness and actor in the battle, 
 fought it over for the benefit of the ladies; and 
 before night they all returned to Bonnydale, where 
 it required at least three rooms to accommodate 
 them during the evening. 
 
CAPTAIN PASSFOKD ALONE IN HIS GLORY 301 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII 
 
 CAPTAIN PASSFORD ALONE IN HIS GLOEY 
 
 Christy Passford was stirring at an early hour 
 the next mornino-, and so was Bertha Pembroke ; 
 for the St. Regis was to sail that day, though the 
 tide did not serve till four in the afternoon. After 
 breakfast his father called him into the library, 
 and closed the door. Captain Passford had remained 
 in the city the evening before till the last train, 
 and it was evident that he had something to say 
 to his son. 
 
 " I have no information to give you this time, 
 Christy, in regard to the coming of blockade-run- 
 ners or steamers for the Confederate navy," said 
 he. " But I have been instructed to use my own 
 judgment in regard to what I may say to you 
 about your orders. Of course you have observed 
 that the blockading squadrons in the Gulf have 
 been greatly reduced." 
 
 " Only the Bellevite and Holyoke remained off 
 the entrance to Mobile Bay," added Christy. 
 
302 A VICTORIOUS UNIOK 
 
 " We have had a very quiet time of it since I 
 joined the Bellevite, and the action with the Tal- 
 lahatchie was really the only event of any great 
 importance in which I have been engaged." 
 
 "The enemy and their British allies have been 
 so unfortunate in the Gulf that they have chosen a 
 safer approach to the shores of the South. Nearly 
 all the blockade-runners at the present time go 
 in at the Cape Fear River, where the shoal water 
 favors them. A class of steamers of light draft 
 and great speed are constructed expressly to go 
 into Wilmington. Over -$65,000,000 have been 
 invested in blockade-running ; and in spite of the 
 caj)ture of at least one a week by our ships, the 
 business appears to pay immense profits. The 
 port of Charleston is closed to them now, as well 
 as many others." 
 
 " I have studied this locality of the coast at the 
 mouth of the Cape Fear River, and the blockade- 
 runners certainly have their best chance there," 
 said Christy. 
 
 " The whole attention of the government, so far 
 as blockade-running is concerned, has been di- 
 rected to the apiH'oaches of Wilmington. Forts 
 Fisher, Caswell, and Smith afford al)undant pro- 
 
CAPTAIN PASSFOED ALONE IN HIS GLOIIY 303 
 
 tection to the light draft steamers as soon as they 
 get into the shoal ^yater where our gunboats as a 
 rule cannot follow them. The one thing we need 
 down there is fast steamers. It is a stormy coast, 
 and our smaller gunboats cannot safely lie off the 
 coast." 
 
 " I have read that a single successful venture 
 in this business sometimes pays for the steamer 
 many times over." 
 
 " That is quite true, and the business prospers, 
 though there are fifty or more Federal cruisers and 
 gunboats patrolling the shore. Now, Christy, you 
 are to be sent to this locality with the St. Regis ; 
 but you are to be in the outer circle of blockaders, 
 so to speak, as your sealed orders will inform you."' 
 
 " Of course I shall obey my orders, whatever 
 they are," added the commander. 
 
 " I have nothing more to say, and you will re- 
 gard what has passed between you and me as 
 entirely confidential," said Captain Passford, as he 
 rose to leave the library. 
 
 " By the way, father, what has become of Mon- 
 sieur Gilfleur ? " asked Christy. " I have not 
 seen him since my return." 
 
 "Just now he is working up a case of treason in 
 
304 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 Baltimore, tliougli I expected liim home before 
 this time," replied tlie captain. 
 
 "I am sorry I have not seen him, for he and 
 I had become great friends before we parted. I 
 think he is in some respects a remarkable man." 
 
 " In his profession he is unexcelled ; and what 
 is more in that line, he is honest and reliable." 
 
 " I learned all that of him while we were operat- 
 ing together. It is said, and I suppose it is true, 
 that about every one of the blockaders makes a 
 port at Halifax, the Bermudas, or Nassau, as much 
 to learn the news and obtain a pilot, as to replenish 
 their coal and stores." 
 
 " That is unfortunately true ; and the neutrality 
 of these places is strained to its utmost tension, to 
 say nothing of its manifest violations." 
 
 " I think if Monsieur Gilfleur and myself could 
 make another visit to the Bermudas and Nassau, 
 we might pick up information enough to insure 
 the capture of many blockade-runners, and perhaps 
 of an occasional Confederate cruiser," said Christy, 
 laughing as he spoke. 
 
 " That is not the sort of business for a lieuten- 
 ant-commander in the navy, my son ; but I have 
 thought of sending the detective on such a mission 
 
CAPTAIN PASSFORD ALONE IN HIS GLORY 305 
 
 since the remarkable success you and he had in 
 your former venture. But you escaped hanging 
 or a Confederate prison only by the skin of your 
 teeth. The difficulty in another enterprise of that 
 sort would be for Mr. Gilfleur to put the informa- 
 tion he obtained where it would do the most good. 
 If he wrote letters, they would betray him ; and if 
 he went off in a Bahama boat, as he did before, we 
 should have to keep a steamer cruising in the vi- 
 cinity of his field of operations to meet him when 
 he came off. I came to the conclusion that the 
 scheme was impracticable, for it was only a combi- 
 nation of favorable circumstances that rendered 
 your operations successful. I prefer to trust to 
 the speed of the St. Regis to enable you to accom- 
 plish the same results off the coast," said Captain 
 Passford, as they left the library. 
 
 " I should really like to see Monsieur, for he is 
 a very agreeable companion," replied Christy. 
 
 " He would be exceedingly pleased to meet you 
 again, for he had become very much attached 
 to you." 
 
 After lunch the same party that had visited the 
 St. Regis the day before left on the train for 'New 
 York, and proceeded to the navy yard from the 
 
306 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 foot of Grand Street, for all of them wislied to see 
 Christy off. Captain Passford, Junior, was re- 
 ceived on board of his ship with all due form and 
 ceremony. Paul Vapoor had been to his home for 
 a brief visit to his mother and sisters ; but he had 
 gone to Bonnydale as eaily in the morning as it 
 was decent to do so, and was all devotion to Florry. 
 
 Mr. Baskirk, the executive ofBcer, had the ship 
 in first-rate order when the commander went on 
 board with his party ; and as there was nothing for 
 him to do, Christy devoted himself to the enter- 
 tainment of his friends. The ladies with their 
 escorts went all over the steamer again ; the com- 
 mander and Paul opened their staterooms for their 
 examination, and Charley Graines showed them 
 that of the first assistant engineer in the steer- 
 age. 
 
 "But you have a whole cabin to yourself, 
 Christy," said Bertha, after she looked into all the 
 other rooms. 
 
 " I have the honor to be the commander of the 
 ship," replied Christy lightly. " I have two state- 
 rooms, so that if I had the happiness to relieve a 
 forlorn maiden from captivity on board of one of 
 the enemy's vessels, as I did in your case. Bertha, 
 
CAPTAIN PASSFORD ALONE IN HIS GLORY 307 
 
 I should have a better apartment to offer her 
 than I had then." 
 
 The first half of the afternoon passed away all 
 too soon for those who were to sail on the tide, 
 and those who were to return to Bonnydale. The 
 commander took leave of his parents, his sister, 
 and Bertha in his cabin, where Paul passed 
 through the same ordeal with ]\Iiss Florry. The 
 navy-yard tender was alongside; and the ladies 
 were assisted on board of her by the officers, while 
 the seamen under the direction of Mr. IMakepeace 
 were heaving up the anchor. 
 
 " Cable up and down, sir," reported the second 
 lieutenant. 
 
 This was the signal for the departure of the 
 tender ; and another hasty adieu followed, when 
 the commander and the chief engineer hastened to 
 the deck. The men forward had suspended their 
 labor when the cable was up and down. The com- 
 mander gave the order to weigh the anchor. The 
 tide was still on the flood, and the head of the 
 ship was pointed very nearly in the direction she 
 was to sail. 
 
 " Anchor aweigh, sir! " reported Mr. Makepeace. 
 
 "Strike one bell, Mr. Baskirk," said Christy; 
 
308 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 and the order was repeated to the quartermaster 
 who was conning the wheel. 
 
 The screw of the St. Regis began to turn, and 
 she went ahead very slowly. The tender was a 
 short distance from her, and all the ladies were 
 waving their handkerchiefs with all their might ; 
 and their signals were returned, not only by 
 Christy and Paul, but by all the officers on deck. 
 The seamen could not comfortably " hold in," and 
 they saluted the tender with three rousing cheers, 
 for they knew that the family of their young com- 
 mander were on board of her. 
 
 The little steamer followed the ship till she had 
 passed the Battery, a repetition of the former 
 salute, and then the tender sheered off, and went 
 up North River, the ship proceeding on her course 
 for the scene of her future exploits. The parting 
 of Christy with his father, mother, and sister had 
 been less sad than on former occasions ; for they 
 believed, whether with good reason or not, that 
 the son, brother, and lover was to be exposed to 
 less peril than usual. 
 
 Christy had received his sealed orders on board 
 from an officer sent specially to deliver them to 
 him in person ; and he was instructed to open the 
 
CAPTAIN PASSFOKD ALONE IN HIS GLORY 309 
 
 envelope off Cape Henlopen. At six o'clock the 
 St. Regis was off Sandy Hook. Four bells, which 
 was the signal to the engine room to go ahead at 
 full speed, had been sounded as soon as the ship 
 had passed through the Narrows. 
 
 After the young commander had taken his sup- 
 per, solitary and alone in his great cabin, he went 
 on deck. No one shared his spacious apartment 
 with him, and he was literally alone in his glory. 
 But he did not object to his solitude, for he had 
 enough to think of ; and though he did not betray 
 it in his expression, he M'as in a state of excite- 
 ment, for what young fellow, even if "fully de- 
 veloped before he was twenty-one," could have 
 helped being exhilarated when he found himself 
 in command of such an exceptionally fine and fast 
 ship as the St. Regis. 
 
 When he went on deck, for he seemed to need 
 more air than usual to support the immense 
 amount of internal life that was stirrinof his being:, 
 he met Paul Vapoor coming up from the ward 
 room, where he messed with seven other officers. 
 
 "I hoj)e you are feeling very well, Captain Pass- 
 ford," said Paul, as he touched his cap to the com- 
 mander, for all familiarities were suspended unless 
 
310 A VICTOllIOUS UNION 
 
 when they were alone ; and habit generally ban- 
 ished them even then. 
 
 " As well as usual, Mr. Vapoor," replied Christy. 
 " How do you find the engine ? " 
 
 " In excellent condition, Captain. It was thor- 
 oughly overhauled at the j^ard, boilers and machin- 
 ery, and I have examined it down to the minutest 
 details." 
 
 " I have an idea that our speed will be more in 
 demand than our fighting strength on this cruise," 
 added Christy. 
 
 " We are ready for speed in the engine room. 
 The coal that remained on board on the arrival of 
 the ship at the yard was very bad ; but it has all 
 been taken out, and our bunkers are filled with the 
 best that could be had, the master-machinist in- 
 formed me yesterday," replied the chief engineer. 
 " I don't believe she could overhaul the Bellevite, 
 for I am of the opinion that she is the fastest sea- 
 going steamer in the navy." 
 
 " I don't think we shall find any blockade-run- 
 ner that can run away from the Bellevite ; for she 
 has overhauled every one she chased off Mobile 
 Bay, and made a prize of her. I am to open my 
 orders off Henlopen, and then we shall know what 
 our work is to be." 
 
CAPTAIN PASSFOllD ALONE IN HIS GLOP.Y 311 
 
 " About eight hours from Sandy Hook, as we 
 are running now," added PauL 
 
 " I am very impatient to read my orders, and I 
 shall be called at one o'clock for that purpose," 
 added Christy, as he began to plank the deck on 
 the weather side. 
 
 The wind was from the north-west, and quite 
 fresh. The men had had their suppers, and he 
 ordered Mr. Baskirk to make sail. The St. Re^is 
 was bark rigged, and could spread a large surface 
 of canvas. He desired to test the qualities of his 
 crew ; and in a short time everything was drawing. 
 Christy " turned in " at nine o'clock ; but he was 
 excited, and he had not sle})t a wink when he 
 was called at the hour he had indicated. 
 
312 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII 
 
 OFF THE COAST OF NORTH CAROLINA 
 
 Having assured himself that the ship was fully 
 up with Cape Henlopen, Christy retired to his 
 cabin, and still " alone in his glory," he broke the 
 seal of the official envelope. He was to cruise 
 outside of the blockaders, and report to the flag- 
 officer when opportunity presented. Just then it 
 was believed that Richmond, which received all 
 its foreign supplies from Wilmington, could not 
 long hold out if it was captured; and the Secretary 
 of the Navy was giving special attention to the 
 forts which protected it. 
 
 It was evident to the young commander that he 
 was not to rust in inactivity, as had been the case 
 of late off Mobile Bay, and a wide field of opera- 
 tions was open to him. His instructions were 
 minute, but they did not confine his ship to the 
 immediate vicinity of the mouth of the Cape Fear 
 River. It was evident that the speed of the St. 
 
OFF THE COAST OF NORTH CAROLINA 313 
 
 Regis had been an important factor in framing the 
 secret orders. 
 
 If a blockade-runner eluded or outsailed the 
 vessels of the fleet near the coast, the St. Regis 
 was expected to "pick her up." On the other 
 hand, the fastest of the vessels were sent out 
 farther from the shore, and the ship was expected 
 to support them. Christy realized that he should 
 be called upon to exercise his judgment in many 
 difficult situations, and he could only hope that he 
 should be equal to such occasions. 
 
 " Good-morning, Captain Passford," said Paul 
 Vapoor, saluting him on the quarter-deck. "I 
 hope you slept well in your brief watch below." 
 
 " I did not sleep a wink, I was so anxious to 
 read my orders. But I know them now, and I 
 feel as cool as an arctic iceberg. I shall sleep 
 when I turn in again." 
 
 " Well, where are we going. Captain, if it is no 
 lonofer a secret?" asked the enoi'ineer. 
 
 "It is not a secret now; and we are to cruise 
 off the mouth of the Cape Fear River," replied 
 the commander, as he proceeded to give the infor- 
 mation more in detail. 
 
 " We are not likely to have any hot work then 
 
814 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 if we are only to chase blockade-runners," added 
 Paul. 
 
 " Probably we can render greater service to our 
 country in this manner than in any other way, or 
 we should not have been sent to this quarter," 
 said Christy, with a long gape. 
 
 Paul saw that his friend was sleepy, and he bade 
 him good-night. The commander went to his 
 stateroom, and was soon fast asleep, from which 
 he did not wake till eight o' clock in the morning. 
 When he went on deck the ship was carrying all 
 sail. The second lieutenant had the deck, and he 
 asked him what speed the steamer was making. 
 
 "The last log showed seventeen knots an hour," 
 replied Mr. Makepeace. 
 
 " I hope you slept well, Captain Passford," said 
 the chief engineer, saluting him at this minute. 
 
 "I slept like a log till eight bells this morning," 
 replied Christy. 
 
 " Mr. Makepeace reports the last log at seven- 
 teen knots," continued Paul. " But the ship is 
 not making revolutions enough 'per hour for more 
 than fifteen, for I have got the hang of her run- 
 ning now. The wind is blowing half a gale, and 
 the canvas is eivingr her two knots." 
 
OFF THE COAST OF NORTH CAROLINA 315 
 
 No events transpired on board worthy a special 
 chronicle during the day. The men were drilled 
 in various exercises, and gave excellent satisfac- 
 tion to their officers. The next morning the St. 
 Regis was off Cape Hatteras, and though it is a 
 greater bugbear than it generally deserves, it gave 
 the ship a ta'ste of its quality. The wind had 
 hauled around to the south-west, and was blowing 
 a lively gale. The sails had been furled in the 
 morning watch, and off the cape the course had 
 been changed to south-west. 
 
 Just before eight bells in the afternoon watch, 
 when the ship was making fifteen knots kn hour, 
 the lookout man on the top-gallant forecastle 
 called out " Sail, ho ! " and all eyes were directed 
 ahead. 
 
 " Where away ? " demanded the officer of the 
 deck sharply. 
 
 " Close on the lee bow, sir ! " returned the look- 
 out. 
 
 The commander was in his cabin studying the 
 chart of the coast of North Carolina; but the 
 report was promptly sent to him, and he hastened 
 on deck. 
 
 " Another sail on the port bow, sir ! " shouted a 
 
316 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 seaman who had been sent to the fore cross trees 
 with a spy-glass. 
 
 "What are they?" asked Christy, maintaining 
 his dignity in spite of the excitement which had 
 besfun to invade his beinof. 
 
 "Both steamers, sir," replied the officer of the 
 deck. 
 
 " The head one is a blockade-runner, I know by 
 the cut of her jib, sir," shouted the man with the 
 glass on the cross trees. 
 
 All the glasses on board were immediately 
 directed to the two vessels. Christy could plainly 
 make out the steamer that had the lead. She was 
 a piratical-looking craft, setting very low in the 
 water, with two smoke stacks, both raking at the 
 same angle as her two masts. The wind v/as not 
 fair, and she could not carry sail; but the "bone 
 in her teeth " indicated that she was going through 
 the water at great speed. 
 
 " A gun from the chaser, sir ! " shouted the 
 man aloft. 
 
 The cloud of smoke was seen, and the report of 
 the gun reached the ears of all on board the St. 
 Regis. 
 
 " There is no mistakinof what all that means. 
 
OFF THE COAST OF NORTH CAROLINA 317 
 
 Mr. Baskirk," said Christy when he had taken in 
 the situation. 
 
 At the first announcement of the sail ahead, the 
 commander had ordered the chief engineer to get 
 all the speed he could out of the ship. The smoke 
 was pouring out of the smoke stacks, for the St. 
 Regis had two, and presently she indicated what 
 was going on in the fire room by begining to shake 
 a little. 
 
 "Another sail dead ahead, sir ! " called the man 
 on the fore cross trees. 
 
 The glasses were directed to the third sail, and 
 she jDroved to be a steamer, also pursuing the one 
 first seen. It was soon evident to the observers 
 that the blockade-runner, for the man aloft who 
 had so defined her was entirely correct, was gain- 
 ing all the time on her pursuers. If she had 
 nothing but her two pursuers to fear, her troubles 
 were really over. 
 
 Both of the Federal ships were firing at the 
 chase ; but they might as well have spared their 
 powder and shot, for they could not reach her into 
 at least a quarter of a mile. The wind was still 
 at the south-west, and already there were signs of 
 fog. The rakish steamer had probably come from 
 
818 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 the Bermudas, where she must have obtained a 
 skilful pilot, for without one she would have had 
 no chances at all ; and she stood boldly on her 
 course as though she had nothing to fear on account 
 of the navigation. 
 
 "What are we going to have for weather, Mr. 
 Makepeace?" asked Christy, after a long look to 
 windward. 
 
 " It looks a little nasty off towards the shore, 
 sir," replied the second lieutenant. " I should say 
 it was going to be just what that pirate would like 
 to have." 
 
 "Why do you call her a pirate?" asked the com- 
 mander with a smile. " Probably she is not armed." 
 
 " I call her a pirate because she looks like one ; 
 but I think a blockade-runner is a hundred degrees 
 better than a pirate ; and our British friends 
 plainly look upon them as doing a legitimate busi- 
 ness. I rather think that highflyer will run into 
 a fog before she gets to the shore." 
 
 " She has nothing to fear from the two steam- 
 ers that are chasing her," added Christy. " We are 
 to have a finger in this pie." 
 
 " No doubt of that ; and I hope we shall make a 
 hole through her before she gets to the coast." 
 
OFF THE COAST OF NORTH CAROLINA 319 
 
 " She is not more than a mile and a half from us 
 now, and our midship gun is good for more than 
 that ; but I don't think it is advisable to waste our 
 strength in firing at her just yet." 
 
 "That's just my way of thinking," said Mr. 
 Makepeace, with something like enthusiasm in his 
 manner ; and he was evidently delighted to find 
 that the commander knew what he was about, as 
 he would have phrased it, 
 
 " The rakish steamer seems to be headed to the 
 west south-west, and she is exactly south-east of 
 us. We can see that she is sailing very fast ; but 
 how fast has not yet been demonstrated. How 
 high should you rate her speed, Mr. Makepeace ? " 
 
 "I should say. Captain Passford, that she was 
 making eighteen knots an hour. She is kicking 
 up a big fuss about it; and I'll bet a long-nine 
 cigar that she is doing her level best." 
 
 " I don't believe she is doing any better than 
 that," added Christy. "Make the course south 
 south-west, Mr. Baskirk." 
 
 " South south-west, sir," replied the executive 
 officer. 
 
 The course of the ship was changed, and Christy 
 planked the deck from the quarter-deck to the 
 
320 A viCTonious union 
 
 forecastle in order to obtain the best view he could 
 of the relative positions of the St. Regis, the chase, 
 and the two steamers astern of her. The blockade- 
 runner showed no colors ; and no flag could have 
 been of any service to her. She appeared still to 
 be very confident that she was in no danger, evi- 
 dently relying wholly upon her great speed to 
 carry her through to her destination. 
 
 The " highflyer," as the second lieutenant called 
 her ever}'- time he alluded to the blockade-runner, 
 and the two pursuers, occupied the three angles of 
 a triangle. The latter were both sending needless 
 cannon balls in the direction of the chase, but 
 not one of them came anywhere near her. 
 
 On the other hand, the highflyer and the St. 
 Regis formed two angles of another triangle, the 
 third of wliich was the point w'here they would 
 come together, if nothing occurred to derange their 
 relative positions. By this time Paul Vapoor had 
 developed all the power of the ship's boilers, and 
 the screw was making more revolutions a minute 
 than her highest record, which was found in a 
 book the former chief engineer had left in his state- 
 room. 
 
 " I don't think that highflyer quite understands 
 
OFF THE COAST OF NOETH CAROLINA 321 
 
 the situation, Mr. Baskirk," said the commander, 
 as he observed that she did not vary her course, 
 and stood on to her destination, apparently with 
 perfect confidence. 
 
 " I don't think she does, sir," replied the first 
 lieutenant. " She can see the American flag at 
 the peak, and she knows what we are. Doubtless 
 she is making- the mistake of believing that all the 
 Federal ships are slow coaches." 
 
 " Heave the log, Mr. Baskirk," added Christy, 
 and he walked forward. 
 
 It was a matter of angles when it was desirable 
 to come down to a close calculation, and the young 
 commander found his trigonometry very useful, 
 and fortunately not forgotten. With an apparatus 
 for taking ranges he had procured the bearing of 
 the highflyer accurately as soon as the last course 
 was given out, perhaj)s half an hour before. He 
 took the range again, and found there was a slight 
 difference, which was, however, enough to show 
 that the form of the triangle had been disturbed. 
 
 Both ships were headed for the same point, and 
 the sides of the triangle were equal at the first ob- 
 servation. Now the St. Regfis's side of the fisfure 
 was perceptibly shorter than its opposite. This 
 
322 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 proved to the captain that his ship had gained on 
 the otiier. The two chasers had been losinof on 
 the chase for tlie last half-liour, and Christy re- 
 garded tliem as out of the game. 
 
 There was some appearance of fog in the south- 
 west, and no land could be seen in any direction. 
 For another hour the St. Regis drove ahead furi- 
 ously on her course, and the highflyer was doing 
 the same. The two steamers, regardless of the 
 speed of either, were necessarily approaching each 
 other as long as they followed the two sides of the 
 triangle. They had come within half a mile 
 the one of the other, when the commander gave the 
 order to beat to quarters. Ten minutes later 
 the frame of the ship shook under the discharge of 
 the big Parrot. The shot went over the chase ; 
 but she promptly changed her course to the south- 
 ward. 
 
THE FIEST TEIZB OF THE ST. REGIS 323 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX 
 
 THE FIRST PRIZE OF THE ST. REGIS 
 
 The shot from the Parrot passed between the 
 funnel and the mainmast of the chase, as judged 
 by the splash of the ball in the water just beyond 
 her. It liad come near enough to the mark to 
 wake up the captain of the^ highflyer. He ap- 
 peared to believe that the pursuer from the north- 
 ward had simply cut him off by approaching on 
 the shorter side of the triangle, and that all he 
 had to do was to escape to the southward, evi- 
 dently satisfied that no steamer in the Federal 
 navy could overhaul him in a fair and square race. 
 
 " Now comes the tug of war," said Mr. Baskirk, 
 when the St. Regis had been headed for tlie chase. 
 
 " The game will not last all day," added Clu-isty. 
 " If I owned that higliflyer, I should not employ 
 her present captain to sail her for me. He is over- 
 loaded with a blind confidence, and he has made 
 a very bad use of his opportunities. If I had been 
 in command of that steamer I should have made 
 
324 A VICTOEIotrS UNION 
 
 lier course so as to run away from all three of my 
 pursuers as soon as I made them out. It is six 
 o'clock now, and I should have got far enough into 
 the darkness to give them all the slip, and gone 
 into Wilmington on a new track." 
 
 " Her captain appears to trust entirely to his 
 heels, and to look with contempt upon anything 
 like manoeuvring," replied the first lieutenant. 
 
 " But we must finish him up before the darkness 
 enables him to give us the slip. I have no doubt 
 we could knock her all to pieces with the midship 
 gun in the next fifteen minutes ; but if she can 
 make eighteen knots an hour, which we seem to 
 be all agreed that she can do, she will not be a 
 useless addition to the United States Navy, and it 
 would be a pity to smash her up, for she is a good- 
 looking craft. We are gaining two knots an hour 
 on her, and Mr. Vapoor is keeping things warm in 
 the engine and fire rooms." 
 
 " That is taking an economical view of the sub- 
 ject," added Mr. Baskirk, laughing at the com- 
 mander's utilitarian views. 
 
 " If we continue to fire into her, we must swing 
 to every shot we send, and that would take so 
 much from our speed," argued Christy. "We are 
 
THE FIRST nilZE OF THE ST. IlEGIS 325 
 
 as sure of her as though we already had her in our 
 clutches. There are plenty of officers in the navy 
 who would like to command her when she is al- 
 tered over into a cruiser." 
 
 " You are quite right, Captain Passford ; and 
 there are some of them on the deck of the St. 
 Regis at this moment," said the first lieutenant, 
 laughing. 
 
 " Heave the log, Mr. Baskirk," said the captain. 
 
 The report from the master, who attended to this 
 duty, was soon reported to the executive officer, 
 who transmitted it to the commander. 
 
 " Rising twenty knots, sir," said he. 
 
 "That will do," replied Clu-isty. "That is 
 enough to enable us to overhaul the chase within 
 half an hour." 
 
 Within fifteen minutes it could be seen that the 
 St. Regis was rapidly gaining on the Raven, for 
 the latter was near enough now to enable the 
 pursuers to read the name on her stern, and the 
 captain of the highflyer could not help realizing 
 that he had not the slightest chance to escape. 
 The chaser was within the eighth of a mile of her, 
 and the result was only a matter of minutes. 
 
 " She has stopped her screw, sir ! " reported the 
 
326 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 third lieutenant in the waist, passing the word 
 from the second lieutenant on the forecastle. 
 
 " She has stopped her screw, Captain," repeated 
 Mr. Baskirk. 
 
 " That means mischief," replied Christy, as he 
 directed his gaze to the Raven. 
 
 " She is getting out two boats on her j^ort side ! " 
 shouted Mr, Makepeace from the top-gallant fore- 
 castle ; and the report was repeated till it reached 
 the commander, though he had heard it before it 
 was officially communicated to him. " That means 
 more mischief." 
 
 " Ready to stop and back her ! " he cried through 
 the speaking-tube to the chief engineer. 
 
 " All ready, sir," replied Paul. 
 
 " Some of these blockade-runners are desperate 
 characters, and that captain intends either to burn 
 or sink his ship," continued Christy, with a trifle 
 of excitement in his manner, though he looked as 
 dignified as a college professor in the presence of 
 his class. 
 
 The St. Regis was still rushing with unabated 
 speed towards her prey, and a minute or two more 
 would decide whether or not she was to be a prize 
 or a blazinsf hulk on the broad ocean. 
 
THE FIRST PRIZE OF THE ST. REGIS 327 
 
 "Lay him aboard on tlie port side, Mr. Baskirk ! " 
 
 " The two boats are there, Captain, as you can 
 see," replied the executive officer. 
 
 "Board on the port side, Mr. Baskirk ! " repeated 
 the commander very decidedly, and somewhat 
 sharply; and at the same time he rang one bell 
 on the sronof to slow down the enmne. " Board on 
 the port side, Mr. Baskirk ! " he repeated again. 
 " Mr. Drake, have the steam pump and long hose 
 ready to extinguish fire ! " 
 
 Whether the captain of the Raven had ordered 
 his men to scuttle the steamer, or to fire her in 
 several places, Christy could not know ; and he 
 did not much care, for he was ready to meet either 
 emergency. The St. Regis was bearing down on 
 her victim with a reduced speed. The men for- 
 ward and in the waist were all ready with the 
 grappling irons to fasten to her, and the boarders 
 were all prepared to leap upon her deck, though 
 no fighting was expected. 
 
 The bow of the St. Regis was near the stern of 
 the Raven, and Christy rang one bell to stop her, 
 and then two to back her. Then he sprang upon 
 the starboard rail of the ship where he could ob- 
 serve his men as they boarded the other steamer. 
 
328 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 " What are you about, sir? " yelled a man on the 
 quarter-deck of the Raven, who appeared to be 
 the captain of the vessel, in a rude voice. "Don't 
 you see that you are crushing my two boats and 
 the men in them ? " 
 
 " I did not order the boats or the men there," re- 
 plied Christy calml}^, and in a gentle tone, for the 
 captain of the blockade-runner was not ten feet 
 from him. 
 
 " I did," added the captain of the prize, for such 
 she really was by this time. '' 
 
 " Then you are responsible for them," said the 
 commander of the St. Regis. 
 
 " Do you mean to murder them? "gasped the 
 other captain furiously. 
 
 " If they are killed you have sent them to their 
 death ! " 
 
 But the commander had no time to argue the 
 matter with the irate captain. He had rung three 
 bells, and the ship was backing at full speed. The 
 momentum had not been sufficiently checked to 
 stop her, and the two boats were crushed to splin- 
 ters. The seamen who were in them saw what 
 was coming, and they seized the ropes which had 
 been dropped to them by the boarders on the rail 
 
THE FIKST PRIZE OF THE ST. REGIS 329 
 
 at the command of the captain, who did not wish 
 them to be sacrificed to the madness of their com- 
 mander, and they climbed to the chains of the 
 Federal ship with the aid of the boarders. 
 
 " Lay her aboard ! " shouted Christy as soon as 
 the headway of the ship had been checked, and 
 the grappling irons had been made fast. 
 
 The willing and active seamen poured from the 
 rails to the deck of the prize, their officers leading 
 the way. The main hatch had been removed and 
 a light smoke was coming up through the opening. 
 The hose from the steam pump of the ship had 
 been drawn on board, and the master was in charge 
 of it. At the command of the officers the men 
 leaped below at all the openings in the deck, and 
 it was found that she had been fired in half a 
 dozen places. 
 
 In most of them the combustibles had only been 
 lighted a few moments before, and they had not 
 become well-kindled. Except at the main hatch, 
 the men extinguished the flames with their hands 
 and feet, and a stream from the hose put out the 
 one amidships. The hoseman shut off the water, 
 and the ship's company of the St. Regis were in 
 full possession of the prize. 
 
330 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 ■" Anything more to be done, Captain Bristler ? " 
 asked the mate, as he apj)roached tha commander. 
 
 " Nothing more can be done, Mr. Victor," replied 
 the captain, who appeared to be overwhelmed with 
 wrath at the unexpected termination of his voyage. 
 " It is too late to scuttle her, and that vampire of a 
 Yankee has smashed both of our boats into kin- 
 dling wood. We did not begin the end soon 
 enough. 
 
 But the beginning had evidently ended sooner 
 than had been expected, and the Raven was the 
 prize of the St. Regis. Christy still stood on the 
 rail, and saw that all his orders had been executed 
 to the letter. Mr. Makepeace had sent the carpen- 
 ter and his gang into the hold, or as far as they 
 could get, to ascertain if the steamer had been 
 scuttled. It could not have been done without 
 breaking out a portion of the cargo, and this would 
 have been a ^vork of no little time. Tlie carpenter 
 reported that everything was all right below the 
 deck of the Raven, and the commander on the rail 
 was so informed. 
 
 " This is a heathenish outrage. Captain, if a 
 young cub like you can be tlie commander of a 
 ship like that!" exclaimed Captain Bristler, foam- 
 
THE FIEST PRIZE OF THE ST. REGIS 331 
 
 ill ST with raofe over the result of the affair; and he 
 interlarded his speech with all the oaths in the 
 vocabulary of a pirate. 
 
 " Captain Bristler, when you address me as one 
 gentleman should another, I will talk with 3'ou ; but 
 not till then," replied Christy with dignity. 
 
 " A gentleman ! " gasped the other captain. 
 "You tried to murder half a dozen of my men! 
 You are a Yankee pirate ! That's what you are ! " 
 
 We cannot soil this page with even a descrip- 
 tion of tlie oaths and curses with which he mixed 
 his language. Christy was disgusted with him ; and 
 while he still continued his impious ravings, he 
 send a midshipman with an order to Mr. Make^ 
 peace who was in charge of the hose pipe on board 
 of the Raven. While Captain Bristler was pouring 
 forth anathemas that made the blood of the loyal 
 officers run cold in their veins, the man who held 
 the hose pipe directed it to him, and the water was 
 turned on. 
 
 The stream struck the commander with force 
 enough to knock him down. But the bath was not 
 suspended on that account, and it was continued 
 till it had extinguislied the fire of profanity. 
 Christy made a sign, and the steam-pump ceased 
 
332 A VICTOEIOUS UNION 
 
 to work. The mate rushed to the assistance of the 
 captain, put him on his feet, and was conducting 
 him towards the companion, seeking a retreat in his 
 cabin ; but he was silent, perhaps from his inability 
 to speak. 
 
 "Stop, Mr. Victor!" called Christy to the mate. 
 " I cannot trust that man to remain on board of 
 the Raven ; and at the same time he directed Mr. 
 Baskirk to have him arrested and put in irons, if he 
 was violent. 
 
 " But this gentleman is the commander of the 
 steamer," interposed the mate. 
 
 " I don't care what he is ; if he were a gentleman, 
 as you call him, I would treat him like one ; but 
 he is a brute, and I shall treat him as such," replied 
 Christy, as two of his men, attended by two more, 
 laid hands on the dripping captain. "You may 
 send his clothes on board of this ship, Mr. Victor. 
 Have him committed to the brig, Master-at-Arms." 
 
 There was no appeal from the decision of "Com- 
 mander Passford, for his authority was supreme. 
 The refractory commander was committed to the 
 brig of the St. Regis, and his own steward was sent 
 to him with his clothes, with order to exchange his 
 wet garments for dry ones. 
 
THE FIRST PRIZE OF THE ST. REGIS 333 
 
 " Sail, ho ! " shouted the man on the cross trees, 
 who had remained there during the scene which 
 ]iad just transpired, while the commander was 
 descendincf from the rail. 
 
 Possibly the lookout man had been more atten- 
 tive to the proceedings on the deck of the Raven 
 than to his duty, for the sail must have been in 
 sight some little time before he reported it. The 
 two steamers, which had been vainly chasing the 
 prize, were now within half a mile of the St. Regis. 
 
334 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 CHAPTER XXX 
 
 ANOTHER SAILING CONTEST INAUGURATED 
 
 Although the Raven had not yet been disposed 
 of, the ship's company were immediately interested 
 in the vessel which the lookout had tardily an- 
 nounced ; and the vigor with which he had given 
 the hail to the deck indicated that he was conscious 
 of the defect. 
 
 " Where away ? " returned Mr. Baskirk ; though 
 it was a superfluous question, for all on the deck 
 who cast their eyes to the westward could see the 
 sail. 
 
 " On the starboard, sir." 
 
 Commander Passford was already examining 
 the distant sail with his glass, as were all the 
 officers who were not otherwise occupied. There 
 were fog banks in that direction ; and the craft 
 might have suddenly loomed up out of them, 
 though this did not appear to have been the case. 
 The sail was too far off to be made out with any- 
 thing like distinctness. It was a steamer headed 
 
ANOTHER SAILING CONTEST INAUGURATED 335 
 
 to the east, and the quantity of smoke that trailed 
 in the air above indicated that she had been liberal 
 in the use of coal in her furnaces. 
 
 As the sail was diminishing her distance from 
 the St. Regis, Christy turned his attention again 
 to the prize alongside his ship. The two chasers 
 that had been pursuing the Raven, neither of 
 which appeared to be capable of making more 
 than fourteen knots an hour, were now almost 
 within hailing distance. 
 
 The Raven was a steamer of nearly the size of 
 the St. Regis. She was not armed, and had a ship's 
 company of about thirty men, including officers. 
 Her cargo was miscellaneous in its character, con- 
 sisting of such merchandise as was most needed in 
 the Confederacy, especially in the army. A watch 
 had been set below on board of her to extinguish 
 fires if any more appeared ; but this peril had been 
 effectually removed. The attempt to destroy the 
 steamer and her cargo looked like malice and 
 revenge, and some of the officers of the ship 
 thought it ought to be regarded and treated as an 
 act of war. 
 
 To burn, scuttle, blow up, run ashore, or other- 
 wise destroy a blockade-runner after her situation 
 
336 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 has become absolutely hopeless can result only to 
 the benefit of the enemy, since it deprived the 
 Federals of the property that would otherwise be 
 confiscated under international law. But block- 
 ade-runners are regarded as neutrals unless proved 
 to be Americans, in which case they are subject to 
 the penalties of treason, and the forfeiture of the 
 ship and cargo is the only punishment. 
 
 Christy had never been able to regard this class 
 of persons with much respect, for they appeared to 
 be in league with the enemy. Captain Bristler 
 had not only attempted to break through the 
 blockade, which he and many of his countrymen 
 regarded as a legitimate business; but he had 
 attempted to burn his vessel. He had got out his 
 boats; and when she was wrapped in flames, he 
 evidently expected the Federal victor to pick up 
 himself and his ship's company, and treat the whole 
 of them as though they had not been, at least con- 
 structively if not really, in the service of the 
 enemy. 
 
 " The cold water applied to the commander of 
 the Raven has had a good effect upon him," said 
 the first lieutenant, as he touched his cap on the 
 quarter-deck of the St. Regis. " He sends word 
 
ANOTHER SAILING CONTEST INAUGURATED 337 
 
 that he regrets his conduct, and asks to be released 
 from confinement." 
 
 " He has behaved himself more like a swine than 
 a gentleman ; but I have no ill-will towards him, 
 for I regarded him as beneath my contempt," re- 
 plied Captain Passford. " I can understand his 
 condition, for of course he is suffering under a tre- 
 mendous disappointment ; but that does not atone 
 for his brutality." 
 
 " Certainly not, sir. He was running away from 
 the two blockaders that were pursuing him, and 
 had beaten them both. He was absolutely sure of 
 his escape till he encountered the fleet in shore 
 when the St. Regis came upon the scene," added 
 Mr. Baskirk. 
 
 " Her captain had no particular respect for our 
 steamer when he saw her, and kept on his course 
 as if in contempt of her, till we dropped a shot 
 near him. If he had headed to the south when he 
 first made out the St. Regis, he would have im- 
 proved his chances, but he would only have given 
 us a longer chase. Let Captain Bristler out of the 
 brig, Mr. Baskirk ; we will see if he can behave 
 himself any better ; but I will not allow any man 
 to swear at me if I can help myself." 
 
338 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 A little later Captain Bristler came on deck in 
 charge of the ship's corporal. He was dressed in 
 his best clothes, and his personal appearance had 
 been greatly improved. 
 
 " Captain Passford," said he, raising his cap to 
 the commander, " under the influence of my awful 
 disappointment at the failure of the Raven to out- 
 sail you, I was rude and ungentlemanly, and some 
 of my forecastle habits came back to me. I beg 
 your pardon ; and I shall show you that I know 
 how to be a gentleman, if I did forget myself for a 
 time." 
 
 " That is sufficient, and I accept your apology. 
 Captain Bristler," replied Christy with abundant 
 dignity. 
 
 " I did not believe there was a ship in the Fed- 
 eral navy that could outsail the Raven, for she was 
 built more for speed than for cargo," continued 
 the captain of the prize. 
 
 "The St. Regis is not the only one that can out- 
 sail the Raven. I have served in a steamer that 
 could heather four knots an hour in an emergency," 
 added Christy. 
 
 " What steamer is that, Captain ? " asked Cap- 
 tain Bristler. 
 
ANOTHER SAILING CONTEST INAUGURATED 339 
 
 " That is not important, but it was the one that 
 outsailed and captured the St. Regis when she had 
 another name." 
 
 " Then your ship was a blockade-runner ? " 
 
 "She was, and also a Confederate man-of-war; 
 she was the Trafalgar." 
 
 "Ah! Then I know her very M^ell ; and the com- 
 pany owning the Raven, of which I am a member, 
 offered nearly double what it cost to build the 
 Raven for her," replied Captain Bristler. " I can 
 understand now how I happened to be so thor- 
 oughly beaten in the last chase. She was built for 
 a yacht, and no money was spared upon her," 
 
 By this time the two steamers that had first 
 chased the Raven had stopped their screws, and a 
 boat was on its way from each of them. The two 
 cutters came up to the gangway, and the officer in 
 each ascended to the deck. Christy permitted the 
 captain of the Raven to take care of himself, while 
 he waited for the visitors to present themselves. 
 
 " I am very glad to see you, Mr. Amblen ! " ex- 
 claimed Christy, as he extended his hand; for he 
 recognized in the first officer the gentleman who 
 had been his third lieutenant in the Bronx. 
 
 " I am delighted to see you again. Captain Pass- 
 
340 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 ford," replied Lieutenant Amblen, for such was 
 his present rank. " I am now the executive offi- 
 cer of the Muskegon. I have the pleasure of 
 presenting to you Mr. Cartright, first lieutenant 
 of the St. Croix." 
 
 " I am happy to meet you, Mr. Cartright." 
 
 " I have often heard of you, Captain Passford, 
 and I am glad to see you in command of so fine 
 and fast a steamer as the St. Regis, though I never 
 heard of her before," added the executive officer 
 of the St. Croix. "Of course you are aware that 
 there is a steamer in sight to the westward of us." 
 
 " I am aware of it ; and for that reason we 
 should hasten our present business," replied 
 Christy, as he glanced at the steamer in the dis- 
 tance and the trails of smoke astern of her. "I do 
 not know who is the ranking officer here ; and I 
 have not yet reported to the admiral, for I took 
 part in the chase from the moment of my arrival." 
 
 " You are a lieutenant" — Mr. Amblen began. 
 
 "A lieutenant-commander, if you please," inter- 
 posed Christy with a smile. 
 
 "Then you are the ranking officer, Captain 
 Passford, for both of the other commanders are 
 lieutenants," added the executive officer of the 
 
ANOTHER SAILING CONTEST INAUGURATED 341 
 
 Muskegon. "We are ready to transmit your 
 orders to our superiors." 
 
 " My orders will depend somewhat upon tlie 
 steamer astern of us; and if you will excuse me a 
 few moments, I shall soon be ready to issue them," 
 replied Christy, as he took his spy-glass from the 
 brackets, and directed it to the approaching 
 steamer from the west. " What do you make of 
 her, Mr. Baskirk ? " 
 
 The executive officer had been observing the 
 steamer astern with his glass ; and she was not 
 more than four miles distant by this time. 
 
 " She is a large vessel, I judge, not less than a 
 thousand tons. She has all sail set and drawing, 
 and she seems to be making very rapid progress 
 through the water," replied the first lieutenant. 
 " But there are not less than three steamers pur- 
 suing her, though they are a long way astern of 
 her." 
 
 " I make out the chasers, and I should judge 
 that she is getting away from them," added 
 Christy. 
 
 " The leading steamer is turning her head to the 
 south ! " exclaimed Mr. Baskirk, with no little ex- 
 citement in his manner. 
 
342 ' A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 " I only wonder she has not done so before," 
 added the commander, rejoining the ofllcers of the 
 other steamers. " I believe Captain Wright of the 
 Muskegon outranks Captain Boyden of the St. 
 Croix," he continued. 
 
 " He does. Captain Passford," rei:)lied Mr. 
 Amblen. 
 
 " If you will excuse me a moment, I will write 
 an order for him ; " and Christy retired to his 
 cabin for this purpose. 
 
 His communication directed Captain Wright to 
 take possession of the Raven, and treat her pre- 
 cisely as though she were the prize of the IMuske- 
 gon and her consort ; and constructively she was 
 concerned in the capture of the vessel, especially 
 in the distribution of the prize-money. He added 
 to the order the fact that what appeared to be a 
 blockade-runner astern of his ship was outsailing 
 her pursuers, and the St. Regis being a very fast 
 steamer, his duty did not permit him to make any 
 further delay in taking part in the chase. 
 
 With this order in the hands of Mr. Amblen, 
 Christy took leave of the two officers and they de- 
 parted in their boats. But he was obliged to 
 await the arrival of u:ie or both of the block aders 
 
ANOTHER SAILING CONTEST INAUGUllATED 343 
 
 before starting the screw, for he was not willing to 
 leave any number of his crew in charge of the 
 prize. While he was waiting, he wrote a letter to 
 the acting admiral of the station, announcing his 
 arrival, and copying into it the material portion of 
 his orders from the department. 
 
 The Muskegon was the first to come alongside 
 of the Raven, which she did on the starboard side. 
 Captain Wright, crossing the deck of the Raven, 
 presented himself to Captain Passford on the 
 quarter-deck of the St. Regis; he was received 
 with Christy's accustomed politeness, and the prize 
 was handed over to him verbally, as it had been 
 done before in writing. 
 
 Captain Wright began to compliment Captain 
 Passford, with whose brilliant reputation he was 
 already very familiar ; but Christy interposed, 
 declaring that he was in a great hurry, and could 
 hear no more, if his orders were clearly under- 
 stood. Mr. Baskirk had directed the recall of all 
 the ship's company, with the exception of a mas- 
 ter's mate, who was to remain on board to give 
 any further information needed to the officers of 
 the Muskegon, and to be a witness in New York 
 at the prize court. 
 
344 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 Captain Bristler and his effects were sent back 
 to the Raven, the grappling irons and the fasts 
 were cast off, and the St. Regis backed out from 
 her position on the port side of the prize. Dur- 
 ing all this time Christy was very busy with his 
 glass. As Mr. Baskirk had discovered, the lead- 
 ingf steamer had three blockaders in chase of her. 
 She was now headed to the south, having done so 
 as soon as she saw the four vessels lying in her 
 course. 
 
 "Make the course south-Avest by south, Mr. 
 • Baskirk," said the young commander, after he 
 had brought his trigonometry into use again. 
 
 Then it became a very exciting question to 
 ascertain which was the faster steamer of the 
 two. 
 
A VICTORIOUS UNION 345 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI 
 
 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 The fog was coming and going in the distance, 
 and at times the land conld be just discerned. 
 In spite of the number and vigilance of the block- 
 ading fleet, several hundred blockade-runners had 
 succeeded in making their way into Cape Fear 
 River, though several hundred also had been cap- 
 tured, not to mention a very considerable number 
 that had been run ashore or burned when escape 
 became hoj)eless. 
 
 It was the policy of the Confederacy to send 
 out vessels to prey upon the commerce of the 
 United States. Some of them began their depre- 
 dations without making a port in the South, and 
 a few of the swift steamers that succeeded in get- 
 ting into Mobile, Wilmington, and other safe places, 
 were fitted out for the work of destruction. The 
 fog that prevailed inshore was favorable to block- 
 ade-runners ; and if there was a vessel of this, 
 
346 A VICTORlbuS UNION 
 
 character in Cape Fear River, the early morning 
 had been such as to tempt her to try to make her 
 way through the blockaders to sea. 
 
 " She is not one of the ordinary steamers that 
 run in and out of the river," said Mr. Baskirk, 
 while he and the commander were still watching 
 the progress of the chase, and Paul Vapoor was 
 warming up the engine as he had done before. 
 
 " She is larger than the St. Regis, but hardly 
 equal in size to the Bellevite," added Christy. 
 " She cannot draw more than twelve or fourteen 
 feet of water, or she could not have come out 
 through those shallow channels at the mouth of 
 Cape Fear River. She seems to have the sjjeed 
 to run away from her pursuers ; but probably not 
 one of them can make fifteen knots an hour." 
 
 The three pursuers of the blockade-runner had 
 changed their course when the chase did so ; but 
 it was already evident that they had no chance to 
 overhaul her. They were still three miles astern 
 of her, while the St. Regis, at sunset, was not more 
 than three. Not a shot had been fired by any one 
 of the steamers, and it would have been a waste of 
 ammunition to do so. 
 
 " We are gaining on her," said Christy, half an 
 
A VICTOEIOUS UNION 347 
 
 hour later. " That steamer is making sixteen knots 
 at least." 
 
 " If she has found out that we can outsail her, 
 very likely she will count upon the darkness to 
 enable her to give us the slip," suggested Mr. 
 Baskirk. 
 
 " Mr. Vapoor has come to his bearings, and in 
 another half hour we shall be within one mile of 
 her. But I am afraid we shall not be able to 
 settle this aifair finally to-night," replied Christy. 
 
 The darkness gathered around the two ships, 
 and none of the steamers in the distance could any 
 longer be seen. The officers could just make out 
 the steamer ahead, which still kept on her course. 
 The midship gun was now brought into use, and 
 a round shot was sent on its mission to her ; but 
 with little chance of hitting her in the increasing 
 gloom, for the sky was obscured with clouds, and 
 all the signs indicated fog during the night, which 
 would be exceedingly favorable to the chase. A 
 flash was seen in the distance, and then came the 
 roar of a heavy gun. 
 
 " She is not merely a blockade-runner ; for it ap- 
 pears now that she is an armed vessel, and has 
 some heavy metal on board," said Christy. 
 
348 A VICTOEIOUS UNION 
 
 " But no shot has come Avithin hearing," added 
 Mr. Baskirk. "Perhaps she only wished to in- 
 form us that she could bite as well as bark." 
 
 The St. Regis kept on her course for another 
 hour. Christy was very anxious, for the chase 
 was plainly a Confederate man-of-war, or a priva- 
 teer ; and if she escaped she might begin her work 
 of destruction the very next day. At two bells in 
 the first watch she could not be seen ; but the com- 
 mander kept on his course another half-hour, and 
 then he ran into a fog. 
 
 The log indicated that the ship was making her 
 best speed ; and if the chase continued on her for- 
 mer course, she must have been within sight or 
 hearing by this time. Christy peered through the 
 gloom of the night and the fog, and listened for 
 any sound. He kept up a tremendous thinking 
 all the time, and acted as thougli he was in doubt. 
 
 "Make the course east, Mr. Baskirk," said he, 
 calling the executive officer. 
 
 "East, Captain Passford?" interrogated the lieu- 
 tenant ; and if he tried to conceal the astonishment 
 he felt, his tones failed him. 
 
 " East, Mr. B-askirk," repeated the commander. 
 
 The course was given to the quartermaster at the 
 
A VICTORIOUS UNION 349 
 
 wheel ; and the St. Regis came about gradually, 
 and stood off in the direction indicated. Christy 
 had a theory of his own, in regard to the probable 
 movements of the chase, and he desired to be solely 
 responsible for the result: therefore he kept his 
 plan to himself. 
 
 " Call all hands, Mr. Baskirk, but without any 
 noise at all," continued the commander, while the 
 ship was still driving ahead at the rate of twenty 
 knots an hour. 
 
 The ship's comjjany silently took their stations, 
 and no one on the deck spoke a loud word, though 
 no order to this effect had been given. All the 
 wliite cotton cloth that could be found on board 
 was brought to the waist, where it was torn into 
 strips about three inches wide, and two feet in 
 length. These two pieces were distributed among 
 the ship's company, with the order to tie them 
 around the left arm, above the elbow. 
 
 The fog was deep and dense ; and the lookouts, 
 who were stationed on the top-gallant forecastle 
 and aloft, could not see a ship's length ahead. 
 Christy had gone forward, and made his way out 
 on the bowsprit, in order to get as far as possible 
 from the noise of the ensfine. He listened there 
 
350 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 for a full half-hour, and while the ship had made 
 ten miles. 
 
 "Starboard a little, Mr. Baskirk," he called to 
 the executive officer, who had followed him forward. 
 
 " Starboard, sir," repeated the officer, as he sent 
 the order aft. 
 
 " Port ! Port ! " exclaimed the commander with 
 more energy. 
 
 The orders were passed rapidly through the line 
 of officers till they reached the quartermaster con- 
 ning the wheel. The captain continued to listen 
 for another quarter of an hour. 
 
 "Steady!" he shouted aloud, and left his posi- 
 tion on the bowsprit to take another on the top- 
 gallant forecastle. " We are close aboard of her, 
 Mr. Baskirk ! Have your grappling irons ready ! 
 Lay her aboard as we come alongside ! " 
 
 By this time all hands forward could see the dark 
 hull of the enemy. The St. Regis was rapidly run- 
 nino- alonofside of her, for the chase did not seem 
 to be going at her former speed ; and no doubt her 
 commander was busy working out some manoeuvre 
 he had devised to escape from his pursuers. The 
 boarders threw their grappling-irons, and fastened 
 to the side of the enemy. 
 
A VICTORIOUS UNION" 351 
 
 The drum was liearcl on board of her, beating to 
 quarters ; but it was too hxte, for the boarders were 
 springing over her rail. Christy heard one bell on 
 the gong of the other ship, and instant!}' made the 
 same signal on his own. It was evidently a sur- 
 prise to the enemy, but the ship's company were 
 promptly rallied. The enemy was overwhelmed in 
 a few minutes, though not till several had fallen 
 on both sides. The captain seemed to have been 
 too busy with his manoeuvre to escape to attend to 
 present conditions. 
 
 While the commander of the St. Regis remained 
 on the deck, or even on the top-gallant forecastle, 
 the clang of his own engine prevented him from 
 hearing any other sounds ; and the enemy appeared 
 not to have seen the ship till she emerged from 
 the fog. The crew of the prize, as she was by this 
 time, were all driven below, and the victory was 
 complete. 
 
 " Do you surrender ? " demanded Mr. Baskirk of 
 the officer who appeared to be the captain. 
 
 "There appears to be no alternative," replied the 
 commander very gloomily ; and he did not attempt 
 to explain how his misfortune had come upon him. 
 He had counted upon the fog to insure his salva- 
 
352 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 tion ; but it appeared to have been the primary 
 cause of liis capture, though he certainly had not 
 been as vigilant as a conimander should be. Christy 
 came on board, and Mr. Baskirk introduced him. 
 
 " I am glad to see you, Captain Passford," said 
 the commander as a matter of form. " I was abso- 
 lutely sure that you would chase me to the west- 
 ward, sir ; and I had not the slightest expectation 
 of encountering you on this course." 
 
 " I took my chances of finding you in this dii-ec- 
 tion rather than in the opposite one," replied 
 Christy. "It appears that' I correctly interpreted 
 your strategy, though I dared not even mention 
 my plan to my executive officer." 
 
 " I have fallen into my own trap, and being cap- 
 tured as I was, is disgraceful to me," added Captain 
 Winnlock, as his name proved to be ; and the 
 steamer was the Watauga. 
 
 Christy's opinion of the capture did not differ from 
 that of the commander of the prize, but he made 
 no remark upon it. The Watauga was loaded 
 with cotton, which was to be sent to England 
 from Nassau, while the steamer was to go on a 
 cruise in search of defenceless merchantmen of the 
 United States. 
 
A VICTORIOUS UNION 353 
 
 "I have a passenger on board, Captain Passford, 
 who bears the same name that you do, and possibly 
 he may be one of your relatives, though he is by 
 no means a Federalist," said Captain Winn- 
 lock. 
 
 "Indeed ! May I ask his name?" replied Christy 
 very much surprised. 
 
 " Colonel Homer Passford, sir." 
 
 " My uncle again ! " 
 
 Mr. French, the master, had already been ap- 
 pointed prize-master; and while Mr. Baskirk was 
 making the arrangements for her departure for New 
 York, Christy accompanied the captain to the 
 cabin. Colonel Passford had learned the fate of 
 the Watauga ; and he sat at a table, his face 
 covered with both hands. 
 
 " I have brought down to see you. Colonel Pass- 
 ford, your nephew," said the commander ; and his 
 uncle sprang to his feet, and gazed at his brother's 
 son as though he had been a spectre. 
 
 " Christy! " he exclaimed ; but he could say no 
 more, and groaned in his anguish. 
 
 " He is a lieutenant-commander now, and captain 
 of the steamer St. Regis, formerly the Tallahatchie. 
 The Watauga is now unfortunately the ]3i"ize of 
 
354 A VICTOEIOUS UNION 
 
 his ship," added Captain Winnlock, as he retired 
 from the cabin. 
 
 "Captured again by my nephew," groaned the 
 unhappy colonel. "I believe you are the emissary 
 of the Evil One, sent to torment me." 
 
 "I am sent by the opposite Power, Uncle Homer," 
 replied Christy very gently. " But I am more aston- 
 ished to see you here than you ought to be to see 
 me, for I go wherever the fortunes of war carry 
 me." 
 
 " I was still trying to serve my country in her 
 misfortunes. I raised another cargo of cotton 
 among my friends, and it is now on board of this 
 vessel. It has fallen into your hands, where most 
 of my cotton has gone." 
 
 The victorious commander inquired for his aunt 
 and cousins in the South, and informed him that 
 his mother and sister were very well. He added 
 that he should be obliged to send him to New 
 York in the prize, and insured him a brotherly 
 welcome at Bonnydale. He parted with his uncle 
 pitying him very much ; but he had chosen for him- 
 self which side he would take in the great conflict. 
 
 The Watauga had a crew of sixty men, who 
 were to be re-enforced at Nassau, and a large prize- 
 
A VICTORIOUS UNION 355 
 
 crew had to be sent with her; but French returned 
 with his force in three weeks, and the St. Regis 
 was again fully manned. Christy received a letter 
 from the flag-officer, who commended him very 
 highly for the service he had rendered ; and the 
 St. Regis was continued on her present station 
 through the remainder of the summer, and during 
 the winter on the outer limit of the blockaders. 
 
 She made several captures, though all of them 
 without any fighting, for no more Confederate 
 men-of-war, actually or intended as such, came out 
 of Wilmington, or attempted to enter the Cape 
 Fear ; but he sent a large number of blockade- 
 runners, loaded with cotton coming out, or with 
 supplies for the Confederate armies going in, to 
 New York. 
 
 One day in August a large steamer was reported 
 to the commander of the St. Regis as coming from 
 the South. Christy was all ready for a battle if 
 she proved to be a Confederate cruiser ; but to his 
 great joy she turned out to be the Bellevite. The 
 ocean was as smooth as glass, and she came along- 
 side the St. Regis. The young commander has- 
 tened on board of her, followed by his chief 
 engineer. 
 
356 A viCTonious union 
 
 Captain Breaker actually hugged him amid the 
 repeated cheers and applause of the ship's com- 
 pany, and Paul Vapoor was received with hardly 
 less enthusiasm. Christy had to shake hands for 
 the next half-hour. 
 
 " But how do 3^ou and the Bellevite happen to 
 be in this latitude, Captain Breaker?" asked the 
 young commander Avhen he had an opportunity to 
 speak. 
 
 "Haven't you heard the news. Captain Pass- 
 ford?" demanded the captain of the Bellevite. 
 
 " What news ? We don't get the news so far 
 off shore," replied Christy. 
 
 " There was no farther use for my ship in the 
 Gulf, and I am sent here to report to the flag- 
 officer. Admiral Farragut turned his attention to 
 Mobile Bay with his fleet; and I gave him the in- 
 formation you procured for me. The Bellevite 
 took part in the battle, and it was the hottest 
 action in which I was ever engaged. My ship 
 was badly cut up in her upper works, but she 
 came out all right." 
 
 " This is glorious news. Captain Breaker ! " ex- 
 claimed Christy, waving his hat, whereupon the 
 tars in the waist broke out in a volley of cheers. 
 
Amid the cheeks and api'lause of the ship's company." Page 356. 
 
A VICTOUIOUS UNION 357 
 
 " Tlie carpenters have been busy since the action, 
 and the Bellevite is as good as new," added her 
 commander, as he proceeded to tell the story of 
 the great battle, to which Christy and Paul lis- 
 tened with breathless interest. "• Fort Morgan and 
 Fort Gaines surrendered, and the bay is open to 
 our ships." 
 
 The narrative has gone into history, and it is not 
 necessary to repeat it. The Bellevite reported to 
 the flag-officer ; and as her great speed fitted lier for 
 duty like that in which the St. Regis was engaged, 
 she was employed as a cruiser till the end of the 
 war, though she and Christy's ship took part in 
 the bombardment and capture of Fort Fisher in 
 January. The end was rapidly approaching. The 
 Bellevite continued to cruise until the end of the 
 war, announced to the world by the surrender of 
 General Lee. 
 
 Among the steamers ordered up the James 
 River were the Bellevite and the St. Regis, and 
 the sailors of both were among those who put out 
 the fire which threatened to consume the city of 
 Richmond. Christy saw the President there, and 
 was presented to him, Avhicli he will remember as 
 longf as he lives. In due time the St. Regis was 
 
S58 A VICTOIMOUS UJSION 
 
 ordered to the navy yard at New York. As early 
 as possible he hastened to Bonnydale, where all 
 the family and Bertha Pembroke were waiting for 
 him. It was a sort of nnited embrace which wel- 
 comed him; and all the day and half the night 
 were given to the narrative of the young com- 
 mander's adventures. They were all supremely 
 happy. 
 
 Peace had come, and the whole North was ring- 
 ing with the rejoicings of the people. Thousands 
 upon thousands had laid down their lives in the 
 army and the navy in their devotion to their countr}', 
 and were laid in graves far from home and kindred, 
 or committed to the silent depths of the ocean. 
 
 They had won Peace and A Victorious Union. 
 
 It was far otherwise in the South, though Peace 
 spread her mantle over the whole united nation. 
 Her people had fought valiantly, and made sac- 
 rifices which no one beyond their borders can 
 understand or appreciate. If the devotion and 
 self-sacrifice of the South, the bravery and deter- 
 mination with which her sons fought, and the 
 heroism with which they suffered and died, were 
 the only considerations, they deserved success. 
 But thirty years of peace have made the South 
 
A VICTORIOUS UNION 359 
 
 more prosperous than ever before, and her people 
 enjoy the benefits of the Victorious Union. 
 
 Homer Passford, like thousands of others in the 
 South, was a ruined man at the close of the war. 
 lie had lost his plantation, and he and his family 
 had nowhere to lay their heads. But he was a 
 true Southerner, and he did not regret or repent of 
 what he had done for what he called his country. 
 His brother chartered a steamer to bring the family 
 to Bonnydale, but only for a friendly visit. The 
 reunion was a happy one ; and neither brother was 
 disposed to talk politics, and those of the North 
 did not indulge in a single "I told you so ! " in the 
 presence of their defeated relatives. They were 
 the same as they had been before the war ; and it 
 is needless to say that Horatio generously helped 
 out Homer financially ; and now he is as wealthy 
 and prosperous as ever before. 
 
 When it came to disposing of the vessels that 
 were no longer needed for the navy, Christy 
 bought the St. Regis, for in a moderate way com- 
 pared with his father he was a rich man. On the 
 day he was twenty-one years old, Bertha Pembroke 
 became his wife ; and Paul Vapoor became the 
 husband of Florry Passford on the same occasion. 
 
obO A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 Over a year had elapsed since the war, and the 
 St. Regis had been entirely reconstructed in her 
 interior, and furnislied in the most elegant manner. 
 
 Her first mission was a voyage to Mobile to 
 bring the family of Uncle Homer to the wedding. 
 It was the grandest occasion that had ever been 
 known in the region of Bonnydale. The young 
 couple were to spend the summer on their bridal 
 trip on board of the elegant steam-yacht, visiting 
 various ports of Europe. 
 
 In the multitude who came to Bonnydale to assist 
 at the marriage of the young hero was Monsieur 
 Gilfleur, who was received with distinguished con- 
 sideration by all the family, including the bride 
 elect ; and it can be safely asserted that he was 
 one of the happiest of the guests who rejoiced in 
 the felicity of the ex-lieutenant-commander, for he 
 had resigned his commission at the close of the 
 war. This was not the first time they had met 
 since their memorable campaigns in Bermuda and 
 Nassau ; for the detective had spent a fortnight at 
 Bonnydale with his young friend, during which 
 they had told the stories of their experience in 
 secret service. They are fast friends for life. 
 
 Captain Passford, senior, presented to his son an 
 
A VICTORIOUS UNION 361 
 
 elegant house, built and magnificently furnished 
 while Christy and his wife were voyaging in 
 European waters. It is on the Bonnydale estate ; 
 and the grandfather of two boj-s and a girl does 
 not have to go far to visit the family, for he is 
 nearly eighty years old. Christy is somewhat 
 grizzled with iron gray hair and whiskers ; but he 
 is still the same as when he was a young officer, 
 and still as devoted as ever to the country he 
 helped to make A Victorious Union. 
 
OLIl^ER OPTIC'S BOOKS 
 
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 does not have entirely smooth sailing. In the first place he has 
 a rascally step-father whom he had to subjugate, a dear mother 
 to protect and care for, and the missing million to find before he 
 could commence his delightful travels. They are all accom- 
 plished at last, and there was plenty of excitement and brave 
 exploits in the doing of them, as the boy readers will find. The 
 cover design shows many things — a globe, the Eiffel tower, 
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 by every boy and girl in the country, and by thousands wlio have long since 
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 teresting pen that did so much to interest, instruct and entertain their younger 
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 not be fair to the prospective reader to deprive him of the zest v/liich comes from 
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 should be said in regard to the beauty and appropriateness of ^he binding, which 
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 he lias the Oliver Optic fever. He cafclies it by reading a few stray pages "ome 
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 lief comes only when the last page of the last book is read; and then there are 
 relapses whenever a new book appears until one is safely on through the 
 *«ens." ^ Literary News. 
 
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