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THE UNIVERSITY OF 
 
 NORTH CAROLINA 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 %r ending 
 ntendent. 
 
 THE WILMER COLLECTION 
 
 OF CIVIL WAR NOVELS 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 RICHARD H. WILMER, JR. 
 
Digitized by tine Internet Arcliive 
 
 in 2010 witli funding from 
 
 University of Nortli Carolina at Chapel Hill 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/fightingforright01opti 
 
THE BLUE AND THE GRAY 
 
 Two colors cloth Emblematic Dies Illustrated 
 
 Price per volume $i .50 
 
 Any Volume Sold Separately. 
 
 NAVY SERIES 
 
 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 WITHIN THE ENEMY'S LINES 
 ON THE BLOCKADE 
 STAND BY THE UNION 
 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 ARMY SERIES 
 
 BROTHER AGAINST BROTHER 
 
 IN THE SADDLE (In Press) 
 A LIEUTENANT AT EIGHTEEN (In Press) 
 (Other volumes in preparation) 
 
 Lee and Shepard Publishers Boston 
 
FIGHTING FOR TH,E RIGHT 
 
The Blue and the Gray Series 
 
 Fighting for the Right 
 
 OLIVER OPTIC 
 
 AUTHOR OF " THE ARMY AND NAVY SERIES " " YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD " " THB 
 
 GREAT WESTERN SERIES " " THE WOODVILLE STORIES " " THE STARRY FLAG 
 
 series" "the BOAT-CLUB SERIES" " 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" 
 
 "a missing million" "a millionaire 
 
 at sixteen " etc., etc., ,'etc. 
 
 BOSTON 
 LEE AND SHEPARD PUBLISHERS 
 
 lO MILK STREET 
 
COPYIIIGIIT, 1892 BY LlCH AND SlIEPARD 
 
 All Rights Reserved 
 
 Fighting fok the Right 
 
 TYPE-SrTTI>!0 ANT) El.WTKOT^TING I!Y 
 
 C. J. Pi:tkrs & Son, Boston 
 
 S. J. I'AliliUlLL 5l Co., PKINTEKS, BOBTON 
 
MY GRAND NEPHEW 
 
 RICHARD LABAN ADAMS 
 
 IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED 
 
 602662 
 
PREFACE 
 
 "Fighting for the Right" is the fifth and 
 last but one of " Tlie Blue and the Gray Series." 
 The character of the operations in connection with 
 the war of the Rebellion, and the incidents in 
 which the interest of the young reader will be 
 concentrated, are somewhat different from most of 
 those detailed in the preceding volumes of the 
 series, though they all have the same patriotic 
 tendency, and are carried out with the same devo- 
 tion to the welfare of the nation as those which 
 deal almost solely in deeds of arms. 
 
 Although the soldiers and sailors of the army 
 and navy of the Union won all the honors gained 
 in the field of battle or on the decks of the na- 
 tional ships, and deserved all the laurels they 
 gathered by their skill and bravery in the try- 
 ing days when the republic was in peril, they were 
 not the only actors in the greatest strife of the 
 nineteenth century. Not all the labor of "sav- 
 
 7 
 
» PREFACE 
 
 ing the Union " was done in the trenches, on the 
 march, on the gun deck of a man-of-war, or in 
 other military and naval operations, though with- 
 out these the efforts of all others would have been 
 in vain. Thousands of men and women who 
 never " smelled gunpowder," who never heard the 
 booming cannon, or the rattling musketry, who 
 never witnessed a battle on sea or land, but who 
 kept their minds and hearts in touch with the 
 holy cause, labored diligently and faithfully to 
 support and sustain the soldiers and sailors at the 
 front. 
 
 If all those who fought no battles are not hon- 
 ored like the leaders and commanders in the loyal 
 cause, if they wear no laurels on their brows, if 
 no monuments are erected to transmit their mem- 
 ory to posterity, if their names and deeds are not 
 recorded in the Valhalla of the redeemed nation, 
 they ought not to be disregarded and ignored. It 
 was not on the field of strife alone in tlie South 
 that the battle was fought and won. The army 
 and the navy needed a moral, as well as a material 
 support, which was cheerfully rendered by the 
 great army of the people who never buckled on a 
 sword, or shouldered a musket. Their work can 
 
PREFACE 9 
 
 not be summed up in deeds, for there was little or 
 nothing that was brilliant and dazzling in their 
 career. They need no monuments ; but their work 
 was necessary to the final and glorious result of 
 the most terrible war of modern times. 
 
 No apology is necessary for placing the hero of 
 the story and his skilful associate in a position at 
 a distance from the actual field of battle. They 
 were working for the salvation of the Union as 
 effectively as they coulcj^ have done in the din of 
 the strife. They were " Fighting for the Right," 
 as they understood it, though it is not treason to 
 say, thirty years later, that the people of the South 
 were as sincere as those of the North ; and they 
 could hardly have fought and suffered to the ex- 
 tent they did if it had been otherwise. 
 
 The incidents of the volume are more various 
 than in the preceding stories, which were so largely 
 a repetition of battle scenes ; but the hero is still 
 as earnest as ever in the cause he loves. He at- 
 tains a high position without any ambition to win 
 it ; for, like millions of others who gave the best 
 .years of their lives to sustain the Union, who suf- 
 fered the most terrible hardships and privations, so 
 many hundreds of thousands giving their lives to 
 
10 PREFACE 
 
 their country, Christy fought and labored for the 
 cause, and not from any personal ambition. It is 
 the young man's high character, his devotion to 
 duty, rather than the incidents and adventures in 
 which he is engaged, that render him worthy of 
 respect, and deserving of the honors that were be- 
 stowed upon him. The younger participants in 
 the war of the Rebellion, Christy Passford among 
 the number, are beginning to be grizzled with the 
 snows of fifty winters ; but they are still rejoicing 
 in " A Victorious Union." 
 
 William T. Adams. 
 
 DoECHESTER, April 18, 1892. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 A Conference at Bonny dale 15 
 
 CHAPTER II. , 
 A Complicated Case 26 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 The Departure of the Chateadgat .... 37 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 Monsieur Gilfleur explains 48 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 An Abundance of Evidence 59 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 The Boarding of the Ionian ..... 70 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 A Bold Proposition ....... 81 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 A Notable Expedition 92 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 The Frenchman in Bermuda lOiS 
 
 11 
 
12 CONTENTS 
 
 PAGIi 
 
 CHAPTER X. ^ 
 
 Important Information obtained .... 114 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 An Unexpected Rencontre 125 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 An Impracticable Scheme . . . . . . 136 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 At the End of the Chase 147 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 ■* An East Victory 158 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 The Gentleman with a Grizzly Beard . . . 1G9 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 Among the Bahamas 180 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 The Landing at New Providence .... 191 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 An Affray in Nassau 202 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 An Old Acquaintance 213 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 A Band of Rdffians 224 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 A Question of NbutraliIy 235 
 
CONTENTS 13 
 
 PAGE 
 
 CPIAPTER XXII. 
 On Board of the Snapper 240 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 The Cuateaugay in the Distance .... 257 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 TuE Tables turned ....... 268 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 Captain Flanger in Irons 279 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 A Visit to Tampa Bay 290 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 Among the Keys of Tampa ...... 302 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 The Sl'ukender of the Reindeer .... 313 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 Bringing out the Prize 324 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 A Very Important Service ...... 335 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 An Undesired Promotion 346 
 
FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 A CONFERENCE AT BONNYDALE 
 
 " Well, Christy, how do you feel this morn- 
 ing? " asked Captain Passford, one bright morn- 
 ing in April, at Bonnydale on the Hudson, the 
 residence of the former owner of the Bellevite, 
 which he had presented to the government. 
 
 " Quite well, father ; I think I never felt any 
 better in all my life," replied Lieutenant Pass- 
 ford, of the United States Navy, recently com- 
 mander of the little gunboat Bronx, on board of 
 which he had been severely wounded in an action 
 Avith a Confederate fort in Louisiana. 
 
 " Do you feel any soreness at the wound in your 
 arm ? " inquired the devoted parent with some 
 anxiety. 
 
 " Not a particle, father." 
 15 
 
16 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 " Or at the one in your tliigli? " 
 
 "Not the slightest bit of soreness^^ In fact, I 
 have been ready to return to my duty at any time 
 within tlie last month," replied Christy very cheer- 
 fully. " It would be a shame for me to loiter 
 around home any longer, when I am as able to 
 plank the deck as I ever was. In truth, I think 
 I am better and stronger than ever before, for I 
 have had a long rest." 
 
 " Your vacation has been none too long, for you 
 were considerably run down, the doctor said, in 
 addition to your two wounds," added Captain 
 Passford, senior; for the young man had held a 
 command, and was entitled to the same honorary 
 title as his father. 
 
 "These doctors sometimes make you think you 
 are sicker than you really are," said Christy with 
 a laugh. 
 
 " But your doctor did not do so, for your mother 
 and I both thought you were rather run out by 
 your labors in the Gulf." 
 
 " If I was, I am all right now. Do I look like a 
 sick one ? I weigh more than I ever did before in 
 my life." 
 
 " Your mother has taken excellent care of you. 
 
A CONFERENCE AT BONN YD ALE 17 
 
 and you certainly look larger and stronger than 
 when you went to sea in the Bronx." 
 
 " But I am very tired of this inactive life. I 
 have been assigned to the Bellevite as second 
 lieutenant, a position I prefer to a command, for 
 the reasons I have several times given you, father." 
 
 " I am certainly very glad to have you returned 
 to the Bellevite, though the honors will be easier 
 with you than they were when you were the com- 
 mander of. the Bronx." 
 
 ^' But I shall escape the responsibility of the 
 command, and avoid being pointed at as one who 
 commands by official influence," said Christy, rather 
 warmly ; for he felt that he had done his duty 
 with the utmost fidelity, and it was not pleasant 
 to have his hard-earned honors discounted by 
 fling's at his father's influence with the government. 
 
 " It is impossible to escape the sneers of the dis- 
 contented, and there are always plenty of such in 
 the navy and the army. But, Christy, you wrong 
 yourself in taking any notice of such flings, for 
 they have never been thrown directly at you, if at 
 all. You are over-sensitive, and you have not 
 correctly interpreted what your superiors have 
 said to you," said Captain Passford seriously. 
 
18 FIGHTING FOR THE EIGHT 
 
 His father recalled some of the conversations 
 between the young officer and Captain Blowitt 
 and others, reported to him before. He insisted 
 that the remarks of his superiors were highly 
 complimentary to him, and that he had no right to 
 take offence at them. 
 
 " I dare say I am entirely wrong, father ; but it 
 will do me no harm to serve in a subordinate 
 capacity," added Christy. 
 
 " I agree with you here ; but I must tell you 
 again, as I Ivave half a dozen times before, that I 
 never asked a position or promotion for you at the 
 Navy Department. You liave won jouv honors and 
 your advancement yourself," continued the father. 
 
 " Well, it wa-s all the same, father ; you have 
 used your tim-e and your money very freely in the 
 service of the government, as you could not help 
 doing. I know that I did my duty, and the depart- 
 ment promoted me because I was your son," said 
 Christy, laughing. 
 
 " Not at all, my son ; you deserved your pro- 
 motion every time, and if you had been the son of 
 a wood-chopper in the State of Maine, you would 
 have been promoted just the same," argued Cap- 
 tain Passford. 
 
A CONFERENCE AT BONNYDALE 19 
 
 " Perhaps I should," answered the young officer 
 rather doubtfully. 
 
 " After what you did in your last cruise with 
 the Bronx, a larger and finer vessel would have 
 been given to you in recognition of the brilliant 
 service you had rendered," added the father. " I 
 prevented this from being done simply because 
 you wished to take the position of second lieu- 
 tenant on board of the Bellevite." 
 
 " Then I thank you for it, father," replied Christy 
 heartily. 
 
 "But the department thinks it has lost an able 
 commander," continued the captain with a smile. 
 
 " I am willing to let the department think so, 
 father. All I really ask of the officials now is to 
 send me back to tlie Gulf, and to the Beilevite. I 
 believe you said that I was to go as a passenger in 
 the Chateaugay." 
 
 " I did ; and she has been ready for over a week." 
 
 " Why don't she go, then ? " asked Christy im- 
 2)atiently. 
 
 " On her way to the Gulf she is to engage in 
 some special service," replied Captain Passford, as 
 he took some letters from his pocket. 
 
 "Letters!" exclaimed the young lieutenant, 
 
20 FiGPlTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 Liugliing as he recalled some such missives on two 
 former occasions. "Do you still keep your three 
 agents in the island of Great Britain?" 
 
 " I don't keep them, for they are now in the 
 employ of the government, though they still report 
 to me, and we use the system adopted some two 
 years ago." 
 
 " Wliat is it this time, father?" asked Christy, 
 his curiosit}^ as well as his patriotism excited by 
 this time at the prospect of capturing a Con- 
 federate man-of-war, or even a blockade-runner. 
 
 " There are traitors in and about the city of 
 New York," answered Captain Passford, as he 
 returned the letters to his pocket. " We had a 
 rebel in the house here at one time, you remember, 
 and it is not quite prudent just now to explain the 
 contents of the letters." 
 
 " All right, father ; but I suppose you will read 
 them to me before I sail for the South." 
 
 "I will talk to you about it another time," 
 addfed the captain, as a knock was heard at the 
 door. " Come in ! " 
 
 It was the man-servant of the house, and he 
 brought in a tray on whicli there was a card, which 
 Captain Passford took. 
 
A CONFERENCE AT BONNYDALE 21 
 
 " Captain Wilford Cliantor," the captain read 
 from the card. " Show him in, Gates. Lieutenant 
 Cliantor is appointed to the command of the Clia- 
 teaugay, Christy, in which yon take passage to the 
 Gulf ; but she will not go there directly." 
 
 " Captain Chantor," said Gates, as he opened 
 the door for the visitor. 
 
 " I am happy to see you. Captain Chantor, 
 though I have not had the pleasure of meeting 
 you before," said the captain, as he rose from his 
 chair, and bowed to the gentleman, who was in 
 the uniform of a lieutenant. 
 
 "I presume I have the honor to address Captain 
 Horatio Passford," said the visitor, as he took a 
 letter from his pocket, bowing very respectfully 
 at the same time, and delivering the letter. 
 
 " I am very glad to meet you, Captain Chantor," 
 continued Captain Passford, taking the hand of the 
 visitor. " Allow me to introduce to you my son. 
 Lieutenant Passford, who will be a passenger on 
 your ship to the Gulf." 
 
 " I am very happy to make your acquaintance, 
 Mr. Passford, for I need hardly say that I have 
 heard a great deal about you before, and this is a 
 very unexpected pleasure," replied Captain Chantor. 
 
22 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 " Thank you, Ca2'>taiii, and I am equally happy 
 to meet you, as I am to be a passenger on your 
 ship," added Cliristy, as they shook hands very 
 cordially. 
 
 "I had three other passengers on board, but 
 they have been transferred to the store-ship, which 
 sails to-day, and you will be my only passenger." 
 
 " At my suggestion," said Captain Passford 
 smiling, doubtless at the puzzled expression of the 
 captain of the Chateaugay at his statement. 
 
 " I am to attend to some special service on my 
 voyage to the Gulf, and I am ordered to take my 
 instructions from you," added Captain Chantor. 
 
 " Precisely so ; but I hold no official position, 
 and your orders will be put in proper form before 
 you sail," replied Christy's father. " Now, if you 
 will be patient for a little while, I will explain the 
 nature of the special service." 
 
 " I shall be very glad to understand the subject, 
 and I am confident my patience will hold out to 
 any extent you may require." 
 
 The conversation so far had taken place in the 
 library. The owner of Bonnydale rose from his 
 arm-chair, opened the door into the hall, and looked 
 about him very cautiously. Then he closed a win- 
 
A CONFERENCE AT BONNYDALE 23 
 
 dow wliich the unusual warmth of an April day- 
 had rendered it necessary to open. He conducted 
 his companions to the part of the room farthest 
 from the door, and seated them on a sofa, while 
 he placed his arm-ohair in front of them. Even 
 Christy thought his father was taking extraor- 
 dinary precautions, and the visitor could make 
 nothing of it. 
 
 " As I have had occasion to remark before to-day, 
 there are traitors in and about New York," the 
 captain began. 
 
 "If you have any private business with Captain 
 Chantor, father, I am perfectly willing to retire," 
 suggested Christy. 
 
 " No ; I wish you to understand this special ser- 
 vice, for ycru may be called upon to take a hand in 
 it," replied Captain Passford; and the son seated 
 himself again. " There are traitors in and about 
 New York, I repeat. I think we need not greatly 
 wonder that some of the English people per- 
 sist in attempting to run the blockade at the 
 South, when some of our own citizens are indi- 
 rectly concerned in the same occupation." 
 
 This seemed to the captain of the Chateaugay 
 an astounding statement, and not less so to Clu-isty, 
 
24 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 and neither of tlieni could make an3dliing of it; 
 but they wei'e silent, concluding tliat the special 
 service related to this matter. 
 
 " In what I am about to say to you, Captain 
 Chantor, I understand that I am talking to an 
 officer of the utmost discretion," continued Cap- 
 tain Passford, " and not a word of it must be 
 repeated to any person on board of the Chateau- 
 gay, and certainly not to any other person what- 
 ever." 
 
 " I understand you perfectly, sir," replied the 
 officer. " My lips shall be sealed to all." 
 
 " I wish to say that the command of the Cha- 
 teaugay would have been offered to my son, but I 
 objected for the reason that he prefers not to have 
 a command at present," said the captain. 
 
 " That makes it very fortunate for me." 
 
 " Very true, though the change was not made 
 for your sake. You were selected for this com- 
 mand as much on account of your discretion as 
 for your skill and bravery as an officer." 
 
 " I consider myself very highly complimented 
 by the selection." 
 
 " Now to the point : I have information that a 
 fast steamer, intended to carry eight guns, called 
 
A CONFE HENCE AT BOXNYDALE ZD 
 
 the Oviclio, sailed from the other side of the ocean 
 some time since, and she is to be a vessel in the 
 Confederate navy. Her first port will be Nassau, 
 New Providence." 
 
 " Does that prove that any Americans are trai- 
 tors in and about New York, father ? " asked Christy. 
 
 " She is to run the blockade with a cargo con- 
 sisting in part of American goods." 
 
 Captain Passford took a file of papers from his 
 pocket. 
 
26 
 
 FIGHTING FOR THE EIGHT 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 A COMPLICATED CASE 
 
 Captain Passfokd looked over his papers for a 
 moment; but it was soon evident from his man- 
 ner that he had secrets wliich he would not in- 
 trust even to his son, unless it was necessary to do 
 so. He seemed to be armed with documentary 
 evidence upon which to act, but he did not read 
 any of his papers, and soon returned them to his 
 pocket. 
 
 " The American goods of which I speak are cer- 
 tain pieces of machinery to be used in the manu- 
 facture of arms," continued the captain. " They 
 cannot be obtained in England, and the traitors 
 have decided to send them direct, rather than 
 across the ocean in the first instance. These will 
 form the principal and most important part of the 
 cargo of a steamer now loaded, though she will 
 carry other goods, such as the enemy need most at 
 the present time." 
 
A COMPLICATED CASE 27 
 
 " I did not suppose any Americans were wicked 
 enough to engage in such an enterprise for the 
 sake of making money," said Christy indignantly. 
 
 " The steamer of which you speak is already 
 loaded, is she ? " asked Captain Chantor. 
 
 " She is ; and now I wish both of you to go with 
 me, and I will point out the vessel to you, and you 
 must mark her so well that you can identify her 
 when occasion requires." 
 
 The trio left the house and took the train 
 together. They went to New York, and in an out- 
 of-the-way locality they went down to a wharf; 
 but there was no steamer or vessel of any kind 
 there, and the pier was falling to pieces from 
 decay. Captain Passford stopped short, and seemed 
 to be confounded when he found the dock was 
 not occupied. 
 
 "I am afraid, we are too late, and that the 
 steamer has sailed on her mission of destruction," 
 said he, almost overcome by the discovery. " She 
 was here last night, and was watched till this 
 morning. She has already cleared, bound to Wil- 
 mington, Delaware, with a cargo of old iron." 
 
 "• Do you know her name. Captain Passford ? " 
 asked the commander of the Chateaugay. 
 
28 FIGnTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 " She was a screw steamer of about six hun- 
 dred tons, and was called the Ionian, but she is 
 American." 
 
 It was useless to remain there any longer, for 
 the steamer certainly was not there. Captain 
 Passford hailed a passing tug-boat, and they were 
 taken on board. The master of the. boat was 
 instructed to steam down the East River, and the 
 party examined every steamer at anchor or under 
 way. The tug had nearly reached the Piattery 
 before the leader of the trio saw any vessel that 
 looked like the Ionian. The tug went around this 
 craft, for she resembled the one which had been in 
 the dock, and the name indicated was found on her 
 stern. 
 
 " I breathe easier, for I was afraid she had criven 
 us the slip," said Captain Passford. " She is evi- 
 dently all ready to sail." 
 
 " The Cliateaugay is in commission, and ready to 
 sail at a moment's notice," added her commander. 
 
 " But you are not ready to leave at once, Christy," 
 suggested Captain Passford, with some anxiety in 
 his expression. 
 
 " Yes, I am, father ; I put my valises on board 
 yesterday, and when mother and Florry went down 
 
A COMPLICATED CASE 29 
 
 to Mr. Pembroke's I bade them both goocl-by, for 
 after I have waited so long for my passage, I felt 
 that the call would come in a hurry," replied 
 Christy. " I am all ready to go on board of the 
 Chateaugay at this moment." 
 
 " And so am I," added Captain Chantor. 
 
 "But I -am not ready witli your orders in fidl, 
 though they are duly signed," said Captain Pass- 
 ford. " I will put you on shore at the foot of 
 Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, Captain Chantor, 
 and you will hasten to your ship, get up steam, 
 and move down to this vicinity. I will put my 
 son on board as soon as I can have your papers 
 completed." 
 
 The order necessary to carry out this procedure 
 was given to the captain of the tug, and the com- 
 mander of the Chateaugay was landed at the place 
 indicated. The tug started for the other side of 
 the river. 
 
 "It seems to me this is very strange business, 
 father," said Christy, as he and his father seated 
 themselves at the stern of the boat. 
 
 " Traitors do not work in the daylight, my son, 
 as you have learned before this time," replied 
 Captain Passford. 
 
30 FIGHTING FOR THE EIGHT 
 
 " If you know the men who are engaged in sup- 
 plying the enemy with macliinery, why do you not 
 have them arrested and put in Fort Lafayette?" 
 aoked Chi'isty, in a very low tone, after he had 
 assured himself that no person Avas within possible 
 hearing distance. '' It looks as though the case 
 might be settled here, without going to sea to 
 do it." 
 
 " We have not sufficient evidence to convict 
 them ; and to make arrests Avithout the means of 
 conviction would be Avorse than doinof nothinof. 
 The Ionian has cleared for Wilmington Avith a 
 cargo of old iron. Everything looks regular in re- 
 gard to her, and I have no doubt there is some 
 party who would claim the castings if occasion re- 
 quired. The first thing to be ascertained is Avhether 
 or not the steamer goes to Wilmington." 
 
 " Then we can make short Avoik of her." 
 
 " My information in regard to this treason comes 
 from Warnock — you knoAV AA^ho he is?" 
 
 " Captain Barnes," replied Christy promptly, for 
 the names of all the agents of his father in England 
 and Scotland had been giA'^en to him on a former 
 occasion, when the information received from one 
 of the three had resulted in the capture of the 
 Scotian and the Arran. 
 
A COMPLICATED CASE 31 
 
 " Barnes is a very shrewd man. He does not 
 inform me yet in what manner he obtained the in- 
 formation that the Ovidio was to carry this ma- 
 chinery from Nassau into a rebel port ; but I shall 
 get it later in a letter. He gave me the name of 
 the party who was to furnish the machinery; and 
 one of his agents obtained this from the direction 
 of a letter to New York. I placed four skilful 
 detectives around this man, who stands well in the 
 community. They have worked the case admir- 
 ably, and spotted the Ionian. I have aided them 
 in all possible ways ; but the evidence is not com- 
 j)lete. H this steamer proceeds beyond Wilming- 
 ton, Captain Chantor will be instructed to capture 
 her and send her back to New York." 
 
 "Then this business will soon be settled," added 
 Christy. 
 
 " Perliaps not ; the government official, with au- 
 thority to act, is in New York. I shall see him at 
 once. I have no doubt the detectives have already 
 reported that the Ionian has moved down the 
 liver," said Captain Passford, as the tug came up 
 to a pier, where father and son landed. 
 
 They went to an office in Battery Place, where 
 the captain was informed that a special messenger 
 
32 FIGHTING FOR THE EIGHT 
 
 had been sent to Bonnydale to acquaint him with 
 the fact that the Ionian had moved down the river. 
 Files of documents, containing reports of detectives 
 and other papers, were examined and compared, 
 and then the government official proceeded to fin- 
 ish the filling out of Captain Chantor's orders. 
 The paper was given to Christy, with an order to 
 deliver it to the commander of the Chateaugay. 
 The tug had been detained for them, and they 
 hastened on board of her. 
 
 They found the suspected steamer at her moor- 
 ings still ; but it was evident that she was prepar- 
 ing;' to weio'h her anchor. The tutx continued on 
 her course towards the Navy Yard, and tlie Clia- 
 teaugay was discovered in the berth she had occu- 
 pied for the last two weeks. Everything looked 
 lively on board of her, as though she were getting 
 ready to heave up lier anchor. 
 
 " Christy, you will find on board of your steamer 
 a man by the name of Gildeur," said Captain Pass- 
 ford, as the tug approached the man-of-war. 
 
 " That sounds like a French name," inter^^osed 
 Christy. 
 
 "It is a French name, and the owner of it is a 
 Frenchman who has been a detective in Paris. He 
 
A COMPLICATED CASE 33 
 
 lias accomplished more in this matter than all the 
 others put together, and he will go with you, for 
 you will find in the commander's instructions that 
 you have more than one thing to do on your way 
 to the Gulf. I gave him a letter to you." 
 
 "I shall be glad to see him." 
 
 " Now, my son, we must part, for I have business 
 on shore, and you may have to sail at any moment," 
 said Captain Passford, as he took the two hands 
 of his son. " I have no advice to give you except 
 to be prudent, and on this duty to be especially 
 discreet. That's all — good-by." 
 
 They parted, after wringing each other's hands, 
 as they had parted several times before. They 
 might never meet again in this world, but both of 
 them subdued their emotion, for they were obeying 
 the high and solemn call of dutj^ ; both of them 
 were fighting for the right, and the civilian as well 
 as the naval officer felt that it was his duty to lay 
 down his life for his suffering country. Christy 
 mounted the gangway, and was received hj Captain 
 Chantor on the quarter-deck. He had been on 
 board before, and had taken possession of his state- 
 room. 
 
 The passenger took from his pocket the files of 
 
34 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 papers given him by the official on shore ; and then 
 he noticed for the first time an envelope addressed 
 to him. The commander retired to his cabin to 
 read his instructions, and Christy went to his state- 
 room in the ward room to open the envelope directed 
 to him. As soon as he broke the seal he realized 
 that his father had done a great deal of writing, 
 and he had no doubt the paper contained full in- 
 structions for him, as well as a history of the diffi- 
 cult case in which he was to take a part. A paper 
 signed by the official informed him that he was 
 expected to occuj)y a sort of advisory position near 
 the commander of the Chateaugay, though of course 
 he was in no manner to control him in regard to 
 the management of the ship. 
 
 Cliristy read his father's letter tln^ough. The 
 government was exceedingly anxious to obtain 
 accurate information in regard to the state of affairs 
 at Nassau, that hot-bed for blockade-runners. The 
 Chateaugay was to look out for the Ovidio, whose 
 ultimate destination was Mobile, where she was to 
 convey the gun-making macliinery, and such other 
 merchandise as the traitorous merchant of New 
 York wished to send into the Confederacy. The 
 name of this man was given to him, and it was 
 
A COMPLICATED CASE 35 
 
 believed that papers signed by him would be found 
 on board of the Ionian. 
 
 A knock at the door of his room disturbed his 
 examination of the documents, and he found the 
 commander of the steamer there. After looking 
 about the ward room, and into the adjoining state- 
 rooms, he came in without ceremony. 
 
 " Here is my hand, Mr. Passford," said he, suit- 
 ing the action to the word. " I find after reading 
 my instructions that I am expected to consult with 
 you, and as I have the very highest respect and 
 regard for you after the brilliant record you have 
 made " — 
 
 " Don't you believe that I won my promotion 
 to my present rank through the influence of my 
 father ? " demanded Christy, laughing pleasantly, 
 as he took the offered hand and warmly pressed it. 
 
 " If you did, your father did the very best thing 
 in the world for his countr}^, and has given it one 
 of the bravest and best officers in the service," 
 replied Captain Chantor, still wringing the hand 
 of his passenger. " But I don't believe anything 
 of the kind ; and no officer who knows you, even 
 if he is thirsting for promotion, believes it. I 
 have heard a great many of higher rank than 
 
36 FIGHTING FOE, THE RIGHT 
 
 either of us speak of you, and if you had been 
 present your ears would have tingled ; but I 
 never heard a single officer of any rank suggest 
 that you owed your rapid advancement to any- 
 thing but your professional skill and your un- 
 flinching bravery, as well as to your absolute and 
 hearty devotion to jonr country. I rank you in 
 date, Mr. Passford, but I would give a great deal 
 to have your record written against my name." 
 
 " Your praise is exceedingly profuse, Captain 
 Chantor, but I must believe you are honest, how- 
 ever unworthy I may be of your unstinted lauda- 
 tion," said Christy with his eyes fixed on the floor, 
 and blushing like a school-girl. 
 
 " I hope and believe there will be no discount 
 on our fellowship. A man came on board this 
 afternoon, and gives me a letter from the proper 
 authority, referring me to you in regard to his 
 mission." 
 
 Christy decided to see this person at once. 
 
THE DEPARTURE OF THE CHATEAUGAY 37 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 THE DEPARTURE OP THE CHATEAUGAY 
 
 The commander told Christy that he would 
 probably find the person who had brought the 
 letter to him in the waist, for he knew nothing of 
 his quality, position, or anything else about him, 
 and he did not know where to berth him, though 
 there was room enough in the ward room or the 
 steerage. He was dressed like a gentleman, and 
 brought two very handsome valises on board with 
 him. 
 
 " For all that, I did not know but that he might 
 be a French cook, a steward, or something of that 
 sort," added Captain Chantor, laughing. 
 
 " He is a man who is said to be a Napoleon in 
 his profession; but I will tell you all about him 
 after we get under way, for I am in a hurry to 
 speak with him," replied Christy. 
 
 " He is evidently a Frenchman," continued the 
 captain. 
 
38 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 " He is ; but I never saw him in my life, and 
 know notliing about him except what I have 
 learned from a long letter my father gave me 
 when I was coming on board." 
 
 " I have been told that you speak French like a 
 native of Paris, Mr. Passford," suggested the com- 
 mander. 
 
 "Not so bad as that; I have studied the lan- 
 guage a great deal under competent instructors 
 from Paris, but I am not so proficient as you may 
 think, though I can make my way with those who 
 speak it," replied the passenger, as he moved 
 towards the door of the stateroom. 
 
 "And I can't speak the first word of it, for I 
 have been a sailor all my life, though I went 
 through the naval academy somewhat hurriedly," 
 continued the commander. 
 
 "Fortunately you don't need French on the 
 quarter-deck ; " and Christy left the stateroom. 
 
 The captain went into his cabin, but came out 
 before the passenger could reach the deck. He 
 informed Christy that he was directed to heave 
 short on the anchor and watch for a signal men- 
 tioned, which was to be hoisted near the Battery. 
 He might get under way at any minute. 
 
THE DEPARTURE OF THE CHATEAUGAY 39 
 
 Christy found the person of whom the captain 
 had spoken in the waist. He was dressed in a 
 black suit, and looked more like a dandy than a 
 detective. He was apparently about forty years 
 of age, rather slenderly built, but with a graceful 
 form. He wore a long black mustache, but no 
 other beard. He was pacing the deck, and seemed 
 to be very uneasy, possibly because he was all 
 alone, for no one took any notice of him, though 
 the captain had received liim very politely. 
 
 "Monsieur Gilfleur?" said Christy, walking up 
 to him, and bowing as politely as a Parisian. 
 
 " I am Mr. Gilfleur ; have I the honor to address 
 Lieutenant Passford ? " replied the Frenchman. 
 
 " I am Lieutenant Passford, though I have no 
 official position on board of this steamer." 
 
 "I am aware of it," added Mr. Gilfleur, as he 
 chose to call himself, taking a letter from the 
 breast pocket of his coat, and handing it very 
 gracefully to Christy. 
 
 "Pardon me," added the young officer, as he 
 opened tlie missive. 
 
 It was simply a letter of introduction from 
 Captain Passford, intended to assure him of the 
 identity of the French detective. Mr. Gilfleur 
 
40 FIGHTING FOR THE EIGHT 
 
 evidently prided himself ou his knowledge of the 
 English language, for he certainly spoke it flu- 
 ently and correctly, though with a little of the 
 accent of his native tongue. 
 
 " I am very happy to meet you, Mr. Gilfleur," 
 said Christy in French, as he extended his hand to 
 the other, who promptly took it, and from that 
 moment seemed to lose all his embarrass- 
 ment. 
 
 " I thank you, Mr. Passford, for this, pleasant 
 reception, for it is possible that we may have a 
 great deal of business together, and I hope you 
 have confidence in me." 
 
 " Unlimited confidence, sir, since my father 
 heartily indorses you." 
 
 " I thank you, sir, and I am sure we shall be 
 good friends, though I am not a gentleman like 
 you, Mr. Passford." 
 
 " You are my equal in every respect, for though 
 my father is a very rich man, I am not. But we 
 are all equals in this country." 
 
 "I don't know about that," said the Frenchman, 
 with a Parisian shrug of the shoulders. " Your 
 father has treated me very kindly, and I have 
 heard a great deal about his brave and acconi- 
 
THE DEPARTURE OF THE CH ATE AUG AY 41 
 
 plished son," said Mr. Gilfleur, with a very defer- 
 ential bow. 
 
 " Spare me ! " pleaded Christy, with a depreca- 
 tory smile and a shake of the head. 
 
 " You are very modest, Mr. Passford, and I will 
 not offend you. I am not to speak of our mission 
 before the Chateaugay is out of sight of land," 
 said the detective, looking into the eyes of the 
 young man with a gaze which seemed to reach the 
 soul, for he was doubtless measuring the quality 
 and calibre of his associate in the mission, as he 
 called it, in which both were engaged. " I knew 
 your father very well in Paris," he added, with- 
 drawing his piercing gaze. 
 
 " Then you are the gentleman who found the 
 stewardess of the Bellevite when she ran away 
 with a bag of French gold at Havre?" said Christy, 
 opening his eyes. 
 
 "I have the honor to be that person," replied 
 Mr. Gilfleur, with one of his graceful bows. " It 
 was a difficult case, for the woman was associated 
 with one of the worst thieves of Paris, and it took 
 me a month to run them down." 
 
 " Though I was a small boy, I remember it very 
 well, for I was on board of the Bellevite at the 
 
42 FIGHTING FOR THE EIGHT 
 
 time," replied Christy. "I know that he was very 
 enthusiastic in his praise of the wonderful skill of 
 the person who recovered the money and sent the 
 two thieves to prison. I understand now why my 
 father sent to Paris for you when he needed a 
 very skilful person of your profession." 
 
 " Thank you, Mr. Passford ; you know me now, 
 and we shall be good friends." 
 
 "No doubt of it; but here comes the captain, 
 and I have a word to say to him," added Christy, 
 as he touched his naval cap to the commander. 
 "Allow me to introduce to you my friend Mr. 
 Gilfleur, whom my father employed in Havre six 
 years ago." 
 
 The captain was as polite as the Frenchman, 
 and gave him a hearty reception. Christy then 
 suggested that his friend should be berthed in the 
 ward room. The ship's steward was called, and 
 directed to give Mr. Gilfleur a room next to the 
 other passenger. As they were likely to have 
 many conferences together in regard to the busi- 
 ness on their hands, they were both particular in 
 regard to the location of their rooms ; and the 
 chief steward suited them as well as he could. 
 
 The detective spoke to him in French, but the 
 
THE DEPARTURE OF THE CHATEAUGAY 43 
 
 steward could not understand a word he said. 
 Christy inquired if any of the ward-room officers 
 spoke the polite language, for his friend might 
 sometimes wish to converse in his own tongue. 
 
 " I don't believe they do, for they all got into 
 the ward room through the hawse-hole," replied 
 the steward, laugliing at the very idea. 
 
 When the passengers went on deck, the com- 
 mander introduced them both to the officers of the 
 ship. To each in turn, at the request of Christy, 
 he put the question as to whether or not he 
 could speak French ; and they all replied promptly 
 in the negative, and laughed at the inquiry. 
 
 " Have you no one on board who speaks French, 
 Captain Chanter ? " asked Christy. 
 
 " I don't know anything about it, but as it seems 
 to be of some importance to you and your friend, 
 I will ascertain at once. Mr. Suppleton, will you 
 overhaul the ship's company, and see if you can 
 find any one that speaks French," continued the 
 commander, addressing the chief steward. 
 
 In about half an hour he returned, and reported 
 that he was unable to find a single person who 
 could speak a word of French. Doubtless many 
 of the officers, who were of higher grade than any 
 
44 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 on board of the Chateaugay, were fluent enough 
 in the language, but they were not to be found in 
 the smaller vessels of the navy; for, whatever 
 their rank before the war, they had all been ad- 
 vanced to the higher positions. Every one of 
 the officers on board of this steamer had been the 
 captain of a vessel, and had been instructed in the 
 profession after the war began. Though substan- 
 tially educated, they were not to be compared in 
 this respect with the original officers. 
 
 " We can talk as much as we please of our 
 mission after we get out of sight of land ; and as 
 long as we do it in French, no one will understand 
 us," said Christy to his fellow-passenger. 
 
 " As soon as we are permitted by my orders to 
 do so, I shall have much to say to you, Mr. Pass- 
 ford," replied Mr. Gilfleur. 
 
 " On deck ! " shouted a man in the mizzen- 
 top. 
 
 " Aloft ! " returned Mr. Birdwing, the first 
 lieutenant. 
 
 " Signal over the boarding-station, sir ! " re- 
 ported the quartermaster in the top. " It is a 
 number — ' Get under way ! ' " 
 
 The executive officer reported the signal to the 
 
THE DEPARTURE OF THE CHATEADGAY 45 
 
 commander, though he was on deck, and had 
 heard the words of the quartermaster. 
 
 " Get under way at once, Mr. Birdwing," said 
 the captain. 
 
 " Boatswain, all hands up anchor ! " said the' 
 first lieutenant to this officer; and in a moment 
 the call rang through the ship. 
 
 Every officer and seaman was promptly in his 
 station, for it was a welcome call. The ship's 
 company were dreaming of prize-money, for ofli- 
 cers had made fabulous sums from this source. 
 In one instance a lieutenant received for his share 
 nearly forty thousand dollars ; and even an ordi- 
 nary seaman pocketed seventeen hundred from a 
 single capture. The Chateaugayans were anxious 
 to engage in this harvest, and in a hurry to be on 
 their way to the field of fortune. 
 
 In a short time the steamer was standing down 
 East River at moderate speed. The Ionian could 
 not be seen yet, and nothing in regard to her was 
 known to any one on board except the captain aiKl 
 his two passengers. As the ship approached the 
 battery, a tug, which Christy recognized as the 
 one his father had employed, came off and hailed 
 the Chateaugay. The screw was stopped, and 
 
46 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 Captain Passford was discovered at her bow. He 
 waved his hat to his son, saluted the commander 
 in the same manner, and then passed up an 
 envelope. 
 
 Tlie tug sheered off, and the ship continued on. 
 her course, with a pilot at the wheel. The mis- 
 sive from the shore was addressed to Captain 
 Chantor. He opened it at once, and then ordered 
 one bell to be rung to stop her. A few moments 
 later a heavy tug came off, and twelve men were 
 put on board, with an order signed by the govern- 
 ment official for the commander to receive them 
 on board. There had evidently been some after- 
 thoughts on shore. These men were turned in 
 with the crew, except two who were officers, and 
 they were put in the ward room. The ship then 
 proceeded on her course. 
 
 " The Ionian is about two miles ahead of us, 
 Mr. Passford," said the captain, after he had used 
 his glass diligently for some time. And he spoke 
 in a very low tone. 
 
 " We have no business with her at present," 
 added Christy. 
 
 " None, except to watch her ; and, fortunately, 
 we have fine, clear weather, so that will not be a 
 
THE DEPARTURE OF THE CHATEAUGAY 47 
 
 difficult job. By the way, Mr. Passford, the enve 
 h^pe I received was from your father, and he gives 
 me information of another steamer expected in 
 the vicinity of Bermuda about this time; and he 
 thinks we had better look for her when she comes 
 out from those islands," said the captain, evidently 
 delighted with the prospect before him. 
 
 " What are these men for that were sent off in 
 the tug ? " Christy inquired ; for he felt that he 
 had a right to ask the question. 
 
 " They are to take the Ionian back to 'Ne^^ 
 York, if we have to capture her." 
 
 Captain Passford appeared to be afraid tho 
 Chateaugay would be shorthanded if she had to 
 send a prize crew home with the Ionian. 
 
48 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 MONSIEUR GILFLEITR EXPLAINS 
 
 The two officers and ten men that had been 
 sent off to the Chateaugay after she got under 
 way, had evidently been considered necessary by 
 the authorities on shore after the receipt of the 
 intelligence that another vessel for the Confeder- 
 ates had been sent to Bermuda. A steamer had 
 arrived that day from Liverpool, and Captain 
 Passford must have received his mail after he 
 landed from the tug. Captain Chantor had waited 
 several hours for the signal to get under way, and 
 there had been time enough to obtain the rein- 
 forcement from the Navy Yard. 
 
 The officer in command of the detachment of 
 sailors said that he had been ordered to follow the 
 Chateaugay, and he had been provided with a fast 
 boat for this- purpose. The steamer proceeded on 
 her course as soon as the transport boat had cast 
 off her fasts, and everything suddenly quieted 
 
MONSIEUR GILFLEUR EXPLAINS 49 
 
 down on board of her. The distance between the 
 Ionian and the man-of-war was soon reduced to 
 about a mile. It was beginning to grow dark, but 
 the crew had been stationed and billed while the 
 ship lay off the Navy Yard ; but the new hands 
 sent on board were assigned to watches and 
 quarter-watches, stationed and billed, as though 
 they were a part of the regular ship's company. 
 One of the two additional officers was placed in 
 each of the watches. 
 
 Before it was really dark everj^thing on board 
 was in order, and the ship was put in perfect trim. 
 Christy could not help seeing that Captain Chan- 
 tor was a thorough commander, and that his offi- 
 cers were excellent in all respects. He walked 
 about the ship, wishing to make himself familiar 
 with her. His father had not written to him in 
 regard to the second vessel which the Chateaugay 
 was to look out for in the vicinity of the Ber- 
 muda Islands, and he only knew what the captain 
 had told him in regard to the matter. 
 
 If the steamer was armed, as probably she was, 
 an action would be likely to come off, and the 
 young lieutenant could not remain idle wliile a 
 battle was in pi-ospcct. His quick eye enabled 
 
50 FIGHTING FOR THE KIGHT 
 
 him to take in all he saw without much study, 
 and only one thing bothered him. In the waist, 
 secured on blocks, was something like the ordinary 
 whaleboat used in the navy; but it was somewhat 
 larger than those with which he was familiar in 
 the discharge of his duties, and differed in other 
 respects from them. The first watch would begin 
 at eight o'clock, and all hands were still on duty. 
 
 "What do you call this boat, Mr. Carlin?" 
 asked Christy, as the third lieutenant was passing 
 him. 
 
 " I call it a nondescript craft," replied the offi- 
 cer, laughing. " It is something like a whaleboat, 
 but it isn't one." 
 
 " What is it for ? " inquired the passenger. 
 
 " That is more than I know, sir. It was put on 
 deck while we were still at the Navy Yard. I 
 never saw a boat just like it before, and I have 
 not the remotest idea of its intended use. Prob- 
 ably the captain can infoi'm you." 
 
 Christy was no wiser than before, but his curi- 
 osity was excited. He strolled to the quarter- 
 deck, where he found the captain directing his 
 night-glass towards the Ionian, which showed her 
 port light on the starboard hand, indicating that 
 
MONSIEUR GILFLEUU EXPLAINS 51 
 
 the Chateaugay was running ahead of her. The 
 commander called the second lieutenant, and gave 
 him the order for the chieT engineer to reduce the 
 speed of the ship. 
 
 " The Ionian is a slow boat ; at least, she is 'not 
 as fast as the Chateaugay, Mr. Passford," said Cap- 
 tain Chantor, when Christy had halted near him. 
 
 " That is apparent," replied Christy. " How 
 many knots can you make in your ship, Captain 
 Chantor?" 
 
 " I am told that she has made fifteen when 
 driven at her best." 
 
 " That is more than the average of the steamers 
 in the service by three knots," added Christy. " I 
 have just been forward, Captain, and I saw there 
 a boat which is not quite on the regulation 
 pattern." 
 
 " It is like a whaleboat, though it differs from 
 one in some respects," added the commander. 
 
 "Is it for ordinary service. Captain Chantor?" 
 
 " There you have caught me, for I don't know 
 to what use she is to be applied," replied the cap- 
 tain, laughing because, as the highest authority on 
 board of the ship, he was unable to answer the 
 question. 
 
52 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 " You don't know ? " queried Christy. " Or 
 have I asked an indiscreet question ? " said the 
 passenger. 
 
 " If I knew, and found it necessary to conceal 
 my knowledge from you, I should say so squarely, 
 Mr. Passford," added the commander, a little 
 piqued. " I would not resort to a lie." 
 
 " I beg your pardon, Captain Chantor ; I cer- 
 tainly meant no offence," pleaded Christy. 
 
 "•No offence, Mr. Passford; my hand upon it," 
 said the commander, and they exchanged a friendly 
 grip of the hands. "I really know nothing at all 
 in regard to the intended use of the boat ; in my 
 orders, I am simply directed to place it at the dis- 
 posal of Mr. Gilfleur at such time and place as he 
 may require, and to co-operate with him in any 
 enterprise in which he may engage. I must refer 
 you to the French gentleman for any further 
 information." 
 
 The passenger went below to the ward room. 
 The door of the detective's room was closed, and 
 he knocked. He was admitted, and there he 
 found Mr. Gilfleur occupied with a file of papers, 
 which he was busily engaged in studying. In the 
 little apartment were two middle-sized valises, 
 
MONSIEUR GILFLEUR EXPLAINS 53 
 
 which made it look as though the detective ex- 
 pected to pass some time on his present voyage to 
 the South. 
 
 " I hope I don't disturb you, Mr. Gilfleur," said 
 Christy in French. 
 
 " Not at all, Mr. Passford ; I am glad to see you, 
 for I am ordered to consult very freely with you, 
 and to inform you fully in regard to all my plans," 
 replied the Frenchman. 
 
 " Perhaps you can tell me, then, what that boat 
 in the waist is for," Christy began, in a very pleas- 
 ant tone, and in his most agreeable manner, per- 
 haps copying to some extent the Parisian suavity, 
 as he had observed it in several visits he had made 
 to the gay capital. 
 
 "I can tell you all about it, Mr. Passford, 
 though that is my grand secret. No other person 
 on board of this ship knows what it is for ; but you 
 are my confidant, though I never had one before in 
 the practice of my profession," replied Mr. Gil- 
 fleur, fixing his keen gaze upon his associate. " A 
 man's secret is the safest when he keeps it to him- 
 self. But I will tell you all about it." 
 
 " No ! no ! I don't wish you to do that, Mr. Gil- 
 fleur, if you deem it wise to keep the matter to 
 
64 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 yourself," interposed Christy. " My curiosity is a 
 little excited, but I can control it." 
 
 " I shall tell you all about it, for this affair is 
 different from the ordinary practice of ni}^ profes- 
 sion," replied the detective ; and he proceeded to 
 give a history of the boat in the waist, and then 
 detailed the use to which it was to be applied. 
 
 " I am quite satisfied, and I should be glad to 
 take part in the expedition in which you intend 
 to use it," said Christy wlien the explanation in 
 regard to the boat was finished. 
 
 " You would be willing to take part in my little 
 enterprise ! " exclaimed the Frenchman, his eyes 
 lighting up with pleasure. 
 
 " I should ; why not ? " 
 
 " Because it may be very dangerous, and a slight 
 slip may cost us both our lives," replied the detec- 
 tive very impressively, and with another of his 
 keen and penetrating glances. 
 
 "I have not been in the habit of keeping under 
 cover in my two years' service in the navy, and I 
 know what danger is," added Christy. 
 
 " I know you are a very brave young officer, Mr. 
 Passford, but this service is very different from 
 that on the deck of a ship of war in action. But 
 
MONSIEUR GILFLEUll EXPLAINS 55 
 
 we will talk of that at a future time," said Mr. 
 Gilfleur, as he rose hastily from his arm-chair 
 at the desk, and rushed out into the ward 
 room. 
 
 Christy had heard footsteps outside of the door, 
 and he followed his companion. They found there 
 Mr. Suppleton, the ship's steward, with the two 
 extra officers who had been sent on board. 
 
 " Do you speak French, gentlemen ? " asked the 
 detective, addressing himself to the two officers. 
 
 " Not a word of it," replied Mr. Gwyndale, one 
 of them. 
 
 " Not a syllable of it," added Mr. Tempers, the 
 other. 
 
 " Excuse me, gentlemen," said Mr. Gilfieur, as 
 he retreated to his room. 
 
 Mr. Suppleton introduced the two new officers 
 to Christy, and fie then followed his associate. 
 The Frenchman was afraid the new-comers under- 
 stood his native language, and had been listening 
 to his explanation of the use of the strange boat ; 
 but he had spoken in a whisper, and no one could 
 have heard him, even if the listener had been a 
 Frenchman. 
 
 " We are all right," said the detective when 
 
56 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 they had both resumed their seats, and the French- 
 man had begun to overhaul his papers. 
 
 Mr. Gilfleur proceeded to exphxin in what 
 manner he had obtained his knowledge of the plot 
 to send the gun-making machinery to the South. 
 One of Captain Passford's agents had ascertained 
 the name of Hillman Davis, who was in correspond- 
 ence with those who were fitting out the ships 
 for the Confederate service. 
 
 "But that is all we learned from the letters — 
 that the men who were sending out the ships were 
 in correspondence with this man Davis, who is a 
 very respectable merchant of New York," Mr. 
 Gilfleur proceeded. 
 
 " Is that all you had to start with, my friend ? " 
 asked Christy. 
 
 " That was all ; and it was very little. Your 
 American detectives are morf cautious than 
 Frenchmen in the same service." 
 
 " I don't see how in the world you could work 
 up the case with nothing more than a mere name 
 to begin with," added Christ}^, beginning to have 
 a higher opinion than ever of the skill of the 
 French detective. 
 
 " I tell you it was a narrow foundation on which 
 
MONSIEUR GILFLEUR EXPLAINS 67 
 
 to work up the case. It may amuse you, but I 
 will tell you how it was done. In the first place, 
 Captain Passford gave me all the money I needed 
 to work with. I applied for a situation at Mr. 
 Davis's warehouse. He imported wines and 
 liquors from France ; when his corresponding clerk, 
 who spoke and wrote French, was commissioned 
 as a lieutenant in the army, he was looking for a 
 man to take his place. He employed me. I had 
 charge of the letters, and carried the mail to him 
 in his private counting-room every time it came." 
 
 "I don't believe that any of our American 
 detectives would have been competent to take 
 such a position," suggested Christy, deeply inter- 
 ested in the narrative. 
 
 " That is where I had the advantage of them. 
 I was well educated, and was graduated from the 
 University of France, with the parchment in that 
 valise, signed by the minister of education. The 
 carrier brought all the letters to my desk. I 
 looked them over, and when I found any from 
 England or Scotland, or even France, I opened 
 and read them." 
 
 " How could you do that ? " asked Christy 
 curiously. 
 
68 FIGHTING FOR THE EIGHT 
 
 " I was educated to be a lawyer ; but before I 
 entered upon the profession, I found I had a taste 
 for the detective service. I did some amateur 
 work first, and was very successful. I afterwards 
 reached a high position in the service of the 
 government. I acquired a great deal of skill in 
 disguising myself, and in all the arts of the pro- 
 fession. I could open and reseal a letter so that 
 no change could be discovered in its appearance, 
 and this was what I did in the service of Mr. 
 Davis. He was a mean man, the stingiest I ever 
 met, and he was as dishonest and unscrupulous as 
 a Paris thief. I copied all the letters connected 
 with the case I had in hand, and this enabled me to 
 get to the bottom of the traitor's plot. He wrote 
 letters himself, not only to England and Scotland, 
 but to people in the South, sending them to Ber- 
 muda and Nassau. I took copies of all these, and 
 saved one or two originals. My pay was so small 
 that I resigned my situation," and he flourished 
 a srreat file of letters as he finished. 
 
AN ABUNDANCE OP EVIDENCE 69 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 AN ABUNDANCE OF EVIDENCE 
 
 Captain Passford had certainly kept his own 
 counsel with punctilious care ; for he had never 
 even mentioned the skilful detective in his family, 
 though the members of it had met the gentleman 
 in Paris and in Havre. Mr. Gilflcur was in con- 
 stant communication with him while he was work- 
 ing up the exposure of the treason of Davis, who 
 might have been a relative of the distinguished 
 gentleman at the head of the Southern Con- 
 federacy, though there was no evidence to this 
 effect. 
 
 " If the captain of this steamer manages his 
 affair well with the Ionian, I expect to find letters 
 on board of her signed by Davis," continued Mr. 
 Gilfleur. " From the information I obtained, your 
 father put American detectives on the scent of 
 Davis, who dogged him day and night till they 
 found the Ionian, and ascertained in what manner 
 
60 FIGHTING FOE THE RIGHT 
 
 she obtained her cargo ; but she had been partly 
 loaded before they reached a conclusion, and it is 
 suspected that she has arms under the pieces of 
 machinery, perhaps cannon and ammunition." 
 
 The detective continued to explain his operations 
 at greater length than it is necessary to report 
 them. Christy listened till nearly midnight, and 
 then he went on deck to ascertain the position of 
 the chase before he turned in. He found the cap- 
 tain on the quarter-deck, vigilant and faithful to 
 his duty, and evidently determined that the Ionian , 
 should not elude him. 
 
 "You are up late, Mr. Passford," said the cap- 
 tain, when he recognized his passenger in the 
 gloom of the night. 
 
 " I have been busy, and I came on deck to see 
 where the Ionian was before I turned in," replied 
 Christy. 
 
 "I think the rascal has a suspicion that we have 
 some business with him, for at four bells he turned 
 his head in for the shore," added the commander. 
 "If you go forward you will see that we have 
 dowsed every glim on board, even to our mast- 
 head and side lights." 
 
 " You are carrying no starboard and port 
 liglit ? " 
 
AN ABUNDANCE OF EVIDENCE 61 
 
 " None ; but we have a strong lookout aloft, and 
 in every other available place. When the chase 
 headed for the shore, we kept on our course for 
 half an hour, and then put out the lights. We 
 came about and went off to the eastward for 
 another half-hour. Coming about, we went to the 
 westward till we made her out, for she has not 
 extinguished her lights. It is dark enough to con- 
 ceal the ship from her, and no doubt she thinks 
 we are still far to the southward of her. At any 
 rate, she has resumed her former course, which was 
 about south, half west." 
 
 Christy was satisfied with this explanation, for 
 the Ionian was doing just what she was expected 
 to do. She was not inclined to be overhauled by 
 a gunboat, and she had attempted to dodge the 
 Chateaugay. Besides, if she were bound to Wil- 
 mington, as her clearance stated, she would turn 
 to the south-west two or three points by thif time. 
 The young officer seated himself in his room, and 
 fiofured on the situation. If the steamer were 
 making an honest voyage she would not be more 
 than twenty miles off Absecum light at this time, 
 and ought to l)e within ten of the coa'Jt. 
 
 At two bells Christy was still in his chair, and 
 
62 FIGHTING FOR THE EIGHT 
 
 when lie heard the bells he decided to go on deck 
 again, for he felt that the time would soon come 
 to settle every doubt in regard to the character of 
 the Ionian. He found the commander still at his 
 post, and he looked out for the chase. It was not 
 more than a mile distant, and hardly to be seen in 
 the gloom of a dark night. 
 
 "On deck again, Mr. Passford?" said Captain 
 Chantor. 
 
 " Yes, sir ; I am too much interested in this 
 affair to sleep ; besides, I feel as though I had 
 slept at home enough to last me six months," 
 replied the passenger. "It seems to me tha't the 
 question of that vessel's destination is to be de- 
 cided about this time, or at least within an hour 
 or two." 
 
 Christy explained the calculation he had been 
 making, in which the captain agreed with him, and 
 declared that he had been over the same course 
 of reasoning. Both of them thought the Ionian 
 would not wait till daylight to change her course, 
 as it would be more perilous to do so then than in 
 the darkness. 
 
 "I am confident that she has not seen the 
 Cliateaugay since we put out tlio liglits," said the 
 
AN ABUNDANCE OF EVIDENCE 63 
 
 captain. " At the present moment we must be off 
 Absecum; but we cannot see the light. She is 
 far off her course for Wilmington." 
 
 " That is plain enough." 
 
 "•What she will do depends upon whether- or 
 not she suspects that a man-of-war is near her. 
 We shall soon know, for she is already in a position 
 to justify her capture." 
 
 " Better make sure of her course before that is 
 done," suggested Christy, who felt that he was 
 permitted to say as much as this. 
 
 " I don't intend to act till we are south of Cape 
 Henlopen," added the commander promptly. " Be- 
 fore we do anything, I shall formally consult you, 
 Mr. Passford, as I am advised to do." 
 
 " I" shall be happy to serve as a volunteer, and I 
 will obey your orders without question, and as 
 strictly as any officer on board." 
 
 " That is handsome, considering the position in 
 which you have been placed on board, Mr. Pass- 
 ford, and I appreciate the delicacy of your conduct." 
 
 Christy remained on deck another hour, and at 
 the end of that time a quartermaster came aft to 
 report that the chase had changed her course far- 
 ther to the eastwaid. Tliis proved to be the fact 
 
64 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 on examination by the officers on the quarter-deck, 
 and as nearly as could be made out she was now 
 headed to the south-east. 
 
 "But that will not take her to the Bahama 
 Islands," suggested Christy. 
 
 " Certainly not ; and she may not be bound to 
 Nassau, as stated in those letters. But it is 
 useless to speculate on her destination, for we 
 shall be in condition in the morning to form an 
 opinion," replied the captain. " I shall keep Avell 
 astern of her till morning ; and if there should be 
 any change in her movements, I will have you 
 called, Mr. Passford." 
 
 Christy considered this a sage conclusion, and he 
 turned in on the strength of it. He was not dis- 
 turbed during the remaining hours of the night. 
 He had taken more exercise than usual that day, 
 and he slept soundly, as he was in the habit of 
 doing. The bell forward indicated eight o'clock 
 when he turned out. Breakfast was all read}^ but 
 he hastened on deck to ascertain the position of 
 the chase. The captain was not on the quarter- 
 deck, but the first lieutenant was planking the 
 deck for his morning " constitutional." 
 
 " Good-morning, Mr. Bird wing," said Christy. 
 
AN ABUNDANCE OF EVIDENCE 65 
 
 " Good-morning, Mr. Passford ; I hope yon are 
 very well this morning," replied the executive 
 officer. 
 
 " Quite well, I thank you, sir. But what has 
 become of the chase?" asked the passenger^ for 
 the Ionian did not appear to be in sight, and he 
 besran to be anxious about her. 
 
 " Still ahead of us, sir ; but she cannot be seen 
 without a glass. I was called with the morning 
 watch, when the captain turned in. His policy is 
 to keep the Ionian so that we may know just 
 where she is, and also to give her the idea that 
 she is running away from us," replied Mr. Bird- 
 wing, as he took a glass from the brackets and 
 handed it to Christy. 
 
 The young officer could just make out the 
 steamer with the aid of the glass. The Chateau- 
 gay was following her ; and a glance at the com- 
 pass gave her course as south-east, half south. 
 Christy had sailed the Bronx over this course, and 
 he knew where it would bring up. 
 
 " It is plain enough, Mr. Birdwing, that the 
 Ionian is not bound to Nassau," said he. 
 
 " So Captain Chantor said when I came on deck," 
 replied the first lieutenant. 
 
6Q FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 "And it is equally plain where she is bound," 
 added Christy. " That course means the Bermuda 
 Islands, and doubtless that is her destination." 
 
 " So the captain said." 
 
 The passenger was satisfied, and went below for 
 his breakfast. He found Mr. Gilfleur at the table; 
 and as the fact that the Chateaugay was chasing 
 the Ionian was well understood in the ward room, 
 Christy did not hesitate to tell him the news. The 
 Frenchman bestowed one of his penetrating glances 
 upon his associate, and said nothing. After the 
 meal was finished they retired to the detective's 
 room. Mr. Gilfleur looked over his papers very 
 industriously for a few minutes. 
 
 " This affair is not working exactly as it should," 
 said he, as he selected a letter from his files. " I 
 supposed this steamer would proceed directly to 
 Nassau. Read this letter, Mr. Passford." 
 
 " Colonel Richard Pierson ! " exclaimed Christy, 
 as he saw to whom the letter was addressed. 
 
 " Anything strange about the address ? " asked 
 the detective. 
 
 " Perhaps nothing strange ; but I saw this gen- 
 tleman in Nassau two years ago," replied Christy, 
 as he recalled the events of his first trip to Mobile 
 
AN ABUNDANCE OF EVIDENCE 67 
 
 in the Bellevite. " I can say of my own knowl- 
 edge that he is a Confederate agent, and was try- 
 ing to purchase vessels there. This letter is 
 signed by Hillman Davis." 
 
 " The American traitor," added Mr. Gilfleur; 
 and both of them were using the French language. 
 
 " He says he shall send the machinery and other 
 merchandise to Nassau to be reshipped to Mobile," 
 continued Christy, reading the letter. " He adds 
 that he has bouglit the steamer Ionian for this pur- 
 pose, and he expects to be paid in full for her. I 
 think that is quite enough to condemn the steamer." 
 
 ^' Undoubtedly ; but what is the Ionian to do in 
 the Bermudas ? That is what perplexes me," said 
 the detective. 
 
 " Possibly Captain Chantor can solve the prob- 
 lem, for I am sure I cannot," answered the young 
 officer, as he rose from his seat. 
 
 He was as much perplexed as his companion, and 
 he went on deck to wait the appearance of the com- 
 mander. About nine o'clock he came upon the 
 quarter-deck. The Ionian remained at the same 
 relative distance from the Chateaugay, for the cap- 
 tain had given an order to this effect before he 
 turned in. 
 
68 FIGHTING FOR THE EIGHT 
 
 " I am glad to see you, Captain Chantor," said 
 Christy. " Can you explain why the Ionian is 
 headed for the Bermudas, for you have later infor- 
 mation than any in my possession?" 
 
 " I think I can," replied the captain, taking a 
 letter from his pocket. " This is the contents of 
 the last envelope brought off from the shore. 
 The writer of it says he has just addressed a letter 
 to 'our friend in New York,' directing him, if it 
 is not too late, to send the steamer with the ma- 
 chinery and other merchandise to the Bermudas, 
 where the cargo will be transferred to the Dornoch ; 
 for the Ovidio had been obliged to sail without 
 her armament, and the cargo was too valuable to 
 be risked without protection." 
 
 " That is the reason why the reinforcement was 
 sent off at the last moment," Christy remarked. 
 
 " The Dornoch carries six guns and fifty men," 
 added the captain, reading from the letter. "I 
 think we need not wait any longer to take posses- 
 sion of the Ionian, Mr. Passford. What is youv 
 opinion ? " 
 
 " I concur entirely with you," replied Christy. 
 
 " Quartermaster, strike four bells," continued the 
 captain to the man who was conning the wheel. 
 
AN ABUNDANCE OF EVIDENCE 69 
 
 " Four bells," repeated the quartermaster ; and 
 the gong could be heard on deck as he did so. 
 
 In the course of half an hour, for the steam had 
 been kept rather low for the slow progress tlie 
 ship was obliged to make in order not to akirm 
 the chase, the Chateaugay began to show what she 
 could do in the matter of speed, and before noon 
 she had overhauled the Ionian. 
 
70 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 THE BOARDING OF THE IONIAN 
 
 The Chateaugay, with her colors flying, ran 
 abreast of the Ionian and by her; but the latter 
 did not show her flag. A blank cartridge was 
 then fired, but the steamer took no notice of it. 
 A shot was then discharged across her fore foot, 
 and this brought her to her senses, so that she 
 hoisted the British flag, and stopped her screw. 
 All the preparations had been made for boarding 
 her, and two boats were in readiness to discharge 
 this duty. 
 
 The first cutter, in charge of Mr. Birdwing, was 
 the first to leave the ship. The sea was quite 
 smooth, so that there was no difliculty in getting 
 the boats off. The first lieutenant's boat went 
 from the starboard side, and the second cutter was 
 lowered on the port in charge of the third lieuten- 
 ant. Christy went in the first boat, and Mr. Gil- 
 fleur in tlie second. The officers and crews of 
 
THE BOARDING OP THE IONIAN 71 
 
 both boats were especially directed to sec that 
 nothing was thrown overboard from the Ionian ; 
 for if her captain fonnd that he was in a " tight 
 2:)lace," he would be likely to heave his papers into 
 the sea. 
 
 The first cutter had not made half the distance 
 to the Ionian before she pulled down the British 
 flag and hoisted the American in its place. Her 
 commander evidently believed that he was getting 
 into hot water, and well he might. He must have 
 been selected for this enterprise on account of his 
 fitness for it, and as the steamer had not sailed on 
 an honest voyage, he could not be an honest man, 
 and the officers of the boats despised him. They 
 were determined to discharge their duty faithfully, 
 even if they were obliged to treat him with the 
 utmost rigor. 
 
 " She has corrected her first blunder," said Mr. 
 Birdwing, as the American flag went up to her 
 peak. " The skipper of that craft don't exactly 
 know what he is about." 
 
 " It must be a surprise to him to be brought to 
 by a United States man-of-war," added Christy. 
 
 " But why did the fool hoist the British flag 
 when he has no papers to back it up? That 
 
72 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 would have done very well among the blockaders," 
 continued the officer of the boat. "I don't know 
 veiy much about this business, and the captain 
 ordered me to let you and the French gentleman 
 in the other boat have your own way on board of 
 her, and to do all you required. Have you any 
 directions for. me ? " 
 
 " We desire to have the steamer thoroughly 
 searched, and I have little doubt that we shall ask 
 you to take possession of her," replied Christy. 
 
 " Then we are to make a capture of it ? " asked 
 the first lieutenant, manifesting no little surprise. 
 
 " Under certain circumstances, yes." 
 
 " Is she a Confederate vessel ? " 
 
 " No ; she is an American vessel." 
 
 " All right ; but I shall obey my orders to the 
 very letter," added Mr. Birdwing. " How many 
 men shall I put on board of her?" 
 
 "Twelve, if you please," replied Chiisty, who 
 had arranged the plan with the detective. 
 
 " Six from each boat," said the executive officer ; 
 and then he hailed the second cutter, and directed 
 Mr. Carlin to send this number on board of the 
 Icmian. 
 
 " And, if you please, direct him to board the 
 
THE BOARDING OF THE IONIAN 73 
 
 steamer on the starboard side, for I take it you 
 will board on the port," added Christy. " We 
 fear that she will throw certain papers overboard, 
 and we must prevent that if possible." 
 
 The order was given to the third lieutenant, and 
 in a few minutes more the first cutter came along- 
 side the steamer. Mr. Bird wing ordered those on 
 board to drop the accommodation ladder over the 
 side ; and for so mild a gentleman he did it in a 
 very imperative tone. The order was obeyed, 
 though it appeared to be done very reluctantly. 
 The first lieutenant was the first to mount the 
 ladder, and was closely followed by his passenger. 
 
 "Where is the captain? " demanded Mr. Bird- 
 wing, as the six men detailed for the purpose were 
 coming over the side. 
 
 "I am the captain," replied an ill-favored look- 
 ing man, stepping forward with very ill grace. 
 
 " What steamer is this ? " 
 
 " The Ionian, of New York, bound to St. George's, 
 Bermuda," replied the captain in a crusty tone. 
 
 "The captain's name?" demanded the officer, 
 becoming more imperative as the commander of 
 the Ionian manifested more of his crabbed dispo- 
 sition. 
 
74 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 "Captain Sawlock," growled tlie ill-favored mas- 
 ter of the steamer, who was a rather short man, 
 thick-set, with a face badly pitted by the small-pox, 
 but nearly covered with a grizzly and tangled 
 beard. 
 
 " You will oblige me by producing your papers, 
 Cajotain Sawlock," continued Mr. Birdwing. 
 
 " For a good reason, my papers are not regular," 
 answered the captain of the Ionian, with an attempt 
 to be more affable, though it did not seem to be 
 in his nature to be anything but a brute in his 
 manners. 
 
 " Regular or not, you will oblige me by exhibit- 
 ing them," the officer insisted. 
 
 " It is not my fault that a change was made in 
 my orders after I got under way," pleaded Captain 
 Sawlock. 
 
 " Will you produce your clearance and other 
 papers ? " demanded the lieutenant very decidedly. 
 
 " This is an American vessel, and you have no 
 right to overhaul me in this manner," growled the 
 captain of the steamer. 
 
 " You are in command of a steamer, and you can- 
 not be so ignorant as to believe that an officer of a 
 man-of-war has not the right to require you to show 
 
THE BOARDING OF THE IONIAN 75 
 
 your papers," added Mr. Birdwing with a palpable 
 
 « 
 sneer. 
 
 " This is an American vessel," repeated Captain 
 Sawlock. 
 
 " Then why did you hoist the British flag ? " ^ 
 
 " That's my business ! " 
 
 " But it is mine also. Do you decline to show 
 your papers ? You are trifling with me," said Mr. 
 Birdwing impatiently. 
 
 At this moment there was a scuffle in the waist 
 of the steamer, which attracted the attention of all 
 on the deck. Mr. Gilfleur had suddenly thrown 
 himself on the first officer of the Ionian ; and when 
 his second officer and several sailors had gone to 
 his assistance, the third lieutenant of the Chateau- 
 gay had rushed in to the support of the French- 
 man. The man-of-war's men were all armed with 
 cutlasses and revolvers ; but they did not use their 
 weapons, and it looked like a rough-and-tumble 
 fight on the deck. 
 
 Mr. Birdwing and Christy rushed over to the 
 starboard side of the steamer ; but Mr. Carlin and 
 his men had so effectively sustained the detective 
 that the affray had reached a conclusion before 
 they could interfere. Mr. Gilfleur was crawling 
 
76 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 out from under two or three men who had thrown 
 themselves upon him when he brought the fir^ 
 officer to the deck by jumping suddenly upon him. 
 The Frenchman had in his hand a tin case about a 
 foot in length, and three inches in diameter, such 
 as are sometimes used to contain charters, or simi- 
 lar valuable papers. 
 
 The contest had plainly been for the possession 
 of this case, which the quick eye of the detective 
 had discovered as the mate was carrying it forward ; 
 for Mr. Carlin had sent two of his men to the stern 
 at the request of the Frenchman, charged to allow 
 no one to throw anything overboard. The first 
 officer of the Ionian had listened to the conversBr 
 tion between Captain Sawlock and the first lieu- 
 tenant, and had gone below into the cabin when it 
 began to be a little stormy. 
 
 "•What does all this mean, Mr. Carlin?" in- 
 quired Mr. Birdwing. 
 
 " I simply obeyed my orders to support Mr. Gil- 
 fleur ; and he can explain his action better than I 
 can," replied the third lieutenant. 
 
 " I have requested the officers, through Captain 
 Chantor, to see that nothing was thrown overboard, 
 either before or after we boarded the steamer,'' 
 interposed Christy. 
 
THE BOARDING OF THE IONIAN 77 
 
 "And the captain's order has been obeyed," 
 added the first lieutenant. " Will you explain the 
 cause of this affray, Mr. Gilfleur ? " 
 
 " With the greatest pleasure," answered the de- 
 tective with one of his politest bows. " While you 
 were talking with the captain of the Ionian, I saw 
 the first officer of this steamer go into the cabin. 
 I was told by a sailor that he was the mate. In a 
 minute or two he came on deck again, and I saw 
 that he had something under his coat. He moved 
 forward, and was going to the side wlien I jumped 
 upon him. After a struggle I took this tin case 
 from him." 
 
 The detective stepped forward, and handed the 
 tin case to the executive officer as gracefully as 
 though he had been figuring in a ballroom. Cap- 
 tain Sawlock had followed the officers over from 
 the port side. He appeared to be confounded, and 
 listened in silence to the explanation of Mr. Gil- 
 fleur. But he looked decidedly ugly. 
 
 "That case is my personal, private property," 
 said he, as soon as it was in the hands of the chief 
 officer of the boarding-party. 
 
 " I don't dispute it, Captain Sawlock ; but at the 
 same time I intend to examine its contents," re- 
 plied Mr. Birdwing mildly, but firmly. 
 
78 FIGHTING FOR THE EIGHT 
 
 " This is an outrage, Mr. Officer ! '' exclaimed the 
 discomfited master. 
 
 " If it is, I am responsible for it," added the 
 executive officer, as he removed the cover from the 
 end of the case. 
 
 " I protest against this outrage ! I will not sub- 
 mit to it ! " howled Captain Sawlock, carried away 
 by his wrath. 
 
 " Perhaps you will," said Mr. Birdwing quietly. 
 
 " But I will not ! " 
 
 With a sudden movement he threw himself upon 
 the officer, and attempted to wrest the tin case from 
 his hands. Christy, who was standing behind him, 
 seized him by the collar with both hands, and 
 hurled him to the deck. A moment later two sea- 
 men, by order of Mr. Carlin, took him each by his 
 two arms, and held him like a vice. 
 
 " I think we will retire to the cabin to examine 
 these papers, for I see that the case is filled with 
 documents, including some sealed letters," con- 
 tinued Mr. Birdwing, as he moved towards the 
 cabin door. 
 
 " That cabin is mine ! You can't go into it ! " 
 howled Captain Sawlock, crazy with anger. " Don't 
 let them go into the cabin, Withers ! " 
 
THE BOAr.DING OF THE IQNIAN 79 
 
 Withers appeared to be the mate, and he stepped 
 forward as though he intended to do something ; 
 but a couple of seamen, by order of the first lieu- 
 tenant, arrested and held him. He had apparently 
 had enough of it in his encounter with the detec- 
 tive, for he submitted without any resistance. If 
 the captain of the steamer was a fool, the mate 
 was not, for he saw the folly of resisting a United 
 States force. 
 
 " Mr. Carlin, you will remain on deck with the 
 men ; Mr. Passford and Mr. Gilfleur, may I trouble 
 you to come into the cabin with me ? " continued 
 Mr. Birdwing, as he led the way. 
 
 The executive officer seated himself at the table 
 in the middle of the cabin, and his companions 
 took places on each side of him. The first jjaper 
 drawn from the case was the clearance of the 
 Ionian for Wilmington, with a cargo of old iron. 
 Tlie manifest had clearly been trumped up for the 
 occasion. The old iron was specified, and a list of 
 other articles of merchandise. 
 
 At this point the executive officer sent for Mr. 
 Carlin, and directed him to take off the hatches 
 and examine the cargo, especially what was under 
 the pieces of machinery. There were several let- 
 
80 FIGHTING FOIl THE EIGHT 
 
 ters to unknown persons, and one in particular to 
 the captain himself, in which he was directed to 
 deliver the machinery to a gentleman with the title 
 of " Captain," who was doubtless a Confederate 
 agent, in St. George's, Bermuda. The papers were 
 abundantly sufficient to convict Davis of treason. 
 The last one found in the case directed Captain 
 Sawlock to deliver the cannon and ammunition in 
 the bottom of the vessel to the steamer Dornoch, 
 on her arrival at St. George's, or at some con- 
 venient place in the Bahama Islands. 
 
A BOLD PEOPOSITION 81 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 A BOLD PEOPOSITION 
 
 The evidence was sufficient to justify the cap- 
 ture of the Ionian without a particle of doubt, for 
 she was as really a Confederate vessel as though 
 the captain and officers were provided with com- 
 missions signed by Mr. Jefferson Davis. 
 
 Mr. Birdwing went to the door and directed the 
 third lieutenant to have Captain Sawlock con- 
 ducted to the cabin; and the two seamen who had 
 held him as a prisoner brought him before the first 
 lieutenant of the Chateaugay. He appeared to 
 have got control of his temper, and offered no 
 further resistance. Mr. Carlin came to the door, 
 and his superior directed him to examine all hands 
 forward, in order to ascertain whether they were 
 Confederates or otherwise. He gave him the 
 shipping-list to assist him. 
 
 " Are you an American citizen. Captain Saw- 
 lock?" asked Mr. Birdwing, as soon as the third 
 lieutenant liad departed on his mission. 
 
82 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 " I am," replied he stiffly. 
 
 " Where were you born ? " 
 
 " In Pensacohi." 
 
 " Have you ever taken the oath of allegiance to 
 the United States government?" 
 
 " No ; and I never will ! " protested the captain 
 with an oath. 
 
 " I must inform you, Captain Sawlock, that I am 
 directed by the commander of the United States 
 steamer Chateaugay to take possession of the 
 Ionian,- on finding sufficient evidence on board 
 that she is engaged in an illegal voyage. I have 
 no doubt in regard to the matter, and I take pos- 
 session of her accordingly." 
 
 " It is an outrage ! " howled the captain with a 
 heavy oath. 
 
 " You can settle that matter with the courts. I 
 have nothing more to say," replied Mr. Birdwing as 
 he rose and left the cabin, followed by Christy and 
 the detective. 
 
 " I found ten heavy guns and a large quantity 
 of ammunition at the bottom of the hold," reported 
 Mr. Carlin, as his superior appeared on deck, and 
 handed back the shipping-list of the vessel. *•' The 
 three engineers appear to be Englishmen, and so 
 
A BOLD PROPOSITION 83 
 
 declare themselves. I find six Americans among 
 the crew, wlio are provided with protections, and 
 they all desire to enlist in the navy. The rest of 
 the crew are of all nations." 
 
 " Let the six men Math protections man the first 
 cntter. You will remain on board of the Ionian, 
 Mr, Carlin, till orders come to you from the cap- 
 tain," said the first lieutenant. " I shall now 
 return to the Chateaugay to report." 
 
 Christy decided to return to the ship ; but the 
 detective wished to remain, though he said there 
 was nothing more for him to do. The six sailors 
 who wished to enter the navy were ordered into 
 the boat, two of the regular crew remaining in it. 
 The recruits were good-looking men, and they 
 pulled their oars as though they had already served 
 in the navy. They supposed the Ionian was really 
 bouiid to Wilmington ; but they could not explain 
 why they had not enlisted at Brooklyn if they 
 desired to do so. The first lieutenant went on 
 board of the ship, and reported to the captain. 
 
 Mr. Gwyndale was at once appointed prize-mas- 
 ter, with Mr. Tompers as his executive officer, and 
 sent on board with the ten seamen who had been 
 put on board of the Chateaugay expressly for this 
 
84 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 duty. Several pairs of handcuffs were sent on 
 board of the Ionian, for the first lieutenant appre- 
 hended that they would be needed to keep Captain 
 Sawlock and his mate in proper subjection. The 
 papers which had been contained in the tin case 
 were intrusted to the care of Mr. Gwyndale, with 
 the strictest injunction to keep them safely, and 
 deliver them to the government official before any 
 of the Ionian ship's company were permitted to 
 land. 
 
 The cutters returned from the prize with all the 
 hands who had been sent from the ship, including 
 Mr. Gilfleur. The prize-master had a sufficient 
 force with him to handle the steamer, and to con- 
 trol the disaffected, if there were any besides the 
 captain and mate. The engineers and firemen 
 were willing to remain and do duty as long as they 
 were paid. In a couple of hours the Ionian started 
 her screw and headed for New York, where she 
 would arrive the next day. 
 
 Captain Chantor directed the quartermaster at 
 the wheel to ring one bell, and the Chateaugay 
 began to move again. The events of the day were 
 discussed ; but the first business of the ship liad 
 been successfully disposed of, and tlie- future was 
 
A BOLD PROPOSITION 85 
 
 a more inviting field than the past. The captain 
 requested the presence of the two passengers in 
 his cabin, and read to them in full the latest 
 instructions that had been sent off to him. 
 
 "Our next duty is to look for the Dornoch, 
 with her six guns and fifty men, and we are not 
 likely to have so soft a time of it as we had with 
 the Ionian," said Captain Chantor, when he had 
 read the letter. 
 
 " The Chateaugay is reasonably fast, though slie 
 could not hold her own with the Bellevite, or even 
 the Bronx ; and you have a pivot gun amidships, 
 and six broadside guns," added Christy. 
 
 " Oh, I shall be happy to meet her ! " exclaimed 
 the commander. " I don't object to her six guns 
 and fifty men ; the only difficulty I can see is in 
 finding her. I am afraid she has ah^eady gone 
 into St. George's harbor, and she may not come 
 out for a month." 
 
 " Why should she wait all that time ? " asked 
 Christy. " Her commander knew nothing about 
 the Ionian, that she was to take in a valuable 
 cargo for her, and she will not wait for her." 
 
 " That is true ; but I am afraid we shall miss 
 the Ovidio if we remain too long in these waters." 
 
86 FIGIITING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 " It seems to me that the Dornoch has had time 
 enough to reach the Bermudas," said Christy. 
 " Possibly slie is in port at this moment." 
 
 " That is a harassing reflection ! " exclaimed 
 the commander. 
 
 " I don't see that there is any hel^D for it," 
 added Christy. " You cannot go into the port of 
 St. George's to see if she is there." 
 
 " Why not ? " asked Mr. Gilfleur, speaking for 
 the first time. " I spent a winter there when I 
 was sick from over-work and exj^osure ; and I 
 know all about the islands." 
 
 " Tliat will not help me, Mr. Gilfleur," said the 
 captain, with a smile at what he considered the 
 simplicity of the Frenchman. 
 
 " But why can you not go in and see if the 
 Dornoch is there ? " inquired the detective. 
 
 " Because if I learned that she was about to 
 leave the port, the authorities would not let 
 me sail till twenty-four hours after she had 
 gone." 
 
 "You need not wait till she gets ready to leave," 
 suggested the Frenchmaji. 
 
 " She might be ready to sail at the very time 
 I arrived, and then I should lose her. Oh, no ; I 
 
A BOLD PROrOSITION 87 
 
 prefer to take my cliance at a marine league 
 from the shore," added the captain, shaking his 
 liead. 
 
 " Perhaps I might go into Hamilton harbor and 
 obtain the information you need," suggested Mr. 
 Gilfleur, looking very earnest, as though he was 
 thinkinof of somethinof. 
 
 " You ! " exclaimed Captain Chan tor, looking 
 at him with amazement. " How could you go in 
 without going in the ship? " 
 
 "You know that I have a boat on deck," replied 
 the detective quietly. 
 
 " But you are not a sailor, sir." 
 
 "No, I am not a sailor; but I am a boatman. 
 After I had worked up the biggest case in all my 
 , life in Paris, — one that required me to go to Lon- 
 don • seven times, — I was sick v/hen the bank- 
 robbers were convicted, and the excitement was 
 over. The doctors ordered me to spend the winter 
 in Martinique, and I went to the Bermudas in an 
 English steamer, where I was to take another for 
 my destination ; but I liked the islands so well 
 that I remained there all the winter. My princi- 
 pal amusement was boating ; and I learned the 
 whole art to perfection. I used to go through the 
 
bo FIGHTING FOR THE EIGHT 
 
 openings in the reefs, and sail out of siglit of lantl. 
 I had a boat like the one on deck." 
 
 " Your experience is interesting, but I do not 
 see how it will profit me," said the captain. 
 
 " I can go to the Bermudas, obtain the informa- 
 tion you want, and return to the Chateaugay," 
 replied Mr. Gilfleur rather impatiently. 
 
 " That would be a risky cruise for you, my 
 friend," suggested Captain Chantor, shaking his 
 head in a deprecatory manner. 
 
 " I don't think so. I have been outside the 
 reefs many times when the wind blew a gale, and 
 I felt as safe in my boat as I do on board of this 
 ship," said the detective earnestly. 
 
 " How would you manage the matter ? " asked 
 the commander, beginning to be interested in the 
 project. 
 
 " You shall run to the south of the islands, or 
 rather to the south-west, in the night, with all 
 your lights put out, and let me embark there in 
 my boat. You will give me a compass, and I have 
 a sail in the boat. I shall steer to the north-east, 
 and I shall soon see Gibbs Hill light. By that I 
 can make the point on the coast I wish to reach, 
 which is Hogfish Cut. I have been through it 
 
A BOLD PROPOSITION 89 
 
 twenty times. Once inside the reefs I shall have 
 no difficulty in reaching Hamilton harbor. Then 
 I will take a carriafje to St. Georgre's. If I find 
 the Dornoch in the harbor, I will come out the 
 same way I went in, and you will pick me up." - 
 
 " That looks more practicable than I supposed 
 it could be," added Captain Chantor. 
 
 " While I am absent you will be attending to 
 your duty as commander of the Chateaugay, for 
 you will still be on the lookout for your prize," 
 continued the versatile Frenchman. " You can 
 run up twenty or thirty miles to the northward, 
 on the east side of the islands, where all large 
 vessels have to go in." 
 
 " How long will it take you to carry out this 
 enterprise, Mr. Gilfleur ? " 
 
 " Not more than two days ; perhaps less time. 
 Do you consent ? " 
 
 " I will consider it, and give you an answer 
 to-morrow morning," replied Captain Chantor. 
 
 " Won't you take me with you, Mr. Gilfleur ? " 
 asked Christy, who was much pleased with the 
 idea of such an excursion, 
 
 "I should be very happy to have your company, 
 Mr, Passford," replied the detective very promptly, 
 
90 FIGHTING FOPt THE EIGHT 
 
 and witli a smile on his face whicli revealed his 
 own satisfaction. 
 
 " Are you in earnest, Lieutenant Passford ? " 
 demanded the commander, looking with astonish- 
 ment at his passenger. 
 
 " Of course I am : I see no difficulty in the 
 enterprise," replied Christy. " I have had a good 
 deal of experience in sailboats myself, and I do 
 not believe I should be an encumbrance to Mr. 
 Gilfleur ; and I may be of some service to him." 
 
 " You would be of very great service to me, for 
 you know all about shi^os, and I do not," the 
 detective added. 
 
 " Just as you please, IMr. Passford. You are 
 not under my orders, for you are not attached to 
 the ship," said the captain. 
 
 The commander went on deck, and the two pas- 
 sengers retired to Christy's stateroom, where they 
 discussed the enterprise for a couple of hours. In 
 the mean time the Chateangay was making her 
 best speed, for Captain Chantor did not wish to 
 lose any of his chances by being too late ; and he 
 believed that the Dornoch must be fully due at 
 the Bermudas. Before he turned in that night lie 
 had altered the course of the ship half a point 
 
A BOLD PEOrOSITION 01 
 
 more to the southward, for he had decided to 
 accept the offer of Mr. Gilfleur ; and he wished to 
 go to the west of the islands instead of the east, as 
 he had given out the course at noon. 
 
 For two days more the Chateaugay continued 
 on her voyage. At noon the second day he found 
 his ship was directly west of the southern part of 
 the Bermudas, and but fifty miles from them. He 
 shaped his course so as to he at the south of them 
 that niirht. 
 
92 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 A NOTABLE EXPEDITION 
 
 The position of tlie Chateaugay was accurately 
 laid down on the chart fifty miles to the westward 
 of Spears Hill, which is about the geographical 
 centre of the Bermuda Islands. Captain Chantor 
 had invited his two passengers to his cabin for a 
 conference in relation to the proposed enterprise, 
 after the observations had been worked up at noon, 
 on the fourth day after the departure from New 
 York. 
 
 "Now, Mr. Gilfleur, if you will indicate the 
 precise point at which you desire to put off in 
 your boat, I will have the ship there at the time 
 you require," said the captain, who had drawn a 
 rough sketch of the islands, and dotted upon it the 
 points he mentioned in his statement. 
 
 " Of course you do not wish the ship to be seen 
 from the islands," suggested the detective. 
 
 " Certainly not; for if the Dornoch is in port at St. 
 
A NOTABLE EXPEDITION 93 
 
 George's that would be warning her to avoid us in 
 coming out, and she might escape by standing off to 
 the northward," replied the commander. "Besides, 
 there might be fishing-craft or other small vessels 
 off the island that would report the ship if she 
 were seen. It is not advisable to go any nearer to 
 the islands till after dark. We will show no 
 lights as we approach your destination." 
 
 " How near Gibbs Hill light can you go with 
 safety in the darkness, Captain ? " asked Mr. 
 Gilfleur. 
 
 "I should not care to go nearer than ten miles ; 
 we could not be seen from the shore at that dis- 
 tance, but we might be seen by some small craft." 
 
 " That will do very well ; and if you will make 
 a point ten miles south-west of Gibbs Hills light, 
 I shall be exactly suited," added the detective, as 
 he made a small cross on the sketch near the place 
 where he desired to embark in the boat. 
 
 The conference was finished, and the two pas- 
 sengers went on deck to inspect the craft which 
 was to convey them to the islands. By order of 
 the commander the carpenter had overhauled the 
 boat and made such repairs as were needed. Every 
 open seam had been calked, and a heavy coat of 
 
94 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 paint had been put upon it. The sailmaker had 
 attended to the jib and mainsail, and everything 
 was in excellent condition for the trip to the 
 shore. 
 
 " Is this the same boat that you used when you 
 were in the Bermudas, Mr. Gilfleur ? " asked 
 Christy, as they were examining the work which 
 had been done on the craft, its spars and sails. 
 
 " Oh, no ; it was six years ago that I spent the 
 winter in the islands. I- found this boat under a 
 shed on a wharf in New York. It had been picked 
 up near the Great Abaco in the Bahama Islands 
 by a three-master, on her voyage from the West 
 Indies," replied Mr. Gilfleur. "When I had 
 formed my plan of operations in the vicinity of 
 Nassau, in order to obtain the information the 
 government desired, I bought this boat. When 
 picked up, the boat had her spars, sails, oars, water- 
 breakers, and other articles carefully stowed away 
 on board of her ; and it appeared as though she 
 liad broken adrift from her moorings, or had been 
 carried away by a rising tide from some beach 
 where those in charge of her had landed. I hap- 
 pened to find the captain of the vessel that 
 brought the boat to New York ; and he made me 
 
A NOTABLE EXPEDITION 95 
 
 pay roundly for lier, so that he got well rewarded 
 for his trouble in picking it up." 
 
 The Chateaugay stood due south till six o'clock 
 at little more than half speed, and when she came 
 about her dead reckoning indicated that she was 
 seventy-five miles to the south-west of Gibbs Hill 
 light. The weather was very favorable for the 
 proposed enterprise, with a moderate breeze from 
 the west. Mr. Gilfleur did not wish to leave the 
 ship till after midnight, for all he desired was to 
 get inside the outer reefs before daylight. The 
 speed of the ship was regulated to carry out this 
 idea. 
 
 The light so frequently mentioned in the con- 
 ference is three hundred and sixty-two feet above 
 the sea level, for it is built on the highest point of 
 land in- the south of the Bermudas, and could be 
 seen at a distance of thirty miles. At three bells 
 in the first watch the light was reported by the 
 lookout, and the speed was reduced somewhat. 
 
 About this time the detective came out of his 
 stateroom, and entered that of Christy. He had 
 smeared his face with a brownish tint, which made 
 him look as though he had been long exposed to 
 the sun of the tropics. He was dressed in a suit 
 
96 FIGHTING FOR THE EIGHT 
 
 of coarse material, though it was not the garb of 
 a sailor. He had used the scissors on his long 
 black mustache, and given it a snarly and un- 
 kempt appearance. Christy would not have known 
 him if he had met him on shore. 
 
 " You look like another man," said he, laugliing. 
 
 "A French detective has to learn the art of 
 disguising himself ; in fact, he has to be an actor. 
 Perhaps you will not be willing to believe it, but 
 I have played small parts at the Theatre Fran^ais 
 for over a year, more to learn the actor's art of 
 making himself up than because I had any histri- 
 onic aspirations. I have worked up a case in the 
 capacity of an old man of eighty years of age," 
 the detective explained. " When I recovered the 
 property of your father, stolen at Havre, I played 
 the part of a dandy, and won the confidence of 
 the stewardess, though I came very near having to 
 fight a duel with the voleur who was her ' pal ' in 
 the robbery." 
 
 " Of course it will not do for me to wear my 
 lieutenant's uniform," suggested Christy. 
 
 "Not unless you wish to have your head broken 
 by the crews of the blockade-runners you will find 
 at St. George's," replied the Frenchman signifi- 
 cantly. 
 
A NOTABLE EXPEDITION 97 
 
 " I have some old clothes in my valise," added 
 the lieutenant. 
 
 " I don't like the idea of putting you in a 
 humiliating position, Mr. Passford, but I have not 
 told you all my plans." 
 
 " I will take any position you assign to me, for 
 I am now to be a volunteer in your service." 
 
 "I intend to represent myself as a French 
 gentleman of wealth, who has passed the winter in 
 the Bahama Islands in search of health, and found 
 it in abundance," said Mr. Gilfleur, with a pleas- 
 ant smile on his face, as though he really enjoyed 
 the business in which he was at present engaged. 
 
 " Have you ever been in the Bahamas ? " asked 
 Christy. 
 
 "All through them, including Nassau. If I 
 had not, I should not have brought that boat with 
 me. I made a trip in an English steamer from the 
 Bermudas, which had occasion to visit nearly all 
 the islands ; and I passed about two months of my 
 stay in this region on that cruise," replied the 
 detective. 
 
 " But how far is it from the Bermudas to the 
 nearest point in the Bahamas ? Will people 
 believe that we came even from the Great Abaco 
 
98 FIGHTING FOR THE EIGHT 
 
 in an open boat?" inquired Christy. "What is 
 the distance ? " 
 
 " I estimate it at about seven hundred and fifty- 
 miles. That is nothing for a boat like mine, 
 though I should not care to undertake it in the 
 hurricane season," replied Mr. Gilfleur. " By the 
 way, we must borrow some charts of this region 
 from the captain, though only to keep up appear- 
 ances." 
 
 " You have not told me in what character I am 
 to be your companion," suggested Christy. 
 
 " As ray servant, if you do not rebel at the 
 humiliation of such a position, though I promise 
 to treat you very kindly, and with all proper con- 
 sideration," laughed the Frenchman. 
 
 " I have not the slightest objection to the 
 character; and I will endeavor to discharge my 
 duties with humility and deference," responded 
 the lieutenant in the same vein. 
 
 " Now let me see what sort of a suit you have 
 for your part," added the detective. 
 
 Christy took from his valise a suit he had worn 
 as a subordinate officer when he was engaged in 
 the capture of the Teaser. It was approved by 
 his companion, and he dressed himself in this 
 garb. 
 
A NOTABLE EXPEDITION" 99 
 
 '' But you have been bleached out by your long 
 3tay at Bonnydale, and your complexion needs a 
 little improvement," said Mr. Gilfleur, as he went 
 to his room for his tints. 
 
 On his return he gave to the face of the officer 
 the same sun-browned hue he had imparted to his 
 own. While he was so employed, he explained 
 that the tint was a fast color under ordinary 
 circumstances, and in what manner it could be 
 easily removed, though it would wear off in about 
 a week. 
 
 "Now, you need only a little touching up," 
 continued the detective, when he had completed 
 the dyeing process. " You will be amazed at the 
 change produced in the expression of a person by 
 a few touches of paint skilfully applied," and he 
 proceeded to make the alteration proposed. 
 
 W.hen he had finished his work, Christy looked 
 in the glass, and declared that he should hardly 
 know himself. The preparations were completed, 
 and the French gentleman and his servant were 
 ready to embark. But it was only eleven o'clock, 
 and both of them turned in for a nap of a couple 
 of hours. The captain had retired early in the 
 evening, and the quartermaster conning the wheel 
 
100 FIGHTING FOR THE EIGHT 
 
 was steering for the light, the Chateaugay making 
 not more than six knots an hour. 
 
 At one o'clock the commander was called, in 
 accordance with his order to the officer of the 
 watch. He went on deck at once, had the log 
 slate brought to him, and made some calculations, 
 which resulted in an order to ring two bells, which 
 meant " Stop her." Then he went to the ward 
 room himself, and knocked at the doors of his two 
 passengers. Mr. Gilfleur and Christy sprang from 
 their berths, and the two doors were opened at 
 once. No toilet was necessary, for both of them 
 had lain down with their clothes on. 
 
 " Pray, who might you be ? " demanded the 
 captain, laughing heartily when the detective 
 showed himself in his new visage and di'ess. 
 " Can 3^ou inform me what has become of Mr.- 
 Gilfleur ? " 
 
 " He has stepped out for a couple of days, and 
 Monsieur Rubempre has taken his place," replied 
 the detective. 
 
 " And who is this gentleman ? " asked Captain 
 Chantor, turning to his other passenger, who was 
 quite as much changed in appearance. 
 
 " Contrary to his usual custom, he does not 
 
A NOTABLE EXPEDITION 101 
 
 claim to be a gentleman just now. This is 
 Christoplie, my servant, employed as such only for 
 a couple of days," answered Monsieur Rubemprd. 
 
 " All right, Mr. Rubumper ! Three bells have 
 just been struck, and the watch are putting your 
 boat into the water," continued the commander. 
 " I have directed the steward to fill your breaker 
 with water, and put a small supply of provisions 
 into the craft. We shall be ready for you in about 
 half an hour." 
 
 " We are all ready at this moment," replied 
 Monsieur Rubempr^ ; for both of the passengers 
 had agreed to call each other by their assumed 
 names at once, so as to get accustomed to them, 
 and thus avoid committing themselves in any 
 moment of excitement. 
 
 The detective came out of his room with a valise 
 in his hand, which he had packed with extreme 
 care, so that nothing sliould be found in it, in case 
 of accident, to compromise him. He had super- 
 intended the placing of Cluisty's clothing in one 
 of his valises. He objected to the initials, " C. P.," 
 worked on his linen ; but the OAvner had no other, 
 and the difficulty was compromised by writing the 
 name of " Christophe Poireau" on a number of 
 
102 FIGHTING FOE THE EIGHT 
 
 pieces of paper and cards, and attaching a tag 
 with this name upon it to the handle. 
 
 Both of them put on plain overcoats, and went 
 on deck, where the boat, which had the name of 
 Eleuthera painted on the stern, had already been 
 committed to the waves. 
 
THE FEENCHMAN IN BERMUDA 103 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 THE FRENCHMAN IN BERMUDA 
 
 "Bon VOYAGE, Mr. Rubumper," said Captain 
 Chantor, as the Frenchman was about to descend 
 the accommodation ladder. " I know French 
 enough to say that." 
 
 " Thank you, Captain." 
 
 " I hope you will make a success of the enter- 
 prise, Mr. Passford," the commander added to the 
 other member of the expedition. 
 
 " I shall do the best I can to make it so," 
 answered Cliristy, as he followed his companion 
 down the accommodation ladder. 
 
 The detective shoved the boat off, and both of 
 the voyagers took the oars to get the craft clear 
 of the ship, which was accomplished in a few min- 
 tites. Then the Frenchman stepped the mast, 
 which had been carefully adjusted on board of the 
 ship, while Christy rigged out the shifting bow- 
 sprit. In half an hour they had placed the spars 
 
104 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 and bent on the sail, for everything had been pre- 
 pared for expeditious work. The sails filled, and 
 the skipper took his place at the long tiller. 
 
 " We are all right now, Christophe," said the 
 detective. 
 
 " I should say that we were. Monsieur Rubem- 
 pr^," replied the acting servant. " We have ten 
 miles to make : with this breeze, how long will it 
 take for this boat to do it ? " 
 
 " If she sails as well as mine did, she will make 
 it in two hours." 
 
 The craft was about twenty feet long, and was 
 sharp at both ends. She had a cuddy forward, 
 which was large enough to accommodate both of 
 her crew in a reclining posture. It had been fur- 
 nished with a couple of berthsacks, and with sev- 
 eral blankets. The provisions and water had been 
 placed in it, as well as a couple of lanterns, ready 
 for use if occasion should require. 
 
 It was a summer sea in this latitude, with a very 
 steady breeze from the westward. The overcoats 
 they wore were hardly necessary, and they had put 
 them on mainly to conceal their changed garments 
 from the crew of the ship, who could only con- 
 jecture what the expedition meant. 
 
THE FRENCHMAN IN BERMUDA 105 
 
 " You are a younger man than I am, Christophe, 
 and you liave slept only a couple of hours to- 
 night," said M. Rubempre, as soon as the Eleu- 
 thera was well under way ; and the remark was 
 called forth by a long gape on the part of the 
 younger person. " You can turn in and sleep a 
 couple of hours more just as well as not, for there 
 is nothing whatever for you to do. We may have 
 to make a long day of it to-morrow." 
 
 " I am accustomed to doing without my sleep at 
 times," replied Christophe, which was his first 
 name, according to the French orthography, and 
 was pronounced in two syllables. 
 
 " Of course you have, when your duty required 
 you to be on deck ; but there is not the least need 
 of doing so now." 
 
 The lieutenant complied with the advice of the 
 skipper, and in five minutes more he was sound 
 asleep. The Bahama boat, with a Bahama name, 
 rose and fell on the long rolling seas, which were 
 very gentle in their motion, and made very good 
 progress through the water. The light could be 
 plainly seen in its lofty position, and the detective 
 steered for it over an hour, and then kept it a lit- 
 tle on the starboard hand ; for the opening in the 
 
106 FIGHTING FOR THE EIGHT 
 
 outer reef through which he intended to pass was 
 two miles to the westward of the high tower. He 
 had correctly estimated the speed of the boat, for 
 the faint light of the dawn of day began to appear 
 in the east when he was able clearly to discern the 
 outline of the hills on the most southern of the 
 islands. 
 
 Although it was still quite dark, the Frenchman 
 continued on his course very confidently. The 
 reefs extended out two miles from the main shore ; 
 but the navigator was so familiar with the locality 
 that they did not trouble him. Bearing about 
 north-west from the light was Wreck Hill, one 
 hundred and fifty feet high, Avhich assisted him in 
 keeping his course. As he approached the main- 
 land he made out the fort, and steering chrectly 
 for it, passed safely through Hogfish Cut. 
 
 When he was within half a mile of this fort, he 
 headed the boat to the north-west. It was still 
 eighteen miles to Hamilton, the capital of the 
 islands ; but he had a fair wind, and the boat made 
 about five miles an hour. Christy still slept, and 
 the skipper did not wake him. It was daylight 
 when he was abreast of Wreck Hill, and there was 
 no further difficulty in the navigation. It was 
 
THE FRENCHMAN IN BERMUDA 107 
 
 half-past eight when he ran up to a pier where he 
 had kept his hoat in former days. There were 
 plenty of just such crafts as the Eleuthera, and no 
 attention was paid to her as she passed along the 
 Front-street docks. The pier at which he made 
 his landing was in a retired locality. He lowered 
 the sails, and had made everything snug on board 
 before he called his companion. 
 
 " Half-past eight, Chris tophe," said he at the 
 door of the cuddy. 
 
 "Half-past eight!" exclaimed Christy, spring- 
 ing out of his berth on the floor. " Where are we 
 now, M. Rubempre ? " 
 
 " We are in Hamilton harbor ; and if you will 
 come out of the cuddy, you will find yourself in 
 the midst of flowers and green trees," replied the 
 skipper with a smile. 
 
 " I must have slept six hours," said Christy, rub- 
 bing his eyes as he crawled out of the cuddy. 
 
 The scenery around him was certainly very 
 beautiful, and he gazed upon At in silence for a 
 few minutes. It seemed to him just as though he 
 had waked in fairyland. He had cruised in the 
 vicinity of the islands, but he had never been very 
 near the shore before. Though he had been in 
 
108 FIGHTING FOR THE FIGHT 
 
 Alabama, and seen the shores of the Gulf States, 
 he had never beheld any region that seemed so 
 lovely to him. He had been on shore at Nassau, 
 but only on the wharves, and had hardly seen the 
 beauties of the island. 
 
 "Why didn't you call me before, M. Ru- 
 bempr^?" asked he, when he had taken in the 
 view from the pier. 
 
 "Because I thought your sleep would do you 
 more good than the view of the shore, which you 
 will have plenty of opportunities to see before we 
 leave," replied the detective. "But we must be- 
 gin our work, for we have no time to lose. I 
 arranged with Captain Chantor to pick us up 
 to-morrow night at about the point where we 
 embarked in tlie boat. In the mean time he will 
 sail around the islands, though the Chateaugay 
 will not come near enough to be seen from the 
 shore." 
 
 " What will you do with the boat while we are 
 absent?" 
 
 " Leave it where it is." 
 
 While they were talking, an old negro came down 
 the pier, and very politely saluted the strangers. 
 He appeared to come from a small house. a short 
 
THE FRENCHMAN IN BERMUDA 109 
 
 distance from the shore, and passed along to a boat 
 which lay near the Eleuthera. 
 
 " Is that your boat ? " asked the detective, call- 
 ing liim back. 
 
 " Yes, sir ; I am a fisherman, though I've go't 
 the rheumatism, and don't go out much; but I 
 have to go to-day, for we have nothing to eat in 
 the house," replied the negro, whose language was 
 very good. 
 
 " What is your name ? " 
 
 "Joseph, sir." 
 
 " Do you speak French ? " 
 
 " Oh, no, sir ! " exclaimed Joseph. " I don't 
 speak anything but plain English ; but I used to 
 work sometimes for a French gentleman that kept 
 a boatat this pier, six or seven years ago." 
 
 " What was his name ? " asked the detective, 
 who had had a suspicion from the first that he 
 knew the man, though he had changed a great deal 
 as he grew older. 
 
 " Mounseer Gillflower," replied Joseph ; " and 
 he was very kind to me." 
 
 " I am a Frenchman, Joseph ; and, if you don't 
 want to go fishing, I will employ you to take care of 
 my boat, and carry my valise to a hotel," continued 
 
110 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 the detective, as he handed an English sovereign 
 to liim, for he had taken care to provide himself 
 with a store of them in New York. 
 
 "Thank you, sir; but I can't change this piece." 
 protested Joseph very sadly. 
 
 " I donJ,t want you to change it ; keep the whol§ 
 of it." 
 
 " God bless you forever and ever, Mounseer!" 
 exclaimed the fisherman. " I haven't had a sover- 
 eign before since Mounseer Gillflower was here. I 
 am a very poor man, and I can't get any work on 
 shore." 
 
 Probably, like the rest of his class, he was not in- 
 clined to work while he had any money. He 
 promised to take good care of the Eleuthera, and 
 he asked no troublesome questions. The detective 
 gave his name, and ordered Christophe, calling 
 him by his name, to bring the valises on shore. 
 Then the Frenchman locked the door of the cuddy, 
 for they left their overcoats there, as they had no 
 use for them. 
 
 " To what hotel shall I carry the valises? " asked 
 Joseph. 
 
 " To the Atlantic ; that will be the most conven- 
 ient for us. Do you know anything about these 
 vessels in the liarbor, Joseph? " 
 
THE FRENCHMAN IN BEEMIJDA 111 
 
 " Not much, Mounseer Roobump ; but they say 
 the two steamers near the island are going to run 
 tlie blockade into the States ; but I don't know. 
 They say a Confederate man-of-war came into St. 
 George's harbor yesterday ; but I haven't seen her, 
 and I don't know whether it's true or not." 
 
 " What is her name ? " asked the detective, who 
 from the beginning had broken up his English, 
 and imparted a strong French accent to it. 
 
 " I did not hear any one mention her name, 
 Mounseer. That vessel this side of the island is 
 the mail steamer from New York ; she got in yes- 
 terday," continued Joseph. 
 
 " That is important ; if the Dornoch is the Con- 
 federate man-of-war that arrived at St. George's 
 yesterday, this steamer brought letters from Davis 
 to her captain," said the Frenchman to Christy, in 
 French. 
 
 "But Davis could not have learned that the 
 Ionian had been captured before the mail steamer 
 left New York," added Christy, in the same lan- 
 guage. 
 
 " No matter for that, Christophe. I did not re- 
 sign my place at Davis's warehouse till the morn- 
 ing we sailed ; and I have his letter to the captain 
 
112 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 of the Dornocli with my other papers on board of 
 the Chateaugay, and I know that was the only 
 letter written to him. As he has no information 
 in regard to the Ionian, he will not wait for her." 
 " I remember ; you showed me the letter." 
 Joseph listened with a show of wonder on his 
 face to this conversation which he could not un- 
 derstand. The detective directed him to carry the 
 two valises to the hotel named ; but Christy inter- 
 posed in French, and insisted that it would look 
 better for him to carry his own valise, and the 
 point was yielded. The Atlantic Hotel was on 
 Front Street, the harbor being on one side of it. A 
 couple of rooms were assigned to them, one of 
 them quite small, which was taken by Christy, in 
 order to keep up appearances. 
 
 M. Rubempr^ registered his name, putting "and 
 servant " after it, Paris, and spoke even worse 
 English than he had used to Joseph. Breakfast 
 had been ordered, but Christy, being only a servant, 
 had to take his meal at a side table. The detec- 
 tive was not dressed like a gentleman, and the 
 landlord seemed to have some doubts about his 
 ability to pay his bills, though he had baggage. 
 He was not treated with anything like deference, 
 
THE FRENCHMAN IN BERMUDA 113 
 
 and he saw the difficulty. After breakfast he took 
 a handful of English gold from his pocket, and 
 asked the landlord to change one of the coins 
 for smaller money. Mine host bowed low to him 
 after this exhibition. 
 
 " I want to see the American consul," said M. 
 Rubempr^, in his own language. 
 
 " I will go with you, but I think I will not sec 
 him, for he may take it into his head that I am not 
 a Frenchman," added Christy. 
 
 " You can come with me, and stay outside." 
 
 When they reached the consulate, which was on 
 the same street as the hotel, they found about a 
 dozen sailors in front of the building. They were 
 a very rough and hard-looking set of men. They 
 appeared to be considerably excited about some- 
 thing, and to be bent on violence in some direction ; 
 but the strangers could make nothing of the talk 
 they heard, though "th^ bloody spy" was an ex- 
 pression frequently used. 
 
114 FIGHTING FOE THE EIGHT 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 IMPORTANT rNFORIMATlON OBTAINED 
 
 Christy walked behind the detective in his 
 capacity as servant. It was soon evident to them 
 that the ruffians gathered in the street meant 
 mischief. On the staff over their heads floated 
 the flag of the United States. Though Mr. Gil- 
 fieur was an alien, his companion was not. Of 
 course he knew that the islands were the resort of 
 blockade-runners, that they obtained their supplies 
 from the two towns of Hamilton and St. George's. 
 This fact seemed to explain the occasion of the 
 disturbance in this particular locality. 
 
 " What does all this mean, Christophe ? " asked 
 M. Ruljempre, falling back to join Christy at the 
 door of the consulate. 
 
 " I should judge that these ruffians intended to 
 do violence to the American consul," replied 
 Christy. "I heard in New York that he was 
 faithful in the discharge of his duty to his govern- 
 
IMPORTANT DSfFORMATION OBTAINED 115 
 
 ment, and doubtless lie has excited the indignation 
 of these ruffians by his fidelity. His principal 
 business is to follow up the enforcement of the 
 neutrality laws, which compels him to watch these 
 blockade-runners, and vessels of war intended for 
 the Confederate States." 
 
 " That was my own conclusion," added the 
 Frenchman, speaking his own language, as usual. 
 " I should say that his position is not a pleasant 
 one." 
 
 "Here comes the bloody spy ! " shouted several 
 of the ruffians. 
 
 Looking down the street, they saw a dignified- 
 looking gentleman approaching, whom they sup- 
 posed to be the consul, Mr. Alwayn. He did not 
 seem to be alarmed at the demonstration in front 
 of his office. The disturbers of the peace fell back 
 as he advanced, and he reached the door where 
 the detective and his companion were standing 
 without being attacked. The mob, now consider- 
 ably increased in numbers, though probably more 
 than a majority, as usual, were merely spectators, 
 hooted violently at the representative of the 
 United States. 
 
 The gentleman reached the door of his office. 
 
116 FIGHTING FOE THE RIGHT 
 
 and by this time the ruffians seemed to realize 
 that simple hooting did no harm, and they rushed 
 forward with more serious intentions. One of 
 them laid violent hands on the consul, seizing 
 him by the back of his coat collar, and attempting 
 to pull him over backwards. Christy felt that he 
 was under the flag of his country, and his blood 
 boiled with indignation ; and, rash as was the act, 
 he planted a heavy blow with his fist under the 
 ear of the assailant, which sent him reeling back 
 among his companions. 
 
 "No revolvers, Christophe!" said the detective 
 earnestly, as he placed himself by the side of the 
 young man. 
 
 Christy's revolver was in his hip-pocket, where 
 he usually carried it, and the detective feared he 
 might use it, for both of them could hardly with- 
 stand the pressure upon them ; and the firing of 
 a single shot would have roused the passions of 
 the mob, and led to no little bloodshed. M. 
 Rubempre was entirely cool and self-possessed, 
 which could hardly be said of the young naval 
 officer. 
 
 By this time Mr. Alwayn had opened the front 
 door of the office, and gone in. The detective 
 
IMPOETANT INFORIVIATION OBTAINED 117 
 
 backed in after him, and then pushed Christy in 
 after the consul. The ruffians saw that they were 
 losing their game, and they rushed upon the door. 
 One of them crowded his way in, but M. Rubem- 
 pre, in a very quiet way, delivered a blow oii the 
 end of the assailant's nose, which caused him to 
 retreat, with the red fluid spurting from the in- 
 jured member. 
 
 Taking his place, two others pushed forward, 
 and aimed various blows at the two defendei-s of 
 the position ; but both of them were skilled in 
 this sort of play, and warded off the strokes, deliv- 
 ering telling blows in the faces of the enemy. 
 Mr. Alwayn had partially closed the door ; but he 
 was not so cowardly as to shut out his two volun- 
 teer defenders. As soon as they understood his 
 object, they backed in at the door, dispersing the 
 ruffians with well-directed blows, and the consul 
 closed and locked the door. Before any further 
 mischief could be done, the police came and dis- 
 persed the rioters. The consul fared better on 
 this occasion than on several others, in one of 
 which he was quite seriously injured. 
 
 As soon as order was restored, Mr. Alwayn 
 conducted his defenders to his office, where he 
 
118 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 thanked them heartily for the service tliey had 
 rendered him. During the melee M. Rubempre 
 had tried to address the ruffians in broken French, 
 for he did not for a moment forget his assumed 
 character. He used the same " pigeon-talk " to 
 the consul, and Christy, in the little he said, 
 adopted the same dialect. 
 
 " I see you are not Americans, my friends," said 
 the official. 
 
 " No, saire ; we are some Frenchmen," replied 
 the detective, spreading out his two hands in a 
 French gesture, and bowing very politely. 
 
 " Being Frenchmen, I am not a little surprised 
 that you should have undertaken to defend me 
 from this assault," added Mr. Alwayn. 
 
 " Ze Frenchman like, wat was this you call him, 
 ze fair play; and ve could not prevent to put some 
 fingers in tose pies. Ver glad you was not have 
 the head broke," replied M. Rubempre, with an- 
 other native flourish. " Mais^ wat for de canaille 
 make ze war on you, saire ? You was certainment 
 un gentleman ver respectable." 
 
 Mr. Alwayn explained why he had incurred the 
 hostility of the blockade-runners and their adhe- 
 rents, for he was sometimes compelled to protest 
 
IMPORTANT INFORMATION OBTAINED 119 
 
 against what he regarded as breaches of neutrality, 
 and was obliged in the discharge of his duty to 
 look after these people very closely, so that he was 
 regarded as a spy. 
 
 " Oh ! it was ze blockheads, was it ? " exclaimed 
 the Frenchman. 
 
 "Hardly the blockheads," replied the consul, 
 laughing at the blunder of the foreigner. " It is 
 the blockade-runners tliat make the trouble." 
 
 " Blockade-runners ! Merci. Was there much 
 blockadeers here in ze islands?" asked M. Rubem- 
 prd, as though he was in total ignorance of the 
 entire business of breaking the blockade. 
 
 "Thousands of them come here, for this is about 
 the nearest neutral port to Wilmington, where 
 many of this sort of craft run in." 
 
 "Wilmington was in Delaware, where I have 
 seen him on ze map." 
 
 " No, sir ; this Wilmington is in North Carolina. 
 If you look out on the waters of the harbor, half 
 the vessels you see there are blockade-runners," 
 added the consul. " And there are more of them 
 at St. George's. It was only yesterday that a 
 steamer I believe to be intended for a man-of-war 
 for the Confederacy came into the port of St. 
 
120 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 George's, and I have been much occupied with lier 
 affairs, which is probably the reason for this 
 attempt to assault me." 
 
 " Ze wtaw-of-war," repeated tlie Frenchman. 
 " Ze war, cest la guerre ; mais wat was ze man ? " 
 
 " She is a vessel used for war purposes." 
 
 " She ! She is a woman ; and I think that 
 steamer was a woman-of-war." 
 
 The consul laughed heartily, but insisted upon 
 the feminine designation of the steamer. 
 
 " What you call ze name of ze man-of-war ? " 
 asked M. Rubempre, putting on a very puzzled 
 expression of countenance. 
 
 " The Dornoch," replied Mr. Alwayn. 
 
 "The D'Ornoch," added the detective. "How 
 you write him — like zis ? " and he wrote it on a 
 piece of paper by his own method. 
 
 " Not exactly," replied the consul, writing it as 
 given in English. 
 
 " How long ze Dornoch will she stop in zat 
 port ? " asked the Frenchman, in a very indifferent 
 tone, as though the answer was not of the least 
 consequence to him. 
 
 " Not long ; I heard it stated in St. George's 
 that she would get her supplies and cargo on board 
 
"He planted a heavy blow with his fist under the ear of his 
 
 ASSAILANT." Page 1X6. 
 
IMPORTANT INFORMATION OBTAINED 121 
 
 to-day and to-morrow, and will sail before dark 
 to-morrow night," replied Mr. Alwayn. " The 
 government here ought not to allow her to remain 
 even as long as that, for she is plainly intended 
 for a Confederate cruiser, and my men inform - me 
 that she has six great guns, and fifty men." 
 
 M. Rubempre obtained all the information the 
 consul was able to give him, and much of it was 
 of great importance. The official was under obli- 
 gations to the two strangers, and he seemed not to 
 suspect that either of them was an American, 
 much less a naval officer. They took their leave 
 of him in the politest manner possible, and were 
 shown to the door by the consul. 
 
 " I am not quite sure that all his information is 
 correct, and we must investigate for oui-selves," 
 said the detective when they were in the street. 
 " But this affray is bad for us, and I was very 
 sorry when you interfered, Christophe." 
 
 " You did not expect to see me fold my arms 
 when a representative of the United States, and 
 under our flag, was attacked by a lot of ruffians ? " 
 demanded Christy, rather warmly, though he 
 spoke in French. 
 
 " I know you could not help it, and I did my 
 
122 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 best to aid you," added M. Rubempre. " I only 
 mean that it was unfortunate for us, for when we 
 go about on the islands, we may be recognized by 
 some of that mob. We must go back to the 
 hotel." 
 
 In a few minutes more they were at the Atl<intic, 
 where the Frenchman, with his usual flourish, 
 ordered a carriage to be ready in half an hour, 
 adding that he was about to dress for some visits 
 he was to make in St. George's. They went to 
 their rooms, and each of them changed his dress, 
 coming out in black snits. The master wore a 
 frock coat, but the servant was dressed in a " claw- 
 hammer," and looked like a first-class waiter. 
 
 It is about a two hours' ride over to St. George's, 
 and Christy enjoyed the excursion as much as 
 though there had not been a blockade-runner in 
 the world. The town, with even its principal 
 street not more than ten feet wide, reminded him 
 of some of the quaint old cities of Europe he had 
 visited with his father a few years before. But 
 M. Rubempre was bent on business, and the delight- 
 ful scenery was an old story to him. They took a 
 boat at a pier, and for an hour a negro pulled 
 tliem about the harbor. There were quite a 
 
IMPORTANT INFORMATION OBTAINED 123 
 
 number of steamers in the port, long, low, and 
 rakish craft, built expressly for speed, and some of 
 them must have been knocked to pieces by the 
 blockaders before the lapse of many weeks, though 
 a considerable proportion of them succeeded in 
 delivering their cargoes at Wilmington or other 
 places. 
 
 The visitors looked them over with tlie greatest 
 interest. They even went on board of a couple of 
 them, the detective pretending that he was look- 
 ing for a passage to some port in the South from 
 which he could reach Mobile, where his brother 
 was in the Confederate army. No one could 
 doubt that he was a Frenchman, and on one of 
 them the captain spoke French, though very 
 badly. M. Rubempre's good clothes secured the 
 respect and confidence of those he encountered, 
 and most of the officers freely told him where 
 they were bound, and talked with great gusto of 
 the business in which they were engaged. But 
 none of them could guarantee him a safe passage 
 to any port on the blockaded coast. 
 
 The excursion in the boat was continued, for 
 the visitors had not yet seen the steamer they 
 were the most anxious to examine. The detective 
 
124 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 would not inquire about this steamer, fearful tliat 
 it might be reported by the negro at the oars, and 
 excite suspicion. But at last, near the entrance 
 to the harbor, the boatman pointed out the Dor- 
 noch, and told them all he knew about her. There 
 were several lighters alongside, discharging coal 
 and other cargo into her. 
 
 M. Rubempr^, in his broken English, asked 
 permission to go on deck, and it was promptly- 
 accorded to him. He was very polite to the 
 officers, and they treated him with proper con- 
 sideration. There were no guns in sight, and the 
 steamer looked like a merchantman ; but if she 
 had been searched, her armament would have been 
 found in the hold. The visitor again repeated 
 his desire to obtain a passage to the South ; and 
 this request seemed to satisfy the first officer with 
 whom lie talked. He was informed that the 
 steamer would sail about five on the afternoon of 
 the next day, and he must be on board at that 
 time, if he wished to go in the vessel. He learned 
 many particulars in regard to her. 
 
AN UNEXPECTED RENCONTKE 125 
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 AN UNEXPECTED RENCONTRE 
 
 It was lunch-time when the visitors hmded, 
 and they proceeded to the St. George's Hotel in 
 Market Square, to attend to this mid-day duty. 
 In the coffee-room they found quite a number of 
 guests, and the only spare seat the detective found 
 was at a large table at which a gentleman in 
 uniform was seated. 
 
 " Wit your permis-si-on, I take one of the places 
 here," said M. Rubempre with his politest flourish. 
 
 " Certainly," replied the gentleman, as politely 
 as the Frenchman ; and he seated himself at the 
 table, Christy remaining standing. 
 
 " Demandez un gareon " (ask for a waiter), 
 " Christophe." Then in French he asked the 
 stranger opposite him if he spoke that language. 
 
 " A little, sir ; but I am not fluent in it," replied 
 the gentleman in the same language. 
 
 " Ah, my dear sir, you speak very well ; and 
 
126 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 you have the Parisian accent," added the French- 
 man, who, like his countrymen, counted upon the 
 effect of a little well-administered flattery. 
 
 " You are very kind to say so, sir. I have been 
 in Paris a few montlis, and was always able to 
 make my way with the language," said the stran- 
 ger, evidently pleased with the commendation 
 bestowed upon his French accent ; for many 
 people take more pride in their foreign accent than 
 in the proper use of their own language. 
 
 " Christophe, find a place for yourself, and order 
 what you desire," continued the Frenchman, as a 
 waiter, summoned by the acting servant, presented 
 himself to take the order. 
 
 At this moment a gentleman behind the detec- 
 tive vacated his place at the table, and Christy took 
 a seat close to his companion. The lunch of both 
 was ordered, and the stranger opposite had but 
 just commenced his meal. M. Rubempre " laid 
 himself out" to make himself as agreeable as 
 possible, and he seemed to be succeeding admira- 
 bly, for the stranger appeared to be absolutely 
 charmed with him. Speaking slowly and clearly, 
 so that the person in uniform, wlio did not speak 
 French fluently, could understand him, he told 
 
AN UNEXPECTED EENCONTKE 127 
 
 him all about his brother in the Confederate army, 
 and strongly expressed his desire to join him, and 
 perhaps the army, for he had very strong sympathy 
 for the right in the great conflict ; in fact, he was 
 disposed to engage in fighting for the right. 
 
 Then he inquired of his new friend what wine 
 was the best in the island. The stranger preferred 
 sherry, but perhaps a Frenchman might take a 
 different view of the subject. M. Rubempre 
 ordered both sherry and claret, and then filled the 
 classes of his vis-a-vis and his own. He did not 
 offer any to his servant, for he knew that he never 
 touched it. They drank claret first to each other's 
 health. 
 
 " You are in the military, my friend ? " con- 
 tinued the detective. 
 
 " No, sir ; I am a sailor. Allow me to intro- 
 duce myself as Captain Rombold, of the steamer 
 Dornoch." 
 
 " I am extremely happy to make your acquaint- 
 ance, Captain Rombold. To reciprocate, I am M. 
 Rubempre, of Paris," added the Frenchman, as he 
 filled his companion's glass, and they tippled again 
 with an abundance of compliments. " I presume 
 that you are in the British navy, Captain Rom- 
 bold?" 
 
128 FIGHTING FOR THE EIGHT 
 
 " At present I am not, though I was formerly in 
 that service, and resigned to engage in a more 
 lucrative occupation." 
 
 " Indeed, what could be better than the position 
 of an officer in the Royal navy ? " 
 
 " I am now a commander in the navy of the 
 Confederate States," added the captain, looking 
 with interest into the face of his companion. " I 
 am taking in coal and cargo, and shall sail at five 
 to-morrow afternoon for Wilmington." 
 
 " Is it possible ? " said M. Rubempre, who ap- 
 peared to be greatly impressed by what was said 
 to him. " I wish I was a sailor, but I am not. 
 You will break through the blockade ? " 
 
 " I apprehend no difficulty in doing that, for the 
 Dornoch is good for fourteen knots an hour, and 
 most of the Federal fleet cannot make more than 
 twelve." 
 
 Christy was very glad to hear this acknowledg- 
 ment of the speed of the intended cruiser, for it 
 assured him that the Chateaugay could outsail 
 her. The two gentlemen at the other table passed 
 the wine very freely, and both of them seemed to 
 be consideral)ly exhilarated; but he was glad to 
 perceive that his friend allowed the captain to do 
 
AN UNPZXPECTED RENCONTRE 129 
 
 the most of the talking. The lunch was finished 
 at last, and both of them rose from the table. 
 
 " I am exceedingly obliged to you, M. Rubem- 
 pre, for the pleasure I have derived from this 
 interview," said Captain Rombold, as he grasped 
 the hand of his companion. " I have had more 
 practice with my French than for several years, 
 and I take great delight in speaking the language. 
 I hope we shall meet again." 
 
 " Thanks ! Thanks ! I am very sure that we 
 shall meet again ; and almost as sure that we shall 
 meet fighting for the right," added the French- 
 man. 
 
 " But I hope you will be a passenger on board 
 of the Dornoch, as you suggested to me a little 
 wliile ago. I will give you a good stateroom, 
 though I cannot absolutely promise to take you to 
 the port of our destination, for accidents may hap- 
 pen in the midst of the blockaders." 
 
 " If I can go with you, my dear Captain Rom- 
 bold, I shall be on board of your ship by four to- 
 morrow afternoon," replied the detective, as he 
 took the hand of his new friend for the last time. 
 
 Christy had finished his lunch, and they left the 
 hotel together. The carriage in which they had 
 
130 FIGHTING FOR THE EIGHT 
 
 come called for them at the appomted time, and 
 they returned to Hamilton. The conversation was 
 continued in French, so that the driver was none 
 the wiser for what he heard. At the Atlantic 
 they went to their rooms, where the information 
 they had obtained was collaborated, and written 
 down in French, the detedtive concealing it in a 
 belt pocket he wore on his body. 
 
 " The wonder to me has been that these officers 
 talked so freely," said Christy, as they seated 
 themselves at a window. " They talked to you as 
 plainly as though you had been their friend for 
 life." 
 
 " Why shouldn't they ? They can't help know- 
 ing that I am a Frenchman ; and I am sorry to 
 say that my countrymen^ like so many of the Eng- 
 lish, sympathize with the South in the great Civil 
 "War. They take me for a friend at once. Be- 
 sides, as they understand the matter here, why 
 should these blockade-runners, or even the Con- 
 federate commander, object to telling what they 
 are going to do. There will be no mail steamer to 
 New York till after they have all gone off; and 
 there is no telegraph yet." 
 
 " Perhaps you are right, M. Rubempr^ ; but I 
 
AN UNEXPECTED RENCONTRE 131 
 
 think a good deal more discretion would become 
 them better, as they are likely to ^iscertain very 
 soon," added Christy. 
 
 " I suppose none of these people here would 
 consider it possible or practicable to land at these 
 islands and pick-up the news, as we have done. 
 This was my plan for Nassau, but I did not think 
 of applying it to the Bermudas, till Captain Chan- 
 tor told me his difficulty as to waiting for the 
 Dornoch." 
 
 "■ It seems to me we have done all we can do 
 here, and there is nothing more to do." 
 
 " That is very true ; but I supposed it would 
 take at least two days to do our business. We 
 have been much more successful than I anticipated, 
 and performed the duty in half the time I sup- 
 posed it would require. But it was better to have 
 too much time than too little." 
 
 " It is nearly night now, and we have anotlier 
 day to spend here." 
 
 " We can rest from our labors in the liope that 
 our works will follow us. I am ready to do a good 
 deal of sleeping in the time that remains to us, 
 for we may not be able to sleep any to-morrow 
 night," added the detective as he threw himself on 
 his bed, and was soon fast asleep. 
 
132 FIGHTING FOR THE EIGHT 
 
 Christy had slept enough the night before and 
 during the morning ; and he went out to take a 
 walk in the town. He had taken off his suit of 
 black, and put on the costume he had worn from 
 the ship. He was inclined to see what there was 
 in the town ; and he walked about till it was dark, 
 at which time he found himself in the vicinity of 
 the Hamilton Hotel, the largest and best appointed 
 in the town. He was dressed very plainly, but 
 there was nothing shabby in his appearance ; and 
 he thought he would inspect the interior of the 
 hotel. 
 
 He began to mount the piazza, when he sud- 
 denly halted, and started back with astonishment, 
 and his hair almost stood on end. Directly in 
 front of him, and not ten feet distant, sat his 
 uncle. Homer Passford, of Glenfield, talking with 
 a gentleman in uniform. The lantern that hung 
 near him enabled him to see the features of the 
 planter, but he could not see the face of the offi- 
 cer, with whom' he was engaged in a ver}'^ earnest 
 conversation. 
 
 Christy's first impulse was to put a long dis- 
 tance between himself and his uncle, for his 
 father's brother might identify him in spite of the 
 
AN UNEXPECTED RENCONTRE 133 
 
 color on his face. Such a discovery was likely to 
 prove very annoying to him, and might render 
 useless the information the detective and himself 
 had obtained with so much trouble and risk. But 
 the first question that came into his head was the 
 inquiry as to what his uncle was doing in Ber- 
 muda. He was a Confederate of the most posi- 
 tive type, had done everything in his power for 
 his government, as he understood it, and was 
 willing to sacrifice his life and all that he had in 
 the world in its service. 
 
 Colonel Passford must be there on some mission. 
 He was a prominent and useful man in his State ; 
 and he would not have left it without some very 
 strong motive. The nephew would have given a 
 great deal, and exposed himself to no little peril, 
 to be able to fathom this motive. He moved 
 away from the piazza, and went uj^on it at another 
 place. If he could hear some of the conversation 
 he might be able to form some idea of the occasion 
 of his uncle's visit. 
 
 Walking along the platform, he obtained a posi- 
 tion behind Colonel Passford, and at the same 
 time saw the face of the person with Avhom he 
 was in conversation. He was not a little surprised 
 
134 FIGFITING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 to discover that the gentleman was Captain Rom- 
 bold, commander of the Dornoch. He had hardly- 
 seen this officer, and he had no fear that he would 
 recognize him ; and, if he did, it was of little con- 
 sequence, for he was there in the capacity of a 
 servant. He took a vacant chair, turned his back 
 to both of the speakers, and opened wide his ears. 
 Probably nine-tenths of the people in the hotel 
 were directly or indirectly concerned in the busi- 
 ness of blockade-running ; and secrecy was hardly 
 necessary in that locality. 
 
 " As I say. Captain Rombold, we need more 
 fast steamers, not to run the blockade, but to prey 
 upon the enemy's commerce. In that way we can 
 bring the people of the North to their senses, and 
 put this unhallowed strife on the part of the Fed- 
 erals to an end," said Colonel Passford. 
 
 " Well, Colonel, there are ships enough to be 
 had on the other side of the Atlantic, and your 
 money or your cotton will buy them," added the 
 naval officer. 
 
 '' We have been rather unfortunate in running 
 cotton out this last year. Several steamers and 
 sailing vessels that I fitted out witli cotton my- 
 self were captured by my own nepliew, who 
 
AN UNEXPECTED RENCONTRE 135 
 
 was in command of a small steamer called the 
 Bronx." 
 
 " Of course those things could not be helped," 
 replied Captain Rombold ; " but with the Gates- 
 head and the Kilmarnock, larger and more power- 
 ful steamers than any that have been sent over, 
 you can scour the ocean. They are ready for you 
 when your money is ready." 
 
 " It is ready now, for I have sacrificed my entire 
 fortune for the purchase of these steamers ; and I 
 wait only for a vessel that will take me to Scot- 
 land," replied Colonel Passford. 
 
 Christy promptly decided that the steamers 
 mentioned should not be purchased to prey on the 
 commerce of the United States, if he could possi- 
 bly prevent it. 
 
136 FIGHTING FOE THE RIGHT 
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 AN IMPKACTICABLE SCHEME 
 
 Before the War of the Rebellion the commerce 
 of the United States exceeded that of any other 
 nation on the globe. The Confederate steamers, 
 the Sumter, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and other 
 cruisers, swept our ships from the ocean, and the 
 country has never regained its commercial prestige. 
 Christy Passford listened with intense interest to 
 the conversation between his uncle and the com- 
 mander of the Dornoch, and he came to the conclu- 
 sion that the latter was a naval officer of no ordinary 
 ability. He evidently believed that the six-gun 
 steamer in his charge was a command not worthy 
 of his talent. 
 
 The Sumter, and some other vessels fitted out as 
 privateers or war vessels, had already done a great 
 deal of mischief to the shipping of the Northern 
 States, and the young man fully realized the mean- 
 ing of his uncle's intentions. Colonel Passford 
 
AN IMPRACTICABLE SCHEME 137 
 
 had been supplied with money by his government, 
 with what he had raised himself, to purchase larger 
 and more powerful steamers than had yet been 
 obtained, and Captain Rombold appeared to be hiS' 
 confidant, with whom he must have been in com- 
 munication for a considerable length of time. 
 
 Colonel Passford was going to England and 
 Scotland to purchase the steamers mentioned and 
 recommended as the kind required by his present 
 companion. Christy could think of no manner in 
 which he could serve his country so effectually as 
 by preventing, or even delaying, the adding of 
 these vessels to the navy of the South. But it was 
 a tremendous undertaking for a young man. His 
 uncle had certainly been very indiscreet in talking 
 out loud about his plans ; but it could hardly have 
 been supposed that any loyal ears were near enough 
 to hear them, for even the American consul was 
 not safe in the islands. 
 
 Christy had doubled himself up in his chair, and 
 pretended to be asleep, so that no notice was taken 
 of him by the two gentlemen in conversation. He 
 continued to listen till he heard a clock strike nine ; 
 but he obtained no further information, except in 
 relation to the details of the colonel's plans. He 
 
138 FIGHTING FOTl THE RIGHT 
 
 was in great haste to get to England to purchase 
 the vessels, and he had the drafts about him for the 
 purpose. It was a vast sum, for the prices of de- 
 sirable steamers had largely advanced under the 
 demand for them for running the blockade. 
 
 ^ " The easiest and quickest way for you to get to 
 Liverpool or Glasgow is to go to New York, and 
 there take a steamer to either of these ports," sug- 
 gested Captain Rombold. 
 
 " I dare not go to New York, for I should cer- 
 tainly be recognized there. My only brother is 
 one of the most prominent agents of the Yankee 
 government, and every passenger from Bermuda 
 and Nassau is watched and dogged by detectives. 
 It would not be prudent for me to go New York, 
 for some pretext to rob me of the drafts I carry 
 would be found," replied Homer Passford. 
 
 " There may be a steamer from Bermuda in a 
 week or a month, for there is no regular line," 
 added the naval officer. 
 
 "But there are regular lines from Havana, 
 Mexico, Jamaica, and the Windward Islands," sug- 
 gested the agent of the Confederate government. 
 
 " Very true, and it is not necessary that I should 
 make a port in the Confederate States before I 
 
AN IMPRACTICABLE SCHEME 139 
 
 begin my work on the ocean," said Captain Rom- 
 bold. " I have m}'- commission from your govern- 
 ment, with full powers to act, thougli I desired to 
 make a port in the South, for, as you are aware, 
 my wife is a native of Georgia, and is at her fatlier's 
 plantation at the present time. I captured two 
 Yankee vessels oif the Azores, and burned them." 
 
 " I have no doubt about your powers ; but can 
 you not aid me in getting to England?" persisted 
 the colonel. 
 
 " If you will take the chances, I can, Colonel 
 Passford. If you will go on board of my ship to- 
 morrow afternoon, and sail with me, I have no 
 doubt we shall overhaul a steamer bound to England 
 in the course of a week, for I will get into the 
 track of these vessels." 
 
 The agent promptly accepted this proposition, 
 and soon after the conference ended, though not 
 till the listener had taken himself out of the way. 
 Christy had turned over in his mind a plan to ter- 
 minate very suddenly his uncle's mission to pur- 
 chase steamers, and to obtain possession of his 
 drafts. M. Rubempre was adroit enough to accom- 
 plish almost anything, and he intended to have the 
 detective make the colonel's acquaintance, and in- 
 
140 FIGHTING FOR THE IIIGHT 
 
 duce him to embark witli them in the Eleuthera, 
 pretending that he was going to France himself, 
 and intended to intercept a French steamer from 
 Progreso, whose course lay but a short distance 
 south of the Bermudas. 
 
 But the plan suggested by Captain Rombold, 
 and adopted by Colonel Passford, saved him from 
 what the young officer regarded as his duty in the 
 deception and capture of his uncle. When the 
 Bellevite, while she was still the yacht of Captain 
 Horatio Passford, had gone to the vicinity of 
 Mobile, to the home of his father's brother. Homer 
 had done all in his power to capture the steamer 
 for the use of his government, and had made war 
 upon her with armed vessels. He had done so 
 conscientiously, believing it to be his duty to his 
 country. This fact from the past made it easier 
 for Christy to think of such a thing as the capture 
 of his uncle, even in a neutral country. 
 
 The young man returned to the Atlantic Hotel. 
 He found M. Rubempr^ still fast asleep, for his 
 slumbers the night before had been very brief. He 
 waked him, and told him all that had transpired 
 during the evening, though not till the detective 
 had ordered supper, which they had not partaken 
 
AN IMPRACTICABLE SCHEME 141 
 
 of. SO far. He stated the plan by which he had 
 proposed to himself to prevent the purchase, for 
 the present at least, of the Gateshead and Kilmar- 
 nock." 
 
 " Not a practicable plan, Christophe," said 'the 
 detective, shaking his head vigorously. 
 
 "Why not?" demanded Christy; and he ex- 
 plained the conduct of his uncle in regard to the 
 Belle vite, when she was on a peaceful errand to 
 convey her owner's daughter back to her home. 
 
 Then he related the attempt of the colonel's son, 
 his cousin Corny, to capture the Bronx by a piece 
 of wild strategy. 
 
 " But I do not object to your scheme on moral 
 grounds," interposed M. Rubempre. " Have you 
 forgotten the affair of the Trent, when Messrs. 
 Mason and Slidell were taken out of an English 
 steamer? The British government made a tremen- 
 dous tempest, and would certainly have declared 
 war if the two envoys had not been returned to a 
 British ship-of-war. The English flag waves over 
 these islands, and they are supposed to be neutral 
 ground." 
 
 " Neutral with a vengeance ! " exclaimed Christy. 
 
 "If Colonel Passford had been carried off in the 
 
142 FIGHTING FOE THE RIGHT 
 
 manner you tliought of, the United States govern- 
 ment would have been compelled to return him to 
 these islands, with all his drafts and other property. 
 I am very glad you found it unnecessary to carry 
 out such a plot," said the detective, as a knock at 
 the door announced that their supper was ready. 
 
 As Christy's plan was not. in order, would be 
 inutile, the business of the visitors at the islands 
 was finished. Both of them slept till very late in 
 the morning, and after breakfast lay down again 
 and slept all the forenoon. The young man was 
 afraid to go out of the hotel in the afternoon, fear- 
 ful that he might meet his uncle. But his com- 
 panion walked about the place, and visited the 
 Hamilton, where he again encountered Captain 
 Ronifbold, who introduced him to Colonel Pass- 
 ford ; informing him that he was to be his fellow 
 passenger. When the commander of the Dornoch 
 told him that he might not make a Confederate 
 poit for some weeks, if at all, M. Rubempr^ 
 decided not to take passage with him. Of course 
 nothing was said that could be of any service to 
 the detective, for he had already obtained the 
 information he needed; but he assured himself 
 that the steamer would sail at the time stated the 
 day before. 
 
AN IMPRACTICABLE SCHEME 143 
 
 Towards night the detective informed the land- 
 lord that he was to go to St. George's in the even- 
 ing, paid his bill, and liberally rewarded the waiters. 
 He had been over to the pier to look after the 
 Eleuthera, and had found Joseph at his house. 
 The boat was all right ; her keeper had washed 
 her out, and put everything in order on board of 
 her. M. Rubempre returned to the hotel, and 
 after supper Joseph came for the valises. It was 
 quite dark when they left the place, and made 
 their way to the pier. No one asked any ques- 
 tions, and the detective had caused it to be under- 
 stood that he had engaged a boatman to take him 
 to St. George's by water. 
 
 They went on board of the boat, and the fisher- 
 man assisted them in getting under way. The 
 liberal skipper gave him another sovereign, adding 
 that he need not say anything to any person about 
 him and his servant. Joseph was profuse in his 
 expressions of gratitude, for with so much money 
 in his pocket he need not go a-fishing again for a 
 month or more, and protested with all his might 
 that he would not mention them to anybody. 
 
 The niglit was dark enougli to conceal the 
 Eleuthera after she got away from the shore, but 
 
144 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 not SO dark tliat the skipper could not find his way 
 around the reefs to Hogfish Cut. It was high 
 tide, as it had been when they came inside of the 
 rocks, and the boat went along quite briskly in the 
 fresh west wind that was still blowing. Without 
 accident or incident of importance, though the 
 wind was ahead a portion of the way, the boat 
 reached the Cut at about midnight. She stuck 
 on a reef at this point, but very lightly, though it 
 required half an hour or more to get her off. She 
 made no water, and did not appear to be injured. 
 
 Without further mishap the Eleuthera passed 
 through the opening in the reefs, and, taking the 
 bearing of the light on Gibbs Hill, Mr. Gilfleur, 
 as Christy began to call him from this time, laid 
 his course to the south-west. The Chateaugay 
 was not to show any lights, and there was nothing 
 but the compass to depend upon ; but a light was 
 necessary to enable the skipper to see it. The 
 lantern was used for this purpose, but it was care- 
 fully concealed in the stern. 
 
 " We are all right now, Mr. Passford ; and you 
 may turn in for about three hours, for I don't 
 think we shall sight the ship in less than that 
 time," said the detective, as he put on his overcoat. 
 
AN IMPRACTICABLE SCHEME 145 
 
 for the night air was rather chilly, and his compan- 
 ion had already done so. 
 
 " I have no occasion to turn in, for I have slept 
 enough at that hotel to last me for a week," replied 
 Christy. " It looks now as though we had made a 
 good job of this visit to the Bermudas." 
 
 " I think there can be no doubt of that, Mr. 
 Passford ; and there is an unpleasant surprise in 
 store for your worthy uncle," said Mr. Gilfleur, 
 chuckling as he spoke. 
 
 " And perhaps for your accomplished friend 
 Captain Rombold. We have both heard him say 
 that he was regularly commissioned as a com- 
 mander in the Confederate navy, and that his ship 
 is armed with all proper authority to capture, 
 burn, and destroy the mercantile marine of the 
 United States." 
 
 "But Captain Rombold is an ex-officer of the 
 Royal navy, and you may depend upon it he will 
 fight. There will be a naval battle somewhere in 
 the vicinity of these islands to-morrow, and Cap- 
 tain Chantor will find that it will be no boy's 
 play," added Mr. Gilfleur. 
 
 " My father told me that he was a very able 
 officer, and had already rendered good service. 
 
146 FIGHTING FOR THE EIGHT 
 
 good enough to procure his rapid promotion. I 
 liked the looks of his officers and crew, and I have 
 no doubt they will give a good account of them- 
 selves." 
 
 " I hope so, for I am to be an American citizen : 
 I have filed my first papers." 
 
 " I doubt not you will make a good and useful 
 citizen ; and your wonderful-skill as a detective will 
 make you very serviceable to your new country." 
 
 The conversation was continued for full three 
 hours longer ; at the end of which time they saw a 
 dark body ahead on the port bow, and heard some 
 rather gentle screams from a steam whistle. 
 
AT THE END OF THE CHASE 147 
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 AT THE END OF THE CHASE 
 
 Me. Gilfleur estimated that the Eleuthera 
 was at least fifteen miles from the light, and the 
 whistles were not loud enough to be heard at that 
 distance. Neither of the voyagers had any doubt 
 that the dark mass ahead was the Chateaugay, and 
 the skipper headed the boat for her. If it were 
 not the ship that was expecting to pick uj) the 
 visitors to the island, she would not be whistling 
 in mid-ocean ; and any other vessel would carry a 
 head and side lights. 
 
 In half an hour more, for the Chateaugay ap- 
 peared to have stopped her screw, the boat was 
 within speaking distance, and the hail of Christy 
 was answered. When she came alongside the 
 steamer, the accommodation ladder was rio-o-ed 
 out, several seamen came on board, and the voy- 
 agers hastened to the deck of the ship. Captain 
 Chantor grasped the hand of the lieutenant, and 
 then of the detective. 
 
148 FIGHTING FOR THE IlIGHT 
 
 " I had some doubts whether or not I should 
 ever see you again," said the commander. " If 
 they had discovered that one of you was a United 
 States naval officer, they would have mobbed 
 you." 
 
 " As they did the American consul while we 
 were there," added Mr. Gilfleur. 
 
 " You will tell me of that later," replied the 
 captain, as he directed the officer of the watch to 
 lioist in the boat and secure it as it had been be- 
 fore. " Now, come down into my cabin, and tell 
 me your news, if you have seen something, even 
 if you have not done anything," he added. 
 
 " We were not expected to capture the islands, 
 or make any demonstration ; and we have been in 
 only one fight," replied Christy, to whom the com- 
 mander turned as soon as they were seated at the 
 table. 
 
 " Then you have been in a fight ?. " queried the 
 captain. 
 
 " Only with the fists. We defended the United 
 States consul when he was hard pressed, and we 
 got him safely into his office by the time the police 
 came upon the scene," continued Christy. " But 
 we have important information. Mr. Gilfleur will 
 give it to you in full." 
 
AT THE END OF THE CHASE 149 
 
 " Pardon ; but I very much prefer that Mr. 
 Passford should be the historian" of the expedi- 
 tion," interposed the detective. 
 
 "But my friend and companion has been the 
 principal actor ; and I am sure I could not have 
 done anything to obtain the information without 
 him," protested the lieutenant. 
 
 " Then it is all the more proper that you should 
 tell the story, Mr. Passford, and spare Mr. Gil- 
 fieur's modesty," said the captain. 
 
 It was agreed that Christy should be the narra- 
 tor of the results of the expedition, and he first 
 described the trip to Hamilton in the boat. Then 
 he told about the assault on the consul, and in 
 what manner they had defended him. 
 
 " I ought to inform you at once tliat the Dor- 
 noch was at St. George's harbor, and that she was 
 to sail yesterday afternoon at five o'clock," said 
 Christy. "But she is bound to the southward, 
 and her first mission is to intercept an English or 
 French steamer, and put a Confederate commis- 
 sioner, wishing to get to England, on board of her. 
 This agent of the South happens to be my uncle." 
 
 "The brother of Captain Passford?" 
 
 " Yes, Captain ; and he is provided with funds 
 
150 FIGHTING FOR THE EIGHT 
 
 to purchase two vessels — steamers, to be fitted up 
 as men-of-war." 
 
 " Then if he is your father's brother, you think, 
 perhaps, that we ought not to molest him," sug- 
 gested the captain. 
 
 " Why, his graceless nephew even considered a 
 scheme to entice him on board of our boat, under 
 pretence of finding a passage to England for him," 
 interposed Mr, Gilfleur, laughing heartily at the 
 suggestion of the commander. 
 
 " I believe in treating him like a Christian and 
 a gentleman, for he is both of these ; but I do not 
 believe in letting him fill up the Confederate navy 
 with foreign-built steamers, to ruin the commerce 
 of my country," replied the young officer with 
 spirit. " My father would no more believe in it 
 than I do. You should treat him. Captain Chan- 
 tor, exactly as though he was nobody's brother or 
 uncle." 
 
 The commander clapped his hands as though he 
 was of the same opinion as his passenger, and 
 Christy proceeded with his narrative, describing 
 their visit to the Dornoch and the blockade- 
 runners at St. George's and Hamilton. The cap- 
 tain was very much amused at his interview in 
 
AT THE END OF THE CHASE 151 
 
 French with Captam Rombold, and his conver- 
 sations with oihcers of other vessels they had 
 boarded. The detective took his papers from the 
 belt, and read the names of the steamers, and the 
 ports for which they were bound. 
 
 " They were a very obliging lot of blockade- 
 runners," said the captain, laughing heartily at the 
 freedom with which they had spoken. 
 
 " I don't suppose there is an American in the 
 Bermudas at the present time besides Mr. Alwayn, 
 the consul," added the detective. " The blockade- 
 runners have the islands all to themselves, or at 
 least the two towns on them. They have plenty 
 of money, and they spend it without stint or 
 measure. They make business good, and the in- 
 habitants take excellent care of them. It is no 
 place for Americans ; for everybody's sympathy is 
 with the South. It seems to me that there is no 
 danger of talking about their business anywhere 
 in the islands." 
 
 " They were speaking all the time to a French- 
 man, who had considerable difficulty in using the 
 English language," said Christy. " All the talk 
 with Captain Rombold was in French." 
 
 The narrative was finished, and discussed at 
 
152 FIGHTING FOE THE EIGHT 
 
 great length. The order had been given to the 
 officer of the deck to go ahead at full speed, mak- 
 ing the course south-east, after the Eleuthera had 
 been hoisted on board and secured. 
 
 " It looks decidedly like a battle some time to- 
 morrow," said the commander thoughtfully. 
 
 " No doubt of it," added Christy. 
 
 " If the Dornoch sailed at five o'clock yesterday 
 afternoon, according to the arrangement, she must 
 be over a hundred miles from the islands at this 
 moment," continued Captain Chantor thoughtfully, 
 as he consulted his watch. " We can only conjec- 
 ture his course, and that is the important thing for 
 us to know. His first objective point is to inter- 
 cept a steamer bound to England or France. If 
 he runs directly to the southward he may miss the 
 first one." 
 
 " If I were in his place I should run to the east- 
 ward, so as not to fall astern of any possible steamer 
 bound to England," added Christy. 
 
 " That was the thought that first came to my 
 mind," replied the commander, as he brought out 
 a chart and spread it on the table. " For that 
 reason I gave out the course to the south-east." 
 
 A careful examination of the chart and an ex- 
 
AT THE END OP THE CHASE 153 
 
 tended calculation followed. It was agreed be- 
 tween the two naval officers that the Dornoch 
 would go to the eastward till she fell into the 
 track of vessels bound to the north-east from 
 Jamaica, Cuban ports, or Mexico, and then ;put 
 her head to the south-west. It was four o'clock in 
 the morning, the cruiser had been out nine hours, 
 and the captain dotted the chart where he be- 
 lieved slie was at that moment. 
 
 " She has made all the easting necessary, and by 
 this time she has laid her course about south- 
 west," continued the commander. " Captain Rom- 
 bold will not hurry his ship, for he has no 
 occasion to do so, and he will naturally save his 
 coal. If our calculations are correct, we shall see 
 the Dornoch about noon to-day ; " and he pointed 
 to the conjunction of the two courses as he had 
 drawn them on a diagram. " That is all ; and we 
 had better turn in." 
 
 A sharp lockout was maintained during the 
 hours of the morning watch, for the conjectures 
 and calculations of the captain might prove to be 
 all wrong. It was possible that the Dornoch had 
 proceeded directly to the southward, after making 
 less easting than was anticipated. Nothing was 
 
154 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 seen of any steamer. But in the middle of the 
 forenoon watch a long and rather faint streak of 
 black was discovered in the east. The Dornoch 
 was not exactly a blockade-runner, and doubtless 
 she used soft coal, though anthracite was beginning 
 to come into use in other than American steamers, 
 for its smoke was less likely to betray them. 
 
 "I think we have figured this matter out 
 correctly, Mr. Passford," said Captain Chantor, as 
 they gazed at the attenuated streak of black. 
 
 " Captain Rombold is a very competent officer, 
 and you and he seem to have agreed in your 
 calculations," added Christy. 
 
 The steamer to the eastward soon came in 
 sight ; she and the Chateaugay were headed for 
 the same point, and by noon they were in plain 
 sight of each other. -In another hour they were 
 within hailing distance. 
 
 " That is not the Dornoch," said Chi-isty 
 decidedly. 
 
 " No ; she is much larger than the Dornoch," 
 added Mr. Gilfleur. 
 
 " I am disappointed," replied the captain. 
 
 The steamer showed the British flag, and went 
 on her Avay to the south-west. The Chateaugay 
 
AT THE END OF THE CHASE 155 
 
 continued on her course without change till eight 
 bells in the afternoon watch, when a heavier 
 volume of smoke was descried in the north-east. 
 No change was made in the course, and at the 
 beginning of the second dog watch the craft from 
 which the smoke issued could be seen with the 
 naked eye. She was headed to the south-west, 
 and it was evident that her course would carry 
 her to the westward of the Chateaugay. The 
 darkness soon settled down upon the ocean, and 
 the port light of the stranger showed itself over 
 the starboard quarter of the ship, proving that it 
 crossed the wake of the other. 
 
 The action, if the steamer proved to be the 
 Dornoch, must be deferred till the next morning. 
 It was impossible to determine what she was in 
 the darkness, and Captain Chantor ordered the 
 course to be changed to correspond with that of 
 the stranger, which manifested no disposition to 
 get away from her. All night the two vessels 
 maintained the same relative position, and both 
 were making about ten knots an hour. At day- 
 light in the morning the commander and Christy 
 were on the quarter-deck, anxiously observing the 
 stranger. She was carefully examined with the 
 glasses. 
 
156 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 " That is the Doinocli ! " exclaimed Mr. Gilfleur, 
 after a long inspection with the glass. 
 
 " No doubt of it," added Christy. 
 
 " You are sure of it? " inquired the commander. 
 
 "We have both been on board of her, and I 
 am perfectly sure of it," rej)lied Christy, who 
 proceeded to explain the details by which he 
 identified her; and the captain was entirely 
 satisfied. 
 
 The Dornoch was not more than two miles 
 distant from the Chateangay, for in the early 
 morning hours the course had been changed a 
 couple of points, to bring her nearer for examina- 
 tion. It was now a chase, and the chief engineer 
 was instructed to give the ship her best speed. 
 It was soon evident that the Dornoch was hurry- 
 ing her pace, for her smoke-stacks were vomiting 
 forth immense inky clouds. 
 
 " I doubt if Captain Ronibold cares to fight 
 with my uncle on board," said Christy. " He 
 can see that the Chateangay is of heavier metal 
 than the Dornoch." 
 
 " I should suppose that it would be his first 
 care, as perhaps he regards it as his first duty, to 
 put his passenger on board of a steamer bound to 
 
AT THE END OF THE CHASE 157 
 
 England," added the commander. " It appears 
 to be a question of speed just now." 
 
 The Chateaugay was driven to her utmost, and 
 it was soon clear that she was too much for her 
 antagonist. At two bells in the forenoon watch 
 she was about a mile abreast of the chase, which 
 had not yet shown her colors. The flag of the 
 United States floated at the peak, and the com- 
 mander ordered a shot to be fired across the 
 forefoot of the Dornoch. 
 
 This was an order for her to come to ; but, 
 instead of doing so, she flung out the Con- 
 federate flag, and fired a shotted gun, the ball 
 from which whizzed over the heads of the Chateau- 
 gay's officers on the quarter-deck. 
 
158 FIGHTING FOR THE EIGHT 
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 AN EASY VICTORY 
 
 The shot from the Dornoch, which had evi- 
 dently been intended to hit the Chateaugay, suffi- 
 ciently indicated the purpose of her commander. 
 On board of either steamer there could be no 
 doubt in regard to the character of the other. 
 Captain Chantor gave the order to beat to quar- 
 ters, and in a few moments every officer and sea- 
 man was at his station. 
 
 Christy Passford went to his stateroom, buckled 
 on his sword belt, and prepared his revolvers fot 
 use ; for though he held no position on board of the 
 Chateaugay, he did not intend to remain idle dur- 
 ing the action, and was ready to serve as a volun- 
 teer. Mr. Gilfleur came to the open door of his 
 room, and seemed to be somewhat astonished to 
 observe his preparations. 
 
 "You appear to be ready for duty, Mr. Passford, 
 though you are not attached to this ship," said lie. 
 
AN EASY VICTORY 159 
 
 "I have no position on board of the Cha- 
 teaugay; but it would be quite impossible for me 
 to remain inactive while my country needs my ser- 
 vices, even as a supernumerary," replied Christy. 
 
 "But what am I to do?" asked the detective, 
 with a puzzled expression on his face. 
 
 " Nothing at all, Mr. Gilfleur ; I regard you as a 
 non-combatant, and I think you had better remain 
 in your stateroom," replied Christy. " But I 
 must go on deck." 
 
 The Frenchman followed him to the quarter- 
 deck, and seemed to be inclined to take a hand in 
 the conflict. He desired to be an American citi- 
 zen, and possibly he believed he could win his title 
 to this distinction in a battle better than by any 
 other means. But he had no naval training, could 
 be of no service at the guns, and was more likely 
 to be in the way of others than to accomplish any- 
 thing of value. It was a needless risk, and the 
 captain suggested that his life was too valuable to 
 his adopted country for him to expose himself 
 before his mission had been accomplished. He 
 stepped aside, but he was not willing to go below. 
 
 "I desire to offer my services as a volunteer, 
 Captain Chantor," said Christy, saluting the com- 
 
160 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 mander. " If you will assign me to any position 
 on deck, though it be nothing more than a station 
 at one of the guns, I will endeavor to do my duty." 
 
 " I have no doubt you would do your whole 
 duty, Mr. Passford," replied the captain, taking 
 him by the hand. " You can be of more service 
 to me as an adviser than as a hand at a gun. It is 
 plain enough that the commander of the Dornoch 
 intends to fight as long as there is anything left of 
 him or his ship. Your report of liim gives me 
 that assurance." 
 
 " I suppose by this time, Captain Chantor, you 
 have arranged your plan for the action," added 
 Christy, looking curiously into the face of the 
 commander, though he had resolved to give no 
 advice and to make no suggestions unless directly 
 requested to do so. 
 
 " I suppose the only way is to pound the enemy 
 till he has had enough of it, using such strategy 
 as the occasion may require. According to your 
 report we outweigh her in metal, and we have 
 proved that we can outdo her in speed," replied 
 Captain Chantor. 
 
 " But the Dornoch will have the privilege of 
 pounding the Chateaugay at the same time," said 
 
AN EASY VICTORY 161 
 
 Christy in a very low tone, so that no one could 
 hear him. 
 
 " That is very true ; of course we must expect 
 to take as good as we scikI." 
 
 "But then what use shall you make of your 
 advantage in speed and weight of metal?" asked 
 the passenger very quietly. "We both believe 
 that there is humanity in war as well as in peace." 
 
 At that moment a shot passed under the counter 
 of the ship, and buried itself in the water a cable's 
 length beyond her. 
 
 " That is good practice, Captain Chantor," said 
 Christy. " That shot was aimed at your rudder ; 
 and I have no doubt Captain Rombold is seeking 
 to cripple you by shooting it away." 
 
 "I believe in humanity in war; but I do not 
 see where it comes in just now, except in a very 
 general way," replied the captain. 
 
 " If the Dornoch cripples you, and then takes 
 her own time to knock the Chateaugay to pieces, 
 it will amount to the sacrifice of many lives," sug- 
 gested the unattached officer. 
 
 "I sheuld be very glad to have your opinion, Mr. 
 Passford," added the commander. 
 
 " I certainly do not desire to thrust my opinion 
 
162 FIGHTING FOE, THE EIGHT 
 
 Upon you, Captain Chantor; but as you have 
 asked for it, I will express myself freely." 
 
 " Thank you, Mr. Passford." 
 
 " I should adopt the tactics of Commodore 
 Dupont at Port Royai." 
 
 " In other words, you would keep sailing around 
 the Dornoch." 
 
 "Precisely so. I would not give him a shot 
 till I was out of the reach of his broadside guns." 
 
 " And then pound her with the midship gun. 
 That is my idea exactly. Quartermaster, strike 
 one bell." 
 
 " One bell, sir." 
 
 "Strike four bells, quartermaster," added the 
 captain. 
 
 " Four bells, sir." 
 
 The Chateaugay was soon going ahead at her 
 best speed, headed directly away from tlie Dor- 
 noch, and it would have looked to an observer as 
 though she was running away from her. At any 
 rate, the enemy made this interpretation of her 
 movement, and immediately gave chase, opening 
 fire upon the ship with her bow guns. Presently 
 she fired her heavy midship gun, the shot from 
 which would have made havoc if it had hit the 
 
AN EASY VICTOllY 163 
 
 mark. It was soon evident that the enemy's 
 speed had been overrated, for the Chateaiigay 
 gained rapidly upon her. A shot from her lieavy 
 gun knocked off the upper works on one side of 
 the Eleuthera, but did no other damage. 
 
 At the end of two hours even the heavy gun of 
 the enemy could not carry its shot to the chase. 
 It would have been easy enough to run away from 
 the Dornoch ; but this was by no means the inten- 
 tion of Captain Chantor. He was very cool and 
 self-possessed, and he did not ask his passenger 
 for any further suggestions. He understood his 
 business thoroughly, though he had at first been 
 disposed to make shorter work of the action than 
 he had now adopted. As soon as he had obtained 
 his distance, he gave the order to bring the ship 
 about. Thus far he had not fired a gun, and the 
 enemy had apparently had it all his own way. 
 
 The midship was in readiness to initiate the 
 work of the Chateaugay. At the proper moment, 
 the gunner himself sighted the piece, the lock 
 string was operated, and the hull of the ship 
 shook under the discharge. Christy had a spy- 
 glass to his eye, levelled at the Dornoch, She 
 had just begun to change her course to conform to 
 
164 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 that of the Chateaugay, and the observer on the 
 quarter-deck discovered the splinters flying about 
 her forecastle. The shot appeared to have struck 
 at the heel of the bowsprit. 
 
 " That was well done, Captain Clmntor," said 
 Christy. 
 
 " Excellently well done ; but Mr. Turreton will 
 improve when he gets his range a little better," 
 replied the captain. 
 
 At this moment the report of the Dornoch's great 
 gun was heard again ; but the shot fell considerably 
 sliort of the Chateaugay. At the same time she 
 was crowding on all the steam she could make, 
 and Captain Chantor was manoeuvring his ship so 
 as to maintain his distance. The midship gun 
 was kept as busy as possible, and Mr. Turreton 
 improved his practice very materially. Fought in 
 this manner, the action was not very exciting. 
 The ship followed her circular course, varying it 
 only to maintain the distance. For several hours 
 the unequal battle continued. The mainmast of 
 the Dornoch had been shot away, and Christy, 
 with his glass, saw several of the liuge shots crash 
 into her bow. 
 
 It was evident, after pounding her a good part 
 
AN EASY VICTORY 165 
 
 of the clay, that the enemy could not stand much 
 more of this punishment. At eight bells in the 
 afternoon watch she hauled down her flag. 
 Christy had done nothing but watch the Dornoch, 
 and report to Captain Chantor. As her flag came 
 down, he discovered that her. condition, after the 
 last shot, was becoming desperate. 
 
 " She has settled considerably in the water, 
 Captain Chantor, and that is evidently the reason 
 why she hauled down her flag," said Christy, just 
 as the ship's company were cheering at the dis- 
 appearance of the Confederate flag from the peak 
 of the enemy. 
 
 "I was confident she could not endure much 
 more such hulling as Mr. Ttirreton has ,been 
 bestowing upon her," replied the commander, after 
 he had given the order to make the course directly 
 towards the Dornoch. 
 
 Christy continued to watch the enemy's vessel. 
 The ship's company were employed in stretching a 
 sail over the bow, evidently for the purpose of 
 stopping in whole or partially a dangerous leak in 
 that part of the vessel ; and she seemed to be in 
 immediate peril of going to the bottom. They 
 were also getting their boats ready, and the situa- 
 
166 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 tion must have been critical. In a short time the 
 Chateaugay was witliin liailing distance of her 
 prize. 
 
 " Dornoch, ahoy ! " shouted Captain Chantor, 
 mounted on the port rail. " Do you surrender ? " 
 
 " I do," replied Captain Rombold ; for Christy 
 recognized his voice. " Our ship is sinking ! " 
 
 By this time the havoc made by the big gun of 
 the Chateaugay could be seen and estimated. The 
 bow of the steamer had been nearly all shot 
 away. Her bowsprit and her mainmast had gone 
 by the board. Her bulwarks were stove in, and 
 most of her boats appeared to have been knocked 
 to pieces. In spite of the efforts to keep her 
 afloait, it was plain that she was sinking; and 
 Christy could see her settling in the water. The 
 boats of the victor were promptly lowered, and 
 crews sent away in them to the relief of the im- 
 perilled enemy. There were not more than sixty 
 men on board of her, including the officers ; and 
 they were soon transferred to the deck of the 
 Chateaugay. 
 
 Christy watched the boats with the most intense 
 interest as they came alongside the ship ; for he 
 knew that his Uncle Homer was on board of the 
 
AN EASY VICTORY 167 
 
 Dornoch, if tlie plans arranged at the hotel had 
 been fully carried out. Captain Eombold came 
 in the last boat, and Colonel Passford was with 
 him. His nephew did not care to meet him just 
 then. The Confederate commissioner caiiie on 
 deck ; and Christy looked at him with interest 
 from behind the mizzenmast. His expression tes- 
 tified to his grief afid sorrow at the early failure 
 of his mission. The young lieutenant could pity 
 the man, while he rejoiced at liis ill success in 
 building up the navy of the Confederacy. 
 
 His attention was drawn off from his uncle by 
 the sudden sinking of the Dornoch ; and the vor- 
 tex that followed her disappearance extended to 
 the Chateaugay. Most of the officers and seamen 
 had brought off the whole or a part of their cloth- 
 ing and other articles. 
 
 When Captain Rombold came on deck. Captain 
 Chantor politely saluted him, and returned the 
 sword he surrendered to him. Colonel Passford 
 kept close to him ; and Cliristy thought he looked 
 dazed and vacant. 
 
 " While I must rejoice in my own good fortune, 
 Captain Rombold, I can sympathize personally 
 with a brave commander who has lost his ship," 
 
168 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 said Captain Chantor, taking the hand of the late 
 commander of the Dornoch. 
 
 " I thank you for yom- consideration, Captain. 
 I am sorry to have been so easy a victim to your 
 strategy ; and I can reciprocate by congratulating 
 you on your victory, though your better guns 
 enabled you to knock my ship to pieces at your 
 leisure," replied Captain Rombold. 
 
 He then introduced Colonel Passford, and both 
 of them were invited to the captain's cabin. The 
 wounded were turned over to the surgeon, and 
 the crew were sent below. It was clearly impos- 
 sible for the ship to continue on her voyage with 
 such an addition to her numbers ; and the Cha- 
 teaugay was at once headed back to New York. 
 
THE GENTLEMAN WITH A GRIZZLY BEAIID 169 
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 THE GENTLEMAN WITH A GRIZZLY BEARD 
 
 The addition of about sixty persons to the full 
 complement of the ship's company of the Cha- 
 teaugay made a considerable crowd on board of 
 her; but accommodations Avere provided for all, 
 and in three days the ship would deliver her 
 human freight to the authorities in New York. 
 The Dornoch had gone to the bottom with all her 
 valuable cargo ; but her captors would be remu- 
 nerated in prize-money by the government, so that 
 in a material point of view she was not lost to 
 them, and there was one less cruiser to prey upon 
 the commerce of the loyal nation. 
 
 Captain Rombold and Colonel Passford remained 
 in the cabin all the rest of the day ; but the next 
 morning both of them went on deck to take the 
 fresh air. Christy and Mr. Gilfleur were in the 
 waist, and noticed them as soon as they appeared. 
 They had had some conversation the evening 
 
170 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 before in regard to confronting the two most im- 
 portant prisoners, though without arriving at a 
 conclusion. 
 
 " Of course I must meet my uncle," said Christy. 
 " I am not inclined to skulk and keep out of sight 
 rather than meet him. Though I have assisted in 
 doing him and his cause a great deal of mischief, 
 I have done it in the service of my country ; and 
 I have no excuses to offer, and no apologies to 
 make." 
 
 " I was not thinking of excusing myself, or 
 apologizing for what I have done," replied the 
 detective quite earnestly. " That is not the point 
 I desire to make. Since I went to New York I 
 have looked upon your country as my own ; and 
 I would do as much to serve her as I ever would 
 have done for France." 
 
 " What is your point, Mr. Gilfleur ? " asked 
 Christy. 
 
 " I do not object to your fraternizing with your 
 uncle, Mr. Passford, if you are so disposed," con- 
 tinued the Frenchman ; " but the case is quite dif- 
 ferent with me. In the hotel at St. George's you 
 were not presented to Captain Rombold, and you 
 did not allow the Confederate commissioner to see 
 
THE GENTLEMAN WITH A GRIZZLY BEARD 171 
 
 and identify you. Neither of these gentlemen 
 recognized you ; but the captain of the Dornocli 
 would certainly know me, for I talked with him a 
 long time." 
 
 " Suppose both of them know us : what,differ- 
 ence will that make ? " demanded the young lieu- 
 tenant. 
 
 " It will explain to them in what manner we 
 obtained our knowledge of the force and weight of 
 metal of the Dornoch. While we had as good a 
 right to be on shore in the Bermudas as the Con- 
 federates, if we were recognized our method of 
 operations would be betrayed, and in my opinion 
 that would be very bad policy, especially as we are 
 to adopt the same strategy in the Bahamas." 
 
 " I see ; and I agree with you, Mr. Gilfleur, that 
 it will be good policy to keep our own counsel in 
 regard to what we have done in the islands," added 
 Christy, as he saw Captain Chantor approaching 
 him. 
 
 " Good-morning, Mr. Passford. You and your 
 uncle do not appear to be on very friendly terms, 
 for I notice that you do not speak to each other." 
 
 " Our relations have always been friendly, even 
 while I was in a rebel prison ; but I have not hap- 
 
172 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 pened to meet him since he came on board of the 
 Chateaugay." 
 
 '■'■ I will present you to him as his nephew, if you 
 desire me to do so," continued the commander 
 with a smile. 
 
 " I thank you, Captain : I intended to speak to 
 him when an opportunity came. But you will 
 pardon me if I make a suggestion without being 
 asked to do so," said Christy, speaking in a low 
 tone ; and he proceeded to state what had passed 
 between him and Mr. Gilfleur. " I hope you have 
 not mentioned the fact that Mr. Gilfleur and my- 
 self have been in the Bermudas." 
 
 " I have not, for it came to my mind that it would 
 be very unwise to do so," replied the captain. 
 " Besides, I was not at all inclined to tell Captain 
 Rombold that I knew all about his ship, her size, 
 the number of her ship's company, and the weight 
 of his guns. A man does not feel just right when 
 he finds he has been made the victim of a bit of 
 strategy ; and I was disposed to spare his feelings. 
 He charges his misfortune altogether to his anti- 
 quated steamer, her failure in her promised speed, 
 and the neglect of the Confederate commissioners 
 to provide him with a suitable vessel." 
 
THE GENTLEMAN WITH A GRIZZLY BEARD 173 
 
 " Mr. Gilfleur will keep out of the captain's 
 sight during the run to New York ; but I was act- 
 ing as a servant when we met him, and did not sit 
 at the same table. I will speak to my uncle now." 
 
 Captain Chantor attended him to the quarter- 
 deck, where the commissioner was taking his morn- 
 ing walk. They fell in behind him as he was 
 moving aft, so that he did not observe his nephew. 
 
 " Colonel Passford, I have a young gentleman 
 on board of my ship who bears your name ; allow 
 me to present to you Lieutenant Christopher Pass- 
 ford, who is simply a passenger on the Chateaugay," 
 said the captain, directing the attention of the 
 commissioner to the young man. 
 
 " My nephew ! " exclaimed Colonel Passford, as 
 he recognized Christy, and extended his hand to 
 him. 
 
 " I am very glad to see you. Uncle Homer, 
 though I am sorry to meet you under present cir- 
 cumstances," replied the nephew, taking the offered 
 hand. " I hope you are very well, sir." 
 
 " Not very well, Christy ; and I am not likely to 
 improve in health in a Yankee prison," answered 
 tlie colonel with a very sickly smile. 
 
 " Probably my father will be able to obtain a 
 
174 FIGHTING FOR THE EIGHT 
 
 parole for you, and he will be extremely glad to 
 have you with him at Bonnydale," added Christy. 
 
 " The last time I met you, Christy, you looked 
 upon me as a non-combatant, released me, and sent 
 me on shore." 
 
 " I am not sure that I did wisely at that time." 
 
 " I was not taken in arms ; and I could hardly 
 be regarded as a prisoner of war." 
 
 " But you were engaged in the Confederate ser- 
 vice, Uncle Homer, for you were shipping cotton 
 for the benefit of the cause." 
 
 " But I was merely a passenger on board of the 
 Dornoch." 
 
 " Yet you are a Confederate commissioner, seek- 
 ing a passage in some vessel bound to England, for 
 the purpose of purchasing steamers to serve in your 
 navy," added Christy with considerable energy, 
 and without thinking that he was in danger of 
 compromising himself and his companion in the 
 visit to the Bermudas. 
 
 Colonel Passford stopped short, and gazed into 
 the face of his nephew. He appeared to be utterly 
 confounded by the statement, though he did not 
 deny the truth of it. 
 
 " Without admitting the truth of what you say, 
 
THE GENTLEINIAN WITH A GRIZZLY BEARD 175 
 
 Christy, I desire to ask upon what your statement 
 is founded," said the commissioner, after some hesi- 
 tation. 
 
 " As you are on one side in this great conflict, 
 and I am on the other, you must excuse me for not 
 answering your question," rephed Christy very 
 promptly, and declining to commit himself any 
 farther. 
 
 " It is very sad to have our family divided so 
 that we should be enemies, however friendly we 
 may be personally," added Colonel Passford in a 
 tone that indicated his profound grief and sorrow. 
 
 " I know how useless it is for us to discuss the 
 question, Uncle Homer, for I am sure you are as 
 honest in your views as my father is in his." 
 
 " I have no desire to argue the question ; but I 
 believe the North will come to its senses in good 
 time — when the grass grows in the streets of New 
 York, if not before." 
 
 " You will have an opportunity to see for your- 
 self. Uncle Homer, that New York was never so 
 busy, never so prosperous, as at the present time j 
 and the same may be truthfully said of all the 
 cities of the North," replied Christy with spirit. 
 
 " Sail, ho ! " shouted the lookout forward. 
 
176 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 An hour later the sail was reported to be a 
 steamer, bound to the westward, and her streak of 
 black smoke indicated that she was English. She 
 was low in the water, had two smoke-stacks, and 
 presented a very rakish apj)earance. She was a 
 vessel of not more than eight hundred tons, and 
 her build was quite peculiar. It was evident that 
 she was a very fast steamer. But she seemed to 
 have no suspicions in regard to the character of the 
 Chateaugay. 
 
 Christy left his uncle, and went to the ward room, 
 where he found Mr. Gilfleur in his stateroom. He 
 desired the advice of the Frenchman before he 
 said anything to the captain in regard to the ap- 
 proaching sail. Together they had looked over all 
 the steamers in the liarbor of St. George's, and 
 those on board of them were not disposed to conceal 
 the fact that they were to run the blockade as soon 
 as they could get over to the coast of the United 
 States. 
 
 " What have you been doing to j^ourself, Mr. 
 Gilfleur?" asked Christy, as soon as he discovered 
 the detective, for he liad completely changed his 
 appearance, and looked like an elderly gentleman 
 of fifty, with a full beard, grizzled with the snows 
 of many winters. 
 
THE GENTLEMAN WITH A GRIZZLY BEARD 177 
 
 "I don't care to be shut up in this stateroom 
 during the voyage to New York," replied the 
 Frenchman with a pleasant laugh. " This is one 
 of my useful costumes, and I don't believe Captain 
 Rombold will recognize me now." 
 
 " I am very sure he will not," added Christy, 
 looking him over, and wondering at the skill 
 which could so completely change his appearance. 
 
 " I want you to see the steamer which is ap- 
 proaching, bound to the westward. If I am not 
 mistaken, we have seen her before." 
 
 " I am all ready, and I will go on deck with 
 you ; but you must contrive to let the captain 
 know who I am, or he will order me below, or have 
 too much to say about me," replied the detective, 
 as he followed Christ}^ to the quarter-deck. 
 
 Colone'l Passford and Captain Rombold had 
 seated themselves abaft the mizzenmast, and 
 seemed to be interested in the reports respecting 
 the approaching steamer. Christy called Captain 
 Chantor to the rail, and explained what the com- 
 mander had already scented as a mystery in regard 
 to the gentleman with the grizzled beard. He 
 laughed heartily as he gazed at the apparent 
 stranger, and declared that he thought he might 
 
178 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 be another Confederate commissioner, for he looked 
 respectable and dignified enough to be one. 
 
 " I think that steamer is the Cadet, Captain 
 Chantor ; and I have brought Mr. Gilfleur on deck 
 to take a look at her." 
 
 The Frenchman had no doubt the steamer was 
 the Cadet, for she was peculiar enough in her 
 build to be identified among a thousand vessels of 
 her class. For some time they discussed the char- 
 acter of the vessel, and minutely examined her 
 build and rig. Neither of them had any doubt 
 as to her identity, and the passenger reported 
 the result of the conference to the commander, 
 who immediately ordered the American flag to be 
 displayed at the peak ; and gave the command to 
 beat to quarters. 
 
 " We are over six hundred miles from any Con- 
 federate port, Mr. Passford," said the captain. 
 "I should not like to have one of my captures 
 surrendered to her owners." 
 
 " Of course you have your law books in your 
 cabin, Captain ; but I have studied them so much 
 that I can quote literally from one bearing on this 
 case," continued Christy. " ' The sailing for a 
 blockaded port, knowing it to be blockaded, is, it 
 
THE GENTLEMAN WITH A GEIZZLY BEAED 179 
 
 seems, such an act as may charge the party with a 
 breach of the blockade.' Besides the evidence of 
 lier course, and that of the nature of her cargo, 
 there are two witnesses to the declaration of the 
 captain that he was intending to run into Wil- 
 mington." 
 
 " She has come about, and is running away from 
 you. Captain ! " exclaimed the passenger, who was 
 the first on the quarter-deck to notice this change. 
 
 The commander ordered a gun to be fired across 
 her bow, for the Cadet was hardly more than a 
 quarter of a mile from the Chateaugay. No notice 
 was taken of the shot, and a moment later the 
 midship gun sent a shot which carried away her 
 pilot-house and disabled the wheel. 
 
180 FIGHTING FOR THE EIGHT 
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 AMONG THE BAHAMAS 
 
 " I AM sorry to disturb you, gentlemen, but I 
 feel obliged to ask you to retire to my cabin until 
 this affair is settled," said Captain Chantor, ad- 
 dressing Colonel Passford and Captain Rombold. 
 
 " I beg your pardon. Captain Chantor, but do 
 you consider that you have a right to capture that 
 steamer ?" asked the late commander of the Dor- 
 noch, who seemed to be very much disturbed at 
 the proceedings of his captor. 
 
 " Undoubtedly ; and I have no doubt I shall be 
 able to procure her condemnation on the ground 
 that she is loaded for a Confederate port, no other 
 than Wilmington, and has the ' guilty intention ' 
 to run the blockade." 
 
 " I don't see where you could have obtained the 
 information that enables you to make sure of her 
 condemnation at the very first sight of her," 
 replied the Confederate officer-. 
 
m^ 
 
 AMONG THE BAHAMAS 181 
 
 " Well, Captain Rombold, if I succeed in prov- 
 ing my position before the court, out of the mouth 
 of Captain Vickers, her commander, would that 
 satisfy you ? " asked the commander with a cheer- 
 ful smile. " But you must excuse me from dis- 
 cussing the matter to any greater length, for I 
 have a duty to perform at the present time." 
 
 The Chateaugay was going ahead at full speed 
 when the two gentlemen retired from the quarter- 
 deck. She stopped her screw witliin hail of the 
 Cadet. Her crew were clearing away the wreck 
 of the pilot-house ; but the destruction of her 
 steering gear forward did not permit her to keep 
 under way, though hands were at work on the 
 quarter-deck putting her extra wheel in order for 
 use. Of course it was plain enough to the captain 
 of the Cadet that the Chateaugay, after the mis- 
 chief she had done with a single shot, could knock 
 the steamer all to pieces in a few minutes. 
 
 The first cutter, in charge of Mr. Birdwino-, the 
 executive officer, was sent on board of the disabled 
 steamer, and Christy was invited to take a place 
 in the boat. Captain Vickers was a broken-hearted 
 man when he realized that his vessel was actually 
 captured by a United States man-of-war. 
 
182 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 " Do you surrender, Captain Vickers ? " said ]\Ir. 
 Birdwing, as he saluted the disconsolate comman- 
 der. 
 
 " How did you know my name ? " demanded he 
 gruffly. 
 
 " That is of no consequence, Captain Vickers. 
 You will oblige me Ly answering my question. 
 Do you surrender ? " continued the lieutenant. 
 
 " I don't know that I can help myself, for this 
 steamer is not armed, and I can make no resist- 
 ance," replied the captain, " I had no idea that 
 ship was a Yankee gunboat." 
 
 " But we had an idea that this was a blockade- 
 runner," added Mr-. Birdwing, as he proceeded to 
 take formal possession of the vessel, and called 
 for her papers. 
 
 An examination was made into the character of 
 the cargo, which consisted largely of arms and 
 ammunition. The extra wheel was soon in work- 
 ing order. Before noon a prize crew was put on 
 board, and both vessels were headed for New York. 
 In three days more the Chateaugay was at anchor 
 off the Navy Yard, with the Cadet near her. The 
 return of the ship caused a great deal of surprise, 
 and one of the first persons to come on board of 
 
AMONG THE BAHAMAS 183 
 
 her was Captain Passford. He gave his son his 
 usual warm welcome. 
 
 Christy gave his father the narrative of the brief 
 voyage, and astounded him with the information 
 that his brother was on board. The two brothers 
 had not met since they parted at the plantation 
 near Mobile, and the meeting was as tender as it 
 was sad ; but both of them refrained from saying 
 anything unpleasant in regard to the war. The 
 prisoners were taken from the Chateaugay by a 
 tender, and conveyed to Fort Lafayette ; but Cap- 
 tain Passford soon obtained a parole for his brother, 
 which he consented to give for a limited period. 
 
 " I suppose the Chateaugay will sail again by 
 to-morrow, Christy ; but you will have time to go 
 home and see your mother and sister. I am so 
 busy that I cannot go, and you must take Uncle 
 Homer with you," said his father. 
 
 They landed on the New York side, and took a 
 carriage for the station. Perhaps the streets of 
 the great city were never more crowded with all 
 kinds of vehicles, and especially with wagons 
 loaded with merchandise of all kinds. They 
 passed up Broadway, and Colonel Passford was 
 silent as he witnessed the marvellous activity of 
 the city in the midst of a great war. 
 
184 FIGHTING FOE THE EIGHT 
 
 " I think you will not be able to find any grass 
 growing in the streets of New York, Uncle Homer," 
 said Christy, as they passed the Park, where the 
 crowd seemed to be greater than elsewhere. 
 
 " There is certainly no grass here^ and I am sur- 
 prised to see that the city is as busy as ever," 
 replied the commissioner in a subdued tone. " We 
 have been told at the South that business was par- 
 alyzed in the cities of the North, except what little 
 was created by the war." 
 
 " The war makes a vast amount of business. 
 Uncle Homer," added Christy. 
 
 But the gentleman from the South was not dis- 
 posed to talk, and he soon relapsed into silence. 
 Mrs. Passford and Florry were very much aston- 
 ished to see Christy again so soon, and even more 
 so to meet Uncle Homer ; but his welcome was 
 cordial, and nothing was said about the exciting 
 topic of the day. The visitor was treated like a 
 friend, and not an enemy, and everything was done 
 to make him forget that he was not in his own 
 home. 
 
 Early the next morning the young lieutenant 
 hastened to report on board of the Chateaugay, 
 where Mr. Gilfieur had remained, though he had 
 
AMONG THE BAHAMAS 185 
 
 divested himself of his disguise as soon as Captain 
 Rombold was convejed to other quarters. They 
 were kept very busy that day giving their deposi- 
 tions in regard to the character of the Cadet, and 
 of the admissions of Captain Vickers in regard to 
 his intention to run the blockade. The ship had 
 been coaled, and the next day she sailed again. 
 She gave the Bermudas a wide berth, for she had 
 another mission now, though she could probably 
 have picked up one or two more of the blockade- 
 runners Christy and his companion had seen in the 
 harbor of St. Georo-e's. 
 
 Four days from Sandy Hook, very early in the 
 morning, Abaco light was seen ; and about fifty 
 miles south of it was Nassau, on the island of New 
 Providence, a favorite resort for blockade-runners 
 at that time. The mission of the detective was at 
 this port. Christy had again volunteered to be 
 his companion, and they desired to get into the 
 place as they had done in the Bermudas, without 
 attracting the attention of any one, and especially 
 not of those engaged in loading or fitting out ves- 
 sels for the ports of the South. 
 
 As soon as the light was discovered. Captain 
 Chantor ordered the course of the ship to be 
 
186 FIGHTING FOR THE EIGHT 
 
 changed to east; and till eight bells in the after- 
 noon watch she continued to steam away from the 
 Great Abaco Island. It was his intention to avoid 
 being seen, though there was a chance to fall in 
 with a blockade-runner. Standing to the south- 
 west the last part of the day, the light at the Hole 
 in the Wall, the southern point of Great Abaco 
 Island, was made out in the evening. South-east 
 of this point is the northern end of Eleuthera 
 Island, where the Egg Island light could be seen. 
 This was the locality where Mr. Gilfieur had 
 decided to begin ujDon his mission. 
 
 His boat had been repaired by the carpenter 
 after the shot from the Dornoch struck it, and 
 it was now in as good condition as it had ever 
 been. At eleven o'clock in the evening the Eleu- 
 thera was lowered into the water, with a supply of 
 provisions and water, and such clothing, and other 
 articles as might be needed, on board. The 
 weather was as favorable as it could be, with a 
 good breeze from the north-west. 
 
 " Now, Mr. Gilfieur, I hope you will bring back 
 as important information as you did from the Ber- 
 mudas," said the captain, when the adventurers 
 were ready to go on board of the boat. 
 
AMONG THE BAHAMAS 187 
 
 "I hope SO myself; but I don't know," replied 
 the Frenchman. " I expect to find the Ovidio at 
 Nassau ; and, like the Dornoch, she is intended for 
 a man-of-war. Mr. Passford and I will do the 
 best we can." 
 
 " How long do you mean to be absent on this 
 business? " 
 
 " About three days, as well as I can judge, 
 though I have not had a chance to look over the 
 ground. I have no doubt there are blockade- 
 runners there, and we shall ascertain what we can 
 in regard to them." 
 
 " I shall expect to pick you up to the eastward 
 of the Hole in the Wall, and on the fourth night 
 from the present time," added the captain. " You 
 know that the navigation of this region is very 
 dangerous." 
 
 " I am aware of it ; but I have been here before, 
 and I provided myself with a good chart in New 
 York. I have studied it very attentively, and I 
 have the feeling that I can make my way without 
 any difficulty," replied Mr. Gilfleur confidently. 
 
 Christy had already taken his place in the boat, 
 and the detective soon followed him. It seemed 
 something like an old story, after his experience in 
 
188 FIGHTING FOIi THE RIGHT 
 
 the Bermudas. The Eleuthera was cast off, the cap- 
 tain wished them a safe and prosperous voyage to 
 their destination. T)ie mainsail had been set, and 
 the breeze soon wafted the boat away from the 
 ship. The Chateaugay started her screw, and 
 headed off to the eastward again, on the lookout 
 for blockade-runners. 
 
 " Here is a light ahead," said Christy, after his 
 companion had set the jib, and taken the helm. 
 
 " That is Egg Island light, about forty miles 
 from Nassau. Our course is south-west, which 
 gives us a fair wind," replied the skipper. " Now, 
 Mr. Passford, you can do as you did on our 
 former voyage in the Eleuthera : turn in and 
 sleep till morning." 
 
 " That Avould not be fair. I will take my trick 
 at the helm, as it seems to be plain sailing, and 
 you can have your nap first," suggested Christy. 
 
 " No ; I slept all the afternoon in anticipation 
 of to-night, and I could not sleep if I tried," 
 the skipper insisted. " By the way, Mr. Passford, 
 I am somewhat afraid that the name of our boat 
 may get us into trouble." 
 
 " Why so? " asked the other curiously. 
 
 " The island on our port hand is Eleuthera, 
 
AMONG THE BAHASIAS 189 
 
 about forty miles long. Of course it is well known 
 at Nassau, and it may cause people to ask us some 
 hard questions. We may even stumble upon the 
 boat's former owner, who would claim her." 
 
 " We could buy her, or another like her, in 
 that case," suggested Christy. " The name -is 
 painted on the stern board, and we might remove 
 it, if necessary." 
 
 Mr. Gilfleur said so mxich about it that Christy 
 finally turned in, and was soon fast asleep. He did 
 not wake till daylight in the morning. He found 
 that the boat was headed towards an island, while 
 in the distance he saw the light on Hog Island, 
 with a portion of the town of Nassau, and a fort. 
 The skipper had his chart spread out on the seat 
 at his side, and he was watching it very closely. 
 
 " Good-morning, Mr. Gilfleur. I suppose that 
 must be Nassau ahead of us." 
 
 " Yes ; that is Nassau. I expected to get here 
 earlier in the morning than this, and I am not a 
 little afraid to sail into the harbor at seven o'clock 
 in the morning, as it will be before we can get 
 there. The wind died out in the middle of the 
 night, though I got it again very early this morn- 
 ing. I must get to the town in some other way. 
 
190 FIGHTING FOE THE RIGHT 
 
 The land on the port is Rose Island, and Doug- 
 las Channel is just this side of it. I am going 
 tlii-ougli that, and shall make my way to the back 
 side of the island, where we can conceal the boat." 
 
 " I should say that would be a good idea," added 
 Christy, as he took in the plan. " The water is as 
 clear as crj'^stal here, and you can see the bottom 
 as plainly as though nothing came between your 
 eye and the rock." 
 
 The skipper stationed his companion on the bow 
 of the boat to watch for rocks ; but none interfered 
 with the progress of the Eleuthera. She sailed to 
 the back side of the island of New Providence, 
 where they found a secluded nook, in which they 
 moored the craft. 
 
THE LANDING AT NEW TliOViDENCE 191 
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 THE LANDING AT NEW PKOVHDENCE 
 
 The water was so clear that the bottom could 
 be seen at all times, the white coral rock greatly 
 assisting the transparency. From Douglas Chan- 
 * nel, through which the boat had passed, the chart 
 indicated that it was twenty miles to the point 
 where the skipper desired to land, and it was 
 nearly eleven o'clock whgn the Eleuthera ran into 
 the little bay, extending over a mile into the 
 island, and nearly landlocked. The shore was 
 covered with tropical vegetation, including cocoa- 
 nut palms, loaded with fruit, with palmettoes, 
 wild palms, and many plants of which Christy did 
 not even know the names. 
 
 " We could not have anything better than this," 
 said Mr. Gilfleur, as he ran the boat into a tangle 
 of mangroves and other plants. 
 
 " This bay appears to be about five miles from 
 the town of Nassau, and I should say that no 
 
192 FIGHTING FOE, THE EIGHT 
 
 person is likely to see the boat if it should stay 
 here for a month," replied Christy, as he measured 
 the distance across the island with the scale his 
 companion had prepared. 
 
 " It will not take us long to walk that distance. 
 There are all sorts of people in Nassau at the 
 present time, as there wei'C in St. George's and 
 Hamilton ; and we shall pass without exciting any 
 particular attention." 
 
 " I think we had better look out for a cleaner 
 place to land than this, for the mud seems to be 
 about knee-deep," suggested Christy, as he tested 
 the consistency of the shore with an oar. 
 
 " But thei^e is hard ground within four feet of 
 the water. I have a board in the bottom of the 
 boat with which we can bridge the mud," replied 
 the skipper. " But I think we had better have 
 our lunch before we walk five miles." 
 
 " I am in condition to lunch," added Christy. 
 
 The sails had been furled, and everything put 
 in order on board of the boat. The basket con- 
 taining the provisions was brought out of the 
 cuddy, and seated in the stern sheets they did 
 ample justice to the meal. The detective had put 
 on his suit of blue, and his companion dressed 
 
THE LANDING AT NEW PROVIDENCE 193 
 
 himself as he had done in Bermuda, though he 
 was not to act the part of a servant on this occa- 
 sion. 
 
 " It will not do to acknowledge that we are 
 Americans, and it would not be prud^it to claim 
 that we are Englishmen," said Mr. Gilfleur. 
 
 " Why not ? We speak English ; and you can 
 pronounce it as well as I can," argued Christy. 
 
 " Because we may be catechised ; though I know 
 London almost as well as I do Paris, I am afraid 
 you might be caught." 
 
 "I have been in London twice, though I don't 
 know enough about it to answer all the questions 
 that may be put to me," added Christy. 
 
 " In that case we had better be Frenchmen, as 
 we were before. We are not likely to find many 
 people here who speak French, for the visiting 
 portion of the population must be people who are 
 engaged in blockade-running. Probably there are 
 some Southern magnates here, attending to the 
 business of the Confederacy." 
 
 " They were here two years, ago, when I was in 
 Nassau for a few hours, on the lookout for steamers 
 for their navy. I remember Colonel Richard 
 Pierson, who was extremely anxious to purchase 
 
VJ4: FIGHTING FOE, THE EIGHT 
 
 the Bellevite, wliicli anchored outside the light, 
 for there was not water enough to allow her to 
 cross the bar," said Christy, recalling some of the 
 events of his first voyage in the steamer his father 
 had preseifted to the government. 
 
 " Perhaps he is still in Nassau," suggested Mr. 
 Gilfieur, with a shade of anxiety on his face. 
 
 " He would not recognize me now, for I have 
 grown a good deal, and I hardly saw him. He 
 employed his son, a young fellow of eighteen, to 
 act for him in obtaining information in regard to 
 the Bellevi'te. The son's name was Percy Pierson, 
 and when he tried to pump me in regard to the 
 Bellevite, I chaffed him till he lost all patience. 
 Then he proposed to put tlie owner of our steamer, 
 for she had not then been transferred to the 
 government, in the way of making a fortune. I 
 told him that the owner was determined to get rid 
 of tlie ship, though I only meant to say that he 
 intended to pass her over to the government. At 
 any rate, Percy believed she was for sale, and he 
 smuggled himself on board of her. He was not 
 discovered till we were under way ; and we had 
 to take him with us." 
 
 " What became of this Percy Pierson ? " asked 
 the detective. 
 
THE LANDING AT NEW PROVIDENCE 195 
 
 " We brought him off with us when we fought 
 our way out of Mobile Bay, Off Carisfort Reef 
 light we put him on board of a schooner belonging 
 to Nassau; and that was the last I know about 
 him." 
 
 " But I hope he is not in Nassau now," said Mr. 
 Gilfleur. 
 
 " I don't believe he is, for his brother was doing 
 his best to get him into the Confederate army." 
 
 " You must keep your eyes wide open for this 
 fellow, Mr. Passford," added the skipper earnestly. 
 " If he should recognize you, our enterprise would 
 be ruined." 
 
 " I don't believe there is the least danger of 
 that, for I am a different-looking fellow from what 
 I was two years ago. But I will look out sharply 
 for him, and for his father." 
 
 "We had better speak nothing but French 
 between ourselves, and break up our English 
 when we are obliged to use it," Mr. Gilfleur con- 
 cluded, as he returned the basket of provisions to 
 the cuddy, and locked the door. 
 
 The board was put down on the mud, and they 
 walked ashore, dry-shod. The temporary bridge 
 was taken up, and concealed in a mass of man- 
 
1% FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 groves. Tlie Eleuthera was so well covered up 
 with trees and bushes tliat she was not likely to 
 be discovered, unless some wanderer penetrated 
 the thicket that surrounded her. A gentle eleva- 
 tion was directly before them, so that they could 
 not see the town. 
 
 "We must not walk ten miles in making five," 
 said the detective, as he produced a pocket com- 
 pass. "Our course, as I took it from the chart, is 
 due north, though it may bring us in at the west- 
 ern end of the town." 
 
 " Then we can bear a little to the east, though 
 if we get to the town it will not make much 
 difference where we strike it," added Christy. 
 
 The land showed the remains of plantations 
 which had flourished there in the palmy days of 
 the island. The ruins of several mansions and 
 many small huts were seen. Cocoa-nut palms 
 and orange-trees were abundant. After they had 
 walked about a mile, they came upon what had 
 been a road in former days, and was evidently 
 used to some extent still. Taking this road, they 
 followed it till they were satisfied that it would 
 take them to Nassau. 
 
 The appearance of the island soon began to 
 
THE LANDING AT NEW PEOVIDENCE 197 
 
 improve. The trees showed that some care had 
 been bestowed upon them, and an occasional 
 mansion was noticed. Then the street began to 
 be flanked with small houses, hardly better tlian 
 huts, which were inhabited by the blacks^ All 
 the people they met were negroes, and they were 
 as polite as though they had been brought up in 
 Paris, for every one of the men either touched his 
 hat or took it off to the strangers. The women 
 bowed also ; and both of the travellers returned 
 the salutes in every instance. 
 
 As they proceeded, the houses became better, 
 and many of them were used in part as shops, in 
 which a variety of articles, including beer, was 
 sold. Christy had seen the negroes of the South- 
 ern States, and he thought the Nassau colored 
 people presented a much better appearance. At 
 one of these little shops a carriage of the victoria 
 pattern was standing. Doubtless the driver had 
 gone in to refresh himself after a long course, for 
 the vehicle was headed towards the town. 
 
 " I think we had better ride the rest of the way, 
 if this carriage is not engaged," said M. Rubempre, 
 for they had agreed to use the names they had 
 adopted in the Bermudas. " What do you say, 
 Christoi^he ? " 
 
198 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 " I like the idea ; I am beginning to be a little 
 tired, for I have not walked much lately," replied 
 Christy. 
 
 At this moment the driver, a negro wearing a 
 straw hat with a very broad brim, came out of the 
 shop, wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his coat. 
 He bowed with even more deference than the gen- 
 erality of the people. The strangers were not 
 elegantly or genteelly dressed, but they wore good 
 clothes, and would have passed for masters of ves- 
 sels, so far as their costumes were concerned. 
 
 " Is this your carriage ? " demanded M. Ru- 
 bempr^. 
 
 " Yes, sir," replied the man in good English. 
 
 " How far you must go to get into Nassau ? " 
 inquired the detective, mangling his English 
 enough to suit the occasion. 
 
 " Two miles, sir." 
 
 " How much you make pay to go to Nassau in 
 ze carriage? " 
 
 " Fifty cents." 
 
 " Feefty cents ; how much money was zat ? " 
 
 " Arn't you Americans ? " 
 
 "iVon.'" replied M. Rubempr^ with energy. 
 " We have come from ze France ; but I was been 
 
THE LANDING AT NEW PROVIDENCE 199 
 
 in London, and I comprehend ze money of Eeng- 
 land." 
 
 " Two shillings then," replied the driver, laugh- 
 ing. 
 
 " We go wiz you to ze Nassau," added the 
 Frenchman, seating himself in the carriage, his 
 companion taking a place at his side. 
 
 " Where do you want to go, sir ? " asked the 
 negro, as he closed the door of the victoria. 
 
 " We must go to Nassau," replied the detective, 
 mangling his pronunciation even more than his 
 grammar. 
 
 " Yes, I know ; but where in Nassau do you 
 wish to go ? Shall I drive you to a hotel ? The 
 Royal Victoria is the best in the place." 
 
 " You shall take us to zat hotel." 
 
 For the sake of appearances, rather than for any 
 other reason, each of the . visitors to Nassau had 
 brought with him a small hand-bag, containing 
 such articles as might be useful to them. Having 
 these evidences that they were travellers, it would 
 be prudent to go to a hotel, though the want of 
 more luggage had made the landlord in Hamilton 
 suspicious of their ability to pay their bills. 
 
 Christy found enough to do during the lide to 
 
200 FIGHTING FOR THE EIGHT 
 
 observe the strange sights presented to his gaze, 
 even in the outskirts of the town. The people 
 were full of interest to him, and he wondered that 
 his father had never made a winter trip in the 
 West Indies in former years, instead of confining 
 his visits to the more northern islands of the ocean. 
 
 The carriage arrived at the Royal Victoria Hotel, 
 located on a ridge which has been dignified as a 
 hill, a short distance in the rear of the business 
 portion of the to^yn. M. Rubempre produced his 
 purse, which was well stuffed with sovereigns, 
 more for the enlightenment of the clerk who came 
 out when the vehicle stopped, than for the infor- 
 mation of the driver, to whom he paid four florins, 
 which was just double his fare. 
 
 " Do you speak French ? " asked the guest in 
 that language. 
 
 "No, sir; not a word of it," though he under- 
 stood the question. 
 
 " We must have two chambers for one, two, 
 t'ree day." 
 
 " All right ; we have two that were vacated this 
 morning," replied the clerk, as he led the way to 
 the office, where the Frenchman registered his 
 name, and his residence as in Paris. 
 
THE LANDING AT NEW PROVIDENCE 201 
 
 Christy wrote the name of Christophe Poireau, 
 also from Paris. Then they chatted together in 
 French for a moment, in order to impress the clerk 
 and others who were standingf near with the fact 
 that they spoke the polite language. They were 
 shown to two small chambers, well up in the air, 
 for the hotel seemed to be as full as the clerk had 
 suggested that it was. The blockade business 
 made the town and the hotel very lively. 
 
 The newly arrived guests did not waste any 
 time in their rooms, but entered at once upon the 
 work of their mission. On the piazza they halted 
 to size up the other visitors at the hotel. From 
 this high point of view they could see the harbor, 
 crowded with vessels. 
 
202 FIGHTING FOR THE EIGHT 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 AN AFFRAY IN NASSAU 
 
 Christy's first care was to look about among 
 the guests of the hotel gathered on the piazza, in 
 order to ascertain if there was any person there 
 whom he had ever met before. Very few of them 
 were what could be classed as genteel people, and 
 some of them were such people as one would not 
 expect to see at a first-class hotel. They were 
 dressed in seaman's garments for the most part, 
 though not as common sailors ; and doubtless many 
 of them were commanders or officers of the vessels 
 in the harbor. 
 
 Putting on an indifferent air he walked about 
 the veranda, observing every person he encoun- 
 tered, as well as those who were seated in grouj)s, 
 engaged in rather noisy conversation, intermixed 
 with a great deal of profanity. He breathed 
 easier when he had made the circuit of the piazzas 
 on the first floor, though there were two others on 
 
AN AFFRAY IN NASSAU 203 
 
 the stories above it, for he found no one lie could 
 identify as a person he had seen before. 
 
 There were quite a number of steamers in the 
 harbor, or in that part of it which lies inside of the 
 bar and in front of the town, with at least three 
 times as many sailing craft. No doubt many of 
 the latter, as well as the former, had brought car- 
 goes of cotton from Confederate ports ; for though 
 the blockade was regarded as effective, and treated 
 as such by foreign nations, many small vessels con- 
 trived to escape from obscure harbors on the South- 
 ern coast. Christy had been concerned in the 
 capture of a considerable number of such. On 
 the wharves were stacks of cotton which had been 
 landed from these vessels, and several of them 
 were engaged in transferring it to small steamers, 
 for large ones were unable to cross the bar. But 
 the visitors had no business with the vessels thus 
 engaged, for they had completed their voyages, 
 and were exempt from capture. 
 
 " I have taken not a few prisoners in or off 
 Southern ports, and it would not greatly surprise 
 me if I should meet some one I had met before," 
 said Christy, in French, as he resumed his seat by 
 the side of the detective. 
 
204 FIGHTING FOR THE EIGHT 
 
 " Then I fear that your coming with me was a 
 mistake," replied M. Rubempre. " You must be 
 extremely cautious, not only for your own protec- 
 tion, but because you may compromise me, and 
 cause me to fail in the accomplishment of my 
 mission here." 
 
 " I should be sorry to interfere with your work, 
 and I think we had better separate," replied 
 Christy, very much disturbed at the suggestion of 
 his friend. " If I can do no good, I certainly do 
 not wish to do any harm." 
 
 " No, my friend ; I cannot desert you, especially 
 if you are in peril," protested the detective. 
 " How could I ever look your father in the face 
 if I permitted you to get into trouble here ?" 
 
 " I don't think I shall get into trouble, even if I 
 am recognized by some person. This is not Con- 
 federate territory, though it looks very much like 
 it ; for all the people around us are talking seces- 
 sion, and the inhabitants sympathize with the 
 South to the fullest extent. I could not be cap- 
 tured and sent to a Confederate State, or be sub- 
 jected to any violence, for the authorities would 
 not permit anything of the kind," Christy argued 
 with energy. 
 
AN AFFRAY IN NASSAU 205 
 
 " I am not so sure of that." 
 
 " I have no doubt in regard to my own safety ; 
 but if you appear to be connected with me in any 
 manner, and I were identified as a United States 
 naval officer, of course it would ruin your enter- 
 prise. For this reason I insist that we separate, 
 and I will take a room at another hotel." 
 
 Christy was determined, and in the end the de- 
 tective had to yield in substance to him, though it 
 was agreed, for reasons that seemed to be good, 
 that M. Rubemprd should change his hotel. They 
 arranged to meet after dark in the grounds in the 
 rear of the Royal Victoria, to consult in regard to 
 the future. 
 
 " In the mean time I will do what I can to ob- 
 tain information in regard to steamers bound to 
 Confederate ports. I wdll still claim to be a 
 Frenchman, and talk pigeon English," continued 
 Christy. 
 
 " If any misfortune happens to you, Christophe, 
 I shall blame myself for it," added the Frenchman. 
 
 "You cannot fairly do that, for it will not be 
 through any fault of yours. If I fail to meet you 
 as agreed, you can look for me. If you cannot 
 find me, you must leave at the time agreed upon 
 
206 FIGHTING roil THE EIGHT 
 
 witli Captain Chantor, whether I go with you or 
 not. But I have no idea that anything will 
 happen to prevent me from returning to the ship 
 with you." 
 
 " I could not leave without you," said the detec- 
 tive moodily. 
 
 " If you do not, you will be likely to get the 
 Chateaugay into trouble ; for if we did not return to 
 her, she would probably come into this port after 
 us." 
 
 " I will consider the matter before I assent to 
 it," returned M. Rubempr^, rising from his chair. 
 
 Christy was fully resolved not to endanger the 
 mission of his companion, and he left the hotel. 
 He walked slowly down Parliament to Bay Street, 
 which is the principal business avenue of the town, 
 running parallel to the shore. It was lined with 
 shops, saloons, and small hotels on one side, and 
 with the market and wharves on the other. He 
 desired to see what he could of the place, and pick 
 up all the information that would be serviceable to 
 an officer of the navy. 
 
 As he passed a drinking-saloon a torrent of loud 
 talk, spiced with oaths, flowed out from the place. 
 Before he had fairly passed the door a violent hand 
 
AN APFIIAY IN NASSAU 207 
 
 was laid upon him, seizing him by the collar with 
 no gentle grasp. The ruffian had fallen upon him 
 from the rear, and he could not see who it was that 
 assaulted him. The man attempted to drag him 
 into the saloon ; but he was evidently considerably 
 affected by his potations in the place, and his legs 
 were somewhat tangled up by the condition of his 
 brain. 
 
 Christy attempted, by a vigorous movement, to 
 shake off his assailant ; but the fellow held on, 
 and he found it impossible to detach his grasp. 
 His blood was boilingf with indisfnation at the un- 
 provoked assault, and his two fists were clinched 
 so tight that iron could hardly have been harder 
 and touglier. He levelled a blow at the head 
 of the ruffian, who still kept in his rear, and 
 delivered it with all the power of his strong arm. 
 
 The assailant reeled, and released his hold, for 
 his head must have whirled around like a top under 
 the crashing blow it had sustained. Christy 
 turned so that he could see the ruffian. He was a 
 stalwart fellow, at least fifty pounds heavier than 
 the young lieutenant. His nose was terribly dis- 
 figured, not by the blow of the young officer, for, 
 twisted as it was, there was no sign of a fresh 
 
208 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 wound upon it. One glance was enough to satisfy 
 Christy as to the identity of the ruffian. 
 
 It was Captain Flanger, whose steamer Christy 
 had captured, with a boat expedition sent out from 
 the Bionx, in St. Andrew's Bay. He was a pris- 
 oner, but had escaped, and invaded the cabin of the 
 Bronx, where he attempted to make Christy sign 
 an order which would have resulted in delivering 
 the steamer to the enemy. The heroic young 
 commander, preferring death to dishonor, had 
 refused to sign the order, Tlie affair had cul- 
 minated in a sort of duel in the cabin, in which 
 Christy, aided by his faithful steward, had hit 
 Flanger in the nose with his revolver. 
 
 The ruffian had sworn to be revenged at the 
 time, and he seemed to have chosen the present 
 occasion to wreak his vengeance upon the destroyer 
 of his nasal member. The blow his victim had 
 struck was a set-back to him ; but he presently 
 recovered the balance of his head which the shock 
 had upset. It was plain enough that he had not 
 given up the battle, for he had drawn back with 
 the evident intention of using his clinched fists 
 upon bis adversary. 
 
 "Hit him again, Flanger ! " shouted one of the 
 
" His blood was boiling with indignatiOxX at the unprovoked 
 ASSAULT." Page 207. 
 
AN AFFKAY IN NASSAU 209 
 
 brutal occupants of the saloon, who now filled the 
 doorway. 
 
 The affair was rapidly becoming serious, and 
 Christy was debating with himself whether or not 
 he should draw a revolver he carried in his pocket ; 
 but he was cool enough to realize that he was on 
 neutral ground, and that it would be very impru- 
 dent to be the first to resort to deadly weapons. 
 He could not run away, for his self-respect would 
 not permit him to do so. He braced himself up 
 to meet the onslaught of the ruffian. 
 
 Flanger charged upon him, and attempted to 
 plant a blow with his fist in the face of his in- 
 tended victim ; but the young officer parried it, 
 and was about to follow up the movement with a 
 blow, when Monsieur Rubempre rushed in between 
 them, struck the assailant such a blow that he 
 went over backwards. In fact, the man was too 
 much intoxicated to stand without considerable 
 difficulty. 
 
 At this moment a couple of colored policemen 
 rushed in between the combatants. The tipplers 
 in the saloon picked up their comrade, and stood 
 him on his feet. The Nassau officers doubtless 
 had a great deal of this sort of quarrelling, for 
 
210 FIGHTING FOR THE EIGHT 
 
 drinking strong liquors was the principal occupa- 
 tion of the officers and crews of the blockade- 
 runners while in port and on shore. 
 
 "What is all this about? Who began this 
 quarrel ? " demanded one of them, as he looked 
 from one party to the other in the battle. 
 
 " I was passing the door of this saloon, and did 
 not even look into it, when that man rushed upon 
 me, and seized me by the collar," replied Christy. 
 " I tried to shake him off, but I could not, and 
 then I struck him in the side of the head." 
 
 " Look here, you nigger ! " shouted Captain 
 Flanger. " It's none of your business who began 
 it." 
 
 " I shall arrest you for a breach of the peace," 
 said the policeman. 
 
 " I don't reckon you will. Do you see my nose ? 
 Look at it ! Don't you see that it is knocked into 
 a cocked hat?" said Flanger fiercely. 
 
 " I see it is ; but what has that to do with this 
 matter ? " asked the negro officer. 
 
 "That man shot my nose off ! " roared Flanger. 
 "I am going to kill him for it, if it costs me my 
 head ! " 
 
 " You shall not kill him here," protested the 
 
AN AFFRAY IN NASSAU 211 
 
 guardian of the peace. " You have been drinking 
 too much, sir, and you must go with me and get 
 sobered off." 
 
 The two policemen walked up to him with the 
 intention of arresting him ; but he showed fight. 
 He was too tipsy to make an effectual resistance. 
 His companions in the saloon huddled around him, 
 and endeavored to compel the policemen to let go 
 their hold of him ; but they held on to their pris- 
 oner till two more officers came, and Flanger was 
 dragged out into the street, and then marched to 
 the jail. 
 
 Christy was very much surprised that nothing 
 was said to him by the officers about the affair in 
 which he had been one of the principal actors. 
 He had expected to be summoned as a witness 
 against the prisoner they had taken, but not a 
 word was said to him. He looked about to see if 
 the detective was in sight, but he had disappeared. 
 
 " That was an ugly-looking man," said a gentle- 
 man in the street, after the carousers had returned 
 to the saloon. " I hope he has not injured you." 
 
 " Not at all, sir ; he was too drunk to do all he 
 could have done if he had been in full possession 
 of his faculties, for he is a much heavier person 
 
212 FIGHTING FOK THE EIGHT 
 
 than I am," replied Christy. " Why was I not 
 summoned as a witness at his examination? " 
 
 " Oh, bless you, sir ! they will not examine or 
 try him; they will sober him off, and then dis- 
 charge him. He is the captain of that little 
 steamer near the public wharf. She is called the 
 Snapper, and will sail for the States on the high 
 tide at five o'clock." 
 
 " Do you know to what port she is bound ? " 
 asked Christy. 
 
 " Mobile." 
 
 The young officer walked down to the public 
 wharf to see the Snapper. 
 
AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE 213 
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 
 AN OLD ACQUAENTANCE 
 
 The Snapper was quite a small craft, and looked 
 like an old vessel ; for she was a side-wheeler, 
 though she had evidently been built for a sea- 
 going craft. Whether Flanger had escaped from 
 the Bellevite after being transferred to her from 
 the Bronx, or had been regularly exchanged as a 
 prisoner of war, Christy had no means of know- 
 ing. It made little difference ; he was in Nassau, 
 and he was thirsting for revenge against him. 
 
 The young officer did not feel that the brutal 
 wretch had any reasonable cause to complain of 
 him, and especially no right to revenge himself for 
 an injury received while his assailant was the 
 aggressor. He had done his duty to his country. 
 He had been compelled to act promptly ; and lie 
 had not aimed his revolver particularly at the nose 
 of his dangerous assailant. Flanger was engaged 
 in a foolhardy enterprise ; and the mutilation of 
 
214 FIGHTING FOE THE RIGHT 
 
 his nasal member had resulted very naturally from 
 his folly. 
 
 His enemy was probably a good sailor, and he 
 was a bold ruffian. Christy had captured the 
 steamer loaded with cotton, in which he was all 
 ready to sail from St. Andrew's Bay; and doubtless 
 this was his first reason for hating the young offi- 
 cer. But no soldier or sailor of character would 
 ever think of such a thing as revenging himself for 
 an injury received in the strife, especially if it was 
 fairly inflicted. The business of war is to kill, 
 wound, and capture, as well as for each side to 
 injure the other in person and property to the 
 extent of its ability. 
 
 " Want a boat, sir ? " asked a negro, who saw 
 that Christy was gazing at the Snapper, even 
 while he was thinking about his quarrel with 
 Captain Flanger. 
 
 " Where is your boat ? " asked the officer. 
 
 " Bight here, sir," replied the boatman, pointing 
 to the steps at the landing-place. " The best sail- 
 boat in the harbor, sir." 
 
 " I want to sail about this bay for a couple of 
 hours," added Christy, as he stopped on the upper 
 step to examine the craft. 
 
AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE 215 
 
 It was built exactly like the Eleuthera, though 
 not quite so large. 
 
 " I saw you looking at the steamer there," said 
 the boatman, pointing to the vessel in which 
 Christy was interested. " Do you wish to go on 
 board of her, sir ? " 
 
 " No ; I desire only to sail about the harbor, 
 and perhaps go outside the bar. Can you cross it 
 in this boat ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir ; no trouble at all about crossing it in 
 tlie Dinah. Take you over to Eleuthera, if you 
 like." 
 
 " No ; I only want to sail about the harbor, and 
 look at the vessels in port," replied Christy. 
 
 While he was looking at the boat, he became 
 conscious that a young man, who was standing on 
 the capsill of the wharf, was looking at him very 
 earnestly. He only glanced at him, but did not 
 recognize him. He had taken the first step in the 
 descent of the stairs, when this person put his hand 
 upon his shoulder to attract his attention. Christy 
 looked at him, and was sui'e that he had seen him 
 before, though he failed to identify him. 
 
 "How are you, Christy?" said the stranger. 
 " Don't you know me ? " 
 
216 FIGHTING FOE THE RIGHT 
 
 " Your face has a familiar look to me, but I am 
 unable to make you out at first sight," replied the 
 young officer, more puzzled as he examined the 
 features of the young man, who appeared to be 
 about twenty years old. 
 
 " You and I both have grown a great deal in 
 the last two years, since we first met on this very 
 wharf ; but I am Percy Pierson, and you and I 
 were fellow-voyagers in the Bellevite." 
 
 " I think you have changed ip that time more 
 than I have, or I should have recognized you," 
 answered Christy very coldly, for he was not at 
 all pleased to be identified by any person. 
 
 " You are a good deal larger than when I saw 
 you last time, but 3'ou look just the same. I am 
 glad to see you, Christy, for you and I ran a big 
 rig over in Mobile Bay," continued Percy, as he 
 extended his hand to the other. 
 
 Christy realized that it would be useless as well 
 as foolish to deny his identity to one who knew 
 him so well. A moment's reflection assured him 
 that he must make the best of the circumstances ; 
 but he wished with all his might that he had not 
 come to Nassau. He was particularly glad that 
 he had insisted upon separating from Mr. Gilfleur, 
 
AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE 217 
 
 for the present encounter would liave ruined his 
 mission. The young man's father was Colonel 
 Richard Pierson, a neighbor of Homer Passford ; 
 and he was a Confederate commissioner for the 
 purchase of vessels for the rebel navy, for running 
 the blockade. Doubtless the son was his father's 
 assistant, as he had been at the time of Christy's 
 first visit. 
 
 Percy was not a person of very heavy brain 
 calibre, as his companion had learned from an 
 association of several weeks with him. Christy 
 believed that he might obtain some useful infor- 
 mation from him ; and he decided, since it was 
 impossible to escape the interview, to make .the 
 best of it, and he accepted the offered hand. He 
 did not consider the young Southerner as much of 
 a rebel, for he had refused to shoulder a musket 
 and fight for the cause. 
 
 " I begin to see your former looks, and particu- 
 larly your expression," said Christy. "I am very 
 glad to see you, and I hope you have been very 
 well since we met last." 
 
 " Very well indeed." 
 
 " Do you live here, Percy ? " 
 
 " I have lived here most of the time since we 
 
218 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 parted on board of the Bellevite, and you put me 
 on board of a schooner bound to Nassau. That 
 was a very good tnrn you did me, for I believed 
 you would take me to New York, and pitch me 
 into a Yankee prison. I was very grateful to 
 you, for I know it was your influence that saved 
 me." 
 
 This remark seemed to put a new face upon the 
 meeting. Christy had done nothing to cause him 
 to be set free ; for the Bellevite, though she had 
 beaten off several steamers that attempted to cap- 
 ture her, was not in the regular service at tlie 
 time, her mission in the South being simply to 
 bring home the daugliter of her owner, who had 
 passed the winter with her uncle at Glenfield. 
 
 " I am very glad I was able to do you a good 
 turn," replied Christy, who considered it his duty 
 to take advantage of the circumstances. " I am 
 just going out to take a sail; won't you join me?" 
 
 " Thank you ; I shall be very glad to do so. I 
 suppose you are a Yankee still, engaged in the 
 business of subjugating the free South, as I am 
 still a rebel to the backbone," replied Percy, 
 laughing very pleasantly. 
 
 " But you are not in the rebel army now, any 
 
AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE 219 
 
 more than you were at that time," added Christy 
 ill equally good humor. 
 
 " I am not. You know all about my army expe- 
 rience. My brother, the major, sends me a letter 
 by every chance he can get, and has offered- to 
 have my indiscretion, as he called it, in leaving 
 the camp, passed over, if I will save the honor of 
 the family by retn ruing to the army ; but my 
 father insists that I can render better service to 
 the cause as his assistant." 
 
 Christy led the way down the steps, and the 
 two seated themselves in the bow of the boat. 
 The skipper shoved off after he had set his sails, 
 and the boat stood out towards the Snapper, for 
 he could hardly avoid passing quite near to her. 
 
 " What are you doing in Nassau, Cliristy ? " 
 asked Percy. 
 
 This was a hard question, and it was utterly im- 
 possible to make a truthful reply without upsetting 
 the plan of Mr. Gilfleur, and rendering useless the 
 voyage of the Chateaugay to the Bahamas. 
 
 " I am in just as bad a scrape as you were when 
 you were caught on board of the Bellevite," replied 
 Christy after a moment's reflection. 
 
 " Are you a prisoner of war? " 
 
220 FIGHTING FOR THE KIGIIT 
 
 " How could I be a prisoner in a neutral port 
 like Nassau ? No ; I do not regard myself as a 
 prisoner just now," answered Christy very good- 
 humoredly. 
 
 " But you have been a prisoner, and you have 
 escaped in some vessel that run the blockade. I 
 see it all ; and you need not stop to explain it," 
 said Percy, who flattered himself on his brilliant 
 perception. 
 
 " The less I say about it the better it will be for 
 me," added Christy, willing to accept the situation 
 as his companion had marked it out. 
 
 " But you must not let my father see you." 
 " I never met Colonel Pierson, though I saw him 
 once, and he would not know me if we should 
 meet." 
 
 " Then don't let him know who you are." 
 " He will not know, unless you tell him." 
 " You may be very sure that I will not mention 
 you to him, or to anybody else, for that matter," 
 replied Percy very earnestly. 
 
 But Christy did not put any confidence in his 
 assertion. Percy was really a deserter from the 
 Confederate army, and he knew that he had in 
 several instances acted the traitor's part. He had 
 
AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE 221 
 
 more respect for an out-and-out rebel than for one 
 who shirked his duty to his country as he under- 
 stood it. 
 
 " I have been afraid some one might identify me 
 here," suggested Christy, determined not to over- 
 act his part. 
 
 "I might help you out of the scrape," said 
 Percy, who appeared to be reflecting upon some- 
 thing that had come to his mind. " I suppose you 
 are aware tliat most of the vessels in this harbor, 
 and those outside the bar, are directly or indirectly 
 interested in blockade-running." 
 
 " I supposed so, but I know nothing about it." 
 
 " Some of them have brought in cotton, with 
 which others are loading for England. My busi- 
 ness as my father's clerk takes me on board of most 
 of them, and I know the captains and other officers 
 very well. This little steamer we have just passed 
 was bought for a Mobile man by my father. She 
 carried a full cargo of goods into Mobile, and came 
 out again full of cotton. She is called the Snap- 
 per, and she is a regular snapper at her business. 
 She is now all loaded, and will sail on the next 
 tide. I am well acquainted witli her captain." 
 
 " What sort of a man is he ? " asked Christy in 
 an indifferent tone. 
 
222 FIGHTING FOR THE EIGHT 
 
 " He is a very good fellow ; bold as an eagle, and 
 brave as a lion. He drinks too much whiskey for 
 his own good ; but he knows all the ports on the 
 Gulf of Mexico, and he gets in or out in face of 
 the blockaders every time," answered Percy with 
 enthusiasm. 
 
 " Did he never lose a vessel ? " 
 
 " Never but one ; that was the Floridian, and I 
 reckon you know as much about that affair as any 
 other person, Christy," replied Percy, laughing as 
 though it had been a good joke on Captain Flanger. 
 
 " I know something about it." 
 
 " Your uncle. Colonel Passford, lost several ves- 
 sels, and you had a hand in their capture. But 
 never mind that ; you did me a good turn, and I 
 never go back on a friend. Now, my dear fellow, 
 I do not think it will be safe for you to remain 
 here. You are looked upon as a dangerous fellow 
 along the Gulf coast, as Colonel Passford writes to 
 my father ; and if my governor should get a hint 
 that you were here, he would make a business of 
 getting you inside a Confederate prison." 
 
 " I am under the flag of England just now, and 
 that is supposed to protect neutrals." 
 
 " That's all very well, my dear fellow ; but my 
 
AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE 223 
 
 governor could manage your affair in some way. 
 I can make a trade with the captain of the Snapper 
 to put you ashore at Key West." 
 
 " You are very kind, Percy." 
 
 " It will be necessary for you to buy a boat here, 
 one with a sail, which can be carried on the deck 
 of the steamer," continued Percy, evidently much 
 interested in the scheme he was maturing. 
 
 At this moment the Dinah was passing under 
 the stern of a steamer, on which Christy read the 
 name " Ovidio." 
 
224 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 
 A BAND OF RUFFIANS 
 
 The Ovidio was one of the vessels of which 
 Captain Passford had obtained information in New 
 York, and by which the traitor merchant had at 
 first intended to send the machinery on board of 
 the Ionian into the Confederacy. 
 
 " That vessel flying the British flag appears to 
 be a man-of-war," said Christy. 
 
 " That is just what she is, confound h"er ! " re- 
 plied Percy bitterly. " She is the Greyhound, and 
 she has seized the Ovidio which we just passed ; 
 but my father believes she will be released ; " as in 
 fact she was, after a delay of two months. 
 
 " That looks a little like neutrality," added the 
 naval officer. 
 
 " But what do you think of my scheme to get 
 you out of this scrape before you get into any 
 trouble here?" asked Percy, who seemed to his 
 companion to be altogether too much interested in 
 
A BAND OF RUFFIANS 225 
 
 his plan. " Flanger is a friend of mine, for I was 
 able to render liim a very important service, noth- 
 ing less than getting him the command of the 
 Snapper." 
 
 " Of coarse I want to get out of the scrape." 
 
 " I suppose you haven't money enough to buy 
 the boat, if you escaped from a Confederate prison ; 
 but I will help you out on that by lending you 
 forty or fifty dollars." 
 
 "Thank you, Percy, you are behaving like a 
 true friend, and I shall remember you with grati- 
 tude," replied Christy, as earnestly as the occasion 
 seemed to require. " Do you think you can trust 
 Captain Flanger to put me in the way to get to 
 Key West?" 
 
 " I am sure I can ! " exclaimed the schemer 
 warmly. " He would do anything for me." 
 
 " But perhaps he would not do anything for me." 
 
 " I hope you don't mistrust my sincerity in this 
 matter, my dear fellow," continued Percy, with an 
 aggrieved expression on his face. 
 
 " Oh, no ! Certainly not. I only suggested 
 that your friend the captain might not be as will- 
 ing as you are to let me escape at Key West." 
 
 " I will guarantee his fidelity. I am as sure of 
 him as I am of myself." 
 
226 FIGHTING FOE THE KIGHT 
 
 " All riglit, Percy, I will hold myself subject to 
 your orders. But I think you had better buy the 
 boat, and put it on board of the Snapper, for I 
 could not do so without exposing myself," sug- 
 gested Christy. " I have some money that I con- 
 cealed about me, and I will pay the bills before I 
 go on board of the steamer." 
 
 "I will do everything that is necessary to be 
 done with the greatest pleasure. Perhaps you had 
 better go on board of the Snapper on our return 
 to the town. Then you will not be seen by any 
 person," suggested Percy with as much indiffer- 
 ence as he could assume. 
 
 " What time will the steamer sail ? " 
 
 "About five o'clock, which is high tide." 
 
 " It is only half-past one now ; besides, I have 
 to go up to the hotel for my satchel, and to pay 
 my bill. Where do you live, Percy? " 
 
 " We have a house on Frederick Street. At 
 what hotel are you stopping?" 
 
 " At the Royal Victoria." 
 
 " What is the number of your room ? " asked 
 Percy. 
 
 " No. 44." 
 
 Christy was sharp enough to comprehend the 
 
A BAND OF RUFFIANS 227 
 
 object of these questions ; and, as a matter of pre- 
 caution, he divided the number of his room by two 
 in making his reply. 
 
 " That makes an easy thing of it," continued 
 Percy. " I will go to the Royal Victoria at four 
 o'clock, pay your bill and get your satchel. I will 
 meet you on the public wharf at half -past, and see 
 that you have a good stateroom in the cabin of the 
 Snapper." 
 
 " That seems to be all very well arranged," 
 added Christy. 
 
 "But I must see Captain Flanger before four 
 o'clock. How much longer do you intend to 
 cruise in this boat ? " asked the schemer, beginning 
 to manifest a little impatience. 
 
 The conversation had been carried on in a low 
 tone at the bow of the boat, where the boatman 
 could not hear Avhat was said. 
 
 " I think I am safer out here than I should be 
 on shore," suggested Christy. " I might meet 
 some other person in the town who knows me." 
 
 " All right ; but I ought to see Captain Flanger 
 as soon as possible, for I shall ask him to buy the 
 boat," replied Percy uneasily. " You might land 
 me, and then sail another hour or two yourself." 
 
228 FIGHTING FOE THE EIGHT 
 
 " Very well ; that will suit me exactly. Skip- 
 per, this gentleman wishes to be put on shore ; but 
 I desire to sail another hour or two," said Christy, 
 addressing- the boatman. 
 
 "All right, sir; I will go to the wharf if you 
 say so, but I can put the other gentleman into 
 that boat which has just come over the bar. The 
 boatman is a friend of mine." 
 
 " Who is he, David ? " asked Percy. 
 
 " Jim Peckson." 
 
 " I know him, and I will go up in his boat if you 
 will hail him," answered the young Southerner. 
 " I suppose the arrangement is well understood," 
 he added, dropping his voice so that the boatman 
 could not hear him. " You are to be on the public 
 wharf at half-past four, when I come down with 
 your satchel." 
 
 " Perfectly understood," added the other. 
 
 David hailed his friend Jim Peckson, and Percy 
 was transferred to his boat. Christy felt an in- 
 tense relief in getting rid of him. Of course he 
 had not the remotest idea of going on board of the 
 Snapper, whose brutal commander had declared 
 that he would kill him. But he realized thatf^''Ji[r 
 Nassau was not a safe place for him. 
 
A BAND OF RUFFIANS 229 
 
 The boat crossed the bar, and the passenger 
 took his seat by the side of the boatman. David 
 directed his boat towards the larger steamers out- 
 side, wliich were loading with cotton from several 
 small craft. They were, doubtless, to convey it to 
 England. Christy felt no interest in these, for the 
 voyages of the blockade-runners ended when they 
 reached the port of Nassau. 
 
 " Shall I sail you over to the sea-gardens now, 
 sir? " asked David, when his passenger intimated 
 that he had seen enough of the vessels outside the 
 bar. 
 
 " Yes ; anywhere you please, David. I don't 
 care about going on shore before dark," replied 
 Christy. 
 
 The passenger was greatly interested in the sea- 
 gardens, and for more than an hour he gazed 
 through the clear water at the sea-plants on the 
 bottom, and at the many-colored fishes that were 
 swimming about in the midst of them. He was 
 desirous of using up the time until he could have 
 the covert of the friendly darkness. He looked at 
 his watch, and found it was nearly five o'clock. 
 ■• " What time is it high tide, David ? " he asked. 
 
 " Five o'clock, sir." 
 
230 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 " Are there any steamers to sail to-day ? I sup- 
 pose they can go over the bar only at full sea." 
 
 " Only small vessels can go over at any other 
 time. The Snapper was to sail at high tide." 
 
 " Then I think we will run down by the light, 
 and see her come out of the harbor," added 
 Christy. 
 
 " I don't believe she will come out this after- 
 noon, sir," said David. 
 
 "Why not?" 
 
 " Her captain got arrested for something. I saw 
 four officers taking him to the jail. Some one 
 told me he was drunk, and had pitched into a gen- 
 tleman who was walking along the sidewalk in 
 front of a saloon on Bay Street." 
 
 " They will discharge him in time to sail on the 
 tide, won't they ? " 
 
 " I don't reckon they will. The men from the 
 vessels in the harbor at this time make heaps of 
 trouble," replied David. "If the gentleman he 
 hit had a mind to comjolain of him, the court 
 would lock him up for a week or two." 
 
 Christy was not disposed, under the circum- 
 stances, to make a complaint. The boat was soon 
 in sisrht of the lisrhthouse and the bar. The Dinah 
 
A BAND OF RUFFIANS 231 
 
 made a long stretch to the eastward, and was in 
 sight of the entrance to the harbor till it began to 
 be dark ; but no steamer came out on the high 
 tide. The boat crossed the bar again. 
 
 " Now, David, I want you to land me some dis- 
 tance beyond the public wharf," said Christy. 
 " How much shall I pay you for this sail ? " 
 
 " About three dollars, sir, if you don't think that 
 is too much," aliswered the boatman. 
 
 " That is very reasonable for the time you have 
 been out; and there is a sovereign," added the 
 passenger, as he handed him the gold coin. 
 
 " I don't think I can change this piece, sir." 
 
 " You need not change it ; keep the whole of 
 it." 
 
 " Oh, thank you, sir ! You are very generous, 
 and I thank you with all ray heart. I don't often 
 earn that much money in a whole day." 
 
 "All right, David ; I am satisfied if you are." 
 
 "I am more than satisfied, sir. But where shall 
 I land you ? " 
 
 " I don't know the names of all the streets, but 
 go to the eastward of the public wharf." 
 
 " I can land you at the foot of Union Street." 
 
 " How will I get to the Royal Victoria Hotel ? " 
 
232 FIGHTING FOll THE RIGHT 
 
 The boatman directed him so that he could find 
 his destination. He was somewhat afraid tliat 
 Percy Pierson might be on the lookout for the 
 Dinah ; but by this time it was so dark that he 
 could hardly make her out. David landed him at 
 the place indicated, and ire followed the directions 
 given him, which brought him to the east end of 
 the hotel. It was too early to meet Mr. Gilfleur, 
 and he found the guests were at dinner. He had 
 eaten nothing since the lunch on board of the 
 Eleuthera ; and, after he had looked in the faces of 
 all the men at the table, he took his place with 
 them, and did full justice to the fare set before 
 him. 
 
 He did not venture to remain in the hotel. He 
 desired to see the detective, for he had decided not 
 to remain another day in Nassau. As long as Percy 
 Pierson was in the town, it was not a safe place for 
 him. He had decided to make his way across the 
 island to the nook where the Eleuthera was con- 
 cealed, and remain on board of her until the detec- 
 tive returned. But he desired to see him, and 
 report his intention to him, so that he need not be 
 concerned about him. 
 
 Christy was entirely satisfied that he had cor- 
 
'Two MEN SPRANG UPON HIM." Page 233. 
 
A BAND OP RUFFIANS 233 
 
 rectly interpreted the purpose of Percy to betray 
 him into the hands of Captain Fhmger. As he 
 was not on the public wliarf at half-past four, 
 doul)tless he had been on the lookout for him. 
 He knew David, and his first step would bo to find 
 him. The boatman would be likely to tell hhn 
 that his fellow-passenger in the Dinah had gone 
 to the hotel. He visited the place arranged for 
 his meeting with Mr. Gilfleur; but it was in ad- 
 vance of the time, and he was not there. He 
 walked about the hotel grounds, careful to avoid 
 every person who came in his way. 
 
 In the darkness he saw a man approaching him, 
 and he turned about, walking away in the opposite 
 direction. But presently this person moved off 
 towards the hotel, and he started aofain for the 
 rendezvous with the detective. He had gone but 
 a short distance before two men sprang upon him, 
 one of them taking him in the rear, and hugging 
 him so that he could not move his arms. He began 
 a mighty struggle ; but two more men came out of 
 their hiding-place, and a pair of handcuffs were 
 slipped upon his wrists. 
 
 Then he attempted to call for assistance, but a 
 handkerchief was promptly stuffed into lu;-; niou'.li. 
 
234 FIGHTING FOR THE HIGIIT 
 
 and the ruffians hurried liim out through a narrow 
 gateway to an unfrequented street, where a car- 
 riage appeared to be in waiting for them. 
 
 "Drive to the beach back of Fort Montague," 
 said one of them. 
 
 It was the voice of Captain Flanger. 
 
A QUESTION OF NEUTRALITY 285 
 
 CHAPTER XXI 
 
 A QUESTION OF NEUTRALITY 
 
 Even before he heard the voice of his savage 
 enemy, Christy Passford realized that he had 
 fallen into the hands of the commander of the 
 Snapper. He was placed on the back seat of the 
 carriage, with a pair of handcuffs on his wrists, 
 and a handkerchief in his month to do duty as a 
 gag. Captain Flanger was at his side, with two 
 other men on the front seat, and one on the box 
 with the driver. Against these four men he was 
 powerless to make any resistance while he was in 
 irons. 
 
 The carriage was drawn by two horses, and was 
 considerably larger than the ordinary victoria 
 used in the town. It was quite dark, and though 
 the streets were flanked with many houses, hardly 
 a person appeared to be stirring at this hour. But 
 a vehicle loaded down with the rough visitors of 
 the place could not be an unusual sight, for they 
 
236 FIGHTING FOR THIi EIGHT 
 
 were the kind of people who were disposed to 
 make the night hideous, as well as the day. 
 
 Christy had struggled with all his might to 
 shake off the ruffians who beset him, and two more 
 had come out from their concealment when he 
 thought he was making some progress in freeing 
 himself from their grasp. As soon as his wrists 
 were ironed he realized that resistance was use- 
 less, and that it could only increase his discomfort. 
 It was a terrible calamity to have fallen into the 
 power of a man so brutal and unscrupulous as 
 Captain Flanger, bent upon revenging himself for 
 the mutilation of his most prominent facial mem- 
 ber. He was certainly disfigured for life, though 
 the wound made by the ball from the revolver had 
 healed ; but it was an ill-looking member, and he 
 appeared to be conscious of his facial deformity all 
 the time. 
 
 The men in the carriage said nothing, and 
 Christy was unable to speak. They seemed to 
 be afraid of attracting the attention of the few 
 passers-by in the streets, and of betraying the nature 
 of the outrage in which they were engaged. The 
 streets in the more frequented parts of the town 
 were crowded with men, as the victim had been able 
 
A QUESTION OF NEUTRALITY 237 
 
 to see, and he hoped that they would come across 
 some large collection of people. In that case he 
 decided to make a demonstration that would attract 
 the attention of the police, if nothing more. 
 
 He had no idea of the location of Fort Mon- 
 tague, to which the man on the box had been 
 ordered to drive them. The direction was to a 
 beach near the fort ; and he had no doubt there 
 would be a boat there in readiness to convey him 
 to the Snapper. But the farther the carriage pro- 
 ceeded, the less frequented the streets became. He 
 found no opportunity to make his intended demon- 
 stration. His only hope now was that Mr. Gil- 
 fleur, who must have been in the vicinity of the 
 hotel, had witnessed the outrage, and would inter- 
 fere, as he had done on Bay Street, and save liim 
 from the fate that was in store for him. 
 
 In a rather lonely place Christy discovered the 
 outline in the darkness of what looked like a fort. 
 At the same moment he heard the distant stroke 
 of some public clock, striking nine o'clock. This 
 was the time appointed for the meeting with the 
 detective, and he had been at the place a quarter 
 of an hour before, which fully explained why the 
 detective had not been there ; and probably he had 
 
238 FIGHTING FOR THE EIGHT 
 
 been in his room. This conclusion seemed to cut 
 off all hope that he had witnessed the attack upon 
 him. 
 
 The carriage stopped at the beach below the 
 fort. It was the bathing-place for the town, and 
 at this hour it was entirely deserted. The person 
 on the box with the driver was the first to aliglit, 
 and he ran down to the water. He returned in a 
 few minutes to the carriage, the other ruffians 
 retaining their places. 
 
 " The boat is not here yet, but it is coming," 
 said this man, reporting to the captain. 
 
 " All right ; I told the mate to be here at nine 
 o'clock, and it has just struck that hour," replied 
 Flanger. "Go down to the water, driver." 
 
 The vehicle moved down to the water's edge 
 and stopped again. At the same time the boat 
 grated on the sand, and came to a halt a few feet 
 from the dry ground. 
 
 " We are all right now," said the person who 
 had been with the driver on the box ; and this 
 time Christy recognized his voice as that of Percy 
 Piers on. 
 
 He had not mistaken or misjudged him. He 
 had not been able to understand why the young 
 
A QUESTION OF NEUTRALITY 239 
 
 man should befriend liim, and it was clear enough 
 now, if it had not been before, that his gratitude 
 towards him was a mere pretence. Captain Pass- 
 ford, senior desired to get rid of him, and had put 
 him on board of the schooner for this reason only. 
 
 " Captain Passford, we meet again, as I was sure 
 we should when we parted in Nassau to-day," 
 said the commander of the Snapper. "Now, if 
 you will take the trouble to get out of the carriage, 
 we shall be able to make you comfortable before 
 we have done with you." 
 
 Christy attempted to speak ; but the gag pre- 
 vented him from articulating, and he could not 
 breath as freely as usual. The captain drew the 
 handkerchief from his mouth, for there was no one 
 within a long distance of the spot to aid the 
 prisoner if he had called for help. The victim 
 had fully determined to resign himself to his fate, 
 and make the best of the situation until an oppor- 
 tunity offered to effect liis escape, though he 
 greatly feared that such an opportunity would 
 not be presented. 
 
 " Thank you, Captain Flanger ; I am much 
 obliged to you for giving me a better chance to 
 breathe, though I suppose you are not very anxious 
 
240 FIGHTING FOR THE EIGHT 
 
 that I should continue to breathe/'veplied Christy, 
 assuming a degree of good nature which had no 
 substantial foundation in reality. " On the con- 
 trary, I dare say you intend to stop my breathing 
 altogether as soon as you find it convenient to 
 do so." 
 
 "Not so; you can do all the breathing you 
 want to, and I won't interfere as long as you 
 behave yourself," replied Captain Flanger in a 
 more civilized tone than his victim had heard him 
 use before. 
 
 "But to-day noon you swore that you would 
 kill me," added the prisoner, much surprised at 
 tlie change in tlie manner of the ruffian since they 
 had met on the sidewalk. 
 
 " I have altered my mind," replied the captain, 
 leaving Christy in the hands of his companions, 
 and walking down to tlie boat, where the two men 
 in it seemed to be trying to find deeper water , so 
 as to bring it nearer to the shore. 
 
 " Well, how do you find yourself, Christy ? " 
 asked Percy, placing liimself in front of him. 
 
 " I haven't lost myself so far, and I am as com- 
 fortable as could be expected under the circum- 
 stances," answered Clnisty, whose pride would 
 
A QUESTION OF NEUTRALITY 241 
 
 not permit him to show that he was overcome or 
 cast clown by the misfortune which had overtaken 
 him. 
 
 " You did not come to the public wharf as you 
 promised to do at half-past four o'clock this 
 afternoon," Percy proceeded. 
 
 "I did not; David sailed me off to the sea- 
 gardens, and we did not get back to the town in 
 season for me to keep the appointment." 
 
 " Then you intended to keep it ? " 
 
 " I did not say so." 
 
 " I had the idea you were a fellow that kept all 
 the promises he made, even if it hurt him to 
 do so." 
 
 " Do you think you would have kept your 
 promise *to have Captain Flanger land me at Key 
 West, if I had been weak enough to go on board 
 of his steamer?" demanded Christy. 
 
 " You are fighting on one side, and I am fighting 
 on the other, Christy ; and I suppose either of us 
 is justified in ly'mg and breaking his promises in 
 the service of his country." 
 
 " You are fighting on your side at a very con- 
 venient distance from the battle-ground, Percy." 
 
 " I am fifrhtinor here because I can render the 
 
242 riGHTING FOR THE lUGHT 
 
 best service to my country in this particular place," 
 replied the young Southerner with spirit. " I am 
 sure I could not do anything better for my coun- 
 try than send you back to the Confederate prison 
 from which you escaped." 
 
 "Even if you violate the neutrality of the 
 place," suggested Christy. " The British govern- 
 ment was ready to declare war against the United 
 States when a couple of Confederate commis- 
 sioners were taken out of an English steamer by 
 a man-of-war. Do you suppose that when this 
 outrage is known, England will not demand repara- 
 tion, even to the restoring of the victim to his 
 original position on this island ? I hope you have 
 considered the consequences of this violation of 
 the neutrality of the place." 
 
 " I don't bother my head about matters of that 
 sort. I have talked about it with my father, and I 
 think he understands himself," replied Percy very 
 flippantly. 
 
 "I don't think he does. I have the same rights 
 in Nassau that you anel j^our fatlier possess. You 
 are carrying on tlie war on neutral ground ; and 
 no nation would permit that." 
 
 " I am no lawyer, Christy. I only know that 
 
A QUESTION OF NEUTRALITY 243 
 
 you have clone a great deal of mischief to our 
 cause in the Gulf, as set forth in the letters of 
 your uncle to my father." 
 
 " But I have fought my battles in the enemy's 
 country, or on the open sea ; and I have not doiie 
 it while skulking under a neutral flag," replied the 
 naval officer, with quite as much spirit as his ad- 
 versary in the debate. " You and Captain Flanger, 
 with the co-operation of your father, it appears, 
 are engaged in a flagrant outrage against the sov- 
 ereignty of England." 
 
 " My father has nothing to do with it ; I will 
 take back what I said about him," added Percy, 
 evidently alarmed at the strength of the argument 
 against him. 
 
 " You told me that you had talked with your 
 father about the case." 
 
 " But I withdraw that statement ; he knows 
 nothing about it." 
 
 " You make two diametrically opposite state- 
 ments ; and I am justified in accepting the one that 
 suits me best as the truth. If Captain Flanger 
 does not hang me to the yard-ai-m as soon as he 
 gets me into blue water, I shall make my com- 
 plaint to the United States government as soon as 
 
244 FIGHTING FOR THE EIGHT 
 
 I have an opportunity to do so ; and I have no 
 doubt you and your father will have permission 
 to leave Nassau, never to return." 
 
 Percy was silent, and appeared to be in deep 
 thought. Captain Flanger had returned to the 
 spot from the boat, and had listened to the last 
 part of the discussion. 
 
 " Captain Flanger understands enough of inter- 
 national law to see that I am right," continued 
 Christy, when Percy made no reply. 
 
 " The people here treat us very handsomely, my 
 little larky," said Captain Flanger, with a coarse 
 laugh. " I am not to be scared out of my game 
 by any such bugbears as you talk about. But I 
 am willing to say this, my little rooster : I have 
 no intention to hang you to the yard-arm, as you 
 hinted that I might." 
 
 " At noon to-day you swore that 3'^ou would 
 kill me." 
 
 " I have altered my mind, as I told you before," 
 growled the commander of the Snapper, with very 
 ill grace, as though he was ashamed because he 
 had abandoned his purpose to commit a murder. 
 " I am not what you call a temperance man ; and 
 when I get ashore, and in good company, I some- 
 
A QUESTION OF NEUTRALITY 245 
 
 times take a little more good whiskey than it is 
 prudent ; but I don't drink anything on board of 
 my ship. To cut it short, I was a little too much 
 in tlie wind when I said I was going to kill you. 
 I am sober now." 
 
 " I think you must be able to see what the con- 
 sequences of murdering a person captured on 
 British soil would be, Captain Flanger," suggested 
 Christy. 
 
 " As I have told you twice before, I do not in- 
 tend to murder you," said the captain angrily. 
 " I am going to put you back in the prison horn 
 which you escaped ; that's all. No more talk ; 
 take him to the boat." 
 
 The two men at Christy's side marched him 
 down to the boat, and seated him in the stern. 
 The rest of the party took places, and shoved off. 
 In half an hour the boat was alongside the 
 Snapper. 
 
246 FIGHTING FOK THE RIGHT 
 
 CHAPTER XXII 
 
 ON BOARD OF THE SNAPPER 
 
 Christy could not help seeing that a great 
 change had come over the manner of Captain 
 Flanger, especially in his repeated declarations 
 that he did not intend to kill his prisoner. His 
 thirst for revenge could hardly have abated as the 
 effect of his cups passed off, and it was evident to 
 the victim of the outras^e that some other influence 
 had been brought to bear upon him. It did not 
 seem possible to him that Percy Pierson could 
 have modified his vindictive nature to this degree. 
 
 The young man's father could not fail to see the 
 peril of the step his son was taking, though he 
 appeared not to have been able to resist the temp- 
 tation to get rid of such an active enemy as 
 Christy had proved himself to be. It looked plain 
 enough to the victim, as he considered the situation, 
 that Colonel Pierson's influence had produced the 
 change in the intentions of Captain Flanger. If 
 
ON BOAllD OF THE SNAPPER 247 
 
 tlie prisoner were brutally treated, and especially 
 if his life were taken, it would make the breach 
 of neutrality so much the more flagrant. 
 
 " Help the young cub on board," said the cap- 
 tain, as he went up the accommodation ladder,' fol- 
 lowed by Percy. 
 
 With his wrists fettered with a pair of hand- 
 cuffs, Christy needed assistance to mount the 
 vessel's side. He was handled with more consid- 
 eration than he expected, and reached the deck 
 without any injury. By the order of the captain 
 he was conducted to the cabin, where he seated 
 himself on a stool near the companion-way. A 
 few minutes later Percy came down the steps with 
 a valise in his hand, which he deposited in one of 
 the staterooms. 
 
 "I am your fellow-passenger, Christy," said he, 
 when he came out of the room. " I hope we shall 
 be good friends." 
 
 " After the treachery which has been practised 
 upon me to-day, there cannot be much love wasted 
 between us, though I am not disposed to be a bear, 
 even under the present unfavorable circumstances," 
 replied the prisoner. " I suppose this steamer is to 
 run the blockade ? " 
 
248 FIGHTING FOK THE EIGHT 
 
 " Of course she is to run the blockade ; how else 
 could she get into Mobile? " replied Percy. 
 
 " You can bet your wortliless life she is going 
 to run the blockade, and you may be sure that she 
 will get in too," added Captain Flanger, who came 
 into the cabin at the moment the question was 
 asked. 
 
 " By the way, Christy, from what prison in the 
 Confederacy did you make your escape? " 
 
 " If you will excuse me, I prefer to answer no 
 questions." 
 
 " Just as you please, my boy. We shall know 
 all about it when we get to Mobile," said Percy 
 lightly. " I am going home for a few days to see 
 my mother, who is in feeble health. I don't want 
 to quarrel with you ; and if I can be of any ser- 
 vice to you after we get into port, I shall be happy 
 to do so. We sail at about five o'clock in the 
 morning, on the higli tide." 
 
 " Captain Passford," began the commander, in a 
 more subdued tone than the prisoner had ever 
 heard him use. 
 
 " That title docs not apply to me now. Captain 
 Flanger," Christy interposed. " If I ever get 
 back to my duty on shipboard, it will be as second 
 lieutenant of the Belle vite." 
 
ON BOARD OF THE SNAPPER 249 
 
 "Mr. Passforcl, if that suits you better, I was 
 going to say that I mean to treat you like a gen- 
 tleman, whether you are one or not, in spite of my 
 shattered and battered nose," added the captain. 
 
 " I do not consider myself responsible for 'the 
 condition of your nose, Captain Flanger. At the 
 time you received that wound you were engaged 
 in a daring adventure, with two revolvers in your 
 hands, ready to blow my brains out. It was war, 
 and I did nothing but my plain duty ; and even in 
 a time of peace I had the natural right to de- 
 fend myself, and save my own life, even at the sac- 
 rifice of yours, as you were the assailant," argued 
 Christy quite warmly. " You would have put a 
 ball tlirough my head or heart if I had not fired 
 at the moment I did." 
 
 " Why didn't you shoot me like a gentleman, 
 and not blow my nose off ? " demanded the captain 
 bitterly. 
 
 " I had to fire in a hurry ; and I did not aim at 
 your nose. I could only discharge my weapon on 
 the instant, and I had no time to aim at any par- 
 ticular part of you. I intended simply to cover 
 your head." 
 
 "But you blowed my nose off all the same." 
 
250 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 " I had no grudge against your nose. Do you 
 think it would be honorable for a soldier to re- 
 venge himself on neutral g^round for a wound 
 received in the field ? " 
 
 " But it was a sneaking Yankee trick to shoot 
 at a man's nose, even in a square battle by sea or 
 by land," protested the captain with a rattling 
 oath. 
 
 It was useless to discuss the matter with such a 
 man, though he had probably been charged by 
 Colonel Pierson not to do his prisoner any injury, 
 and Christy relapsed into silence. 
 
 " If you propose to treat me like a gentleman, 
 whether I am one or not, may I ask where you 
 propose to berth me, for I am very much fatigued 
 to-night?" asked the prisoner later in the evening. 
 
 " I mean to give you as good a stateroom as I 
 have myself ; but it will contain two berths, and 
 the mate will occupy the lower one, to prevent you 
 from escaping, if you should take it into your 
 head to do so," replied the captain, as he opened 
 the door of one of the rooms. 
 
 " I can hardly get into the upper berth with my 
 wrists ironed," said the prisoner, exhibiting his 
 fetters. 
 
ON BOARD OF THE SNAPPER 251 
 
 " That is so," replied the captain, taking the 
 key of the manacles from his pocket and removing 
 tliem. " But I warn you that any attempt to 
 escape may get you into a worse scrape than you 
 are in now. When we get to sea you shall have 
 your liberty." 
 
 " Thank you. Captain, for this indulgence. I 
 suppose you will not make a long voyage of it to 
 Mobile. I presume you go to the northward of 
 Great Abaco Island?" asked Christy, though he 
 hardly expected to receive an answer to his ques- 
 tion. 
 
 " Why do you presume such a stupid idea as 
 that ? " demanded the captain, who seemed to 
 regard the inquiry as an imputation upon his sea- 
 manship ; and the inquirer had put the question 
 to provoke an answer. " I have been sailing nearly 
 all my life in these waters, and I know where I 
 am. Why should I add three hundred miles to 
 my voyage when there is no reason for it? " 
 
 " I am not much acquainted down here." 
 
 " I shall go through the North-west, or Provi- 
 dence Channel." 
 
 Captain Flanger did not know that the steamer 
 Chateaugay was cruising somewhere in the vicin- 
 
252 FIGHTING FOR THE FLIGHT 
 
 ity of the Bahamas ; but his jDiisoner did know it, 
 and the information given him was not pleasant or 
 satisfactory. Captain Chantor had tokl him that 
 he intended to stand off and to the eastward of 
 Great Abaco, and he had been cherishing a ho2:)e~ 
 that he woukl fall in with the Snaj)per, though he 
 might not find evidence enough on board of her to 
 warrant her capture. 
 
 If he fell in with the steamer, he would be likely 
 to examine her ; and that would lead to the release 
 of the involuntary passenger. But if tlie Snaj:»per 
 went through the Providence Channel, the Cha- 
 teaugay would not be likely to fall in with her. 
 It looked to the unfortunate officer as though he 
 was booked for a rebel prison. He could see no 
 hope of escape, though he was duly grateful foi 
 the change which had come over his vicious perse 
 cutor. If he was allowed his .liberty, he might 
 find some avenue of escape open. It was useless 
 to groan over his fate, and he did not groan ; but 
 he had come to the conclusion that it would be a 
 long time before he took possession of his state- 
 room in the ward room of the Bellevite. 
 
 Availing himself of the permission given to him, 
 he went into the room, and turned in with his 
 
ON BOARD OF THE SNAPPER 253 
 
 clothes on, so that he might be in readiness for 
 any event. Mr. Gilfleur would miss him at the 
 rendezvous agreed upon ; but he would have no 
 means of knowing that anything had happened to 
 him. Tired as he was, he was not inclined- to 
 sleep. Presently he heard a conversation which 
 was not intended for his ears, for it was carried on 
 in very low tones. 
 
 " Do you know, Captain Flanger, that I believe 
 we are getting into a very bad scrape ? " said 
 Percy Pierson in a subdued tone. 
 
 " What are you afraid of ? " demanded the cap- 
 tain, in a voice hardly above a whisper. 
 
 " My father refused at first to permit the capture 
 of Passford," added Percy. " He would consent 
 to it only after you had promised to treat him 
 well." 
 
 " I am treating him as well as I know how, 
 though it goes against my grain. We will get 
 him into the jail in Mobile, and keep him there 
 till the Yankees have acknowledged the indepen- 
 dence of the Confederacy, and paid for all the dam- 
 age they have done to our country. How is any 
 one in Washington or London to know anything 
 about this little affair of to-nigfht? " 
 
254 FIGHTING FOE THE RIGHT 
 
 " I don't know liow ; but if it should get out, 
 the Yankees would make an awful row, and 
 England would be obliged to do something about 
 it." 
 
 " But we must make sure that it does not get 
 out. The young cub has a deal of spirit and 
 pluck, and he would not live long if he were shut 
 up on such rations as our men have." 
 
 Percy seemed to be better satisfied than he had 
 been, and the conversation turned to other sub- 
 jects in which the listener had no interest. With- 
 out much of an effort he turned over and went to 
 sleep. When he woke in the morning he heard 
 the tramp of footsteps on the deck over his head, 
 and he concluded that the steamer was getting 
 under way. If the mate had slept in the berth 
 below him, he had not seen or heard him. He 
 leaped out of the bed, and descended to the floor. 
 When he tried the door he found that it was 
 locked. 
 
 Presently he heard the movement of the screw, 
 and felt the motion of the vessel. There was a 
 port light to the room, and he placed himself 
 where he could see out at it. But there was 
 nothing to be seen which afforded him any hope 
 
ON BOARD OF THE SNAPPER 255 
 
 or comfort. There must be a pilot on board, and 
 he began to wonder if there could be any way to 
 communicate with him. He took from his pocket 
 a piece of paper and pencil. He wrote a brief 
 statement of the outrage which had been perpe- 
 trated upon him,- folded the paper, and put it in 
 his vest pocket, where he could readily slip it into 
 the hand of the pilot, if he found the opportunity 
 to do so. The captain had promised to give him 
 his liberty when the vessel got out to sea, and he 
 hoped to be able to go on deck before the pilot left 
 the steamer. 
 
 The Snapper continued to go ahead, and in a 
 short time she made a sort of a plunge, as she 
 went over the bar. The motion of the steamer 
 began to be rather violent, and Christy saw 
 through the port the white caps that indicated 
 a strong north-west wind. When the vessel had 
 continued on her course for a couple of hours, she 
 stopped, and the prisoner saw the pilot boat drop 
 astern a little later. The opportunity to deliver 
 his statement had passed by, and he tore up the 
 paper, keeping the fragments in his pocket, so that 
 they should not expose his intention. 
 
 He had scarcely destroyed the paper befoi-e his« 
 
256 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 door was thrown open by Percy Pierson, who 
 informed him that he was at liberty to go on deck 
 if he wished to do so. He accepted the permis- 
 sion. Pie could see the land in the distance in 
 several directions, but he had no interest in any- 
 thing. He was called to breakfast soon after, and 
 he took a hearty meal, for the situation had not 
 yet affected his appetite. In the middle of the 
 forenoon, with the light at Hole in the Wall on 
 the starboard, and that on Stirrup Cay on the port, 
 the course of the Snapper was changed to the 
 north-west. 
 
 At this point Christy discovered a three-masted 
 steamer, which had also excited the attention of 
 Captain Flanger. It looked like the Chateaugay ; 
 and ..the prisoner's heart bounded with emotion. 
 
THE CHATEAUGAY IN THE DISTANCE 257 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 THE CHATEAUGAY IN THE DISTANCE 
 
 The steamer which Christy had discovered was 
 a long distance from the Snapper. She had just 
 come about, and this movement had enabled the 
 prisoner to see that she had three masts ; but that 
 was really all there was to lead him to suppose 
 she was the Chateaugay. She was too far off for 
 him to make her out ; and if he had not known 
 that she was cruising to the eastward of the 
 Bahamas, it would not have occurred to him that 
 she was the steamer in which he had been a 
 passenger two days before. 
 
 Captain Flanger discovered the sail a few 
 minutes later, and fixed his attention upon it. In 
 the business in which he was eng-agfed it was 
 necessary to practise the most unceasing vigilance. 
 But, at this distance from any Confederate port, 
 the commander of the steamer did not appear to 
 be greatly disturbed at the sight of a distant sail, 
 
258 riGHTIKG FOR THE EIGHT 
 
 believing that liis danger was nearer the shores of 
 the Southern States. Doubtless he had papers of 
 some sort which would show that his vessel had 
 cleared for Havana, or some port on the Gulf of 
 Mexico. 
 
 Christy did not deem it wise to manifest any 
 interest in the distant sail, and, fixing his gaze 
 upon the deck-planks, he continued to walk back 
 and forth, as he was doing when he discovered the 
 steamer. He had not been able to make out her 
 course. He had first seen her when she was in 
 the act of turning, obtaining only a glance at the 
 three masts. Whether or not she was " end-on " 
 for the Snapper, he could not determine, and 
 Captain Flanger seemed to be studying up this 
 question with no little earnestness. 
 
 The principal mission in these waters of the 
 Chateaugay was to look up the Ovidio, of which 
 Captain Passford in New York had obtained some 
 information through his agents. This vessel was 
 not simply a blockade-runner, but was intended 
 for a cruiser, though she had sailed from Scotland 
 without an armament. It was known that she 
 would proceed to Nassau, and tliis fact had sug- 
 gested to Mr. Gilfleur liis visit to that port to 
 
THE CHATEAUGAY IN THE DISTANCE 259 
 
 obtain reliable information in regard to her, as well 
 as incidentally to look into the methods of fitting 
 out vessels for running the blockade. 
 
 Captain Chantor was expecting to fall in with the 
 Ovidio, even before the return of his two passen- 
 gers. He did not believe the authorities at Nassau 
 would permit her to take on board an armament at 
 that port; but a rendezvous had probably been 
 arranged, where she was to receive her guns and 
 ammunition. But the only safe channel for any 
 vessel to get to the deep sea from Nassau was by 
 the one that had received the name of Providence. 
 This channel is a continuation of what is called 
 " The Tongue of the Ocean," which extends over 
 a hundred miles south of New Providence, a hun- 
 dred and fifty fathoms in depth, and bordered by 
 innumerable cays, reefs, and very shoal water. 
 
 South of Great Abaco Island, this channel, from 
 thirty to forty miles wide, divides into the North- 
 east and North-west Channels, and all vessels of 
 any great draught can safeTy get out to sea only 
 tln^ough one of them. It was evident enough to 
 Captain Chantor, who was familiar with the navi- 
 gation of these seas, that the Ovidio must come 
 out through one of the channels indicated. CJji-isty 
 
260 FIGllTmG FOK THE RIGHT 
 
 had talked with the commander of the Chateaugay 
 in regard to these passages, and knew that it was 
 his intention to keep a close watch over them. 
 
 He could not be sure that the steamer in the 
 distance was the Chateaugay ; but the more he 
 recalled what had passed between himself and 
 Captain Chantor, and considered the situation, the 
 stronger became liis hope that it was she. He was 
 sure that she had come about, and he reasoned that 
 she had done so when her commander ascertained 
 that the steamer he had sighted laid her course 
 thi'ough the North-west Channel. This was as far 
 as he could carry his speculations. 
 
 Without understanding the situation as well as 
 did his prisoner, Captain Flanger seemed to be 
 nervous and uneasy. He watched the distant sail 
 for a long time, sent for his sp3''-glass and exam- 
 ined her, and then began to plank the deck. When 
 he came abreast of Christy he stopped. 
 
 " Do you see that sail off to the eastward, Mr. 
 Passford?" 
 
 " I see it now. Captain," replied the prisoner, as 
 indifferently as possible, for he felt that it would 
 be very imprudent to manifest any interest in the 
 matter.. 
 
THE CHATEAUGAY IN THE DISTANCE 261 
 
 " Can you make out what she is ? " continued 
 the captain. 
 
 " I cannot ; she must be eight or ten miles from 
 us," replied Christy, as he glanced to the east- 
 ward. 
 
 " I shouldn't wonder if that was one of your 
 Yankee gunboats," added Captain Flanger, spicing 
 liis remark with a heavy oath, for he could hardly 
 say anything without interlarding his speech with 
 profanity. 
 
 " It may be, for aught I know," replied the pris- 
 oner with something like a yawn. 
 
 " Whatever she is, the Snapper can run away 
 from her, and you need not flatter yourself that 
 there is any chance for you to escape from a Con- 
 federate prison ; and when they get you into it, 
 they will hold on very tight." 
 
 " I must take things as they come," added 
 Christy. 
 
 He wanted to ask the captain why he wondered 
 if the sail was a Yankee gunboat, but he did not 
 think it would be prudent to dq so. The captain 
 seemed to have, or pretended to have, great confi- 
 dence in the speed of the Snapper. When he left 
 his prisoner he went to the engine-room, and it was 
 
262 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 soon evident from the jar and shake of the vessel 
 that he had instructed the chief engineer to in- 
 crease the speed. 
 
 Christy watched the distant sail for about three 
 hours before he could come to any conclusion. At 
 the end of this time he was satisfied that the three- 
 masted steamer was gaining very decidedly upon 
 the Snapper. He began to cherish a very lively 
 hope that the sail would prove to be the Chateau- 
 gay. Captain Flanger remained on deck all the 
 forenoon, and every hour that elapsed found him 
 more nervous and excitable. 
 
 " I reckon that's a Yankee gunboat astern of us, 
 Mr. Passford ; but I am going to get away from 
 her," said the captain, as they sat down to dinner. 
 
 " Is she gaining upon you. Captain ? " asked 
 Christy. 
 
 " I don't think she is ; but if she does get any 
 nearer to us, I shall give her the slip. The 
 Snapper is going into Mobile Bay as sure as you 
 live. You can bet your life on it," insisted the 
 captain. 
 
 Clnisty was not disposed to converse on the 
 subject, and he began to wonder in what manner 
 the Snapper could give her pursuer the slip. The 
 
THE CHATEAUGAY IN THE DISTANCE 263 
 
 former was the smaller vessel, and probably did not 
 draw over fourteen feet of water, if slie did more 
 than twelve. It might be possible for her to run 
 ■ into shoal water where the pursuer could not fol- 
 low her. 
 
 After the dinner table was cleared off, the cap- 
 tain seated himself at it with a chart spread out 
 before him. It was plain enough that he was de- 
 vising some expedient to escape the three-master. 
 Christy did not deem it prudent to observe him, 
 and he went on deck. It was as clear as the day- 
 light that the pursuer was gaining rapidly upon 
 the Snapper ; and the prisoner did not believe that 
 the latter was making over twelve knots. 
 
 By this time seven hours had elapsed since 
 the distant sail had come in sight, and she was 
 now near enough for the prisoner to be sure that 
 she was the Chateaugay. She could make sixteen 
 knots when driven at her best, and she must be 
 gaining four or five knots an hour on the chase. 
 Christy had been through this channel in the 
 Bellevite, and he discovered that the steamer was 
 running near the shoal water. Presently the cap- 
 tain came on deck, and he appeared to be less 
 nervous than before, perhaps because he had ar- 
 ranged his plan to escape his pursuer. 
 
2G-i FIGHTING FOR THE EIGHT 
 
 Within an hour Christy recognized the East 
 Isaac, a rock rising ten or twelve feet above the 
 surface of the water, which he identified by its 
 nearness to one over which the sea was break- 
 ing. The captain was too much occupied in the 
 study of the surroundings to take any notice of 
 him, and he endeavored to keep out of his sight. 
 
 The prisoner consulted his watch, and found it 
 was four o'clock. The tower of the Great Isaac 
 light could just be made out. The Chateaugay 
 was not more than four miles astern of the 
 Snapper, and in another hour she would certainly 
 come up with her, if Captain Flanger did not put 
 his plan into execution. The course of the chase 
 continued to bring her nearer to the reefs. 
 
 " Ring one bell ! " shouted the captain to the 
 quartermaster at the wheel. 
 
 The effect of one bell was to reduce the speed 
 of the Snapper by one-half. The order to put the 
 helm hard a starboard followed in a short time. 
 The course was made about south, and the steamer 
 went ahead slowly. Two men in the chains were 
 heaving the lead constantly. They were reporting 
 four and five fathoms. After the vessel had gone 
 five or six miles on this course, it was changed to 
 
THE CHATEAUGAY IN THE DISTANCE 2G5 
 
 about south-west. She was then moving in a 
 direction directly opposite to tliat of the Chateau- 
 gay, and the anxious prisoner could see the man- 
 of-war across the reefs which lifted their heads 
 above the water, very nearly abreast of the Snap- 
 per, though at least ten miles distant from her. 
 
 " Do you know what steamer that is, Mr. Pass- 
 ford ? " asked Captain Flanger, coming aft, appar- 
 ently for the purpose of finding him. 
 
 " How should I know, Captain ? " asked Christy. 
 
 " I thought you might know her by sight." 
 
 " I could hardly be expected to know all the 
 ships in the United States navy by sight, Captain, 
 for there are a great many of them by this time." 
 
 " All right ; she looks like a pretty large vessel, 
 and the bigger the better. I hope you won't get 
 up a disappointment for yourself by expecting that 
 you are going to get out of this scrape," said Cap- 
 tain Flanger, and there was a great deal of bitter- 
 ness in his tones. 
 
 " I am taking things as they come. Captain." 
 
 " The Snapper is not a man-of-war, and she is 
 engaged in a peaceful voyage. " If that fellow 
 thinks of capturing me, he is reckoning without 
 his host. He has no more right to make a prize of 
 
266 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 me than he has to murder me," protested the cap- 
 tain, as he gave the order to hoist the British flag. 
 
 " Of course you know your business better than 
 I do. Captain Flanger, and I don't propose to in- 
 terfere with it," replied Christy. 
 
 The commander walked forward again, giving 
 the order to the quartermaster to ring two bells, 
 which presently brought the steamer to a full stop, 
 quite near the rocks which were awash to the 
 northward of her. As the captain moved forward 
 he encountered the first officer in the waist, who 
 addressed him, and they began a conversation, 
 none of which Christy could hear. From the 
 looks and gestures of the mate, he concluded that 
 they were talking about him. 
 
 It was not difficult to imagine the subject of 
 the conversation, and it was evident to Clnisty 
 that the first officer had suggested an idea to his 
 commander. Wliile he was waiting impatiently 
 to ascertain what the Chateaugay would do next, 
 Percy Pierson came on deck looking very pale, 
 for it had been reported at breakfast that he was 
 very sea-sick. 
 
 " How are you, Christy ? " asked the South- 
 erner. 
 
THE CHATEAUGAY IN THE DISTANCE. 267 
 
 " I am very well, I tliank you." 
 
 "Haven't you been sea-sick ?" asked the in- 
 valid. 
 
 " Of course not ; I never was sea-sick " 
 
 " But what has the steamer stopped for? " asked 
 Percy, looking about him. 
 
 "Captain Flanger seems to think that vessel 
 over there is a United States man-of-war." 
 
 "Will she capture the Snapper?" asked the 
 sufferer, looking paler than before. 
 
 At this moment a boat was lowered from the 
 davits into the water, and Christy was invited by 
 the mate to take a seat in the stern sheets. He 
 was astounded at this request, and wondered what 
 it meant. 
 
268 FIGHTING FOR THE EIGHT 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 THE TABLES TURNED 
 
 Christy understood the character of Captain 
 Flanger well enough to be conjfident he meant 
 mischief to him in getting him into the boat. He 
 concluded that this movement was the result of 
 the conference with the mate. He had a suspicion 
 that his terrible enemy intended to drown him, or 
 get rid of him in some other manner. 
 
 " May I ask where I am to be taken in the boat, 
 Mr. Dawbin? " asked the prisoner, suppressing as 
 much as he could the excitement that disturbed 
 him. 
 
 " I give you leave to ask, but I cannot answer 
 you," replied the mate. 
 
 " If you intend to put me on board of that 
 steamer, it can do no harm to say so, I think," 
 added Christy. 
 
 " If you will excuse me, Mr. Passford, I cannot 
 answer any questions. I ask you again to get 
 into the boat," said Mr. Dawbin. 
 
THE TABLES TURNED 269 
 
 " Well, sir, suppose I decline to do so ? " 
 
 " Then I shall be compelled to use force, and 
 tumble you into the boat in the best way I can, 
 with the assistance of my men." 
 
 "If you intend to murder me, why can't you 'do 
 the deed here on deck? " demanded the prisoner. 
 
 " I don't intend to murder you." 
 
 " That is some consolation. That lighthouse on 
 the Great Isaac is the only place to which you can 
 convey me, and that is sixteen miles from this 
 steamer. I can't believe you intend to pull me 
 that distance." 
 
 " No fooling there ! " shouted the captain. 
 "What are you waiting for, Mr. Dawbin? Why 
 don't you obey my order? " 
 
 " The fellow wants to talk," replied the mate. 
 
 " If he won't get into the boat, pitch him into it 
 like a dead dog ! " 
 
 Christy saw that it was useless to resist, though 
 he had a revolver in his pocket which had not 
 been taken from him, for he had not been searched. 
 The mate and two sailors stood in front of him, 
 and he realized that he could accomplish nothing 
 by resistance under present circumstances. He 
 thouo-ht he could do better in the boat after it was 
 
270 FIGHTING FOR THE EIGHT 
 
 beyond the reach of any reinforcements from the 
 steamer. He went over the side, and took his 
 place in the stern sheets. 
 
 The mate followed him, and the two men, one 
 of whom was hardly more than a boy, took their 
 places on the thwarts. The boat was shoved off, 
 and the prisoner had an immediate interest in the 
 course it was about to steer. The mate arranged 
 the tiller lines, and then looked about him. 
 
 He directed his gaze towards the north, and 
 seemed to be trying to find some object or point. 
 He satisfied himself in some manner, and then 
 resumed his seat, from which he had risen in order 
 to obtain a better view over the waves. The pas- 
 senger had watched him closely, and found that 
 his vision had been directed towards the rocks 
 awash and the East Isaac rock. Towards these 
 objects he steered the boat. The Chateaugay was 
 at least three miles to the eastward of these 
 rocks. 
 
 Christy watched the course of the boat long 
 enough to satisfy himself, that it was headed for 
 the rocks, which were awash at high tide, though 
 they now looked like a minute island. There 
 could be but one object in visiting this locality : 
 
THE TABLES TURNED 271 
 
 and that must be to leave him on that desolate 
 reef. The wind was still fresh from the north- 
 west, and the spray was dashed over the rocks in a 
 manner which suggested that a human being could 
 not remain long on it after the tide was high with 
 out being washed off. It was little better than 
 murder to leave him there, and he knew very well 
 that Captain Flanger would shed no tears if assured 
 that his troublesome prisoner was no more. 
 
 Christy decided that he would not be left on the 
 reef, or even on the top of the East Isaac, which 
 might be a drier place, though hardly more com- 
 fortable. It must have been Mr. Dawbin who 
 had suggested the idea of landing Mm on the reef, 
 for there was no other place nearer than the Great 
 Isaac light. Captain Flanger had boasted that he 
 sailed a vessel on a peaceful mission, and that the 
 commander of the Chateaugay had no more right 
 to capture him than he had to murder him. But 
 the prisoner knew that the Snapper was to run the 
 blockade, and was bound to Mobile, for the captain 
 had told him so himself. 
 
 The commander could now see the folly of his 
 boast. He had not expected to encounter a United 
 States man-of-war in the Bahamas. His prisoner 
 
272 FIGHTING FOK THE RIGHT 
 
 was a naval officer, and would be a strong witness 
 against him. Upon his testimony, and such other 
 evidence as the cargo and other circumstances 
 miglit supply, the captain of the steamer in the 
 channel might feel justified in making a prize of 
 the Snapper. It was necessary, therefore, to remove 
 this witness against him. As Christy had imagined, 
 the captain had not thought of his prisoner as a 
 witness, and the mate had suggested it to him. 
 
 " I suppose I need not ask you what is to be 
 done with me, for that is sufficiently apparent 
 now," said Christy, more to engage the attention 
 of tlie mate than for any other reason. 
 
 " You can form your own conclusion," replied 
 Mr. Dawbin. 
 
 " You intend to leave me on that reef ahead, 
 and doubtless you expect me to be washed off and 
 drowned, or starved to death there," added the 
 prisoner. "I can't see why you take all this 
 trouble when you could more conveniently blow 
 my brains out." 
 
 " The captain has promised not to harm you, 
 Mr. Passford, and he will keep his word," replied 
 the mate with very ill grace. 
 
 " I consider it worse than murder to leave me 
 
THE TABLES TURNED 273 
 
 on that reef, or any of these rocks, Mr. Dawbin. 
 Since I understand your intention, I might as well 
 put a bullet through my own head, and save myself 
 from all the suffering in store for me," said Christy, 
 assuming the manner of one rendered desperate by 
 his situation. " Have you a revolver in your 
 pocket?" 
 
 " I have not a revolver in my pocket ; and if I 
 had I should not lend it to you to shoot yourself," 
 replied the mate. 
 
 Mr. Dawbin had no revolver in his pocket, and 
 that was all the prisoner had been driving at. He 
 was equally confident that neither of the sailors 
 was armed, for he had looked them over to see if 
 there was any appearance of pistols in their pockets. 
 
 " You are making altogether too much fuss over 
 this little matter, Mr. Passford. The captain de- 
 sires you to remain on one of these rocks till he 
 gets through his business with the commander of 
 of that steamer in the channel, which is now 
 headed for the Snapper," the mate explained. 
 " When that is finished we will take you off and 
 proceed on our voyage." 
 
 " You had better put a Inillet through my liend." 
 
 "I don't think so. It is no great hardship for 
 
274 FIGHTING FOR THE EIGHT 
 
 you to stay a few hours on that rock. You have 
 had your dinner, and you will not starve to death. 
 I don't think you will have to stay there long, for 
 that steamer draws too much water to come in 
 among these reefs, and she will be hard and fast on 
 one of the shoals before she goes much farther." 
 
 " Possibly her captain knows what he is about as 
 well as you do," suggested Christy. 
 
 " I don't believe he does. There isn't a fathom 
 of water on some of these shoals." 
 
 But the Chateaugay kept on her course, though 
 she proceeded very slowly. When she was off the 
 Gingerbread Cay she stopped her screw, and she 
 was near enough for the observer to see that she 
 was lowering at least two boats into the water. In 
 a few minutes more they were seen pulling towards 
 the Snapper, whose boat was now very near the 
 reef which had been selected as the prisoner's abid- 
 ing-place. A few minutes later the keel ground 
 on the coral rock. 
 
 " Jump ashoi-e, both of you, and take the painter 
 with you, my men," said the mate, when the boat 
 stuck about six feet from the top of the ledge. 
 
 The two sailors waded to the highest part of the 
 reef, and began to haul in on the painter ; but they 
 
THE TABLES TURNED 275 
 
 could not get it anything less than three feet from 
 the rock. 
 
 " We can't get the boat any nearer, Mr. Passf ord ; 
 but you are a vigorous young man, and you can 
 easily leap to the rock," said Mr. Dawbin. 
 
 " Do you think you could leap to the ledge ? " 
 asked Christy, looking him sharp in the eye. 
 
 " I know I could." 
 
 " Let me see you try it, Mr. Dawbin," replied 
 Christy, with his right hand on his revolver. 
 
 " Come, come ! Mr. Passford. No fooling. I 
 have no time to spare," growled the mate. 
 
 " I am not fooling. As you consider it no hard- 
 ship to pass a few hours on that rock, I am going 
 to trouble you to take my place there." 
 
 " No nonsense ! I am not to be trifled with ! " 
 
 " Neither am I," added the prisoner, as he drew 
 out his weapon, and aimed it at the head of the 
 mate. " You can take your choice between the 
 rock and a ball from my revolver, Mr. Dawbin." 
 
 " Do you mean to murder me ? 'J demanded the 
 mate. 
 
 " I hope you will not compel me to do so harsli 
 a thing as that. But no fooling ! I have no time 
 to spare. Jump on the rock, or I will lire before 
 
27G FIGHTING FOE THE EIGHT 
 
 you are ten seconds older ! " said Christy reso- 
 lutely. 
 
 " Come back into the boat, men ! " shouted the 
 officer. 
 
 " The first one that comes any nearer the boat is 
 a dead man ! " added the prisoner.' " Five seconds 
 gone, Mr. Dawbin." 
 
 The mate did not wait for anything more, but 
 made the leap to the rock. He accomplished it so 
 hastily that he fell when he struck the ledge ; but 
 the impetus he had given the boat forced it from 
 the rock, and sent it a considerable distance. 
 Christy restored the revolver to his pocket, and, 
 taking one of the oars, he sculled towards the 
 Chateaugay, which was now much nearer than the 
 Snapper. The two boats from the man-of-war took 
 no notice of him, and perhaps did not see him. 
 
 Taking out his white handkerchief he attached 
 it to the blade of one of the oars, and waved it 
 with all his might in the direction of the steamer. 
 He set it up in the mast-hole through the forward 
 thwart, and then continued to scull. But his sig- 
 nal was soon seen, and a boat came off from the 
 steamer. 
 
 " Boat ahoy ! " shouted the officer in charge of 
 the cutter. 
 
THE TABLES TURNED 277 
 
 " In the boat ! " replied Christy, turning around 
 as he suspended his labor with the oar. 
 
 " Lieutenant Passford ! " exclaimed Mr. Hack- 
 ling, the second lieutenant of the Chateaugay. 
 " Is it possible that it is you?" 
 
 " I haven't any doubt of it, Mr. Hackling, if you 
 have," replied the late prisoner, heartily rejoiced 
 to find himself in good company again. 
 
 " But what does this mean ? How do you hap- 
 pen to be here ? " demanded the astonished lieu- 
 tenant of the ship. 
 
 " I happen to be here because I have just played 
 a sharp game. I was a prisoner on that steamer 
 yonder, on my way to a rebel prison. But I think 
 it is necessary that I should report immediately to 
 Captain Chantor in regard to the character of the 
 Snapper, which is the name of the vessel you have 
 been chasing." 
 
 The Snapper's boat was taken in tow, and the 
 crew of the cutter gave way with a will. In due 
 time Christy was received with the most un- 
 bounded astonishment by the commander on the 
 deck of the Chateaugay. 
 
 " Where is Mr. Gilfleur ? I hope that no acci- 
 dent has happened to him," said the captain with 
 deep anxiety on his face. 
 
278 FIGHTING FOR THE P.IGHT 
 
 " Noiie that I am aware of ; but if you will 
 excuse me from explanations for the present, I 
 will state that the steamer on the bank is the 
 Snapper, Captain Flanger, bound for Mobile ; and 
 the captain told me that he intended to run the 
 blockade." 
 
 " Mr. Hackling, take charge of the second cutter, 
 and give Mr. Birdwing my order to make a prize 
 of that steamer, and bring her off to the deep 
 water." 
 
 It was quite dark when this order was executed. 
 
CAPTAIN FLANGEK IN IRONS 279 
 
 CHAPTER XXV 
 
 CAPTAIN FLANGER IN IRONS 
 
 Christy Passford related to Captain Chantor 
 all that liad occurred to the detective and himself 
 from the time of their departure from the ship to 
 their parting on the shore ; and he did not fail to 
 mention the fact that Mr. Gilfleur had come to his 
 assistance when he was assaulted by the ruffian in 
 front of the saloon. 
 
 " You have had a narrow escape, Mr. Passford," 
 said the commander, when he had concluded. 
 " The idea of avenging an injury received in tliat 
 way is something I never happened to hear of 
 before, though my experience is not unlimited. 
 Mr. Birdwing," he continued, after the first lieu- 
 tenant had reported to him, " had you any diffi- 
 culty in effecting the capture of the Snapper ? " 
 
 " Only with the captain ; for my force was suffi- 
 cient to have taken her if she had been fully armed 
 and manned. There was no fighting ; but I was 
 
280 FIGHTING FOR THE EIGHT 
 
 obliged to put the captain in irons, for lie was 
 about the ugliest and most unreasonable man I 
 ever encountered," replied the chief of the boat 
 expedition. " I was not at all satisfied that the 
 steamer was a fit subject for capture till your 
 order came to me, brought by Mr. Hackling. 
 Then Captain Flanger not only protested, with 
 more bad language than I ever before heard in the 
 same time, but he absolutely refused to yield. I 
 could not give him the reasons that induced you 
 to send me the order, and I referred the matter to 
 you." 
 
 The Snapper had been anchored within a cable's 
 length of the Chateaugay, and Mr. Birdwing had 
 brought Captain Flanger on board of the ship, 
 with Percy Pierson, that the question of prize 
 might be definitely settled by the commander, for 
 he was not quite satisfied himself. The captain 
 of the Snapper was still in irons, and he and his 
 companion had been put under guard in the waist. 
 The man with the mutilated nose had not yet seen 
 Christy, and possibly he was still wondering what 
 had become of his chief officer and the two men 
 who had been ordered to put the prisoner on the 
 ledge. 
 
"Jump ox the rock or I will fire before you are tex seconds 
 OLDER." Page 276. 
 
CAPTAIN FLANGER IN IRONS 281 
 
 Christy had informed Captain Chantor, in his 
 narrative, of the manner in which he had turned 
 the tables on his custodians, and he had not for- 
 gotten that the party were still where he had left 
 them. He reminded the commander of the latter 
 fact, and a quartermaster was sent in the third 
 cutter to bring them off, and put them on board of 
 the Snapper ; where a considerable force still re- 
 mained under the charge of Mr. Carlin, the third 
 lieutenant. 
 
 " Now we will settle this matter with the cap- 
 tain of the Snapper, and I hope to convince him 
 that his vessel is a lawful prize, so far as she can 
 be so declared in advance of the decision of the 
 court," said Captain Chantor. " Come with me, 
 if you please, Mr. Birdwing. For the present, 
 Mr. Passford, will you oblige me by keeping in the 
 shade till I send for you? " 
 
 " Certainly, Captain Chantor, though I should 
 like to hear what Captain Flanger has to say in 
 defence of his steamer," replied the passenger. 
 " But I will take care not to show myself to him 
 till you are ready for me." 
 
 " I do not object to that arrangement. I do not 
 quite understand who this Percy Pierson is, though 
 
282 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 you mentioned him in your report of what had 
 occurred during your absence," added the com- 
 mander. 
 
 " He is the son of Colonel Richard Pierson, 
 a Confederate commissioner, who represents his 
 government at Nassau, purchasing vessels as op- 
 portunity to do so is found. His son is the per- 
 son who tried to induce me to take passage in the 
 Snapper, with the promise that I should be per- 
 mitted to land at Key West. It was only a trick 
 to get me on board of the steamer ; and when it 
 failed, for I declined to fall into the trap, I was 
 captured by a gang of four or five ruffians, Cap- 
 tain Flanger being one of them, and conveyed to 
 the vessel, where I was locked up in a stateroom 
 till after she had sailed." 
 
 " That is a proper question for the British gov- 
 ernment to deal with, and I hope it will be put in 
 the way of adjustment by the proper officials, 
 though I am inclined to regard it as an act of war, 
 which will justify me in holding the men engaged 
 in the outrage as prisoners. Do you know who 
 they are, Mr. Passford ? " 
 
 " I can designate only three of them, — the cap- 
 tain, Mr. Dawbin, the mate, who is now on the 
 
CAPTAIN FLANGER IN IRONS 283 
 
 ledge, and Percy Pierson. I am sure they were 
 all in the carriage that conveyed me to the beach 
 where I was put into the boat. The others were 
 sailors, and I could not identify them." 
 
 " I will hold the three you name as prisonere," 
 added Captain Chantor, as he moved forward, fol- 
 lowed by the executive officer. 
 
 It was getting dark, and Christy made liis way 
 to the shadow of the mainmast, where he obtained 
 a position that enabled him to hear all that passed 
 without being seen himself. Captain Flanger 
 seemed to be more subdued than he had been 
 reported to be on board of the Snapper, and the 
 commander ordered the irons to be taken from his 
 wrists. 
 
 " Captain Flanger, I have concluded to make a 
 prize of the Snapper; but I am willing to hear 
 anything you may wish to offer," Captain Chantor 
 began. 
 
 " I protest ; you have no more right to make a 
 prize of my vessel than you have to capture a 
 British man-of-war, if you were able to do such 
 a thing," replied the commander of the Snapper. 
 
 " Do you claim that the Snapper is a British 
 vessel ? " 
 
284 FIGHTING FOE, THE HIGIIT 
 
 " Yes, I do ! " blustered Captain Flanger reck 
 lessly. 
 
 "■ Are you a British subject ? " 
 
 " No, I am not ; but I am not attempting to run 
 the blockade." 
 
 " For what port are you bound? " 
 
 " Havana." 
 
 " Have you a clearance for that port? " 
 
 " For Havana, and a market." 
 
 " But you have no more idea of going to Havana 
 than you have of going to China," added the cap- 
 tain of the Chateaugay. " You are bound to 
 Mobile, and you intend to run the blockade ; and 
 that intention proved, you are liable to capture." 
 
 " You seem to know my business better than I 
 know it myself," said Captain Flanger, with a 
 sneer in his tones. 
 
 " Perhaps I know it quite as well as you do, at 
 least so far as the voyage of the Snapper is con- 
 cerned," replied the commander of the Chateaugay, 
 who proceeded to explain international law in 
 relation to the intention to run the blockade. " I 
 shall be able to prove in the court which sits upon 
 your case that you left Nassau for the purpose of 
 running the blockade established at the entrance 
 
CAPTAIN FLANGER IN IRONS 285 
 
 of Mobile Bay. I presume that will be enough to 
 satisfy both you and the court. In Nassau you did 
 not hesitate to announce your intention to run the 
 blockade, and get into Mobile." 
 
 " I should like to see you prove it," growled the 
 captain of the Snapper, in his sneering tones. 
 
 " I don't think you would like to see me do it; 
 but I will take you at your word, and prove it 
 now. I have an excellent witness, to whom you 
 made your announcement ; " and at this remark 
 Christy stepped out from behind the mainmast, 
 and placed himself in front of the astounded ruf- 
 fian. " Lieutenant Passford, a naval officer in 
 excellent repute, is all ready to make oa,th to your 
 assertions." 
 
 Captain Flanger and Percy Pierson gazed in 
 silence at the witness, for they supposed he was on 
 the ledge to which he had been transported by the 
 boat. Christy repeated what he had said before, 
 and stated in what manner he had been made a 
 prisoner on board of the Snapper. 
 
 " For this outrage in a neutral port I shall hold 
 you and Mr. Pierson as prisoners, leaving the gov- 
 ernment to determine what steps shall bo taken in 
 regard to you; but I trust you will be handed over 
 
286 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 to the authorities at Nassau, to be properly pun- 
 ished for the outrage." 
 
 Of course this decision did not suit Captain 
 Flanger ; and Percy Pierson appeared to be in- 
 tensely alarmed at the prospect before him. Cap- 
 tain Chantor, after consulting with his naval 
 passenger, determined to send the Snapper to Key 
 West, from wliich she could readily be despatched 
 to New York if occasion should require. Mr. 
 Carlin was appointed prize-master, with a sufficient 
 crew; and at daylight the next morning he sailed 
 for his destination. 
 
 The boat which had been sent for the mate and 
 two men belonging to the Snapper put them on 
 board of the steamer; but the captain and the 
 passenger were retained on board of the Chateau- 
 gay. The. man with the mutilated nose was so 
 disgusted at the loss of his vessel, and with the 
 decision of his captor, that he could not contain 
 himself ; and it became necessary not only to 
 restore his irons, but also to commit him to the 
 " brig," which is the ship's prison. 
 
 " What is to become of me, Christy ? " asked 
 Percy in the evening, overcome with terror at the 
 prospect before him. 
 
CAPTAIN FLANGER IN lEONS 287 
 
 " That is more than I can inform you," replied 
 Christy coldly. 
 
 " But we had no intention of doing you any 
 harm ; and we treated you well after you went on 
 board of the Snapper." 
 
 " You committed a dastardly outrage upon me ; 
 but your punishment will be left to others." 
 
 " But I had no intention to do you any harm," 
 pleaded Percy. 
 
 " No more lies ! You have told me enough 
 since I met you." 
 
 " But I am speaking the truth now," protested 
 the frightened Southerner. 
 
 " No, you are not ; the truth is not in you ! 
 Did you mean me no harm when you attempted to 
 entice 'me on board of the Snapper? Did you 
 mean me no harm when you engaged Flanger and 
 his ruffians to make me a prisoner, and put me on 
 board of his steamer? It was a flagrant outrage 
 from beginning to end ; for I had the same rights 
 in Nassau that you and your father had, and both 
 of you abused the hospitality of the place when 
 you assaulted me." 
 
 " You were a prisoner of the Confederacy, and 
 had escaped in a blockade-runnei' ; and I thought 
 
288 FIGHTING FOR THE EIGHT 
 
 it was no more than right that you should be re- 
 turned to your prison," Percy explained. 
 
 " I had the right to escape if I could, and was 
 willing to take the risk ; and my capture in Nassau 
 was a cowardly trick. But I did not escape fi'om 
 a Confederate prison." 
 
 " You told me you did." 
 
 " I did not ; that was a conclusion to which you 
 jumped with very little help from me." 
 
 " I thought I was doing my duty to my country." 
 
 " Then you were an idiot. You have done your 
 best to compromise your country, as you call it, 
 with the British government. If your father is 
 not sent out of Nassau, I shall lose my guess as 
 a Yankee." 
 
 " But my father would not allow Captain Flan- 
 ger to do you any harm ; for he was bent upon 
 hanging you as soon as he got out of sight of land, 
 and he sent me with you to see my mother in order 
 to prevent him from carrying out his threat." 
 
 " You would have been a powerful preventive 
 in the face of such a brutal ruffian as Captain 
 Flanger," said Christy with a sneer. " You have 
 lied to me before about your father, and I cannot 
 believe anything you say." 
 
CAPTAIN FLANGER IN IRONS 289 
 
 " I am speaking the truth now; my father saved 
 your life. I heard him tell Flanger that he would 
 lose the command of the Snapper if any harm came 
 to you." 
 
 "If he did so, he did it from the fear of the 
 British authorities. I have nothing more to say 
 about it." 
 
 " But as my father saved your life, j^ou ought to 
 stand by me in this scrape," pleaded Percy. 
 
 " Whatever was done by you or your father for 
 me, was done from the fear of consequences ; and 
 you were the originator of the outrage against me," 
 added Christy, as he descended to the ward room. 
 
 The next morning the Snapper was on her voy- 
 age to Key West, and the Chateaugay headed for 
 the Hole in the Wall, though she gave it a wide 
 berth, and stood off to the eastward. The next 
 night, being the fourth since the Eleuthera left 
 the ship, the boat containing Mr. Gilfleur was 
 picked up about twenty miles east of the lights. 
 The detective came on board, and was welcomed 
 by the captain, who had been called by his own 
 order. 
 
290 FIGHTING FOE THE KlGfll' 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI 
 
 A VISIT TO TAIMPA BAY 
 
 As soon as Mr. Gilfleur had been welcomed back 
 to the Chateaiigay the commander gave the order 
 to the officer of the deck to have the Bahama boat 
 hoisted to the deck, and disposed of as before. 
 
 "I beg your pardon, Captain Chantor; but be 
 so kind as to allow the boat to remain alongside, 
 for I must return to Nassau," interposed the 
 detective. 
 
 " Return to Nassau ! " exclaimed the captain. 
 
 " Yes, sir ; it is really necessary that I should do 
 so, for you see tlxat I have come back without Mr. 
 Passford," replied the Frenchman. "He was at- 
 tacked by a cowardly ruffian in front of a saloon 
 in the town, and I lost siglit of him after that. I 
 have been terribly distressed about him, for the 
 ruffian threatened to kill him, and I fear he has 
 executed his threat." 
 
 " Don't distress yourself for another instant, Mr. 
 Gilfleur, for Mr. Passford is on board of the ship 
 
A VISIT TO TAMPA BAY 291 
 
 at this moment, and doubtless asleep in his state- 
 room," said the captain, cutting short the narrative 
 of the detective. 
 
 " On board of the ship! " exclaimed the French- 
 man, retreating a few paces in his great surprise. 
 " Impossible ! Quite impossible ! I found our 
 boat just where we had left it at the back side of 
 the island." 
 
 "But what I say is entirely true; and Mr. 
 Passford wished me to have him called when you 
 came on board," added the commander, as he sent 
 a quartermaster to summon Christy to the captain's 
 cabin. 
 
 " I don't understand how Mr. Passford can be 
 on board of the ship," continued the bewildered 
 Frenchman. "Ah, he might have hired a boat 
 like the Eleuthera to bring him off." 
 
 " He might have done so, but he did not," re- 
 plied Captain Chantor, as he directed the officer 
 of the deck to go ahead, making the course east, 
 as soon as he had secured tlie detective's boat. 
 " Now, if you will come to my cabin, Mr. Gilfleur, 
 Mr. Passford shall inform you himself that he is 
 on board of the ship; and he has cjuite an exciting 
 story to tell." 
 
292 FIGHTING FOR THE EIGHT 
 
 The commander and the Frenchman went below, 
 and seated themselves in the cabin of the former. 
 
 " Mr. Passf ord has already informed me that the 
 Ovidio is at Nassau, but that she has been seized 
 by a British gunboat for violation of the neutrality 
 laws," said the captain. 
 
 " That is quite true, and it is not probable that 
 the case will be settled for a month to come," re- 
 plied Mr. Gilfleur. "But I ascertained by great 
 good luck that her armament was waiting for her 
 at Green Cay, if you know where that is : I do 
 not." 
 
 " It is on the Tongue of the Ocean, as it is 
 called, nearly a hundred miles to the southward of 
 Nassau. I supposed it would be managed in some 
 such way as that," added the commander. " But 
 do you think it will be a month before her case 
 will be settled?" 
 
 " Of course I know nothing about it myself ; but 
 I found a court official Avho was very desirous of 
 talking French, and he invited me to dine with 
 him at his house. I began to ask him questions 
 about the blockade, and the vessels in the harbor ; 
 and finally he gave me his opinion that a decision 
 in the case of the Ovidio could not be reached in 
 less than a month, and it might be two months." 
 
A VISIT TO TAMPA BAY 29'3 
 
 At this moment there was a knock at the door 
 of the cabin, and the captain called to the person 
 to come in. Christy, who had taken the time to 
 dress himself fully, opened the door and entered the 
 cabin. The Frenchman leaped from his seat, and 
 embraced the young officer as though he had been 
 his wife or sweetheart, from whom he had been 
 separated for years. Christy, who was not very 
 demonstrative in this direction, submitted to the 
 hugging with the best possible grace, for he knew 
 that the detective was sincere, and had actually 
 grown to love him, perhaps as much for his father's 
 sake as for his own. 
 
 " Oh, my dear Mr. Passford, you are to me like 
 one who has come out of his grave, for I have be- 
 lieved for nearly three days that you had been 
 killed by the ruffian that attacked you in the 
 street ! " exclaimed Mr. Gilfleur, still pressing 
 both of his late companion's hands in his own. 
 " I was never so rejoiced in all my life, not even 
 when I had unearthed a murderer." 
 
 " Perhaps you expected to unearth another mur- 
 derer," said Christy with a smile. 
 
 " That was just what I intended to do. I heard 
 the villanous ruffian swear that he would kill you, 
 
294 .FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 and I was almost sure he had done so when you 
 failed to meet me in the rear of the hotel." 
 
 At the request of the commander, Christy re- 
 peated the story of his adventure in Nassau as 
 briefly as possible, up to the time he had been 
 picked up by the Chateaugay's cutter, and con- 
 veyed on board of the ship. The detective was 
 deeply interested, and listened to the narration with 
 the closest attention. At the end of it, he pressed 
 the hand of the young officer again, and warmly 
 congratulated him upon his escape from the enem3^ 
 
 Mr. Gilfleur then reported more in detail than 
 he had done before, the result of his mission. He 
 gave the names of all the intending blockade-run- 
 ners in the harbor of Nassau ; but the captain 
 declared that he could not capture them on any 
 such evidence as the detective had been able to 
 obtain, for it would not prove the intention. 
 
 " The Ovidio may not come out of Nassau for 
 two months to come, and then she will proceed to 
 Green Cay," said Captain Chantor. "I do not 
 think I should be justified in waiting so long for 
 her, especially as she is to run her cargo into 
 Mobile. The blockaders will probably be able to 
 pick her up. I tliink my mission in the Bahama 
 
A VISIT TO TAMPA BAY 295 
 
 Islands is finished, and the Chateaugay must pro- 
 ceed to more fruitful fields." 
 
 "But you have not made a bad voyage of it so 
 far, Captain Chantor," added Christy. " You sent 
 in the Ionian, sunk the Dornoch, and captured the 
 Cadet and the Snapper, to say nothing of bagging 
 a Confederate commissioner, and the son of an- 
 other. I should have been glad if you had sent 
 in Colonel Pierson, for he has already done our 
 commerce a great deal of mischief." 
 
 " I am entirely satisfied, and doubtless the infor- 
 mation obtpvined here and at the Bermudas will 
 enable our fleet to pick up some more of the 
 steamers you have spotted," added the captain, as 
 he rose from his seat, and dismissed his guests. 
 
 The Frenchman was so exhausted by his labors, 
 and the want of sleep, that he retired at once to 
 his room, while Christy went on deck with the 
 commander. The ship had been working to the 
 eastward for over an hour; but the order was 
 given for her to come about, and the course was 
 laid for the light at the Hole in the Wall. 
 
 " Now, Mr. Passford, we are bound for the Gulf 
 of Mexico, putting in at Key West for the purpose 
 of attending to the affair of the Snapper," said 
 
296 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 Captain Cliantor. " In a few days more no doubt 
 you will be able to report for duty on board of the 
 Bellevite." 
 
 " I shall not be sorry to be on duty again, and 
 especially in the Bellevite," replied Christy, as he 
 went to his stateroom to finish his night's sleep. 
 
 The next day the Chateaugay overhauled the 
 Snapper; but all was well on board of her, and 
 the ship proceeded on her course. On the third 
 day she went into the harbor of Key West. 
 Christy and the captain went to work at once on 
 the legal questions relating to the prize last taken. 
 The evidence was deemed sufficient to warrant the 
 sending of her to New York, and on her arrival 
 the prize-master was directed to proceed to that 
 port. Captain Flanger and Percy Pierson were 
 transferred to her, and she sailed the next day ; but 
 she encountered a tremendous storm on the At- 
 lantic coast, and was totally wrecked on Hetzel 
 Spit, near Cape Canaveral. The prisoners were 
 put into one boat, which upset, and all in it were 
 drowned, while the other boat, in charge of Lieu- 
 tenant Carlin, succeeded in reaching the shore of 
 Florida. 
 
 The Snapper's case was settled, therefore, out- 
 
A VISIT TO TAMPA BAY 297 
 
 side of the courts. Captain Flanger perished in 
 his wickedness, and Percy Pierson never reached 
 his mother in Mobile. But it was weeks before 
 the news of the disaster reached the Chateaugay 
 and the Bellevite. Christy did not mourn the loss 
 of his great enemy, and he was sorry only that the 
 young man had not lived long enough to become a 
 better man. 
 
 The Chateaugay proceeded on her voyage, and 
 reported to the flag-officer of the Eastern Gulf 
 Squadron ; by whom she was assigned to a place in 
 the fleet off Appalachicola, while Christy was sent 
 in a tender to the Bellevite, then on duty off the 
 entrance to Mobile Bay. 
 
 At this point it became necessary for Christy 
 and Mr. Gilfleur to separate, for the latter was to 
 proceed to New York by a store-ship about to sail. 
 The detective insisted upon hugging him again, 
 and the young officer submitted with better grace 
 than usual to such demonstrations. He had be- 
 come much attached to his companion in the late 
 enterprises in which they had been engaged, and he 
 respected him very highly for his honesty and ear- 
 nestness, and admired his skill in his profession. 
 On the voyage from Key West, Christy had written 
 
298 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 letters to all the members of his family, as well as 
 to Bertha Pembroke, which he committed to the 
 care of Mr. Gilfleur when they parted, not to meet 
 again till the end of the war. 
 
 When Christy went on board of tlie Bellevite he 
 was warmly welcomed by Captain Breaker, who 
 happened to be on deck. Mr. Blowitt was the 
 next to grasp his hand, and before he had done 
 with him, Paul Vapoor, the chief engineer, the 
 young lieutenant's particular crony, hugged him as 
 though he were a brother. 
 
 Most of the old officers were still in the ship, 
 and Christy found himself entirely at home where- 
 ever he went on board. He was duly presented to 
 Mr. Walbrook, the third lieutenant, the acting 
 second lieutenant having returned to tlie flag-ship 
 in the tender. 
 
 For all the rest of the year the Bellevite 
 remained on duty as a blockader off Fort Morgan. 
 It was ail idle life for the most part, and Christy 
 began to regret that he had caused himself to be 
 transferred from the command of the Bronx. The 
 steamer occasionally had an opportunity to chase 
 a blockade-runner, going in or coming out of the 
 bay. She was the fastest vessel on the station, 
 
A VISIT TO TAMPA BAY 299 
 
 and she never failed to give a good account of 
 herself. 
 
 Late in the j^ear the Belle vite and Bronx were 
 ordered to operate at Tampa Bay, where it was 
 believed that several vessels were loading with' 
 cotton. On the arrival of the ships off the bay, a 
 boat expedition was organized to ascertain what 
 vessels were in the vicinity. But the entrance was 
 protected by a battery, and it was supposed that 
 there were field-works in several places on the 
 shores. One of these was discovered just inside of 
 Palm Key, and the Bellevite opened upon it with her 
 big midship gun. Two or three such massive balls 
 were enough for the garrison, and they beat a pre- 
 cipitate retreat, abandoning their pieces. There 
 was water enough to permit the steamer to go into 
 the bay nearly to the town at the head of it. 
 
 No other batteries were to be seen, and the 
 Bronx proceeded up the bay, followed by the 
 Bellevite. When the latter had proceeded as far 
 as the depth of water rendered it prudent for her to 
 go at that time of tide, the Bronx went ahead 
 some ten miles farther. The boat expedition, con- 
 sisting of three cutters from the Bellevite and one 
 from the Bronx, moved towards the head of the 
 
300 fighting' for the eight 
 
 bay. Christy, in the second cutter of the Belle- 
 vite, was at least two miles from any other boat, 
 when a punt containing a negro put out from the 
 shore near him. 
 
 " Are you a frien' ob de colored man ? " demanded 
 the negro as soon as he came within speaking-dis- 
 tance of the cutter. 
 
 " Within reasonable limits, I am the friend of 
 the colored man," replied Christy, amused at the 
 form of the question. 
 
 " What you gwine to do up dis bay, massa ? " 
 asked the colored man. 
 
 " That will depend upon what we find up this 
 bay." 
 
 " You don't 'spect you find no steamers up dis 
 bay, does you, massa ? " 
 
 " Do you know of any steamers up this bay, my 
 man ? " asked Christy. " Do you know of any 
 vessels up here loading with cotton?" asked 
 Christy. 
 
 " P'raps I do, massa ; and den, again, p'raps I 
 don't know anyt'ing about any vessels," replied 
 the negro, very indefinitely. 
 
 Christy was provoked at the manner in which 
 the negro replied to his questions. Ordering his 
 
A VISIT TO TAMPA BAY 301 
 
 boat's crew to give way with all tlieir might, he 
 directed the cockswain to run for the punt of the 
 negro. The cutter struck it on the broadside, and 
 broke it into two pieces. The boatman was fished 
 up, and hauled on board of the boat. 
 
302 FIGHTING FOE THE EIGHT 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII 
 
 AMONG THE KEYS OF TAINIPA 
 
 Cheisty Passfoed did not intend to cut the 
 negro's punt into two pieces, though perhaps there 
 was some mischief in the purpose of the cock- 
 swain. The boatman gave him an evasive answer 
 to his question, which provoked the young officer. 
 The punt was a very old affair, reduced almost to 
 punk by the decay of the boards of which it was 
 built, or the bow of the cutter would not have 
 gone through it so readily. The lieutenant had 
 simply desired to get alongside the negro's shaky 
 craft in order to question him, for he was satisfied 
 from the fellow's manner that he knew more than 
 he })retended to know. 
 
 The boatman had come off from the shore of his 
 own accord ; he had not been solicited to give any 
 information, and his movements had been entirely 
 voluntary on his own part. Yet Christy was sorry 
 that his punt had been stove, valueless as the craft 
 
AMONG THE KEYS OF TAMPA 303 
 
 had been ; for, as a rule, the colored people were 
 friendly to the Union soldiers, and he was not 
 disposed to do tliem an}^ injury. 
 
 As soon as the officer in charge of the boat saw 
 that the bow was likely to strike the punt, he 
 directed the cockswain to stop and back her, which 
 wfts done, but too late to save the flimsy box from 
 destruction. The two bowmen drew in the negro 
 without any difficulty ; and so expeditiously had 
 he been rescued that 'he was not wet above the 
 hips. He had been caught up just as the bow of 
 the cutter cut into the punt. 
 
 " That was well done, bowmen," said Christy, 
 as the boatman was placed upon his feet in the 
 fore sheets. 
 
 The negro was rather small in stature, and black 
 enough to save all doubts in regard to his parent- 
 age ; but there was an expression of cunning in 
 his face not often noticed in persons of his race. 
 The coast of Florida, south of the entrance to 
 Tampa Bay, as in many other portions, is fringed 
 with keys, or cays as they are called in the West 
 Indies, which are small islands, though many of 
 them are ten miles in length. This fringe of keys 
 extended up Tampa Bay for over twenty miles ; 
 
304 FIGHTING FOIl THE EIGHT 
 
 and it was from behind one of them that the punt 
 had put out when Christy's boat approached. 
 The negro had been obliged to paddle at least 
 half a mile to come within speaking-distance of 
 the cutter. 
 
 " You done broke my boat in two pieces ! " ex- 
 claimed the boatman, gazing at the two parts of 
 the floating wreck. '•'• Don't t'ink you is a frien' 
 ob de colored man widin no limits at all, or you 
 don't smash his boat like dat." 
 
 " That was an accident, my friend," replied 
 Christy. " How much was the punt worth ? " 
 
 " Dat boat wan't no punk, massa, and it was 
 wuf two dollars in good money," replied the 
 colored man, his eyes brightening, and his expres- 
 sion of cunning becoming more intense, when he 
 realized the possibility of being paid for his loss. 
 
 " If you give me the information I desire, I will 
 pay for the boat," added Christy, who proposed to 
 do so out of his own pocket, for his father was a 
 millionaire of several degrees, and the son had 
 very nearly made a fortune out of the prizes, from 
 which he had received an officer's share. 
 
 " Tank you, massa ; I'm a poor man, and I git 
 my livin' gwine fishin' in dat boat you done 
 stove." 
 
"The boatman was fished up and hauled on board the boat." 
 Page 301. 
 
AMONG THE KEYS OF TAMPA 305 
 
 " What is your name, my man ? " 
 
 " Quimp, sar ; and dat's de short for Quimple," 
 replied the colored person of this name. 
 
 " Where do you live ? " 
 
 " Ober on de shor dar, in de woods." 
 
 " How deep is the water inside of these keys, 
 Quimp ? " asked Christy, pointing to the long, 
 narrow islands which lined the south-easterly side 
 of the bay. 
 
 "Not much water inside dem keys dar, sar," 
 replied the boatman, looking off in the other 
 direction. 
 
 " But there are deep places in there, I am very 
 sure." 
 
 "Yes, sar; ten feet in some places," replied 
 Quimp, suddenly becoming more communicative. 
 " When de wind blow from de west or de norf- 
 west, dar's twelve foot inside de long key." 
 
 " Do you know of any vessels, any schooners, 
 or steamers, inside the bay, Quimp ? " asked Chris- 
 ty, pushing his inquiries a point farther. 
 
 " Couldn't told you, massa," replied the boat- 
 man, shaking his liead. 
 
 " Do you mean that you don't know, my man?" 
 
 " Dis nigger done got but one head, and it's wuf 
 
306 FIGHTING FOR THE KIGHT 
 
 more to him dan it is to any oder feller, massa; 
 and it don't do for him to tell no stories about 
 vessels and steamers," replied Quimp, shaking his 
 head more vigorously. 
 
 " I suppose you have a family, Quimp ? " 
 
 " No, sar ; done got no family. De ole woman 
 done gone to glory more'n ten years ago, and de 
 boys done growed up and gone off. No, sar ; dis 
 nigger got no family." 
 
 " Then you don't care to stay here, where you 
 have to work hard for little money ? " suggested 
 Christy. 
 
 " Money ! Don't see no money. Nobody but 
 white folks got any money ; and dey has next to 
 noffin in dese times." 
 
 " I will pay you well for any information that 
 may be of importance to me, and I will take you 
 on board of a man-of-war farther down the bay, if 
 you are afraid of losing your head." 
 
 " If dis nigger told some stories he lose his head 
 for sartiii," added Quimp, shaking his head, as if 
 to make sure that it safely rested on his shoulders. 
 
 " If you tell me the truth, you shall be pro- 
 tected." 
 
 " Wot you want to know, massa ? " demanded 
 
AMONG THE KEYS OF TAMPA 307 
 
 Quimp, as though he was weakening ii; his reso- 
 lution. 
 
 Christy could not help. wondering wl/ the boat- 
 man had come out from behind the key, :f he was 
 not willing to impart his knowledge to the offi- 
 cer of the boat, for he could not help understand- 
 ing the object of the gunboats in visiting the bay ; 
 and the Bellevite lay not half a mile below the 
 northern end of what Quimp called the long key. 
 
 " I want to know if there are any steamers or 
 other vessels in the bay," replied Christy, coming 
 directly to the point. " If there are any, we shall 
 find them ; but you can save us the trouble of 
 looking for them." 
 
 " How much you gwine to gib me, massa, if I 
 told you ? " asked the negro, as he walked between 
 the men on the thwarts to the stern sheets, in 
 order to be nearer to the officer. 
 
 " I will give you ten dollars if you will be sure 
 and tell me the truth." 
 
 " Dis nigger don't never told no lies, massa," 
 protested Qidmp. " If you pay me five dollars 
 for de boat you done stove, and" — 
 
 " But you said the boat was worth only two 
 dollars," interposed "the officer. 
 
308 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 " Dat's de gospel truf, massa ; but it costs me 
 five dollars to get a new boat, to say nofBn about 
 de time. I mouglit starve to def afore I can get 
 a boat," 
 
 The negro's argument was logical, and Christy- 
 admitted its force, and expressed his willingness 
 to pay the price demanded. 
 
 " Five dollars for de boat, massa, and ten dollars 
 for tellin' de whole truf," added Quimp. 
 
 " All right, my man," added the lieutenant. 
 
 " Yes, sar ; but I want de money now, sar," 
 said Quimp, extending his hand to receive it ; and 
 Christy thought he was very sharp for one in his 
 position. 
 
 "I will pay you when you have imparted the 
 information," he replied ; and, for some reason he 
 could not explain, he was not satisfied with the 
 conduct of the negro. 
 
 He was altogether too shrewd for one who 
 appeared to be so stupid. The expression of 
 cunning in his face told against him, and perhaps 
 it was this more than anything else that prejudiced 
 the officer. He took it for granted that he 
 should have to take the boatman off to the Belle- 
 vite with him, and that it would be time enough 
 to pay him on board of the ship. 
 
AMONG THE KEYS OF TAMPA 309 
 
 " Dat won't do, massa ! " protested Quinip ear- 
 nestly. "What you tink? Suppose dar is a 
 steamer in de bay loaded wid cotton, all ready to 
 quit for somewhar. Do you tink, massa, I can go 
 on bord of her wid you ? No, sar ! Dis nigger 
 lose his head for sartin if dem uns knows I pilot 
 you to dat steamer. You done got two eyes, 
 massa, and you can see it for shore." 
 
 " But I can protect you, Quimp," suggested 
 Christy. 
 
 "No, sar! All de sojers in de Yankee camp 
 could not save me, sar. De first man dat sees me 
 will knive me in de heart, or cut my froat from 
 one ear to de oder ! " protested Quimp more ear- 
 nestly than before, though he manifested no terror 
 in his words or manner. 
 
 " Very well, Quimp ; I will pay you the money 
 as soon as we see the steamer or other vessel, and 
 then assist you to make your escape," replied 
 Clu'isty. " I will go a step farther, and pay you 
 for the boat now ; but I will not pay you the ten 
 dollars till you show us a vessel." 
 
 While the neoro was scratching his head to 
 stimulate his ideas, the officer handed him a gold 
 sovereign and a shilling of English money, pro- 
 
310 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 vided for his visit to Bermuda and Nassau, which 
 made a little more than five dollars. 
 
 " I don't reckon a gemman like you would cheat 
 a poor nigger," said Quimp, wliile his eyes were 
 still glowing with delight at the sight of the 
 money in his hand. 
 
 " Certainly not, my man," replied Christy, 
 Laughing at the idea. " Just as soon as I get my 
 eye on the steamer of which you speak, I will pay 
 you the ten dollars in gold and silver." 
 
 "I don't know much about dis yere money, 
 massa," said the boatman, still studying the coin, 
 
 " The gold piece is an English sovereign, worth 
 about four dollars and eighty-five cents ; and the 
 silver coin is a shilling, worth very nearly a quar- 
 ter of a dollar; so that I have paid you over five 
 dollars." 
 
 " Yes, sar, tank you, sar. Cap'n Stopfoot fotched 
 over some ob de money like dat from Nassau, and 
 I done seen it." 
 
 " But I can't stop to talk all day, Quimp," con- 
 tinued Christy impatiently. " If you are going to 
 do anything to earn your ten dollars, it is time for 
 you to be about it." 
 
 " Yes, sar ; I will told you all about it, massa." 
 
AMONG THE KEYS OF TAMPA 311 
 
 " No long yarns, my man ! " protested the offi- 
 cer, as Quirap seated himself in the stern sheets as 
 though he intended to tell a long story. ■ 
 
 " Yes, massa ; told you all about it in a bref. 
 De wind done blow fresh from de norf-west for 
 free days ; dat's what Massa Cap'n Stopfoot saj^," 
 Quimp began. 
 
 "No matter what Captain Stopfoot says!" 
 Christy interposed. " Tell me where the steamer 
 is, if there is any steamer in the bay. We will 
 stop the foot and the mouth of Captain Stopfoot 
 when we come to him." 
 
 " Well, sar, if you don't want to har dis nigger's 
 yarn, he'll shet up all to onct," replied Quimp, 
 standing on his dignity. 
 
 " Go on, then ; but make it short," added 
 Christy, finding it would take less time to get 
 what he wanted out of the negro by letting him 
 have his own way. " Wind fresh from the north- 
 west for three days." 
 
 " Yes, sar ; and dat pile up de water so de tide 
 rise six or eight inches higher," continued Quimp, 
 picking up the clew given him. " High tide in 
 one hour from now, and de Reindeer was gwiue 
 out den for shore. Dat's de whole story, massa, 
 and not bery long." 
 
312 FIGHTING FOR THE HIGHT 
 
 " All riglit, Quiinp, Now where is the Rein- 
 deer ? " 
 
 "■ Ober de oder side ob long key, massa. Dar's 
 more'n four fadoms ob water under dis boat now, 
 and twelve feet 'tween de two keys," added the 
 boatman, whose tongue was fully unlocked by 
 this time. 
 
 The crew of the cutter were directed to give way, 
 and the negro pointed out the channel which led 
 inside the keys. 
 
THE SUEKENDER OF THE REINDEER 813 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII 
 
 THE SURRENDER OF THE REINDEER 
 
 Christy looked over the side of the boat, and 
 saw that the water was quite clear. The channel, 
 which lay in the middle of the bay, had four and a 
 quarter fathoms of water at mean low tide, accord- 
 ing to the chart the officer had with him. He had 
 brought several copies of the large chart with him 
 from New York, and he had cut them up into con- 
 venient squares, so that they could be easily han- 
 dled when he was on boat service. But his 
 authority gave no depth of water on the shoal 
 sands. 
 
 In a short time the boat came to the verge of 
 the channel, and Christy directed the bowman to 
 stand by with the lead, with which the boat was 
 provided. The first heaving gave three and a half 
 fathoms, and it gradually decreased at each report, 
 till only two fathoms and a quarter was indicated, 
 when the boat was between the two keys, the 
 
314 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 southern of which Quimp called the long ke}', 
 simply because that was the longest in the bay, 
 and not because it was a proper name. 
 
 " Now, Massa Ossifer, look sharp ober on de 
 starboard side," said the negro. 
 
 " I don't see anything," replied Christy. 
 
 " No, sar, not yet ; but look ober dat way, and 
 you see somet'ing fo' yore free minutes older, 
 . massa." 
 
 Christy fixed his gaze on the point of the long 
 key, beyond which Qnimp intimated that the 
 steamer would be seen. 
 
 " Now, Massa Ossifer, fo' yore two minutes 
 nearer glory, you'll see de end ob de bowsprit ob 
 de Reindeer," added Quimp, who was beginning to 
 be somewhat excited, possibly in expectation of 
 receiving his ten dollars ; and perhaps he was 
 regretting that he had not demanded twenty. 
 
 " How big is that steamer, Quimp ? " asked the 
 officer of the cutter. 
 
 " Fo' hund'ed tons, massa ; dat's what Cap'n 
 Stopfoot done say, kase I never done measure her. 
 Pie done say she is very flat on her bottom, and 
 don't draw much water for her size," replied the 
 negro. " Dar's de end ob de bowsprit, massa ! " he 
 exclaimed at this moment. 
 
THE SURRENDER OF THE REINDEER 315 
 
 " Way enough, cockswain ! " said Cliristy sharply. 
 « Stern all ! " 
 
 The headway of the cutter was promptly checked, 
 and she was set back a couple of lengths, when the 
 order was given to the crew to lay on their oars. ' 
 
 "Wat's the matter, Massa Ossifer? Arn't you 
 gwine no furder ? " asked Quimp. 
 
 " I have seen enough of the Reindeer to satisfy 
 me that she is there ; and I have stopped the boat 
 to give you a chance to make your escape," replied 
 Christy. " I don't want you to lose your head for 
 the service you have rendered to me." 
 
 " Dis nigger can't get away from here, massa," 
 replied the boatman, looking about him. " A fel- 
 ler can't swim a mile when de water's full ob alli- 
 gators. Dem varmints like niggers to eat jus' as 
 well as dey do white men." 
 
 Christy had his doubts about there being alliga- 
 tors of a dangerous size in the bay, though he had 
 seen small ones in other bays of the coast ; bat he 
 was willing to admit that Quimp knew better about 
 the matter than he did. It was a hard swim to any 
 other key than the long one, to which the cutter 
 was quite near. He could land the negro on that 
 key, but he would reveal the presence of the boat 
 
316 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 to the people on board of the Reindeer, and they 
 would burn her rather than have her fall into the 
 hands of the Union navy. 
 
 " I can land you on the long key, Quimp," sug- 
 gested the officer. 
 
 " No, sar ! Can't go there ; for Cap'n StojDfoot 
 sartainly cotch me dar," protested the negro. 
 
 " I don't think so, Quimp." 
 
 " De ossifers and men ob de Reindeer will go 
 asho' when you done took de steamer ; don't you 
 see dat, massa ? " 
 
 " What shall I do with you then ? " asked 
 Christy, as he handed him two sovereigns and 
 two shillings. 
 
 " T'ank you, sar ; dat's a pile ob money ! " ex- 
 claimed Quimp, as he looked with admiration upon 
 the coins. 
 
 " It is what I agreed to give you. But what 
 shall I do with you now ? That is the question I 
 want answered," continued the officer impatiently. 
 
 " You can't do not'ing wid me, Massa Ossifer, 
 and I must tooken my chance to go up in de boat. 
 Better hab my froat cut 'n be chawed up by a big 
 alligator. Was you ever bit by an alligator, Massa 
 Ossifer ? " 
 
THE SURRENDER OF THE REINDEER 317 
 
 " I never was." 
 
 " I knows about dat, massa," added Quirap, as 
 he bared his leg, and showed an ugly scar. 
 
 Christy would not wait to hear any more, but 
 ordered the cockswain to sfo ahead agfain. It 
 looked to him that Quimp, now that he had 
 received his money, and made fifteen dollars out 
 of his morning's work, was intentionally delaying 
 the object of the expedition, for what reason he 
 could form no clear idea. 
 
 " I spose, if Captain Stopfoot kill me for w'at I 
 done do, you'll bury me side de old woman dat done 
 gone to glory ten year ago? " continued the negro, 
 who did not look old enough to have buried a wife 
 ten years before. 
 
 " I am not in the burying business, my friend, 
 and after you are dead, you had better send for 
 your sons to do the job, for they will know where 
 to find the grave of the departed companion of 
 your joys and sorrows," replied Christy, as the 
 boat came in sight of the bowsprit of the Reindeer 
 again. 
 
 '^ My sons done gone away to Alabamy, sar, 
 and " — 
 
 "That'? enouGfh about that. There are no alii- 
 
318 FIGHTING FOK THE KIGHT 
 
 gators about here, and you can swim ashore if you 
 are so disposed ; but you must shut up your wide 
 mouth and keep still if you stay in the boat. 
 Heave the lead, bowman ! " 
 
 " Mark under water two, sir," reported the leads- 
 man. 
 
 In a few moments more the cutter had gained a 
 position where the steamer could be fully seen. 
 She was a side-wheeler, and appeared to be a very 
 handsome vessel. She had a considerable deck- 
 load of cotton, and doubtless her hold was filled 
 with the same valuable commodity. 
 
 " Is that steamer armed, Quimp ? " asked Christy, 
 who could see no signs of life on board of her. 
 
 " She don't got no arms, but she hab two field- 
 pieces on her for'ad deck," replied the negro. 
 
 " How many men has she on board ? " 
 
 " L'em me see : the cap'n and de mate is two, two 
 ingineers, two firemen ; dat makes six ; and den 
 she hab two deck-hands." 
 
 " But that makes only eight in all," replied 
 Christy. " Are you sure that is all ? " 
 
 " Dead shoar dat's all, Massa Ossifer." 
 
 " But that is not enough to handle the steamer 
 on a voyage to a foreign port, for I dare say she is 
 
SUKRENDER OF THE REINDEER 319 
 
 going to Nassau," added Christy, who was on the 
 lookout for some piece of strategy by which his 
 boat and its crew might be destroyed. 
 
 " I don't know not'ing about dat, sar ; but Cap'n 
 Stopfoot is a pow'ful smart man ; and he's Yankee 
 too. I done hear him say he gwine to j'in de Yan- 
 kee navy." 
 
 What Quimp said was rather suspicious ; but 
 Christy could see nothing to justify his doubts. 
 He directed the cockswain to steer the cutter as 
 closely to the side of the Reindeer as the move- 
 ment of the oars would permit, so that the field- 
 pieces could not be brought to bear upon it. The 
 steamer lay at a sort of temporary pier, which had 
 evidently been erected for her accommodation, and 
 the cotton had doubtless been brought to the key 
 by river steamers by the Suwanee and other 
 streams from cotton regions. 
 
 There was no habitation or other building on 
 the shore, but a gangway was stretched to the 
 land, over which a couple of men were hastening 
 on board when the cutter reached the stern of the 
 Reindeer. From appearances Christy judged that 
 the water had been deepened by dredges, for a con- 
 siderable quantity pf sand and mud was disposed 
 
320 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 in heaps in the shallow water a hundred feet or 
 more from the rude wharf. 
 
 " Boat ahoy ! " shouted a person on board, near 
 the starboard accommodation ladder, which the 
 officer of the boat had noticed was in place. 
 
 " On board the steamer ! " replied Christy. 
 
 " What is your business here ? " inquired the 
 person on the deck of the Reindeer, though he 
 could not be seen from the cutter. 
 
 " I will go on board and inform you," replied 
 Christy. 
 
 As there were no signs of resistance on board 
 of the vessel, the officer of the cutter directed his 
 men to make a dash for the accommodation ladder, 
 which had the appearance of having been left to 
 make tilings convenient for a boarding-party. The 
 crew were all armed with a cutlass and revolver in 
 the belt. 
 
 " Lay her aboard ! " said Christy, quietly enough, 
 as he led the way himself, for he was a bold leader, 
 and was not content to follow his men. As he 
 leaped down from the bulwarks to the deck, he 
 confronted the person who had hailed him in the 
 boat. 
 
 " What is your business on board of the Rein- 
 
SUKRENDKR OF THE IlEINDEER 321 
 
 deer? " demanded, iu a very tame tone, the man in 
 front of him. 
 
 " I am an officer of the United States navy, and 
 my business is to make a prize of this steamer and 
 her cargo," replied Christy. 
 
 " Is that so ? You did not give me your name, 
 sir," added the man. 
 
 " Lieutenant Passford, attached to the United 
 States steamer Bellevite. Do me the favor to 
 explain who you are, sir," returned Christy. 
 
 " I am Captain Solomon Stopfoot, in command 
 of the Reindeer, at your service, born and brought 
 up on Long Island," answered the commander of 
 the steamer. . 
 
 " Then what are you doing here ? " demanded 
 the naval officer. " Where were you born on 
 Long Island?" 
 
 " In Babylon, on the south shore." 
 
 " Then Babylon is fallen ! " exclaimed Christy, 
 indignant to find a man born so near his own home 
 doing the dirty work of the Confederate govern- 
 ment. 
 
 " Perhaps not ; and perhaps you may change 
 your view of me when you have heard my story," 
 added Captain Stopfoot. 
 
322 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 " Well, Captain, there is only one story that I 
 care to hear just now, and its title is simply 
 ' Surrender,' " replied Christy rather impatiently. 
 "You understand my business on board of the 
 Reindeer ; and if you propose to make any resist- 
 ance, it is time for you to begin." 
 
 " It would be folly for me to make any resist- 
 ance, and I shall not make any. I have only two 
 engineers, two firemen, foreigners, hired in Nassau, 
 who would not fight if I wished them to do so, 
 and two deck-hands. I could do nothing against 
 the eight well-armed men you have brought on 
 board. I surrender." 
 
 " I should say that was a wise step on your 
 part, Captain Stopfoot," replied Christy. " When 
 you are more at leisure, I hope you will indulge 
 me in an explanation of the manner in which a 
 Long Islander happens to be engaged in blockade- 
 running." 
 
 - " I am an American citizen now, as I have 
 always been ; I shall be only too happy to get 
 back under the old flag. As an evidence of my 
 sincerity, I will assist you in getting the Rein- 
 deer out of this place. The tide is high at this 
 moment ; and half an hour from now it will be 
 
SURRENDER OF THE REINDEER 323 
 
 too late to move the vessel," said Captain Stopfoot, 
 with every appearance of sincerity in his manner." 
 
 " I will see you, Captain, as soon as I have 
 looked the steamer over," replied Christy, as he 
 left the commander of the Reindeer at the door of 
 his cabin, and went forward to examine the vessel. 
 
 He found the steam up ; and the engineer bowed 
 to him as he looked into his room. There was 
 nothing to be seen but cotton, piled high on the 
 deck, and stuffed into the hold ; and he returned 
 to the cabin. 
 
324 FIGHTING FOR THE HIGHT 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX 
 
 BRINGING OUT THE PRIZE 
 
 It seemed to Christy, after he had completed 
 his examination of the -Reindeer, that she carried 
 an enormous deck-load for a steamer of her size, 
 and that the bales were piled altogether too high 
 for a vessel that was liable to encounter a heavy 
 sea. But the cotton was where it could be readily 
 thrown overboard if the safety of the steamer was 
 threatened by its presence. He found only the six 
 men mentioned by Stopfoot, though he had looked 
 in every part of the vessel, even to the fire-room 
 and the quarters of the crew and firemen. 
 
 " I find everything as you stated, Captain Stop- 
 foot ; but I should say that you were proposing to 
 go to sea short-handed. I did not even see a per- 
 son whom I took for the mate. Is it possible that 
 you could get along without one ? " said Cliristy, 
 when he met the commander at the door of the 
 cabin. 
 
BRINGING OUT THE PRIZE 325 
 
 " The truth is, that my men deserted me when 
 they saw the two men-of-war come into the bay, 
 for they knew I liad no adequate means of making 
 a defence. In fact, the Reindeer was as good as 
 captured as soon as your two steamers came into 
 the bay, for you were morally sure to find her," 
 replied the captain. 
 
 " But where are your men ? How could they 
 get away ? " asked Christy. 
 
 "They have not got away a great distance. You 
 could see the gangway to the shore ; and all they 
 had to do was to land, without even the trouble 
 of taking to a boat. They are all on the long key ; 
 and without some sort of a craft they will not be 
 able to leave it. If you desire to spend your time 
 in hunting them down, I have no doubt you could 
 find them all." 
 
 " How many of them are there on the island, 
 Captain Stopfoot?" 
 
 " The mate, four deck-hands, and two firemen. 
 It would not be a difficult task for you to capture 
 them all, for I did not look upon them as fighting 
 material ; they have crowded about all the men of 
 that sort into the army." 
 
 " I have no desire to find them, and they may 
 
326 FIGHTING FOU THE RIGHT 
 
 stay on the key till doomsday, so far as I am con- 
 cerned," replied Christy. " We don't regard the 
 men employed on blockade-runners as of much 
 account. But it is time to get under way. Captain ; 
 I have men enough to do all the work, and I think 
 I have learned the channel well enough to find the 
 way out into the deep water of the bay." 
 
 " As I said before. Lieutenant Passford, I am 
 willing to assist you, for I am anxious to get back 
 among my own people, and to find a position in 
 the old navy. I have been master of a vessel for 
 the last ten years, and I know the Southern coast 
 better than most of your officers." 
 
 " No doubt you will find a place when you want 
 one, for all competent men are taken," replied 
 Christy, as he went to the quarter to see if the 
 Bellevite's cutter was in condition to be towed by 
 the Reindeer. 
 
 He had left the boat in charge of Quimp, or 
 rather he had left him in it without assigning any 
 particular duty to him. He was no longer in the 
 cutter, and the officer concluded that he had taken 
 to the long key, and was fraternizing with the 
 renegades who had deserted the Reindeer. The 
 long painter of the boat was taken to the stern and 
 
BEINGmG OUT THE PRIZE 327 
 
 made fast in a suitable place, and Christy hastened 
 to the forward part of the vessel with six of his 
 men, leaving a quartermaster, wdio was the cock- 
 swain of the cutter, with two others, in charge of 
 the after part. 
 
 On his way he went into the engine-room, which 
 opened from the main deck, where he had before 
 seen the two engineers, the chief of whom had 
 received him very politely. He suggested to the 
 captain that he had made no arrangement with 
 these officers, and he was not quite sure that they 
 would be willing to do duty now that the steamer 
 was a prize. 
 
 " There will be no trouble about them, for they 
 are Englishmen, engaged at Nassau, and they will 
 do duty as long as they are paid for it, as they 
 have no interest in the quarrel between the Nortli 
 and the South," said Captain Stopfoot ; and Christy 
 could not help seeing that he was making every- 
 thing very comfortable for him. 
 
 " We are willing to work for whoever will pay 
 us," added the chief engineer, " and without ask- 
 ing any hard questions." 
 
 " I will see that you are paid," returned Christy. 
 "You will attend to the bells as usual, will you?" 
 
328 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 " Yes, sir ; we will do our duty faithfully," an- 
 swered the chief. 
 
 Christy and the captain proceeded to the pilot- 
 house, which appeared to have been recently added 
 to the vessel to suit the taste of her American 
 owners. The naval officer stationed one of his 
 own men at the wheel, and then took a careful 
 survey of the position of the steamer. He directed 
 his crew to cast off the fasts. 
 
 " Is there a United States flag on board of this 
 craft. Captain Stopfoot ? " asked Christy. 
 
 " To be sure there is. Lieutenant," said the cap- 
 tain with a laugh; "but I do not get much chance 
 to get under its folds." 
 
 " Of course you have Confederate flags in abun- 
 dance ? " 
 
 "Enough of them," replied the commander, as 
 he drew forth from a signal-box the flags required. 
 " What do you intend to do with these ? " 
 
 "I intend to hoist the United States flag over 
 the Confederate to show that this steamer is a 
 prize, otherwise the Bellevite might put a shot 
 through her as soon as she shows herself outside 
 of the key," replied Christy. 
 
 "A wise precaution," added Captain Stopfoot. 
 
BRINGING OUT THE PllIZE , 329 
 
 The naval officer rang one bell as one of his men 
 reported to him that the fasts had been cast off, 
 and that all was clear. The srrating sound of the 
 engine was immediately heard, with the" splash of 
 the paddle wheels. Very slowly the Reindeer be- 
 gan to move forward. Christy had very carefully 
 noted the bearings of the channel by which the 
 steamer must pass out into the deep water of the 
 bay, and the instructions wliich the captain volun- 
 teered to give him were not necessary. 
 
 " I suppose I am as really a Northern man in 
 principle as you are, Mr. Passford," said the cap- 
 tain, as the steamer crept very cautiously through 
 the pass between the keys. 
 
 " If you are, you have taken a different way to 
 show it," replied Christy, glancing at the speaker. 
 
 " But the circumstances have compelled me to 
 remain in the service of my Southern employer 
 until the present time, and this promises to be the 
 first favorable opportunity to escape from it that 
 has been presented to me," Captain Stopfoot 
 explained. 
 
 " You have been to Nassau a number of times, 
 I judge ; and it was possible for you to abandon 
 your employment any time you pleased," suggested 
 the naval ofileer. 
 
330 FIGHTING FOR THE EIGHT 
 
 " It was not so easy a matter as you seem to 
 think ; for there were no Northern vessels there in 
 which I coukl take passage to New York, or an}^ 
 other loyal port. 
 
 " Mr. Groomer, the mate of the Reindeer, is part 
 owner of her, though he is not competent to navi- 
 gate a vessel at sea, and he kept close watch of me 
 all the time, on shore as well as on board." 
 
 " But I understand that Mr. Groomer, the mate, 
 has deserted you, and gone on shore with the others 
 of your ship's company," added Christy, rather 
 perplexed at the situation indicated by the cap- 
 tain. 
 
 " What else could he do ? " 
 
 " What else could you do ? and why did you not 
 abandon the steamer when he did so? If one of 
 the owners would not stand by the vessel, why did 
 you do so?" 
 
 " I have told you before why I did not : because 
 I wish to get back to my friends in the North, and 
 find a place in the old navy, which would be more 
 congenial to me than selling cotton for the benefit 
 of the Confederacy," replied Captain Stopfoot with 
 ^considerable energy. 
 
 The explanation seemed to be a reasonable one, 
 
BRINGING OUT THE PRIZE 331 
 
 and Christy could not gainsay it, though he was 
 not entirely satisfied with the declarations of 
 the commander. He admitted that he regarded the 
 Reindeer as good as captured when he saw the 
 Bellevite and Bronx come into the bay; and he 
 could easily have escaped in a boat to one of the 
 gunboats after the watchful mate "took to the 
 woods," as he had literally done, for the key was 
 partly covered with small trees. 
 
 "And a quarter two!" reported the leadsman 
 who had been stationed on the forecastle. 
 
 " The water don't seem to vary here," added 
 Christy. 
 
 " No, for the owners had done some dredging in 
 this channel; in fact, there was hardly anything 
 like a channel here when they began the work," 
 replied Captain Stopfoot. " To which of the 
 steamers do you belong, Mr. Passford?" 
 
 " To the Bellevite, the one which lies below the 
 long key. The other has gone up the bay." 
 
 " She has gone on a fruitless errand, for there is 
 not another vessel loading in these waters," said 
 the captain. " I suppose you will report on board 
 of the Bellevite, Mr. Passford? " 
 
 " Of course I shall not leave the Reindeer with- 
 
332 FIGHTING YOU THE RIGHT 
 
 out an order from the commander of the ship," 
 replied the lieutenant. 
 
 " And a half two ! " shouted the leadsman. 
 
 " The channel deepens," said Christy. 
 
 " You will be in deep water in five minutes." 
 
 On this report Christy rang four bells, and the 
 Reindeer went ahead at full speed. 
 
 " By the mark three ! " called the man at the 
 lead. 
 
 The water was deepening rapidly, and presently 
 the report of three and a half fathoms came from 
 the forecastle. It was soon followed by " And a 
 half four," upon which the lieutenant directed the 
 wheelman to steer directly for the Bellevite. He 
 liad hardly given the order before the report of 
 heavy firing from the upper waters of the bay 
 came to his ear. 
 
 " What can that be ? " he asked, looking at Cap- 
 tain Stopfoot. 
 
 " I don't know ; but I suppose that the gunboat 
 which went up the bay is firing at some battery 
 she has discovered. They have strengthened the 
 works in that direction which defend the town, 
 since the only one there was silenced by one of 
 your gunboats," the captain explained. 
 
BRINGING OUT THE PRIZE 666 
 
 The guns were heard on board of the Bellevite, 
 and she began to move up the bay as though she 
 intended to proceed to the assistance of her con- 
 sort. Mr. Blowitt in the first cutter had followed 
 the Bronx, and the third cutter, in charge of Mr.- 
 Lobscott, had gone over to Piney Point, to which 
 there was a channel with from three to five 
 fathoms of water, and which seemed to be a 
 favorable place to load a vessel with cotton. 
 
 As the Reindeer approached the Bellevite, the 
 latter stopped her screw, and Christy directed the 
 wheelman to run the steamer alongside, and within 
 twenty or thirty feet of her. There was no sea 
 in the bay, and there was no danger in doing so. 
 As the Reindeer approached the position indi- 
 cated, two bells were struck to stop her. The 
 flags that had been hoisted on board, informed 
 Captain Breaker of the capture of the steamer, so 
 that no report was necessary. 
 
 " I have to report the capture of the Reindeer, 
 loaded with cotton, and ready to sail for Nassau," 
 said Christy, mounting one of the high piles of 
 cotton bales, and saluting the commander of the 
 Bellevite, who had taken his place on the rail to 
 see the prize. 
 
334 
 
 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 " Do you know the cause of the firing up the 
 bay, Mr. Passford ? " asked Captain Breaker. 
 
 " I do not, Captain ; but I learn that the battery 
 below the town has been strengthened, and I 
 should judge that the Bronx had engaged it." 
 
 " Have you men enough to hold your prize, Mr. 
 Passford?" 
 
 "I think I have, Captain." 
 
 " You will go down the bay, and anchor outside 
 of Egmont Key." 
 
 Christy rang one bell, and then four. 
 
A VERY IMPORTANT SERVICE 335 
 
 CHAPTER XXX 
 
 A VERY IIMPORTANT SERVICE 
 
 The Reindeer went ahead at full speed, while 
 the Bellevite stood up the bay, picking up the crew 
 of Mr. Blowitt's boat on the way, evidently with 
 the intention of taking part in the action which 
 the Bronx had initiated. The loud reports at in- 
 tervals indicated that the Bronx was using her 
 big midship gun, while the feebler sounds proved 
 that the metal of the battery was much lighter. 
 The prize was not a fast steamer, and she was 
 over an hour in making the dozen miles to Egmont 
 Island, on which was the tower of a lighthouse forty 
 feet high, but no use was made of it at that time. 
 
 The Bellevite proceeded very slowly, sounding 
 all the time ; but at the end of half an hour the 
 Reindeer was at least ten miles from her, Avliich 
 was practically out of sight and hearing. About 
 this time Christy observed that Captain Stopfoot 
 left the pilot-house, where he had remained from 
 
83G FIGHTING roil THE RIGHT 
 
 the first; but he paid no attention to him. He 
 had three men on the quarter-deck of the steamer, 
 one in the pilot-house with him, and five more in 
 other parts of the vessel. 
 
 Christy knew the channel to the south of the 
 lighthouse, and piloted the steamer to a point about 
 half a mile to the westward of the island. He 
 was looking through one of the forward windows 
 of the pilot-house, selecting a proper place to come 
 to anchor, in accordance with the orders of Captain 
 Breaker. While he was so engaged he heard some 
 sort of a disturbance in the after part of the 
 steamer. 
 
 " On deck there ! " he called sharply ; and the 
 five men who had been stationed in this part of 
 the steamer stood up before him, jumping up from 
 the beds they had made for themselves on the 
 cotton bales, or rushing out from behind them. 
 " Hopkins and White, go aft and ascertain the 
 cause of that disturbance," he added. 
 
 The two men promptly obeyed the order, ani 
 the naval officer directed the other three to stand 
 by to anchor the steamer. In a few minutes the 
 anchor was ready to let go. Perhaps a quarter of 
 an hour had elapsed, when Christy began to won- 
 
A VERY IMPORTANT SERVICE 337 
 
 der what had become of the two men he had sent 
 aft to report on the disturbance. 
 
 "Linman," he called to one of the three men on 
 the forecastle, " go aft and see what has become of 
 Hopkhis and White." 
 
 Linman proceeded to obey the order, but had 
 not been gone twenty seconds, before the noise of 
 another disturbance came to Christy's ears, and 
 this, time it sounded very much like a scuffle. Up 
 to this moment, and even since Captain Stopfoot 
 had left the pilot-house, Christy had not suspected 
 that anything on board was wrong. The sounds 
 that came from the after part of the vessel excited 
 his suspicions, though they did not assure him 
 that the ship's company of the steamer were en- 
 gaged in anything like a revolt. 
 
 "Follow me, Bench and Kingman ! " he shouted 
 to the two men that remained on the forecastle. 
 " Strike two bells. Landers," he added to the 
 wheelman. 
 
 Christ}^ had drawn the cutlass he carried in his 
 belt, and was ready, with the assistance of the two 
 men he had called, to put down any insubordina- 
 tion that might have been manifested b}^ tlie ship's 
 company of the priz.e. He would have been will- 
 
Co8 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 h\g to admit, if he liad given the matter any atten- 
 tion at that moment, that it was the natural right 
 of the captured captain and his men to regain pos- 
 session of their persons and property by force and 
 violence ; but he was determined to make it dan- 
 gerous for them to do so. 
 
 " On the forecastle, sir ! " exclaimed Landers, 
 the wheelman. 
 
 Christy had put his hand upon the door of the 
 pilot-house to open it as the two men were moving 
 aft ; but he looked out the window at the exclama- 
 tion of the wheelman. The cotton bales seemed 
 to have become alive all at once, for half a dozen 
 of them rolled over like a spaniel just out of the 
 water, and four men leaped out from under them, 
 or from apertures which had been formed beneath 
 them. 
 
 Bench and Kingman seemed to be bewildered, 
 and both of them were thrown down by the move- 
 ment of the bales. The four men who had so 
 suddenly appeared sprang upon them, and almost 
 in the twinkling of an eye had tied their hands 
 behind them. Christy drew one of the revolvers 
 from his belt ; but he did not fire, for he was as 
 likely to hit his ov.n men as their assa'ilants. The 
 
A VERY IMPORTANT SERVICE 33^ 
 
 victors in the struggle dragged the two men into 
 the forecastle, and disappeared themselves. 
 
 Christy was almost confounded by the sudden- 
 ness of the attack ; but he did not give up tlie 
 battle, for he had at least six men in the after part 
 of the steamer. Bidding Landers draw his cutlass 
 and follow him, he rushed out at the door he had 
 before opened. He could not see anything aft but 
 the walls of cotton bales, with a narrow passage 
 between them and the bulwarks. He moved aft 
 with his eyes wide open ; but he had not gone ten 
 feet before a man dropped down upon him from 
 the top of the deck-load with so much force as to 
 carry him down to the planks. 
 
 His assailant put his arms around him and 
 hugged him like a bear, so that he could neither 
 use his cutlass nor his revolvers. At the same 
 moment another man dropped down on Landers 
 in like mauler. It was impossible to resist an 
 attack made from overhead, where it was least 
 expected, and when they were taken by surprise. 
 Christy was a prisoner, and his hands were bound 
 behind him. 
 
 At this moment Captain Stopfoot presented 
 himself before the prize-master, his face covered 
 
340 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 witli smiles, and nervous from the excess of his joy 
 at the recapture of the Reindeer. Christy could 
 not see what had become of the rest of his men. 
 He know that three of them had been secured, but 
 he did not know what had become of the other 
 six, and he had some hope that they had escaped 
 their assailants, and were in condition to render 
 liim needed assistance, for it seemed impossible 
 that all of them could have been overcome. 
 
 In spite of his chagrin and mortification, Christy 
 could not help seeing that the affair on the part of 
 Captain Stopfoot had been well managed, and that 
 the author of the plot was smart enough to be a 
 Yankee, whether he was one or not. It was evi- 
 dent enoup-h now that the mate and the rest of the 
 crew had not " taken to the woods," but had been 
 concealed in such dens as could be easily made 
 among the cotton bales. 
 
 " I hope you are not very uncomfortable, Mr. 
 Passford," said Captain Stopfoot, as he presented 
 his smiling face before his late captor. 
 
 " Physically, I am not very uncomfortable, in 
 spite of these bonds; but otherwise, I must say 
 that I am. I am willing to acknowledge that it is 
 a bad scrape for me," replied Christy as good- 
 
A VERY IMPORTANT SERVICE 341 
 
 naturedly as possible, for his pride would not 
 allow him to let the enemy triumph over him. 
 
 " That would not be at all unnatural, and I 
 think it is a very bad scrape for a naval officer of 
 your high reputation to get into," added the cap- 
 tain. " But I desire to say, Mr. Passford, that 1 
 have no ill-will towards you, and it will not be 
 convenient for me to send you to a Confederate 
 prison, important as such a service would be to 
 our cause." 
 
 " I judge that you are not as anxious as you 
 were to get into the old navy," added Christy. 
 
 " I confess tliat I am not, and that I should very 
 much prefer to obtain a good position in the Con- 
 federate navy. I hope you will excuse the little 
 fictions in which I indulged for your amusement. 
 I was born in the very heart of the State of 
 Alabama, and never saw Long Island in all my 
 life," continued the captain. " By the way, my 
 mate is not part owner of the Reindeer, though lie 
 is just as faithful to her interests as though he 
 owned the whole of her; and it was he that 
 pounced down upon you at the right moment. 
 I assure you he is a very good fellow, and I hope 
 you will not have any grudge against him." 
 
342 FIGHTING FOR THE KIGHT 
 
 "Not the least in the world, Captain Stopfoot," 
 replied Christy. 
 
 " I hope I shall not be obliged to detain you 
 long, Mr. Passford ; and I shall not unless one of 
 your gunboats chases me. I shall endeavor to put 
 you and your men on shore at the Gasparilla Pass, 
 where you can hail one of the gunboats as it comes 
 along in pursuit of the Reindeei', though I hope 
 they will not sail for this purpose before night." 
 
 " The Bellevite is not likely to discover the ab- 
 sence of the prize at present, for she will have to 
 remain up the bay over one tide," said the mate. 
 
 " That is what I was calculating upon," added 
 the captain. " Now, Mr. Passford, I shall be com- 
 pelled to take my leave • of you, for we have to 
 stow the cotton over again before we go to sea. I 
 am exceedingly obliged to you for the very valua- 
 ble service you have rendered me." 
 
 " I was not aware that I had rendered you any 
 service," replied Christy, wondering what he could 
 mean. 
 
 " You are not ? Then your perception is not as 
 clear gfe I supposed it was. When it was reported 
 to me that two gunboats were coming into the bay 
 I considered the Reindeer as good as caj)tured, as I 
 
A VERY IMPORTANT SERVICE Sio 
 
 have hinted to you before. My cargo will bring 
 a fortune in Nassau, and I am half owner of the 
 steamer and her cargo, if Mr. G roomer, the mate, 
 is not. I was almost in despair, for I could not 
 afford to lose my vessel and her valuable cargo. I 
 considered myself utterly ruined. But just then 
 I got an idea, and I came to a prompt decision ; " 
 and the captain paused. 
 
 " And what was that decision ? " asked Christy 
 curiously. 
 
 " When I saw your boat coming, for I was on 
 the long key, I determined that you should bring 
 the Reindeer out into the Gulf, and save me all 
 trouble and anxiety in regard to her, and I knev/ 
 that you could do it a great deal better than I 
 could. Wherefore I am extremely grateful to you 
 for this very important service," said Captain Stop- 
 foot, bowing very politely. " But I am compelled 
 to leave you now to your own pleasant reflections. 
 Mr. Passford, I shall ask you and your men to take 
 possession of the cabin, and not show yourselves 
 on deck ; and you will pardon me if I lock the 
 door upon you." 
 
 The captive officer followed the captain aft to 
 the door of the cabhi. On a bale of cotton he saw 
 
344 FIGHTING FOR THE EIGHT 
 
 the cutlasses and revolvers which had been taken 
 from him and his men, which had a[)parently been 
 thrown in a heap where they happened to hit, and 
 had been forgotten. Seated on the cotton he 
 found all his men, with their hands tied behind 
 them. Captain Stopfoot opened the cabin door, 
 and directed his prisoners to enter. 
 
 " Excuse me for leaving you so abruptly, Mr. 
 Passford," continued the captain while he was 
 feeling in his pocket for the key of the door. " It 
 looks as though it were going to blow before night, 
 and I must get ready for it. Besides, the Belle- 
 vite may return on the present tide, and I am 
 informed that she is a very fast sailer, as the 
 Reindeer is not, and I must make the most of my 
 opportunity ; but when my fortune is made out of 
 my present cargo, I shall owe it largely to you. 
 Adieu for the present." 
 
 Captain Stopfoot left the cabin, locking the door 
 behind him. The hands of the prisoners, ten in 
 number, were tied behind them with ropes, for 
 probably the steamer was not provided with hand- 
 cuffs. Christy examined his men in regard to the 
 manner in which they had been overcome. The 
 three men who had been left near the cabin door 
 
" His assailant put his arms around him and hugged him like 
 A BEAR." Page 339. 
 
A VERY IMPORTANT SERVICE 345 
 
 had been overthrown by those who jumped down 
 upon them when they were separated, one at the 
 stern, one on the bales, watching the Bellevite ia 
 the distance, and the third asleep on a cotton bale. 
 The lieutenant had seen the rest of the enterprise. 
 
 " This thing is not going to last long, my men," 
 said Christy, who realized that he should never be 
 able to stand up under the obloquy of having 
 brought out a blockade-runner for the enemy. 
 
 He caused the hands to march in front of him 
 till he found one who had been carelessly bound. 
 He backed this one up in the rear of Calwood, the 
 quartermaster, and made him untie the line, which 
 he could do with his fingers, though his wrists 
 were bound. It was not the work of three min- 
 utes to unbind the rest of them. 
 
 Christy broke a pane of glass in the dooi\ and 
 unlocked it with the key the captain had left in 
 the keyhole. 
 
346 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI 
 
 AN UNDESIRED PROMOTION 
 
 As Christy unlocked the cabin door, he discov- 
 ered a negro lying on the deck, as close as he could 
 get to the threshold. The man attempted to 
 spring to his feet, but the officer seized him by the 
 hair of the head, and pulled him into the cabin. 
 
 " Here, Calwood, put your hand over this fel- 
 low's mouth ! " said Christy to the quartermaster, 
 who laid violent hands on him, assisted b}^ Norlock. 
 
 The latter produced a handkerchief, which he 
 thrust into the mouth of the negro, so that he 
 could not give the alarm. All the men were alert 
 and eager to wipe out the shame, as they regarded- 
 it, of the disaster; and those who had been sta- 
 tioned near the cabin had certainly been wanting 
 in vigilance. Two of them seized a couple of the 
 lines with which they had been bound, and tied the 
 arms of the negro behind him. 
 
 A second look at the negro assured Christy that 
 
AN UNDESIUED PROMOTION 347 
 
 it was Quimp, and he was more mortified than 
 before at the trick wliich had been played upon 
 him. Thrusting his hand into the pocket of the 
 fellow, he drew from it the three sovereigns and 
 the three shillings he had paid him for his boat 
 and his information. It was evident enough now 
 that he belono^ed to the Reindeer, and that he had 
 been sent out by Captain Stopfoot to do precisely 
 what he had done, taking advantage of the general 
 good feeling which prevailed between the negroes 
 and the Union forces. 
 
 Christy thought that Captain Stopfoot had been 
 over-confident to leave his prisoners without a 
 guard ; but it appeared now that Quimp had been 
 employed in this capacity, though it was probable 
 that he had been instructed not to show himself to 
 them, and for that reason had crept to his station 
 and lain down on the deck. 
 
 " Now, my men, take your arms from that bale 
 of cotton ; but don't make any noise," said Christy 
 in a low tone, as he took his revolvers and cutlass 
 from the heap of weapons ; and the seamen 
 promptly obeyed the order. " The captain of this 
 steamer managed his affair very well indeed, and I 
 intend to adopt his tactics." 
 
348 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 The steamer was under way, and had been for 
 some time. Christy climbed upon the bales of cot- 
 ton far enough to see wliat the crew of the vessel 
 were doing. The hatches appeared to have been 
 taken off in the waist and forward, and the crew 
 were lo\vering cargo into the hold. A portion of 
 the cotton had either been hoisted out of the hold, 
 or had been left on deck, to form the hiding-places 
 for the men. The captain must have had early 
 notice of the approach of the Bellevite and Bronx ; 
 but there had been time enough after the former 
 began to fire at the battery to enable him to make 
 all liis preparations. 
 
 Captain Stopfoot was not to be seen, and was 
 probably in the pilot-house. The officer concluded 
 that there must be as many as four men in the hold 
 attending to the stowage of the bales, and four 
 more could be seen tumbling the cargo through 
 the hatches. This accounted for eight men ; and 
 this was the number Christy had figured out as 
 the crew of the Reindeer, though there was doubt- 
 less a man at the wheel. The force was about 
 equal to his own, not counting the engineers and 
 the firemen. 
 
 Christy stationed liis men as he believed Cap- 
 
AN UNDESIRED PROMOTION 349 
 
 tain Stopfoot had arranged his force. The cabin 
 was in a deck-house ; between the door of it and 
 the piles of cotton was a vacant space of about six 
 feet fore and aft, which could not be overlooked 
 from the forward part of the vessel. It was here 
 that the first movement had been made. Calwood, 
 who had been on duty here, said that two men had 
 dropped down upon them ; and when the third 
 man came to learn the cause of the disturbance, he 
 had been secured by two more. 
 
 This was the noise that Christy had heard when 
 he sent two hands from the forecastle to ascertain 
 the occasion of it. The three prisoners had been 
 disarmed, bound, and concealed in the cabin. 
 They were threatened with instant death if they 
 made any outcry, and one of their own revolvers 
 was pointed at them. Linman, who had been sent 
 to learn what had become of Hopkins and White, 
 was treated in the same manner. Then he went 
 himself, and the mate had dropped upon him, 
 Avhile those from under the bales secured Bench 
 and Kingman. 
 
 Every sailor was fully instructed in regard to 
 the part he was to have in the programme, and 
 Christ}' had crav/led forward to the point where he 
 
350 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 found the aperture in which Groomer, the mate, 
 had been concealed. He was followed by Norlock, 
 a very powerful man, wlijo^was to "make the 
 drop " on Captain Stopfoot, and stuff a handker- 
 chief into his mouth before he could call for as- 
 sistance. Christy believed that the commander 
 would be the first one to come aft when the men 
 by the cabin fired their revolvers, as they had been 
 instructed to do. 
 
 Two hands had been placed where they could 
 fall upon the two who were rolling the cotton into 
 the hold at the hatch in the waist ; and two more 
 were instructed to rush forward and fall upon the 
 two men at work at the fore-hatch. The four 
 men in the space in front of the cabin were to 
 leap upon the bales and rush forward, revolvers in 
 hand, and secure those at work in the hold. If 
 there was any failure of. the plan to Avork as 
 arranged, the sailors were to rally at the side of 
 their officer, ready for a stand-up fight. 
 
 Christy gave the signal for the two revolvers to 
 be discharged. The captain did not appear at the 
 report of the arms as expected ; but he ordered 
 the two hands at work at the after-hatch to go aft 
 and look out for the prisoners. The two .seamen 
 
AN UNDESIRED PROMOTION 351 
 
 on that side of the steamer dropped upon them, 
 gagged them, and secured them so quickly tliat 
 they could liardly have known what had happened 
 to them. The enterprise had been inaugurated 
 without much noise ; but the captain had heard 
 it, and called one of the men at the fore-hatch to 
 take the wheel, from which it appeared that he 
 had been steering the steamer himself. 
 
 The naval officer saw this man enter the pilot- 
 house, from which Captain Stopfoot had come out. 
 He moved aft quite briskly with a revolver in his 
 hand; but as soon as he had reached the point 
 where the mate had dropped upon him, Christy 
 leaped upon his head and shoulders, and he sank 
 to the deck, borne down by the weight of his 
 assailant. He was surprised, as the first victim 
 of the movement had been, and a handkerchief 
 was stuffed into his mouth. He had dropped his 
 weapon, which Christy picked up and discharged 
 wliile his knees were placed on the chest of the 
 prostrate commander, and his left hand grappled 
 his tjiroat. He was conquered as quickly as the 
 first victim had been. 
 
 The shots had been the signal for all not engaged 
 to rally at the side of the lieutenant, and the men 
 
352 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 rushed forward. All of of them had removed their 
 neck handkerchiefs to serve as gags, and they 
 brought with them the lines with which they had 
 been bound. The captain was rolled over, and his 
 arms tied behind him. He was sent aft to the 
 cabin, while Christy led six of his crew forward. 
 The hands in the hold had attempted to come on 
 deck, but the two sailors at each hatch di-opped 
 upon them. 
 
 In less than five minutes every one of the crew 
 of the Reindeer had been " jumped upon," as the 
 sailors put it, bound, and marched to the cabin. 
 The battle was fought and the victory won. 
 Christy was quite as happy as Captain Stopfoot 
 had been when he had taken possession of the 
 steamer. The man at the wheel had been the last 
 to be secured, and Calwood was put in his place, 
 with directions to come about and steer for Eg:- 
 mont Key. 
 
 Christy determined not to make the mistake Cap- 
 tain Stopfoot had committed in leaving his prison- 
 ers insufficiently guarded. He selected four of 
 his best men, ordered them to hold the cutlass in 
 the right hand and the revolver in the left, and to 
 keep their eyes on the prisoners all the time. He 
 
AN UXDZSIRED PROMOTION 353 
 
 then went to those who had been gagged, and 
 removed the handkerchiefs from their mouths. 
 
 " I am as grateful to you, Captain Stopfoot, as 
 you were to me less tJian an hour ago," said Christy, 
 and he removed the gag from his moUth. " I am 
 happy to be able to reciprocate your complimentary 
 speeches." 
 
 " I am not aware that I have done anything to 
 merit your gratitude, Mr. Passford," said the 
 chief prisoner. 
 
 " You are not ? Why, my dear Captain, you 
 could not have arranged everything better than 
 you did for the recapture of the Reindeer," replied 
 Christy. 
 
 " I did not think that ten men with their hands 
 tied behind them could do anything to help them- 
 selves ; but you Yankees are very ingenious, and 
 it seems that you found a way to liberate your- 
 selves. Besides, I had a hand here to watch you, 
 with instructions to call me if there was any 
 trouble," added the captain, in an apologetic tone. 
 
 " When the trouble came he was not in condi- 
 tion to call you," the lieutenant explained. 
 
 " No, sar ! Dem beggars gagged me, and den 
 robbed me of all my money ! " howled Quimp, 
 
354 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 whose greatest grievance was the loss of his fifteen 
 dollars. 
 
 " That was hardly justifiable, Mr. Passford," 
 added the captain shaking his. head. 
 
 " It would not have been justifiable if the rogue 
 had not first swindled me out of the money," re- 
 plied the naval officer. 
 
 "How was that? " asked the chief prisoner. 
 
 Christy explained the manner in which he had 
 encountered Quimp, saying that he had paid him 
 five dollars for the loss of his boat, and ten for the 
 information that a steamer was loaded with cotton 
 and ready to sail behind the long key. 
 
 " Quimp is as smart as a Yankee," said Captain 
 Stopfoot, laughing in spite of his misfortune. 
 " The flatboat was one we picked up on one of the 
 keys; and the mformation was precisely what I 
 instructed Quimp to give you, without money and 
 without price. I promised to give him ten dollars 
 if he would pretend to be an honest nigger, and do 
 tlie job properly. I have no fault to find with him; 
 but under present circumstances I have not ten 
 dollars to give him. I have lost the steamer and 
 the cotton, and it seems to be all up with me." 
 
 " I hope you will get into a safer business, Cap- 
 
AN UNDESniED PEOMOTION 355 
 
 tain. I will suggest to the commander of the 
 Bellevite that you and your party be landed at 
 Gasparilla Pass ; and I shall thus be able to recip- 
 rocate your good intentions towards me." 
 
 Christy had sent some of his men forward, and 
 he now followed them himself. The engineers 
 had remained in their room, and kept the machinery 
 in motion. As the Reindeer approached Egmont 
 Key, the Bellevite, followed by the Bronx towino- 
 a schooner, were discovered coming out of the bay. 
 It was evident that the second lieutenant's cap- 
 ture had not been the only one during the day, and 
 he concluded that Mr. Lobscott had brought out 
 the schooner that had been supposed to be at 
 Piney Point. 
 
 The Reindeer was about two miles south of Eo-- 
 mont Key when the Bellevite came out of the bay, 
 and the latter stopped her screw as soon as she 
 had reached a favorable position a mile from the 
 island. Christy brought his prize as near to her as 
 it was prudent to go in the open sea. The lieu- 
 tenant went to the cabin to look out for the pris- 
 oners there, and found that the four men who had 
 been detailed a guard were marching up and down 
 the cabin in front" of their charge, plainly deter- 
 
356 FIGHTING FOB THE EIGHT 
 
 mined that the steamer should not be captured 
 again. 
 
 " Boat from the Bellevite, sir," said one of the 
 men on the quarter. 
 
 " Where is the Bronx and her prize now, King- 
 man ? " asked Christy. 
 
 " Just coming by the island, sir." 
 
 In a few minutes more the third cutter of the 
 Bellevite came alongside. Mr. Walbrook, the 
 third lieutenant of the ship, came on board of 
 the Reindeer, and touched his cap to his supe- 
 rior officer. 
 
 " Captain Breaker requests you to report on 
 board of the ship, and I am directed to take charge 
 of the prize you have captured, Mr. Passford." 
 
 "I will go on board at once, Mr. Walbrook," 
 replied Christy. "It is necessary for me to inform 
 you before I leave that this steamer has changed 
 hands twice to-day, and her ship's company have 
 given me a great deal of trouble. The prisoners 
 are in the cabin under guard, and I must caution 
 you to be vigilant. Calwood will inform you in 
 regard to the particulars." 
 
 " I am sorry to inform you that Mr. Blowitt 
 was severely, if not dangerously wounded in the 
 
AN UNDESIRED PROMOTION 357 
 
 action with the battery up the bay, where we had 
 some sharp work," added Mr. Walbrook. 
 
 " That is very bad news to me," replied Christy, 
 who had known the wounded man as second 
 officer of the Bellevite when she was his father's 
 yacht, and had served under him when she became 
 a man-of-war, and as his first lieutenant in the 
 Bronx. 
 
 The intelligence filled him with anxiety and 
 sorrow ; but while he was fighting for the right, as 
 he had been for three years, he could not give way 
 to his feelings. Without asking for the result of 
 the action up the bay, he went over the side into 
 the cutter, and ordered the crew to pull for the 
 ship. Mr. Blowitt had been more than his superior 
 officer, he had been liis friend, and the young 
 lieutenant was very sad while he thought of the 
 wounded officer. 
 
 He found Captain Breaker on the quarter-deck ; 
 and he could see from his expression that he was 
 greatly affected by the condition of his executive 
 officer. Mr. Dashington, his first officer in tlie 
 yacht, had been killed in action the year before, 
 and now another of his intimate associates migflit 
 soon be resristered in the Valhalla of the nation's 
 
358 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 dead who had perished while fighting for the 
 right. 
 
 " We have sad news for you, Mr. Passford," 
 said the commander, who seemed to be struggling 
 with his emotions. 
 
 " But I hope there is a chance for Mr. Blowitt's 
 recovery, Captain Breaker," added Christy. 
 
 " I am afraid there is not. Dr. Linscott has 
 very little hope that he will live. But we have 
 no time to mourn even for our best friends. You 
 have captured a steamer and brought her out ; but 
 I saw that you were coming up from the south- 
 ward when I first discovered the steamer. What 
 does that mean, Mr. Passford ? " 
 
 " I hardly know. Captain, whether I brought her 
 out, or she brought me out," replied Christy, who 
 felt very tender over the Southern Yankee trick 
 which had been played upon him. " The steamer 
 is the Reindeer, Captain Stopfoot. My boat's 
 crew were overpowered by her ship's company, 
 and we were all made prisoners ; but we rebelled 
 against the humiliating circumstances, and recap- 
 tured the steamer." 
 
 " Then you have redeemed yourself," added 
 the captain. 
 
AN UNDESIRED PROMOTION 359 
 
 Christy gave a detailed report of all the events 
 that had occurred during his absence from the 
 ship. The commander listened to him with the 
 deepest interest ; for the young officer was in some 
 sense his protege, and had sometimes been his 
 instructor in navigation and seamanship. In spite 
 of the sadness of the hour, there was a smile on 
 his face when he comprehended the scheme of the 
 captain of the Reindeer to get his vessel out of 
 the bay in the face of two men-of-war. 
 
 While Christy was still on the quarter-deck, 
 Mr. Lobscott came on board, and reported the cap- 
 ture of the schooner Sylphide, full of cotton. 
 Her ship's company, consisting of six men, were 
 on board of the Bronx. Captain Breaker planked 
 the deck for some time, evidently making up his 
 mind what to do with the prizes and with their 
 crews, for he did not regard these men as prisoners 
 of war. He asked the second lieutenant some 
 questions in regard to the character of the Rein- 
 deer. She was an old-fashioned craft, but a good 
 vessel. 
 
 "We are rather overburdened with prisoners, 
 and I desire only to get rid of them," said the 
 captain. 
 
360 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 " Captain Stopfoot was considerate enough to 
 announce his intention to put me and my men on 
 shore at Gasparilla Pass ; and I promised to 
 reciprocate the favor by suggesting that he and 
 his ship's company be landed at the same place." 
 
 " That will be a good way to get rid of them, 
 and I will adopt the suggestion," replied the 
 commander. 
 
 All the rest of the day and a part of the night 
 were used up in making the preparations for dis- 
 posing of the prizes. A large number of hands 
 were sent on board of the Reindeer, and her 
 cotton was nearly all placed in tlie hold by good 
 stowage. The prisoners from both prizes, except 
 the engineers and firemen, who were willing to 
 work for wages, were transferred to the Bronx. 
 Mr. Lobscott was appointed prize-master of the 
 steamer, which was to tow the schooner to Key 
 West, where both were to be disposed of as 
 circumstances might require. 
 
 The Bronx was to convoy the two vessels as far 
 as the Pass, where she was to land her prisoners, 
 and then return to her consort. At midnight this 
 fleet sailed. A protest against being landed at 
 the place indicated came from Captain Stopfoot 
 
AN UNDESIRED PROMOTION 361 
 
 before it departed; but the commander paid no 
 attention to it, declaring tliat if the Pass was 
 good enough for one of his officers, it was good 
 enough for the captain of a blockade-runner. 
 
 "Mr. Passford, by the lamentable accident to 
 Mr. Blowitt, you become the ranking lieutenant 
 in condition for service," said Captain Breaker, 
 soon after the young officer had reported the 
 capture of the Reindeer. " You therefore become 
 the acting executive officer of the Bellevite." 
 
 " Of course I shall do my duty faithfully, 
 Captain Breaker, in whatever position is assigned 
 to me," replied Christy, his bosom swelling with 
 emotion. " I regret more than anything else the 
 occasion that makes it necessary to put me in this 
 place ; and I a.ra very sorry to be called upon to 
 occupy a position of so much responsibility." 
 
 " You are competent to discharge the duties of 
 executive officer, Mr. Passford, though I appreci- 
 ate your modesty in not desiring such an impor- 
 tant position ; but there is no alternative at 
 present." •* 
 
 It was therefore under Christy's direction that 
 all the arrangements for sending off the prizes 
 were made. The Bronx returned at noon the 
 
362 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 next day, and both vessels sailed to the station of 
 the flag-officer. The commander reported that he 
 had silenced two batteries, captured a steamer 
 and a schooner, sending them to Key West ; but 
 the shoal water in the vicinity of Tampa had 
 prevented him from capturing the town. 
 
 Christy, in becoming first lieutenant, was 
 relieved from duty as a watch officer ; but his 
 duties and responsibilities had been vastly 
 increased. He was the second in command, and 
 a shot from another vessel or a battery on shore 
 might make him the commander, and he certainly 
 did not aspire to such a charge and such an honor. 
 There was something in the situation that worried 
 him greatly. Captain Breaker had not been to 
 the North since he entered upon his duties, now 
 very nearly three years, and the state of his health 
 had given Dr. Linscott considerable uneasiness. 
 
 Mr. Blowitt was sent home by a store-ship ; but 
 he died soon after his arrival ; and his loving 
 companions-in-arms could not follow his remains 
 to an honored grave. 
 
 The flag-officer, either because he believed that 
 Christy was a faithful and competent officer, in 
 spite of his age, though in this respect he had 
 
AN DNDESIRED PllOMOTION 363 
 
 added a year to his span, or that no other officer 
 was available for the vacant position, made no 
 other appointment, and Christy was compelled to 
 retain the place, very much against his desire. 
 As he thought of it he was absolutely astonished 
 to find himself, even temporarily, in so exalted a 
 position. 
 
 Here we are obliged to leave him for the present, 
 crowned with honors far beyond his most sanguine 
 expectations, but always willing to do his duty 
 while fighting for the right. The future was still 
 before him ; he had not yet done all there was for 
 him to do ; and in the early years of his manhood 
 came his reward, in common with the loyal sons of 
 the nation, in A Victorious Union. 
 
WHAT SHOULD OUR BOYS READ 
 
 With tlie multiplicity of books, it becomes quite a serious 
 quest ioii with parents w hat the boys should lead. " Bettei' lead 
 anyUiing tliau not to read anything," said a wise and witty 
 divine. 1 am of that opinion; but the best v.ay is to read the 
 best, and that we may deteiniine which is the i)est, we must 
 consider the age of the reader and the purpose h.e has in view. 
 Boys from ten to fifteen years old will look for recreation; tlieir 
 pur['Ose will be interest and amusement. Natural'y, they love 
 adventure, daring deeds, the wild and romantic side of life. 
 They can enjoy this, as they have not the experience to show 
 the power of routine and the comni.onplace. They live in a 
 fairy world, and believe in the heroic and romantic as naturally 
 as birds sense their power of flight. 
 
 And what noble writers we have for the boys; how interest- 
 ing and instructive the tale they tell; and coinnumion .with 
 them gives hope and expectation and desire to do something 
 and be something in the world. They are quickeners of the 
 hoj'eful and the striving spirit. Two writers '.hat I admire 
 very much for all this, are the honored names cf Trowliridge 
 and Adams. " His One Fault " tells the fault of many of our 
 boys. They will procrastinate; but, after reading this, they see 
 it is a sin, and sure to get them into trouble. 1 have just been 
 reading Oliver Optic"s " The Blue and the Gray " stories, and 
 I don't blame the bovs that are bewitched with them. Tiiey 
 teach BATHIOTISM'. CULTUEE, BKAVEK^, and SELF- 
 PvEI.IAXCE. and INTEREST FBOM THE BEGINNING 
 TO THE END. The yoimg hero has a rotmd of adventures, 
 enough to warm the coldest heart. He meets emergencies with 
 inexhau.stible resources. He baflBes and outwits his enemies 
 with real Yankee wit every time. He goes through dangers as 
 easily as a vessel ploughs her way through the deei); and a boy 
 would admire this as the right thing. He believes the brave 
 should so succeed, and the good be so rewarded. It is a little 
 better worlil than we daily find, but not any better than we are 
 daily seeking. We must kindle the ardor of youth by such 
 hopes and aspirations of greatness. Mr. Adams wrote to take 
 the boys away from the trash that is secretly circulated and read, 
 and by his books of travel, of soldier-life, and seamanship, he 
 lias done much for the benefit of the heroes of the future. 
 That is the way I look at it, and I should recommend parents 
 to let their boys delight themselves in his book*, as a recrea- 
 tion after school-hours, base-ball, and whatever el-^e occupies 
 their mind and attention. It is a play of imagination that is 
 good and wholesome. — Rev. William Bkuntcx, in Port- 
 laml (Me.) 2'ranficnpt. 
 
 LEE AND SHEPARD PUBLISHERS BOSTON 
 
OLIVER OPTICS BOOKS. 
 
 THE BLUE AND THE GRAY 
 
 Illustrated. With Kinbleniatic I>ie8. ISach volume bound in 
 Blue and Gray. Per volume, $1.50. 
 
 NAVY SERIES 
 
 TAKFN BY THE ENEMY ON THE BLOCKADE 
 
 WITHIN THE ENEMY'S LINES STAND BY THE UNION 
 A VICTORIOUS UNION FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 
 ARMY SERIES 
 
 BROTHER AGAINST BROTHER 
 
 IN THE SADDLE 
 
 A LIEUTENANT AT EIGHTEEN 
 
 Other volumes in preparation 
 
 The opening of a new series of books from the pen of Oliver Optic 
 is bound to arouse the highest anticipation in tlie minds of boy and girl 
 readers. There never lias been a more interesting writer in the field of 
 juvenile literature than Mr. W. T. Adams, who under his well-known 
 pseuilonym, is known and admired by every boy and girl in the country, 
 and by thousands who have long since passed the boundaries of youth, 
 yet who remember witli pleasure the genial, interesting pen that did so 
 much to interest, instruct and entertain their younger years. The pres- 
 ent volume opens " The Blue and the Gray Series," a title that is suflB- 
 ciently indicative of the nature and spirit of the series, of which the first 
 volume is now presented, while the name of Oliver Optic is sufticient 
 warrant of the absorbing style of narrative. " Taken by ihe Enemy," 
 the first book of the series, is as bright and entertaining as any work that 
 Mr. Adams has yet put forth, and will be as eagerly perused as any that 
 has borne his name. It would not be fair to the prospective reader to 
 deprive him of the zest which comes from the unexpected, by entering 
 into a synopsis of the story. A word, however, should be said in regard 
 to the beauty and appropriateness of the binding, which makes it a most 
 attractive volume.— ISoston Budget. 
 
 " Taken by the Enemy" has just come from the press, an announce- 
 ment that cannot but appeal to every healthy boy from ten to fifteen 
 years of age in the country. " No writer of the present day," says the 
 Boston Commonweal f h , " whose aim has been to liit the boyish heart, has 
 been as successful as Oliver Optic. There is a period in the life of every 
 youth, jnst about the time that he is collecting postage-stamps, and 
 before his legs are long enough for a bicycle, Avhen he has the Oliver 
 Optic fever. He catches it by reading a few stray pages somewhere, and 
 then there is nothing for it but to let the matter take Its course. Relief 
 comes only when the last page of the last book is read ; and then there 
 are relapses whenever a new book api)ears until one is safely on through 
 the teens." — Literary Netvs. 
 
OLIVER OPTICS BOOKS 
 
 flLL-OVER-THE-WORLD LIBRARY 
 
 niustrated Per Volume «1.35 
 
 FIRST SERIES 
 
 A MISSING MILLION or The Adventures of Louis Beigrave 
 
 A MILLIONAIRE AT SIXTEEN or The Cruise of the Guardian Mother 
 A YOUNG KNIGHT ERRANT or Cruising in the West indies 
 STRANGE SIGHTS ABROAD or A Voyage in European Waters 
 
 SECOND SERIES 
 
 THE AMERICAN BOYS AFLOAT or Cruising in the Orient 
 THE YOUNG NAVIGATORS or The Foreign Cruise of the Maud 
 UP AND DOWN THE NILE or Young Adventurers in Africa 
 ASIATIC BREEZES or Students on the Wing (in press) 
 
 " The bare announcement of a new series of books by Oliver Optic will 
 delight boys all over the country. When they farther learn that their 
 favorite author proposes to ' personally conduct ' his army of readers on 
 a grand tour of the world, there will be a terrible scramble for excursion 
 tickets — that is, the opening volume of the ' Globe Trotting Series.' Of 
 one thing the boys may be dead sure, it will be no tame, humdrum jour- 
 ney, for Oliver Optic does not believe that fun and excitement are 
 injurious to boys, but, on the contrary, if of the right kind he thinks it 
 does them good. Louis Beigrave is a fortunate lad, because, at the age 
 of sixteen, he was the possessor of a cool million of dollars. No one, not 
 even a young boy, can travel without money, as our author well knows, 
 therefore he at once provided a liberal supply. Louis is a fine yoiuig 
 fellow with good principles and honor, so he can he trusted to spend his 
 million wisely. But he 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 accomplisheil 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, mountains, seas, rivers, castles and 
 Other things Louis will see on his travels. — Current Review. 
 
 LEE AND SHEPARD Publishers Boston 
 
OLIVER OPTICS BOOKS. 
 
 ARMY AND NAYY STORIES. 
 
 Six Tolmnes. Illustrated. Per vol., $1.50. 
 
 1. THE SOLDSER BOY;. 
 
 Or, Tom Somers in the Army. 
 
 2. THE SAILOR BOY; 
 
 Or, Jack Somers in the Navy. 
 
 3. THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; 
 
 Or, Adventures of an Army Officer. 
 
 4. THE YANKEE MIDDY; 
 
 Or, Adventures of a Navv Offlcer. 
 
 5. FIGHTING JOE; 
 
 Or, The Fortunes of a Staff Offit^er. 
 
 6. BRAVE OLD SALT; 
 
 Or, Life on the Qnarter-Deck. 
 
 Tills series of six volumes recounts the adventures of two 
 brothers, Tom and Jack Somers, one in the army, the other iri 
 the navy, in the great civil war. The romantic narratives of 
 tlie fortunes and exploits of the brothers are thrilling in the 
 extreme. Historical accuracy in the recital of the great 
 events of that period is strictly followed, and the result is 
 not only a librar}- of entertaining volumes, but also the besi 
 history of the civil war for young people ever written. 
 
<.^^ 
 
 RARE BOOK 
 COLLECTION 
 
 THE LIBRARY OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF 
 
 NORTH CAROLINA 
 
 AT 
 
 CHAPEL HILL 
 
 Wilmer 
 10