A Victorious Union Page 29

  CHAPTER XXVII

  CAPTAIN PASSFORD ALONE IN HIS GLORY

  Christy Passford was stirring at an early hour the next morning, andso was Bertha Pembroke; for the St. Regis was to sail that day, thoughthe tide did not serve till four in the afternoon. After breakfasthis father called him into the library, and closed the door. CaptainPassford had remained in the city the evening before till the lasttrain, and it was evident that he had something to say to his son.

  "I have no information to give you this time, Christy, in regard to thecoming of blockade-runners or steamers for the Confederate navy," saidhe. "But I have been instructed to use my own judgment in regard to whatI may say to you about your orders. Of course you have observed that theblockading squadrons in the Gulf have been greatly reduced."

  "Only the Bellevite and Holyoke remained off the entrance to MobileBay," added Christy. "We have had a very quiet time of it since I joinedthe Bellevite, and the action with the Tallahatchie was really the onlyevent of any great importance in which I have been engaged."

  "The enemy and their British allies have been so unfortunate in theGulf that they have chosen a safer approach to the shores of the South.Nearly all the blockade-runners at the present time go in at the CapeFear River, where the shoal water favors them. A class of steamers oflight draft and great speed are constructed expressly to go intoWilmington. Over $65,000,000 have been invested in blockade-running;and in spite of the capture of at least one a week by our ships, thebusiness appears to pay immense profits. The port of Charleston isclosed to them now, as well as many others."

  "I have studied this locality of the coast at the mouth of the Cape FearRiver, and the blockade-runners certainly have their best chance there,"said Christy.

  "The whole attention of the government, so far as blockade-running isconcerned, has been directed to the approaches of Wilmington. FortsFisher, Caswell, and Smith afford abundant protection to the light draftsteamers as soon as they get into the shoal water where our gunboats asa rule cannot follow them. The one thing we need down there is faststeamers. It is a stormy coast, and our smaller gunboats cannot safelylie off the coast."

  "I have read that a single successful venture in this business sometimespays for the steamer many times over."

  "That is quite true, and the business prospers, though there arefifty or more Federal cruisers and gunboats patrolling the shore. Now,Christy, you are to be sent to this locality with the St. Regis; but youare to be in the outer circle of blockaders, so to speak, as your sealedorders will inform you."

  "Of course I shall obey my orders, whatever they are," added thecommander.

  "I have nothing more to say, and you will regard what has passed betweenyou and me as entirely confidential," said Captain Passford, as he roseto leave the library.

  "By the way, father, what has become of Monsieur Gilfleur?" askedChristy. "I have not seen him since my return."

  "Just now he is working up a case of treason in Baltimore, though Iexpected him home before this time," replied the captain.

  "I am sorry I have not seen him, for he and I had become great friendsbefore we parted. I think he is in some respects a remarkable man."

  "In his profession he is unexcelled; and what is more in that line, heis honest and reliable."

  "I learned all that of him while we were operating together. It is said,and I suppose it is true, that about every one of the blockaders makes aport at Halifax, the Bermudas, or Nassau, as much to learn the news andobtain a pilot, as to replenish their coal and stores."

  "That is unfortunately true; and the neutrality of these places isstrained to its utmost tension, to say nothing of its manifestviolations."

  "I think if Monsieur Gilfleur and myself could make another visit to theBermudas and Nassau, we might pick up information enough to insure thecapture of many blockade-runners, and perhaps of an occasionalConfederate cruiser," said Christy, laughing as he spoke.

  "That is not the sort of business for a lieutenant-commander in thenavy, my son; but I have thought of sending the detective on such amission since the remarkable success you and he had in your formerventure. But you escaped hanging or a Confederate prison only by theskin of your teeth. The difficulty in another enterprise of that sortwould be for Mr. Gilfleur to put the information he obtained where itwould do the most good. If he wrote letters, they would betray him; andif he went off in a Bahama boat, as he did before, we should have tokeep a steamer cruising in the vicinity of his field of operations tomeet him when he came off. I came to the conclusion that the scheme wasimpracticable, for it was only a combination of favorable circumstancesthat rendered your operations successful. I prefer to trust to the speedof the St. Regis to enable you to accomplish the same results off thecoast," said Captain Passford, as they left the library.

  "I should really like to see Monsieur, for he is a very agreeablecompanion," replied Christy.

  "He would be exceedingly pleased to meet you again, for he had becomevery much attached to you."

  After lunch the same party that had visited the St. Regis the day beforeleft on the train for New York, and proceeded to the navy yard from thefoot of Grand Street, for all of them wished to see Christy off. CaptainPassford, Junior, was received on board of his ship with all due formand ceremony. Paul Vapoor had been to his home for a brief visit to hismother and sisters; but he had gone to Bonnydale as early in the morningas it was decent to do so, and was all devotion to Florry.

  Mr. Baskirk, the executive officer, had the ship in first-rate orderwhen the commander went on board with his party; and as there wasnothing for him to do, Christy devoted himself to the entertainment ofhis friends. The ladies with their escorts went all over the steameragain; the commander and Paul opened their staterooms for theirexamination, and Charley Graines showed them that of the first assistantengineer in the steerage.

  "But you have a whole cabin to yourself, Christy," said Bertha, aftershe looked into all the other rooms.

  "I have the honor to be the commander of the ship," replied Christylightly. "I have two state-rooms, so that if I had the happiness torelieve a forlorn maiden from captivity on board of one of the enemy'svessels, as I did in your case, Bertha, I should have a better apartmentto offer her than I had then."

  The first half of the afternoon passed away all too soon for those whowere to sail on the tide, and those who were to return to Bonnydale.The commander took leave of his parents, his sister, and Bertha in hiscabin, where Paul passed through the same ordeal with Miss Florry. Thenavy-yard tender was alongside; and the ladies were assisted on board ofher by the officers, while the seamen under the direction of Mr.Makepeace were heaving up the anchor.

  "Cable up and down, sir," reported the second lieutenant.

  This was the signal for the departure of the tender; and another hastyadieu followed, when the commander and the chief engineer hastened tothe deck. The men forward had suspended their labor when the cable wasup and down. The commander gave the order to weigh the anchor. The tidewas still on the flood, and the head of the ship was pointed very nearlyin the direction she was to sail.

  "Anchor aweigh, sir!" reported Mr. Makepeace.

  "Strike one bell, Mr. Baskirk," said Christy; and the order was repeatedto the quartermaster who was conning the wheel.

  The screw of the St. Regis began to turn, and she went ahead veryslowly. The tender was a short distance from her, and all the ladieswere waving their handkerchiefs with all their might; and their signalswere returned, not only by Christy and Paul, but by all the officers ondeck. The seamen could not comfortably "hold in," and they saluted thetender with three rousing cheers, for they knew that the family of theiryoung commander were on board of her.

  The little steamer followed the ship till she had passed the Battery,a repetition of the former salute, and then the tender sheered off, andwent up North River, the ship proceeding on her course for the scene ofher future exploits. The parting of Christy with his father, mother, andsister had been less sad than on former occa
sions; for they believed,whether with good reason or not, that the son, brother, and lover was tobe exposed to less peril than usual.

  Christy had received his sealed orders on board from an officer sentspecially to deliver them to him in person; and he was instructed toopen the envelope off Cape Henlopen. At six o'clock the St. Regis wasoff Sandy Hook. Four bells, which was the signal to the engine room togo ahead at full speed, had been sounded as soon as the ship had passedthrough the Narrows.

  After the young commander had taken his supper, solitary and alone inhis great cabin, he went on deck. No one shared his spacious apartmentwith him, and he was literally alone in his glory. But he did not objectto his solitude, for he had enough to think of; and though he did notbetray it in his expression, he was in a state of excitement, for whatyoung fellow, even if "fully developed before he was twenty-one," couldhave helped being exhilarated when he found himself in command of suchan exceptionally fine and fast ship as the St. Regis.

  When he went on deck, for he seemed to need more air than usual tosupport the immense amount of internal life that was stirring his being,he met Paul Vapoor coming up from the ward room, where he messed withseven other officers.

  "I hope you are feeling very well, Captain Passford," said Paul, as hetouched his cap to the commander, for all familiarities were suspendedunless when they were alone; and habit generally banished them eventhen.

  "As well as usual, Mr. Vapoor," replied Christy. "How do you find theengine?"

  "In excellent condition, Captain. It was thoroughly overhauled at theyard, boilers and machinery, and I have examined it down to the minutestdetails."

  "I have an idea that our speed will be more in demand than our fightingstrength on this cruise," added Christy.

  "We are ready for speed in the engine room. The coal that remained onboard on the arrival of the ship at the yard was very bad; but it hasall been taken out, and our bunkers are filled with the best that couldbe had, the master-machinist informed me yesterday," replied the chiefengineer. "I don't believe she could overhaul the Bellevite, for I am ofthe opinion that she is the fastest sea-going steamer in the navy."

  "I don't think we shall find any blockade-runner that can run away fromthe Bellevite; for she has overhauled every one she chased off MobileBay, and made a prize of her. I am to open my orders off Henlopen, andthen we shall know what our work is to be."

  "About eight hours from Sandy Hook, as we are running now," added Paul.

  "I am very impatient to read my orders, and I shall be called at oneo'clock for that purpose," added Christy, as he began to plank the deckon the weather side.

  The wind was from the north-west, and quite fresh. The men had had theirsuppers, and he ordered Mr. Baskirk to make sail. The St. Regis was barkrigged, and could spread a large surface of canvas. He desired to testthe qualities of his crew; and in a short time everything was drawing.Christy "turned in" at nine o'clock; but he was excited, and he had notslept a wink when he was called at the hour he had indicated.