On The Blockade Page 29

  CHAPTER XXVII

  THE INNOCENT CAPTAIN OF THE GARRISON

  The firing of the musketry was continued from the end of the point bya small squad of soldiers, though the most of them seemed to have goneover to the other side of the peninsula to take part in the attempt torecapture the schooners with boats, which had utterly failed. It was nowfairly light, the battle had been fought, and the boat expedition haddone all and more than all it had been expected to accomplish.

  Christy had hardly expected to do anything more than obtain informationthat would enable the Bronx to capture the schooners, and nothing hadbeen said about the steamer that had been found there. It appeared fromthe statement of Captain Lonley that the Havana was the property of hisuncle Homer Passford; and doubtless he had chosen Cedar Keys as a saferplace, at this stage of the war, to send out his cotton than thevicinity of his plantation.

  Christy certainly had no desire to capture the property of his father'sbrother rather than that of any other Confederate planter, for he hadhad no knowledge of his operations in Florida. But he was quite aspatriotic on his own side as his uncle was on the other side, and as itwas his duty to take or destroy the goods of the enemy, he was not sorryhe had been so fortunate, though he did regret that Homer Passford hadbeen the principal sufferer from the visit of the Bronx to this coast.

  The planter had now lost three schooners and one steamer loaded withcotton; but Christy was satisfied that this would not abate by one jotor tittle his interest in the cause he had espoused. The young man didnot think of such a thing as punishing him for taking part in therebellion, for he knew that Homer would be all the more earnest in hisfaith because he had been a financial martyr on account of his devotionto it.

  The Havana, with one of the schooners on each side of her, was steamingslowly down the channel, and the Bronx was approaching at a distanceof not more than three miles. For the first time since he obtainedpossession of the prizes, he had an opportunity to look them over, andcollect his thoughts. From the very beginning of the enterprise he hadbeen extremely anxious in regard to the result.

  His orders had been to obtain all the information he could in regard tothe position of the vessels that were reported to be at this port, andto do anything the circumstances would permit without incurring toomuch risk. The adventure had been full of surprises from first to last.Something new and sometimes something strange had been continuallyexposed to him, and it looked to him just as though all the preparationsto accomplish the result he had achieved had been made for his coming.

  Before the boats went around into the bay, he had been satisfied withthe finding and carrying off of the twelve-pounders. He had hardlyexpected to do anything more, and he knew that Captain Blowitt would beamused as well as pleased at this rather singular feat. The removal ofthe four field pieces had rendered the capture of the schooners possibleand even easy, as it would not have been if the order of Captain Rowlyto drag them over to the wharf could have been carried out.

  The taking of the Havana had been rather a side incident, hardlyconnected with the rest of the affair. Everything had favored theyoung commander of the expedition, and he had made good use of hisopportunities, though he had embraced some of them blindly, withoutbeing able to foresee the consequences of his action at the time it wastaken. He had time now to review the events of the morning, and theresult was in the highest degree pleasing to him.

  On board of the two schooners the crew had put in an appearance; butwhen he inquired of the negroes he learned that the captains of thevessels were not on board. The mate of each was on deck, and they werethe only white men. On the rail of the one on the port side sat the fatcaptain of the garrison of the place. Thus far he had said nothing, andhe appeared to be sitting figuratively on the stool of repentance, forhe had not been faithful to the trust reposed in him.

  Dolly had said he had gone to visit a planter who had a daughter;but this statement did not appear to be true, for he had put in anappearance early, as the Havana was making fast to the first prize. Hehad left his men in the barrack to sleep off their fatigue and applejack after their unaccustomed labor in loading the steamer. He had notso much as posted a sentinel, who might have enabled him to defeat theinvaders of the port, even with his diminished force. If Homer Passfordhad been on the spot, his faith in the Providence that watched over hisholy cause might have been shaken.

  "Good morning, Captain Rowly," said Christy cheerfully, as he walked upto the disconsolate captain. "I hope you are feeling quite well."

  "Not very well; things are mixed," replied the fat officer, looking downupon the planks of the deck.

  "Mixed, are they?" added Christy.

  "I can't see how it all happened," mused the military gentleman.

  "How what happened, Captain Rowly?" inquired Christy.

  "All the vessels in the place captured, and carried off!" exclaimed thelate commander of the garrison.

  "I don't discover the least difficulty in explaining how it allhappened. You were so very obliging as to allow your men to go to sleepin the barrack without even posting a sentinel at the battery. That madethe whole thing as easy as tumbling off a sawhorse," replied the leaderof the expedition, without trying to irritate the repentant captain ofthe forces.

  "And, like an infernal thieving Yankee, you went into the fort and stolethe guns!" exclaimed Captain Rowly, beginning to boil with rage as hethought of his misfortune.

  "Well, it did not occur to me that I ought to have waked you and toldyou what I was about before taking the guns."

  "It was a nasty Yankee trick!" roared the soldier.

  "I suppose it was, captain; but we Yankees cannot very well help whatwas born in our blood; and I have heard that some of your honest andhigh-toned people have made bigger steals than this one. While I havecarried off only four twelve-pounders, your folks have taken entireforts, including scores of guns of all calibres," replied Christy,amused at the view the fat gentleman took of his operations.

  "Our people took nothing that did not belong to them, for the forts werewithin our territory," retorted the soldier.

  Captain Rowly protests.]

  "That was just my case. I have the honor to be an officer of the UnitedStates Navy, and as these guns happened to be within the territory ofour government, of course it was all right that I should take them."

  "You stole the vessels after I ordered you to stop," muttered CaptainRowly.

  "Precisely so; but, being in a hurry just then, I hadn't time to stop,"laughed Christy.

  "Where are you going now? You knew I was on the deck of this schooner,and you have brought me off here where I didn't want to come. I am notused to the water, and I am afraid I shall get sea-sick," continued thefat officer.

  "Perhaps we may be able to provide a nurse for you if you are verysick."

  "Why don't you answer my question, and tell me where you are going?"demanded the soldier.

  "We are going out here a mile or two farther, just to take the air andget up an appetite for breakfast."

  "But I object!"

  "Do you indeed?"

  "And I protest!"

  "Against what?"

  "Against being carried off in this way. You knew I was on board of theschooner."

  "I confess that I did know you were on board, though I must add that itwas your own fault."

  "I had a right on board of the vessel."

  "I don't deny it. You have a sword at your side; but as you neglected touse it, you will excuse me if I ask you to give it to me," addedChristy, reaching out for the weapon.

  "Give you my sword!" exclaimed Captain Rowly.

  "It is a formality rather insisted upon on such occasions as thepresent."

  "I don't see it."

  "You don't? Then I must say that I think you are rather obtuse, CaptainRowly, and I shall be under the painful necessity of helping you to seeit. As a prisoner of war--"

  "As what?" demanded the soldier.

  "I regard you as a prisoner of war, and I must t
rouble you to give meyour sword in token of your surrender."

  "I was not taken in a battle."

  "Very true; your men fought the battle after you had left them. I haveno more time to argue the question. Will you surrender your sword, orwill you have the battle now? Two or three of my men will accommodateyou with a fight on a small scale if you insist upon it."

  "Don't you intend to send me back to the Keys?" asked the captain, whosemilitary education appeared to have been neglected, so that his ideas ofa state of war were very vague.

  "I have not the remotest idea of doing anything of the sort. Your sword,if you please."

  "This sword was presented to me by the citizens of my town--"

  "Here, Boxie and Lanon, relieve this gentleman of his sword," addedChristy, as he saw the young lady coming up the companion way.

  "Oh, I will give it up, if you really say so; but this is a queer stateof things when my sword, presented to me by my fellow-citizens, is to betaken from me without any warrant of law," said Captain Rowly, as hehanded the sword to Christy, who returned it when it had done its dutyas a token of submission.

  The prisoner was marched to the forecastle of the Havana, and put underguard. Christy walked towards the young lady, who had evidently dressedherself for the occasion. She was not only young, but she was beautiful,and the young commander of the expedition was strongly impressed by hergrace and loveliness. He had heard her speak in the gloom of the earlymorning, and she had a silvery voice. He could not but wonder what shewas doing on board of a blockade runner.

  "Good morning, Miss ---- I have not the pleasure of being able to callyou by name," Christy began as he touched his cap to her, and bowed hisinvoluntary homage.

  "Miss Pembroke," she added.

  "I trust you are as comfortable as the circumstances will permit, MissPembroke. I hope you have ceased to be alarmed, as you were when I sawyou before."

  "I am not alarmed, but I am exceedingly anxious in regard to the future,Mr. ----"

  "Mr. Passford."

  "I only wish to know what is to become of us, Mr. Passford."

  "You speak in the plural, Miss Pembroke, as though you were not alone."

  "I am not alone, sir; my father, who is an invalid, is in the cabin. Theexcitement of this morning has had a bad effect upon him."

  "I am sorry to hear it. I suppose you embarked in this steamer with thedesire to reach some other place?"

  "We reside in the State of New York, and all that remain of our familyare on board of this steamer, and all we desire is to get home. We havelived two years in Southern Georgia for my father's health."

  Christy thought they would be able to reach New York.