CHAPTER IV
OPPORTUNITIES EMBRACED
"General Beauregard," said Lacy, as the two young officers were usheredinto the general's office, "I have a most unusual request to make ofyou, sir."
"What is it, Major Lacy?" returned the little general.
"I want you to relieve me of the duty of taking out the _David_to-night, sir."
"What!"
"I want you to give it to Mr. Sempland here."
"You wish to avoid the danger?" queried Beauregard, gazing intently atLacy.
"He does it as a favor to me, General," interrupted Sempland. "He hashad his chance, and I have had none. I begged and implored him to allowme to go, and only wrung a most reluctant consent from him."
The general turned his head away, his fingers tapped softly on thedesk.
"Things have not gone as we wished," he murmured half to himself, "theSouth is hard pushed, indeed. The war has dragged on. It becomes harderand harder, but we may not despair for our beloved country when hersons strive for posts of danger and are emulous to die in her service.Do you know what this means, Mr. Sempland?"
"What it means, General?"
"There is about one chance in a thousand of your coming back. Everytime that infernal submarine has been used she has done no damage tothe enemy and has drowned her crew. Payne was drowned in her with eightmen when she was first sent out. She was swamped by the wash of apassing steamer on her next trial, and all hands were lost. Then shesank at Fort Sumter wharf, carrying down six of her men. Hundley tookher into the Stono River and made a dive with her, hit mud, stuckthere, and every soul was suffocated. They raised her and fixed her upagain and tried her once more in the harbor here. She workedbeautifully for a while, but fouled the cable of the receiving shiptrying to pass under her keel, and stayed there. She has just beenraised, the dead cleared out of her, now you want to go on her again."
"I do, sir," returned Sempland.
"Is life worth so little to you that you are willing to sacrifice it?"
"There is Lacy, sir."
"Oh, he is different!" burst out the general, and then bit his lip. "Itwould be greatly to Lacy's credit," had flashed into his mind, "if hecould manage to die in some such heroic action."
Lacy and Sempland knew what the general thought, and Sempland couldthink of no words to bridge over the pause.
"You see," at last said Lacy, smiling satirically at Sempland, "thegeneral understands. You would better let me go."
"No. The thing sometimes works. Glassell got out alive when he tried toblow up the _New Ironsides_, and anyway, I want this chance. I have hadfour years of war and have spent three of it in prison. For God's sake,General--"
"Very well. You shall have it," answered Beauregard, "but I will nothave the boat used as a submarine. You can sink her until her hatch isawash, but no lower."
"Thank you," answered the delighted Sempland; "where shall I get acrew?"
"One has already been selected from among hundreds who volunteered.Five seamen are to attend to the propeller and an artillery officer tolook after the torpedo. You can steer the boat?"
"I lived on the water before I entered the army."
"All right. The _Wabash_ is lying off the Main Ship Channel. I have noinstructions to give you except to go at her and sink her. I am toldthe most vulnerable spot of a ship is just forward of the mainmast. Hither there. Don't explode your torpedo until you are in actual contactif possible. Glassell's went off the moment he saw her withouttouching, else he would have sunk the _New Ironsides_. You will findthe torpedo boat at the government wharf. Everything is ready. You willleave at seven. The three blockade-runners will follow you as close asis practicable, and when you torpedo the frigate they will dart throughthe Swash and try to get to sea. I reckon upon the other Yankee shipsrunning down to aid the _Wabash_. I'll see you on the wharf. God blessyou, and may He have mercy on your souls!" said the little general,solemnly.
He put out his hand to the young man, and Sempland shook it vigorously.
"I pray that I may succeed for the sake of the South, sir," returnedthe young man, firmly.
"For the sake of the South, gentlemen. That is our watchword," criedBeauregard, standing up and bringing his hand to a salute.
"Have you any preparations to make, Sempland?" asked Lacy, when theyleft the office.
"I have a letter to write."
"Very well. I will look after the boat and will meet you on the wharf.Shall you see Miss Glen before you go?"
"No."
"You must."
"I cannot. What difference does it make to her, anyway? I will be atthe wharf"--he looked at his watch, it was already six o'clock--"inthree-quarters of an hour. Good-by."
The two men shook hands and separated.
"The boat is ready," said Lacy to himself. "I saw to that thisafternoon. There is nothing for me to do there. I wonder--by Jove, I'lldo it!"
A few minutes after he was ushered again into the presence of MissFanny Glen. She had at first pleaded indisposition, but he had insistedupon seeing her.
"I have something of so much importance to tell you, Miss Glen," hebegan, as she entered the room, "that I was forced to override yourdesires."
"Is it about the subject that we--I--talked about this afternoon? Ifso--"
"It is not. I shall say no more on that score. I had my answer then."
"I am very sorry," continued the girl. "I admire you, respect you,but--but--I do not--"
"I understand. Never mind that. You said that Sempland had never doneanything to distinguish himself. Well, he's going to do it to-night."
"What is he going to do?" asked the girl, all the listlessnessinstantly going out of her manner.
"He is going to take out the _David_."
"Yes?"
"And blow up the _Wabash_."
Her hand went to her heart. Her face turned whiter than the frock shewore.
"My God!" she whispered, "Admiral Vernon's ship!"
"She loves him! She loves him!" flashed into Lacy's mind, and for themoment he suffered agonies of jealous pain.
"But," continued the girl, "why should they--"
"In the first place," went on Lacy, "if the venture succeeds, we sink anoble ship and put out of the way a most determined enemy, and we hopeto let the blockaded cotton ships get to sea."
"But the _David_!" said the girl, who knew the sinister story of thecrazy submarine torpedo boat as did every one in Charleston. "It issure death!"
"It is dangerous," said Lacy, softly, "but General Beauregard hasordered Sempland to keep her on the surface. That ought to give them achance. Glassell escaped, you remember, when he tried the _NewIronsides_."
"He will be killed! He will be killed!" she cried piteously,"and--Admiral Vernon!"
"What is the Yankee admiral to you, to any of us?" Lacy asked,curiously interested to know the meaning of her remark.
"Why do you tell me of all this?" she asked, failing to notice hisquestion in her anxiety and alarm.
"Because I want you to know Sempland as the hero he is, andbecause--forgive my frankness--I believe that you love him. So I wanthim to hear you say it before he goes out. It will double his chancesof escape if he has your love to think of. You will inspire him to comeback. As it is now, I am afraid he does not especially care to. He'stoo good a man to lose, if we--if you--can save him, Miss Fanny."
"And this man abused you to me this afternoon!" murmured the girl.
"He said what was true. I honor him for it. I love you, Miss Fanny. Iam proving it to you now as I proved it to him when I gave him my placeat his earnest entreaty. The detail was mine."
"Why did you do it?"
"For his sake, for yours. It's his solitary chance. I've had so many,you know."
"And he is going to blow up the _Wabash_, the admiral's ship, did yousay?"
"Yes, if he can."
Fanny Glen was a picture of terror plainly apparent in spite of hervaliant effort to conceal her feelings. Her agitation was soove
rwhelming, her anxiety so pronounced, that even on the hypothesis ofan ardent affection for Sempland, Lacy was completely at loss toaccount for her condition. What could it mean? But he had no time tospeculate upon it. The minutes were flying by.
"Come, Miss Glen," he said at last, "it isn't so bad as all that."
"But those men on the ship, the--the admiral! They won't have a chancefor their lives. It is appalling to think of! I cannot bear it! I--"
"Let them lift the blockade then," coolly returned the young officer;"it is a chance of war. Don't waste your sympathy on them. Bestow itnearer at hand. Sempland starts in half an hour. Won't you see himbefore he goes?"
"Yes," whispered the girl, "if you will send him to me."
"There is no time to lose. I will have him here in a few moments."
As he turned away the girl stretched out her hand to him.
"You have been very good--very brave--very noble," she faltered. "Iwish--I--I loved you more than--than I do."
He stooped over her and kissed her bended head. She was a little womanand so appealing. He breathed a prayer over her and tore himself away.
"Thank you," he said, "you have rewarded me. Good-by."
A Little Traitor to the South Page 6