On The Blockade

by Oliver Optic

  CHAPTER V

  A CONFIDENTIAL STEWARD

  The wind still came from the southward, and it was very light. The seawas comparatively smooth, and the Bronx continued on her course. At thelast bi-hourly heaving of the log, she was making sixteen knots an hour.The captain went into the engine room, where he found Mr. Gawl, one ofthe chief's two assistants, on duty. This officer informed him that noeffort had been made to increase the speed of the steamer, and that shewas under no strain whatever. The engine had been thoroughly overhauled,as well as every other part of the vessel, and every improvement thattalent and experience suggested had been made. It now appeared that theengine had been greatly benefited by whatever changes had been made.These improvements had been explained to the commander by Mr. Sampsonthe day before; but Christy had not given much attention to the matter,for he preferred to let the speed of the vessel speak for itself; andthis was what it appeared to be doing at the present time.

  Christy walked the deck for some time, observing everything thatpresented itself, and taking especial notice of the working of thevessel. Though he made no claims to any superior skill, he was really anexpert, and the many days and months he had passed in the companionshipof Paul Vapoor in studying the movements of engines and hulls had madehim wiser and more skilful than it had even been suspected that he was.He was fully competent for the position he was temporarily filling; buthe had made himself so by years of study and practice.

  Christy had not yet obtained all the experience he required as a navalofficer, and he was fully aware that this was what he needed to enablehim to discharge his duty in the best manner. He was in command of asmall steamer, a position of responsibility which he had not coveted inthis early stage of his career, though it was only for a week or less,as the present speed of the Bronx indicated. He had ambition enough tohope that he should be able to distinguish himself in this brief period,for it might be years before he again obtained such an opportunity. Hisyouth was against him, and he was aware that he had been selected totake the steamer to the Gulf because there was a scarcity of officers ofthe proper grade, and his rank gave him the position.

  The motion of the Bronx exactly suited him, and he judged that in aheavy sea she would behave very well. He had made one voyage in her fromthe Gulf to New York, and the steamer had done very well, though she hadbeen greatly improved at the navy yard. Certainly her motion was better,and the connection between the engine and the inert material of whichthe steamer was constructed, seemed to be made without any strainingor jerking. There was very little shaking and trembling as the powerfulmachinery drove her ahead over the quiet sea. There had been no verysevere weather during his first cruise in the Bronx, and she had notbeen tested in a storm under his management, though she had doubtlessencountered severe gales in crossing the Atlantic in a breezy season ofthe year.

  While Christy was planking the deck, four bells were struck on theship's great bell on the top-gallant forecastle. It was the beginningof the second dog watch, or six o'clock in the afternoon, and the watchwhich had been on duty since four o'clock was relieved. Mr. Flintascended the bridge, and took the place of Mr. Lillyworth, the secondlieutenant. Under this bridge was the pilot-house, and in spite of hersmall size, the steamer was steered by steam. The ship had been at seabut a few hours, and the crew were not inclined to leave the deck. Thenumber of men on board was nearly doubled by the addition of those sentdown to fill vacancies in other vessels on the blockade. Christy went onthe bridge soon after, more to take a survey inboard than for any otherpurpose.

  Mr. Lillyworth had gone aft, but when he met Mulgrum coming up from thegalley, he stopped and looked around him. With the exception of himselfnearly the whole ship's company were forward. The commander watched himwith interest when he stopped in the vicinity of the deaf mute, whoalso halted in the presence of the second lieutenant. Then they walkedtogether towards the companion way, and disappeared behind the mainmast.Christy had not before noticed any intercourse between the lieutenantand the scullion, though he thought it a little odd that the officershould set the man at work cleaning the brasses about the door of thecaptain's cabin, a matter that belonged to the steward's department. Hehad learned from Flint that Mulgrum had been recommended to the chiefsteward by Lillyworth, so that it was evident enough that they had beenacquainted before either of them came on board. But he could not seethem behind the mast, and he desired very much to know what they weredoing.

  Flint had taken his supper before he went on duty on the bridge, and thetable was waiting for the other ward room officers who had just beenrelieved. It was time for Lillyworth to go to the meal, but he did notgo, and he seemed to be otherwise engaged. After a while, Christy lookedat his watch, and found that a quarter of an hour had elapsed since thesecond lieutenant had left the bridge, and he had spent nearly all thistime abaft the mainmast with the scullion. The commander had becomeabsolutely absorbed in his efforts to fathom the deaf and dumb mystery,and fortunately there was nothing else to occupy his attention, forFlint had drilled the crew, including the men for other vessels, andhad billeted and stationed them during the several days he had been onboard. Everything was working as though the Bronx had been at sea amonth instead of less than half a day.

  Christy was exceedingly anxious to ascertain what, if anything, waspassing between Lillyworth and Mulgrum; but he could see no way toobtain any information on the subject. He had no doubt he was watched asclosely as he was watching the second lieutenant. If he went aft, thatwould at once end the conference, if one was in progress. He couldnot call upon a seaman to report on such a delicate question withoutbetraying himself, and he had not yet learned whom to trust in such amatter, and it was hardly proper to call upon a foremast hand to watchone of his officers.

  The only person on board besides the first lieutenant in whom he feltthat he could repose entire confidence was Dave. He knew him thoroughly,and his color was almost enough to guarantee his loyalty to the countryand his officers, and especially to himself, for the steward possessed arather extravagant admiration for the one who had "brought him out ofbondage," as he expressed it, and had treated him like a gentleman fromfirst to last. He could trust Dave even on the most delicate mission;but Dave was attending to the table in the ward room, and he did notcare to call him from his duty.

  At the end of another five minutes, Christy saw Mulgrum come from abaftthe mainmast, and descend the ladder to the galley. He saw no more ofLillyworth, and he concluded that, keeping himself in the shadow ofthe mast, he had gone below. He remained on the bridge a while longerconsidering what he should do. He said nothing to Flint, for he didnot like to take up the attention of any officer on duty. The commanderthought that Dave could render him the assistance he required betterthan any other person on board, for being only a steward and a coloredman at that, less notice would be taken of him than of one in a higherposition. He was about to descend from the bridge when Flint spoke tohim in regard to the weather, though he could have guessed to a pointwhat the captain was thinking about, perhaps because the same subjectoccupied his own thoughts.

  "I think we shall have a change of weather before morning, CaptainPassford. The wind is drawing a little more to the southward, and we arelikely to have wind and rain," said the first lieutenant.

  "Wind and rain will not trouble us, and I am more afraid that we shallbe bothered with fog on this cruise," added Christy as he descended theladder to the main deck.

  He walked about the deck for a few minutes, observing the variousoccupations of the men, who were generally engaged in amusingthemselves, or in "reeling off sea yarns." Then he went below. At thefoot of the stairs in the companion way, the door of the ward room wasopen, and he saw that Lillyworth was seated at the table. He sat at thefoot of it, the head being the place of the first lieutenant, and thecaptain could see only his back. He was slightly bald at the apex ofhis head, for he was an older man than either the captain or the firstlieutenant, but inferior to them in rank, though all of them weremasters, and senior
ity depended upon the date of the commissions;and even a single day settled the degree in these days of multipliedappointments. Christy went into his cabin, where the table was set forhis own supper.

  The commander looked at his barometer, and his reading of it assured himthat Flint was correct in regard to his prognostics of the weather. Butthe young officer had faced the winter gales of the Atlantic, and theapproach of any ordinary storm did not disturb him in the least degree.On the contrary he rather liked a lively sea, for it was less monotonousthan a calm. He did not brood over a storm, therefore, but continuedto consider the subject which had so deeply interested him since hediscovered Mulgrum on his knees at the door, with a rag and a saucer ofrottenstone in his hands. He had a curiosity to examine the brass knobof his door at that moment, and it did not appear to have been veryseverely rubbed.

  "Quarter of seven, sir," said Dave, presenting himself at the door whileChristy was still musing over the incidents already detailed.

  "All right, Dave; I will have my supper now," replied Christy,indifferently, for though he was generally blessed with a good appetitethe mystery was too absorbing to permit the necessary duty of eating todrive it out of his mind.

  Dave retired, and soon brought in a tray from the galley, the dishesfrom which he arranged on the table. It was an excellent supper, thoughhe had not given any especial orders in regard to its preparation. Heseated himself and began to eat in a rather mechanical manner, and noone who saw him would have mistaken him for an epicure. Dave stationedhimself in front of the commander, so that he was between the table andthe door. He watched Christy, keeping his eyes fixed on him withoutintermitting his gaze for a single instant. Once in a while he tendereda dish to him at the table, but there was but one object in existencefor Christy at that moment.

  "Dave," said the captain, after he had disposed of a portion of hissupper.

  "Here, sir, on duty," replied the steward.

  "Open the door behind you, quick!"

  Dave obeyed instantly, and threw the door back so that it was wide open,though he seemed to be amazed at the strangeness of the order.

  "All right, Dave; close it," added Christy, when he saw there was noone in the passage; and he concluded that Mulgrum was not likely to bepractising his vocation when there was no one in the cabin but himselfand the steward.

  Dave obeyed the order like a machine, and then renewed his gaze at thecommander.

  "Are you a Freemason, Dave?" asked Christy.

  "No, sir," replied the steward with a magnificent smile.

  "A Knight of Pythias, of Pythagoras, or anything of that sort?"

  "No, sir; nothing of the sort."

  "Then you can't keep a secret?"

  "Yes, sir, I can. If I have a secret to keep, I will give the wholeAlabama River to any one that can get it out of me."

  Christy felt sure of his man without this protestation.