by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER XIII
THE STEAMER IN THE FOG
The Bronx was slowly approaching the steamer in the fog, which appearedto have stopped her propeller, and to be resting motionless on the longswells, hardly disturbed by a breath of air. By this time the smokestackof the Bronx was vomiting forth dense clouds of black smoke. Thesteamers of the navy used anthracite coal, which burns without anygreat volume of smoke, and blockade runners had already begun to layin whatever stock of it they were able to procure to be used as theyapproached the coast where they were to steal through the nationalfleet. The attention of the naval department of the United States hadalready been given to this subject, and the first steps had been takento prevent the sale of this comparatively smokeless coal where it couldbe obtained by the blockade runners.
Christy had been on the blockade; and he had been in action with asteamer from the other side of the ocean; and he knew that this blacksmoke of the soft coal, exclusively used by English steamers, was atelltale in regard to such vessels. It had been an idea of his own totake in a supply of this kind of fuel, for while its smoke betrayed thecharacter of vessels intending to run the blockade, the absence of itbetrayed the loyalty of the national steamers to the blockade runners.It was a poor rule that would not work both ways, and the commander ofthe Bronx had determined to adopt the scheme he had now put in force onboard of his vessel. Although the craft on the starboard bow couldhardly be distinguished in the fog, Christy had sent a trusty seamanaloft to report on the color of the smoke that issued from her funnel.
This man had reported by swinging his cap in the air, as the captain hadinstructed him to do if he found that the smoke was that of soft coal.If there was no black smoke, he was to return to the deck without makingany sign. The moment therefore that the man had been able to see thequality of the smoke, the commander was made as wise as though he hadseen it himself. The information left him no doubt that the steamer wasintended to run the blockade; but whether or not she was one of theexpected pair, of course he could form no opinion, for already this partof the ocean had begun to swarm with vessels in this service.
"I am beginning to make her out a little better," said Flint, who hadbeen straining his eyes to the utmost capacity, as everybody else onboard was doing, to obtain the best and earliest information in regardto the stranger on the starboard bow.
"What do you make out, Mr. Flint?" asked Christy, who was too busilyemployed in watching the movements of the officers and seamen on his owndeck to give especial attention to the character of the other steamer.
"I can't see well enough yet to say anything in regard to details,"replied the first lieutenant. "I can only make out her form and size;and she seems to be as nearly like the Bronx as one pea is like another,though I should say that she was longer."
"Is she in motion?" asked the captain with interest.
"She appears to be at rest, though it is possible that she is movingvery slowly; but if she has not stopped her screw, she is not going morethan four knots."
"You say that she is built like the Bronx, Mr. Flint?" asked Christyanxiously.
"Just like her; I should say that both hulls came out of the samemould."
"That very nearly settles the question in my mind. Probably she wasdesigned by the same naval architect, and constructed by the samebuilders, as the Bronx," replied Christy, gazing intently at the dimoutlines of the steamer in the fog. "When a designer has made a greatreputation for fast ships, men with piles of money, like the formerowners of the Bronx, the Scotian, and the Arran, employ him to furnishthe plans for their steam yachts. From what we have learned so far,though it is very little indeed, I feel reasonably sure that thissteamer ahead of us is the Scotian or the Arran, and I don't care muchwhich it is. But why has she stopped her screw, or reduced her speed tofour knots?"
"That is a question that can only be answered an hour or two hence, ifever," replied the first lieutenant.
"But it is a very important question all the same," added Christy.
"I doubt if the Bronx is making four knots at the present moment," saidFlint, as he went to the end of the bridge, and looked down into thewater.
"In changing the fires in the furnaces, Mr. Sampson had been obliged toclear them out in part, and that has reduced the pressure of steam; butwe shall soon have the usual head," said Christy, as he went to thespeaking tube and communicated with the chief engineer.
He was informed that his explanation was correct in regard to the coal,and that in a very short time the boilers would have a full head ofsteam. Christy spent the next few minutes in an earnest study of thescarcely perceptible outline of the steamer in the fog. He was hardlywiser when he had finished his examination than before. The hull andlower masts of the vessel could be indistinctly made out, and that wasall. Sampson informed him that he had not been using all the steam hehad, and that the screw was hardly turning at all. He ordered him tostop it entirely.
Impatient as he was to follow up the discovery that had been made, herealized that it would be very imprudent to expose his ship to possibledanger when he had not steam enough to work her to the best advantage.He could only wait; but he was satisfied that he had done the bestpossible thing in changing the coal, for the black smoke wouldeffectually blind the officers of the other vessel. They were notengaged in a chase, and the exciting question could be settled a fewhours hence as well as at the present time.
"If the steamer ahead is the Scotian or the Arran, as I fully believeshe is, probably her consort is somewhere in these waters," said thecommander.
"Probably she lost sight of her in this fog," added Flint. "But, CaptainPassford, we are in the face of something, though we do not yet knowprecisely what. I suppose you have your eye on Mr. Lillyworth?"
"I have kept him in sight all the time. He is on the quarter deck now,as he has been since all hands were called," replied Christy, who hadnot failed to look at him for a full minute since the discovery of thesail on the starboard. "He seems to be perplexed by the situation, andhis time for action, if he intends to act, has not yet come."
"I don't see Pink Mulgrum anywhere about the deck."
"I saw him a few minutes since," added Christy. "He passed several timesquite near Mr. Lillyworth, and very likely something was said betweenthem; but they had no long talk."
Christy had charged Dave to watch Mulgrum if he went below, and tofollow him up closely; but the deaf mute had been on deck most of thetime. There was nothing that he could do, and nothing that the secondlieutenant could do, to embarrass the operations of the ship while sheremained at rest. The captain then descended to the deck, and personallylooked into the condition of everything. In the course of his round hecame to the quarter deck where the second lieutenant was stationed. Hecould see that he was nervous and uneasy about something, and it was notdifficult to divine what perplexed him. He could hardly see the blacksmoke from the funnel of the steamer in the fog, for his place on thedeck did not permit him to obtain as good a view of her as could be hadfrom the bridge, and especially from aloft.
"Do you make out what that vessel is, Captain Passford?" askedLillyworth, as Christy passed near him.
"Not yet, Mr. Lillyworth," replied the captain, not caring to conversewith the conspirator.
"The fog does not seem to be very dense, and I should think the vesselmight be made out from aloft," added the second lieutenant, evidentlyvery anxious to know more about the sail ahead.
"Not very clearly," replied Christy, as he went forward to the enginehatch.
He descended to the engine room, and while he was listening to the roarof the flames in the furnaces, so different from the action ofanthracite coal, Sampson came up from the fire room.
"We shall have a sufficient head of steam in a few minutes to justifyyou in going ahead, Captain Passford," said the engineer without waitingto be questioned.
"I am glad to hear it, though we are in no special hurry at present, inspite of our impatience to know what is before us," replied the captain."Do you
know the man who passes under the name of Mulgrum, Mr. Sampson?"
"You mean Pink, the deaf mute? Mr. Nawood pointed him out to me, and Ihave seen him about the deck or in the steerage several times."
"Has he been in the engine room at any time since we sailed?" askedChristy.
"He may have been; but I have not noticed him anywhere in mydepartment," replied Sampson.
"You will not allow him in the engine or fire room," continued thecaptain. "Send him out, drive him out, if necessary, at once."
"Being deaf and dumb, I should suppose he were harmless wherever hehappened to be. Is he--"
"Never mind what he is just now, Mr. Sampson," interposed Christy. "Bevery particular to obey my order in regard to him to the letter; that'sall now. Inform me at once when you are ready to go ahead, and I shallbe on the bridge."
The order which Christy had just given to the engineer was the result ofhis reflection since he came down from the bridge. He had beencudgelling his brains to determine what the conspirators could possiblydo when the decisive moment came, if it should happen to come as heneared the steamer in the fog, to derange the operations on board. Itseemed to him before that all they could do was to leap on board of theenemy, if it came to boarding her, and reinforce her crew. He had talkedover this matter with Flint and Baskirk, and there were three who wouldbe ready to shoot either of them the instant their treachery should beapparent.
Before it would be possible to board, a man as intelligent as Mulgrum,who had served as executive officer, could easily disable the engine.This idea had but just come to the commander, who thought before that hehad closed every opening against the conspirators. He went on deck assoon as he had settled this matter. The fog seemed to be rather moredense than before, and when he went on the bridge, it was reported thatthe stranger could no longer be made out.
"I have just received the roster of the 'Bronx Association,'" saidFlint, as the captain joined him. "It is signed by every man on board,including the supernumeraries forward, except Spoors, Blocker, Veering,Packer, Pickford, and Runyon. I inquired why these men would not join,but could not learn that they had any reason except that they did notwish to be members. I have seen Mr. Lillyworth talking to all of thesemen, and I think we can be certain now who is white and who is black."
"On the bridge!" came from the speaking tube, at this moment, and thecaptain was near enough to hear it. Mr. Sampson reported that he hadsteam enough to make at least ten knots an hour.
The commander then instructed the first lieutenant to see that bothdivisions of boarders were armed with cutlass and revolver, in readinessfor action. The second lieutenant was to attend to the working of thebroadside guns, Mr. Baskirk was to lead the first division of boarders,and Mr. Giblock, the boatswain, the second. Flint went below to the deckto execute his orders, and the captain ordered the quartermaster to ringone bell.