by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER XIV
THE CONFEDERATE STEAMER SCOTIAN
One bell sounded on the gong in the engine room, and the Bronx began togo ahead. Christy felt that the most tremendous hour of his lifetime hadcome, and he struggled to keep down the excitement which agitated him;and he succeeded so far that he appeared to be the coolest man on boardof the ship. When Flint came in the vicinity of the bridge, he called tohim to join him. The men were procuring their revolvers and cutlasses,and he had a moment to spare. The captain instructed him to conceal theboarders so that they could not be seen on board the steamer in the fogwhen the Bronx came up with her. He added some other details to hisorders.
"If possible, I wish you to keep as near Lillyworth as you can,"continued Christy, "for I shall not have the opportunity to watch him.This war cannot be conducted on peace principles, and if that manattempts to defeat my orders in any manner, don't hesitate to put a ballfrom your revolver through his heart. Use reasonable care, Mr. Flint,but bear in mind that I am not to be defeated in the capture of thatsteamer, if she proves to be what I suppose she is, by the treachery ofone who accepted a position as an officer on board of the Bronx." Thecommander was firm and decided in his manner, and Flint had served withhim enough to know that he meant what he said.
"I will obey your orders to the letter, Captain Passford, using allreasonable precautions in the discharge of my duty," replied Flint."Mr. Lillyworth was in a state of mutiny just now, and spoke to me."
"What did he say?"
"He declared that he was second lieutenant of the ship, and it was hisright to command the first division of boarders. He wouldn't stand it.I told him he was to be in command of the guns. He insisted that you didnot intend to fire a gun if you could help it. I replied that we shouldnot board the vessel either if we could help it. But I had no time toargue with him, and referred him to the captain. Then he moved towardsthe ladder of the bridge, and I forbade him to leave his station. Thatis the whole of it. I have seen him speak to each of the six men we nowknow to be his friends, to say nothing of Mulgrum. I left him then."
"All right so far, Mr. Flint. Return to the deck, if you please, and besure that the boarders are kept out of sight from this moment," addedChristy. "Quartermaster, ring four bells," he added, turning to thepilot house.
"Four bells, sir," repeated McSpindle, who was at the wheel.
The Bronx soon began to feel the effect of this order, and the smokepoured out in increased volume from the smokestack, affected by thestronger draught produced by the additional speed.
"On the topsail yard!" called the captain, directing his speakingtrumpet aloft.
"On the bridge, sir!" replied the man.
"Can you make out the steamer?"
"No, sir; only her topmasts and fore rigging."
"How does she lie from the Bronx?"
"Still on the starboard bow, sir."
"Port the helm, quartermaster," added the captain.
"Port, sir," replied McSpindle.
For about five minutes more, the Bronx went ahead at full speed, andChristy was confident that she was again making fifteen knots.
"On the bridge, sir!" called the man on the fore yard.
"Aloft!"
"I make her out now; she has the Confederate flag at the peak."
"All right!" exclaimed Christy to himself, though he spoke out loud.
The steamer had set her colors, and there was no longer any doubt inregard to her character. The flag also indicated that she was not ablockade runner in the ordinary sense of the word, but a Confederateman-of-war. Warnock reported that she had taken her armament on boardfrom another vessel at some point south of England, and the colors alsoassured Christy that the steamer was one of the pair expected.
Still the Bronx went ahead at full speed, and presently a gun was heardfrom the direction in which she lay, though the captain was unable todecide what it meant. It might be a signal of distress, but the man onthe yard had not reported the colors as union down; and it might besimply a defiance. It was probable that the Scotian and Arran had putin at St. George, and it was more than possible that they had shippeda reinforcement to her reported small crew.
"Aloft!" called the captain again.
"On the bridge, sir!" replied the lookout.
"Is the steamer under way?"
"I think not, sir; but I can't make out her wake, it is so low."
"Starboard a little, quartermaster."
"Starboard, sir."
Christy heard, or thought he heard, for he was not sure about it, thesound of a bell. A minute later the quartermaster in the pilot housestruck seven bells, which was repeated on the top-gallant forecastle ofthe Bronx, and he was confident this was what he had heard on board ofthe stranger.
"Quartermaster, strike one bell," he added.
"One bell, sir;" and the gong resounded from the engine room, and thespeed of the Bronx was immediately reduced.
A minute later Christy obtained a full view of the steamer. She washeaded to the southwest, and her propeller was not in motion. As thelookout had reported, she was the counterpart of the Bronx, though shewas a larger vessel. He gave some further orders to the quartermaster atthe wheel, for he had decided to board the steamer on her port side. Theboarders had been concealed in proper places under this arrangement, andthe captain had directed the course of the Bronx so that a shot from hercould hardly do any harm, if she took it into her head to fire one.
"Arran, ahoy!" shouted a hoarse voice through a speaking trumpet fromthe steamer.
"On board the Scotian!" replied Christy through his trumpet.
After the vessel had hailed the Arran, the captain had no difficultyin deciding that the other craft was the Scotian; and he was especiallyglad that the officer of that vessel had hailed him in this particularform. The single word spoken through that trumpet was the key to theentire enigma. Every possible doubt was removed by it. He was nowassured, as he had not been before, that he had fallen in with one ofthe two vessels of which his father had given him information, and whichhis sealed orders required him to seek, even if he was detained a weekor more. Christy spent no time in congratulating himself on thesituation, but the tremendous idea passed through his whole beingin an instant.
"We are disabled!" shouted the officer on board of the Scotian throughhis trumpet. "Please send your engineer on board."
"All right!" replied Christy. "Go ahead a little faster, Mr. Sampson.We are very near the steamer."
The young commander cast his eyes over the deck of his vessel to assurehimself that everything was ready for the important moment, though thesituation did not indicate that a very sharp battle was to be fought.Everything was in order, and the first lieutenant was planking the deck,looking as though he felt quite at home, for he was as cool as a Jerseycucumber. Farther aft was Lillyworth, as uneasy as a caged tiger, forno doubt he realized that the Scotian was to fall a victim to thecircumstances that beset her, rather than as the result of a spiritedchase or a sharply fought battle. He looked about him for a moment, andthe instant he turned his head, Mulgrum came out from behind the mast,and passed quite near him.
The captain could not tell whether the second lieutenant had spoken tothe deaf mute or not, but the latter hastened to the engine hatch, anddescended to the engine room. The Bronx was within less than a cable'slength of the Scotian, whose name could now be read on her stern, whenMulgrum, apparently ordered by Lillyworth to do so, had hastened to theengine hatch. Even on the bridge the noise of a scuffle could be heardin the engine room, and the captain was sure that Sampson had beenobedient to his orders. Another minute or two would determine in whatmanner the Scotian was to be captured, and Christy hastened down theladder to the deck.
As soon as his foot pressed the planks, he hastened to the engine hatch.Calling to the engineer, he learned that the deaf mute had been knockedsenseless by Sampson, and lay on the sofa. He waited to hear no more,but went forward where there were bell pulls on the deck, and rang twobells to stop her.
Then he gave some orders to the quartermaster, andrang three bells to back her. The Bronx came alongside of the Scotianas handsomely as though she had been a river steamer making one ofher usual landings. The hands who had been stationed for the purposeimmediately used their grappling irons, and the two vessels were fastto each other.
"Boarders!--" the first lieutenant shouted at a sign from the captain;but before he could complete the order, Pawcett, for we may now call himby his right name, leaped on the bulwarks of the Bronx.
"This is a United States"--he began to say, but he was allowed toproceed no farther, for the first lieutenant raised the revolver hecarried in his left hand, doubtless for this very purpose, and fired.
Pawcett did not utter another word, but fell back upon the deck of theBronx; where no one took any further notice of him.
"Boarders, away!" shouted the first lieutenant.
This time the sentence was finished, and the order was promptlyexecuted. Hardly a half minute had been lost by the attempt of Pawcettto prepare the officers of the Scotian to do their duty; but he had saidenough to enable the ship's company to understand what he would havesaid if he had finished his announcement. The officers and seamen wereboth surprised, and there was a panic among the latter, though theformer rallied them in a moment. But they had lost all their chances,and after an insignificant struggle, the deck of the steamer was inpossession of the boarders. The crew were driven forward by thevictorious "Bronxies" as Giblock called them. "Do you surrender?"said Mr. Baskirk to the officer he took for the captain.
"I do not see that I have any other alternative," replied the commanderof the Scotian, politely enough, but it was evident that he was sorelyafflicted, and even ashamed of himself. "I understand now that I am thevictim of a Yankee trick."
"Allow me to introduce you to Captain Passford, commander of the UnitedStates steamer Bronx," continued Mr. Baskirk, as Christy came on boardof the prize.
The captain of the Scotian retreated a pace as Christy stepped upin front of him, and gracefully lifted his cap to the unfortunatecommander.
"I beg your pardon, sir, but did I understand you to say that this younggentleman is the commander of the steamer alongside?" demanded thecaptain, looking at Christy from head to foot.
"He is the commander, sir; Captain Passford," added Baskirk.
"May I be allowed to ask whom I have the honor to address?" Christybegan, lifting his cap again, as did the other also.
"Captain Dinsmore, at your service."
"I sincerely regret your personal misfortune while I rejoice at theresult of this action, as a loyal citizen of the United States," repliedChristy.
Then he invited the captain to his cabin.