by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER XIX
ON THE DECK OF THE ARRAN
Captain Passford had carried out the programme agreed upon with CaptainFlint, and the latter had been working to the southward since the Bronxcame into the action, and as soon as the order to get ready to boardwas given, the Ocklockonee went ahead at full speed, headed in thatdirection. She had reached a position dead ahead of the Arran, so thatshe no longer suffered from the shots of the latter's broadside guns,and the Bronx was getting the entire benefit of them.
Both vessels had kept up a full head of steam, and the coal passerswere kept very busy at just this time. The Arran's midship gun had beendisabled so that she could not make any very telling shots, but her crewhad succeeded in righting her funnel, which had not gone entirely over,but had been held by the stays. Yet it could be seen that there was abig opening near the deck, for the smoke did not all pass through thesmokestack.
The broadside guns of the Arran were well served, and they were doingconsiderable mischief on board of the Bronx. Christy was obliged to holdback until her consort was in position to board the Arran on the porthand, and he manoeuvred the steamer so as to receive as little damageas possible from her guns. He was to board on the starboard hand of theenemy, and he was working nearer to her all the time. Mr. Ambleton thegunner had greatly improved his practice, and the commander was obligedto check his enthusiasm, or there would have been nothing left of theArran in half an hour more. Christy considered the final result as fullyassured, for he did not believe the present enemy was any more heavilymanned than her consort had been, and he could throw double her forceupon her deck as soon as the two steamers were in position to do so.
"Are you doing all you can in the engine room, Mr. Sampson?" askedChristy, pausing at the engine hatch.
"Everything, Captain Passford, and I think we must be making sixteenknots," replied the chief engineer.
"Is Mr. Bockburn on duty?"
"He is, sir; and if he were a Connecticut Yankee he could not do anybetter, or appear to be any more interested."
"He seems to be entirely impartial; all he wants is his pay, and he isas willing to be on one side as the other if he only gets it," saidChristy. "Has any damage been done to the engine?"
"None at all, sir; a shot from one of those broadside guns went throughthe side, and passed just over the top of one of the boilers," repliedthe engineer. "Bockburn plugged the shot hole very skilfully, and saidit would not be possible for a shot to come in low enough to hit theboilers. He knows all about the other two vessels, and has served as anengineer on board of the Arran on the other side of the Atlantic."
Just at that moment a shot from the Arran struck the bridge and asplinter from the structure knocked two men over. One of them pickedhimself up, but said he was not much hurt, and refused to be sent below.The other man was Veering; he seemed to be unable to get up, and wascarried down by order of the boatswain. This man was one of theadherents of Hungerford and Pawcett, though so far he had been of noservice to them.
Christy hastened forward to ascertain the extent of the damage done tothe bridge. It was completely wrecked, and was no longer in condition tobe occupied by an officer. But the pilot house was still in serviceablerepair, and the quartermaster had not been disturbed. By this time, theOcklockonee had obtained a position on the port bow of the Arran, andthe commander directed the quartermaster at the wheel to run directlyfor the other side of the enemy.
The time for decisive and final action had come. Mr. Baskirk placedthe boarders in position to be thrown on board of the Arran. He wasto command the first division himself, and Mr. Amblen the second. TheOcklockonee was rushing at all the speed she could command to the workbefore her.
The captain of the Arran.]
For some reason not apparent the Arran had stopped her screw, though shehad kept in motion till now, doing her best to secure the most favorableposition for action. Possibly her commander believed a collision betweenthe vessels at a high rate of speed would be more fatal to him thananything that could result from being boarded. It was soon discoveredthat she was backing, and it was evident then that her captain had somemanoeuvre of his own in mind, though it was possible that he was onlydoing something to counteract the effect of a collision. Doubtless hethought the two vessels approaching him at such a rapid rate intended tocrush the Arran between them, and that they desired only to sink him.
He was not allowed many minutes more to carry out his policy, whateverit was, for the Ocklockonee came up alongside of the Arran, the grapnelswere thrown out, and the whole boarding force of the steamer was hurledupon her decks. But the commander was a plucky man, however he regardedthe chances for or against him, and his crew proceeded vigorously torepel boarders. Christy had timed the movements of the Bronx verycarefully, and the Ocklockonee had hardly fastened to the Arran onone side before he had his steamer grappled on the other.
"Boarders, away!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, and flourishinghis sword over his head, not however with the intention of going intothe fight himself, but as a demonstration to inspire the men.
Baskirk and Amblen rushed forward with cutlasses in their hands, leapingupon the deck of the enemy. The crew was found to equal in numbers aboutthe force that the Ocklockonee had brought to bear upon them. Theboarders from the Bronx attacked them in the rear while they were fullyoccupied with the boarders in front of them. The officers of the enemybehaved with distinguished gallantry, and urged their men forward withthe most desperate enthusiasm. They struck hard blows, and several ofthe boarders belonging to the consort had fallen, to say nothing ofwounds that did not entirely disable others. Some of the men belongingto the Arran, doubtless shipped on the other side of the ocean or at theBermudas, were disposed to shirk their duty, though their officers heldthem well up to the work.
One of the brave officers who had done the boarders a good deal ofmischief fell at a pistol shot from Mr. Amblen; this loss of hisleadership caused a sensible giving way on the part of his division, andhis men began to fall back. The other officers, including the captain,who fought with a heavy cutlass, held out for a short time longer; butChristy saw that it was slaughter.
The captain of the Arran was the next to go down, though he was notkilled. This event practically ended the contest for the deck of thesteamer. The boarders crowded upon the crew and drove them to the bow ofthe vessel, where they yielded the deck, and submitted to the excess ofnumbers.
"Don't butcher my men!" cried the captain of the Arran, raising himselfpartially from his place where he had fallen. "I surrender, for we areoutnumbered two to one."
But the fighting had ceased forward. Mr. Baskirk was as earnest to saveany further slaughter as he had been to win the fight. Christy came onboard of the prize, not greatly elated at the victory, for it had been avery unequal affair as to numbers. The Arran was captured; that was allthat could be said of it. She had been bravely defended; and the "honorswere even," though the fortunes of the day were against the Arran andher ship's company.
"Allow me to introduce myself as the commander of the United Statessteamer Bronx," said Christy, approaching the fallen captain of theArran. "I sincerely hope that you are not seriously injured, sir."
"Who under the canopy are you?" demanded the commander of the prize,as he looked at the young officer with something like contempt in hisexpression.
"I have just informed you who under the canopy I am," replied Christy,not pleased with the manner of the other. "To be a little more definite,I am Captain Christopher Passford, commander of the United Statessteamer Bronx, of which the Arran appears to be a prize."
"The captain!" exclaimed the fallen man. "You are nothing but a boy!"
"But I am old enough to try to be a gentleman. You are evidently oldenough to be my father, though I have no comments to make," addedChristy.
"I beg your pardon, Captain Passford," said the captain of the Arran,attempting to rise from the deck, in which he was assisted by Christyand by Mr. Baskirk, who had just come aft. "I
beg your pardon, CaptainPassford, for I did not understand what you said at first, and I did notsuspect that you were the captain."
"I hope you are not seriously injured, sir," added Christy.
"I don't know how seriously, but I have a cut on the hip, for which Iexchanged one on the head, parrying the stroke so that it took me belowthe belt."
"Have you a surgeon on board, Captain ---- I have not the pleasure ofknowing your name, sir."
"Captain Richfield, lieutenant in the Confederate Navy. We have asurgeon on board, and he is below attending to the wounded," repliedthe captain.
"Allow me to assist you to your cabin, Captain Richfield," continuedChristy, as he and Baskirk each took one of the wounded officer's arms.
"Thank you, sir. I see that you have been doubly fortunate, CaptainPassford, and you have both the Escambia and the Ocklockonee. I did thebest I could to save my ship, but the day has gone against me."
"And no one could have done any more than you have done. Your ship hasbeen ably and bravely defended; but it was my good fortune to be able tooutnumber you both in ships and in men."
Captain Richfield was taken to his state room, and assisted into hisberth. A steward was sent for the surgeon, and Christy and his firstlieutenant retired from the cabin. The captured seamen of the Arran wereall sent below, and everything was done that the occasion required.
Christy asked Captain Flint to meet him in the cabin of the Bronx for aconsultation over the situation, for the sealed orders of the commanderhad been carried out to the letter so far as the two expected steamerswere concerned, and it only remained to report to the flag officer ofthe Eastern Gulf squadron. But with two prizes, and a considerablenumber of prisoners, the situation was not without its difficulties.
"I hope you are quite comfortable, Captain Dinsmore," said Christy as heentered his cabin, and found his guest reading at the table.
"Quite so, Captain Passford. I have heard a great deal of firing in thelast hour, and I am rather surprised to find that you are not a prisoneron board of the Escambia, or perhaps you have come to your cabin foryour clothes," replied the guest cheerfully.
"I have not come on any such mission; and I have the pleasure ofinforming you that the Confederate steamer Escambia is a prize to theBronx," replied Christy quite as cheerfully. "I am sorry to add thatCaptain Richfield was wounded in the hip, and that Mr. Berwick, thefirst lieutenant, was killed."
The Confederate officer leaped out of his chair astonished at the news.He declared that he had confidently expected to be released by thecapture of the Bronx. Christy gave a brief review of the action; andCaptain Dinsmore was not surprised at the result when informed that theOcklockonee had taken part in the capture. The commander then requestedhim to retire to the ward room, and Flint came in. They seatedthemselves at the table, and proceeded to figure up their resources andconsider what was to be done. Mr. Baskirk was then sent for to assist inthe conference.