by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER XX
THE NEW COMMANDER OF THE BRONX
"Captain Flint, the first question to be settled is in regard to theengineer force," said Christy, as the three officers seated themselvesat the table.
"I think we shall have no difficulty on that score, Captain Passford,for I have already sounded those on board of the Arran, or the Escambia,as her officers call her. As long as their wages are paid, they don'tcare which side they serve. Mr. Pivotte is the chief, and he is aswilling to go one way as the other."
"Very well; then he shall retain his present position, and Bockburnshall be restored to the Ocklockonee. Of course the arrangements madeafter the capture of the first vessel were only temporary, and I proposeto report to the flag officer with everything as nearly as possible inthe condition in which we left New York," continued Christy.
"Of course I expected to resume my former position on board of the Bronxas soon as we had disposed of the two steamers; and I can say that Ishall not be sorry to do so," said Flint with a pleasant smile, asthough he did not intend to grieve over the loss of his command.
"In a few days more, we shall move down a peg, and I shall cease to havea command as well as yourself," added Christy.
"And I suppose I shall be relegated to my position as a quartermaster,"said Baskirk; "but I shall be satisfied. I don't care to wear any spursthat I have not won, though I shall be glad to have a higher rank when Ideserve it."
"You deserve it now, Mr. Baskirk, and if you don't receive it, it willnot be on account of any weakness in my report of the events of the lasttwenty-four hours," added Christy heartily.
"Thank you, captain; I suppose I could have procured a better positionthan that of able seaman, but I preferred to work my way up."
"It was wise not to begin too high up, and you have already won yourspurs. Now, Mr. Baskirk, I shall ask you to take the deck, relieving Mr.Amblen," added Christy, who wished to talk with Flint alone.
"I shall be really glad to get back into the Bronx, for I feel at homehere with you, captain," said Flint.
"You will be back to your berth here very soon. Now we have to sendthese two steamers to New York. They are fine vessels, and will beneeded. We want two prize masters, and we must have able men. Have youany suggestion to make, Mr. Flint? I first thought of sending you as theprincipal one; but I cannot spare you, and the service in the Gulf needsyou."
"I am entirely willing to go where my duty calls me, without regard topersonal preferences," replied Flint. "I have a suggestion to make:which is that Baskirk take one of the steamers."
"That is exactly my own idea; from what I have seen of him, there is nomore devoted officer in the service."
"I have known him for many years, and I believe in him. McSpindle isalmost as good, and has had a better education than Baskirk. I don'tthink you could find two better men in the navy for this duty."
"Very well; then I will appoint them both."
Flint was instructed to communicate their appointment to Baskirk andMcSpindle, and make all the preparations for the departure of theEscambia and the Ocklockonee. Christy went to his state room, and wrotehis report of the capture of the two steamers, in which he commended thetwo officers who were to go as prize masters, and then wrote a letter tohis father, with a strong appeal in their favor. Then he wrote verycareful instructions for the government of the officers to be sent away,in which he directed them to use all necessary precautions in regard tothe prisoners. In a couple of hours after the capture of the Escambia,the two prizes sailed for New York. Captain Dinsmore expressed histhanks very warmly to Captain Passford for his courtesy and kindnessat parting.
Christy had visited every part of the two steamers, and talked with theofficers and men, and especially with the engineers, and he discoveredno elements of discord on board of either. Hungerford and Pawcett weretransferred to the Escambia, and committed to the care of the surgeonof the ship. Both of them were suffering from fever, and they were notlikely to give the prize master any trouble during the passage, whichcould only be three or four days in duration. Baskirk and McSpindle wererequired to make all the speed they could consistent with safety, thoughChristy hardly thought they would encounter any Confederate rover on thevoyage, for they were not very plenty at this stage of the war.
It seemed a little lonesome on board of the Bronx after the two steamershad disappeared in the distance, and the number of the crew had beenso largely reduced by the drafts for the prizes. The steamer was hardlyin condition to engage an enemy of any considerable force, and Sampsonwas directed to hurry as much as possible. Christy had heard of theBellevite twice since he left her off Pensacola Bay. She had been sentto other stations on duty, and had captured two schooners loaded withcotton as prizes; but at the last accounts she had returned to thestation where the Bronx had left her.
Christy was not so anxious as he had been before the recent capturesto fall in with an enemy, for with less than twenty seamen it would notbe prudent to attack such a steamer as either of those he had captured,though he would not have objected to chase a blockade runner if he haddiscovered one pursued by the gunboats.
It was a quiet time on board of the Bronx compared with the excitementof the earlier days of the voyage. In the very beginning of the trip,he had discovered the deaf mute at the cabin door, and his thought,his inquiries, and his action in defeating the treachery of the secondlieutenant had kept him busy night and day. Now the weather was finemost of the time, and he had little to do beyond his routine duties. Buthe did a great deal of thinking in his cabin, though most of it was inrelation to the events which had transpired on board of the Bronx.
He had captured two valuable prizes; but he could not feel that he wasentitled to any great credit for the achievements of his vessel, sincehe had been warned in the beginning to look out for the Scotian and theArran. He had taken the first by surprise, and the result was due to thecarelessness of her commander rather than to any great merit on his ownpart. The second he had taken with double the force of the enemy inships and men; and the latter was not precisely the kind of a victoryhe was ambitious to win.
At the same time, his self-respect assured him that he had done his dutyfaithfully, and that it had been possible for him to throw away hisadvantage by carelessness. If he had fallen in with both the Scotian andthe Arran at the same time, the result might have been different, thoughhe was sure that he should have fought his ship as long as there wasanything left of her. In that case there would have been more room formanoeuvring and strategy, for he did not admit to himself that heshould have been beaten.
Amblen continued to hold his place as second lieutenant, and McLinn wasappointed acting third lieutenant. The carpenter repaired the bridge,though Christy would not have been very sorry if it had been sothoroughly smashed as to be beyond restoration, for it was hardly anaval institution. The men who had been only slightly wounded in theaction with the Escambia were progressing finely under the care of Dr.Spokeley, and when the Bronx was off the southern cape of Florida, theywere able to return to duty. The latest information located the flagofficer off Pensacola, and in due time Christy reported to him. TheBellevite was still there, and the commander went on board of her, wherehe received an ovation from the former officers and seamen with whom hehad sailed. He did not take any pains to recite his experience, but itwas soon known throughout the fleet.
"Christy, I shall hardly dare to sail in command of a ship of which youare the executive officer," said Lieutenant Blowitt, who was to commandthe Bronx, with a laugh.
"Why not? Is my reputation so bad as that?" asked Christy.
"Bad! No, it is so good. The fact of it is, you are such a tremendousfellow, there will be no room for any other officer to shine in the samesky."
"I have been in command for a few days, hardly more than a week, but Iassure you that I can and shall obey the orders of my commander to thevery letter," added Christy.
"But you took two steamers, each of them of nearly twice the tonnage ofyour own
ship, in mid ocean."
"But I took them one at a time. If I had fallen in with both at the sametime, the affair might have gone the other way. We captured the firstone by accident, as it were, and the second with double the force ofthe enemy. I don't take much credit to myself for that sort of thing.I don't think it was half as much of an affair as bringing out theTeaser, for we had to use some science on that occasion," repliedChristy quietly.
"Science, is it?" laughed Mr. Blowitt. "Perhaps you can assist me tosome of your science, when it is required."
"I shall obey my superior officer, and not presume to advise him unlesshe asks me to do so."
"Well, Christy, I think you are the most audacious young fellow I evermet," added the future commander of the Bronx.
"I haven't anything about me that I call audacity, so far as Iunderstand myself. When I am told to do any duty, I do it if it ispossible; and whether it is possible often depends upon whether youthink it is or not."
"I should say that it was audacious for you to think of capturing twosteamers, fitted out for war purposes, and twice the size of your ownship, with the Bronx," added Mr. Blowitt, still laughing, to take offthe edge of his criticism.
"Why did the Navy Department instruct me in my sealed orders to look outfor these steamers, if I was to do so in a Pickwickian sense?" demandedChristy earnestly. "What would you have done, Mr. Blowitt?"
"Perhaps I should have been as audacious as you were, Christy, if suchhad been my orders."
This conversation took place on the deck of the Bellevite where Christyhad come to see his friends; and it was interrupted by a boat from theflag ship which brought a big envelope for Mr. Blowitt. It instructedhim to go on board of the Bronx, to the command of which he had beenappointed. Another order required him to proceed to a point on thewestern coast of Florida, where the enemy were supposed to be loadingvessels with cotton, and break up the depot established for the purpose,where it could be supplied by the Florida Railroad.
The new commander packed his clothing, and he was sent with Christy inone of the Bellevite's boats to the Bronx. They went on board, where thelate acting commander had already removed his own property to the wardroom, and Captain Blowitt was conducted to his cabin and state room, ofwhich he took formal possession. He seemed to be very much pleased withhis accommodations since the government had put the vessel in order,though he had been on board of her, and fought a battle on her deck,while she was still the Teaser.
"I am sure I could not ask for anything better than this cabin," saidhe, after he had invited his first lieutenant to come in.
"I found it very comfortable," added Christy. "Flint is secondlieutenant, and Sampson chief engineer; and that is all there are ofthose who were in the Bellevite. I will introduce you to the actingthird lieutenant, Mr. Amblen, and you can retain him or not as youplease."
Mr. Amblen was called in and presented to the captain, and then Flintwas ordered to get under way.