by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER XXI
AN EXPEDITION IN THE GULF
The Bronx had been three days on the station, Christy had made hisreport in full on her arrival, and the flag officer had visited thevessel in person, in order to ascertain her fitness for severalenterprises he had in view. The Confederates were not sleepy orinactive, and resorted to every expedient within their means tocounteract both morally and materially the efficiency of the blockade.
The Bronx was admirably adapted to service in the shoal waters where theheavier vessels of the investing squadron could not go, and her arrivalsolved several problems then under consideration. Captain Blowitt andChristy had been sent for, and the late commander of the Bronx wasquestioned in regard to the steamer, her draught, her speed, and hership's company. The damage done to her in the conflict with the Escambiahad been fully repaired by the carpenter and his gang, and the steamerwas in as good condition as when she sailed from New York.
"In regard to the present officers, Mr. Passford, excepting presentcompany, of course, they are excellent," said Captain McKeon, the flagofficer. "For the service in which the Bronx is to be engaged, itssuccess will depend upon the officers, though it is hardly exceptionalin this respect. I understand that you sailed from New York rathershort-handed abaft the mainmast."
"Yes, sir, we did; but fortunately we had most excellent material ofwhich to make officers, and we made them," replied Christy.
"I should like to know something about them; I mean apart from CaptainBlowitt and yourself, for you have already made your record, and yours,Mr. Passford, is rather a dazzling reputation for one so young."
"I am willing to apologize for it, sir," replied Christy, blushing likea maiden, as he was in duty bound to do, for he could not control thecrimson that rose to his browned cheeks.
"Quite unnecessary," replied Captain McKeon, smiling. "As long as you doyour duty nobody will be jealous of you, and you will be a fit officerfor all our young men to emulate. You were the acting commander on thevoyage of the Bronx from New York. Your executive officer is the presentsecond lieutenant. Is he qualified for the peculiar duty before you?"
"No one could be more so, sir," replied Christy with proper enthusiasm.
"I can fully indorse this opinion of Mr. Passford," added CaptainBlowitt. "In the capture and bringing out of the Teaser, Mr. Flint wasthe right hand man of the leader of the enterprise."
"And I gave him the command of the Ocklockonee, after her capture, andshe took an active part in the affair with the Escambia, sir," saidChristy.
"Then we will consider him the right man in the right place," repliedthe flag officer. "Who is the present third lieutenant?"
"Mr. Amblen is acting in that capacity at present, and he is a very goodofficer, though he holds no rank," answered Christy.
"Then I can hardly confirm him as second lieutenant," added CaptainMcKeon.
"In my report of the affairs with the Ocklockonee and the Escambia,I have strongly recommended him and three other officers for promotion,for all of them are fitted by education and experience at sea to do dutyon board of such vessels as the Bronx."
"Have you any officer in mind who would acceptably fill the vacantplace, Captain Blowitt?"
"I know of no one at present who holds the rank to entitle him to such aposition, and I shall appeal to Mr. Passford," replied the newcommander.
"You have named Mr. Amblen, Mr. Passford; is he just the officer youwould select if the matter were left to you?" asked the flag officer.
"No, sir, though he would do very well. Mr. Baskirk, who served asexecutive officer while Mr. Flint was away in the Ocklockonee, is betteradapted for the place," said Christy. "He commanded the first divisionof boarders on board of the Escambia, and he fought like a hero and is aman of excellent judgment. I am confident that he will make his mark asan officer. I am willing to admit that I wrote a letter to my fatherespecially requesting him to do what he could for the immediatepromotion of Mr. Baskirk."
"Then he will be immediately promoted," added Captain McKeon with anexpressive smile.
"I may add also that I was presumptive enough to suggest his appointmentas third lieutenant of the Bronx," continued Christy.
"Then he will be the third lieutenant of the Bronx; and what you saywould have settled the matter in the first place as well as now," saidthe flag officer, as much pleased with the reticence of the youngofficer as with his modesty. "Amblen may remain on board till hiscommission comes, and you can retain him as third lieutenant, CaptainBlowitt, if you are so disposed. I have ordered a draft of twelve seamento the Bronx, which will give you a crew of thirty, and I cannot spareany more until more men are sent down. I may add that I have taken someof them from the Bellevite."
"I am quite satisfied, sir, with the number, though ten more would beacceptable," replied the commander of the Bronx.
The two officers were then dismissed and ordered on board of their ship.A little later the draft of seamen was sent on board, and among themChristy was not sorry to see Boxie, the old sheet-anchor man of theBellevite, who had made him a sort of pet, and had done a great deal toinstruct him in matters of seamanship, naval customs, and traditions notfound in any books.
The commander and the executive officer paid their final visit to theBellevite the next day, and the order was given to weigh anchor. Whenall hands were called, Christy thought he had never seen a better set ofmen except on board of the Bellevite, and the expedition, whatever itwas, commenced under the most favorable auspices.
The Bronx sailed in the middle of the forenoon, and the flag officer wascareful not to reveal the destination of the steamer to any one, forwith the aid of the telegraph, the object of the expedition might reachthe scene of operations in advance of the arrival of the force. At fouro'clock in the afternoon Captain Blowitt opened his envelope in presenceof the executive officer. He looked the paper through before he spoke,and then handed it to Christy, who read it with quite as much interestas the commander had.
"Cedar Keys," said the captain, glancing at his associate.
"That is not a long run from the station," added Christy. "We are verylikely to be there before to-morrow morning."
"It is about two hundred and eighty statute miles, I had occasion toascertain a week ago when something was said about Cedar Keys," repliedCaptain Blowitt. "We have been making about fifteen knots, for the Bronxis a flyer, and we ought to be near our destination at about midnight.That would be an excellent time to arrive if we only had a pilot."
"Perhaps we have one," added Christy with a smile.
"Are you a pilot on this coast, Mr. Passford?" asked the commander,mistaking the smile.
"No, sir, I am not; but I remember a conversation Mr. Flint and I hadwith Mr. Amblen, who was engaged in some sort of a speculation inFlorida when the war came on. He was so provoked at the treatment hereceived that he shipped in the navy at once. I only know that he had asmall steamer in these waters."
"Send for Mr. Amblen at once!" exclaimed the commander, who appeared tohave become suddenly excited. "There will be no moon to-night in theseparts, and we may be able to hurry this matter up if we have a competentpilot."
Christy called Dave, and sent him for the acting third lieutenant, forhe knew that Mr. Flint had had the watch since four o'clock. Mr. Amblenwas sunning himself on the quarter deck, and he promptly obeyed thesummons.
"I am glad to see you, Mr. Amblen, and I hope you will prove to be asuseful a person as I have been led to believe you may be," said thecaptain.
"I shall endeavor to do my duty, sir," replied the third lieutenant,who was always very ambitious to earn the good opinion of his superiors."I mean to do the best I can to make myself useful, Captain Blowitt."
"I know that very well; but the question now is what you know ratherthan what you can do as an officer. Mr. Passford informs me that youwere formerly engaged in some kind of a speculation on the west coastof Florida."
"Hardly a speculation, sir, for I was engaged in the fish business,"rep
lied Mr. Amblen, laughing at the name which had been given to hiscalling. "When I sold a small coaster that belonged to me, I got inexchange a tug boat. I had been out of health a few years before; Ispent six months at Cedar Keys and Tampa, and got well. Fish were plentyhere, and of a kind that bring a good price farther north. I loaded mytug with ice, and came down here in her. I did a first-rate businessbuying from boats and in catching fish myself, and for a time I mademoney, though ice was so dear that I had to sell in the South."
"Did you have a pilot on board of your tug?" asked the captain.
"No, sir; I was my own pilot. I had the charts, and I studied out thebottom, so that I knew where I was in the darkest night."
"Then you are just the person we want if you are a pilot in thesewaters."
"What waters, sir? We are now off Cape St. Blas and Apalachicola Bay.I have been into the bay, but I am not a pilot in those waters, as yousuggest."
"I have just opened my orders, and I find we are ordered to Cedar Keys,"interposed the commander.
"That is quite another thing, sir; and there isn't a foot of bottomwithin five miles of the Keys to which I have not been personallyintroduced. When I was down here for my health I was on the water morethan half of the time, and I learned all about the bay and coast; and Ihave been up the Suwanee River, which flows into the Gulf eighteen milesnorth of the Keys."
"I am exceedingly glad to find that we have such an excellent pilot onboard. I am informed in my orders that schooners load with cotton atthis place, and make an easy thing of getting to sea," added CaptainBlowitt.
"I should say that it was a capital port for the Confederates to use forthat sort of business. Small steamers can bring cotton down the SuwaneeRiver, the railroad from Fernandina terminates at the Key, and this roadconnects with that to Jacksonville and the whole of western Florida asfar as Tallahassee."
"We may find a steamer or two there."
"You may, though not one any larger than the Bronx, for there is onlyeleven feet of water on the bar. Probably no blockaders have yet beenstationed off the port, and it is a good place to run out cotton."
"I am much obliged to you, Mr. Amblen, for the information you havegiven me, and your services will probably be in demand this very night,"added the commander, rising from his chair.
"I am ready for duty at all times, sir," replied Mr. Amblen, as heretired from the cabin.
The charts were then consulted, and sundry calculations were made. Atone o'clock that night the Bronx was off Cedar Keys.