by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER XXIV
A CRITICAL SITUATION IN THE CABIN
Christy looked at his cool and impudent visitor, whose declarationwas to the effect that he intended to take possession of the Bronx incompensation for the loss of the Floridian. It looked as though heintended to capture the gunboat now fully officered, and manned byforty-six seaman; and so far as the commander could judge, he intendedto do it single-handed.
The lieutenant's first thought, after he realized the intention of theintruder, was that he was insane, for no man in his senses would thinkof accomplishing such a mad enterprise. His second idea was that he hadmistaken the declaration of Captain Flanger, though he had certainlysaid that he meant to replace the Floridian with the Bronx, and thestatement could hardly mean anything else.
Christy was forced to admit to himself that the bold intruder had fullpossession of the captain's cabin of the steamer, and that he had theadvantage of him in being armed; that any decided opposition on his partwould result in his being killed or wounded. It was not prudent for himto do anything, and at the present stage of the proceedings he could donothing but temporize with his resolute foe.
"I beg your pardon, Captain Flanger; but do I understand that youintend, single-handed and alone, to capture the Bronx?" asked thecommander, with a smile of incredulity on his face.
"Well, Captain Passford, if you fail to comprehend my purpose, itis the fault of your understanding, and not of my plain and explicitdeclaration, for I assuredly said that I intended to replace theFloridian with the Teaser, or the Bronx as you have named her, thoughshe will not be called by any such nut-cracking name after I get her,"replied the daring privateersman, as blandly and pleasantly as though hewere planning a picnic.
"Of course you see no difficulties in the way of such an undertaking asyou propose," added Christy.
"There may be difficulties; but I think they can be overcome. I purposeto act through you, my friend, as my resources are rather limited at thepresent moment. In other words, I propose that you shall issue certainorders which I intend to dictate," Captain Flanger proceeded, as coollyas though he had been in his own cabin instead of that of his companion.
"You mean to dictate your orders to me," repeated the commander.
"Precisely so; and you will readily see that I am not exactly in aposition to act in any other manner, as I cannot go back on deck anddeliver them in person, for your officers would be prejudiced againstme, and might be disposed to rebel against my authority."
"Not improbable," added Christy. "You propose that I shall go on deck,and give your orders, acting as your proxy."
"Hardly, my dear friend, for I fear that on deck you would give way toyour own individual prejudices against me, and do something that wouldjeopard my interest in the premises. With your approbation, I shouldprefer to resort to a method that prevails in the army, though not toany considerable extent in the navy. More clearly, I will invite you tosend your orders on deck in writing, over your own signature."
"You think that method would suit you better than the usual one ofdelivering orders verbally," said Christy, laughing as much at thecoolness as at the impudence of his companion.
"It will not only suit me better, but you cannot fail to see that it isthe only practicable way for me to operate with my present very limitedresources. If I had a dozen good men and true,--not such dunderheads asyour officer captured in the Magnolia,--I should be able to proceed in amore orderly and regular manner. In that case, I should issue my ordersin person, and not compel you to act as my intermediary."
"I understand you perfectly now; but as you have not, fortunately forme, and unfortunately for yourself, the dozen men at hand, I am to holdthe fiddle while you play upon it, as I have seen a couple of negrominstrels do it."
"An excellent simile, Captain Passford, and I could not have invented abetter myself," returned the privateersman. "I think we understand eachother perfectly, and therefore it is not necessary to use up any moretime in explanations. You are too intelligent a person to fail tocomprehend my plan. As an epitome of the whole scene, I may add that Ipropose to do what my friend Galvinne undertook with that cousin ofyours: I intend to take the Bronx into Pensacola Bay, and have her usedin the service of the righteous cause in which the people of the Southare engaged," continued Captain Flanger, as though he believed in all hewas saying.
"I suppose it is the righteousness of the cause in particular that callsforth your admiration," chuckled Christy.
"Precisely so; in this cause, though I drink whiskey, chew, and smoke,and never swear except when I am excited, I am a religious man," saidthe intruder, laughing.
"I suppose you were religiously inclined when you were engaged in thebusiness of smuggling," added the commander.
"I cannot say that I was; the cause of the South is religion itself, andI am there every time. Who told you that I had been engaged insmuggling?"
"It dropped from some of the men that were captured in the sloop."
"It could have dropped only from Mike Bornhoff, for he is the only onewho knew anything about it. He is my property, and when we are fairlyin Pensacola Bay I shall seize him up to the grating, and give himthirty-nine for opening his mouth when he ought to have kept it closed.Where is he now, for I did not find him among the prisoners?"
"He has enlisted as a seaman, and seems to be a good one. By the way,where did you learn that my cousin attempted to take the Bronx intoPensacola Bay?" asked Christy curiously, though he was using up the timehe could not yet improve.
"It was not your cousin at all who attempted to take the vessel intoPensacola Bay; it was Galvinne, for Corny only acted as a figure-head,as I intend to use you. Galvinne was a prisoner by my side on board ofthe flag-ship, and told me all about it when he was releasing my righthand from the bracelet," replied Captain Flanger.
"Then I am to do duty as a figure-head, am I?" laughed Christy.
"Precisely; and you are a better-looking one than your cousin. Butexcuse me for changing the subject of the conversation, for I am losingtime. I see by the telltale over our heads that the Bronx is headed tothe south-west, which is doubtless the course you were ordered to takeby the commodore."
"The telltale is honest, and tells no lies," replied Christy.
"Where are you bound, Captain Passford?" asked Flanger, in a carelessand indifferent manner, as he looked about the cabin.
"I don't know."
"Sealed orders?"
"You must draw your own inferences, Captain Flanger."
"It won't take a six-mule team to draw that one," added theprivateersman, rather sourly for the first time. "Of course I understoodthat it would not be advisable for the commodore to let it be knownexactly where the steamer is bound, and that you have sealed orders.I shall have to trouble you, Captain Passford, to produce the envelope."
As he spoke Captain Flanger toyed with the revolver in his right handas if he intended that the weapon should produce its proper impressionon the mind, and especially upon the nerves, of the commander, whohad continued to walk up and down in front of the table at which hisdangerous associate was seated, occasionally pausing when a point wasmade on either side.
"Of course you cannot expect me to betray the confidence of thecommodore; that would not be kind or friendly on your part, CaptainFlanger, for you can see that this is a delicate matter," said Christy,halting in front of the table.
"It may be delicate; I admit that it is so for you: but as my plans maydepend somewhat upon a knowledge of your instructions, I really feelcompelled to insist upon this point, Captain Passford," replied theintruder as blandly as ever. "But we are living just now in a state ofwar, and it is quite impossible to act with as much delicacy us onemight desire."
"I am sorry that you feel constrained to act in this indelicate manner;but I cannot, on my honor and conscience, violate my orders, and I mustrespectfully decline to produce the envelope," replied Christy, feelingthat he had come to a crisis in the affair.
"You decline to gi
ve me your sealed orders? Do I correctly understandyou, Captain Passford?" demanded the privateersman with a frown upon hisbrow.
"Undoubtedly you do. I decline to give you my sealed orders. What then?"replied the commander, who began to feel a certain sense of shamebecause he had temporized so long with the bold pirate, for he regardedhim as such.
"What then?" repeated the intruder. "Why, you will reduce me to thedisagreeable necessity of blowing out your brains, if you have any,as I should judge that you had not, after your refusal to accede to myrequest in the face of the death that awaits you."
"I beg your pardon, Captain Flanger, but do you really purpose to blowout the brains of your figure-head?" asked Christy, as coolly as thoughno such threat had been suggested to him.
About this time Dave, who had taken care to keep in the front of thetable as he had been ordered to do, seized upon his feather duster, andbegan to dust the divan on the starboard side of the cabin. Flanger wasso much occupied with the commander at that moment, that he was notdisposed to take his eye off him for an instant; for certainly thesituation had become critical, and he paid no attention to the steward.Dave was a sort of a feather-duster fiend, and he used the article agreat deal of his time, apparently as much from habit as fromcleanliness.
"I should be extremely sorry to put a ball through your head, CaptainPassford, not only because it would disfigure a handsome face, butbecause you may be of great use to me," replied the pirate.
"And because, in your present enterprise as you have outlined it, youcannot get along without me," said Christy.
"In fact, you are more than half right. The sealed orders are notabsolutely necessary to me just now, and I shall not insist upon theproduction of them for the present. Now, if you will seat yourself atthe table opposite me, I will dictate an order to you, which you willoblige me by reducing to writing, and then by signing your name to it ascommander," continued Flanger, still toying with the heavy revolver.
Christy's curiosity was excited: he thought the order would throw somefurther light on the plan of the pirate; and he seated himself. CaptainFlanger proceeded to dictate to him an order to the officer of the deck,to the effect that his sealed orders directed him to cut out a rebelprivateer under the guns of Fort McRae; ordering him to head the Bronxto the north-west for this purpose, and instructing him to call him assoon as he made out the shore, Christy wrote it, and the pirate told himto sign it.
"You must excuse me, Captain Flanger, but I object to signing such anorder," replied Christy, as he rose from his chair.
"Sign it, or you are a dead man!" exclaimed Flanger fiercely.
"Be it so; death before dishonor," replied the commander firmly.
At this moment Dave had worked himself in behind the pirate; and, with awell-directed blow with the feather duster on the head of Flanger, hebrought him to the floor.
Flanger in the Captain's Cabin.--Page 281.]