Marcy the Blockade Runner

by Harry Castlemon

  CHAPTER IX.

  THE "SUMTER" LOSES A PRIZE.

  While the majority of the _Sabine's_ crew chafed and fretted likecaptive birds which beat their wings against the bars of their cage tono purpose, there were two who stood aloof from every one and from eachother; who never spoke a word, but who nevertheless came to a perfectunderstanding through the interchange of frequent and expressiveglances. They were the captain and Jack Gray. Each one knew as well asif the other had explained it to him, that both had resolved upon thesame thing--that before the sun rose again the _Sabine_ must be takenout of the hands of the prize crew, and her course shaped toward aNorthern port, no matter what the risk might be.

  "I knew, although I had no chance to speak to the old man about it, thatour first hard work must be to disarm those five rebels," said Jack, intelling his story. "I knew it would be easy enough to do that if we allmoved together, for there was but one native American in the prizecrew--the midshipman--and he was a little whiffet to be strangled with afinger and thumb. Even the fact that we were in the middle of the tow,the _Sumter_ ahead and the _Herndon_ behind, wouldn't have made anydifference to us if we had had control of the brig, because a few lustyblows with an axe would have severed the two hawsers and the darknesswould have aided us in making our escape; but the trouble was, theelements were against us. The wind would not come up, and of course itwould be of no use for us to take the brig unless we had a breeze tohelp us draw off."

  While the captain and his vigilant second mate were waiting and watchingin the hope that something might unexpectedly turn up in their favor,Captain Semmes came to their aid. The _Sumter_ with her heavy tow andlittle breeze to help her, was making headway altogether too slowly tosuit him; and besides, it had occurred to him that it might be well torun ahead and find out what the authorities at Cienfuegos thought of himand his government, and whether or not they would permit Yankee prizesto be condemned and sold in that port. The first intimation the brig'screw had that Captain Semmes was about to cast off his tow was a warningwhistle from the _Sumter_. This was followed by a sudden slackening ofthe hawser, and a few minutes later the _Sumter's_ black hulk showeditself on the starboard bow. She was backing water.

  "_Sabine_ ahoy!" came the hail.

  "On board the _Sumter!_ replied the midshipman.

  "Cast off the _Herndon's_ hawser and stand by to pass it aboard of us."

  The midshipman responded with an "Ay, ay, sir!" and ordered the brig'screw to lay aft and hold themselves in readiness to cast off when theyreceived the word. It took half an hour to transfer the line from onevessel to the other (it was accomplished by the aid of a small boat),and then another order came to the prize-master of the _Sabine_.

  "Haul in your own hawser and make sail and follow us into port," werethe instructions he received, and which he at once proceeded to actupon. He did not notice, however, that the first man to seize the hawserand lay out his strength upon it with a "Heave yo! All together now,"was the surly second mate, who seemed to take the loss of his vessel somuch to heart that he hadn't said a word to anybody since the prize crewwas put aboard of her. But Jack Gray was there with an object. When theend of the hawser had been wound around the capstan, and the bars wereshipped, he took pains to place himself next to a couple of GreenMountain boys, whose courage had been proved in more than one tryingordeal.

  "Heave yo! 'Round she goes. Strike up a song, somebody," shouted Jack;and then he leaned over and spoke so that not only the two men who wereheaving at the bar with him but also the three who were on the bar infront could hear every word he said. "Listen, boys," said he earnestly."We're going to take the ship out of the hands of these pirates. Put ahandspike or an axe where you can get your hands on it, and be ready tojump the instant the old man or I make a move."

  Jack could say no more just then, for in his progress around the capstanhe came opposite the place where the midshipman was standing. Hebreasted the bar manfully and joined in the song, looking as innocent asthough he had never thought of knocking the midshipman overboard if thelatter gave him even the shadow of a chance to do it.

  "I knew well enough that you cabin fellows would never let thesevillains get away with the brig," said the man on his left, as soon asit was safe for him to speak. "Jump as soon as you get ready and we'llbe there. What was it you read to us from that Mobile paper you broughtaboard at Rio--that one Southern gentleman is as good as five Northernmudsills? We will give them a chance to prove it."

  "Pass the word among the boys and tell them to stand by to bear a handwhen the time comes," added the second mate. "But be sly about it, forwe must not arouse the suspicions of these rebels. They are armed and weare not."

  In due time the hawser was hauled aboard and stowed away, and then themidshipman prepared to make sail and follow the _Sumter_ which was bythis time so far off that her lights could not be seen. It took a goodwhile to do this, and once, while working on the foreyard, Jack wasdelighted to find himself by his captain's side.

  "I hope that rebel officer didn't see you come up," said Jack. "If hedid he will be on his guard, and then good-by to all our chances oftaking the ship."

  "Do you take me for a dunce?" asked the captain, in reply. "I came upwhen he wasn't looking, because I wanted a chance to say a word toyou."

  "I know what you would say if you had time," was Jack's answer. "So dothe men. They have all been posted, and are as eager to get the shipback as you can possibly be."

  "Very good," said the captain, who was highly gratified. "Stand by thecompanion-ladder and watch all that goes on in the cabin."

  Having seen the last sail sheeted home Jack obeyed the order to "laydown from aloft," and engaged the midshipman in conversation to give thecaptain a chance to gain the deck without being discovered. At the sametime he noticed that the long wished for breeze was springing up, andthat everything was beginning to draw beautifully. At this moment thesteward came up from the cabin and approached the place where they werestanding.

  "You haven't had any supper, sir," said he, saluting the midshipman."Won't you come down and drink a cup of coffee and eat an orange?"

  Jack fairly trembled while he waited for the officer's reply. He wasafraid he would decline the invitation--Jack knew he would have done soif he had been in the midshipman's place, and that nothing short of anoverpowering force would have taken him from the deck so long as he wasprize-master of the brig. But the young officer's fears had not onlybeen lulled to sleep by the orderly conduct of the _Sabine's_ crew,which led him to believe that they, like all the rest of theircountrymen, were too cowardly to show fight under any circumstances, buthe was tired and hungry, and he thought that a cup of coffee andsomething good to eat would take the place of the night's sleep which heknew he was going to lose. Accordingly he followed the steward towardthe cabin, and then Jack told himself that something was about tohappen--that this was a part of the captain's plan for seizing thevessel. Jack had been instructed to stand at the top of thecompanion-ladder and watch all that went on below, and in order that hemight carry out those instructions without attracting the midshipman'sattention, he quietly removed his shoes and stood in his stocking feet.As he was about to start for the post that had been assigned him, he sawan opportunity to aid the captain that was too good to be lost. Standingwithin less than ten feet of him was one of the Confederate sailors. Hewas leaning over the rail looking down into the water, evidently in abrown study. He held his musket clasped in his arms in a positionsomething like "arms port," and Jack knew that he carried his revolveron the right side, that the butt was entirely out of the holster, andthat there was no strap to hold the weapon in place. He had taken noteof these facts when the prize-crew first came aboard.

  Before attempting to carry out the desperate plan he had so suddenlyconceived for securing this particular rebel, Jack swept a hasty glanceover the deck to calculate his chances for success. They could not havebeen better. There was not another one of the prize-cr
ew in sight; butjust across from him, on the other side of the deck, stood Stebbins, oneof the Green Mountain boys who had worked at the capstan with him. Othermembers of the crew were making a pretense of being busy at something inthe waist, but they were one and all keeping a close watch on the secondmate, and there were hand-spikes, axes, or belaying-pins within easyreach. Jack made a warning gesture to Stebbins, and the sailor at oncereached for his capstan-bar. With two quick, noiseless steps Jack placedhimself close behind the dreaming rebel, and thrusting his left arm overhis shoulder seized his musket with a firm grasp, while at the sametime, with his right hand, he deftly slipped the revolver from itsholster.

  "Not a word--not a whisper!" said Jack, placing the muzzle of the heavyColt close to the rebel's head. "Let go that gun. Stebbins, take off hiscutlass and buckle it around your own waist."

  When the captive recovered himself sufficiently to look around, he wasastonished to find that he was confronted by four of the brig's foremasthands, all of whom carried weapons of some sort, which they heldthreateningly over his head. There was no help for it, and he was promptto obey both Jack's orders; that is to say, he gave up his gun and kepthis lips closed.

  "Lead him aft, Stebbins, and stand guard over him with your cutlass,"commanded Jack. "If he tries to run or give warning to his companions,cut him down. Smith, take this musket and keep a sharp eye on me. Theofficer is in the cabin, and I don't think the old man means to let himcome out very soon."

  Stebbins moved off with his prisoner. Smith and the other two sailorsstationed themselves where they could see everything the second matedid, and the latter advanced close to the companion-way so that he couldlook down and obtain a view of the interior of the cabin. At the veryfirst glance he saw something to discourage him.

  "The moment the old man told me to watch all that went on in the cabin,that moment I understood his plan," said Jack. "And when I afterwardcompared notes with him and the steward, I learned that I had made nomistake. The captain was not denied the privilege of going in and out ofhis cabin as often as he pleased, and that was one place where themidshipman, who was really a sharp officer, did wrong. Another wrongmove he made was in scattering his men about the deck. If he had keptthem close together, so that they could have helped one another, wenever could have taken the brig."

  It was during one of these visits to the cabin that the captain took hisrevolver from the place in which he had concealed it when he saw theprize-crew coming aboard, and put four pairs of hand-cuffs into hispockets; for when the rebel boarding officer hauled down his colors, hedetermined that at sunrise the next morning the Stars and Stripes shouldagain float at his peak if he had to sacrifice half his crew to get themthere. His next move was to order his steward to dish up supper, andwhen it was ready he sent word to the midshipman to come down and have abite; but, although the brig was towing at the stern of the _Sumter_ andthere was not the smallest chance for her to escape, the officer wouldnot trust himself within reach of the skipper and his mates. However, hewas not afraid to go into the cabin alone, and when the steward askedhim, in Jack's hearing, to come below and drink a cup of coffee and eatan orange, he accepted the invitation; but his actions indicated that hewas very suspicious.

  "Sit down here, sir," said the steward, drawing back the chair he hadplaced for him.

  "Well, hardly," replied the officer, glancing at the door behind him,which, by the way, opened into the captain's state-room. "Move thatchair and plate to the other side of the table."

  "Certainly, sir," said the steward, in his politest tones; and thecommand was promptly obeyed.

  The first thing the midshipman did after he had taken his seat, was todraw his revolver from its holster and show it to the steward; and thenhe placed it on the chair under his left leg.

  "You will observe that I don't put it on the table and give you a chanceto snatch it while I am in the act of drinking my coffee," said heblandly.

  "Certainly, sir," said the steward again.

  "You Yankees have the reputation of being pretty sharp people,"continued the officer, "and I believe you are somewhat famous for thetricks you play upon unsuspecting strangers; but you will find thatthere are smarter men south of Mason and Dixon's line than there arenorth of it. Now, if we understand each other, trot out your grub."

  The steward ran up the ladder, at the top of which he found the secondmate, standing back out of the light so that the midshipman could notsee him if he chanced to look toward the deck.

  "Did you notice that he would not sit where I wanted him to?" whisperedthe steward. "The old man is in his state-room, waiting for a chance torush out and grab him, but I am afraid that move on the Confederate'spart will knock the whole thing in the head."

  "Not by a long shot," replied Jack. "We've got firearms of our own now,and if the worst is forced upon us, we'll engage them in a regularbattle. But we don't want to shoot if we can help it, for that mightbring the _Sumter_ upon us."

  The steward vanished in the galley, and while he was gone Jack thoughtseriously of giving him the revolver he had taken from the capturedrebel, and telling him to watch his chance to put it to the head of themidshipman while he was eating his supper, and demand his surrender onpain of death. That would have been just the thing to do, Jack thought,if he were only sure that the steward's courage would not fail him whenthe critical moment came; but unfortunately he was not quite positive onthat point. He had never had an opportunity to see how the steward wouldact in an emergency, and after a little reflection he concluded that hehad better keep the weapon in his own possession.

  In a few minutes the steward came out of the galley, carrying a trayupon which he had placed a tempting supper, and Jack saw him descendinto the cabin and put it on the table.

  "Here, you fellow, that won't do," he heard the midshipman exclaim."Don't take quite so much pains to get behind me, if you please. Standaround on the other side of the table, so that I can see everything youdo."

  "Certainly, sir," answered the steward, as he hastened to take theposition pointed out to him.

  If Jack Gray had been in the cabin at that moment he would have seenthat he did a wise thing when he decided to hold fast to his revolverinstead of handing it over to the steward and depending upon him tocapture the midshipman, for when the latter emphasized his commands bypulling his six-shooter from under his leg and raising and lowering thehammer with one hand, keeping the muzzle pointed toward the steward'shead all the while, the latter grew as white as a sheet and trembled inevery limb. After he thought he had inflicted sufficient torture uponthe timid fellow, the Confederate put up his weapon and demanded:

  "What State are you from?"

  "Massachusetts, sir."

  "Are all Massachusetts men as great cowards as you are?"

  "Certainly, sir," answered the steward, who was afraid to say anythingelse.

  "Then we're going to have a walk-over, sure enough," said the rebel."You Yankees are afraid to fight."

  "Certainly, sir."

  Every word of this conversation was overheard by a man who, but for amost unfortunate interruption, would have forced the Confederate officerto swallow his words almost as soon as they had left his lips. It wasthe skipper. He had come down from aloft and reached his cabin withoutbeing seen, and it was in obedience to his instructions that theprize-master had been asked below to get some supper. His plan was tohave the steward seat the officer with his back to a certain state-room,so that he could be seized from behind and choked into submission beforehe knew that there was a third party in the cabin; but that could not bedone now. The rebel's suspicions led him to change to the other side ofthe table, and he now sat facing the state-room door, on whose fartherside stood the merchant captain with rage in his heart and a cockedrevolver in his hand. The captain knew that he was going to put himselfin danger when he attempted to make a prisoner of the midshipman, butthat did not deter him. When he heard that sweeping charge of cowardicemade against the men of his native State he could stand it no longer,but
jerked open the door and sprang into the cabin.

  Now came that unexpected interruption to the skipper's plan of which wehave spoken. The steward heard the door of the state room creak softlybehind him, and, knowing what was coming, he made a quick jump to oneside to get out of the skipper's way and leave him a clear field for hisoperations; but he was so badly frightened that he hardly knew what hewas about, and consequently he did the very thing he tried to avoid. Hesprang directly in front of his commander, and the two came togetherwith such force that they measured their length on the cabin floor, thecaptain and his revolver being underneath. For one single instant theprize-master sat as motionless in his chair as if he had been turnedinto a block of wood; but it was for one instant only. He was quick tocomprehend the situation, and equally quick to act. He sprang to hisfeet, and before either of the prostrate men could make a move he ranaround the end of the table and covered them with his revolver.

  "If you stir or utter a word I will shoot you as quickly as I wouldshoot a couple of dogs which disputed my right to use the highway," saidhe, in tones that could not have been steadier if he had been orderingthe boatswain's mate of the _Sumter_ to pipe sweepers. "Captain, dropthat revolver on the floor without moving your hand a hair's-breadth."

  "Let go your own revolver," said a voice in his ear: and to his infiniteamazement the Confederate suddenly found himself in a grasp so strongthat it not only rendered him incapable of action, but brought him tohis knees in a second. One vise-like hand was fastened upon the back ofhis neck and the other upon his wrist, turning the muzzle of therevolver upward, so that it pointed toward the roof of the cabin.

  JACK GRAY RECAPTURES THE BRIG.]

  This is what we referred to when we stated that if it had not been forJack Gray's courage and prompt action, it is probable that the brigwould never have been recaptured. When the midshipman jumped from hischair and ran around the table, he turned his back toward thecompanion-way; and the moment he did so, Jack Gray, who saw that thecritical time had come and that the next few seconds would decide whowere to be masters of the brig, made a spring for the ladder. As he wasin his stocking feet his movements were noiseless, and so rapid, too,that he had the Confederate prize-master in his grasp before the latterwas fairly done speaking. Then he was powerless, for the second mate hada grip that few who knew him cared to contend against.

  "Didn't you have the revolver you took from the captured sailor in yourpocket?" inquired Marcy, when Jack reached this point in his story.

  "I did, but I didn't think it best to depend upon it, for this reason:Although the midshipman wasn't much to look at, he had showed himself tobe possessed of any amount of pluck, and I was afraid that even if Isucceeded in getting the drop on him he might shoot any way, for thedouble purpose of disabling me and calling his men to his assistance. SoI made all haste to get a hold on him."

  "Now that I think of it," continued Marcy, who was deeply interested inthe narrative, "why did Captain Semmes keep the _Herndon_ in tow when hecast off the _Sabine?_ Why didn't he let both vessels go?"

  "I have never been able to account for that except upon the suppositionthat he had more confidence in our prize-master than he had in the onehe put aboard the _Herndon_," replied sailor Jack. "The _Herndon_ was aheavy vessel, and had a much larger crew than we had; and perhaps thathad something to do with it. I think we taught Semmes a lesson he willremember. I don't believe he will ever again trust a Yankee prize and aYankee crew out of reach of his big guns."

  The master of the brig and his frightened steward got upon their feet assoon as they could, and found that the Confederate officer had beensecured beyond all possibility of escape. The second mate had twistedhis revolver from his grasp; Smith, the man to whom Jack had given thecaptured musket, was holding a bayonet close to his nose, and anothersailor was threatening him with a handspike.

  "Did you really think that nine Yankee sailors would permit fivetraitors to work their sweet will on them?" demanded the skipper, as helet down the hammer of the officer's revolver and dropped the weaponinto his own pocket. "I think you will learn to your cost that you havebeen very much mistaken in the opinions you have formed of Northernpeople. I shall have to ask you to go into my state-room and remainthere, leaving the door open. Smith, stay here and watch him, while therest of us go on deck, and attend to the other four."

  "There are but three left, Captain," observed Jack. "One is already aprisoner, and Stebbins is keeping guard over him."

  At that moment a body of men marched aft from the forecastle, came to ahalt at the top of the ladder, and a hoarse voice hailed the cabin. Itwas the voice of the first mate.

  "Tumble up, Cap'n," said the officer. "We've got the rest of 'em hardand fast. Tumble up and take command of your ship. She's your'n oncemore."

  That was the most gratifying piece of news Jack Gray had ever heard.