by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER I
A CONFERENCE AT BONNYDALE
"Well, Christy, how do you feel this morning?" asked Captain Passford,one bright morning in April, at Bonnydale on the Hudson, the residenceof the former owner of the Bellevite, which he had presented to thegovernment.
"Quite well, father; I think I never felt any better in all my life,"replied Lieutenant Passford, of the United States Navy, recentlycommander of the little gunboat Bronx, on board of which he had beenseverely wounded in an action with a Confederate fort in Louisiana.
"Do you feel any soreness at the wound in your arm?" inquired thedevoted parent with some anxiety.
"Not a particle, father."
"Or at the one in your thigh?"
"Not the slightest bit of soreness. In fact, I have been ready to returnto my duty at any time within the last month," replied Christy verycheerfully. "It would be a shame for me to loiter around home anylonger, when I am as able to plank the deck as I ever was. In truth,I think I am better and stronger than ever before, for I have had a longrest."
"Your vacation has been none too long, for you were considerably rundown, the doctor said, in addition to your two wounds," added CaptainPassford, senior; for the young man had held a command, and was entitledto the same honorary title as his father.
"These doctors sometimes make you think you are sicker than you reallyare," said Christy with a laugh.
"But your doctor did not do so, for your mother and I both thought youwere rather run out by your labors in the Gulf."
"If I was, I am all right now. Do I look like a sick one? I weigh morethan I ever did before in my life."
"Your mother has taken excellent care of you, and you certainly looklarger and stronger than when you went to sea in the Bronx."
"But I am very tired of this inactive life. I have been assigned to theBellevite as second lieutenant, a position I prefer to a command, forthe reasons I have several times given you, father."
"I am certainly very glad to have you returned to the Bellevite, thoughthe honors will be easier with you than they were when you were thecommander of the Bronx."
"But I shall escape the responsibility of the command, and avoid beingpointed at as one who commands by official influence," said Christy,rather warmly; for he felt that he had done his duty with the utmostfidelity, and it was not pleasant to have his hard-earned honorsdiscounted by flings at his father's influence with the government.
"It is impossible to escape the sneers of the discontented, and thereare always plenty of such in the navy and the army. But, Christy, youwrong yourself in taking any notice of such flings, for they have neverbeen thrown directly at you, if at all. You are over-sensitive, and youhave not correctly interpreted what your superiors have said to you,"said Captain Passford seriously.
His father recalled some of the conversations between the young officerand Captain Blowitt and others, reported to him before. He insisted thatthe remarks of his superiors were highly complimentary to him, and thathe had no right to take offence at them.
"I dare say I am entirely wrong, father; but it will do me no harm toserve in a subordinate capacity," added Christy.
"I agree with you here; but I must tell you again, as I have half adozen times before, that I never asked a position or promotion for youat the Navy Department. You have won your honors and your advancementyourself," continued the father.
"Well, it was all the same, father; you have used your time and yourmoney very freely in the service of the government, as you could nothelp doing. I know that I did my duty, and the department promoted mebecause I was your son," said Christy, laughing.
"Not at all, my son; you deserved your promotion every time, and if youhad been the son of a wood-chopper in the State of Maine, you would havebeen promoted just the same," argued Captain Passford.
"Perhaps I should," answered the young officer rather doubtfully.
"After what you did in your last cruise with the Bronx, a larger andfiner vessel would have been given to you in recognition of thebrilliant service you had rendered," added the father. "I prevented thisfrom being done simply because you wished to take the position of secondlieutenant on board of the Bellevite."
"Then I thank you for it, father," replied Christy heartily.
"But the department thinks it has lost an able commander," continued thecaptain with a smile.
"I am willing to let the department think so, father. All I really askof the officials now is to send me back to the Gulf, and to theBellevite. I believe you said that I was to go as a passenger in theChateaugay."
"I did; and she has been ready for over a week."
"Why don't she go, then?" asked Christy impatiently.
"On her way to the Gulf she is to engage in some special service,"replied Captain Passford, as he took some letters from his pocket.
"Letters!" exclaimed the young lieutenant, laughing as he recalled somesuch missives on two former occasions. "Do you still keep your threeagents in the island of Great Britain?"
"I don't keep them, for they are now in the employ of the government,though they still report to me, and we use the system adopted some twoyears ago."
"What is it this time, father?" asked Christy, his curiosity as well ashis patriotism excited by this time at the prospect of capturing aConfederate man-of-war, or even a blockade-runner.
"There are traitors in and about the city of New York," answered CaptainPassford, as he returned the letters to his pocket. "We had a rebel inthe house here at one time, you remember, and it is not quite prudentjust now to explain the contents of the letters."
"All right, father; but I suppose you will read them to me before I sailfor the South."
"I will talk to you about it another time," added the captain, as aknock was heard at the door. "Come in!"
It was the man-servant of the house, and he brought in a tray on whichthere was a card, which Captain Passford took.
"Captain Wilford Chantor," the captain read from the card. "Show him in,Gates. Lieutenant Chantor is appointed to the command of the Chateaugay,Christy, in which you take passage to the Gulf; but she will not gothere directly."
"Captain Chantor," said Gates, as he opened the door for the visitor.
"I am happy to see you, Captain Chantor, though I have not had thepleasure of meeting you before," said the captain, as he rose from hischair, and bowed to the gentleman, who was in the uniform of alieutenant.
"I presume I have the honor to address Captain Horatio Passford," saidthe visitor, as he took a letter from his pocket, bowing veryrespectfully at the same time, and delivering the letter.
"I am very glad to meet you, Captain Chantor," continued CaptainPassford, taking the hand of the visitor. "Allow me to introduce to youmy son, Lieutenant Passford, who will be a passenger on your ship to theGulf."
"I am very happy to make your acquaintance, Mr. Passford, for I needhardly say that I have heard a great deal about you before, and this isa very unexpected pleasure," replied Captain Chantor.
"Thank you, Captain, and I am equally happy to meet you, as I am to be apassenger on your ship," added Christy, as they shook hands verycordially.
"I had three other passengers on board, but they have been transferredto the store-ship, which sails to-day, and you will be my onlypassenger."
"At my suggestion," said Captain Passford smiling, doubtless at thepuzzled expression of the captain of the Chateaugay at his statement.
"I am to attend to some special service on my voyage to the Gulf, and Iam ordered to take my instructions from you," added Captain Chantor.
"Precisely so; but I hold no official position, and your orders will beput in proper form before you sail," replied Christy's father. "Now, ifyou will be patient for a little while, I will explain the nature of thespecial service."
"I shall be very glad to understand the subject, and I am confident mypatience will hold out to any extent you may require."
The conversation so far had taken place in the library. The owner
ofBonnydale rose from his arm-chair, opened the door into the hall, andlooked about him very cautiously. Then he closed a window which theunusual warmth of an April day had rendered it necessary to open. Heconducted his companions to the part of the room farthest from the door,and seated them on a sofa, while he placed his arm-chair in front ofthem. Even Christy thought his father was taking extraordinaryprecautions, and the visitor could make nothing of it.
"As I have had occasion to remark before to-day, there are traitors inand about New York," the captain began.
"If you have any private business with Captain Chantor, father, I amperfectly willing to retire," suggested Christy.
"No; I wish you to understand this special service, for you may becalled upon to take a hand in it," replied Captain Passford; and theson seated himself again. "There are traitors in and about New York,I repeat. I think we need not greatly wonder that some of the Englishpeople persist in attempting to run the blockade at the South, when someof our own citizens are indirectly concerned in the same occupation."
This seemed to the captain of the Chateaugay an astounding statement,and not less so to Christy, and neither of them could make anything ofit; but they were silent, concluding that the special service related tothis matter.
"In what I am about to say to you, Captain Chantor, I understand that Iam talking to an officer of the utmost discretion," continued CaptainPassford, "and not a word of it must be repeated to any person on boardof the Chateaugay, and certainly not to any other person whatever."
"I understand you perfectly, sir," replied the officer. "My lips shallbe sealed to all."
"I wish to say that the command of the Chateaugay would have beenoffered to my son, but I objected for the reason that he prefers not tohave a command at present," said the captain.
"That makes it very fortunate for me."
"Very true, though the change was not made for your sake. You wereselected for this command as much on account of your discretion as foryour skill and bravery as an officer."
"I consider myself very highly complimented by the selection."
"Now to the point: I have information that a fast steamer, intended tocarry eight guns, called the Ovidio, sailed from the other side of theocean some time since, and she is to be a vessel in the Confederatenavy. Her first port will be Nassau, New Providence."
"Does that prove that any Americans are traitors in and about New York,father?" asked Christy.
"She is to run the blockade with a cargo consisting in part of Americangoods."
Captain Passford took a file of papers from his pocket.