by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER XXV
CAPTAIN FLANGER IN IRONS
Christy Passford related to Captain Chantor all that had occurred to thedetective and himself from the time of their departure from the ship totheir parting on the shore; and he did not fail to mention the fact thatMr. Gilfleur had come to his assistance when he was assaulted by theruffian in front of the saloon.
"You have had a narrow escape, Mr. Passford," said the commander, whenhe had concluded. "The idea of avenging an injury received in that wayis something I never happened to hear of before, though my experience isnot unlimited. Mr. Birdwing," he continued, after the first lieutenanthad reported to him, "had you any difficulty in effecting the capture ofthe Snapper?"
"Only with the captain; for my force was sufficient to have taken her ifshe had been fully armed and manned. There was no fighting; but I wasobliged to put the captain in irons, for he was about the ugliest andmost unreasonable man I ever encountered," replied the chief of the boatexpedition. "I was not at all satisfied that the steamer was a fitsubject for capture till your order came to me, brought by Mr. Hackling.Then Captain Flanger not only protested, with more bad language than Iever before heard in the same time, but he absolutely refused to yield.I could not give him the reasons that induced you to send me the order,and I referred the matter to you."
The Snapper had been anchored within a cable's length of the Chateaugay,and Mr. Birdwing had brought Captain Flanger on board of the ship, withPercy Pierson, that the question of prize might be definitely settled bythe commander, for he was not quite satisfied himself. The captain ofthe Snapper was still in irons, and he and his companion had been putunder guard in the waist. The man with the mutilated nose had not yetseen Christy, and possibly he was still wondering what had become of hischief officer and the two men who had been ordered to put the prisoneron the ledge.
Christy had informed Captain Chantor, in his narrative, of the manner inwhich he had turned the tables on his custodians, and he had notforgotten that the party were still where he had left them. He remindedthe commander of the latter fact, and a quartermaster was sent in thethird cutter to bring them off, and put them on board of the Snapper;where a considerable force still remained under the charge of Mr.Carlin, the third lieutenant.
"Now we will settle this matter with the captain of the Snapper, and Ihope to convince him that his vessel is a lawful prize, so far as shecan be so declared in advance of the decision of the court," saidCaptain Chantor. "Come with me, if you please, Mr. Birdwing. For thepresent, Mr. Passford, will you oblige me by keeping in the shade till Isend for you?"
"Certainly, Captain Chantor, though I should like to hear what CaptainFlanger has to say in defence of his steamer," replied the passenger."But I will take care not to show myself to him till you are ready forme."
"I do not object to that arrangement. I do not quite understand who thisPercy Pierson is, though you mentioned him in your report of what hadoccurred during your absence," added the commander.
"He is the son of Colonel Richard Pierson, a Confederate commissioner,who represents his government at Nassau, purchasing vessels asopportunity to do so is found. His son is the person who tried to induceme to take passage in the Snapper, with the promise that I should bepermitted to land at Key West. It was only a trick to get me on board ofthe steamer; and when it failed, for I declined to fall into the trap,I was captured by a gang of four or five ruffians, Captain Flanger beingone of them, and conveyed to the vessel, where I was locked up in astateroom till after she had sailed."
"That is a proper question for the British government to deal with, andI hope it will be put in the way of adjustment by the proper officials,though I am inclined to regard it as an act of war, which will justifyme in holding the men engaged in the outrage as prisoners. Do you knowwho they are, Mr. Passford?"
"I can designate only three of them,--the captain, Mr. Dawbin, the mate,who is now on the ledge, and Percy Pierson. I am sure they were all inthe carriage that conveyed me to the beach where I was put into theboat. The others were sailors, and I could not identify them."
"I will hold the three you name as prisoners," added Captain Chantor,as he moved forward, followed by the executive officer.
It was getting dark, and Christy made his way to the shadow of themainmast, where he obtained a position that enabled him to hear all thatpassed without being seen himself. Captain Flanger seemed to be moresubdued than he had been reported to be on board of the Snapper, and thecommander ordered the irons to be taken from his wrists.
"Captain Flanger, I have concluded to make a prize of the Snapper; but Iam willing to hear anything you may wish to offer," Captain Chantorbegan.
"I protest; you have no more right to make a prize of my vessel than youhave to capture a British man-of-war, if you were able to do such athing," replied the commander of the Snapper.
"Do you claim that the Snapper is a British vessel?"
"Yes, I do!" blustered Captain Flanger recklessly.
"Are you a British subject?"
"No, I am not; but I am not attempting to run the blockade."
"For what port are you bound?"
"Havana."
"Have you a clearance for that port?"
"For Havana, and a market."
"But you have no more idea of going to Havana than you have of going toChina," added the captain of the Chateaugay. "You are bound to Mobile,and you intend to run the blockade; and that intention proved, you areliable to capture."
"You seem to know my business better than I know it myself," saidCaptain Flanger, with a sneer in his tones.
"Perhaps I know it quite as well as you do, at least so far as thevoyage of the Snapper is concerned," replied the commander of theChateaugay, who proceeded to explain international law in relation tothe intention to run the blockade. "I shall be able to prove in thecourt which sits upon your case that you left Nassau for the purposeof running the blockade established at the entrance of Mobile Bay.I presume that will be enough to satisfy both you and the court. InNassau you did not hesitate to announce your intention to run theblockade, and get into Mobile."
"I should like to see you prove it," growled the captain of the Snapper,in his sneering tones.
"I don't think you would like to see me do it; but I will take you atyour word, and prove it now. I have an excellent witness, to whom youmade your announcement;" and at this remark Christy stepped out frombehind the mainmast, and placed himself in front of the astoundedruffian. "Lieutenant Passford, a naval officer in excellent repute,is all ready to make oath to your assertions."
Captain Flanger and Percy Pierson gazed in silence at the witness, forthey supposed he was on the ledge to which he had been transported bythe boat. Christy repeated what he had said before, and stated in whatmanner he had been made a prisoner on board of the Snapper.
"For this outrage in a neutral port I shall hold you and Mr. Pierson asprisoners, leaving the government to determine what steps shall be takenin regard to you; but I trust you will be handed over to the authoritiesat Nassau, to be properly punished for the outrage."
Of course this decision did not suit Captain Flanger; and Percy Piersonappeared to be intensely alarmed at the prospect before him. CaptainChantor, after consulting with his naval passenger, determined to sendthe Snapper to Key West, from which she could readily be despatched toNew York if occasion should require. Mr. Carlin was appointedprize-master, with a sufficient crew; and at daylight the next morninghe sailed for his destination.
The boat which had been sent for the mate and two men belonging to theSnapper put them on board of the steamer; but the captain and thepassenger were retained on board of the Chateaugay. The man with themutilated nose was so disgusted at the loss of his vessel, and with thedecision of his captor, that he could not contain himself; and it becamenecessary not only to restore his irons, but also to commit him to the"brig," which is the ship's prison.
"What is to become of me, Christy?" asked Percy in the evening, overcomewith terro
r at the prospect before him.
"That is more than I can inform you," replied Christy coldly.
"But we had no intention of doing you any harm; and we treated you wellafter you went on board of the Snapper."
"You committed a dastardly outrage upon me; but your punishment will beleft to others."
"But I had no intention to do you any harm," pleaded Percy.
"No more lies! You have told me enough since I met you."
"But I am speaking the truth now," protested the frightened Southerner.
"No, you are not; the truth is not in you! Did you mean me no harm whenyou attempted to entice me on board of the Snapper? Did you mean me noharm when you engaged Flanger and his ruffians to make me a prisoner,and put me on board of his steamer? It was a flagrant outrage frombeginning to end; for I had the same rights in Nassau that you and yourfather had, and both of you abused the hospitality of the place when youassaulted me."
"You were a prisoner of the Confederacy, and had escaped in ablockade-runner; and I thought it was no more than right that you shouldbe returned to your prison," Percy explained.
"I had the right to escape if I could, and was willing to take the risk;and my capture in Nassau was a cowardly trick. But I did not escape froma Confederate prison."
"You told me you did."
"I did not; that was a conclusion to which you jumped with very littlehelp from me."
"I thought I was doing my duty to my country."
"Then you were an idiot. You have done your best to compromise yourcountry, as you call it, with the British government. If your father isnot sent out of Nassau, I shall lose my guess as a Yankee."
"But my father would not allow Captain Flanger to do you any harm; forhe was bent upon hanging you as soon as he got out of sight of land, andhe sent me with you to see my mother in order to prevent him fromcarrying out his threat."
"You would have been a powerful preventive in the face of such a brutalruffian as Captain Flanger," said Christy with a sneer. "You have liedto me before about your father, and I cannot believe anything you say."
"I am speaking the truth now; my father saved your life. I heard himtell Flanger that he would lose the command of the Snapper if any harmcame to you."
"If he did so, he did it from the fear of the British authorities.I have nothing more to say about it."
"But as my father saved your life, you ought to stand by me in thisscrape," pleaded Percy.
"Whatever was done by you or your father for me, was done from the fearof consequences; and you were the originator of the outrage against me,"added Christy, as he descended to the ward room.
The next morning the Snapper was on her voyage to Key West, and theChateaugay headed for the Hole in the Wall, though she gave it a wideberth, and stood off to the eastward. The next night, being the fourthsince the Eleuthera left the ship, the boat containing Mr. Gilfleur waspicked up about twenty miles east of the lights. The detective came onboard, and was welcomed by the captain, who had been called by his ownorder.