by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER XXVI
A VISIT TO TAMPA BAY
As soon as Mr. Gilfleur had been welcomed back to the Chateaugay thecommander gave the order to the officer of the deck to have the Bahamaboat hoisted to the deck, and disposed of as before.
"I beg your pardon, Captain Chantor; but be so kind as to allow the boatto remain alongside, for I must return to Nassau," interposed thedetective.
"Return to Nassau!" exclaimed the captain.
"Yes, sir; it is really necessary that I should do so, for you see thatI have come back without Mr. Passford," replied the Frenchman. "He wasattacked by a cowardly ruffian in front of a saloon in the town, and Ilost sight of him after that. I have been terribly distressed about him,for the ruffian threatened to kill him, and I fear he has executed histhreat."
"Don't distress yourself for another instant, Mr. Gilfleur, for Mr.Passford is on board of the ship at this moment, and doubtless asleep inhis stateroom," said the captain, cutting short the narrative of thedetective.
"On board of the ship!" exclaimed the Frenchman, retreating a few pacesin his great surprise. "Impossible! Quite impossible! I found our boatjust where we had left it at the back side of the island."
"But what I say is entirely true; and Mr. Passford wished me to have himcalled when you came on board," added the commander, as he sent aquartermaster to summon Christy to the captain's cabin.
"I don't understand how Mr. Passford can be on board of the ship,"continued the bewildered Frenchman. "Ah, he might have hired a boat likethe Eleuthera to bring him off."
"He might have done so, but he did not," replied Captain Chantor, as hedirected the officer of the deck to go ahead, making the course east, assoon as he had secured the detective's boat. "Now, if you will come tomy cabin, Mr. Gilfleur, Mr. Passford shall inform you himself that he ison board of the ship; and he has quite an exciting story to tell."
The commander and the Frenchman went below, and seated themselves in thecabin of the former.
"Mr. Passford has already informed me that the Ovidio is at Nassau, butthat she has been seized by a British gunboat for violation of theneutrality laws," said the captain.
"That is quite true, and it is not probable that the case will besettled for a month to come," replied Mr. Gilfleur. "But I ascertainedby great good luck that her armament was waiting for her at Green Cay,if you know where that is: I do not."
"It is on the Tongue of the Ocean, as it is called, nearly a hundredmiles to the southward of Nassau. I supposed it would be managed in somesuch way as that," added the commander. "But do you think it will be amonth before her case will be settled?"
"Of course I know nothing about it myself; but I found a court officialwho was very desirous of talking French, and he invited me to dine withhim at his house. I began to ask him questions about the blockade, andthe vessels in the harbor; and finally he gave me his opinion that adecision in the case of the Ovidio could not be reached in less than amonth, and it might be two mouths."
At this moment there was a knock at the door of the cabin, and thecaptain called to the person to come in. Christy, who had taken the timeto dress himself fully, opened the door and entered the cabin. TheFrenchman leaped from his seat, and embraced the young officer as thoughhe had been his wife or sweetheart, from whom he had been separated foryears. Christy, who was not very demonstrative in this direction,submitted to the hugging with the best possible grace, for he knew thatthe detective was sincere, and had actually grown to love him, perhapsas much for his father's sake as for his own.
"Oh, my dear Mr. Passford, you are to me like one who has come out ofhis grave, for I have believed for nearly three days that you had beenkilled by the ruffian that attacked you in the street!" exclaimed Mr.Gilfleur, still pressing both of his late companion's hands in his own."I was never so rejoiced in all my life, not even when I had unearthed amurderer."
"Perhaps you expected to unearth another murderer," said Christy with asmile.
"That was just what I intended to do. I heard the villanous ruffianswear that he would kill you, and I was almost sure he had done so whenyou failed to meet me in the rear of the hotel."
At the request of the commander, Christy repeated the story of hisadventure in Nassau as briefly as possible, up to the time he had beenpicked up by the Chateaugay's cutter, and conveyed on board of the ship.The detective was deeply interested, and listened to the narration withthe closest attention. At the end of it, he pressed the hand of theyoung officer again, and warmly congratulated him upon his escape fromthe enemy.
Mr. Gilfleur then reported more in detail than he had done before, theresult of his mission. He gave the names of all the intendingblockade-runners in the harbor of Nassau; but the captain declared thathe could not capture them on any such evidence as the detective had beenable to obtain, for it would not prove the intention.
"The Ovidio may not come out of Nassau for two months to come, and thenshe will proceed to Green Cay," said Captain Chantor. "I do not think Ishould be justified in waiting so long for her, especially as she is torun her cargo into Mobile. The blockaders will probably be able to pickher up. I think my mission in the Bahama Islands is finished, and theChateaugay must proceed to more fruitful fields."
"But you have not made a bad voyage of it so far, Captain Chantor,"added Christy. "You sent in the Ionian, sunk the Dornoch, and capturedthe Cadet and the Snapper, to say nothing of bagging a Confederatecommissioner, and the son of another. I should have been glad if you hadsent in Colonel Pierson, for he has already done our commerce a greatdeal of mischief."
"I am entirely satisfied, and doubtless the information obtained hereand at the Bermudas will enable our fleet to pick up some more of thesteamers you have spotted," added the captain, as he rose from his seat,and dismissed his guests.
The Frenchman was so exhausted by his labors, and the want of sleep,that he retired at once to his room, while Christy went on deck with thecommander. The ship had been working to the eastward for over an hour;but the order was given for her to come about, and the course was laidfor the light at the Hole in the Wall.
"Now, Mr. Passford, we are bound for the Gulf of Mexico, putting in atKey West for the purpose of attending to the affair of the Snapper,"said Captain Chantor. "In a few days more no doubt you will be able toreport for duty on board of the Bellevite."
"I shall not be sorry to be on duty again, and especially in theBellevite," replied Christy, as he went to his stateroom to finish hisnight's sleep.
The next day the Chateaugay overhauled the Snapper; but all was well onboard of her, and the ship proceeded on her course. On the third day shewent into the harbor of Key West. Christy and the captain went to workat once on the legal questions relating to the prize last taken. Theevidence was deemed sufficient to warrant the sending of her to NewYork, and on her arrival the prize-master was directed to proceed tothat port. Captain Flanger and Percy Pierson were transferred to her,and she sailed the next day; but she encountered a tremendous storm onthe Atlantic coast, and was totally wrecked on Hetzel Spit, near CapeCanaveral. The prisoners were put into one boat, which upset, and all init were drowned, while the other boat, in charge of Lieutenant Carlin,succeeded in reaching the shore of Florida.
The Snapper's case was settled, therefore, outside of the courts.Captain Flanger perished in his wickedness, and Percy Pierson neverreached his mother in Mobile. But it was weeks before the news of thedisaster reached the Chateaugay and the Bellevite. Christy did not mournthe loss of his great enemy, and he was sorry only that the young manhad not lived long enough to become a better man.
The Chateaugay proceeded on her voyage, and reported to the flag-officerof the Eastern Gulf Squadron; by whom she was assigned to a place in thefleet off Appalachicola, while Christy was sent in a tender to theBellevite, then on duty off the entrance to Mobile Bay.
At this point it became necessary for Christy and Mr. Gilfleur toseparate, for the latter was to proceed to New York by a store-shipabout to sail. The detective in
sisted upon hugging him again, and theyoung officer submitted with better grace than usual to suchdemonstrations. He had become much attached to his companion in the lateenterprises in which they had been engaged, and he respected him veryhighly for his honesty and earnestness, and admired his skill in hisprofession. On the voyage from Key West, Christy had written letters toall the members of his family, as well as to Bertha Pembroke, which hecommitted to the care of Mr. Gilfleur when they parted, not to meetagain till the end of the war.
When Christy went on board of the Bellevite he was warmly welcomed byCaptain Breaker, who happened to be on deck. Mr. Blowitt was the next tograsp his hand, and before he had done with him, Paul Vapoor, the chiefengineer, the young lieutenant's particular crony, hugged him as thoughhe were a brother.
Most of the old officers were still in the ship, and Christy foundhimself entirely at home where-ever he went on board. He was dulypresented to Mr. Walbrook, the third lieutenant, the acting secondlieutenant having returned to the flag-ship in the tender.
For all the rest of the year the Bellevite remained on duty as ablockader off Fort Morgan. It was an idle life for the most part, andChristy began to regret that he had caused himself to be transferredfrom the command of the Bronx. The steamer occasionally had anopportunity to chase a blockade-runner, going in or coming out of thebay. She was the fastest vessel on the station, and she never failed togive a good account of herself.
Late in the year the Bellevite and Bronx were ordered to operate atTampa Bay, where it was believed that several vessels were loading withcotton. On the arrival of the ships off the bay, a boat expedition wasorganized to ascertain what vessels were in the vicinity. But theentrance was protected by a battery, and it was supposed that there werefield-works in several places on the shores. One of these was discoveredjust inside of Palm Key, and the Bellevite opened upon it with her bigmidship gun. Two or three such massive balls were enough for thegarrison, and they beat a precipitate retreat, abandoning their pieces.There was water enough to permit the steamer to go into the bay nearlyto the town at the head of it.
No other batteries were to be seen, and the Bronx proceeded up the bay,followed by the Bellevite. When the latter had proceeded as far as thedepth of water rendered it prudent for her to go at that time of tide,the Bronx went ahead some ten miles farther. The boat expedition,consisting of three cutters from the Bellevite and one from the Bronx,moved towards the head of the bay. Christy, in the second cutter of theBellevite, was at least two miles from any other boat, when a puntcontaining a negro put out from the shore near him.
"Are you a frien' ob de colored man?" demanded the negro as soon as hecame within speaking-distance of the cutter.
"Within reasonable limits, I am the friend of the colored man," repliedChristy, amused at the form of the question.
"What you gwine to do up dis bay, massa?" asked the colored man.
"That will depend upon what we find up this bay."
"You don't 'spect you find no steamers up dis bay, does you, massa?"
"Do you know of any steamers up this bay, my man?" asked Christy. "Doyou know of any vessels up here loading with cotton?" asked Christy.
"P'raps I do, massa; and den, again, p'raps I don't know anyt'ing aboutany vessels," replied the negro, very indefinitely.
Christy was provoked at the manner in which the negro replied to hisquestions. Ordering his boat's crew to give way with all their might,he directed the cockswain to run for the punt of the negro. The cutterstruck it on the broadside, and broke it into two pieces. The boatmanwas fished up, and hauled on board of the boat.
"The boatman was fished up and hauled on board the boat." Page 301.]