by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER XXVIII
THE SURRENDER OF THE REINDEER
Christy looked over the side of the boat, and saw that the water wasquite clear. The channel, which lay in the middle of the bay, had fourand a quarter fathoms of water at mean low tide, according to the chartthe officer had with him. He had brought several copies of the largechart with him from New York, and he had cut them up into convenientsquares, so that they could be easily handled when he was on boatservice. But his authority gave no depth of water on the shoal sands.
In a short time the boat came to the verge of the channel, and Christydirected the bowman to stand by with the lead, with which the boat wasprovided. The first heaving gave three and a half fathoms, and itgradually decreased at each report, till only two fathoms and a quarterwas indicated, when the boat was between the two keys, the southern ofwhich Quimp called the long key, simply because that was the longest inthe bay, and not because it was a proper name.
"Now, Massa Ossifer, look sharp ober on de starboard side," said thenegro.
"I don't see anything," replied Christy.
"No, sar, not yet; but look ober dat way, and you see somet'ing fo' yoret'ree minutes older, massa."
Christy fixed his gaze on the point of the long key, beyond which Quimpintimated that the steamer would be seen.
"Now, Massa Ossifer, fo' yore two minutes nearer glory, you'll see deend ob de bowsprit ob de Reindeer," added Quimp, who was beginning to besomewhat excited, possibly in expectation of receiving his ten dollars;and perhaps he was regretting that he had not demanded twenty.
"How big is that steamer, Quimp?" asked the officer of the cutter.
"Fo' hund'ed tons, massa; dat's what Cap'n Stopfoot done say, kase Inever done measure her. He done say she is very flat on her bottom, anddon't draw much water for her size," replied the negro. "Dar's de end obde bowsprit, massa!" he exclaimed at this moment.
"Way enough, cockswain!" said Christy sharply. "Stern all!"
The headway of the cutter was promptly checked, and she was set back acouple of lengths, when the order was given to the crew to lay on theiroars.
"W'at's the matter, Massa Ossifer? Arn't you gwine no furder?" askedQuimp.
"I have seen enough of the Reindeer to satisfy me that she is there; andI have stopped the boat to give you a chance to make your escape,"replied Christy. "I don't want you to lose your head for the service youhave rendered to me."
"Dis nigger can't get away from here, massa," replied the boatman,looking about him. "A feller can't swim a mile when de water's full oballigators. Dem varmints like niggers to eat jus' as well as dey dowhite men."
Christy had his doubts about there being alligators of a dangerous sizein the bay, though he had seen small ones in other bays of the coast;but he was willing to admit that Quimp knew better about the matter thanhe did. It was a hard swim to any other key than the long one, to whichthe cutter was quite near. He could land the negro on that key, but hewould reveal the presence of the boat to the people on board of theReindeer, and they would burn her rather than have her fall into thehands of the Union navy.
"I can land you on the long key, Quimp," suggested the officer.
"No, sar! Can't go there; for Cap'n Stopfoot sartainly cotch me dar,"protested the negro.
"I don't think so, Quimp."
"De ossifers and men ob de Reindeer will go asho' when you done took desteamer; don't you see dat, massa?"
"What shall I do with you then?" asked Christy, as he handed him twosovereigns and two shillings.
"T'ank you, sar; dat's a pile ob money!" exclaimed Quimp, as he lookedwith admiration upon the coins.
"It is what I agreed to give you. But what shall I do with you now? Thatis the question I want answered," continued the officer impatiently.
"You can't do not'ing wid me, Massa Ossifer, and I must tooken my chanceto go up in de boat. Better hab my froat cut 'n be chawed up by a bigalligator. Was you ever bit by an alligator, Massa Ossifer?"
"I never was."
"I knows about dat, massa," added Quimp, as he bared his leg, and showedan ugly scar.
Christy would not wait to hear any more, but ordered the cockswain to goahead again. It looked to him that Quimp, now that he had received hismoney, and made fifteen dollars out of his morning's work, wasintentionally delaying the object of the expedition, for what reason hecould form no clear idea.
"I spose, if Captain Stopfoot kill me for w'at I done do, you'll bury meside de old woman dat done gone to glory ten year ago?" continued thenegro, who did not look old enough to have buried a wife ten yearsbefore.
"I am not in the burying business, my friend, and after you are dead,you had better send for your sons to do the job, for they will knowwhere to find the grave of the departed companion of your joys andsorrows," replied Christy, as the boat came in sight of the bowsprit ofthe Reindeer again.
"My sons done gone away to Alabamy, sar, and"--
"That's enough about that. There are no alligators about here, and youcan swim ashore if you are so disposed; but you must shut up your widemouth and keep still if you stay in the boat. Heave the lead, bowman!"
"Mark under water two, sir," reported the leadsman.
In a few moments more the cutter had gained a position where the steamercould be fully seen. She was a side-wheeler, and appeared to be a veryhandsome vessel. She had a considerable deck-load of cotton, anddoubtless her hold was filled with the same valuable commodity.
"Is that steamer armed, Quimp?" asked Christy, who could see no signs oflife on board of her.
"She don't got no arms, but she hab two field-pieces on her for'addeck," replied the negro.
"How many men has she on board?"
"L'em me see: the cap'n and de mate is two, two ingineers, two firemen;dat makes six; and den she hab two deck-hands."
"But that makes only eight in all," replied Christy. "Are you sure thatis all?"
"Dead shoar dat's all, Massa Ossifer."
"But that is not enough to handle the steamer on a voyage to a foreignport, for I dare say she is going to Nassau," added Christy, who was onthe lookout for some piece of strategy by which his boat and its crewmight be destroyed.
"I don't know not'ing about dat, sar; but Cap'n Stopfoot is a pow'fulsmart man; and he's Yankee too. I done hear him say he gwine to j'in deYankee navy."
What Quimp said was rather suspicious; but Christy could see nothing tojustify his doubts. He directed the cockswain to steer the cutter asclosely to the side of the Reindeer as the movement of the oars wouldpermit, so that the field-pieces could not be brought to bear upon it.The steamer lay at a sort of temporary pier, which had evidently beenerected for her accommodation, and the cotton had doubtless been broughtto the key by river steamers by the Suwanee and other streams fromcotton regions.
There was no habitation or other building on the shore, but a gangwaywas stretched to the land, over which a couple of men were hastening onboard when the cutter reached the stern of the Reindeer. Fromappearances Christy judged that the water had been deepened by dredges,for a considerable quantity of sand and mud was disposed in heaps in theshallow water a hundred feet or more from the rude wharf.
"Boat ahoy!" shouted a person on board, near the starboard accommodationladder, which the officer of the boat had noticed was in place.
"On board the steamer!" replied Christy.
"What is your business here?" inquired the person on the deck of theReindeer, though he could not be seen from the cutter.
"I will go on board and inform you," replied Christy.
As there were no signs of resistance on board of the vessel, the officerof the cutter directed his men to make a dash for the accommodationladder, which had the appearance of having been left to make thingsconvenient for a boarding-party. The crew were all armed with a cutlassand revolver in the belt.
"Lay her aboard!" said Christy, quietly enough, as he led the wayhimself, for he was a bold leader, and was not content to follow hismen. As he leaped down from t
he bulwarks to the deck, he confronted theperson who had hailed him in the boat.
"What is your business on board of the Reindeer?" demanded, in a verytame tone, the man in front of him.
"I am an officer of the United States navy, and my business is to make aprize of this steamer and her cargo," replied Christy.
"Is that so? You did not give me your name, sir," added the man.
"Lieutenant Passford, attached to the United States steamer Bellevite.Do me the favor to explain who you are, sir," returned Christy.
"I am Captain Solomon Stopfoot, in command of the Reindeer, at yourservice, born and brought up on Long Island," answered the commander ofthe steamer.
"Then what are you doing here?" demanded the naval officer. "Where wereyou born on Long Island?"
"In Babylon, on the south shore."
"Then Babylon is fallen!" exclaimed Christy, indignant to find a manborn so near his own home doing the dirty work of the Confederategovernment.
"Perhaps not; and perhaps you may change your view of me when you haveheard my story," added Captain Stopfoot.
"Well, Captain, there is only one story that I care to hear just now,and its title is simply 'Surrender,'" replied Christy ratherimpatiently. "You understand my business on board of the Reindeer; andif you propose to make any resistance, it is time for you to begin."
"It would be folly for me to make any resistance, and I shall not makeany. I have only two engineers, two firemen, foreigners, hired inNassau, who would not fight if I wished them to do so, and twodeck-hands. I could do nothing against the eight well-armed men you havebrought on board. I surrender."
"I should say that was a wise step on your part, Captain Stopfoot,"replied Christy. "When you are more at leisure, I hope you will indulgeme in an explanation of the manner in which a Long Islander happens tobe engaged in blockade-running."
"I am an American citizen now, as I have always been; I shall be onlytoo happy to get back under the old flag. As an evidence of mysincerity, I will assist you in getting the Reindeer out of this place.The tide is high at this moment; and half an hour from now it will betoo late to move the vessel," said Captain Stopfoot, with everyappearance of sincerity in his manner.
"I will see you, Captain, as soon as I have looked the steamer over,"replied Christy, as he left the commander of the Reindeer at the door ofhis cabin, and went forward to examine the vessel.
He found the steam up; and the engineer bowed to him as he looked intohis room. There was nothing to be seen but cotton, piled high on thedeck, and stuffed into the hold; and he returned to the cabin.