by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER VIII
ARRANGING THE SIGNALS
Mrs. Passford was astounded at the news brought in by her son, and MissFlorry was terrified when informed that Major Pierson was not far fromthe mansion. But Paul Vapoor assured the latter that there was nodanger, and Christy convinced his mother, who had a great deal ofconfidence in him, that he was fully equal to the occasion.
"But I do not see that you can beat off the assailants if they happento get alongside of the Bellevite," suggested Mrs. Passford. "There areonly four of you at the most."
"I hope for re-enforcements," replied Christy, as he rang a bell fora servant. "Beeks and Thayer, two of the quartermasters, live in thevillage; Mr. Watts, the chief steward, and three others of the oldship's company, live near here, and I think we can raise half a dozenmore, making ten in all."
"I know where to find half a dozen coal-passers," added Paul.
"Then we shall do very well if we succeed in finding all these," addedChristy, as the man-servant came to the door.
"Call up all the stablemen, and have two horses saddled as quick aspossible," continued Christy to the man.
"What's that for, Christy?" asked Paul, who had succeeded in quietingthe fears of Miss Florry.
He was not altogether inexperienced in this duty, for the young ladyhad been alarmed more than once on board of the steam yacht, and he wasalways more successful than any other person at these times.
"I can't stop to talk it all over, Paul; but if you will trust me,I will tell you as we go along what I think of doing," replied Christy.
"All right, midshipman; I belong to the engine department, and we alwaysobey orders even if the ship goes down," added Paul, laughing.
"I am willing enough to tell you, but I have not the time to spin a longyarn, and perhaps answer objections, just now. We will mount the horsesas soon as they come to the door, and drum up the force we havementioned."
Christy continued by giving Paul the names of those he was to visit andsummon to the deck of the Bellevite, and then they were to meet at agiven place. They mounted the two fleet horses which Christy hadselected for the occasion, and dashed off to the town, a short distancefrom the river. The middy found the two quartermasters, who boarded inthe same house. They were to go on board of the steamer at once; butBeeks was to bring a canoe from the boat-house to the point on the shorenearest to the Bellevite before he went on board. Both of these men werecautioned not to say anything about any person they might see, and thesame instruction was given to all the others whose services wererequired.
Mr. Watts had not retired when Christy called at his house, and he wasduly startled by the information the young officer gave him. He was asready to take part in the enterprise as even the middy himself, and hewas conducted to the place where Paul was to meet the leader. He hadmore calls to make than Christy, and they had to wait some time for him;but when he did come, he reported that he had found and sent on boardall the firemen and coal-passers he had named, and a few more, besidesthe old sailors who had sailed for years in the yachts of the owner ofthe Bellevite.
The services of about a dozen had been procured, but half of thesewere to do duty in connection with the engine, and the party so hastilygathered were not strong enough to beat off the force of the enemy ifthey attempted to board the vessel.
"Now, Paul, I want you to understand the whole affair before we go anyfarther; and I wish you would go on board and take the command there,"said the midshipman, as soon as the engineer had reported the result ofhis mission.
"But are you not going to be on board, Christy? I don't pretend to be asailor or a gunner," said Paul.
"I shall go on board as soon as I can," replied Christy. "You will finda boat on the shore, near the steamer, and you will go on board in that;but have the boat sent back for me."
"All right, Christy; I will obey orders," added Paul, as he dismountedfrom his horse.
"Mr. Watts will take your horse, and ride with me down the shore. We cansee the river all the way, for we shall not stick to the road when itleads us away from it. As soon as we discover the steamer that is tobring up the enemy, I will run my horse back to this point, and go onboard."
"That is all easy enough," added Paul.
"Easy enough; but I can form no idea as to when the steamer will come.We may have to wait till morning for it, and perhaps the plan of theenemy will fail, and they will not come at all."
"If they don't come to-night, they never will; and there will be timeenough for the home guard to scour the woods, and arrest all suspiciouspersons."
"I said what I did so that you need not be impatient if you have towait a long time. You will have a watch kept from the moment you geton board, and no stranger is to be allowed to put a foot on the deck.Captain Carboneer may send some one of his party to see that everythingis working right on board for his side of the affair."
"I will do that."
"See that the steam is well up, so that we can move off in good time ifwe find it necessary to get under way," continued Christy.
"I thought that was a settled point, and the ship was to be taken downthe river in any case," said Paul.
"I supposed so myself in the beginning; but if it is not necessary torun away, I don't care to do so. Let Boxie see that the cable is buoyedand ready to run out at a moment's notice."
"All right, midshipman," replied Paul, as he hastened to the boat.
"Why does he call you midshipman?--that is a new name," said the chiefsteward.
"He brought me the news this evening that I had been appointed in thenavy with that rank," replied Christy. "Now we will ride down the river.Do you happen to know what time it is, Mr. Watts?"
"I don't know, but I think it is about half-past eleven. I am not muchof an equestrian," replied the steward, as he mounted the horse, "for Ihave been to sea all my life; but I think I can stay on if the beastdon't run away with me."
"He is perfectly gentle, and he will not run away with you. We have nooccasion to ride fast, and we may not have to go more than two or threemiles."
They rode along the river for a few minutes, and then Christy reined inhis steed and dismounted. He went to the water side, at a point wherethere was a bend, and carefully examined the surroundings, both aboveand below. He could not see the Bellevite in the darkness, for he haddirected the engineer to allow no light to be shown on board of her.He had brought a little mathematics into his calculations, and he hadpointed the big gun of the steamer so as to cover the craft with thewalking-beam when she came in sight around this turn of the stream. Bythis plan she was sure to come into the range of the piece, no matter onwhich side of the channel she was moving.
"Now, Mr. Watts, I have a further duty for you to perform," saidChristy, as he explained his plan to the steward. "We shall go down theriver till we meet this steamer which conveys the enemy. As you are asailor as well as a caterer, you have a nautical eye, and when you haveseen this steamer you will know her again."
"Trust me for that. If it is the old tub I think it is, I know heralready," answered the steward.
"What steamer do you think it is?"
"The old Vampire; and if you give her much of a rap, she will go to thebottom without the least difficulty."
"I don't care where she goes to, provided she don't put her passengerson board of the Bellevite. But I am taking you down the river with me inorder that you may see her and know her."
"I shall know her as soon as I see her."
"As I said before, I shall run my horse back and get aboard of theBellevite as soon as I am satisfied that the enemy are moving up theriver," continued Christy.
"I am afraid I shall not be able to keep up with you if you run yourhorse," suggested the steward.
"I don't want you to keep up with me. You can come along as leisurely asyou please, though you must not let the enemy get ahead of you."
"If the enemy are in the old Vampire, I could keep ahead of her onfoot."
"You had better keep ahead of her on
your horse about a quarter of amile, or more; but your main duty will be here. I have brought with mehalf a dozen Roman candles, and I am going to fix them in the ground onthis spot. Here is a bunch of matches," said Christy, handing it to him.
The steward watched the midshipman while he planted the fireworks in thesand, and particularly marked the spot where they were located, for hiscompanion told him he was to fire them, and he must be ready to do sowithout any delay.
"A boy could do that and like the fun of it," said Mr. Watts, laughingat the simple duty he was to perform.
"But it is the time that you are to do it, and the boy might beskylarking, or become impatient. This signal of the fireworks is toassure us at the right moment that the Vampire, if it should be she,is in the place where I expect her to be."
"I understand it perfectly."
"After I leave you, another steamer may come along, and get to thispoint ahead of the Vampire; and I should be very sorry to blow her outof the water, or sink her under it. You are to let us know by thissignal that it is the Vampire, and no other, that is coming round thebend. You had better leave your horse a short distance from the river,for that gun will make every pane of glass within a mile of it shakewhen it is discharged."
"You may be sure that I will not be on his back at that time."
"Still further: I have planted six candles in the sand. You will lightonly one of them when the steamer begins to round the bend. That will beenough to inform us of the fact on board of the Bellevite."
"What are the others for?" asked the steward, taking a memorandum-bookfrom his pocket as though he intended to write his instructions.
"It is not necessary to write it. We shall not be able to see whateffect the shot produces after we fire. If the Vampire, always supposingshe is the one, is not hurt, light a second candle--only one of them. Ifshe should be disabled, you will light two candles."
Christy repeated what he had said, and was careful not to give thesteward too much to remember. As soon as the matter was fullyunderstood, the middy mounted his horse, and they proceeded on theirmission down the river. After they had ridden about three miles, Mr.Watts insisted that the steamer was coming, and that it was the Vampire.
"I don't see anything," added Christy.
"Neither do I; but I know that the Vampire is coming up the river. Ifyou listen, you will hear a hoarse puffing; and nothing but that old arkcould make such a wheezy noise," replied the steward.
The middy heard it and was satisfied.