by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER IX
THE APPROACH OF THE VAMPIRE
The Vampire, as the steward had no doubt it was, could not be less thana mile distant from the spot where the two horsemen had halted in theroad. Christy was very familiar with this portion of the river, andafter he had listened a few moments, he was satisfied from the directionof the sound he heard, that a mile was very nearly the exact distance.The approaching steamer had to come around a small bend, the arc ofwhich made just a mile.
"I don't wish to blow up a dozen or twenty loyal citizens, and I mustmake sure in some way that Captain Carboneer's party is on board of thatsteamer," said Christy, as he led his horse into a field, and tied himto a tree, the steward following his example.
"That would be a very bad thing to do," added Mr. Watts, as they walkedback to the river. "But I don't see why it is necessary to blow up evenany rebels on the present occasion. If that naval officer has forty men,as you think he has, a shot from that long gun would make terrible havocamong them if you succeeded in hitting her. You might kill half ofthem."
"If we do they, and not we, will be responsible for it," added Christy,somewhat appalled by the suggestion of his companion.
"If you have steam up on board of the Bellevite, why not get under wayand run down the river," continued Mr. Watts.
"Perhaps I am a coward, but I am afraid to do that," replied themidshipman, thoughtfully.
"We all know that you are no coward, Christy, and if you don't send ashot into the Vampire, it will not be because you are afraid."
"Although I know the river as well as any pilot in this vicinity, Ishould not dare to run the Bellevite at full speed around such a bendas the one off this spot," Christy explained. "We have not above half adozen trained sailors who know how to handle a cutlass on board, and allthe others will be needed in working the steamer. The coal-passers wouldbe good for nothing in repelling boarders."
"You think Captain Carboneer would board the steamer, do you?"
"I have no doubt he would. He is a naval officer, and he knows whathe is about. There are several ways that he might get a hold on theBellevite, and, if he got alongside of her, I am afraid it would be allup with us, and we should have a fair chance to see the inside of aConfederate prison. I am afraid to run the risk you suggest, Mr. Watts."
"You know best, and I don't mean to interfere; I only thought I wouldsuggest the idea," added the steward, as they reached the bank of theriver again.
After he had secured his horse, Christy had lighted a match and lookedat his watch. It was a quarter of one, and still the puffing of theVampire came from the same direction. It was plain enough to him thatthe old tub was not a racer. But she showed herself beyond the bend inabout a quarter of an hour, indicating that her rate of speed, or ratherof slowness, was not more than four statute miles an hour. But this wassimply confirmation of what the steward had said on the subject. Yet shewas coming, though it was too dark on the river to see her in detail.Though he strained his eyes to the utmost, Christy could not discoverany men on her forward deck.
"I think you had better move back where you cannot be seen," said themidshipman, in a low tone, to his companion.
"Do you wish me to leave you alone, Christy?" asked the steward,surprised at the request.
"That is just what I wish, for I don't care to have any one on board ofthe Vampire see more than one person at this point," replied Christy,still gazing through the gloom at the approaching steamer.
"Excuse me, Christy; but what are you going to do? I prefer to be withinsupporting distance of you."
"I don't think I shall need any support. I am going to hail the Vampire,and ask if Captain Carboneer is on board," replied the midshipman,quietly.
"You are going to hail her!" exclaimed Mr. Watts. "Are you mad, Christy?I should say that you were."
"You shall be your own judge on that point."
"But the moment you use the name of Captain Carboneer, they will takethe alarm, and the next thing will be a bullet through your head."
"I will take the risk of that," answered Christy. "But you need not gofar from the river on this dark night. There is a clump of bushes thisside of the road, and you may get behind it."
The steward was not at all satisfied with the situation, but he compliedwith the request of the midshipman, and concealed himself behind thebushes. Christy took a position on the very verge of the water. Theprogress of the Vampire was made at the expense of a hideous noise, andshe was a craft not at all adapted to the purpose of the conspirators.The middy watched her with the most intense interest as she approachedthe point where he was stationed. There was no light to be seen onboard, and there appeared to be no men on her lower deck; but she had acabin and other rooms, in which a force as large as that of the captaincould be concealed.
"Steamer, ahoy!" shouted Christy, as soon as the Vampire was abreast ofthe spot he occupied.
No answer came to this hail, and the midshipman repeated it, louder thanbefore.
"On shore!" replied a voice from the forward deck.
"Come up to the shore, and take me on board, will you?" continuedChristy, disguising his voice to some extent the better to answer hispurpose.
"Who is it?" demanded the person on board who acted as speaker; andChristy could see his form very distinctly, as he stood at an opengangway, and was the only person in sight on the lower deck.
"Brigster," replied Christy, chewing up the word he coined so that theman could not possibly make it out.
"Are you alone, Brewster?" demanded the speaker from the steamer.
This was a hard question, and with less information than he had obtainedwhile in his cabin on board of the Florence, he would not have dared toreply to it. But he knew something of the plan of the conspirators, andhe felt competent to answer.
"Three more back in the road," replied Christy, promptly; and he saidthree so as to give the idea that the force on board might be increasedby this number. "Is Captain Carboneer on board of that steamer?" askedthe midshipman, coming to his main point.
"Steamer, Ahoy!" shouted Christy.--Page 107.]
"He is, and we are all here but four," replied the speaker on the deck;and Christy was satisfied that the captain was the person by this time,for his language and his voice indicated that he was an educated man.
"We had no boat, and we could not get across the river to the creek,"added Christy, to increase the confidence of the leader of theexpedition. "But we saw a boat half at mile up the river, and wewill come off there, if you say so."
"All right; come on board as soon as you can," added Captain Carboneer,as he walked away from the gangway.
Mindful of the peril of the situation, Christy walked leisurely backfrom the river, and soon joined Mr. Watts, who had been near enough tohear the conversation between the captain and the midshipman.
"That was done very handsomely, Christy," said the steward.
"There was no great difficulty in handling such a matter when one knewall about the plot as I did. The fault on the other side was that theydid not examine the cabin of the Florence before they discussed theirplans in the standing-room," replied Christy, as he unfastened hishorse, and sprang upon his back. "I have no time to spare now."
"There is nothing more to be done here, I believe," added Mr. Watts.
"Not a thing. You can ride back to the place where the Roman candlesare planted, and you need not hurry about it, for the Vampire don'tmake more than four miles an hour. Now be particular to carry out myinstructions to the letter, Mr. Watts; and you can see that a great dealdepends upon which signal you may have occasion to give," added themidshipman.
"I understand what I am to do perfectly, and I will do my dutyfaithfully, you may be sure," replied the steward, as he mountedhis horse.
Christy did not wait for him, but put his steed into a dead run onthe moment. The road was only a cart-path, and it was so soft that thehorse's hoofs made no noise to betray his movements to the enemy. Heurged the willing beast to his utmost
speed, for he was as much at homein the saddle as he was in the rigging of a ship. Before the Vampire hadmade another eighth of a mile, he had reached the place where the boathad been left for his use. What to do with his horse was a question, forthe report of the big gun would set him crazy. But he knew that the menmust be at the house, and he turned the animal loose, satisfied that hewould go to the stable without any guidance.
Springing into the boat, he pulled to the Bellevite. At theaccommodation steps, he was challenged by Sampson, who demanded likeone in authority who and what he was, for the experience of the eveninghad greatly sharpened his wits.
"Who is it?" he demanded, in a tone which implied his intention to havea satisfactory answer. "Advance and give the word."
"Give the word!" exclaimed Christy. "I have no word to give."
"Then you can't come on board," replied Sampson dogmatically.
"I am Christy Passford, and I have not heard about any word," protestedthe midshipman.
"You can't pour molasses down my back again," replied Sampson, with aself-satisfied air.
"Don't be a fool, Sampson," added Christy, as he climbed upon the steps,the lower part of which had been hoisted up.
"I have been a fool once, and I don't mean to be again," replied thesentinel. "On deck, there! Bring a lantern out of the engine-room!"
"Don't bring a lantern in sight!" protested Christy impatiently.
"What's the row there, Sampson?" called Paul Vapoor, mounting the rail,and looking through the darkness at the steps, down which the vigilantsentinel had descended more than half way to the water.
"This fellow says he is Christy Passford; and I don't know whether it isChristy or not," replied Sampson.
"Is that you, Christy?" asked Paul.
"Of course it is," replied the middy. "We are wasting time."
"He hasn't the word," added the sentinel.
"Pass him, Sampson; he is all right," said the engineer; and Christyrushed up the steps, and leaped down upon the deck of the steamer.
"I gave out a word for all who had to leave the ship for any purposeduring the evening," Paul explained.
"Never mind that now," interposed the midshipman in command. "Have youplenty of steam on?"
"Enough to give her fifteen knots," replied the engineer. "The cableis buoyed, and the long gun loaded. I believe everything is in perfectorder to carry out your instructions, though we did not point the gunwhen we loaded it, for I thought you would prefer to do that yourself,"the engineer reported.
"All right, Paul," added Christy. "The steamer, whose name is theVampire, is on her way up the river, and I should say she would reachthe bend in about half an hour. Mr. Watts is down there, and I havearranged certain signals with him."
The midshipman made a careful examination for himself of the ship.