by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER XIII
AFTER THE BATTLE
It was six o'clock in the morning when the Bellevite let go her anchoroff Twentieth Street, as the young commander decided to do after someconsultation with Paul Vapoor, who was his senior in years if not inwisdom. He did not suppose the steamer would be allowed to anchor at theNavy Yard without orders to that effect. His father had not returnedfrom the city. Though he held no office, Captain Passford was as busywith public affairs as though he had been the collector of the port.
No one but the ladies had slept any during the trip; but they had beenon deck some time when the steamer anchored. Christy had been very muchin doubt as to what he should do with the Bellevite when he reached hisdestination, and he was glad to see his mother when she came out of thecabin. Though he was still hardly more than a boy, he believed in hismother, and it had not yet occurred to him that he knew more than shedid. He stated his difficulty to her, for Paul had been as much in doubtas the midshipman.
"I think it is a very easy question to answer, Christy," replied Mrs.Passford, with a smile. "Where have you anchored?"
"Off Union Square, or very near it, I should think," replied Christy.
"You know that your father stays at the St. James Hotel when he is inthe city," she added. "The only thing you can do is to find him, and lethim decide what is to be done with the Bellevite."
"I did not think of that," added the midshipman. "I will get out a boatat once, and go on shore."
"Florry and I will go with you," continued Mrs. Passford. "We havenothing to do here, and I should like to return to Bonnydale as soon aspossible. But what will you do with your prisoner, Christy?"
"I shall do nothing with him. Sampson is in charge of him, and I am surehe will not take his eye off the major while he remains on board."
The port-quarter boat was lowered into the water, and a couple of theold sailors took their places in her. The ladies were assisted to theirseats, and Christy, after he had informed the engineer that he was incommand during his absence, leaped into the boat, and it was pulled tothe nearest pier. A carriage was called, and the party were driven tothe hotel. It was half-past six, and Christy was informed that hisfather had not yet come down. Word was sent up to him, and the son wentto his room, where he found him only half dressed.
"I did not expect to see you at this time in the morning, my son," saidthe owner of the Bellevite. "How did you come down so early?"
"I came in the Bellevite; and she is at anchor in the stream offTwentieth Street, father," replied Christy.
"In the Bellevite!" exclaimed Captain Passford, with the nearest thingto a frown that ever appeared on his brow in the presence of any memberof his family. "I don't quite understand how"--
"An attempt was made to capture her last night, father, and I thought itbest to make sure of her," interposed the midshipman.
"To capture her!" ejaculated Captain Passford, suspending his toilet,and gazing into the face of his son. "I think you must have dreamedthat, Christy."
"Perhaps I did, father; but we captured one prisoner of rank in mydream, and he is on board now, closely guarded by Sampson," repliedChristy, laughing in his excitement. "Mother and Florry were on board,and they are down in the parlor waiting to see you."
"Do you mean that an attempt was really made to capture the Bellevitelast night?" asked the captain, as if unable to credit the astoundingintelligence.
"Of course I can prove all I say by many witnesses. Mr. Watts is onboard, and he has been dreaming too if I have. Paul Vapoor is anotherdreamer, to say nothing of eight or ten more on board," added Christy.
Captain Passford completed dressing himself about as quick as he hadprobably ever done since he became a millionnaire, and attended Christydown to the parlor, where he gave his wife and daughter an affectionatereception.
"But our boy tells me that some one has been trying to obtain possessionof the Bellevite, Julia; and it seems to me hardly possible that such anattempt should be made so far up the river," said Captain Passford, assoon as he was able to allude to the subject.
"But it is quite true, Horatio; and our boy has behaved like a hero, ifhe is our son," replied the lady, bestowing a glance of pride upon themidshipman.
"He says he has a prisoner on board," added the captain.
"And who do you think that prisoner is, Horatio?" asked Mrs. Passford.
"Is it Jeff Davis?" he inquired, with a smile.
"Not exactly; but it is Major Lindley Pierson."
"Indeed? Then I begin to see through the matter," replied CaptainPassford. "He failed to obtain the steamer in Mobile Bay, and he cameup here after her. But I should like to hear the particulars of thisaffair."
"And poor Corny Passford was wounded in the shoulder," said Florry, whohad hardly spoken before.
"You don't mean that you had a fight, Christy?" demanded the captain,looking quite serious.
"Not much of a fight, father; we fired the long gun once, and disabledan old steamer, and we sunk a boat that was trying to lay us aboard."
"Then it was a more serious affair than I had supposed."
"But, father, I think we had better be going on board; and I can tellyou the story on the way just as well as here," suggested Christy.
"But you must have your breakfast before you go, for there is nothing toeat on board of the steamer," replied Captain Passford, as he led theway down into the restaurant.
While they were waiting for the meal to be served, the captain went tothe house of a military officer, with whom he was intimately acquainted,and requested him to take the prisoner off his hands. After the meagredetails of the affair he gave, the officer offered to put a company onboard of the steamer for her protection; but the captain thought thiswas unnecessary.
After the breakfast, the party took a carriage for the pier. On the waythe captain ordered a supply of cooked provisions to be sent down to theboat for the use of the men on board of the Bellevite. With this supplythe party went on board. On the way Christy had told his story, and bythe time they went on board Captain Passford had learned all about theaffair.
He had received the order to deliver the steamer at the Navy Yard on thefollowing Monday, and he decided to return to Bonnydale in her. Enoughof the former members of the ship's company could be obtained in a fewhours to hold the vessel against any enemy that was likely to appearin the river. As the owner was now on board, the engineer put on fullsteam, and she reached her anchorage, as indicated by the buoy of thecable which had been slipped. It was hauled in, and the Bellevite wasreplaced in her former position.
The tremendous report of the great gun in the small hours of the morninghad startled all the people in the vicinity, though it was not till theyleft their beds that the news was conveyed to them. A party in the townjust below the scene of the disaster to the Vampire had been collected,and they had taken a steamer to explore the river in search of the boldactors in the affair, as soon as the facts were known in the vicinity.The steamer had been running up and down the river since six in themorning.
When the Bellevite passed up the river, she was promptly recognizedby the investigating party on board of the Alert, which followed thesteamer up to her anchorage. She came alongside some time after the crewhad fished up the cable; but Captain Passford warned her to keep off assoon as he discovered her intention to come alongside. She was a smallsteamer, and had at least twenty men on her deck, so that the captainthought it necessary to learn her object before she came any nearer.
A boat with two men was sent from the Alert, and one of them waspermitted to come on board. This one proved to be Captain Mainhill, withwhom the owner of the Bellevite was well acquainted. He was a wealthyand patriotic man, though rather too old to be engaged in active servicefor his country.
"I thought you might be representatives of the Southern Confederacy, andI was rather shy of you," said Captain Passford, as he took the hand ofhis neighbor. "I should not have been so cautious if I had met you lastevening."
"We have been looking for the gentlemen who were engaged in this attemptto capture the Bellevite," added Captain Mainhill.
"I hope you have found them, or some of them," replied the owner.
"Only a single one of them; and he is badly wounded. We have scouredthe river for miles without finding any trace of the enemy. I think theylanded on the east shore, and went over to the railroad, where theyprobably took the first train that came along," replied CaptainMainhill.
"Of course, they saw the Bellevite going down the river, and perhapsthey have gone down to New York to finish the job they begun here,"suggested Captain Passford. "Do you know if the enemy lost any of theirnumber when the boat was smashed?"
But Captain Mainhill knew nothing about the affair on the river beyondthe fact that an attempt had been made to capture the Bellevite, and hehad not ascertained that more than one was injured.
"We found the Vampire aground half a mile below where the shot disabledher," continued the leader of the expedition. "Her machinery was badlysmashed. She never was good for much, and she is good for nothing now."
"Did the enemy carry off the one who was wounded?" asked CaptainPassford, prompted by his wife.
"No; he seems to have been too badly damaged for that; they left himat the house of a workingman near the river, and I suppose he is therenow," replied Captain Mainhill. "I don't know that there is anythingmore that we can do, and we may as well go home to breakfast."
"Do you know where the wounded person is to be found?" asked CaptainPassford.
"I do; and I have seen him. He is suffering a good deal of pain; but heis as plucky as a mad snake, and he would not say a word in answer to myquestions."
"I shall be greatly obliged to you, Captain Mainhill, if you will landme as near as you can to the house where this wounded man is, and showme where it is. Mrs. Passford will go with me," said the owner.
"Very glad indeed to do it," replied the leader of the searching party.
Captain Passford instructed some of the men on board to summon all theformer ship's company of the Bellevite on board at once that could befound, and then went on board of the Alert with his wife. They werelanded in a boat just below the bend, and Captain Mainhill conductedthem to the house where Corny was said to be.
They found him there, and the poor fellow was glad enough to see them.No doctor had been called, and nothing had been done to alleviate hispain; but he was immediately removed to the mansion at Bonnydale, withhis own consent, and Dr. Linscott was sent for.