by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER XVI
THE CONFEDERATE STEAMER YAZOO
It was impossible to discover the nature or extent of the injury thechase had received from the shot from the midship gun; but she had beendisabled, though it might be but slightly. The Bellevite dashed on, asthough impatient to obtain possession of her prey. All the glasses onboard were brought to bear on the injured vessel, which all handsregarded as already a prize.
The glasses did not reveal any considerable havoc in the side of thesteamer, and the shot hole could easily be plugged when necessary; butthe commander of the craft did not yet give up the ship, for he seemedto be engaged in hoisting her foresail and jibs, evidently with theintention of bringing her about so that he could use his guns. The windwas very light, and his chances of accomplishing his purpose were notvery brilliant.
"Mr. Dashington, you will call all hands, and be ready to board theprize in three divisions when we run abreast of her," said CaptainBreaker. "Let Mr. Passford command the forward division; Mr. Blowitt,the waist; and Mr. Calvert, the quarter."
The boarders were mustered at once, as there was no occasion to fireagain at the prize. Each officer arranged his men, and spoke somestirring words to them. Men in the tops were supplied with muskets,and all with revolvers and cutlasses. It was not believed that allthis force would be necessary to capture the prize, but there was someevidence that she had a fighting crew on board, and the captain preparedfor the worst.
As the Bellevite came nearer to the prize, the sound of hammers washeard, and it appeared that the engineers were engaged in an effort torepair the mischief which had been done to the engine. It was stillimpossible to see how many men she had on board, but Captain Breaker didnot estimate that she had a full ship's company, for vessels intendedfor war purposes, escaping as this one doubtless had, did not usuallytake their force on board at the beginning of the cruise.
"Christy and Beeks on the Steamer's Deck."--Page 181.]
The three divisions of boarders were all in readiness, and all theyfeared was that there would be little for them to do on board the enemy.Captain Breaker was in the fore rigging where he could observe all thatwas done on the decks of both vessels. The Bellevite went ahead with allspeed till the signal was given to slow down. The sea was not heavy, andthe captain laid her alongside of the prize.
"Do you surrender?" demanded the commander in a loud tone, but with hisusual dignity.
"I do not surrender!" replied the captain of the steamer.
"Boarders away!" shouted Captain Breaker.
Christy Passford was the first to leap upon the rail of the othervessel, and then he dropped in the same instant upon her deck. At thatmoment he was conscious that the steamer under him was moving, thoughit might be the shaking which the Bellevite gave her when she camealongside. On the deck of the prize, as he still taught himself toconsider her, he saw not more than thirty men; and with nearly threetimes that number on the other side, it did not look as if it could bea very hotly contested battle.
As Christy jumped down from the rail, Beeks followed him, and he was nota little surprised to find that they were alone. But there was no enemyat hand upon whom he could flesh his cutlass, and he sprang upon therail again. He found that his impression had been correct, for thevessel was moving. She had already left a gap a dozen feet wide betweenthe Bellevite and herself.
It appeared that the machinery had been repaired, and that it was nowcapable of doing all that it had done before. The steamer was theKillbright, for the lieutenant saw the name painted in several placesabout her forward deck. She had suddenly shot ahead very unexpectedlyto the captors, as they supposed they were, alongside of her. A puffof wind had been favoring her before, and she darted away towards thenorthwest. As she began to move, the lock-strings of her port batterywere pulled as rapidly as possible.
It would have been impossible to help hitting the Bellevite, with thethree guns fired into her at so short a distance. But the cloud of smokethat enveloped both vessels prevented the captain from taking in thesituation. The crew of the Killbright were ordered to reload their gunsinstantly. Whatever was to happen in the near or distant future, itwas evident that the dangerous steamer had not yet been captured, andChristy did not think of her as a prize any more just then.
The Killbright crowded on all the steam she could obtain, and sherapidly increased the distance between herself and the Bellevite. Shefired her three broadside guns continually, but it was clear to Christythat the men had not been trained to this business, or they mightperhaps have sunk the naval vessel by this time.
The Bellevite fired her two broadside guns, and they made terrible havocin the upper works of the Killbright. But the strangest thing of all tothe young lieutenant, caught on board of the anticipated prize, was thatthe Bellevite did not go ahead, and give the boarding parties a chanceto get on the deck of the enemy.
"I don't understand it, Beeks," said Christy as he found himself by theside of the quartermaster. "Why don't the ship give chase?"
"I think she must be disabled, sir," replied the warrant officer.
"What could have disabled her?"
"I suppose she might be hit as well as this vessel," replied Beets, nobetter pleased with the situation than his companion in trouble. "Theyfired three shots into her while she was alongside."
"She must have been hit in a bad place, or she would have been alongsideof us before this time. But here we are."
The third lieutenant and quartermaster felt very much like prisoners,though they had no evidence that the Killbright was a ship-of-war,except that she had hoisted the Confederate flag, and fired upon theBellevite. But the rakish-looking steamer continued on her course, whilethe Bellevite had not moved since the first broadside. She had alreadymade a mile, and the shots from her enemy did not seem to disable her.
She continued to run with all her speed, and the lieutenant felt thedeck quiver as though it was in danger of being shaken out of her. Butshe was not followed by the Bellevite, and things began to look darkand somewhat cheerless to Christy. The firing came to an end, for thedistance was becoming too great for it to be effectual on either side.
"If we had not jumped down from the rail when we boarded, we might haveescaped this scrape," said Beeks, who was even more disgusted than hiscompanion.
"It is no use to growl about it," added Christy, laughing. "Here we are,and we can't help ourselves at present."
"I suppose they will let us go, won't they?" inquired the quartermaster.
"Let us go where?"
"Let us go back where we came from," replied Beeks, who seemed to bequite muddled by his misfortune.
"You don't expect them to put you on board of the Bellevite again,do you?"
"Well, no; not exactly; but this steamer is nothing but a blockaderunner, and such craft don't take prisoners."
"I hardly know what she is yet; she is a blockade runner, but sheappeals to be something more than that. She hoisted the Confederateflag, and her people stood by their guns like brave men. I count myselfas a prisoner of war," said Christy, to the increased disgust of hiscompanion.
"What do you suppose they will do with us?" asked Beeks, looking asthough he had not a friend in the world, though he had always been avery brave and active fellow when there was anything to do.
"I don't know, but I suppose she will run the blockade into the CapeFear River, and we may be taken up to Wilmington."
While they were talking about it, they saw a group of officers coming tothe forward deck, where they had remained since they came on board. Theyappeared to be examining the steamer to ascertain what damage she hadsustained. Her bulwarks had been torn off, and she had suffered not alittle from shot; but she did not appear to be very seriously damaged.At the head of the party was one who had a uniform, and dignity enoughto be the commander of the ship.
"Who are those two men forward?" asked this gentleman, as he called theattention of the others to the two strangers.
No one knew who they were, and t
he captain continued to advance, lookingvery sharply at Christy, or at his uniform. The lieutenant thought hehad seen the gentleman before, for it was quite impossible entirely toforget one with so much character in his face.
"I am afraid I shall be obliged to call upon you, sir, to explain howyou and your companion happen to be here, for I was not before aware ofyour presence."
"I shall cheerfully explain, Captain Carboneer," replied Christy,recognizing the captain, and bowing politely.
"Ah, you know me? But I have not the pleasure of your acquaintance,so far as I can remember," added the captain.
"We met under some disadvantages so far as you are concerned, for I hadthe satisfaction of seeing you, though you did not see me," replied thelieutenant, looking very good-natured in spite of his situation as aprospective prisoner.
"I must beg you to explain still further, Mr.--I have not the pleasureof knowing your name."
"Passford, sir, Christopher Passford, midshipman in the United StatesNavy, and at present third lieutenant of the steamer Bellevite, whichyou can hardly make out at this moment, though I remember that you haveseen her before," answered Christy, telling the whole story, as indeedhis uniform had already done, so far as his rank was concerned.
"I am very happy to meet you under present circumstances, Mr. Passford,though I am not yet informed where I met you before."
"Perhaps you did not exactly meet me, Captain Carboneer; but, at anyrate, we were in the same boat together."
"I suppose we met, if at all, on the Hudson, in connection with theBellevite. Your people have not been as fortunate to-day with theirgunnery practice as on that occasion," suggested the captain.
"Now, Captain Carboneer, will you kindly inform me in regard to thestatus of this vessel? Is she a naval vessel, or simply a blockaderunner?"
"She is both; and I am sorry for your sake to inform you that you are aprisoner of war."
"I supposed I was."
"Perhaps you will be willing to inform me what became of Major Piersonand Corny Passford--the latter a cousin of yours, I believe?"
"Like myself, the major is a prisoner of war. Corny was injured in thedisaster to the Vampire, as you are aware; he is also a prisoner, but onparole, remaining at my father's house to be healed."
"I have to regret to-day more than ever before that we failed to capturethe Bellevite, for I find that she is even faster than the Yazoo," addedthe captain.
"The Yazoo?"
"Formerly the Killbright, but now the Yazoo."
At this moment an officer came up and spoke to Captain Carboneer. Asboth of them looked aft, Christy did the same, and, after studying thespeck he saw on the ocean, he was satisfied that it was the Bellevite,coming down upon the Yazoo with all her speed.