by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER XXV
CHRISTY BECOMES A VICTIM
Everything was perfectly still on the island, and only a single manwas in sight; but Christy put his hand upon his revolver as he wenton shore. Though he had never been a fighting young man, he had theimpression that he should not tamely submit to the assault of an enemy,or run away from any single man that stood up in front of him. He hadalways been prudent, even while he had been daring, and he hardly neededthe solemn admonition of the second lieutenant to be extremely cautious.
"Is that you, Captain Gilder?" asked the man on the shore, who stood alittle way from the waterside.
"Yes; and I take it for granted that you are Lonley," replied Christy,advancing towards the other. "You have done all the talking this night,and I ought to know you."
"All the talking except what you have done, and I ought to know you,"replied Lonley. "I am Lieutenant Lonley, of the Teaser, and our men areall ready to go on board."
"And Captain Folkner is all ready to have them go on board," returnedChristy, who had no doubt of the truth of what he said, though heunderstood that he was telling a "story" all the same.
"I have no doubt he is. But I don't quite understand how you happen tobe on this side of the island, and so far to the westward at this timein the morning. We expected to find the Teaser burrowing through thesound, and we had about made up our minds to take possession of her andrun the blockade, as other Christians do. We did not believe she wouldget through the sound in a week, if she ever did."
"I succeeded in persuading Captain Folkner that he had better come outby the main channel; and that is the way we did come out, and thatexplains how we happen to be here at this time in the morning," repliedChristy, very cheerfully.
"You must have very strong powers of persuasion, Captain Gilder," saidLonley, laughing.
"I have in a case such as this was," added the lieutenant, with achuckle, as he thought of the particular kind of persuasion he hadused upon the captain of the privateer.
"I would give a good deal if I had just such powers, for they aresometimes of very great service to an officer."
"You are quite right, Mr. Lonley. I suppose you are the first lieutenantof the Teaser."
"No, I am not; kissing goes by favor, and the captain's brother is thefirst; and he is no more fit for his position than the captain is forhis duty. I was in hope that the government would take possession ofthe steamer, and send her to sea properly officered," added Lonley,very good-naturedly.
"Good officers are quite necessary in the service," suggested Christy."I have no doubt you will fill the bill, and be all that could bepossibly desired."
"Thank you, Captain Gilder. Did you have any trouble in getting out ofthe bay?"
"No, none at all. By the way, Mr. Lonley, we have been hearing firing atthe west end of the island to-night. Do you know what it means?"
"The first thing was to clean out that regiment of Zouaves; and I haveno doubt that has been done before now; and our boys may get a hack atPickens. A big force was landed in the fog, and the Yankees will notstay on this island much longer," replied Lonley.
His information was entirely correct, though his prediction was notequally reliable.
"I was sure there was fighting going on over there," added Christy."You seem to be all alone, Mr. Lonley. Where are all your men?"
"I told you before you came ashore that I had sent them all over to theplace where they had left their bags, about a mile to the eastward ofus. I suppose Captain Folkner has sent the boats over there for thembefore this time?"
"He was inclined to run over in the steamer," added Christy.
"I hope he did not do that," said the privateersman, with a good dealmore energy than the other thought the occasion warranted. "I warned youthat there was a Yankee gunboat over that way."
"The Teaser has not gone over that way," replied Christy.
"If she has, she will be gobbled up by that gunboat, and all my men withher."
"I persuaded Captain Folkner not to do it," added the Bellevite'sofficer, very quietly.
"He ought to have done just what I asked him to do; and that was to sendhis boats over to the place named for the men."
"And I persuaded him to do that also," continued Christy, asunblushingly as though he had not been strictly in the habit oftelling the truth all his lifetime.
"Good for you, Captain Gilder!" exclaimed Lonley, grasping the hand ofhis companion as though he had been his brother. "You beat all the menI ever knew on power of persuasion; and when I get the command of theTeaser, as I expect to have before this year ends, I shall want you toserve as my first lieutenant."
"Thank you, Lieutenant Lonley; you are very kind; and if I ever go intothe privateering service, I shall certainly go in with you," repliedChristy.
"An officer with your power of persuasion will be invaluable to me,"replied Lonley, still holding the hand of the other. "If I were giftedin this respect as you are, Captain Gilder, do you know what I woulddo?"
"I am sure I have not the least idea, unless it would be to persuadeJeff Davis to send you a commission as a captain in the regular navy,"said Christy, laughing at the idea.
"I am afraid I should have too little cheek to attempt to do that, forthe president is a rather obstinate man, and I fear he would not see thepoint. Besides, I am a very modest man, though you may not have observedthis shining trait in my character. No; I am too diffident to ask for aplace I have not won by service."
"Then what would you do in the way of persuasion?" asked Christy, thoughhe wondered why he was prolonging the interview.
"I should use my powers of persuasion upon you, Captain Gilder, in thefirst place."
"I don't think it would be of any use, for I am too well posted in thatway of doing it to be influenced," replied Christy, trying to withdrawhis hand from the grasp of the privateersman. "I must go on board of theTeaser again when you have delivered your message to me, as that waswhat you wished to see me for."
"I did say I had a message for you, didn't I? Well, upon my life, I havequite forgot what it was, but it was from President Jefferson Davis,and he was particular that I should deliver it to you to-night or thismorning. Isn't it very strange that I should forget a message of so muchimportance that it could not be trusted to writing?"
"Passing strange, I should say," answered Christy, who began tounderstand that he had fallen into a trap of some sort. "While you arethinking of it, I will go on board, and persuade Captain Folkner not torun the Teaser to the eastward if he should take it into his head to doso. I had no idea there was a Yankee gunboat in that direction, and Idon't believe the captain had. Besides, he don't know where he is inthis fog, and he needs me."
As he spoke, Christy tried to withdraw his hand from the grasp ofLonley, as he had not succeeded in doing before when he tried. But theprivateersman suddenly fell upon him, and both of them went down. Atremendous struggle followed, but before it was decided, two men rushedout of the gloom, and took part in the affair; and they soon settled thematter in favor of the Confederacy, much to the chagrin of the secondlieutenant of the Bellevite.
"A tremendous struggle followed."--Page 284.]
Flint had remained in the canoe, which had been partly drawn up onthe beach; but the moment he sprang out upon the sand to go to theassistance of his officer, he was set upon by two men and secured. Bothof them were deprived of their weapons, and their hands tied behindthem. Beyond a doubt the lieutenant and the master's mate were prisonersbefore they had any clear idea of the situation.
"Are you there, Mr. Folkner?" called Lonley, as soon as the prisonerswere secured, speaking now in an energetic tone, as he had not before.
"I am here," replied a man who seemed to be in a boat not far from thespot. "You have kept me a long time waiting for you!"
"I wanted to give the Yankee boats time to get at least a mile fromthe Teaser before anything was done. Shove off now, and make things aslively as you can," said Lonley. "Go to your places in the boats
,"he continued to four men who had assisted in the capture of the twoofficers.
By this time Christy had a chance to see that he was a victim of a trickwhich was to eventuate in the recapture of the Teaser; and he was sorrythat he was not the only victim, as he looked at Flint. He realized toothat the scheme had been very well planned, though he was really happyin the belief that it would be a failure in the end. Lonley seemed tobe the leading spirit in the affair, and managed the details. He hadintended that the boats should be sent from the Teaser to a point atleast a mile off.
He had taken it for granted that the steamer would come to pick themup, or in other words, to capture the forty prisoners. If he was weakin accepting as the truth Christy's statement that the boats hadbeen actually sent away, as desired, he could see no reason why theYankee officer should try to deceive him. It appeared now that theprivateersmen had two boats, which had been brought across the islandfor the purpose. Lonley had naturally wished that only a few men shouldbe on board, and concluded that it would be an easy matter to capturethe steamer, and then to secure the men in the boats when they returnedfrom the eastward.
The four men on shore, who had been put in a place where they couldassist Lonley, hastened to the boats, and they shoved off, pulling assilently as though the oars had been muffled, as probably they had been.In a moment more they disappeared in the darkness and fog.
"I think I have improved a great deal in the art of persuasion,"said Lonley, as the boats disappeared. "I suppose I persuaded youas effectually as you did Captain Folkner."
"You have done very well, Mr. Lonley," replied Christy, in a patronizingtone, for he was determined that his companion should derive nosatisfaction from seeing him cast down by his misfortune.
"You informed me a little while ago that Captain Folkner was on boardof the Teaser; and I wish to ask if you are uniformly in the habit ofspeaking the truth?" continued Lonley.
"Well, that depends upon circumstances. If I have not done so, youcannot expect me to contradict myself."
"You claimed that you were Captain Gilder."
"Hardly, my excellent friend: when Captain Folkner addressed me by thatname, I did not object to it."
"That was just as much a lie as though you had claimed it in so manywords," protested Lonley.
"I admit it; and I hardly expect a true patriot to tell the truth tothe enemy. If I remember rightly, you told me yourself that your menhad gone to the eastward where they had left their bags. I don't believethat your conscience reproached you when they showed themselves in theboats."
At this moment pistol shots were heard on the water.