by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER XXVIII
AN ENTERPRISE FOR A DARK NIGHT
"Corny wounded!" exclaimed Colonel Passford, rising with no littleemotion from the box on which he had seated himself.
"Not seriously, Uncle Homer," added Christy.
"But how was he wounded? I have heard of no battle in the vicinity ofNew York till now, though our papers contain some news from outside,"continued the planter.
"It was hardly a battle," replied Christy. "Captain Carboneer hadbrought a crew for a steamer through Canada, I believe, for the purposeof capturing the Bellevite as she lay at Bonnydale. Major Pierson andCorny were to assist him; and the major wished Captain Carboneer to takeFlorry on board of her, and convey her to the South, when he had takenpossession of the steamer; but the naval officer was too high-toned todo anything of the kind."
"I did not suppose Major Pierson could do such a thing," added theplanter, biting his lips.
"But the major insisted that he did not mean to take her against herown will. Captain Carboneer bought an old steamer, put his men on boardof her, and started up the river to make the capture. I knew they werecoming, and was ready for them. We fired only one shot at the oldsteamer, which smashed her walking-beam, and disabled her. A piece ofthe machinery struck Corny, and injured him in the shoulder. The doctorsays he is not permanently injured, though it will be months before heis able to use his arm. He was paroled, and mother is taking as goodcare of him as though I had been wounded."
"I am thankful it is not worse," added the colonel, with a sigh ofrelief. "What became of Major Pierson?"
"I don't know, but I suppose he is a prisoner in Fort Lafayette. Herefused to give his parole when he found he could not be a guest atBonnydale. Captain Carboneer obtained the command of a steamer, but itwas captured by the Bellevite, and probably he is with the major in thefort."
The planter asked a great many questions in regard to the affair on theHudson, and Christy answered them. He gave some of the particulars ofthe capture of the Teaser, and mentioned the name of Lonley, who hadtold him that Colonel Passford had offered him the command of a schoonerhe had loaded with cotton to run the blockade; but the planter saidnothing to indicate that he had ever heard of the privateersman.
"The Bellevite has been very fortunate so far, and she seems to have acharmed existence," added the colonel.
"That is only because she is well handled," replied Christy, laughing.
"And you seem to be equally fortunate, Christy, for you have twice beenthe means of saving your father's steamer. Corny has done nothing, iswounded, and practically a prisoner. But, Christy, the tide will turn,for Heaven is always on the side of a just cause," added the plantersolemnly.
"I believe it, uncle; and that will be the reason why the Union willprevail in the end. Besides, Napoleon believed that Heaven was alwayson the side of the stronger battalions."
"That was an impious remark; and Heaven, by its own mysterious ways,will conduct the just cause of the South to a successful ending, and theConfederate States of America will be an honored member of the family ofnations."
"I think we had better not talk politics, even though we mix in a littlereligion," suggested Christy.
"As your father has been kind to my boy, wounded and a prisoner in themidst of enemies, I ought to do something for you, Christy," continuedColonel Passford, looking on the floor.
"Not at all, Uncle Homer; I am not wounded as Corny is, and there isno need of doing anything for me," interposed Christy, laughing in theserious face of the planter.
"I can get you paroled, and then I shall be glad to have you remain atGlenfield until you are exchanged," said the planter.
"I shall not accept a parole, Uncle Homer," replied Christy promptly.
"Not accept a parole!" exclaimed the colonel. "Corny did so."
"If I were wounded, as Corny is, I would accept it."
"I hope you don't mean to try to escape, Christy," added his uncle, witha look of deep concern on his dignified face, as he looked about theapartment in which his nephew was confined.
"I don't say that I shall; if I did say so, you would have our guarddoubled, and ready to shoot me if they saw my head at a window,"answered Christy with earnestness.
"You seem to think I am a heathen; but you forget that you are an activeenemy of my country," added the planter, with a pained expression.
"I don't forget it, uncle; but I am not half as active as I hope to bebefore this thing ends. I believe you would see me shot or hung by theneck till I was dead if it were for the benefit of what you call yourcountry."
"I hope and pray that I may never be placed in a situation to seeanything of that kind."
"I know you are earnest, honest, and sincere, Uncle Homer, and nopartiality to your own kindred would permit you to shirk what youconsider to be your duty. I find no fault with you; and I believe myfather would be equally firm," said Christy warmly.
"I think you understand me, my boy; but do not attempt any rash project.I cannot prevent the guard from shooting you if you attempt to escape."
"I prefer to keep my own counsels in a matter of this kind, Uncle Homer.Give my love to Aunt Lydia and Gerty, for I suppose I am not likely tosee them, as I am liable to be sent away any day."
"Oh, yes, you will see them, for they shall call upon you here as soonas they return from Montgomery, where they have gone for a few days."
"It will be very kind of them to do so," added Christy, though he didnot believe he should be "at home" when they came.
"I do not wish you were wounded, my dear boy, but if you were, we woulddo all that your father and mother are doing for poor Corny," repliedColonel Passford fervently, "Now, promise me, Christy, that you will notattempt to escape."
"I can't make any promises, uncle."
"I will do the best I can to have your condition improved, and see thatyou have a better diet, if I send your food from a hotel."
"You are very kind, uncle, and I know that you will do all that yourduty will permit you to do for me."
"But I shall live in fear and trembling if I leave you without yourpromise to refrain from daring exploits. Just consider, my dear boy; youare in the fourth story of this warehouse, and the guard-room is belowyou. You have really no chance at all of success, and a fall or a shotmay kill or disable you for life."
"I do not say that I shall try to escape, uncle."
"And you do not say that you will not try to escape."
For half an hour longer Colonel Passford endeavored to induce his nephewto give the desired promise; but he remained obstinate to the end;and his uncle was compelled to leave him, to enter upon the fear andtrembling in which he was to live while his enterprising nephew remaineda prisoner. But he promised to call upon him every day, and to write tohis wife and daughter to return at once.
"I think I shall not wait for him to call," said Christy to Flint,as soon as he had gone.
"Do you expect to get out of this place, Mr. Passford?" asked themaster's mate, with lively interest.
"This very night!" replied Christy, in an energetic whisper, as he puthis finger on his lips to indicate that nothing more was to be said onthe subject.
The second lieutenant of the Bellevite had not been confined in thewarehouse three days without considering his chances of escape, andthe means of accomplishing such a purpose. He had looked the buildingover with the greatest care. The room the prisoners occupied was nextto the roof. The rear windows opened upon a narrow alley, and he hadascertained by looking out at them that the warehouse was one of a longblock. He had been in Mobile a great deal while the family were visitingat Glenfield, and he had been careful to notice the location when he wasconducted to it with the others.
At the end of the loft next to the main street were thirty or fortyother prisoners, with whom Christy and Flint had been on good terms,though they belonged to the army, and seemed to be inclined to keepby themselves. They had been exhausted by hard service, and they hadnothing to do but eat and sleep, though
the former occupation did notoccupy any great amount of their spare time. But as soon as it wasfairly dark, they stretched themselves on their beds of vines and weeds,and most of them were soon asleep.
The evening that followed the day on which Colonel Passford visited hisnephew was dark, foggy, rainy, and as gloomy as even a blockade runnermight ask. Christy seated himself under one of the rear windows of theloft, which appeared to have been intended only for storage, and wasonly from seven to eight feet between studs. Flint placed himself at theside of his companion, as he was requested to do.
"This is just the kind of a night we want," said Christy, in a whisper,for he could hear the tramp of a sentinel outside the door of the loft.
"I should as soon think of getting out if we were buried a hundred feetunder ground as to think of getting out of this place," replied Flint,who was hardly as enterprising as his officer, though he was alwaysready to follow when he was well led. "There is a guard at the door,Mr. Passford."
"He may stay there; we don't want anything of him," replied Christy.
"I see no other way out of this den, unless we jump down into thestreet; but I will follow you, sir, if I fall a hundred feet in doingit," protested the master's mate.
"You shall not fall six inches, and you will have no opportunity to doso. But if you are all ready to follow my lead, we may as well begin atonce," added Christy, who had expected that it would require somepersuasion to induce his companion to join him.
The first thing the midshipman did was to take off his shoes, and torequire Flint to do the same. With these in their hands, Christy pacedoff twenty steps, which brought him, according to a calculation hehad made in the daylight, under a scuttle that led to the roof of thewarehouse. Stationing the master's mate as a mark, he laid off fivepaces at right angles with the first line from the party-wall. It was asdark as Egypt, and the scuttle could not be seen; but the operator hadlocated it mathematically, and was confident as to its position. Flintwas planted under the opening, with the shoes of both at his side.
The master's mate was nearly six feet in his stocking feet as he stood,and Christy whispered to him the next thing in his scheme. With the aidof his willing assistant, the midshipman was mounted on the shoulders ofthe former, where he stood up like an athlete in the gloom, though healmost instantly obtained a hold above with his hands. He unfastened thescuttle, and slid it off the aperture with the greatest care. Then hedrew himself up with his strong hands, and was on the roof. Then Flintpassed up the shoes, as he reached down for them. Seating himself on oneside of the frame, he braced his feet against the other side, andgrasped the hands of the mate. It did not work.