by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER XXIV.
PILLGRIM AND LANGDON.
"I have the honor to report the capture of the Ben Lomond, otherwise theTallapoosa," said Somers, as he advanced towards Mr. Hackleford, hisface red with blushes, and his heart bounding with emotion.
The first lieutenant of the Chatauqua had regarded his enterprise with awant of faith, to say the least; and when the young commander of theexpedition came forward to report its entire success, there wassomething like pride and exultation in his manner, mingling notungracefully with the manifestations of his natural modesty. He had done"a big thing;" he felt that he had done "a big thing;" and it would havebeen a ridiculous affectation for him to pretend, by word or manner,that he had not done "a big thing."
"I congratulate you upon your success, Mr. Somers," replied Mr.Hackleford, warmly. "I was sceptical, I confess; but no man in the fleetis happier than I am at your good fortune."
"Thank you, sir," said Somers, blushing more deeply than before, andalmost wishing that the first lieutenant had done the "big thing"instead of himself, because he was so kind and generous in hiscommendation.
"You have managed the affair with skill and energy. For my own part, Idid not believe you would even get into the bay, let alone capturing thevessel. I am astonished at your success, but none the less delightedbecause I am surprised."
"Thank you, sir," was all Somers could say in reply to this praise somagnanimously bestowed.
"Captain Cascabel will see you, in his cabin, and we will hear yourverbal report there."
Mr. Garboard had already gone on board the prize, hauled her off fromthe ship, where she was chafing her sides, and moored her a cable'slength distant. Somers went below, where he was as warmly and generouslygreeted by the captain as he had been by the first lieutenant. Herelated the story of his night's adventures to them with all necessaryminuteness. His auditors could not help laughing when he told them whathe had done with his old friends, the first lieutenant and the commanderof the rebel craft. He had acted on his theory of Pillgrim's intendedmovements, and thus kept himself above suspicion.
"How does Mr. Pillgrim appear?" asked the captain.
"I haven't seen him, sir; I was very careful not to let him see me. Mr.Swayne, the first lieutenant of the Ben Lomond, after I had disposed ofLangdon, managed him for me."
"It's a very amusing as well as a very exciting affair. But we must seethese officers. Where are they?"
"Under guard in the state-rooms of the prize, sir."
"Bring them on board, if you please, Mr. Somers. Get your breakfastfirst."
Somers went to the ward-room, where he breakfasted with the officers offduty. He was cordially congratulated upon his success, though perhapssome of the mess regarded him as rather exclusive in permitting none ofthem to share his laurels.
After breakfast the first cutter was cleared away, and Somers pulled tothe prize in her. The Ben Lomond was temporarily in charge of the secondlieutenant of the Chatauqua, who had secured the prisoners, and puteverything in order on board. Somers went at once to the ward-room,where the two most important prisoners were confined. There were now ateach door a couple of marines with loaded muskets, but no communicationhad been had with the solitary occupant of either.
Pillgrim had several times attempted to obtain some information inregard to what was going on, but he was still in darkness. Even thebull's eye in his room could not have enlightened him, for it was on thestarboard side of the steamer, while the Chatauqua lay on the portside.
Somers ordered the marines to open the door of Langdon's room first, andthe late first lieutenant of the Tallapoosa came forth.
"Lieutenant Wynkoop, I believe," said Somers, facetiously.
Langdon looked at him with astonishment.
"Have you any more old sherry that has made two voyages to India?"
"This is hardly magnanimous, Mr. Somers," said Langdon, coldly.
"Perhaps not; but when officers stoop to such tricks as those you havepractised, there can be no great harm in mentioning them."
"Mr. Somers, I find myself somewhat bewildered."
"I dare say," laughed Somers. "Very likely your friend Pillgrim, orColes, is in the same situation."
"Is he on board?"
"He is."
"I have not seen him since he left Philadelphia in the Chatauqua."
"I have."
"You were in the Chatauqua with him?"
"For a short time."
"I had a letter from him, dated at Richmond, saying that he had changedhis plans."
"Changed them--did he?" said Somers, who had changed them for him."Perhaps you will inform me how you happened to be on board thisvessel."
"I don't object; it makes little difference what I say now. Afterobtaining the command of the Tallapoosa for Pillgrim, I went toWilmington, where I was to take command of the Coosa."
"You mean the Ben Nevis."
"I do."
"I thought you were to call her the Louisiana."
"We did not always give you correct information," added Langdon, with asickly smile.
"Go on."
"While at Wilmington I got a letter from Pillgrim, then in Richmond,informing me that the Ben Nevis had been captured, and that I wasappointed first lieutenant of the Tallapoosa, if I chose to take theplace. I did choose to take it, hoping soon to be in command of one ofthe California steamers. I went to Mobile at once, and attended to thefitting out of the ship. Pillgrim wrote me that he should be on board bythe 22d, and I had steam up to run out the moment he arrived."
"How happened you to tell your officers that Pillgrim was coming down ina Yankee man-of-war?" asked Somers.
"That was his original plan. Though he wrote me from Richmond, I did notknow but that he intended to return to the Chatauqua. He gave me noparticulars; did not tell me that his plans had failed, only that hehad changed them. When he wrote that he should be on board by the 22d, Iknew he was coming down by land, and I corrected my statement. Now, Mr.Somers, will you tell me how you happen to be here?"
"Marine, bring out the other prisoner," said Somers, who had beeninstructed by Captain Cascabel to confer with the conspirators, if hecould obtain any information from them.
The discomfited, crestfallen commander of the Tallapoosa was broughtfrom his room by a marine. He saw Somers, and started back withastonishment. He was pale and haggard, as though he had been spendinghis time in drinking bad whiskey, and in other debauchery. He had uponhis face a fortnight's growth of black beard, and looked more like"Coles" than when Somers had last met him. His captor concluded that hismisfortunes on board the Chatauqua had depressed his spirits, in spiteof the cool look he had before carried, and that he had given way todissipation. He certainly appeared like a person who had just come outof a hard "spree."
In the Ben Lomond there was a door opening from the ward-room into thecaptain's cabin. The vessel had evidently been built for a swiftpassenger steamer. The ward-room was a portion of the main cabin, fromwhich the steerage and engineers' rooms had been parted off; while thecaptain's cabin was the original "ladies' saloon." Langdon had beenconducted by the marines through this door to the captain's cabin, wherethe conversation with him had taken place. Pillgrim was in the samemanner introduced to this apartment.
"Mr. Somers!" exclaimed the traitor.
"Yes, sir. In the letter you sent me from Old Point Comfort,--and I amgreatly obliged to you for the information contained in thatletter,--you expressed a hope that you should meet me on board of theBen Lomond. Your wish has been realized," replied Somers, taking theoriginal letter, with other papers, from his pocket.
Pillgrim trembled in every fibre of his frame. It was not thus he hadhoped to meet his enemy.
"'If you capture the Ben Lomond, it will make you a lieutenant. Do it,by all means,'" continued Somers, reading the last paragraph of theletter. "This was your advice. I have done it."
Pillgrim made no reply. His pale, haggard face, darkened by hishalf-grown beard, was contorted by em
otion, and his bloodshot eyes hadlost their fire.
"You don't seem to enjoy the situation so much as your letter intimatedthat you would."
"Mr. Somers, I am your prisoner," said he, with a desperate struggle.
"You are; you will not have the pleasure of hanging me at theyard-arm."
"I am bewildered--overcome."
"So was Langdon."
"I see why you did not join your ship before," said Langdon, with asneer, as he glanced contemptuously at his principal. "You have beendissipating."
This remark brought forth an angry retort from Pillgrim, and for a fewmoments each traitor reproached and vilified the other, much to theamusement of the marines, and to the disgust of Somers, who wascompelled to interfere. Langdon's severest charge against his latecaptain was, that he had betrayed their schemes by writing letters, andin other stupid ways. Pillgrim denied it.
"Mr. Somers has just thanked you for the information contained in yourletter," sneered Langdon. "He has good reason to do so."
"I gave him no information that could be of any service to him."
"You gave him the name of the vessel," retorted Langdon.
"But I did not tell him where she was."
"You gave me that information, Mr. Langdon," said Somers, quietly.
"I?"
Somers exhibited the letter in cipher.
"You could not read that without the key," protested the writer of thenote.
"The first word I made out was 'Langdon:' the next, 'Ben Lomond.' I amindebted to both of you. The moral of the whole affair is, that treasoncannot prosper. I am indebted to both of you for the information whichenabled me to capture the steamer. Gentlemen, it becomes my duty toconduct you on board of the Chatauqua."
"No, Mr. Somers!" groaned Pillgrim, "spare me that."
"I must obey my orders."
The traitor objected strongly to being taken into the presence of theofficers of the ship in which he had so recently served. He protestedthat he had but a few days to live, and begged to be saved from thishumiliation. But Somers, though he was not without pity for the degradedand disgraced wretch, had no alternative but to obey the orders ofCaptain Cascabel.
Langdon accepted his misfortunes with more resignation. He was quitecheerful, and volunteered to tell all he knew, though he was very bitteragainst Pillgrim, who, he declared, had ruined all their hopes by hisdissipation, his silly pretensions, and his reckless exposure of theirplans.
Somers was now satisfied that Pillgrim had been intoxicated when he cameover the side of the Ben Lomond the night before, which accounted forhis violent conduct, and which was one of the accidents which assistedin the easy capture of the vessel.
Both the prisoners were examined on board the Chatauqua; and, with theexplanations of Somers, their operations were clearly comprehended. Theywere placed in confinement, to await the final decision in regard tothem. In the forenoon Somers was sent to make his report to the admiral.He was warmly received, judiciously commended, and courteouslydismissed. The young officer's respect and admiration for the "Brave OldSalt" were not diminished by his second interview.
In the afternoon the Ben Lomond, in charge of an acting ensign, was sentto Pensacola, where she was to remain until further orders. It wassurmised that the admiral, not wishing to spare any of the best officersof the fleet, when on the eve of a mighty event, had decided to let theprize remain in port with her prisoners until a more favorable season.Be this as it may, the Old Salamander kept everybody busy for the nextten days, when, the monitors having arrived, and all the ships intendedfor the attack being in complete readiness, the order was given for thebattle, which now stands without a parallel in the annals of navalwarfare.