by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER III
DANGEROUS AND SOMEWHAT IRREGULAR
In various parts of the deck of the Bellevite, the officers, seamen,engineers, and coal-passers of the steamer were gathered in knots,evidently discussing the situation; for the news brought on board bythe pilot had been spread through the ship.
Captain Passford hardly noticed the announcement made to him by thecommander, that the tug was alongside, for he was not yet ready to makeuse of it. Even the wife and the son of the owner wondered what themission of the little vessel was to be; but the husband and father hadnot yet disclosed his purpose in coming to anchor almost in sight of hisown mansion.
"Why have you come to anchor here, Horatio?" asked Mrs. Passford, takingadvantage of the momentary pause in the interesting, and even exciting,conversation, to put this leading question.
"I was about to tell you. I have already adopted my plan to recoverFlorry, and bring my brother and his family out of the enemy's country,"replied the owner, looking with some solicitude into the face of hiswife, as though he anticipated some objection to his plan.
"You have adopted it so quick?" inquired the lady. "You have not hadmuch time to think of it."
"I have had all the time I need to enable me to reach the decision torescue my child from peril, and save my brother and his family fromprivation and trouble in the enemy's country. But I have only decidedwhat to do, and I have yet to mature the details of the scheme."
"I hope you are not going into any danger," added the wife anxiously.
"Danger!" exclaimed Captain Passford, straightening up his manly form."War with all its perils and hardships is before us. Am I a villain,a poltroon, who will desert his country in the hour of her greatestneed? I do not so understand myself."
"Of course I meant any needless exposure," added Mrs. Passford,impressed by the patriotic bearing of her husband.
"You may be assured, Julia, that I will incur no needless peril, and Ithink I am even more careful than the average of men. But, when I havea duty to perform, I feel that I ought to do it without regard to thedanger which may surround it."
"I know you well enough to understand that, Horatio," said the lady.
"I believe there will be danger in my undertaking, though to what extentI am unable to say."
"But you do not tell me how you intend to recover Florry."
"I intend to go for her and my brother's family in the Bellevite."
"In the Bellevite!" exclaimed the lady.
"Of course; there is no other possible way to reach Glenfield," whichwas the name that Homer Passford had given to his plantation.
"But Fort Morgan, at the entrance of Mobile Bay, is in the hands of theConfederates, and has been for three or four months," said Christy, whohad kept himself as thoroughly posted in regard to events at home as thesources of information would permit.
"I am well aware of it; and I have no doubt, that, by this time, thefort is strongly garrisoned, to say nothing of other forts which haveprobably been built in the vicinity," replied Captain Passford.
"It says in this paper that the ports of the South have been blockaded,"said Christy, glancing at the journal in his hand.
"The President has issued a proclamation to this effect, but there hashardly been time to enforce it to any great extent yet. But of thesematters I have nothing to say yet. The important point now is that Ishall go in the Bellevite to Mobile Bay, and by force or strategy Ishall bring off my daughter and the family of my brother."
"Then I suppose Christy and I are to be sent on shore in the tugalongside," suggested Mrs. Passford.
"That is precisely what I wanted the tug for," added the husband.
"I should be willing to go with you, and share whatever dangers you mayincur," said the lady, who had by this time come to a full realizationof what war meant.
"I should be a heathen to allow you to do so. A woman would be more ofa burden than a help to us. You had better return to Bonnydale, Julia,where I am sure you can render more service to your country than youcould on board of the steamer. All that I am, all that I have, shall beat the service of the Union; and I wish you to act for me according toyour own good judgment."
"I shall do whatever you wish me to do, Horatio," added the lady.
"My mission will be a dangerous one at best, and the deck of the steamerwill be no place for you, Julia."
"Very well; Christy and I will take the tug as soon as you are ready tohave us leave you."
"Am I to go on shore, father?" demanded Christy, with a look of chagrinon his handsome face, browned by exposure to the sun on the ocean."I want to go with you; and I am sure I can do my share of the duty,whatever it may be."
"You are rather young to engage in such an enterprise as that before me,Christy," added his father, as he gazed with pride at the face and formof his son, who had thrown back his head as though he felt theinspiration of all the manliness in his being.
"If there is to be a war for the Union, I am a Union man, or boy, as youlike; and it would be as mean and cowardly for me to turn my back to theenemy as it would be for you to do so, sir," replied Christy, his chestheaving with patriotic emotion.
"I am willing you should go with me," added Captain Passford, turningfrom the young man to his mother.
There was a tear in the eyes of the lady as she looked upon her son. Itwas hard enough to have her husband leave her on such a mission: it wasdoubly so to have Christy go with him.
"Christy might be of great service to me," said his father. "I look uponthis war as a very solemn event; and when a man's country calls upon himto render his time, his comfort, even his life, he has no moral right toput himself, his father, his brother, or his son in a safe place, andleave mere hirelings, the thoughtless, reckless adventurers, to fighthis battle for him."
"I am ready to go, sir," added Christy.
"He may go with you, if you think it best," said the mother with aquivering lip. "I shall miss him, but I am sure you would miss himmore."
"My first mission is hardly in the service of my country; at least, itis not directly so, though I hope to be of some use to her during myabsence. As I said before, I think my first duty--a duty committed tome by the Almighty, which takes precedence over all other duties--is,within reasonable limits, to my own family. I will not spare myself ormy son, but I must save Florry and my brother's family."
"I think you are right, Horatio."
"On my return I shall present the Bellevite to the Government, whichis in sore need of suitable vessels at the present time, and offer myservices in any capacity in which I can be useful," continued CaptainPassford. "Captain Breaker," he called to the commander.
"Here, sir."
"Pipe the entire ship's company on the forecastle, and see that no onefrom the tug is near enough to hear what is said there."
Captain Breaker had formerly been a lieutenant in the navy, and theforms and discipline of a man-of-war prevailed on board of thesteam-yacht. In a minute more the pipe of the boatswain rang throughthe vessel, and all hands were mustered on the forecastle. The tug wasmade fast on the quarter of the steamer, and no one from her had comeon board.
Captain Passford and Christy walked forward, leaving the lady with herown thoughts. She was a daughter of a distinguished officer in the navy,and she had been fully schooled in the lesson of patriotism for such anemergency as the present. She was sad, and many a tear dropped from herstill handsome face; but she was brave enough to feel proud that she hada husband and a son whom she was willing to give to her country.
The ship's company gathered on the forecastle; and every one of themseemed to be deeply impressed with the solemnity of the occasion, fornot a light word was spoken, not a laugh played on any face. They hadjust learned that the country was in a state of war; and the presentoccasion indicated that the owner had some serious question in his mind,which was now to be presented to them.
The Bellevite was heavily manned for a yacht; but every person had beenselected for his position, from t
he highest to the lowest, with theutmost care by Captain Breaker, assisted by the owner. Every one of themhad been attached to the steamer for at least a year, and some of themfor a longer period. All of them were personally known to the owner andthe members of the family, who had taken the greatest pleasure inimproving and assisting them and their families, if they had any.
They were all devoted to the owner and the members of his family, whohad taken such a strong personal interest in them and theirs. Manyinstances of the kindness of the lady in times of sickness and death,as well as in the brighter days of prosperity and happiness, could berelated; and in return for all this generous and considerate treatment,there was not a man on board who would not have laid down his life forthe family.
It was certainly a model ship's company; and if there had ever beenanother owner and captain like those of the Bellevite, there might alsohave been such another collection of officers and seamen. But every oneof them had been selected for his moral character, not less than for hisnautical skill and knowledge. In fact, the personal history of any oneof them would have been interesting to the general reader.
These men composed the audience of Captain Passford when he took hisplace at the bowsprit bitts; and, if the occasion had been less solemn,they would have cheered him, as they were in the habit of doing on everysuitable opportunity, and even when it was not suitable.
The owner prefaced his remarks with a statement of the events whichhad occurred in the country since the last dates they had received, andthen proceeded to describe his mission as indicated to his wife and son.He fully stated the perils of the enterprise, with the fact that hisoperations would be somewhat irregular; though he intended to make animmediate tender of the vessel to the Government, with his own servicesin any capacity in which he might be needed.
In spite of the solemnity of the occasion, the men broke out intocheers, and not a few of the sailors shouted out their readiness to gowith him wherever he might go, without regard to danger or hardship. Oneold sheet-anchor man declared that he was ready to die for Miss Florry;and he was so lustily cheered that it was evident this was the sentimentof all.
"I have called the tug at the quarter alongside to convey Mrs. Passfordto the shore, though Christy will go with me," added the owner.
At this point he was interrupted by a volley of cheers, for Christy wasa universal favorite on board, as Florry had always been; and the ship'scompany regarded her as a sort of mundane divinity, upon whom they couldlook only with the most profound reverence.
"In view of the danger and the irregularity of the enterprise, I shallnot persuade or urge any person on board to accompany me; and the tugwill take on shore all who prefer to leave the vessel, with my bestwishes for their future. Those who prefer to go on shore will go aftto the mainmast," continued Captain Passford.
Officers and seamen looked from one to the other; but not one of themtook a step from his place on the forecastle, to which all seemed to benailed.