On The Blockade

by Oliver Optic

  CHAPTER II

  A DINNER FOR THE CONFEDERACY

  Christy Passford was not a little surprised to see his father so soonafter his former visit, and he was confident that he had some goodreason for coming. He conducted him at once to his cabin, where CaptainPassford immediately seated himself at the table, and drew from hispocket a telegram.

  "I found this on my desk when I went to my office," said he, opening acable message, and placing it before Christy.

  "'Mutton, three veal, four sea chickens,'" Christy read from the paperplaced before him, laughing all the time as he thought it was a joke ofsome sort. "Signed 'Warnock.' It looks as though somebody was going tohave a dinner, father. Mutton, veal, and four sea chickens seem to formthe substantial of the feast, though I never ate any sea chickens."

  "Perhaps somebody will have a dinner, but I hope it will prove to beindigestible to those for whom it is provided," added Captain Passford,amused at the comments of his son.

  "The message is signed by Warnock. I don't happen to have the pleasureof his acquaintance, and I don't see why he has taken the trouble tosend you this bill of fare," chuckled the commander of the Bronx.

  "This bill of fare is of more importance to me, and especially to you,than you seem to understand."

  "It is all Greek to me; and I wonder why Warnock, whoever he may be, hasspent his money in sending you such a message, though I suppose you knowwho is to eat this dinner."

  "The expense of sending the cablegram is charged to me, though thedinner is prepared for the Confederate States of America. Of course Iunderstand it, for if I could not, it would not have been sent to me,"replied Captain Passford, assuming a very serious expression. "You knowWarnock, for he has often been at Bonnydale, though not under the namehe signs to this message. My three agents, one in the north, one in thesouth, and one in the west of England, have each an assumed name. Theyare Otis, Barnes, and Wilson, and you know them all. They have beencaptains or mates in my employ; and they know all about a vessel whenthey see it."

  "I know them all very well, and they are all good friends of mine,"added Christy.

  "Warnock is Captain Barnes, and this message comes from him. CaptainOtis signs himself Bixwell in his letters and cablegrams, and Mr.Wilson, who was formerly mate of the Manhattan, uses the name ofFleetley."

  "I begin to see into your system, father; and I suppose the governmentwill carry out your plan."

  "Very likely; for it would hardly be proper to send such information asthese men have to transmit in plain English, for there may be spies oroperators bribed by Confederate agents to suppress such matter."

  "I see. I understand the system very well, father," said Christy.

  "It is simple enough," added his father, as he took a paper from hispocket-book.

  "If you only understand it, it is simple enough."

  "I can interpret the language of this message, and there is not anotherperson on the western continent that can do so. Now, look at thecablegram, Christy," continued Captain Passford, as he opened thepaper he held in his hand. "What is the first word?"

  "Mutton," replied the commander.

  "Mutton means armed; that is to say the Scotian and the Arran took anarmament on board at some point south of England, as indicated by thefact that the intelligence comes from Warnock. In about a week the mailwill bring me a letter from him in which he will explain how he obtainedthis information."

  "He must have chartered a steamer and cruised off the Isle of Wight topick it up," suggested Christy.

  "He is instructed to do that when necessary. What is the next word?"

  "'Three,'" replied Christy.

  "One means large, two medium, and three small," explained his father."Three what, does it say?"

  "'Three veal.'"

  "Veal means ship's company, or crew."

  "Putting the pieces together, then, 'three veal' means that the Scotianand the Arran have small crews," said Christy, intensely interested inthe information.

  "Precisely so. Read the rest of the message," added Captain Passford.

  "'Four sea chickens,'" the commander read.

  "'Four' means some, a few, no great number; in other words, ratherindefinite. Very likely Warnock could not obtain exact information.'C' stands for Confederate, and 'sea' is written instead of the letter.'Chickens' means officers. 'Four sea chickens,' translated means 'someConfederate officers.'"

  Christy had written down on a piece of paper the solution of the enigma,as interpreted by his father, though not the symbol words of thecablegram. He continued to write for a little longer time, amplifyingand filling in the wanting parts of the message. Then he read what hehad written, as follows: "'The Scotian and the Arran are armed; thereare some Confederate officers on board, but their ship's companies aresmall.' Is that it, father?"

  "That is the substance of it," replied Captain Passford, as he restoredthe key of the cipher to his pocket-book, and rose from his seat. "Nowyou know all that can be known on this side of the Atlantic in regard tothe two steamers. The important information is that they are armed, andeven with small crews they may be able to sink the Bronx, if you shouldhappen to fall in with them, or if your orders required you to be on thelookout for them. There is a knock at the door."

  Christy opened the door, and found a naval officer waiting to see him.He handed him a formidable looking envelope, with a great seal upon it.The young commander looked at its address, and saw that it came from theNavy Department. With it was a letter, which he opened. It was an orderfor the immediate sailing of the Bronx, the sealed orders to be openedwhen she reached latitude 38 deg. N. The messenger spoke some pleasantwords, and then took his leave. Christy returned to the cabin, andshowed the ponderous envelope to his father.

  "Sealed orders, as I supposed you would have," said Captain Passford.

  "And this is my order to sail immediately on receipt of it," addedChristy.

  "Then I must leave you, my son; and may the blessing of God go with youwherever your duty calls you!" exclaimed the father, not a little shakenby his paternal feelings. "Be brave, be watchful; but be prudent underall circumstances. Bravery and Prudence ought to be twin sisters, andI hope you will always have one of them on each side of you. I am notafraid that you will be a poltroon, a coward; but I do fear that yourenthusiasm may carry you farther than you ought to go."

  "I hope not, father; and your last words to me shall be remembered. WhenI am about to engage in any important enterprise, I will recall youradmonition, and ask myself if I am heeding it."

  "That satisfies me. I wish you had such a ship's company as we had onboard of the Bellevite; but you have a great deal of good material, andI am confident that you will make the best use of it. Remember that youare fighting for your country and the best government God ever gave tothe nations of the earth. Be brave, be prudent; but be a Christian, andlet no mean, cruel or unworthy action stain your record."

  Captain Passford took the hand of his son, and though neither of themwept, both of them were under the influence of the strongest emotions.Christy accompanied his father to the accommodation ladder, and shookhands with him again as he embarked in his boat. His mother and hissister had been on board that day, and the young commander had partedfrom them with quite as much emotion as on the present occasion. Themembers of the family were devotedly attached to each other, and in somerespects the event seemed like a funeral to all of them, and not less toChristy than to the others, though he was entering upon a very exaltedduty for one of his years.

  "Pass the word for Mr. Flint," said Christy, after he had watched thereceding boat that bore away his father for a few minutes.

  "On duty, Captain Passford," said the first lieutenant, touching his capto him a few minutes later.

  "Heave short the anchor, and make ready to get under way," added thecommander.

  "Heave short, sir," replied Mr. Flint, as he touched his cap andretired. "Pass the word for Mr. Giblock."

  Mr. Giblock was the boatswain of the ship, tho
ugh he had only the rankof a boatswain's mate. He was an old sailor, as salt as a barrel ofpickled pork, and knew his duty from keel to truck. In a few moments hispipe was heard, and the seamen began to walk around the capstan.

  "Cable up and down, sir," said the boatswain, reporting to the secondlieutenant on the forecastle.

  Mr. Lillyworth was the acting second lieutenant, though he was not tobe attached to the Bronx after she reached her destination in the Gulf.He repeated the report from the boatswain to the first lieutenant. Thesteamer was rigged as a topsail schooner; but the wind was contrary, andno sail was set before getting under way. The capstan was manned again,and as soon as the report came from the second lieutenant that theanchor was aweigh, the first lieutenant gave the order to strike onebell, which meant that the steamer was to go "ahead slow."

  The Bronx had actually started on her mission, and the heart of Christyswelled in his bosom as he looked over the vessel, and realized thathe was in command, though not for more than a week or two. All thecourtesies and ceremonies were duly attended to, and the steamer, assoon as the anchor had been catted and fished, at the stroke of fourbells, went ahead at full speed, though, as the fires had been banked inthe furnaces, the engine was not working up to its capacity. In a coupleof hours more she was outside of Sandy Hook, and on the broad ocean. Theship's company had been drilled to their duties, and everything workedto the entire satisfaction of the young commander.

  The wind was ahead and light. All hands had been stationed, and at fourin the afternoon, the first dog watch was on duty, and there was notmuch that could be called work for any one to do. Mr. Lillyworth, thesecond lieutenant, had the deck, and Christy had retired to his cabinto think over the events of the day, especially those relating to theScotian and the Arran. He had not yet read his orders, and he could notdecide what he should do, even if he discovered the two steamers inhis track. He sat in his arm chair with the door of the cabin open,and when he saw the first lieutenant on his way to the ward room,he called him in.

  "Well, Mr. Flint, what do you think of our crew?" asked the captain,after he had seated his guest.

  "I have hardly seen enough of the men to be able to form an opinion,"replied Flint. "I am afraid we have some hard material on board, thoughthere are a good many first-class fellows among them."

  "Of course we can not expect to get such a crew as we had in theBellevite. How do you like Mr. Lillyworth?" asked the commander, lookingsharply into the eye of his subordinate.

  "I don't like him," replied Flint, bluntly. "You and I have been in sometight places together, and it is best to speak our minds squarely."

  "That's right, Mr. Flint. We will talk of him another time. I haveanother matter on my mind just now," added Christy.

  He proceeded to tell the first lieutenant something about the twosteamers.