On The Blockade

by Oliver Optic

  CHAPTER VII

  AN INTERVIEW ON THE BRIDGE

  Although Mr. Lillyworth knew very well that Pink Mulgrum was deaf anddumb, he "jawed" at him as though his hearing was as perfect as his own,doubtless forgetting for the moment his infirmity.

  "Draw up the bight, and lace it tighter," exclaimed the secondlieutenant, intermixing an expletive at each end of the sentence. "Oh,you can't hear me!" he shouted, as though the fact that the scullioncould not hear him had suddenly come to his mind. "Well, it is a nicething to talk to a deaf man!"

  Dave could see that Mulgrum also seemed to forget that his ears wereclosed to all sounds, for he redoubled his efforts to haul the screeninto its place.

  "I could not hear anything that was of any consequence," the stewardheard the deaf mute say in a lower tone than his companion used.

  "Couldn't you hear anything?" asked Mr. Lillyworth, making a springat the canvas as though he was disgusted with the operations of hiscompanion on the bridge.

  "Only what I have just told you," replied Mulgrum.

  "But you were at the door when the captain and the first lieutenant weretalking together in the cabin," continued the officer in a low tone.

  "But they were talking about me, as I told you before," answered thescullion, rather impatiently, as though he too had a mind of his own.

  "Wasn't anything said about the operations of the future?" demanded Mr.Lillyworth.

  "Not a word; but you know as well as I do that the captain has sealedorders which he will not see before to-morrow. I heard him tell hisfather that he was to open the envelope in latitude 38," said thesupernumerary.

  "You must contrive some way to hear the captain when he reads hisorders," continued the second lieutenant. "He will be likely to haveMr. Flint with him when he opens the envelope."

  "It will be difficult," replied Mulgrum, and Dave could imagine that hesaw him shake his head. "The captain has found me cleaning the brasseson his door twice, and it will hardly do to be found at the door again."

  "Isn't there any place in his cabin where you can conceal yourself?"inquired Mr. Lillyworth.

  "I don't know of any place, unless it is his state room; and the cabinsteward has been at work there almost all the time since we got underway. Dave seems to be a sort of confidant of the captain," suggestedMulgrum; and it looked as though the deaf mute had not held his tongueand kept his ears open for nothing; but the steward could not understandhow he had got this idea into his head, for he had received hisinstructions while the commander was at supper, and he was sure, ashe had thrown the door open several times, that the scullion was noton the other side of it.

  "A nigger for his confidant!" exclaimed the second lieutenant, as heinterpolated a little jaw for the benefit of the seamen and pettyofficers within earshot of him. "What can we expect when a mere boyis put in command of a steamer like this one?"

  "I think you need not complain, Pawcett, for you are on board of thisvessel, and so am I, because she is under the command of a boy. But heis a tremendous smart boy, and he is older than many men of double hisage," added Mulgrum.

  Dave realized that the supernumerary was well informed in regard tocurrent history in connection with naval matters, and he was willing tobelieve that he was quite as shrewd as the officer at his side.

  "The boy is well enough, though he is abominably overrated, as you willsee before I have done with him," said Mr. Lillyworth contemptuously."It is galling for one who has seen some service to touch his cap tothis boy and call him captain."

  "I hope you are not forgetting yourself, Pawcett--"

  "Don't mention my name on board of this vessel, Hungerford," interposedthe officer.

  "And you will not mention mine," added the scullion promptly. "We areboth careless in this matter, and we must do better. I think I ought tocaution you not to neglect any outside tokens of respect to the captain.You can have your own opinions, but I think you do not treat him withsufficient deference."

  "Perhaps I don't, for it is not an easy thing to do," replied the secondlieutenant. "But I think the captain has no cause to complain of me.We must find out something about these orders, and you must be on thelookout for your chances at meridian to-morrow. If you can stow yourselfaway under the captain's berth in his state room, you may be able tohear him read them to the first lieutenant, as he will be sure to do."

  "I don't believe in doing that," replied Mulgrum. "If I am discovered,no explanation could be made as to why I was concealed there."

  "But we must take some risks," persisted Mr. Lillyworth. "After what youtold me in the first of our talk, it may not be necessary to concealyourself. I shall say something to the captain on the subject at whichyou hinted as soon as I get a chance. You may be in a situation to hearall that is said without danger."

  Dave wondered what could be meant by this remark, for he had not heardthe conversation between the captain and the first lieutenant which wasintended as a "blind" to the listener, known to be at the door.

  "I am willing to take any risk that will not ruin our enterprise,"Mulgrum responded to the remark of his companion.

  "At noon to-morrow I shall come on deck in charge, and the firstlieutenant will be relieved, so that he will be at liberty to visit thecaptain in his cabin. That will be your time, and you must improve it."

  "But I shall meet you again to-morrow, and I will look about me, and seewhat can be done," said Mulgrum, as he made a new demonstration at thecanvas screen.

  "I will keep my eyes open, and you must do the same. How is it with ourmen forward?" asked the officer.

  "I have had no chance to speak with any of them, for they are all thetime in the midst of the rest of the seamen," replied the deaf mute."But I have no doubt they are all right."

  "But you must have some way to communicate with them, or they might aswell be on shore. As there are six of them, I should say you might get achance to speak to one of them whenever you desire."

  "I have had nothing to say to them so far, and I have not considered thematter of communicating with them."

  "It is time to know how you can do so."

  "I can manage it in some way when the time comes," replied Mulgrumconfidently. "I am sure the captain and the first lieutenant have nosuspicion that I am not what I seem to be. The executive officer put methrough a full examination, especially in regard to Cherryfield, where Itold him I used to live. I came off with flying colors, and I am certainthat I am all right now."

  Dave knew nothing about the examination to which Mr. Flint had subjectedthe deaf mute. It is evident that Mulgrum took an entirely differentview of the result of the test from that taken by the examiner and thecaptain; but both of the latter had taken extreme pains to conceal theiropinion from the subject of the test.

  "I think we had better not say anything more to-night, and you have beenon the bridge long enough," said Mr. Lillyworth, walking to the windwardend of the bridge, and peering out into the gloom of the night.

  He had hardly looked in the direction of the deaf mute while he was onthe bridge, but had busied himself with the lashing of the screen, anddone everything he could to make it appear that he was not talking tohis companion. Mulgrum, overhauling the screen as he proceeded, made hisway to the steps by the side of the foremast. But he did not go down, ashe had evidently intended to do, and waited till the second lieutenantcame over to the lee side of the vessel.

  "Perhaps the man at the wheel has been listening to our conversation,"said the deaf mute, plainly alarmed at the situation. "I did not thinkof him."

  "I did," replied Mr. Lillyworth; "but it is all right, and the man atthe wheel is Spoors, one of our number."

  "All right," added Mulgrum, and he descended the steps.

  Dave kept his place in the folds of the foresail, and hardly breathedas the scullion passed him. With the greatest caution, and after he hadsatisfied himself that no one was near enough to see him, he descendedto the deck. He wandered about for a while, and saw that thesupernumerary went to the ga
lley, where, in the scarcity ofaccommodations for the extra persons on board, he was obliged to sleepon the floor. He was not likely to extend his operations any fartherthat night, and Dave went to the companion way, descended the steps,and knocked at the door of the captain's cabin.

  "Come in," called the occupant, who had been writing at his desk in thestate room, though the door was open.

  Dave presented himself before the commander, who was very glad to seehim. Christy wiped the perspiration from his forehead, for he hadevidently been working very hard all the evening. Four bells had juststruck, indicating that it was ten o'clock in the evening. Flint'sprediction in regard to the weather seemed to be in the way offulfilment, for the Bronx had been leaping mildly on a head sea for thelast hour. But everything was going well, and the motion of the vesselwas as satisfactory to the commander in rough water as it had been in asmooth sea.

  "I am glad to see you, Dave," said Christy, as the steward presentedhimself at the door of the state room. "I suppose from your comingto-night that you have something to tell me."

  "Yes, sir; I have; and I will give you the whole Gulf of Mexico if itisn't a big thing," replied Dave with his most expansive smile. "Youdone get into a hornet's nest, Captain Passford."

  "Not so bad as that, I hope," replied Christy, laughing.

  "Bad enough, sir, at any rate," added Dave. "Pink Mulgrum has beentalking and listening to the second lieutenant all the evening."

  "Then he is not a deaf mute, I take it."

  "Not a bit of it; he can talk faster than I can, and he knows all abouthis grammar and dictionary. You have just eight traitors on board of theBronx, Captain Passford," said Dave very impressively.

  "Only eight?"

  "That's all I know about; and I think that is enough for one cruise in aYankee ship."

  "Eight will do very well, Dave; but who are they?" asked the captainwith interest.

  "I know just three of them. One is the second lieutenant; Pink Mulgrumis another, and Spoors, one of the quartermasters, is the third. Theydidn't mention any more of them."

  "All right, Dave; now sit down on that stool, and tell me the wholestory," said Christy, pointing to the seat.

  The steward, believing that he had done a "big thing" that evening, didnot hesitate to seat himself in the presence of the commander, andproceeded at once to relate all that he had done, and all that he hadseen and heard on the bridge. When Dave had finished his story, andanswered the questions put to him, the commander was willing to believethat he had done a big thing; though he said nothing beyond a few wordsof general commendation to the steward. Then he dismissed him, and,locking his desk, he went on deck. After taking an observation of theweather he mounted the bridge.