Stand By The Union

by Oliver Optic

  CHAPTER XV

  A REBELLIOUS AND PREJUDICED PRISONER

  "Well, Mr. Flint, we have been more successful than I feared we mightbe," said Christy, after the prisoners except Corny had been put inirons, though they consisted of only five officers and seamen.

  "As usual, you are the hero of the adventure," replied the new firstlieutenant, laughing. "But I must say it was the stupidest enterprise inwhich rational men ever engaged."

  "I decline to be regarded as the hero of the adventure, as you call it;and it was not so stupid as you suggest," replied Christy, with thegreatest good-nature.

  "Perhaps you builded better than you knew; but if you had not escapedfrom the Vernon, and managed the whole affair, it would have been asuccess," added Mr. Flint.

  "Then the scheme cannot be considered so stupid as you represent it."

  "But it had not one chance in ten of success. Your cousin looks morelike you than he did the last time I saw him."

  "He fixed himself up to pass for me, and that helped his case verygreatly. He put on a uniform like mine, such a one as you have neverseen him wear."

  "He did not look quite natural to me; but I could not make out whatmade the change in his looks," continued Mr. Flint. "You can see foryourself, that the plot would have been a success if you had not been onboard of the Bronx to tell me what had happened. Whatever passed betweenthe flag-officer and Captain Battleton, nothing at all was said amongthe officers about the decision the commander of the Vernon had beenobliged to make when he accepted your cousin as the genuine ChristopherPassford, ordered to the command of the Bronx. While I thought you weresomewhat altered in appearance, and that your greeting to me was rathercold and formal when you came on board, I did not suspect that theofficer who represented you was an impostor."

  "Do you think you should have let these conspirators run into PensacolaBay without meddling with the matter?" asked Christy.

  "I am sure I should, for I could not have helped myself. The captain hadhis orders, to be opened about this time; and I should have supposed youwere going into the bay to shell out Fort Barrancas."

  "You could hardly have supposed that a little gunboat like the Bronx wassent all alone on such a mission."

  "I obey my orders without question, and I should not have suspectedanything was out of the way. I was rather cut up when I found thatGalvinne had been appointed executive officer; and that, with the coldgreeting you gave me, led me to ask in what manner I had lost your goodopinion."

  "Of course Corny asked for his appointment, for Mr. Galvinne was thereal leader of the enterprise. I think you and some of the rest of ushave narrowly escaped a Confederate prison."

  "That is plain enough; and we only escaped it because you took it intoyour head to leave the Vernon at the time you left her. I think theBronx would have gone into Pensacola Bay without the least trouble, forI have no doubt Galvinne knew just what signals to make to Fort McRae,and just as well what ones to make to Fort Pickens. The ship would havebeen there by midnight, and up to that time I should have been asleep inmy stateroom; and they would not have taken the trouble to call thewatch below at that hour."

  "No matter; we have the Bronx again, and she is not yet to becomea Confederate cruiser. But Corny had the sealed orders of theflag-officer, and I heard Mr. Galvinne read them. The Bronx is orderedto St. Andrew's to attend to the case of a steamer loading there to runthe blockade. Shall I obey the orders, or return to the flag-ship?"

  "The commodore hurried us off, for he feared any delay might allow thesteamer to escape."

  "We have five prisoners on board; and we can take care of them wellenough," replied Christy; "but the principal difficulty is that we haveno officers."

  "But we have plenty of good men, and some of them will make goodofficers," suggested the first lieutenant.

  "We have no surgeon, I believe, for Dr. Spokeley is sick, and was to besent home before I left in the Vixen for New York," added the commander,now restored to his own right on board.

  "Oh, yes; we have a surgeon, for Dr. Spokeley is to go to New York inthe Vernon, and the doctor of the store-ship is appointed to the Bronx."

  "Dr. Connelly!" exclaimed Christy.

  "Just so; and I dare say he is asleep in his stateroom at this moment."

  "Then we had better obey the sealed orders of the flag-officer; we willcome about, and head her for St. Andrew's. Fortunately I have been theremyself in the Bellevite, and I have been up the harbor and bay in boats,for the yacht, as she was at the time, drew too much water to go intothe bay, for it is shoal inside. Come about, Mr. Flint, and make thecourse due east."

  "I hope we shall do as well as we did at Cedar Keys," replied the firstlieutenant, when he had given the order to come about to thequartermaster.

  "Look up the log slate, for I suppose they have made the entries, andwhen we have run eighty knots from the station, keep a sharp lookout forthe land. Now I will go to my cabin, and find the envelope that containsthe orders, and look them over."

  Christy went below, and found Dave in the stateroom, apparentlyunwilling to take his eyes off the prisoner who still lay in the berth.He went to the table in the cabin, and found upon it the sheet uponwhich the orders had been written. They were of no use to Galvinne, andhe had thrown them down as soon as he had read them. He sat down at thetable and read the paper; but the order was very simple, and left allthe details to the discretion of the commander, for it was understoodthat Captain Passford was well acquainted with the coast as far as St.Mark's.

  Christy was still clothed in the frock and cap of a common sailor, andhe realized that it was time for him to put on his uniform. He went tothe quarters of the men where he had concealed his valise, and carriedit back to the cabin, where he proceeded to make the change. In a shorttime he had put himself in proper condition to take his place on thequarter-deck in command when his presence was required. He had nothingto do at present, and he concluded to write his report of the remarkableproceedings on board since the Bronx left the station. He wanted hisdesk, and he went to the stateroom.

  "Well, Dave, how is your prisoner?" he asked, halting at the door.

  "I got him safe, Massa Cap'n," replied the steward, exhibiting most ofthe teeth in his mouth, for he was pleased with himself after he hadexecuted the commission assigned to him, and did not feel as much like acontraband as he might.

  "I am in command, Dave, and there must be no more 'massa' now," addedChristy.

  "I done forget all about my talk, Captain Passford," replied Dave.

  "That is bad grammar," said the commander, laughing, for he was in anexceedingly pleasant humor, as may well be supposed. "You know what isright, and you must not talk like a contraband."

  "I won't do so any more, Captain Passford," protested the steward,showing his ivory, though he was not a very black man, and the contrastwas not as great as in many instances.

  "How do you find yourself, Corny?" asked the captain, turning to theberth.

  "I am all right, Corny; but I should like to have you or some one tellme what has been going on in this steamer, for this black rascal willnot say a word to me," replied the prisoner.

  "I don't blame him, if you call him a black rascal," added Christy. "Butyou need not call me by your own name any longer, cousin, for it willnot help your case any more. Your game is played out, and you have beenbeaten with your own weapons. When you want to play another Yankeetrick, you had better remember that you are not a Yankee, and you arenot skilled in the art of doing it."

  "What do you mean by that, Corny?" asked the prisoner, disregarding theadvice of his cousin.

  "Corny again!" exclaimed the captain.

  "I am the commander of this steamer, and I have been assaulted in myberth!" replied the sufferer, warming up a little.

  "Whew! Then you are still the commander of the Bronx?" repeated Christy,laughing at his cousin's persistence.

  "You know that I am. Wasn't the commission decided to be mine?"

  "But we have concluded
to reverse the decision of the commander of theVernon, and submit the case to the flag-officer for final adjustment. Inthe mean time, I have taken possession of the steamer, and put all yourconfederates in irons. For the present, at least, I am in command of theBronx, and I want my stateroom. With Dave's assistance, I must ask youto turn out of that berth."

  "I decline to give up my stateroom, or my command of the steamer,"replied Corny in a sulky manner. "I should like to know how you happento be on board of the Bronx, Corny."

  "Did you believe that I intended to let you take possession of thissteamer, and run her into a Confederate port, Corny? My name is Passfordas well as yours, and I am not a traitor, and don't believe I am acoward. At a time which suited my convenience, I left the Vernon andcame on board of the Bronx."

  "Where did you hide, for the vessel has been searched in every part ofher for you?"

  "I have been under the berth in this stateroom, a hiding-place which wassuggested to me by one of your people who used it as such, and wascaught, as I was not."

  "No one thought you would hide in the captain's cabin."

  "That is the very reason why I chose this place. I have had the pleasureof listening to all your conversations with Mr. Galvinne, and I knewyour plans from beginning to end."

  "You have been under this berth since the steamer left the flag-ship!"exclaimed Corny, apparently amazed at the fact.

  "I have; but I have no more time to enlighten you. I can only say thatwith the assistance of the only loyal officer left on board, and theloyal seamen, I have recaptured the vessel, and now we are on our way toSt. Andrew's to obey the orders which the flag-officer delivered to youwhen you were a rebel in disguise. Now Dave will help you out of theberth."

  "No, he won't! If I was to be captured at all, Corny, you insulted mewhen you set a nigger to do the job," said the prisoner angrily.

  "You are playing a farce now, cousin; but I cannot stay to fool withyou. Take him out of the berth, Dave."

  "Will you set a nigger upon me again, Christy?" using the commander'sproper name for the first time.

  "If you will get out of the berth yourself, I will allow you to do so,"added Christy.

  "I will," replied the prisoner.

  He made the attempt to do so, but he would have fallen to the floor,with his hands fastened behind him, if Christy and Dave had not receivedhim in their arms. The steward hugged him like a brother, perhapsmaliciously, and carried him to a divan in the cabin. Corny hadapparently abandoned his cause, and his cousin gave him a berth inthe ward room for the rest of the night.