Stand By The Union

by Oliver Optic

  CHAPTER XVII

  THE SECOND AND THIRD LIEUTENANTS

  The surgeon went on deck with Christy, where he was presented in dueform to Mr. Flint, though he had been introduced to him before in hisformer position as second lieutenant. The commander went forward to thebridge and pilot-house, and consulting the log slate, found that thelast entry gave seventy-eight knots from the station. But it was foggy,as Mr. Galvinne had predicted that it would be, and the quartermasterconning the wheel said it was as "dark as a stack of black cats."Nothing could be seen in any direction, and the commander decided thatit was not prudent to proceed any farther.

  The leadsman was ordered to sound, as the screw was stopped, and hereported sixteen fathoms with the deep-sea lead. Christy ordered thequartermaster to go ahead again, and keep the hand-line going all thetime. Mr. Flint came forward, and took his place on the bridge, wherethe officer of the deck was usually stationed on board of the Bronx.

  The reports of the leadsman were satisfactory, and the steamer wentahead for an hour. Then they began to give a diminution of the depth ofwater, indicating, as Christy stated it, that the vessel was approachingthe land. He looked over the log slate, and found that the course hadbeen due east till the order had been given to head her in the oppositedirection. She had sailed rather more than an hour on that tack, duringwhich the recapture of the steamer had been made.

  "Mark under water twelve!" shouted the man with the hand lead.

  "We are coming up with the shore," said Mr. Flint, as Christy joined himon the bridge.

  "Yes; but you will get four or five fathoms almost up to the beaches.When I was here, the Bellevite was anchored outside, and we went gunningand fishing in St. Andrew's Bay. The bay is about thirty miles long; butit is as crooked as a ram's horn, and there is no town on it, thoughthere are some scattered houses," added Christy. "We shot fat ducks, andcaught plenty of red snappers and pompana there."

  "And a half ten!" shouted the leadsman, as though he meant to have hisfigures understood, as they indicated the shoaling of the depth.

  But Christy gave no order to reduce the speed of the vessel, and seemedto feel so thoroughly at home that Mr. Flint began to be a littlenervous. The young commander had carefully studied the chart of thecoast with the practical knowledge he had of the locality.

  "Can you form any idea where we are, Captain Passford?" asked thelieutenant.

  "I figured up the course a while ago, and I think we are off St.Andrew's Bay. If they had not put her about and run for an hour or moreto the westward, I should be satisfied in regard to my position; as itis, I am not quite clear in regard to it," replied the commander.

  "Quarter less ten!" shouted the leadsman, with even more vigor thanbefore.

  "That will do; stop her and anchor, Mr. Flint," said Christy, as helooked about him in an endeavor to penetrate the fog in which the vesselwas buried.

  Then he listened for any sounds that might come to him from thedirection of the shore; but all was as still as the tomb itself. Thescrew stopped in obedience to the order of the executive officer, whowent down to the deck to supervise the anchoring of the steamer, as hehad no inferior officer to attend to this duty.

  "Mr. Flint, drop a drift lead, and station a hand to observe it," saidChristy, hailing the first lieutenant.

  "A drift lead, sir," replied Mr. Flint.

  This was a lead weighing twenty pounds, which is dropped on the bottomby men-of-war to determine if the anchor holds, or if the vessel isdrifting.

  "Station a strong lookout, Mr. Flint, and send a man aloft on theforemast and another on the mainmast," continued Christy when the otherorders had been obeyed.

  This completed the preparation for the night. The captain consulted hisrepeater, and ascertained that it was twenty minutes past twelve. TheBronx was in position to learn the fact if any vessel attempted to runout of St. Andrew's Bay, provided his calculations in regard to thelocality of the Bronx were correct. Christy went down to the deck, andwalked aft with Mr. Flint.

  "I think some of us need a little sleep to-night," said the commander.

  "Then you had better turn in, Captain Passford," said the executiveofficer. "We can do nothing more to-night except to keep a sharplookout."

  "You are the only officer on board except myself," replied Christy. "Weare still in the dark as to what we have to do here. We may have to sendoff a boat expedition, as we did at Cedar Keys, and we are in absoluteneed of more officers."

  "We have plenty of material out of which to make them, and we can doas we did after the fight with the Scotian and the Arran, when we madethem," replied Mr. Flint. "We have men of good education in the crew,who have either commanded coasters, or been mates on steamers."

  "If you will name one, I will name another," added Christy.

  "Quartermaster Camden. He commanded a three-masted schooner in the coaltrade. He is not college educated, but he is a remarkably well-informedman who shipped in the navy to learn the details of duty on board of aman-of-war."

  "I appoint him acting second lieutenant," added Christy.

  "I am sure he will get a commission as soon as he applies for it,captain," added the first lieutenant, pleased with the prompt decision."Now, who is your man?"

  "Ralph Pennant. I had my eye on him while I was aboard of the Vernon,where he became a sort of oracle among the seamen on account of hisabundant information on general subjects. He talks like a man with agood education, and he has been mate of a steamer of good size. But Iknow very little concerning him, and am afraid he has one out."

  "What is that, captain?"

  "I am afraid he is fond of whiskey, though I do not know that he is."

  "He can't get any whiskey here unless it is served out to him; so thathabit, if it is his habit, will do him no harm," argued Mr. Flint.

  "I appoint him third lieutenant temporarily."

  "That will amount to their being made ensigns when you go north again ifthey prove to be worthy of promotion," added the executive officer, witha chuckle. "That was what happened to Baskirk and Amden."

  "If they are worthy, I shall certainly do the best I can for them,"added Christy, gaping.

  Camden was called aft and formally appointed second lieutenant, butRalph was in the watch below, and was in his hammock. The commanderretired to his stateroom, and, letting his report wait till another day,he was soon sound asleep.

  In accordance with the directions he had left with the first lieutenant,Christy was called with the watch at four o'clock in the morning. Thoughthe first lieutenant is not a watch officer, he may be required to doduty as such when the number of commissioned officers is reduced belowthree, and Mr. Flint had remained in charge of the mid-watch, which hadbeen called to the deck at midnight. The captain relieved him andCamden, and both of them went below, the new appointee taking thestateroom of the second lieutenant.

  "Pass the word for Ralph Pennant," said Christy, as soon as he reachedthe quarter-deck.

  "I have had considerable talk with Camden, and I am satisfied that hewill make a capital officer," said the executive officer, as he movedtowards the companion-way. "I suppose you have sent for Pennant with theintention of appointing him third lieutenant."

  "That is my purpose; and here he comes."

  "On deck, sir," reported Ralph, touching his cap to the commander,as Mr. Flint descended the steps to the ward room.

  "I think you told me that you had had some experience on board ofsteamers, Pennant," replied Christy.

  "I told you that I had been the mate of a steamer," answered the seaman.

  "What is your age?"

  "Twenty-eight years."

  "Then you are older than you appear to be," continued Christy; and heproceeded to question the seaman in regard to his education andexperience as a seaman.

  He had not been mistaken in his estimate of the man, so far as he couldjudge from his answers. Pennant had taken a steamer home to New Yorkfrom Havana after the captain had died there of yellow fever. He hadexpected to be gi
ven the command of the vessel; and when he failed toobtain the position he resigned his place as mate, but secured the sameposition in another and larger steamer.

  "Do you ever drink whiskey, Pennant?" asked Christy abruptly.

  "At present, no, sir," replied the seaman decidedly. "I learned a fewmonths ago that I failed to obtain the command of the steamer I broughthome from Havana because it was said I took too much whiskey. I knockedoff then, and have not drank a drop since."

  "That was a sensible thing to do. You are aware that we are short ofofficers, I suppose," said the commander.

  "Yes, sir; and since I came on deck, I heard that Phil Camden had beenappointed acting second lieutenant," replied Pennant.

  "That is true; and now I am going to appoint you acting thirdlieutenant. You will call the watch aft."

  "I am very much obliged to you, Captain Passford, for this favor; and Iknow you would not give me the place if you did not think me worthy ofit," replied the seaman as he went forward and called the watch to themainmast.

  "My men, I have just appointed Ralph Pennant acting third lieutenant;and you will obey and respect him as such," said Christy, addressing thewatch, and then dismissing them.

  The men gave three hearty cheers as they were dismissed, proving tothe commander that Pennant was a popular man among them, as Camden hadalso been proved to be when his appointment had been announced to thestarboard watch. As in politics, legislation, war, and business, themasses of the people soon ascertain who are their natural leaders, thecrew of the Bronx, or that portion who had come from New York in theVernon, had been prompt in discovering the abilities of the two men nowpromoted.

  "Now, Mr. Pennant, you may remove your bag to the ward room, and thethird stateroom on the starboard side, counting from the forward one,is yours for the present," continued Christy.

  "But I have no uniform, Captain Passford," suggested the appointee.

  "I have one in my stateroom; but it is altogether too small for you,"replied the commander, glancing in the gloom of the night at thestalwart form of the third lieutenant, lacking not more than an inch ofsix feet, and his weight could not have been less than one hundred andeighty. "We will see what can be done in the morning."

  "The crew all know me, and I dare say I can get along without a uniformtill we get back to the station, where I could get one from thestore-ship; but it is not likely that I shall need one then."

  "I cannot say as to that. When you go forward take a look at theprisoners, and report to me," added Christy, as Mr. Pennant went below.

  In a few minutes he reported that the prisoners were all fast asleep.Boxie had been relieved as guard, and another seaman was marching backand forth by their couches. It was still dark and foggy, and a hail camefrom the mast-head forward.