by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER XIX
THE SKIPPER OF THE SLOOP MAGNOLIA
"You were very unwise to order these men to fire upon the boat," saidthe dignified gentleman, addressing the man on the forecastle of theMagnolia; "it was a great mistake, Captain Flanger."
"That's so!" exclaimed Mr. Pennant, feeling of his left arm as he spoke;for he had been wounded there, though the injury had not for a momentabated his energy.
"I did not mean to allow the sloop to be captured by a boat load of menlike that," replied Captain Flanger; "and if our men had used theirbayonets we should have been all right. I told them to fix theirbayonets, but they paid no attention to me."
"It was a great mistake," repeated the dignified gentleman, shaking hishead.
Mr. Pennant had time now to look over the craft he had captured, and themen on board of her. It was simply a large sailboat, and those on boardof her wore plain clothes. They did not appear to be soldiers orsailors, though there was a number of bayonets scattered about thestanding room. The seamen from the cutter had leaped on board of thesloop, with cutlasses in their belts; but there was not space enough topermit the use of the weapon, and they had seized each of the men by thecollar and put a pistol to his head.
"How many men have you on board, Captain Flanger?" demanded the thirdlieutenant, still standing up in the boat abreast of the person headdressed.
"Count them for yourself!" exclaimed Captain Flanger in brutal tones.
"All right: I will count you first," added Mr. Pennant, as he reachedover and seized the leader of the party by the collar with his righthand.
Colonel Homer Passford Visits the Bronx.--Page 219.]
Flanger attempted to shake off his grasp, but the lieutenant was a verypowerful man, and he dragged him into the boat in the twinkling of aneye. He tossed him into the bottom of the boat, five of the boat's crewbeing still in their seats, trailing their oars, for only seven of themhad been able to get on board of the Magnolia for the want of space.
"Tie his hands behind him," added Mr. Pennant to the men, who fell uponFlanger the moment he lighted in the bottom of the cutter.
The prisoner was disposed to make further resistance, but two men fellupon him and made him fast to one of the thwarts. The leader of theparty, as he appeared to be from the first, could do no furthermischief, and the lieutenant gave his attention to the others on boardof the sloop. The dignified gentleman, who was dressed in black clothes,though they had suffered not a little from contact with grease and tar,had seated himself in the standing room. He looked like a man of manysorrows, and his expression indicated that he was suffering from somecause not apparent.
There were nine men left in the standing room, including the gentlemanin black; they were coarse and rough-looking persons, and not one ofthem appeared to be the social peer of him who had condemned the firingupon the boat. The skipper remained at the tiller of the boat, and helooked as though he might have negro blood in his veins, though he wasnot black, and probably was an octoroon. He said nothing and didnothing, and had not used a musket when the others fired. He behaved asthough he intended to be entirely neutral. A few drops of negro blood inhis veins was enough to condemn him to inferiority with the rude fellowson board of the sloop, though his complexion was lighter than that ofany of his companions.
"Vincent, pass one half of the men on board of the cutter," said Mr.Pennant, when he had looked over the boat and the men on board of it.
The quartermaster obeyed the order, and four of the party were placedin the bow and stern sheets of the cutter. Six oarsmen were directedto take their places on the thwarts. The lieutenant retained his placein the stern sheets, which he had not left during the affray or theconference. Three seamen, with a pistol in one hand and a cutlass in theother, were directed to remain on board of the sloop; but the party hadbeen disarmed, and their muskets were in the bottom of the cutter, andthey were not likely to attempt any resistance. The painter of the sloopwas made fast to the stern of the Bronx's boat, and Mr. Pennant gave theorder for the crew to give way.
It had been a battle on a small scale, but the victory had been won, andthe cutter was towing her prize in the direction of the gunboat. Thelieutenant's first care was to attend to Hilton, the stroke oarsman whohad been wounded in the affair. He placed him in a comfortable positionon the bottom of the boat, and then examined into his condition.A bullet had struck him in the right side, and the blood was flowingfreely from the wound. Mr. Pennant did the best he could for his relief,and the man said he was comfortable.
"Sail ahead!" shouted the bow oarsman, looking behind him.
"What is it, Gorman?" asked the lieutenant, standing up in his place.
"A steamer, sir," answered Gorman.
"I see her; it is the Bronx," added Mr. Pennant.
By this time it was broad daylight, and apparently the fog was not asdense as it had been earlier in the morning. The boat with her towcontinued on her course, now headed for the gunboat which the officerhad made out. In ten minutes more the expedition was within hailingdistance of the steamer, which immediately stopped her screw.
The cutter came up at the gangway of the Bronx, and Christy was standingon the rail, anxious to learn what the boat had accomplished. He hadheard the report of the volley fired at the cutter, and had been verysolicitous for the safety of her crew. He had weighed anchor as soon ashe heard the sounds, and proceeded in the direction from which theycame.
"I have to report the capture of the small sloop, the Magnolia, in tow,"said the third lieutenant, touching his cap to the commander. "We haveeleven prisoners. Hilton is wounded, and I will send him on board first,if you please."
"Do so," replied Christy. "Mr. Camden, pass the word for Dr. Connelly."
A couple of men were directed to convey the wounded seaman up the steps,and he was handed over to the doctor, who had him conveyed to the sickbay. The obdurate Captain Flanger was next sent up to the deck, whereMr. Camden received him, and made him fast to the rail without noteor comment; and even Christy made no remark except to give necessaryorders. The other prisoners were not bound, and they were put underguard in the waist. The dignified gentleman in black was the last tocome up the stairs.
The moment he put his feet upon the deck, the commander stepped back,with a look of profound astonishment, if not of dismay, on his face, ashe glanced at the important prisoner of the party. At first he seemed tobe unable to believe the evidence of his senses, and gazed with intenseearnestness at the gentleman.
"Uncle Homer!" exclaimed Christy, extending his hand to him, whichColonel Passford, as he was called at home, though he was not in theConfederate army, warmly grasped; and the first smile that had been seenon his face played upon his lips.
"I am glad to see you, Christy," said the prisoner, if he was to beregarded as such, for he certainly was not a sailor or a soldier.
"I cannot say as much as that," replied Christy, still holding thegentleman's hand; "I must say I am sorry to see you under presentcircumstances, for you come as a prisoner in the hands of my men."
"I am a non-combatant, Christy," replied Colonel Passford. "I have notserved in the Confederate army or navy, or even been a member of a homeguard."
"I have not time now to look into that question; but I can assure youthat you will be treated with the greatest consideration on board of myship," added Christy as he conducted him below, and left him with Davein his own cabin, returning at once to the deck to inquire into theoperations of the first cutter. The boat had been hoisted up to thedavits, and the Magnolia was made fast astern. All hands had been calledwhen the Bronx got under way, and the men were all at their stations.
Mr. Pennant reported in all its details upon his expedition. Dr.Connelly said his patient was severely, but not dangerously, wounded; hewould recover, but he would not be fit for duty for two or three weeks.
"While you are here, doctor, I will show you my arm, which is beginningto be somewhat uncomfortable," said the third lieutenant with a cheerfulsmile.
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"Are you wounded, Mr. Pennant?" asked the commander, who had listened tohis report at length, without suspecting that he had a wound.
"I was hit in the left arm; but very fortunately the wound did notdisable me," replied the lieutenant as he proceeded to take off hiscoat.
"But I cannot dress the wound here, Mr. Pennant," added the surgeon.
"Then I will wait till I have time to attend to it," replied the heroicofficer who treated the injury with contempt; "I have not finished myreport to the captain yet. I will be in the ward room as soon as thecaptain is done with me."
"But I can wait, Mr. Pennant," interposed Christy.
"So can I, if you please, captain," added the lieutenant, smiling aspleasantly as though he had been free from pain, as he could not havebeen with the wound in his arm. "I wish to say a few words about thegentleman in black we captured on board of the sloop."
"Did you learn his name?" asked Christy, greatly interested in what theofficer was about to say.
"No, sir, I did not; I heard no one call him by name. He was in thecuddy forward when we boarded the Magnolia; and when he came out of thelittle cabin, the first thing he said was, 'It was very unwise for youto order the men to fire upon the boat. It was a great mistake, CaptainFlanger.'"
"That shows that he at least was a non-combatant," added Christy,pleased to hear this report of his uncle.
"That is all I have to say about him. I studied the skipper of the sloopand watched him. I am sure he did not fire a musket, and he seemed totake no part in the affairs of the men on board. Captain Flanger is theactive man of the party; but I have no idea who or what he is. If youlook at the skipper, you will see that he is an octoroon, or somethingbetween a mulatto and a white man, and in my opinion he is not acheerful worker on that side of the house. Perhaps the skipper willbe willing to tell you who and what the party are. They claimed to beprivate citizens, and that the sloop was bound to Appalachicola; perhapsthe gentleman in black can explain the mission of the party."
"If he can he will not, if they were engaged in an operation in theinterest of the Confederates," added Christy with a smile. "Thatgentleman is Colonel Homer Passford."
"He bears your name," said Mr. Pennant.
"He is my uncle; my father's only brother."
"Then I am sorry I brought him in."
"You did your duty, and it was quite right for you to bring him onboard. He is as devoted to the Confederate cause as my father is to theUnion. But go below, and have your wound dressed, Mr. Pennant."
The lieutenant went to the ward room where the surgeon was waiting forhim. Christy called out the skipper of the sloop, and walked into thewaist with him. The octoroon was a large man, of about the size of thethird lieutenant, and he could have made a good deal of mischief if hehad been so disposed.
"Bless the Lord that I am here at last!" exclaimed the skipper, as helooked furtively about him.
Christy understood him perfectly.
