by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER XXXI
A VICTORIOUS UNION
The fog was coming and going in the distance, and at times the landcould be just discerned. In spite of the number and vigilance of theblockading fleet, several hundred blockade-runners had succeeded inmaking their way into Cape Fear River, though several hundred also hadbeen captured, not to mention a very considerable number that had beenrun ashore or burned when escape became hopeless.
It was the policy of the Confederacy to send out vessels to prey uponthe commerce of the United States. Some of them began their depredationswithout making a port in the South, and a few of the swift steamers thatsucceeded in getting into Mobile, Wilmington, and other safe places,were fitted out for the work of destruction. The fog that prevailedinshore was favorable to blockade-runners; and if there was a vessel ofthis character in Cape Fear River, the early morning had been such as totempt her to try to make her way through the blockaders to sea.
"She is not one of the ordinary steamers that run in and out of theriver," said Mr. Baskirk, while he and the commander were still watchingthe progress of the chase, and Paul Vapoor was warming up the engine ashe had done before.
"She is larger than the St. Regis, but hardly equal in size to theBellevite," added Christy. "She cannot draw more than twelve or fourteenfeet of water, or she could not have come out through those shallowchannels at the mouth of Cape Fear River. She seems to have the speedto run away from her pursuers; but probably not one of them can makefifteen knots an hour."
The three pursuers of the blockade-runner had changed their course whenthe chase did so; but it was already evident that they had no chance tooverhaul her. They were still three miles astern of her, while the St.Regis, at sunset, was not more than three. Not a shot had been fired byany one of the steamers, and it would have been a waste of ammunition todo so.
"We are gaining on her," said Christy, half an hour later. "That steameris making sixteen knots at least."
"If she has found out that we can outsail her, very likely she willcount upon the darkness to enable her to give us the slip," suggestedMr. Baskirk.
"Mr. Vapoor has come to his bearings, and in another half hour we shallbe within one mile of her. But I am afraid we shall not be able tosettle this affair finally to-night," replied Christy.
The darkness gathered around the two ships, and none of the steamers inthe distance could any longer be seen. The officers could just make outthe steamer ahead, which still kept on her course. The midship gun wasnow brought into use, and a round shot was sent on its mission to her;but with little chance of hitting her in the increasing gloom, for thesky was obscured with clouds, and all the signs indicated fog during thenight, which would be exceedingly favorable to the chase. A flash wasseen in the distance, and then came the roar of a heavy gun.
"She is not merely a blockade-runner; for it appears now that she is anarmed vessel, and has some heavy metal on board," said Christy.
"But no shot has come within hearing," added Mr. Baskirk. "Perhaps sheonly wished to inform us that she could bite as well as bark."
The St. Regis kept on her course for another hour. Christy was veryanxious, for the chase was plainly a Confederate man-of-war, or aprivateer; and if she escaped she might begin her work of destructionthe very next day. At two bells in the first watch she could not beseen; but the commander kept on his course another half-hour, and thenhe ran into a fog.
The log indicated that the ship was making her best speed; and if thechase continued on her former course, she must have been within sight orhearing by this time. Christy peered through the gloom of the night andthe fog, and listened for any sound. He kept up a tremendous thinkingall the time, and acted as though he was in doubt.
"Make the course east, Mr. Baskirk," said he, calling the executiveofficer.
"East, Captain Passford?" interrogated the lieutenant; and if he triedto conceal the astonishment he felt, his tones failed him.
"East, Mr. Baskirk," repeated the commander.
The course was given to the quartermaster at the wheel; and the St.Regis came about gradually, and stood off in the direction indicated.Christy had a theory of his own, in regard to the probable movements ofthe chase, and he desired to be solely responsible for the result:therefore he kept his plan to himself.
"Call all hands, Mr. Baskirk, but without any noise at all," continuedthe commander, while the ship was still driving ahead at the rate oftwenty knots an hour.
The ship's company silently took their stations, and no one on the deckspoke a loud word, though no order to this effect had been given. Allthe white cotton cloth that could be found on board was brought to thewaist, where it was torn into strips about three inches wide, and twofeet in length. These two pieces were distributed among the ship'scompany, with the order to tie them around the left arm, above theelbow.
The fog was deep and dense; and the lookouts, who were stationed on thetop-gallant forecastle and aloft, could not see a ship's length ahead.Christy had gone forward, and made his way out on the bowsprit, in orderto get as far as possible from the noise of the engine. He listenedthere for a full half-hour, and while the ship had made ten miles.
"Starboard a little, Mr. Baskirk," he called to the executive officer,who had followed him forward.
"Starboard, sir," repeated the officer, as he sent the order aft.
"Port! Port!" exclaimed the commander with more energy.
The orders were passed rapidly through the line of officers till theyreached the quartermaster conning the wheel. The captain continued tolisten for another quarter of an hour.
"Steady!" he shouted aloud, and left his position on the bowsprit totake another on the top-gallant forecastle. "We are close aboard of her,Mr. Baskirk! Have your grappling irons ready! Lay her aboard as we comealongside!"
By this time all hands forward could see the dark hull of the enemy. TheSt. Regis was rapidly running alongside of her, for the chase did notseem to be going at her former speed; and no doubt her commander wasbusy working out some manoeuvre he had devised to escape from hispursuers. The boarders threw their grappling-irons, and fastened to theside of the enemy.
The drum was heard on board of her, beating to quarters; but it was toolate, for the boarders were springing over her rail. Christy heard onebell on the gong of the other ship, and instantly made the same signalon his own. It was evidently a surprise to the enemy, but the ship'scompany were promptly rallied. The enemy was overwhelmed in a fewminutes, though not till several had fallen on both sides. The captainseemed to have been too busy with his manoeuvre to escape to attend topresent conditions.
While the commander of the St. Regis remained on the deck, or even onthe top-gallant forecastle, the clang of his own engine prevented himfrom hearing any other sounds; and the enemy appeared not to have seenthe ship till she emerged from the fog. The crew of the prize, as shewas by this time, were all driven below, and the victory was complete.
"Do you surrender?" demanded Mr. Baskirk of the officer who appeared tobe the captain.
"There appears to be no alternative," replied the commander verygloomily: and he did not attempt to explain how his misfortune had comeupon him. He had counted upon the fog to insure his salvation; but itappeared to have been the primary cause of his capture, though hecertainly had not been as vigilant as a commander should be. Christycame on board, and Mr. Baskirk introduced him.
"I am glad to see you, Captain Passford," said the commander as a matterof form. "I was absolutely sure that you would chase me to the westward,sir; and I had not the slightest expectation of encountering you on thiscourse."
"I took my chances of finding you in this direction rather than in theopposite one," replied Christy. "It appears that I correctly interpretedyour strategy, though I dared not even mention my plan to my executiveofficer."
"I have fallen into my own trap, and being captured as I was, isdisgraceful to me," added Captain Winnlock, as his name proved to be;and the steamer was the Watauga.
Christy's
opinion of the capture did not differ from that of thecommander of the prize, but he made no remark upon it. The Watauga wasloaded with cotton, which was to be sent to England from Nassau, whilethe steamer was to go on a cruise in search of defenceless merchantmenof the United States.
"I have a passenger on board, Captain Passford, who bears the same namethat you do, and possibly he may be one of your relatives, though he isby no means a Federalist," said Captain Winnlock.
"Indeed! May I ask his name?" replied Christy very much surprised.
"Colonel Homer Passford, sir."
"My uncle again!"
Mr. French, the master, had already been appointed prize-master; andwhile Mr. Baskirk was making the arrangements for her departure for NewYork, Christy accompanied the captain to the cabin. Colonel Passford hadlearned the fate of the Watauga; and he sat at a table, his face coveredwith both hands.
"I have brought down to see you, Colonel Passford, your nephew," saidthe commander; and his uncle sprang to his feet, and gazed at hisbrother's son as though he had been a spectre.
"Christy!" he exclaimed; but he could say no more, and groaned in hisanguish.
"He is a lieutenant-commander now, and captain of the steamer St. Regis,formerly the Tallahatchie. The Watauga is now unfortunately the prize ofhis ship," added Captain Winnlock, as he retired from the cabin.
"Captured again by my nephew," groaned the unhappy colonel. "I believeyou are the emissary of the Evil One, sent to torment me."
"I am sent by the opposite Power, Uncle Homer," replied Christy verygently. "But I am more astonished to see you here than you ought to beto see me, for I go wherever the fortunes of war carry me."
"I was still trying to serve my country in her misfortunes. I raisedanother cargo of cotton among my friends, and it is now on board of thisvessel. It has fallen into your hands, where most of my cotton hasgone."
The victorious commander inquired for his aunt and cousins in the South,and informed him that his mother and sister were very well. He addedthat he should be obliged to send him to New York in the prize, andinsured him a brotherly welcome at Bonnydale. He parted with his unclepitying him very much; but he had chosen for himself which side he wouldtake in the great conflict.
The Watauga had a crew of sixty men, who were to be re-enforced atNassau, and a large prize-crew had to be sent with her; but Frenchreturned with his force in three weeks, and the St. Regis was againfully manned. Christy received a letter from the flag-officer, whocommended him very highly for the service he had rendered; and the St.Regis was continued on her present station through the remainder of thesummer, and during the winter on the outer limit of the blockaders.
She made several captures, though all of them without any fighting, forno more Confederate men-of-war, actually or intended as such, came outof Wilmington, or attempted to enter the Cape Fear; but he sent a largenumber of blockade-runners, loaded with cotton coming out, or withsupplies for the Confederate armies going in, to New York.
One day in August a large steamer was reported to the commander of theSt. Regis as coming from the South. Christy was all ready for a battleif she proved to be a Confederate cruiser; but to his great joy sheturned out to be the Bellevite. The ocean was as smooth as glass, andshe came alongside the St. Regis. The young commander hastened on boardof her, followed by his chief engineer.
Captain Breaker actually hugged him amid the repeated cheers andapplause of the ship's company, and Paul Vapoor was received with hardlyless enthusiasm. Christy had to shake hands for the next half-hour.
"But how do you and the Bellevite happen to be in this latitude, CaptainBreaker?" asked the young commander when he had an opportunity to speak.
"Haven't you heard the news, Captain Passford?" demanded the captain ofthe Bellevite.
"What news? We don't get the news so far off shore," replied Christy.
"There was no farther use for my ship in the Gulf, and I am sent hereto report to the flag-officer. Admiral Farragut turned his attention toMobile Bay with his fleet; and I gave him the information you procuredfor me. The Bellevite took part in the battle, and it was the hottestaction in which I was ever engaged. My ship was badly cut up in herupper works, but she came out all right."
"This is glorious news, Captain Breaker!" exclaimed Christy, waving hishat, whereupon the tars in the waist broke out in a volley of cheers.
"The carpenters have been busy since the action, and the Bellevite is asgood as new," added her commander, as he proceeded to tell the story ofthe great battle, to which Christy and Paul listened with breathlessinterest. "Fort Morgan and Fort Gaines surrendered, and the bay is opento our ships."
The narrative has gone into history, and it is not necessary to repeatit. The Bellevite reported to the flag officer; and as her great speedfitted her for duty like that in which the St. Regis was engaged, shewas employed as a cruiser till the end of the war, though she andChristy's ship took part in the bombardment and capture of Fort Fisherin January. The end was rapidly approaching. The Bellevite continued tocruise until the end of the war, announced to the world by the surrenderof General Lee.
Among the steamers ordered up the James River were the Bellevite andthe St. Regis, and the sailors of both were among those who put out thefire which threatened to consume the city of Richmond. Christy saw thePresident there, and was presented to him, which he will remember aslong as he lives. In due time the St. Regis was ordered to the navy yardat New York. As early as possible he hastened to Bonnydale, where allthe family and Bertha Pembroke were waiting for him. It was a sort ofunited embrace which welcomed him; and all the day and half the nightwere given to the narrative of the young commander's adventures. Theywere all supremely happy.
Peace had come, and the whole North was ringing with the rejoicings ofthe people. Thousands upon thousands had laid down their lives in thearmy and the navy in their devotion to their country, and were laid ingraves far from home and kindred, or committed to the silent depths ofthe ocean.
They had won Peace and A Victorious Union.
It was far otherwise in the South, though Peace spread her mantle overthe whole united nation. Her people had fought valiantly, and madesacrifices which no one beyond their borders can understand orappreciate. If the devotion and self-sacrifice of the South, the braveryand determination with which her sons fought, and the heroism with whichthey suffered and died, were the only considerations, they deservedsuccess. But thirty years of peace have made the South more prosperousthan ever before, and her people enjoy the benefits of the VictoriousUnion.
"Amid the cheers and applause of the ship's company." Page 356.]
Homer Passford, like thousands of others in the South, was a ruined manat the close of the war. He had lost his plantation, and he and hisfamily had nowhere to lay their heads. But he was a true Southerner,and he did not regret or repent of what he had done for what he calledhis country. His brother chartered a steamer to bring the family toBonnydale, but only for a friendly visit. The reunion was a happy one;and neither brother was disposed to talk politics, and those of theNorth did not indulge in a single "I told you so!" in the presence oftheir defeated relatives. They were the same as they had been before thewar; and it is needless to say that Horatio generously helped out Homerfinancially; and now he is as wealthy and prosperous as ever before.
When it came to disposing of the vessels that were no longer needed forthe navy, Christy bought the St. Regis, for in a moderate way comparedwith his father he was a rich man. On the day he was twenty-one yearsold, Bertha Pembroke became his wife; and Paul Vapoor became the husbandof Florry Passford on the same occasion. Over a year had elapsed sincethe war, and the St. Regis had been entirely reconstructed in herinterior, and furnished in the most elegant manner.
Her first mission was a voyage to Mobile to bring the family of UncleHomer to the wedding. It was the grandest occasion that had ever beenknown in the region of Bonnydale. The young couple were to spend thesummer on their bridal trip on board of the elegant stea
m-yacht,visiting various ports of Europe.
In the multitude who came to Bonnydale to assist at the marriage of theyoung hero was Monsieur Gilfleur, who was received with distinguishedconsideration by all the family, including the bride elect; and it canbe safely asserted that he was one of the happiest of the guests whorejoiced in the felicity of the ex-lieutenant-commander, for he hadresigned his commission at the close of the war. This was not the firsttime they had met since their memorable campaigns in Bermuda and Nassau;for the detective had spent a fortnight at Bonnydale with his youngfriend, during which they had told the stories of their experience insecret service. They are fast friends for life.
Captain Passford, senior, presented to his son an elegant house, builtand magnificently furnished while Christy and his wife were voyaging inEuropean waters. It is on the Bonnydale estate: and the grandfather oftwo boys and a girl does not have to go far to visit the family, for heis nearly eighty years old. Christy is somewhat grizzled with iron grayhair and whiskers; but he is still the same as when he was a youngofficer, and still as devoted as ever to the country he helped to makeA Victorious Union.
