by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER XIX
THE REPORT OF THE SCOUT FROM THE SHORE
Captain Pecklar had held out as long as it was possible for him to standit, and he had only given up when his senses deserted him. Major Piersonraised him from his position on the floor of the pilot-house, and, withChristy's assistance, bore him out into the air.
The wheel had gone over when the sick man could no longer hold it, andthe tug was beginning to whirl about in an erratic manner, when themajor rang the bell to stop the engine. The captain was carried down tohis room, and put into his berth, where one of the soldiers was detailedto act as his nurse.
"I haven't a man on board that knows the first thing about handling asteamboat; and I am not a bit wiser myself," said the major, when thesick man had been disposed of. "Every man that is fit to be made into asoldier is sent to the army; and we have nothing but the lame, and thehalt, and the blind to handle these boats."
"It does not look like good policy," added Christy.
"Dallberg and his two men are soldiers, and they know no more about asteamboat than the rest of us," continued Major Pierson. "It looks asthough we should have to stay here till some other boat comes along; andthat may be in three days or a week, for steamers have no occasion tocome up here now."
"Perhaps you may find a pilot among the men in that boat," suggestedChristy, as he looked about the pilot-house, where the conversation tookplace.
The captain's glass was lying on a shelf in front of the wheel, and hetook a look through it in order to find the boat. After searching inevery direction, he discovered the boat, which was pulled by two men,with a third in the stern-sheets. He indicated the position of it to themajor, and gave him the glass.
"That's Dallberg, without any doubt; but he must be five miles off. Hecan't reach the steamer for a long time," said the major, when he hadexamined the boat. "But we shall be no better off than we are now whenshe gets here, for not one of those in it is a sailor."
Christy was not a little interested in the situation; for he thought hisfather must have gone on board of the Bellevite, or she would not havechanged her position. It was all a mystery to him as well as to thecommandant of Fort Gaines, and the boat in the distance had been to theshore for the purpose of investigating it.
He had an idea in his head, and he continued to examine the interior ofthe pilot-house till he found a number of paper rolls in a drawer, whichlooked very much like local charts of the bay. He examined several ofthem, and found one which covered the portion of the waters around him.He had noted the direction taken by the Bellevite the day before, and hehad no difficulty in placing the inlet where she had moored at thewharf.
"What have you got there, Mr. Passford?" asked the major, who had beenlooking on the floor, thinking what he should do in his present dilemma.
"You a Sailor?" (Page 215)]
"It is a chart of these waters, which appears to have been considerablyimproved with a pen and ink," replied Christy, still examining it.
"That is the work of Captain Pecklar. They call him the best pilot forMobile Bay there is about here, though he has been here but two years."
"Here is the inlet, or river, where we passed the night; and the captainhas marked the wharf on it."
"What good is the chart without a man that knows how to steer asteamer?" asked the major, who was becoming very impatient in thepresence of the delay that confronted him; for the illness of CaptainPecklar deprived him of the ability to do any thing, even to return tothe fort.
"You forget that I am a sailor, Major Pierson," said Christy.
"You a sailor? I thought you were the son of a millionnaire, who couldnot possibly know any thing except how to eat and sleep," replied thesoldier, laughing.
"I have steered the Bellevite for a great many hundred miles, and myfather says I am competent to do duty as a quartermaster."
"You astonish me; and, as we are both engaged in the same good cause,I am heartily delighted to find that you are a sailor."
"Probably I shall astonish you still more before we have got through.With this chart before me, I have no doubt I can find my way about herein the Leopard," said Christy.
"Then I give you the command of the steamer in the absence of CaptainPecklar," continued the major. "This boat and another are in the serviceof the forts; and if you don't want to join the army with Percy, perhapsI can obtain the appointment for you, especially as you are hardly oldenough to go into the ranks. We will see about that."
"We will leave all that open for future action, if you please, MajorPierson," replied Christy, as he rang the bell for the steamer to goahead.
The major watched him with the most intense interest, as though hefeared that the young man would prove to be a failure as a steamboatcaptain. But the steamer went ahead at the sound of the bell, and ina minute or two Christy had her on her course in the direction of theapproaching boat. He examined the chart very carefully, and satisfiedhimself that there was water enough for the tug anywhere outside theheadlands which projected into the hay.
The Leopard held her course as steadily as though the sick captain werestill at the wheel; and the major was entirely satisfied with thequalifications of the new master, after he had watched him for a while.
"Spottswood, how is the captain?" called the major from the pilot-house.
"Just the same: he don't seem to be any better," replied the sergeant.
"He ought to have a doctor; for the poor fellow may die here, away fromany proper attendance," said the major, with more feeling than the newcaptain supposed he possessed.
"There is a very skilful surgeon on board of the Bellevite," suggestedChristy. "Dr. Linscott served in the army in Mexico, and had a largepractice in New York."
"Then he shall see Pecklar. Dr. Linscott is just the sort of a surgeonwe want in our army; and I suppose he would not be on board of theBellevite if he was not of our way of thinking," added the major.
Christy knew he was nothing but a Union man, and not of the way ofthinking which the soldier suggested: so he said nothing. The Leopardwas a faster tug than the one which had come off from Fort Gaines, andshe came up with the boat which contained Lieutenant Dallberg and histwo men, the latter of whom were nearly exhausted with the long pullthey had taken; for, as they were not sailors, they did not row to thebest advantage.
The new captain rang the bell to stop her, as soon as the boat camenear, and the party came on board. The two men seated themselves on therail as though they never intended to do another stroke of work, forthey had been using the oars most of the time since the evening before.
"Come up here, Dallberg," called the major from the pilot-house.
The lieutenant looked as though he had just been through one war;for he had slept none the night before, and had been on duty withoutintermission. He came to the hurricane-deck, and entered thepilot-house, where he dropped on the sofa abaft the wheel as though hewere not in much better condition than the captain when he fell at hispost.
"You have made a night of it, Dallberg," the major began, seatinghimself by the side of the lieutenant.
"I am about used up, major. I believe I walked ten miles on shore; and Iam not as strong as I wish I was," replied Mr. Dallberg. "But I foundout all I wanted to know, and I expected the Leopard would be somewherenear the creek."
"I beg your pardon, Major Pierson," said Christy, who was standing atthe wheel. "What am I to do now?"
"I will tell you in a moment.--Can you tell me, Dallberg, where theBellevite is at the present time?" asked the major, turning to thelieutenant.
"She seems to be running up and down across the head of the bay. She isbeyond that point now, and you will see her when you go within a mile ofthe land," replied the lieutenant.
"Have you been near her?"
"Not within a mile of her, I should say."
"All right, you may head her within a mile of that point, CaptainPassford," added the major; and Christy rang to go ahead.
When the major applied this high
-sounding title to the new captain, thelieutenant opened his eyes a little; but he asked no questions, for hehad learned as he came on board that Captain Pecklar had fainted at hispost.
"Well, what have you been about, Dallberg?" asked the major ratherimpatiently, as soon as the boat was under way again.
"Walking, talking, and rowing most of the time. As the poet says,'Things are not what they seem,'" replied the scout; for such appearedto be the duty in which he had been engaged.
"What do you mean by that?" asked Major Pierson, opening his eyes verywide.
"We discovered that the steamer had left the wharf last night, and yousent me to investigate when you started off in that wagon."
"That's so; and Pecklar reported to me early this morning that thesteamer had left the wharf, and was standing off and on in the bay."
"I went ashore in the evening, leaving Pecklar to watch the steamer.I don't know any thing about his movements."
"He reported to me this morning about daylight. It is all right as faras he is concerned. What have you done?"
"I landed at the wharf where the Bellevite had been moored, about eleveno'clock, I should say, for I could not see my watch. I went up toColonel Passford's house, and found it all in commotion."
"What was the matter?"
"Colonel Passford was not there: he had gone off to procure assistance."
"Assistance for what?" demanded the major. "You are sleepy, Dallberg,and you are mixing your story."
"I am sleepy and exhausted, but I will try to do better. I saw Mrs.Passford. She told me that her brother-in-law, Captain Horatio Passford,had come to the house that day, with his son; and you are aware, Ibelieve, that his daughter, Miss Florence, has been there all winter."
"I know all about that. Go ahead, Dallberg."
"The two brothers had been shut up in the library all the afternoon,engaged in an earnest discussion; though the colonel's wife did not knowwhat it was about. Captain Horatio left Colonel Homer in the librarysome time in the evening, and the colonel remained there till after ten.Then it was found that the captain had left the house secretly, with hisdaughter and his son; though some of the servants had seen the young mangoing up the road with Percy Pierson."
"Exactly so; never mind the young man now. The captain had left thehouse, and his daughter went with him?" repeated the major, beginning tobe a good deal excited.
"The house was searched, but they could not be found; and the younglady's trunk had been removed from her room. Then the colonel went downto the wharf, and found that the Bellevite had left."
Major Pierson sprang to his feet, hardly able to contain himself.
