Brave Old Salt; or, Life on the Quarter Deck: A Story of the Great Rebellion by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER XXII.
RUNNING THE BLOCKADE.
"Mr. Swayne, you will get the ship under way at once," said Somers, ashe turned from the crew, and walked aft.
The first lieutenant gave his orders, and the crew were soon walkinground the capstan. The officers of the Tallapoosa had certainly usedtheir time to advantage, for the crew was well disciplined, though thetwenty-four petty officers and seamen from the Chatauqua were the spiceof every movement.
"Where is the pilot, Mr. Swayne?" asked Somers.
"We have one on board, sir. He berths in the steerage. Shall I send forhim, Captain Pillgrim?"
"If you please, do so."
A master's mate was ordered to find the pilot.
"Is he up to his business?" continued Somers, to whom the pilotage ofthe vessel was of the last importance.
"Yes, sir; he is the best pilot in these waters. He has taken out agreat many vessels on worse nights than this."
"I could take the vessel out myself, so far as that is concerned," saidSomers, nervously. "Does he know how to get through the obstructions?"
"O, yes, sir; he is perfectly familiar with everything about the bay."
"And the channel is full of those infernal torpedoes."
"It is, sir; but the pilot knows exactly where every one of them islocated. We are in no danger from them; but they will blow the Yankeefleet sky high when they attempt to come up, as they probably will in ashort time."
"So I understand."
"There will be fun here in a few days," added Mr. Swayne, rubbing hishands with delight, as he contemplated the destruction of the navalforce gathered on the other side of the bar for the demonstration.
"The admiral down there is no joker," suggested Somers. "He won't feelhis way, and then back out."
"It would be better for him if he did. Admiral Buchanan is his equal inevery respect. With his ram he will stave in every wooden ship in thefleet. His monitors will be blown up on the torpedoes."
"I hope the affair will come out right," said Somers, ratherindefinitely.
"It will; you may depend upon it, captain. Whoever is here when thething is done will see the greatest smash-up that has happened since thewar began."
"I hope so," replied Somers. "But suppose Admiral Farragut should run bythe forts."
"He can't do it; the thing is utterly impossible. The torpedoes willsink his monitors--they are like lead, and if you shake them up alittle, they will plump down on the bottom like a solid shot. His woodenvessels, even if he gets by the fort,--which can't be done,--would beall chawed up in half an hour by the ram Tennessee."
"Anchor apeak, sir!" shouted Boatswain Longstone, who was doing duty assecond lieutenant.
"Captain Column, the pilot, sir," said the first lieutenant, presentinga person who had been waiting a moment at his side.
"I am happy to see you, Captain Column;" and Somers took his hand.
"Thank you, sir," replied the pilot, who was evidently astonished at thedegree of intimacy with which the commander condescended to treat him.
Already the new captain had won a hard reputation abaft the mainmast.His stern and decisive measures with Langdon had been privatelydiscussed among the officers, and it was the unanimous opinion that theyhad "caught a Tartar."
"Well, Captain Column, have you got your weather eye open? This is adark and foggy night."
"Wide open, sir," replied the pilot, cheerfully; for Somers's cordialgreeting had already produced a good effect upon him. "The darker andfoggier the better, captain, for such a job as this. But there are somany Yankee ships outside, you can hardly get clear of them without ashot or two."
"O, I don't mind that, if you can get us well over the torpedoes, andthrough the obstructions."
"The obstructions are not of much account, and as for the torpedoes, Icould put my hand on every one of them with my eyes shut."
"Good; but I don't want you to put your hand or my ship on them."
"Certainly not, captain," laughed the pilot. "I know how to keep clearof them."
"That will suit me better. The ship is in your hands, Captain Column."
A quartermaster from the Chatauqua was placed at the wheel, and when theanchor was heaved up, the Tallapoosa started on her course. Her wheelsbegan to turn very slowly at first, and before she had gathered anyheadway, a boat touched at her side.
"Boat alongside, Captain Pillgrim," reported Mr. Swayne.
"What boat?"
"I don't know, sir."
"I have no more time to waste; keep the ship moving."
As the Tallapoosa gathered headway, a gentleman, clothed in navaluniform, stepped on the rail from the accommodation ladder. When he hadreached this point, he stopped and looked down at the boat.
"Stop the steamer!" shouted he, in tones of authority; and to those whohad heard it before there was no mistaking that voice.
It was Pillgrim, without a doubt! Somers was vexed and disappointed atthis accident, which threatened to overthrow all his plans; but hepromptly decided to treat him as he had Langdon.
"See what he wants," said the commander to Swayne, "but don't let theship be delayed a single instant."
"Stop the steamer!" shouted Pillgrim, with a volley of oaths, becausehis first order had not been heeded. "Stop the steamer, or you willswamp my gig!"
"Your business, sir, if you please," said Swayne, stepping up to him.
"Don't you hear what I say?" replied Pillgrim, angrily. "Stop thesteamer."
"It can't be done, sir."
"Can't be done!" gasped the traitor. "It can and shall be done."
"Who are you, sir, that step upon this deck in that overbearing manner?"demanded the first lieutenant, roused by the tones and the manner of thenew comer.
"I'll let you know who I am. Where is Langdon?"
"None of your business where he is," said Swayne, spunkily. "What do youwant here?"
"You shall soon know what I want here!"
Pillgrim was boiling over with passion at the rough reception given himby his officers on board his own ship. He was disposed to be even morestern and severe in his discipline than Somers had been.
"Who are you?" demanded Swayne.
"None of your business who I am, if you don't know; but I will soonbring you to your senses," roared Pillgrim, as he leaped down upon thedeck, and with the step of a conqueror moved aft towards the wheel.
"Halt, sir!" said Mr. Swayne, placing himself in front of the stranger;for he was roused to a high pitch of anger and excitement by theunwarrantable conduct of the interloper. "You can go no farther on thisdeck, sir, till you explain who and what you are."
Somers stood where he could see without being seen; for his presence onthe deck of the Ben Lomond would have explained to Pillgrim the reasonfor his uncourteous reception. He quietly sent the two firemen and acouple of seamen to the assistance of Mr. Swayne.
"I am the captain of this ship," replied Pillgrim, who found itnecessary to make this statement.
"The man is crazy," muttered Swayne.
"You understand me now," growled Pillgrim. "Stop the ship!"
"I think not, sir," replied Swayne, coolly; and he evidently regardedthe claim of the stranger in the light of a joke, or as the whim of amaniac.
"You think not!" gasped Pillgrim, roused almost to madness by this cooldisregard of his authority. "I'll have you in irons in three minutes,you scoundrel."
"There, sir, I have heard enough of this!" said Swayne. "No man usessuch language as that to me with impunity."
"I tell you I am the commander of this steamer," added Pillgrim, whodoubtless felt that the epithet he had used was unbecoming an officerand a gentleman.
"I don't care what you are. If your boat is alongside, you will go intoit, in double quick time."
Pillgrim began to storm again, shouted to the pilot to stop the steamer,and behaved in the most violent manner. Mr. Swayne's patience wastotally exhausted, and he ordered the seamen who stood near him toarrest the interloper.
The first lieutenant then explained to the captain what had passed, andwhat he had done.
"Put him in irons!" said Somers, decidedly.
"Who is he, captain?"
"It matters not who he is. No man can behave in that manner on board ofthis ship."
Swayne executed his orders to the letter, and the traitor, in spite ofhis struggles, in spite of his explanations and appeals, was put inirons on the quarter deck of his own ship. He was carried below, and putin a state-room, which was guarded by Conant, who had orders to shoothim if he did not keep quiet.
In the mean time, the Ben Lomond,--for Somers, in strict accordance withthe subsequent "ruling" of Mr. Seward, refused to recognize the vesselby any other than her original name, calling her the Tallapoosa only inthe presence of the rebels,--the Ben Lomond, under the skilful guidanceof the pilot, was slowly making her way out of the bay. A quartermasterhad been stationed in the fore-chains when the steamer got under way, totake the soundings, which seemed to be the pilot's principal reliance inthe difficult duty he had undertaken. Captain Column had placed himselfon the port rail, just abaft the foremast, and the steering directionswere sent aft through a line of officers to the helmsman.
"By the deep four," sang the quartermaster in the chains.
"Steady!" said the pilot. "Keep her sou'-west by west, half west."
"Steady!" responded the quartermaster at the wheel. "Sou'-west by west,half west."
"By the mark five!" said the leadsman, a little later.
"We are getting into deep water," said Somers.
"Yes, sir; we shall deepen till we get seven fathoms."
"And a half five!" came from the chains. "By the deep six."
The pilot went on the bridge, and taking the cord attached to thewhistle of the engine, made a signal, consisting of several blasts, withirregular intervals between them. A heavy bell on shore sounded severaltimes in answer to the signal.
"All right," said the pilot. "I know exactly where I am."
"By the deep six!" called the leadsman.
The pilot repeated the signal with the whistle, which was answered fromthe shore by the bell.
"Quarter less seven!"
"It is all going right, captain," said the pilot to Somers, who stood onthe bridge with him.
"By the mark seven!"
"Hard a port!" shouted the pilot, as he gazed into the binnacle on thebridge.
"Hard a port!" repeated the line of officers, till the order wasreturned by the wheelman.
"Steady!" said the pilot.
"Mark under water seven!" cried the quartermaster in the chains.
"Keep her south by west," added the pilot.
"South by west!" returned the wheelman.
"This course will bring us into the midst of the Yankee fleet in abouttwenty minutes," said Captain Column.
"I'm not at all afraid of the Yankee fleet," replied Somers.
"I'm not afraid of anything else," laughed the pilot.
"Where are the torpedoes?"
"Between us and Fort Morgan, which is only about a third of a miledistant, on our beam."
"And the obstructions?"
"We have passed them; they are of no account. Captain, I think all yourtroubles are yet to come," said the pilot, as he glanced ahead.
"Why so?"
"If we should happen to plump into one of those monitors, a fifteen inchshot would finish this craft in less time than it would take to read aman's epitaph."
"I have prepared for all such accidents. The Yankees will not fire onme."
"No?" exclaimed the pilot, wonderingly.
"I think you don't know me."
"I heard the first lieutenant say you were coming down here in one ofthe Yankee ships."
"I did."
"Did you, though?"
"We will come to anchor, pilot, when we get within hail of the Yankeesquadron."
"Come to anchor, sir?"
"Certainly; come to anchor, until the fog clears off, or we can get alittle daylight. I don't want much."
"Well, that beats me!" ejaculated Captain Column.
"I shall hoist The Yankee flag over the Confederate; then the Yankeeswill think this ship is a prize, and will not fire into her."
"That beats me!" repeated the pilot.
"I came down here in a Yankee man-of-war, and I made the arrangementsfor carrying this thing through before I left her."
"O, yes, I see!" laughed Captain Column. "You are playing them a Yankeetrick."
"Exactly so!"
"Capital! capital!" exclaimed the pilot.
Fifteen minutes later, the Ben Lomond came to anchor under the lee ofSand Island, to wait for a favorable time to continue her voyage.