as captain carboneer blew his whistle, a mile below the moorings of the bellevite, an occasional response came from the shore. everything was remarkably quiet on the river, though at long intervals a steamer passed on its way up or down the stream. the signals made by the naval officer were not loud, and the replies, made without the aid of any instrument, were quite feeble. one might have taken them for some frolic on the part of the boys.
"i don't quite understand this business," said major pierson, after he had listened a while to the signals. "i suppose from the answers you get, that your men are all along the river, and the woods seem to be full of them."
"i have no doubt they are all here," replied captain carboneer. "i have been in this vicinity all day, and i have made good use of my time. i 60 believe the bellevite belongs to the confederacy, and it shall be no fault of mine if the goods are not delivered in good order and condition."
"my father was confident that he should obtain her at nassau, though he was mistaken," added the major.
"but when she went within our lines, we were all satisfied that she was ours. i have not yet been able to understand why she was permitted to escape."
"if you mean by that to cast any blame upon those who did their best to prevent her escape, captain carboneer, you wrong them grossly," said major pierson. "she came on a friendly visit to the plantation of colonel passford; but this gentleman, though the owner of the steamer was his own brother, promptly gave information of her presence in the creek, and did all he could to have her captured. no man could have sacrificed more to his patriotism than he did."
"i do not reflect on him or on any one; i only wonder how the bellevite contrived to escape when several steamers were sent out to capture her," added the captain.
"the son of the owner of the bellevite was a 61 prisoner of mine, for when i had my brother arrested for desertion, this young man was with him. the only mistake i made was in not putting him in irons. the captain of my tug proved to be a traitor to the confederacy, and this fellow, with christy passford, did the most of the mischief in preventing the capture of the steamer."
"i was told that he was a smart boy," added the naval officer.
"he is all of that; and i think it was very fortunate that he did not happen to be at home when we visited the bellevite just now," said major pierson, who evidently had a proper respect for the abilities of the millionnaire's son.
"i do not see that his presence in his father's mansion, if he had been there, could have made any difference," added the captain, as he sounded his whistle again, and heard a faint response from the shore. "as long as he was not actually on board of the steamer, he was harmless."
"perhaps he was, though i have the feeling that it would have been otherwise. there was a whistle from the shore."
"i heard it, and i understand it. haslett has done his whole duty, i judge," replied captain carboneer.
62 "who is haslett?" asked the major curiously. "i never heard of him before."
"he is to be the first lieutenant of the bellevite."
"you seem to have a full supply of officers and men, captain carboneer," added major pierson, apparently a little disconcerted. "i do not see that i am of the least use here, for you seem to have done everything without consulting me."
"in naval matters i have; but i give you full credit for the planning of the enterprise," replied the captain, in his softest tones.
"when i was removed from my command because i allowed the steamer to pass the forts, i felt that a great injustice had been done to me. i did all i could to effect the capture of the vessel, but the attempt was a failure," argued the major. "the shot hole through the bow of the belle utterly wrecked her, and the force on board of her could do nothing, and christy passford had brought my own tug to bear against me. why, the bellevite actually saved the force on board of the belle from drowning. a violent gale came up, and that did a great deal to nullify all our efforts. but i think i did my whole duty."
63 "i have no doubt of it, major pierson; and for that reason you were sent on this mission; and i am confident that the success of the enterprise will restore you to your former command, or give you another quite as good," said captain carboneer, as consolation to the military arm of the expedition.
"but i cannot see that i have been of any use to this enterprise, and i might as well have staid at home."
"you are too modest by half, major. you planned the expedition, and suggested that corny should take part in it, as he would have the entrée to the residence of captain passford. but, being a mere boy, he could not be sent alone, and your services were likely to be of the most important character. it is no fault of yours that we found everything made ready for us, as it were. it might have been quite different, and the burden of the action might have rested upon you. it is all right as it is."
"i am satisfied," added the major, "though i think it was no more than right that you should have consulted me in regard to your methods, of which i am still profoundly ignorant. in getting 64 up the scheme, i based everything on the fact that corny could go into his uncle's house and obtain all the information we needed."
"the scheme was well concocted; and i shall have the pleasure of reporting to the government that the military arm of the expedition conducted the enterprise to a perfect success, the naval force only doing the duty pointed out by the military."
"you are very kind, captain carboneer," said major pierson, who could not well help being entirely satisfied, and even greatly pleased, with this happy showing of the final result.
"by daylight in the morning we shall be outside of sandy hook, i expect. we have no time to waste, and you can see for yourself how the affair of the young lady would have complicated our operations."
"how do you intend to convey these men, who seem to be scattered all along the shores of the river, to the steamer?"
"they understand my signals, and they will all be ready within an hour to take a small steamer which will pick them up."
"but where is the steamer?"
"she is farther down the river. as you seem 65 to be a little sensitive to the fact that i have not consulted you in regard to the naval operations of this enterprise, i can tell you in a few words all there is of them," continued captain carboneer. "as you are aware, as soon as our plan was matured by you, i left mobile with lieutenant haslett, though you knew nothing about him, for nassau. we had no difficulty in getting out of the bay, for the blockade was not then enforced. at nassau i engaged a couple of english engineers, and a few other officers, with thirty seamen, mostly english, who were looking for prize-money. i had to take my force to quebec, for no steamer offered for new york. i sent them all here in small parties, and haslett posted them along the river when i told him they would be needed to-night."
"i did not leave mobile till two weeks later with corny," added the major. "but i got here sooner than you did."
"you were more fortunate in finding a steamer. i believe i have a capital crew, though i shall obtain more men at bermuda, or some other port. there are plenty of good english sailors who are willing to fight on either side if there is a good 66 showing for prize-money; and i have no doubt i shall capture a dozen vessels before we reach the bermudas, which will fully satisfy them, especially as the government will pay the value of all vessels we are compelled to burn on the high seas."
"you will have the advantage over everything that floats, for i was told that the bellevite made twenty knots an hour, and had done twenty-two," said major pierson. "at what time do you think you will get on board of the steamer?"
"by one or two in the morning, i hope; but it will depend upon the steamer haslett engages, though he told me he had bargained for an old one with a walking-beam; but that will answer our purpose. i believe he had to buy her, though she was of no great value."
at a creek which appeared to be the rendezvous of the conspirators, the boat left the river; but there was no steamer, though quite a number of men had gathered there. leaving the party in the boat to follow out the remaining details of their enterprise, which, by this time, in the absence of anything like an obstacle, they regarded as so many mere formalities, it becomes necessary to make another visit to the mansion of captain 67 passford. this gentleman had gone to the city upon important business connected with the fitting out of the bellevite, and he had not returned when the clock in the great hall struck ten, which was at about the time captain carboneer and his companions went into the creek five miles down the river.
"there is no knowing when your father will come home, florry," said mrs. passford, as she suspended her work on a stocking she was knitting for the soldiers. "but i can't imagine what has become of christy. he never stays out as late as this unless he tells us of it beforehand."
"i am really worried about him, mother," replied the beautiful daughter, looking up from the stocking on which she was employed. "he went away in the florence, and something may have happened to him."
"i think not, florry: there has been no storm, or heavy blow, and he thinks he is as safe in his boat as he is on shore," added mrs. passford, with an effort to control the fears of the daughter. "he may have gone down to the city. he is very indignant at the delay in giving the order to have the steamer sent to the navy yard, and 68 wherever he is, i am confident he is doing something in connection with the steamer."
"i wish i knew whether the florence was at the boathouse," continued florry. "he said he was going out in the boat; but perhaps he did not. perhaps he is with father."
"there is the front-door bell," added mrs. passford, with a start. "it cannot be your father or christy, for both of them have latch-keys. who could come here at this time in the evening?"
"mr. paul vapoor," said the man-servant, who answered the bell.
the gentleman announced walked into the sitting-room without any ceremony, for he had long been a familiar visitor. he was dressed in the full uniform of a chief engineer of the navy. removing his cap, he politely bowed to the two ladies; and any one who was looking might have seen that miss florry blushed a little when she saw him; and very likely if major pierson had witnessed the roses on her fair cheek, he might possibly have concluded that it would have been useless to postpone the capture of the bellevite to enable him to fortify his position near her.
"i beg your pardon, ladies, for calling so late," 69 said mr. vapoor, as he drew a long envelope from his pocket. "but i thought christy might wish to see what is in this envelope before he retired."
"why, what is in it?" asked mrs. passford.
"christy's commission as a midshipman in the navy."
"but christy is not at home, and we are somewhat anxious about him," added the mother, stating the facts in regard to her son.
paul vapoor volunteered to go in search of him, and left the house.
