the signal lights at the bend of the river had burned out, and nothing could be seen in that direction. the turn of the tide had carried the wreck of the vampire, if she was a wreck, down the stream, and beyond what the steward had reported, nothing was known in regard to her. mr. watts possessed himself of the single fact that her walking-beam had been carried away by the shot, and he had not waited to ascertain anything more. she was disabled, and he had been instructed to hasten up the river as soon as he had assured himself of this fact, and made the signal.
as the extent of the calamity to the enemy was unknown, the young commander began to have some painful doubts in regard to the immediate future. he had given the order to slip the cable, and he could hear the rattle of the chain as it passed out through the hawse-hole. it was evident 126 enough to him that he had to run the gantlet of the party on board of the vampire in descending the river. as the shot had hit the walking-beam of the steamer, it was not probable that she was seriously injured in her hull, if at all.
some of the enemy had doubtless been hurt by the fall of the pieces of machinery, but christy could not believe that the conspirators were disabled, as the vessel was. the enemy might make an attempt to board the bellevite as she passed down the river, for the accident must have rendered the party more desperate than before. in the face of a failure to capture the bellevite at her anchorage, which had seemed so easy a matter to the leaders of the expedition, they would be ready to take any chances of success that came in their way.
"cable all out, sir," reported boxie.
not without some heavy doubts, christy rang the bell to go ahead. he had no one in the pilot-house with whom he could consult except the two quartermasters, for paul was in charge of the engine, and he could no more leave it than the midshipman could leave the wheel. the propeller 127 began to turn, and the ship gathered headway. to add to the responsibility of the young commander, his mother and sister had just come on board, and were now seated on the sofa in the engine-room.
the bellevite was moving down the river, and the only thing christy could do was to brace himself up to meet whatever might happen on the trip. he did this at once, and a moment later he rang to go ahead at full speed. he was approaching the bend of the river, and in a minute or two more he would be able to see the vampire. but captain carboneer could no more see through the headland at the bend than he could, and he hoped that the leader of the enemy had not yet discovered that the bellevite was under way.
the steamer increased her speed on the instant in response to the signal, and she rushed forward at a velocity that would be fatal to the vampire if she happened to be in her path. but christy was not disposed to make an issue with the enemy when they met; he intended to defend the bellevite, if she was attacked, to the extent of his ability and small force.
"there she is!" exclaimed beeks, as the bellevite 128 began to change her course to go around the bend.
christy saw the vampire as soon as the quartermaster, and he was glad to find that she had drifted to the left bank of the river as far as the depth of water would permit. as her engine was disabled, she had no means of propulsion with which she could help herself. it was not improbable that she was aground. she was not armed with a single heavy gun, or with any gun, and she was entirely harmless.
christy breathed more freely when he realized the situation of the vampire. probably she was provided with one or more boats, and it was possible that captain carboneer might attempt to board the bellevite as soon as he discovered her. the deck of the steam-yacht was not very far above the water, and if a boat full of desperate men could get alongside of the ship, it would not be a very difficult matter for them to mount the side.
"port a little," said christy to the quartermasters at the wheel. "keep her well over to the west shore. steady."
a moment later the steamer had her course for passing the vampire, and christy left the pilot-house 129 to obtain a better view of the situation and movements of the enemy. it was not so dark as to prevent him from seeing all that was going on upon her deck, for the bellevite had to pass within pistol-shot of her to avoid getting aground on the edge of the channel.
sampson and the rest of the old ship's company gathered near him, where they could see over the rail. the oiler, as paul vapoor had instructed him to do, had armed all these men with a cutlass and a revolver, and very likely some or all of them would have been glad to make use of them.
"they are loading into a boat on the port side of the vampire, sir, and it looks as though they intended to do something without delay," said sampson; and, as the steamer had come about since she was disabled, this was the side nearest to the shore.
"i see that they are hurrying some movement with all their might," replied the midshipman, watching with the most intense interest the operations of the enemy. "sampson, get out half a dozen sixty-pound, solid shot, and put them on the plankshear, twenty feet apart. take all hands with you, and hurry up."
130 the oiler asked no questions, though he might have been excused for wondering what the young commander intended to do with shot without powder. in a few minutes the shot were in place, as christy had directed. the midshipman was watching with all his eyes the movement of the enemy, and, as the bellevite approached the position of the wreck, the boat darted out from the other side of her. it began to be exciting for the middy, loaded with the responsibility of the safety of the steamer, though he seemed to be as cool as boxie himself, who had seen some sea fights in his day.
christy leaped on the rail of the ship, where he could obtain a full view of the situation. the boat was approaching with all the speed the oarsmen could command, and they seemed to be experienced hands. there could be no doubt of the intentions of the enemy, and the midshipman drew his heavy naval revolver from his pocket.
"stand by to repel boarders!" he called to the seamen. "pass up one of those shot, sampson. have a hand mount the rail, each with a shot, at the points where you have placed them."
"the ladies wish to know what is going on, christy," said paul, coming from the engine-room.
131 "i have no time to talk now," replied christy impatiently, as he saw the approaching boat within ten feet of the side of the steamer. "tell them to stay where they are, and not come on deck!"
the boat was not a large one, and it did not contain more than a dozen men; but the fine form of captain carboneer could be seen, as he stood up in the stern sheets. those who were not pulling the oars began to discharge revolvers at the men now mounted on the rail; but the motion of the boat and the ship seemed to defeat their aim, and no one was hit so far as was known.
"when the boat comes alongside, let the man who is in the right place for it drop his shot into it. be careful of it, and don't waste the iron," shouted christy, when the decisive moment came.
"all ready, sir," responded the men along the rail.
"you are the man, boxie! you are in the right place for the first shot," added the midshipman.
boxie was next to him, and it would be christy's turn next if the old man failed to do good work with his shot. the boat came alongside, 132 and a bowman fastened his boathook at the side of the ship, and held it in place. at the same moment boxie let drive his sixty-pound shot; but he ought to have waited an instant longer, for the missile dropped harmlessly into the river.
the bowman had not obtained a good hold, and he lost it, so that the boat began to drift astern. captain carboneer shouted his orders, and the man got a new hold, and this time it was at the painter of the boat in which sampson had brought off mr. watts and the ladies. it had been forgotten in the excitement of the moment, but the rope afforded a good hold to several men who had grasped it.
at this thrilling moment, a man wearing a frock-coat discharged a revolver at christy, who was standing on the rail above him, and then, seizing the painter in the hands of the men, he climbed briskly to the accommodation steps, which had been hoisted up, but not taken on board.
christy was in the most dangerous position on board, for he seemed to be the target for all who could use their revolvers. but the young commander was not asleep, though he had given no order for the last minute or two. the boat was 133 directly under him, and he had put his pistol in his hip-pocket, in order to take up the solid shot at his feet. it was heavy, but he lifted it over his head without any difficulty, and launched it into the boat with all the force he could give to it.
"on deck, there! let go that painter!" shouted christy, as he pitched his missile from his hands.
he was in a position so favorable for the operation that he could not well miss his aim, and the shot crashed through the bottom of the boat, carrying down one of the enemy with it. it did not make a round hole in the bottom of the boat, it was afterwards ascertained, as it might if it had been fired from one of the broadside guns, but it tore off the planking, and made a hole as big as the head of a flour-barrel.
"lay hold of that man on the accommodation ladder!" shouted christy, without waiting to observe the effect of his shot, for the man who had succeeded in mounting the side was armed with a dangerous weapon, which he was likely to use as soon as he found the opportunity.
the men forward of the point where the boat had come alongside had been ordered aft, and a 134 couple of them dragged the venturesome officer, as his frock-coat indicated that he was, to the deck. christy was almost sure this man was haslett, who had certainly set a bold example to his companions in the boat. he was quickly secured, and by no gentle hands. his hands were tied behind him, and he was made fast to the rail, where he was likely to be harmless during the rest of the trip.
it was no easy matter for a boat to make fast to a steamer going ten knots an hour at least, and if the painter of the boat had not been carelessly left where it could be of service to the assailants, the affair would have ended with boxie's unsuccessful cast of the shot. but as soon as the painter was let go, an order which sampson hastened to execute, the enemy's hold upon the ship was lost, though they were using boathooks and other implements to make sure of their grasp. the boat was left behind by the ship, though not till the hole had been stove in her bottom.
"beg pardon, mr. passford, for missing my heave with the shot," said boxie, on the deck; and the veteran's heart seemed to be almost broken by his failure.
135 "you are very excusable, boxie; one can't expect to hit every time, and you did very well," replied christy, who had suddenly passed from painful doubt and uncertainty to exultation and exaltation at the victory achieved. "we are all right now."
"but the enemy are not," added sampson, who had mounted the rail after he had secured the prisoner. "they are all afloat."
"they will get ashore in some way, or back to the vampire," replied christy, and he descended to the deck, and hastened to the engine-room.
