it was six o'clock in the morning when the bellevite let go her anchor off twentieth street, as the young commander decided to do after some consultation with paul vapoor, who was his senior in years if not in wisdom. he did not suppose the steamer would be allowed to anchor at the navy yard without orders to that effect. his father had not returned from the city. though he held no office, captain passford was as busy with public affairs as though he had been the collector of the port.
no one but the ladies had slept any during the trip; but they had been on deck some time when the steamer anchored. christy had been very much in doubt as to what he should do with the bellevite when he reached his destination, and he was glad to see his mother when she came out of the cabin. though he was still hardly more than 147 a boy, he believed in his mother, and it had not yet occurred to him that he knew more than she did. he stated his difficulty to her, for paul had been as much in doubt as the midshipman.
"i think it is a very easy question to answer, christy," replied mrs. passford, with a smile. "where have you anchored?"
"off union square, or very near it, i should think," replied christy.
"you know that your father stays at the st. james hotel when he is in the city," she added. "the only thing you can do is to find him, and let him decide what is to be done with the bellevite."
"i did not think of that," added the midshipman. "i will get out a boat at once, and go on shore."
"florry and i will go with you," continued mrs. passford. "we have nothing to do here, and i should like to return to bonnydale as soon as possible. but what will you do with your prisoner, christy?"
"i shall do nothing with him. sampson is in charge of him, and i am sure he will not take his eye off the major while he remains on board."
148 the port-quarter boat was lowered into the water, and a couple of the old sailors took their places in her. the ladies were assisted to their seats, and christy, after he had informed the engineer that he was in command during his absence, leaped into the boat, and it was pulled to the nearest pier. a carriage was called, and the party were driven to the hotel. it was half-past six, and christy was informed that his father had not yet come down. word was sent up to him, and the son went to his room, where he found him only half dressed.
"i did not expect to see you at this time in the morning, my son," said the owner of the bellevite. "how did you come down so early?"
"i came in the bellevite; and she is at anchor in the stream off twentieth street, father," replied christy.
"in the bellevite!" exclaimed captain passford, with the nearest thing to a frown that ever appeared on his brow in the presence of any member of his family. "i don't quite understand how"—
"an attempt was made to capture her last night, father, and i thought it best to make sure of her," interposed the midshipman.
149 "to capture her!" ejaculated captain passford, suspending his toilet, and gazing into the face of his son. "i think you must have dreamed that, christy."
"perhaps i did, father; but we captured one prisoner of rank in my dream, and he is on board now, closely guarded by sampson," replied christy, laughing in his excitement. "mother and florry were on board, and they are down in the parlor waiting to see you."
"do you mean that an attempt was really made to capture the bellevite last night?" asked the captain, as if unable to credit the astounding intelligence.
"of course i can prove all i say by many witnesses. mr. watts is on board, and he has been dreaming too if i have. paul vapoor is another dreamer, to say nothing of eight or ten more on board," added christy.
captain passford completed dressing himself about as quick as he had probably ever done since he became a millionnaire, and attended christy down to the parlor, where he gave his wife and daughter an affectionate reception.
"but our boy tells me that some one has been 150 trying to obtain possession of the bellevite, julia; and it seems to me hardly possible that such an attempt should be made so far up the river," said captain passford, as soon as he was able to allude to the subject.
"but it is quite true, horatio; and our boy has behaved like a hero, if he is our son," replied the lady, bestowing a glance of pride upon the midshipman.
"he says he has a prisoner on board," added the captain.
"and who do you think that prisoner is, horatio?" asked mrs. passford.
"is it jeff davis?" he inquired, with a smile.
"not exactly; but it is major lindley pierson."
"indeed? then i begin to see through the matter," replied captain passford. "he failed to obtain the steamer in mobile bay, and he came up here after her. but i should like to hear the particulars of this affair."
"and poor corny passford was wounded in the shoulder," said florry, who had hardly spoken before.
"you don't mean that you had a fight, 151 christy?" demanded the captain, looking quite serious.
"not much of a fight, father; we fired the long gun once, and disabled an old steamer, and we sunk a boat that was trying to lay us aboard."
"then it was a more serious affair than i had supposed."
"but, father, i think we had better be going on board; and i can tell you the story on the way just as well as here," suggested christy.
"but you must have your breakfast before you go, for there is nothing to eat on board of the steamer," replied captain passford, as he led the way down into the restaurant.
while they were waiting for the meal to be served, the captain went to the house of a military officer, with whom he was intimately acquainted, and requested him to take the prisoner off his hands. after the meagre details of the affair he gave, the officer offered to put a company on board of the steamer for her protection; but the captain thought this was unnecessary.
after the breakfast, the party took a carriage for the pier. on the way the captain ordered a supply of cooked provisions to be sent down to the 152 boat for the use of the men on board of the bellevite. with this supply the party went on board. on the way christy had told his story, and by the time they went on board captain passford had learned all about the affair.
he had received the order to deliver the steamer at the navy yard on the following monday, and he decided to return to bonnydale in her. enough of the former members of the ship's company could be obtained in a few hours to hold the vessel against any enemy that was likely to appear in the river. as the owner was now on board, the engineer put on full steam, and she reached her anchorage, as indicated by the buoy of the cable which had been slipped. it was hauled in, and the bellevite was replaced in her former position.
the tremendous report of the great gun in the small hours of the morning had startled all the people in the vicinity, though it was not till they left their beds that the news was conveyed to them. a party in the town just below the scene of the disaster to the vampire had been collected, and they had taken a steamer to explore the river in search of the bold actors in the affair, as soon 153 as the facts were known in the vicinity. the steamer had been running up and down the river since six in the morning.
when the bellevite passed up the river, she was promptly recognized by the investigating party on board of the alert, which followed the steamer up to her anchorage. she came alongside some time after the crew had fished up the cable; but captain passford warned her to keep off as soon as he discovered her intention to come alongside. she was a small steamer, and had at least twenty men on her deck, so that the captain thought it necessary to learn her object before she came any nearer.
a boat with two men was sent from the alert, and one of them was permitted to come on board. this one proved to be captain mainhill, with whom the owner of the bellevite was well acquainted. he was a wealthy and patriotic man, though rather too old to be engaged in active service for his country.
"i thought you might be representatives of the southern confederacy, and i was rather shy of you," said captain passford, as he took the hand of his neighbor. "i should not have been so cautious if i had met you last evening."
154 "we have been looking for the gentlemen who were engaged in this attempt to capture the bellevite," added captain mainhill.
"i hope you have found them, or some of them," replied the owner.
"only a single one of them; and he is badly wounded. we have scoured the river for miles without finding any trace of the enemy. i think they landed on the east shore, and went over to the railroad, where they probably took the first train that came along," replied captain mainhill.
"of course, they saw the bellevite going down the river, and perhaps they have gone down to new york to finish the job they begun here," suggested captain passford. "do you know if the enemy lost any of their number when the boat was smashed?"
but captain mainhill knew nothing about the affair on the river beyond the fact that an attempt had been made to capture the bellevite, and he had not ascertained that more than one was injured.
"we found the vampire aground half a mile below where the shot disabled her," continued the leader of the expedition. "her machinery was 155 badly smashed. she never was good for much, and she is good for nothing now."
"did the enemy carry off the one who was wounded?" asked captain passford, prompted by his wife.
"no; he seems to have been too badly damaged for that; they left him at the house of a workingman near the river, and i suppose he is there now," replied captain mainhill. "i don't know that there is anything more that we can do, and we may as well go home to breakfast."
"do you know where the wounded person is to be found?" asked captain passford.
"i do; and i have seen him. he is suffering a good deal of pain; but he is as plucky as a mad snake, and he would not say a word in answer to my questions."
"i shall be greatly obliged to you, captain mainhill, if you will land me as near as you can to the house where this wounded man is, and show me where it is. mrs. passford will go with me," said the owner.
"very glad indeed to do it," replied the leader of the searching party.
captain passford instructed some of the men 156 on board to summon all the former ship's company of the bellevite on board at once that could be found, and then went on board of the alert with his wife. they were landed in a boat just below the bend, and captain mainhill conducted them to the house where corny was said to be.
they found him there, and the poor fellow was glad enough to see them. no doctor had been called, and nothing had been done to alleviate his pain; but he was immediately removed to the mansion at bonnydale, with his own consent, and dr. linscott was sent for.
