christy had given himself credit for more physical strength, or flint for less weight, than the circumstances warranted, and found that he could not draw up his companion as he intended. he made several efforts to accomplish his purpose, but he failed every time. the fear of making a noise cramped his efforts to some extent.
"let go, mr. passford," whispered flint, when he realized that his avoirdupois was too much for the young officer. "i will get that box, and then i can manage it myself."
"all right; but don't make a particle of noise," added christy.
it required some time for the mate to find the box in the darkness, but he had it in position at last, standing upon one end. mounting it, he found that his head was on a level with the roof, and he could easily draw himself up; but he did not do so at once.
323 "what are you waiting for, flint?" asked christy, rather impatiently.
"if i leave the box where it is, the guard will see where we have gone when they inspect the prison at ten o'clock," replied flint.
"that's so; i did not have the box in my plan, and that would tell the guard where to look for us," replied christy. "we must make a line, and haul it up after you."
"here are two big handkerchiefs," added flint, as he removed his neck-cloth, and passed up his pocket handkerchief with it.
christy tied the handkerchiefs together with great care, adding two more of his own to the length, which he thought would reach the box, flint made it fast to the broken end of a board on the side, and then, without the least difficulty or noise, sprang lightly to the roof of the warehouse. with the aid of his companion, christy drew up the box, careful that it should not strike against the frame of the scuttle. the door was closed, though of course they were unable to hook it on the inside, as they had found it; but the guard were not likely to notice that it was not fastened before morning.
324 "what next, mr. passford?" asked the master's mate, after they had rested for a few minutes from their labors, though they had not been very arduous.
"the next thing is to get down into the street, where we shall be as safe as though we were as patriotic, over the left, as my uncle homer. the burden of the work is done, but i hope we shall be able to kill two birds with one stone," replied christy, though his meaning was mysterious to his companion.
"it don't seem to me that we are much better off than we were in the loft," suggested the mate.
"i believe we are, though i don't think we had better indulge in any long speeches just now. we have a favorable night, and we must make the best of it. i don't intend to be seen in this town in the morning, but we have the whole night before us."
"there will be a lively time looking for us to-morrow, for i don't think they will be willing that you should get off, though it won't make much difference to them about me."
"they would not be willing to part with you, my friend."
325 "but you made yourself rather noted in helping the bellevite out last may, and they will have a history of the loss of the teaser in the newspapers in due time, if they have not had it already; and they will not like it a bit when they find that you have stepped out."
"they are welcome to their own reflections," replied the lieutenant.
"and they will send a searching party out to your uncle's estate at glenfield; but of course we shall not go near there," said flint.
"that is just where i am going," replied christy, decidedly, "for that is where i expect to kill one of the birds with the stone i fire. but we had better be moving, for we have a long tramp before us."
the midshipman led the way, and though the roof, which was nearly flat, was wet with the falling rain, they walked, still in their stockinged feet, to the farther end of the block. neither of them wore his uniform, as they remained as they had dressed for the duty they were to do on board of the teaser. this was a point in their favor in the course they were to pursue, for their uniform would have betrayed them as soon as they were seen.
326 before they reached the end of the block of warehouses, they had found and tried all the scuttles on the roof, but they had not discovered one which had been left unfastened. at the last one this became a serious question. the scuttle at the end warehouse was securely hooked on the inside; but neither of the pair felt discouraged at this circumstance. looking about them they found a piece of joist about ten feet long, which might have been left there when the building was finished. christy examined the scuttle with the greatest care, to determine on which side the hooks were placed.
while he was doing this, flint detached a couple of bricks from the party-wall, which were used as a fulcrum for the lever, made of the joist. the building was not inhabited, and there was little to be feared at that height above the street from any noise they might make. flint sat down on the end of the lever, and the scuttle flew up at once, the staple drawn out of the wood.
the master's mate was the first to enter; and he "hung off" to the floor below. then he assisted christy to descend, and to close the scuttle after him. acting upon their belief that all the warehouses 327 were constructed on the same plan, they easily found the door by which they reached the staircase. on the lower floor, they opened a window and passed out into the alley in the rear of the building. they were on the ground, and christy soon ascertained where he was. he made his way to a wharf where he was fortunate enough to find a boat.
this locality seemed to be entirely deserted, and there was no one to challenge them, and no one appeared to take any notice of them on the way. it was not yet nine o'clock, and many stores were open, one of which they entered and bought a cooked ham and a large supply of bread. the woman in charge asked no questions, though christy talked about a fishing trip to blind her. the boat they found was a very good one, and as it was the property of the enemy, christy had no scruples in regard to confiscating it. he had money enough in his pocket to pay for it, but as the owner did not appear to dispute his taking possession of it, he dispensed with this ceremony.
taking the oars which they found in the boat, they pulled away from the wharf without interruption from any source. christy took his bearings 328 as well as he could, and they passed out into the fog and darkness, to which experience within a few days had accustomed them both. they crossed the alabama river, and then followed the land to the southward. striking across an inlet they reached the land again, and by midnight they reached a point of land where christy felt entirely at home. he recognized it by the dilapidated wharf, from which he had embarked in the leopard.
it was still a long pull to glenfield, and they went ashore to partake of a little refreshment. flint was a smoker, and he had some dry matches which enabled them to make a fire, more for its light than its heat. the ham was good and so was the bread to hungry men like the fugitives. at the end of an hour by the midshipman's watch, they felt like new men, and they resumed their places in the boat, and pulled two hours longer, which brought them to the inlet at glenfield. at the rude pier where the bellevite had been moored lay a topsail schooner.
"i don't find any fault, mr. passford, but it seems to me that it is rather dangerous for you to come here," said flint, in a low tone, as soon as 329 they had made out the schooner at the wharf. "i can't see what you are to make by it; and your uncle would hand you over to the rebel officers as readily as he would eat his breakfast."
"i have no doubt he would do so; but i don't intend to give him the chance to do so," replied christy, resting on his oar. "you see this schooner. she is loaded with cotton, and she is going to run the blockade about this time. i intend to take passage in her."
"then you knew about this vessel?" asked flint curiously.
"i did; and that is the particular reason why i came here. lonley told me that my uncle had offered him the command of the schooner; and now that he has lost his position on board of the teaser, i have no doubt he has already applied for the berth that was offered to him. i am confident that he has seen my uncle, and it must have been he who told him that i was a prisoner."
"i begin to understand you now, mr. passford," added flint.
"if you do, we will say no more about it just now, for there may be some one within earshot of us," replied christy.
330 nothing more was said, and the boat cautiously approached the schooner. no one appeared to be on board of her, and the fugitives found that she was loaded with cotton, even carrying a deck-load of this staple of the south, the price of which had bounded up to an enormous figure in the markets of the world. in the early morning the clouds and the fog were swept away, and the sun came out. christy found a hiding-place on the other side of the creek, in a dense mass of bushes, where the boat was drawn out of the water.
a spot which commanded a full view of the schooner had been selected, the boat was turned upside down so as to afford a shelter, and the weary unionists went to sleep, for they were not likely to be disturbed on this side of the creek. it was noon when they woke, and it looked as though something was going on at the vessel. about half a dozen negroes were to be seen on the deck-load of cotton; and a little later in the day, colonel passford and lonley were observed talking together. but nothing was done that day, and the night came on. christy was not satisfied with his information, and as soon as it was dark, the boat was launched, and the fugitives pulled over to the schooner.
331 "who's in dat boat?" shouted a negro, showing himself at the rail of the vessel.
"i am," replied christy, rather indefinitely.
"be you de new mate, sar?" demanded the man.
"i am," answered christy, at a venture.
"we done wait free days for you, an' massa lonley be mighty glad to see you."
"where is captain lonley now?" asked the lieutenant.
"stoppin' wid massa colonel. he done tole me to call him if de mate come. dis nigger gwine to do dat," added the man.
"stop a little," added christy, as he climbed on board of the vessel, followed by flint. "how many men have you on board?"
"six men wid de cook."
"are these men sailors?"
"dey all done work aboard a vessel, but dey ain't much sailors."
"all free niggers?"
"no, sar; wish dey was."
"where are the rest of the men?"
"in de fo'castle, sar. de capin specks de mate come to-night, an' i reckon we's gwine down de bay right off den."
332 "go and call the captain then," added christy, as confidently as though he had stood on his own ground.
the negro hastened away as fast as his legs would carry him, and in a few minutes colonel passford and captain lonley came on board. the latter seemed to be hung on wires, he was so active; and even before he saluted the new mate, he called all hands and directed them to hoist the mainsail.
"i am glad to see you, fetters," said the captain, extending his hand to him. "i expected you yesterday."
"my business was such that i could not leave," replied christy.
it was very dark, and the captain did not recognize him.
