captain passford had certainly kept his own counsel with punctilious care; for he had never even mentioned the skilful detective in his family, though the members of it had met the gentleman in paris and in havre. mr. gilfleur was in constant communication with him while he was working up the exposure of the treason of davis, who might have been a relative of the distinguished gentleman at the head of the southern confederacy, though there was no evidence to this effect.
"if the captain of this steamer manages his affair well with the ionian, i expect to find letters on board of her signed by davis," continued mr. gilfleur. "from the information i obtained, your father put american detectives on the scent of davis, who dogged him day and night till they found the ionian, and ascertained in what manner 60 she obtained her cargo; but she had been partly loaded before they reached a conclusion, and it is suspected that she has arms under the pieces of machinery, perhaps cannon and ammunition."
the detective continued to explain his operations at greater length than it is necessary to report them. christy listened till nearly midnight, and then he went on deck to ascertain the position of the chase before he turned in. he found the captain on the quarter-deck, vigilant and faithful to his duty, and evidently determined that the ionian should not elude him.
"you are up late, mr. passford," said the captain, when he recognized his passenger in the gloom of the night.
"i have been busy, and i came on deck to see where the ionian was before i turned in," replied christy.
"i think the rascal has a suspicion that we have some business with him, for at four bells he turned his head in for the shore," added the commander. "if you go forward you will see that we have dowsed every glim on board, even to our mast-head and side lights."
"you are carrying no starboard and port light?"
61 "none; but we have a strong lookout aloft, and in every other available place. when the chase headed for the shore, we kept on our course for half an hour, and then put out the lights. we came about and went off to the eastward for another half-hour. coming about, we went to the westward till we made her out, for she has not extinguished her lights. it is dark enough to conceal the ship from her, and no doubt she thinks we are still far to the southward of her. at any rate, she has resumed her former course, which was about south, half west."
christy was satisfied with this explanation, for the ionian was doing just what she was expected to do. she was not inclined to be overhauled by a gunboat, and she had attempted to dodge the chateaugay. besides, if she were bound to wilmington, as her clearance stated, she would turn to the south-west two or three points by this time. the young officer seated himself in his room, and figured on the situation. if the steamer were making an honest voyage she would not be more than twenty miles off absecum light at this time, and ought to be within ten of the coast.
at two bells christy was still in his chair, and 62 when he heard the bells he decided to go on deck again, for he felt that the time would soon come to settle every doubt in regard to the character of the ionian. he found the commander still at his post, and he looked out for the chase. it was not more than a mile distant, and hardly to be seen in the gloom of a dark night.
"on deck again, mr. passford?" said captain chantor.
"yes, sir; i am too much interested in this affair to sleep; besides, i feel as though i had slept at home enough to last me six months," replied the passenger. "it seems to me that the question of that vessel's destination is to be decided about this time, or at least within an hour or two."
christy explained the calculation he had been making, in which the captain agreed with him, and declared that he had been over the same course of reasoning. both of them thought the ionian would not wait till daylight to change her course, as it would be more perilous to do so then than in the darkness.
"i am confident that she has not seen the chateaugay since we put out the lights," said the 63 captain. "at the present moment we must be off absecum; but we cannot see the light. she is far off her course for wilmington."
"that is plain enough."
"what she will do depends upon whether or not she suspects that a man-of-war is near her. we shall soon know, for she is already in a position to justify her capture."
"better make sure of her course before that is done," suggested christy, who felt that he was permitted to say as much as this.
"i don't intend to act till we are south of cape henlopen," added the commander promptly. "before we do anything, i shall formally consult you, mr. passford, as i am advised to do."
"i shall be happy to serve as a volunteer, and i will obey your orders without question, and as strictly as any officer on board."
"that is handsome, considering the position in which you have been placed on board, mr. passford, and i appreciate the delicacy of your conduct."
christy remained on deck another hour, and at the end of that time a quartermaster came aft to report that the chase had changed her course farther to the eastward. this proved to be the fact 64 on examination by the officers on the quarter-deck, and as nearly as could be made out she was now headed to the south-east.
"but that will not take her to the bahama islands," suggested christy.
"certainly not; and she may not be bound to nassau, as stated in those letters. but it is useless to speculate on her destination, for we shall be in condition in the morning to form an opinion," replied the captain. "i shall keep well astern of her till morning; and if there should be any change in her movements, i will have you called, mr. passford."
christy considered this a sage conclusion, and he turned in on the strength of it. he was not disturbed during the remaining hours of the night. he had taken more exercise than usual that day, and he slept soundly, as he was in the habit of doing. the bell forward indicated eight o'clock when he turned out. breakfast was all ready, but he hastened on deck to ascertain the position of the chase. the captain was not on the quarter-deck, but the first lieutenant was planking the deck for his morning "constitutional."
"good-morning, mr. birdwing," said christy.
65 "good-morning, mr. passford; i hope you are very well this morning," replied the executive officer.
"quite well, i thank you, sir. but what has become of the chase?" asked the passenger, for the ionian did not appear to be in sight, and he began to be anxious about her.
"still ahead of us, sir; but she cannot be seen without a glass. i was called with the morning watch, when the captain turned in. his policy is to keep the ionian so that we may know just where she is, and also to give her the idea that she is running away from us," replied mr. birdwing, as he took a glass from the brackets and handed it to christy.
the young officer could just make out the steamer with the aid of the glass. the chateaugay was following her; and a glance at the compass gave her course as south-east, half south. christy had sailed the bronx over this course, and he knew where it would bring up.
"it is plain enough, mr. birdwing, that the ionian is not bound to nassau," said he.
"so captain chantor said when i came on deck," replied the first lieutenant.
66 "and it is equally plain where she is bound," added christy. "that course means the bermuda islands, and doubtless that is her destination."
"so the captain said."
the passenger was satisfied, and went below for his breakfast. he found mr. gilfleur at the table; and as the fact that the chateaugay was chasing the ionian was well understood in the ward room, christy did not hesitate to tell him the news. the frenchman bestowed one of his penetrating glances upon his associate, and said nothing. after the meal was finished they retired to the detective's room. mr. gilfleur looked over his papers very industriously for a few minutes.
"this affair is not working exactly as it should," said he, as he selected a letter from his files. "i supposed this steamer would proceed directly to nassau. read this letter, mr. passford."
"colonel richard pierson!" exclaimed christy, as he saw to whom the letter was addressed.
"anything strange about the address?" asked the detective.
"perhaps nothing strange; but i saw this gentleman in nassau two years ago," replied christy, as he recalled the events of his first trip to mobile 67 in the bellevite. "i can say of my own knowledge that he is a confederate agent, and was trying to purchase vessels there. this letter is signed by hillman davis."
"the american traitor," added mr. gilfleur; and both of them were using the french language.
"he says he shall send the machinery and other merchandise to nassau to be reshipped to mobile," continued christy, reading the letter. "he adds that he has bought the steamer ionian for this purpose, and he expects to be paid in full for her. i think that is quite enough to condemn the steamer."
"undoubtedly; but what is the ionian to do in the bermudas? that is what perplexes me," said the detective.
"possibly captain chantor can solve the problem, for i am sure i cannot," answered the young officer, as he rose from his seat.
he was as much perplexed as his companion, and he went on deck to wait the appearance of the commander. about nine o'clock he came upon the quarter-deck. the ionian remained at the same relative distance from the chateaugay, for the captain had given an order to this effect before he turned in.
68 "i am glad to see you, captain chantor," said christy. "can you explain why the ionian is headed for the bermudas, for you have later information than any in my possession?"
"i think i can," replied the captain, taking a letter from his pocket. "this is the contents of the last envelope brought off from the shore. the writer of it says he has just addressed a letter to 'our friend in new york,' directing him, if it is not too late, to send the steamer with the machinery and other merchandise to the bermudas, where the cargo will be transferred to the dornoch; for the ovidio had been obliged to sail without her armament, and the cargo was too valuable to be risked without protection."
"that is the reason why the reinforcement was sent off at the last moment," christy remarked.
"the dornoch carries six guns and fifty men," added the captain, reading from the letter. "i think we need not wait any longer to take possession of the ionian, mr. passford. what is your opinion?"
"i concur entirely with you," replied christy.
"quartermaster, strike four bells," continued the captain to the man who was conning the wheel.
69 "four bells," repeated the quartermaster; and the gong could be heard on deck as he did so.
in the course of half an hour, for the steam had been kept rather low for the slow progress the ship was obliged to make in order not to alarm the chase, the chateaugay began to show what she could do in the matter of speed, and before noon she had overhauled the ionian.
