THE FIRST MISSION OF THE BELLEVITE
Captain Passford looked over his audience with no little interest, and
perhaps with considerable anxiety; for he felt that the success of his
enterprise must depend, in a great measure, upon the fidelity and skill
of the individual members of the ship's company.
"My remarks are addressed to every person in the ship's company, from
Captain Breaker to the stewards and coal-passers; and any one has a
perfect right to decline to go with me, without prejudice to his present
or future interests," continued the owner.
More earnestly than before the officers and men gazed at each other; and
it looked as though not one of them dared to move a single inch, lest a
step should be interpreted as an impeachment of his fidelity to one who
had been a Christian and a trusty friend in all his relations with him.
"I know that some of you have families, mothers, brothers, and sisters
on shore; and I assure you that I shall not regard it as a disgrace or
a stigma upon any man who does his duty as he understands it, without
regard to me or mine," the owner proceeded.
Still not a man moved, and all seemed to be more averse than before to
change their positions a particle; and possibly any one who was tempted
to do so expected to be hooted by his shipmates, if he took the
treacherous step.
"I sincerely hope that every man of you will be guided by his own sense
of duty, without regard to what others may think of his action. I will
not allow any man to suffer from any reproach or indignity on account
of what he does in this matter, if by any means I can prevent it,"
continued Captain Passford, looking over his audience again, to
discover, if he could, any evidence of faltering on the part of a
single one.
Still officers and men were as immovable as a group of statuary; and not
a face betrayed an expression indicating a desire to leave the vessel,
or to falter in what all regarded as the allegiance they owed to the
owner and his family.
"We will all go with you to the end of the world, or the end of the
war!" shouted the old sheet-anchor man, who was the spokesman of the
crew when they had any thing to say. "If any man offers to leave"--
"He shall go with my best wishes," interposed Captain Passford. "None of
that, Boxie; you have heard what I said, and I mean every word of it.
There shall be no persuasion or intimidation."
"Beg pardon, Captain Passford; but there isn't a man here that would go
to the mainmast if he knew that the forecastle would drop out from under
him, and let him down into Davy Jones's locker the next minute if he
staid here," responded Boxie, with a complaisant grin on his face, as
if he was entirely conscious that he knew what he was talking about.
"Every man must act on his own free will," added the owner.
"That's just what we are all doing, your honor; and every one of us
would rather go than have his wages doubled. If any dumper here has a
free will to go to the mainmast, he'd better put his head in soak,
and"--
"Avast heaving, Boxie!" interposed the owner, smiling in spite of
himself at the earnestness of the old sailor.
"I hain't got a word more to say, your honor; only"--
"Only nothing, Boxie! I see that not one of you is inclined to leave the
vessel, and I appreciate in the highest degree this devotion on your
part to me and my family. I have some writing to do now; and, while I am
engaged upon it, Mr. Watts shall take the name and residence of every
man on board. I shall give this list to my wife, and charge her to see
that those dependent upon you need nothing in your absence. She will
visit the friends of every one of you, if she has to go five hundred
miles to do so. I have nothing more to say at present."
The men cheered lustily for the owner, and then separated, as the
captain went aft to draw up his papers to send on shore by Mrs.
Passford. He was followed by Captain Breaker, while little groups
formed in various parts of the deck to discuss the situation.
"I intended to have some talk with you, Breaker, before I said any thing
to the ship's company; but, you know, it is very seldom that I ever say
any thing directly to them," said Captain Passford, as the commander
came up with him.
"This was an extraordinary occasion; and I am very glad that you did
the business directly, instead of committing it to me," replied Captain
Breaker; "and I have not the slightest objection to make. But I have a
word to say in regard to myself personally. As you are aware, I was
formerly an officer of the navy, with the rank of lieutenant. I wish to
apply to the department to be restored to my former rank, or to any rank
which will enable me to serve my country the most acceptably. I hope my
purpose will not interfere with your enterprise."
"Not at all, I think, except in the matter of some delay. I shall tender
the Bellevite as a free gift to the Government in a letter I shall send
on shore by my wife," replied Captain Passford. "But I shall offer to
do this only on my return from a trip I feel obliged to make in her.
I shall also offer my own services in any capacity in which I can be
useful; though, as I am not a naval officer like yourself, I cannot
expect a prominent position."
"Your ability fits you for almost any position; and, after a little
study of merely routine matters, you will be competent for almost any
command," added Captain Breaker.
"I do not expect that, and I am willing to do my duty in a humble
position," said the owner. "All that I am and all that I have shall be
for my country's use."
"I knew very well where we should find you if the troubles ended in a
war."
"My present enterprise will be rather irregular, as I have already said;
but the delay it would cause alone prevents me from giving the vessel to
the Government at once."
"As a man-of-war, the Bellevite could not be used for the purpose you
have in mind. The plan you have chosen is the only practicable one."
"Very well, Breaker. You had better pass the word through the ship's
company that the Bellevite will sail in an hour or two,--as soon as I
can finish my business; and if officer or seaman wishes to leave the
vessel, let him do so," added the owner, as he moved towards the
companionway.
"Not one of them will leave her under any circumstances," replied the
commander, as he went forward.
The word was passed, as suggested by the owner, and the result was to
set the greater part of the officers and men to writing letters for
their friends, to be sent on shore by the tug; but the captain warned
them not to say a word in regard to the destination of the steamer.
In another hour Captain Passford had completed his letters and papers,
including letters to the Secretary of the Navy, a power of attorney to
his wife which placed his entire fortune at her command, and other
documents which the hurried movements of the writer rendered necessary.
The owner and his son bade adieu to the wife and mother in the cabin;
and it is not necessary to penetrate the sacred privacy of such an
occasion, for it was a tender, sad, and trying ordeal to all of them.
All the letters were gathered together and committed to the care of the
lady as she went over the side to leave the floating home in which she
had lived for several months, for the family did not often desert their
palatial cabin for the poorer accommodations of a hotel on shore.
The pilot departed in the tug, and he was no wiser than when he came on
board in regard to the intentions of the owner of the steam-yacht. There
was an abundant supply of coal and provisions on board, for the vessel
was hardly three days from Bermuda when she came up with Sandy Hook; and
the commander gave the order to weigh anchor as soon as the tug cast off
her fasts.
"I suppose we are bound somewhere, Captain Passford," said Captain
Breaker, as soon as the vessel was fully under way. "But you have not
yet indicated to me our destination."
"Bermuda. The fact is that I have been so absorbed in the tremendous
news that came to us with the pilot, that I have not yet come to my
bearings," replied the owner with a smile. "My first duty now will be to
discuss our future movements with you; and when you have given out the
course, we will attend to that matter."
Captain Breaker called Mr. Joel Dashington, the first officer, to him,
and gave him the course of the ship, as indicated by the owner. He was
six feet and one inch in height, and as thin as a rail; but he was a
very wiry man, and it was said that he could stand more hunger, thirst,
exposure, and hardship than any other living man. He was a gentleman in
his manners, and had formerly been in command of a ship in the employ of
Captain Passford. He was not quite fifty years old, and he had seen
service in all parts of the world, and in his younger days had been a
master's mate in the navy.
The second officer was superintending the crew as they put things to
rights for the voyage. His person was in striking contrast with his
superior officer; for he weighed over two hundred pounds, and looked as
though he were better fitted for the occupancy of an alderman's chair
than for a position on the deck of a sea-going vessel. He was under
forty years of age, but he had also been in command of a bark in the
employ of his present owner.
"Of course we cannot undertake the difficult enterprise before us,
Breaker, without an armament of some sort," said Captain Passford, as
they halted at the companionway.
"I should say not, and I was wondering how you intended to manage in
this matter," replied the commander.
"I will tell you, for our first mission renders it necessary to give
some further orders before we go below," continued the owner. "We have
not a day or an hour to waste."
"The sooner we get at the main object of the expedition, the better will
be our chances of success."
"You remember that English brig which was wrecked on Mills Breaker,
while we were at Hamilton?"
"Very well indeed; and she was said to be loaded with a cargo of
improved guns, with the ammunition for them, which some enterprising
Britisher had brought over on speculation, for the use of the
Confederate army and navy,--if they ever have any navy," added Captain
Breaker.
"That is precisely the cargo to which I allude. The brig had a hole in
her bottom, but only a part of her was under water. The officers of the
vessel were confident that the entire cargo would be saved, with not
much of it in a damaged condition," added the owner.
"There has been no violent storm since we left St. George, hardly three
days ago," said the commander.
"I wish to obtain as much of this cargo as will be necessary to arm the
Bellevite properly for the expedition; and I have a double object in
obtaining it, even if I have to throw half of it into the Atlantic
Ocean."
"The fact that we need the guns and ammunition is reason enough for
trying to obtain the cargo."
"But I have the additional inducement of keeping it out of the hands
of the enemy, so that the guns shall be turned against the foes of the
Union instead of its friends. We must make a quick passage, so that,
if we lose this opportunity, it will not be our fault."
"I understand. Pass the word for Mr. Vapoor," added the commander to a
quartermaster who was taking in the ensign at the peak.
Mr. Vapoor was the chief engineer; though he was the youngest officer on
board, and really looked younger than Christy Passford.