THE VISIT TO A SHORE BATTERY
The first cutter reached the Seahorse Key closely followed by the
second. It was within an hour of high tide, the ordinary rise and fall
of which was two and a half feet. On the Key was a light house, and a
cottage for the keeper of it; but the former was no longer illuminated,
and the house was as dark as the head of the tower. So far as could be
discovered there was no one on the Key, though the boats did not stop to
investigate this matter. The crews still pulled a moderate stroke with
their muffled oars, the men were not allowed to talk, and everything was
as silent as the inside of a tomb.
The pilot stood up in the stern sheets of the cutter, gazing intently
in the direction of the point nearly a mile ahead. The outlines of the
buildings could be discerned, and Amblen soon declared that he could
make out the tops of the masts of several vessels to the westward of
the point with which the peninsula terminated. This looked hopeful, and
indicated that the information upon which the expedition had been sent
out was correct. Christy began to think he should have a busy night
before him when Amblen said there were at least three vessels at the
port.
The battery was first to be visited and cared for if there was one,
and it was not probable that a place so open to the operations of
the blockading force would be without one, especially if the people
were actually engaged in loading cotton, as the masts of the vessels
indicated, though the hulls could not yet be seen. As the first cutter
approached nearer to the place the outlines became more distinct, and
soon embodied themselves into definite objects. Both officers in the
stern sheets watched with the most anxious vigilance for any moving
object denoting the presence of life and intelligence.
As the boats came nearer to the shore, a breeze sprang up, and cooled
the air, for early as it was in the season, the weather was very warm,
and it was not uncommon for the thermometer to rise above ninety. These
breezes were usually present to cool the nights, and doubtless the
inhabitants slept the sounder for the one which had just begun to fan
the cheeks of the officers and seamen of the expedition.
"There is a battery there, Mr. Passford," said the pilot in a very low
tone. "I can make it out now, and it is just where I supposed it would
be."
"I can see something that seems like an earthwork at the right of the
buildings," added Christy. "Can you make out anything that looks like a
sentinel?"
"I can see nothing that denotes the presence of a man. If there were
a sentinel there, he would be on the top of the earthwork, or on the
highest ground about it, so that he could see out into the bay, for
there can be no danger from the land side of the place," added Amblen.
"I can hardly imagine such a thing as a battery without a sentinel to
give warning if anybody should try to carry it off. There must be a
sentry somewhere in the vicinity."
"I can't say there isn't, though I can't make out a man, or anything
that looks like one," replied the pilot.
"Very likely we shall soon wake him up, Mr. Amblen; and in that case it
will be necessary for us to find a safer place than in front of the guns
of the battery, for I do not feel at liberty to expose the men to the
fire of the works, whatever they are."
"All you have to do is to pull around to the other side of the point
into the bay, where the vessels are. I am confident there is no battery
on that side, and there can hardly be any need of one, for this one
commands the channel, the only approach to the place for a vessel larger
than a cutter."
"I fancy this battery does not amount to much, and is probably nothing
more than an earthwork, with a few field guns behind it. Suppose we
should wake it up, and have to make for the bay, can we get out of it
without putting the boats under the guns of the battery?"
"Without any difficulty at all, sir. We have only to pull around the
North Key, and pass out to the Gulf, beyond the reach of any field gun
that can be brought to bear on us," replied Mr. Amblen.
"If they have one or two field batteries here, they may hitch on the
horses, and follow us," suggested Christy, who, in spite of the audacity
with which he had been mildly charged, was not inclined to run into any
trap from which he could not readily withdraw his force.
"We shall have the short line, and if they pursue us with the guns, we
can retire by the way of the channel, which they will leave uncovered."
"We are getting quite near the shore," continued Christy. "How is the
water under us?"
"The bottom is sandy, and we shall take the ground before we reach the
shore if we don't manage properly. But we can tell something by the
mangroves that fringe the land," replied the pilot; "and I will go into
the bow of the cutter and look out for them."
Mr. Amblen made his way to the fore sheets, and asked Boxie, who was
there, for the boathook, with which he proceeded to sound. When he had
done so, he raised both his hands to a level with his shoulders, which
was the signal to go ahead, and the men pulled a very slow stroke. He
continued to sound, after he had selected the point for landing.
When the first cutter was within three lengths of the shore, he elevated
both his hands above his head, which was the signal to cease rowing,
though the two bow oarsmen kept their oars in the water instead of
boating them as the others did. Mr. Amblen continued to feel the way,
and in a few minutes more, aided by the shoving of the two bow oarsmen,
he brought the boat to the shore.
Then he gave his attention to the second cutter, bringing it to the
land alongside of the first. Stepping out on the sand himself, he
was followed by all the crew, with cutlass in hand, and revolvers in
readiness for use. The men were placed in order for an advance, and then
required to lie down on the sand, so that they could not readily be seen
if any stroller appeared on the ground.
Leaving the force in charge of Mr. Flint, Christy and Amblen walked
towards the battery, crouching behind such objects as they could
find that would conceal them in whole or in part. The earthwork was
semicircular in form, and was hardly more than a rifle pit. No sentinel
could be discovered, and getting down upon the sand, the two officers
crept cautiously towards the heaps of sand which formed the fort.
Christy climbed up the slope with some difficulty, for the dry sand
afforded a very weak foothold. On the top of it, which was about six
feet wide, they found a solid path which had evidently been a promenade
for sentinels or other persons. Behind it, on a wooden platform, were
four field guns, with depressions in the earthwork in front of the
muzzles.
Christy led the way down the slope on the inside to the pieces, which
were twelve-pounders. At a little distance from the platform was a sort
of casemate, which might have been constructed for a magazine, or for a
place of resort for the gunners if the fort should be bombarded. Not a
man could be seen, and if there was any garrison for the place, they
were certainly taking things very comfortably, for they must have been
asleep at this unseemly hour for any ordinary occupation.
Not far from the battery was a rude structure, hardly better than a
shanty, which Christy concluded must be the barracks of the soldiers if
there were any there. He walked over to it; but there was not a human
being to be seen in the vicinity. It was half past one at night, when
honest people ought to be abed and asleep, and the first lieutenant of
the Bronx concluded that the garrison, if this shanty was their
quarters, must be honest people.
Christy walked very cautiously to the side of the building, for the
entrance was at the end nearest to the fort, and found several windows
there, from which the sashes seemed to have been removed, if there had
ever been any. The bottom of each opening was no higher than his head,
and he went to one of them and looked in.
Extending along the middle of the interior was a row of berths. It was
very dark inside, and he could not make out whether or not these bunks
were occupied. The windows on the other side of the shanty enabled him
to see that there were two rows of berths, each backing against the
other. There were two in each tier, and he judged that the barrack would
accommodate forty-eight men.
He retained his place at the window in order to discover any movement
made by a sleeper that would inform him whether or not the berths were
occupied. If there were any soldiers there, they were as quiet as
statues; but while he was watching for a movement, he heard a decided
snore. There was at least one man there, and he continued to hear his
sonorous breathing as long as he remained at the window, which was the
first on the side of the shanty.
[Illustration: Christy walked the whole length of the shanty.]
Christy decided to push the investigation still farther, and he went
to a window in the middle of the building. He regarded the berths with
attention for a few minutes, but he could perceive no movement. He could
hear two snorers who seemed to be competing with each other to see who
could make the most noise.
If the berths were all occupied, three snorers were not a very great
proportion in forty-eight. He was very anxious to ascertain if this was
the number of soldiers in the place, but it was too dark in the shanty
for him to determine whether or not the bunks were all in use. It was
too many for him to encounter with his force of twenty men and three
officers in the open field.
Christy returned to the end of the building, and tried the door. It was
not locked, and he decided to make use of a little of the audacity of
which he was accused of having a good deal. Taking off his shoes, and
passing his sword to Mr. Amblen, he entered the barrack on tiptoe.
The boards of the floor began to creak under his weight; he stooped down
and felt till he found the nail holes; then he knew that he was on a
timber, and he walked the whole length of the shanty, returning on the
opposite side, counting the occupied berths, for he passed within three
feet of all of them. The count gave seventeen men as the number of
sleepers, though this might not be all the force at the place.
He had ascertained all he wished to know, and he walked back to the
shore where the men were concealed. Apart from the men, he had a
conference with Flint and Amblen, giving them the details of what he had
discovered. Then he stated his plan, and the men were marched silently
to the battery, and were posted behind the breastwork. Not a man was
allowed to move, and Christy and Flint went to the casemate, which
looked like a mound of sand.
It was locked, but taking a bar of iron they found with some tools for
digging, they tore off the padlock. A lantern had been brought from
the steamer, which was lighted. The structure was found to be for the
protection of the artillerists in the first instance; but the apartment
was connected with the magazine, the lock of which was removed.
Amblen was sent for ten men, and all the ammunition they could carry was
removed. The rest of it was thrown into a pool of water made by recent
rains. The powder, solid shot, and shells were carried to the boats. The
rest of the men drew the four guns to the shore, where one was placed,
with its carriage, in each of the cutters, and the other two put where
they could be carried to the Bronx, or thrown overboard in deep water,
as occasion might require.
The seventeen soldiers, reinforced by any that might be in the town,
were thus deprived of the power to do any mischief except in a
hand-to-hand fight. If the place was not actually captured, it was
practically lost to the enemy. The next business of the expedition was
to examine the bay, and ascertain what vessels were at the landing
place. The boats shoved off, and pulled around the point.