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[Illustration: Somers and the Admiral.]
[Illustration: BRAVE OLD SALT.
OLIVER OPTIC.
LEE & SHEPARD. BOSTON.]
BRAVE OLD SALT;
OR,
LIFE ON THE QUARTER DECK.
A Story of the Great Rebellion.
BY
OLIVER OPTIC,
Author of "THE SOLDIER BOY," "THE SAILOR BOY," "THE YOUNG
LIEUTENANT," "THE YANKEE MIDDY," "FIGHTING JOE," "THE WOODVILLE
STORIES," "THE RIVERDALE STORY BOOKS," ETC., ETC.
BOSTON:
LEE AND SHEPARD,
SUCCESSORS TO PHILLIPS, SAMPSON & CO.
1866.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1866, by
WILLIAM T. ADAMS,
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of
Massachusetts.
ELECTROTYPED AT THE
_Boston Stereotype Foundry_,
No. 4 Spring Lane.
TO
SAMUEL C. PERKINS, ESQ.,
This Book
IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED,
BY HIS FRIEND
WILLIAM T. ADAMS.
PREFACE.
This volume, the sixth and last of "THE ARMY AND NAVY STORIES," is a
record of "Life on the Quarter Deck," mostly in the squadron of Vice
Admiral Farragut, one of whose familiar appellations, used in the
ward-room and on the berth deck, has furnished the leading title of the
book. The terrible war which devastated our country for four years has
given to history two generals, Grant and Sherman, and one admiral,
Farragut, whose achievements are unsurpassed, if they are equalled, in
the annals of military and naval warfare; but while the author, in this
work, has gratefully rendered his tribute of admiration to the
distinguished naval commander, he has not attempted to present a
complete biography of him.
Those who have read the preceding volumes of this series need hardly be
told that this is a book of adventure--of personal experience in the
great struggle of the nineteenth century. Jack Somers, "The Sailor Boy,"
Mr. Somers, "The Yankee Middy," and Captain Somers, Lieutenant
Commanding, are the same person; though often as he changes his official
position, he is still the same honest, true, and Christian young man.
In our completed sixth volume we take leave of the Somers family with
many regrets. If our young friends in the army and navy had been less
true, noble, and Christian, we could have parted with less sorrow. Yet
the army and navy, as they crushed the Rebellion, have given us many
young men just as true, just as noble and Christian. Let us gratefully
cherish these living heroes, and they will not pass away from us "like a
tale that is told."
To the readers, young and old, who have perseveringly followed my heroes
through the two thousand pages of this series, I am even more than
grateful; for I feel that they have sympathized with me in my desire to
present a lofty ideal to the young man of to-day--one who will be true
to God, true to himself, and true to his country, in whatever sphere his
lot may be cast, whether on the forecastle or the quarter deck; as a
private or an officer, in the great army which must ever battle with
life's trials and temptations till the crown immortal be won.
WILLIAM T. ADAMS.
HARRISON SQUARE, MASS., March 13, 1866.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER
I. LIEUTENANT PILLGRIM.
II. WAITING FOR THE SHIP.
III. THE WOUNDED SAILOR.
IV. THE FRONT CHAMBER.
V. SOMERS COMES TO HIS SENSES.
VI. LIEUTENANT WYNKOOP, R. N.
VII. LANGDON'S LETTERS.
VIII. THE UNITED STATES STEAMER CHATAUQUA.
IX. IN THE STATE-ROOM.
X. THE CHIEF CONSPIRATOR.
XI. AFTER GENERAL QUARTERS.
XII. THE BEN NEVIS.
XIII. A CONFLICT OF AUTHORITY.
XIV. THE PRIZE STEAMER.
XV. THE PRISONER IN THE CABIN.
XVI. CAPTAIN WALMSLEY.
XVII. OFF MOBILE BAY.
XVIII. BRAVE OLD SALT.
XIX. THE BOAT EXPEDITION.
XX. THE PICKET BOAT.
XXI. THE BEN LOMOND.
XXII. RUNNING THE BLOCKADE.
XXIII. A YANKEE TRICK.
XXIV. PILLGRIM AND LANGDON.
XXV. THE BATTLE OF MOBILE BAY.
XXVI. IN THE HOSPITAL.
XXVII. MISS PORTINGTON NOT AT HOME.
XXVIII. THE BEN LEDI.
XXIX. A LONG CHASE.
XXX. THE END OF THE REBELLION.
BRAVE OLD SALT.
BRAVE OLD SALT; OR, LIFE ON THE QUARTER DECK.
CHAPTER I.
LIEUTENANT PILLGRIM.
"Well, Prodigy, I congratulate you on your promotion. I even agree with
your enthusiastic admirers, who say that no young man better deserves
his advancement than you," said Miss Kate Portington, standing in the
entry of her father's house at Newport, holding Mr. Ensign John Somers
by the hand.
"Thank you, Miss Portington," replied the young officer, with a blush
caused as much by the excitement of that happy moment, as by the
handsome compliment paid by the fair girl, who, we are compelled to
acknowledge, had formed no inconsiderable portion of the young man's
thoughts, hopes, and aspirations during the preceding year.
John Somers had been examined by the board of naval officers appointed
for the purpose, had been triumphantly passed, and promoted to the rank
he now held. A short furlough had been granted to him, and he had just
come from Pinchbrook, where he had spent a week. A visit to Newport was
now almost as indispensable as one to the home of his childhood, and on
his way to join the ship to which he had been ordered, he paused to
discharge this pleasing duty.
Ensign Somers was dressed in a new uniform, and a certain boyish look,
for which he was partly indebted to the short jacket he had worn as a
midshipman, had vanished. Perhaps Miss Portington felt that the
pertness, not to say impudence, with which she had formerly treated him,
though allowable, under a liberal toleration, towards a boy, would
hardly be justifiable in her intercourse with a young man. Though, from
the force of habit, she called him "Prodigy," there was a certain
maidenly reserve in her manner, which rather puzzled Somers, and he
could not help asking himself what he had done to cause this slight
chill in her tones and actions.
Undoubtedly it was the frock coat which produced this refrigerating
effect; but it was a very elegant and well-fashioned garment, having the
shoulder straps on which glistened the "foul anchor," indicating his new
rank, and each sleeve being adorned with a single gold band on the
cuff, also indicative of his new position. The cap, which he now held in
his hand, was decorated with a band of gold lace, and bore on its front
the appropriate naval emblem. In strict accordance with the traditions
of the navy, he wore kid gloves, without which a naval officer, on a
ceremonial occasion, would be as incomplete as a ship without a rudder.
We have no means of knowing what Mr. Ensign Somers thought of himself in
his "new rig," which certainly fitted with admirable nicety, and gave
him an appearance of maturity which he did not possess when we last saw
him on the quarter deck of the Rosalie. We will venture to assert,
however, that he felt like a man, and fully believed that he was one--a
commendable sentiment in a person of his years, inasmuch as, if he feels
like a man, he is the more likely to act like one. As we can hardly
suppose he soared above all the vanities of his impressible period of
life, it is more than probable that he regarded himself as a very good
looking young fellow; which brilliant suggestion was, no doubt, wholly
or in part due to the new uniform he wore.
If not wholly above the weakness of a young man of twenty, possibly he
had a great deal of confidence in his own knowledge and ability,
regarded some of the veterans of the navy as "old fogies," and looked
upon his own father as "a slow coach." But we must do Mr. Somers the
justice to say that he tried to be humble in his estimate of himself,
and to bear the honors he had won with meekness; that he endeavored to
crush down and mortify that overweening self-sufficiency which distorts
and disfigures the character of many estimable young men. His native
bashfulness had, in some measure, been overcome by his intercourse with
the world, and the humility of his nature, though occasionally assaulted
by the accident of a new coat and an extra supply of gold lace, or by
the hearty commendations of his superiors, was genuine, and, in the
main, saved him from the besetting sin of his years.
Standing in the presence of Miss Kate Portington, after an absence of
several months, wearing a new coat glittering with the laurels he had
won on the bloodstained decks of the nation's ships, he would have been
more than human if he had not felt proud of what he was, and what he had
done--proud, not vain. He was happy, holding the hand of her who had
occupied so large a place in his thoughts, and whose image had fringed
with roseate hues his brightest hopes and strongest aspirations.
Kate was not so free with him as she had been, and her reserve annoyed
and perplexed him. He had anticipated a much warmer welcome than that
which greeted him on his arrival. He was slightly disappointed, though
there was nothing in her manner for which he could have reproached her,
even if their relations had been more intimate than they were. She was
less stormy, but still gentle and kind; a little more distant in manner,
though her looks and words assured him she regarded him with
undiminished interest. Had he known that the elegant frock coat he wore
produced the chill in the lady which so vexed and disconcerted him, he
would willingly have exchanged it for the short jacket in which he had
won his promotion.
They were standing in the entry. When the servant admitted Mr. Somers,
Kate had heard his voice, and perhaps from prudential motives--for there
was a visitor in the parlor--she had preferred to meet him in the hall.
"You have been very fortunate, Mr. Somers," added she, gently releasing
her hand from that of the ensign.
Mr. Somers, instead of "Prodigy"!
"I have. I don't deserve my promotion, I know; but I could not help
taking it when it was within my reach," replied Somers; and her words,
though so slightly chilled that the frigid tone could not have been
noticed by any one who did not expect an unreasonable warmth, took half
the conceit out of him, and let him down a long reach from the high
hopes and brilliant expectations with which he had looked forward to
this meeting.
"On the contrary, Mr. Somers, I think you deserve even more than you
have received."
"Thank you, Miss Portington; you were always more lavish of kind words
than I deserved."
"Why, Prodigy--"
She suddenly checked herself. It was evident to Somers that she intended
to say something pert or saucy. Perhaps she choked down the impertinent
words from the fear that the honorable secretary of the navy, if such
wild and wayward young ladies as herself were permitted to contaminate
the plushy air of Newport society, would remove the Naval Academy back
to Annapolis, where it is better to be "proper" than to be loyal.
"You were about to say something, Miss Portington," said Somers.
"I was, but it was saucy."
"I am sorry you did not say it."
"I am glad I did not, for you must know, Mr. Somers, that mother has
scolded me so much for being saucy, that I have solemnly resolved to be
proper in all things henceforth and forevermore."
"I am sorry for it," answered Somers, with unaffected earnestness.
"Sorry, you wretch?"
Somers laughed.
"There's another slip. I have done my best to reform my life. I am
afraid I shall never succeed. Now, Prodigy--"
Somers laughed again.
"Again!" exclaimed Kate.
"I wish to ask one favor of you, Miss Portington."
"It would afford me more pleasure to grant it, than it does you to ask
it. Name it."
"That you will never call me Prodigy again."
"I had firmly resolved before you came never to do it," laughed she.
"Well, I only asked it in order to help along your good resolutions."
"Then you are making fun of me?"
"Like yourself, I am very serious."
"But I am in earnest, Mr. Somers; I mean to reform. Now, father and
mother will be very glad to see you, Mr. Somers."
"Your father?"
"He was temporarily relieved to attend a court martial. He is going away
again to-morrow."
"You have other visitors?"
"Only Lieutenant Pillgrim."
"I have not the pleasure of his acquaintance."
"He is a Virginian, I believe; at any rate he is from the South, and has
just been restored to his rank in the navy."
Kate led the way into the parlor, where he was first welcomed by her
mother.
"Mr. Somers, I am glad to see you, and to congratulate you on your
promotion," said the commodore, as he grasped the hand of the young
officer.
"Thank you, sir," replied Somers. "The only ungratified wish I had was
that I might be appointed to your ship."
"My ship!"
"I should have been glad to serve under so able and distinguished a
commander."
"I wouldn't have you in my ship," promptly returned the commodore,
shaking his head energetically.
Somers looked abashed, and Kate wore a troubled expression.
"I should endeavor to do my duty," he added.
"I have no doubt of it, but I wouldn't have you in my ship."
"Your remark is not very complimentary," said Somers, his face beginning
to flush with indignation at what seemed to be an assault upon his
professional character.
"It is the most complimentary thing I could say to you. And I mean what
I say: I wouldn't have you in my ship."
"Why not, father?" demanded Kate.
"Because I like the young dog, and because I believe in discipline. I
never indulge in partiality on board my ship, and it is better to keep
out of temptation. I am under obligations to you, Mr. Somers; I am happy
to acknowledge them, but they must not come between me and duty. Mr.
Somers, Lieutenant Pillgrim," continued Commodore Portington, turning to
the visitor.
Somers looked at the officer thus indicated, and as his eyes rested
upon him, he started back with a momentary astonishment, for the face
had a strange look of familiarity to him.
"Mr. Somers, I am happy to meet and to know you. Your name and
reputation are already familiar to me."
"I am glad to know you, sir," replied Somers, with some confusion. "Your
face looks so familiar to me, that I think we must have met before."
"Never, to my knowledge," answered the lieutenant, with easy
self-possession.
"I was quite sure I had seen you before."
"Possibly; I do not remember it, however."
"If I had met you without the favor of an introduction, I should
certainly have claimed the honor of your acquaintance."
"I should have been proud to be so claimed, but I must confess you would
have had the advantage of me."
"Of course, I must be mistaken, as you suggest."
"It is not unlikely that we have met in some ante-room where we were
dancing attendance on the powers that be, in search of employment; but I
am quite sure, Mr. Somers, that I should have been proud and happy to
number you among my friends."
"It is not too late now," said the commodore.
"Certainly not. I should be but too happy to have as my friend one who
has served his country so faithfully," added Mr. Pillgrim, as he bowed
gracefully to Somers, "especially as I understand we are appointed to
the same ship."
"Indeed!"
"I am ordered to the Chatauqua."
"So am I."
"Then, Mr. Pillgrim, you will take care of our Prodigy; you will be
excellent friends, I trust," said Kate, beginning very impulsively in
her old way, and suddenly checking herself when her resolution to be
"proper" interposed itself.
"What is the matter, Kate? Have you and Mr. Somers had a falling out?"
demanded the commodore.
"O, no, father."
"You talk as though you had had a quarrel, and for a moment had
forgotten to be savage."
"We have had no quarrel, pa," replied Kate, blushing. "I was going to be
saucy, but ma says I must not be saucy, and I shall not be saucy any
more. I only hoped the two gentlemen who are going to live together in
the same ship would be good friends."
"Of course they will. Officers never quarrel."
"Perhaps they don't; but they are not always as good friends as I hope
these gentlemen will be," laughed Kate.
"Perhaps he will be my friend for your sake, if he is not for mine,"
added Pillgrim.
"I do not wish that. I don't like to have anybody do anything for my
sake, unless it be to take paregoric when I am sick."
"I trust I shall not be paregoric to him," said Pillgrim.
"Then he will not take you for my sake."
"As Lieutenant Pillgrim is my superior officer, I should be likely to
court his good will, and prize his friendship very highly. If we are not
friends, I am sure it will not be my fault."
At this moment the dinner bell rang; and although Somers did not feel
intimate enough with the family to invite himself to dine, he was easily
prevailed upon to remain, and gallantly gave his arm to Mrs. Portington,
as Kate, for some wayward reason of her own, had already seized upon
that of Lieutenant Pillgrim.
At the table Somers sat opposite the lieutenant, and he found it
impossible to avoid looking upon him with a strange and undefinable
interest. Since his first glance at the commodore's visitor, who seemed
to be on the best of terms with the family, he had been perplexed by
some strange misgivings. He could not banish from his mind an assurance
that he had seen him before; that he had talked with him, and even been,
to some extent, intimate with him.
The thought that Kate was somewhat changed in her demeanor towards him
did not contribute to increase his satisfaction. She had contrived to
take the lieutenant's arm instead of his own, and perhaps he had come as
the successor of Phil Kennedy, who had been reputed to be high in her
good graces. But Mr. Pillgrim was a gentleman of thirty-five, at least,
and this was not probable, in his view of the matter. Somers, being
disinterested, was more worried to know when, where, and under what
circumstances he had met the lieutenant.