THE FRONT CHAMBER.
"But I am going to get back the money I lost, and make a pile besides,"
said Coles, when he had fully detailed the events attending the loss of
the Snowden.
"If you can," added the sceptical Langdon.
"Of course there is some risk, but my plans are so well laid that a
failure is hardly possible," continued Coles.
"It was possible before."
"Nothing but an accident could have defeated my plan before. Everything
worked to my satisfaction, and I was sure of success."
"But you failed."
"I shall not fail again."
"I hope not."
"Then believe I shall not," retorted Coles, apparently irritated by the
doubts and fears of his companion.
"It is not safe to believe too much," added Langdon, with a kind of
chuckle, whose force Somers could hardly understand; "you believed too
much before."
"I have been more cautious this time, and I wouldn't give anybody five
per cent. to insure the venture."
Somers was becoming very impatient to hear the particulars of the plan,
for he was in momentary fear of being summoned to the bedside of the
wounded sailor. Coles was most provokingly deliberate in the discussion
of his treasonable project; but when the naval officer considered that
the conversation was not especially intended for him, he did not very
severely censure the conspirators for their tardiness.
"I don't understand what your plan is," said Langdon.
"Nor I either," was Somers's facetious thought.
"I will tell you all about it. Are there any ears within hail of us?"
"Not an ear."
"Is there anybody in the front room?"
"No."
"Are you sure?"
"The old woman told me the front room was not occupied. She sent in
there an officer who wanted to see a sick sailor upstairs; but he is
gone before this time."
"Perhaps not; make sure on this point before I open my mouth. I have no
idea of being tripped up this time," said the cautious Coles.
"I will look into the front room," added Langdon, "though I know there
is no one there."
Somers was rather annoyed at this demonstration of prudence; but it was
quite natural, and he was all the more interested to hear the rest of
the conference. Dismissing for a moment the dignity of the quarter deck,
he dropped hastily on the floor, and crawled under the bed, concluding
that Langdon, who was already fully satisfied the front room was empty,
would not push his investigations to an unreasonable extent. But he had
already prepared himself for the worst, and if his presence were
detected, he resolved to take advantage of the high estimation in which
he was held, and, for his country's good, proposed to offer his valuable
services in getting the piratical ship to sea. He could thus obtain the
secret, and defeat the purposes of the conspirators.
He fortunately avoided the necessity of resorting to this disagreeable
course, for Langdon only opened the door, and glanced into the chamber
he occupied.
"The room is empty," he reported to Coles, on his return.
"There are cracks around this door big enough to crawl through. Somebody
may go into that room without being heard, and listen to all I say."
"There is no danger."
"But there is danger; and I will not leave the ghost of a chance to be
discovered. Langdon, lock that front room, and put the key in your
pocket. I must have things perfectly secure before I open my mouth."
Langdon complied with the request of his principal; the door was locked,
and Somers, without much doubt or distrust, found his retreat cut off
for the present. But, at last, everything was fixed to the entire
satisfaction of Coles. The glasses clinked again, indicating that the
worthies had fortified themselves with another dose from the bottle.
Somers crawled out from under the bed, and heedless of the dust which
whitened his new uniform, placed himself in a comfortable position,
where he could hear all that was said by the confederates.
Coles now told his story in a straightforward, direct manner, and Somers
made memoranda on the back of a letter of the principal facts in the
statement. The arch conspirator had just purchased a fine iron
side-wheel steamer, captured on the blockade, called the Ben Nevis. She
was about four hundred tons burden, and under favorable circumstances
had often made sixteen knots an hour. It had already been announced in
the newspapers that the Ben Nevis would run regularly between New York
and St. John. Coles intended to clear her properly for her destined
port, where she could, by an arrangement already made, be supplied with
guns, ammunition, and a crew. She was to clear regularly for New York,
but instead of proceeding there was to commence her piratical course on
the ocean.
This was the plan of the worthy Mr. Coles, which Langdon permitted him
to develop without a single interruption. But the prudent, or rather
critical, confederate raised many objections, which were discussed at
great length--so great that Somers, possessed of the principal facts,
would have left the room, if the door had not been locked, and escaped
from the house, so as to avoid the possibility of being discovered. The
wounded sailor could be attended to on the following day.
"But one thing we lack," continued Coles, after he had removed all the
objections of his companion.
"More than one, I fear," said the doubtful Langdon.
"Well, one thing more than all others."
"What is that?"
"A naval officer to command her."
"There are plenty of them."
"No doubt of it; but they are not the kind I want. I need a man who will
play into my hand, as well as grind up the Yankees. I have no idea of
burning all the property captured by my vessel."
"Why don't you take command yourself?"
"I have other business to do."
"There are scores of Confederate naval officers in Canada and New
Brunswick," suggested Langdon.
"I know them all, and I wouldn't trust them to command a mud-scow. In a
word, Langdon, I want this Somers, and I must have him."
"But he is a northern Yankee. He would sooner cut his own throat than
engage in such an enterprise."
"Thank you for that," said Somers to himself. "If you had known me all
my lifetime, you couldn't have said a better or a truer thing of me."
"I know he is actually reeking with what he calls loyalty. He will be a
hard subject, but I think he can be brought over."
"Perhaps he can."
"It must be done; that is the view we must take of the matter."
"It will be easier to believe it than to do it."
"This is to be your share of the enterprise."
"Mine?"
"Yes."
"Well, I think you have given me the biggest job in the work."
"It can be done," said Coles, confidently. "Somers is a mere boy in
years, though he is smarter and knows more than any man in the navy in
the prime of life."
"I'm afraid he is too smart, and knows too much to be caught in such a
scrape."
"No; he is young and ambitious. Offer him a commission as a commander in
the Confederate navy, to begin with. I have the commission duly signed
by the president of the Confederacy, countersigned by the secretary of
the navy, with a blank for the name of the man who receives it, which I
am authorized to fill up as I think best. Somers must have this
commission."
"If he will take it."
"He will take it. In the old navy he is nothing but a paltry ensign. He
has been kept back. His merit has been ignored. He must stand out of the
way for numskulls and old fogies. Even if the war should last ten years
longer, he could not reach the rank, in that time, which I now tender
him. He will at once be offered the command of a fine steamer, and may
walk the quarter deck like a king. He is ambitious, and if you approach
him in the right way, you can win him over."
Somers listened with interest to this precious scheme. He did not even
feel complimented by the exalted opinion which such a man as Coles
entertained of him. It would be a pleasant thing for a young man like
him to be a commander, and have a fine steamer; but as he could regard
only with horror the idea of firing a gun at a vessel bearing the stars
and stripes, he was not even tempted by the bait; and he turned his
thoughts from it without the necessity of a "Get thee behind me, Satan,"
in dismissing it.
"Where is this Somers?" asked Langdon.
"He is at the Continental," replied Coles. "He has been appointed fourth
lieutenant of the Chatauqua; but what a position for a man of his
abilities! He is better qualified to command the ship than the numskull
to whom she has been given. Waldron, the first lieutenant, is smart: he
ought to be commander; though I think Somers did all the hard work in
Doboy Sound, for which Waldron got the credit, and for which he was
promoted. Pillgrim, the second lieutenant, is a renegade Virginian."
"We had some hopes of him, at one time," said Langdon.
"He is worse than a Vermont Yankee now--has been all along, for that
matter. I tried to do something with him, but he talked about the old
flag, and other bosh of that sort."
"Let him go," added Langdon, with becoming resignation.
"Let him go! He never went. He has always been a Yankee at heart. If the
navy department wouldn't trust him, it was their fault, not his, for the
South has not had a worse enemy than he since the first gun was fired at
Sumter. He is none the better, and all the more dangerous to us, because
he gives the South credit for skill and bravery."
Somers was pleased to hear this good account of Lieutenant Pillgrim; not
because he had any doubt in regard to his loyalty, but because it
confirmed the good impression he had received of his travelling
companion. If the conspirators would only have graciously condescended
to resolve the doubts in his mind in regard to some indefinite previous
acquaintance he had had with the second lieutenant of the Chatauqua, he
would have been greatly obliged to them. They did not do this, and
Somers was still annoyed and puzzled by the belief, patent to his
consciousness, that he had somewhere been intimate with the "renegade
Virginian," before they met at the house of Commodore Portington.
"Now, Langdon, you must contrive to meet Somers, sound him, and bring
him over. You must be cautious with him. He is a young man of good
morals--never drinks, gambles, or goes to bad places. He is a perfect
gentleman in his manners, never swears, and is the pet of the
chaplains."
"I think I can manage him."
"I know you can; I have picked you out of a hundred smart fellows for
this work."
"How will it do for me to put on a white choker, and approach him as a
doctor of divinity."
"You can't humbug him."
"If I can't, why should I try?"
"If you should pretend to be a clergyman, and he smelt the whiskey in
your breath, he would set you down as a hypocrite at once."
"That's so," thought Somers.
"He wouldn't listen to a preacher who drank whiskey. He is a fanatic on
these points."
Somers could not imagine where Coles had obtained such an intimate
knowledge of his views and principles; though, if he wanted his services
in the Confederate navy, it was probable he had made diligent inquiries
in regard to his opinions and habits.
"I think I could blind him as a D.D., but I am not strenuous."
"You had better get acquainted with him in some other capacity."
"As you please; I will think over the matter, and be ready to make a
strike to-morrow morning. What time is it?"
"Quarter past ten."
"So late! I must be off at once."
Somers heard the clatter of glass-ware again, as the conspirators took
the parting libation. He listened to their retreating footsteps, heard
Langdon return the key, and then began to wonder what had become of Tom
Barron and his mother. He had waited more than two hours in the front
room, and no summons had come for him to see the wounded sailor. It was
very singular, to say the least; but while he was deliberating on the
point, a hand was placed on the door of the chamber. The key turned, and
a person entered.
Now, Somers had a very strong objection to being seen after what had
occurred. If discovered in this room, Coles might see him, and finding
his plans discovered, might change them so as to defeat the ends of
justice. And the listener felt that, if detected in this apartment by
the conspirators, they would not scruple to take his life in order to
save themselves and their schemes.
For these reasons Somers decided not to be seen. The person who entered
the room was a rough, seafaring man, and evidently intended to sleep
there, which Somers was entirely willing he should do, if it could be
done without imperilling his personal safety. He therefore crawled under
the bed again, as quietly as possible. Unfortunately it was not quietly
enough to escape the observation of the lodger, who, not being of the
timid sort, seized him by the leg, dragged him out, and with a volley of
marine oaths, began to kick him with his heavy boot.
Somers sprang to his feet, and attempted to explain; but the indignant
seaman struck him a heavy blow on the head, which felled him senseless
on the floor.