Eluding the blockading fleet at the Cape Fear Bar was not the only
adventure in those perilous days. It was quite within the range of
possibility that a steamer would run into a harbor and find the town,
hitherto perfectly healthy, withered under the malign spell of some
scourge like yellow fever or smallpox. Sometimes the plague would break
out in the town while the steamer was loading, sometimes it would break
out among the crew of the steamer, and this is what was alleged of the
_Lilian_ on the occasion I am about to relate.
After several narrow escapes from the squadron in the Gulf Stream,
the _Lilian_ made St. George, Bermuda, on the morning of the fourth
day, and at once discharged her cargo, hoping to get away in time for
another run while we had a few hours of darkness.
We had, however, hardly received the half of our inward cargo of
gunpowder and commissary supplies when we were visited by the harbor
doctor, who alleged that we had a case of smallpox on board and
peremptorily ordered us to the quarantine ground, about two miles out
of port, among some uninhabited rocks, which made the usual dreariness
of a quarantine station more distressing, and where he informed us we
must remain at least twenty-one days. In vain our captain protested
that he was mistaken, that the case to which he referred was a slight
attack of malarial fever, combined with other symptoms which were not
at all dangerous (which subsequently proved to be true). The doctor was
unrelenting; if we did not proceed at once, he said, he would report
us to the governor at Hamilton, who would send H.M.S. _Spitfire_, then
on the station, to tow us out, and after we had served our quarantine,
we would be arrested for resisting his authority. Finding remonstrance
of no avail, our captain agreed to get away as soon as possible, but
before we could make preparation for our departure a tug was sent
alongside which towed us out, _nolens volens_, and left us at anchor
among the sea gulls, with only ten days' provisions for a three weeks'
quarantine.
Being ex officio the ship's doctor, I began at once to physic the
unfortunate sailor who had unwittingly brought us into this trouble,
and, although my knowledge of the pharmacopoeia did not go beyond
cathartic pills and quinine, I soon had him on his feet to join all
hands for inspection by the quarantine officer, who came off to
windward of us every day and at a respectable distance bawled out his
category of questions which were required by law.
We were daily warned that if any of our officers or crew were found on
shore or on board any of the vessels in the harbor, the full extent of
the law would be meted out to them, and we were given to understand
that twenty-one days' quarantine was a mere bagatelle compared with the
punishment which would follow any attempt to evade these restrictions;
notwithstanding which, we came to a unanimous decision at the end of
three days that we would prefer the risk of capture at sea to such a
life in comparative security, and it was accordingly resolved by the
captain that if any of us were plucky enough to take his gig and a
boat's crew to St. George and secure some castings at a shipsmith's
on shore which were required by the chief engineer, we would proceed
toward Wilmington without further preparation and without the formality
required by law.
Being comparatively indifferent as to the result, albeit somewhat
confident of success, I at once volunteered, to which our captain
agreed, and amid a good deal of chaffing from several Confederate
officers who were with us as passengers, I started with our second
engineer and five trustworthy men for the shore.
We were careful to leave shortly after the visit of the health
physician, so that our absence would not be noticed when all hands were
turned out, and as we approached the harbor I was gratified to observe
that we were entirely unnoticed. We landed about half a mile below the
town, and leaving the men with the boat, which I ordered them to keep
concealed, I proceeded with the engineer to dispatch our business,
which delayed us several hours.
At last we were ready for the return, and finding our men unmolested,
we proceeded down the harbor toward the ship _Storm King_, which had
recently left the China trade to carry Confederate States Government
cotton from the Bermuda rendezvous to Liverpool. As we passed under her
quarter, we were excitedly hailed by her captain, to whom I was well
known personally, with the intelligence that a quarantine boat had just
left our ship and that we were probably discovered, as its course had
been suddenly changed for us while we were pulling down the bay.
Thinking to elude the pursuer, if such it proved to be, I steered for
the rocks along shore, the men giving way at the oars with a will, but
we soon saw that we were closely watched and that our friend's fears
were fully realized. The well-known yellow flag was borne by a boat
now clearly in pursuit of us; and, finding escape cut off, we at once
returned to the _Storm King_ and entreated the captain to secrete us
on board, and if the health officer boarded him, to profess ignorance
of us altogether. This the good fellow agreed to do, and my men
having been set to work as if they were part of the crew, I, with the
engineer, was at once secreted and locked in one of the many staterooms
then empty.
We had hardly settled ourselves in the berths, determined that if the
worst came we would cover up our heads and draw the curtains, when we
heard the measured sound of oars approaching the gangway near the room
in which we were hiding, and a moment later the hail, "_Storm King_
ahoy!" "Aye, aye, sir; what do you want?"
"You have on board a boat's crew from the steamer _Lilian_ in
quarantine, who have left contrary to law. I demand their surrender."
"Quite a mistake, Doctor; quite a mistake, I assure you," responded
Captain McDonald.
"But I saw the boat pull under your quarter a few minutes ago, and I
insist upon their forthcoming, or we will search your ship."
"But I protest, Doctor, there are no such people on board my ship."
"What a consummate liar old McDonald is," groaned the engineer,
sweltering under two pairs of blankets.
"Ah ha," exclaimed the health officer at this moment, "we have here the
captain's gig alongside; and here is the name _Lilian_ on the stern.
How is this?"
"Oh," replied the imperturbable McDonald, "we picked her up adrift this
morning; I am glad to know the owner."
"A very unlikely story, Captain, and we will have to search," quoth
the doctor; and then we heard several persons ascending the ladder,
followed by further expostulations on the part of our friend the
captain, evidently of no avail, for the party immediately entered the
saloon and began their search. Door after door was opened and shut, and
as they gradually approached our hiding place, I looked up at Sandy
McKinnon, the Scotch engineer, who presented a most ludicrous and
woeful sight, the perspiration pouring down his fat cheeks, as in a
most despairful voice he moaned, "It's a' up wi' us the noo, Purser,
it's a' up wi' us; we shall be put in preeson and the deil kens what'll
be to pay."
With anxious hearts we waited for the worst, and at last it came; a
heavy hand wrenched our door knob and an impatient voice demanded
that the door be unlocked. The steward protested that the room was
empty and that the key was lost, which only seemed to increase the
officer's determination to enter. High words ensued. The captain, with
a heartiness which excited our admiration but increased our fear,
poured a volley of abuse upon the unlucky doctor, who was apparently
discharging his duty, and at times I fancied they had almost come to
blows. This was at last quelled by a peremptory demand that the ship's
carpenter be sent for to force the door. The steward at this juncture
produced the key, which he averred had just been found in another
lock, and while he fumbled at our door I thought I heard the sound of
suppressed laughter on the outside, but dismissed the idea as absurd.
A moment after the door opened, and before our astonished vision
were ranged our good friends and shipmates, Major Hone of Savannah,
Capt. Leo Vogel of St. Augustine, Sergeant Gregory of Crowells, and
Eugene Maffitt, who with Captain McDonald and several of his friends
were fairly shrieking with laughter at our sorry plight. We had been
completely sold. The whole scheme was planned on board our own ship
immediately after our departure, and Captain McDonald was privy to the
arrangement which he so successfully carried out.
The voices which we supposed in our fright came from Her Majesty's
officers, were feigned by our own people, who made the most of the
joke at our expense. The trick was too good to keep, and when the
good doctor came next day to discharge us from quarantine, all traces
of sickness having disappeared, no one enjoyed the fun more than he,
although he said it might have resulted seriously enough.