THE BOARDING OF THE IONIAN
The Chateaugay, with her colors flying, ran abreast of the Ionian and by
her; but the latter did not show her flag. A blank cartridge was then
fired, but the steamer took no notice of it. A shot was then discharged
across her fore foot, and this brought her to her senses, so that she
hoisted the British flag, and stopped her screw. All the preparations
had been made for boarding her, and two boats were in readiness to
discharge this duty.
The first cutter, in charge of Mr. Birdwing, was the first to leave the
ship. The sea was quite smooth, so that there was no difficulty in
getting the boats off. The first lieutenant's boat went from the
starboard side, and the second cutter was lowered on the port in charge
of the third lieutenant. Christy went in the first boat, and Mr.
Gilfleur in the second. The officers and crews of both boats were
especially directed to see that nothing was thrown overboard from the
Ionian; for if her captain found that he was in a "tight place," he
would be likely to heave his papers into the sea.
The first cutter had not made half the distance to the Ionian before she
pulled down the British flag and hoisted the American in its place. Her
commander evidently believed that he was getting into hot water, and
well he might. He must have been selected for this enterprise on account
of his fitness for it, and as the steamer had not sailed on an honest
voyage, he could not be an honest man, and the officers of the boats
despised him. They were determined to discharge their duty faithfully,
even if they were obliged to treat him with the utmost rigor.
"She has corrected her first blunder," said Mr. Birdwing, as the
American flag went up to her peak. "The skipper of that craft don't
exactly know what he is about."
"It must be a surprise to him to be brought to by a United States
man-of-war," added Christy.
"But why did the fool hoist the British flag when he has no papers to
back it up? That would have done very well among the blockaders,"
continued the officer of the boat. "I don't know very much about this
business, and the captain ordered me to let you and the French gentleman
in the other boat have your own way on board of her, and to do all you
required. Have you any directions for me?"
"We desire to have the steamer thoroughly searched, and I have little
doubt that we shall ask you to take possession of her," replied Christy.
"Then we are to make a capture of it?" asked the first lieutenant,
manifesting no little surprise.
"Under certain circumstances, yes."
"Is she a Confederate vessel?"
"No; she is an American vessel."
"All right; but I shall obey my orders to the very letter," added Mr.
Birdwing. "How many men shall I put on board of her?"
"Twelve, if you please," replied Christy, who had arranged the plan with
the detective.
"Six from each boat," said the executive officer; and then he hailed the
second cutter, and directed Mr. Carlin to send this number on board of
the Ionian.
"And, if you please, direct him to board the steamer on the starboard
side, for I take it you will board on the port," added Christy. "We fear
that she will throw certain papers overboard, and we must prevent that
if possible."
The order was given to the third lieutenant, and in a few minutes more
the first cutter came alongside the steamer. Mr. Birdwing ordered those
on board to drop the accommodation ladder over the side; and for so mild
a gentleman he did it in a very imperative tone. The order was obeyed,
though it appeared to be done very reluctantly. The first lieutenant was
the first to mount the ladder, and was closely followed by his
passenger.
"Where is the captain?" demanded Mr. Birdwing, as the six men detailed
for the purpose were coming over the side.
"I am the captain," replied an ill-favored looking man, stepping forward
with very ill grace.
"What steamer is this?"
"The Ionian, of New York, bound to St. George's, Bermuda," replied the
captain in a crusty tone.
"The captain's name?" demanded the officer, becoming more imperative as
the commander of the Ionian manifested more of his crabbed disposition.
"Captain Sawlock," growled the ill-favored master of the steamer, who
was a rather short man, thick-set, with a face badly pitted by the
small-pox, but nearly covered with a grizzly and tangled beard.
"You will oblige me by producing your papers, Captain Sawlock,"
continued Mr. Birdwing.
"For a good reason, my papers are not regular," answered the captain of
the Ionian, with an attempt to be more affable, though it did not seem
to be in his nature to be anything but a brute in his manners.
"Regular or not, you will oblige me by exhibiting them," the officer
insisted.
"It is not my fault that a change was made in my orders after I got
under way," pleaded Captain Sawlock.
"Will you produce your clearance and other papers?" demanded the
lieutenant very decidedly.
"This is an American vessel, and you have no right to overhaul me in
this manner," growled the captain of the steamer.
"You are in command of a steamer, and you cannot be so ignorant as to
believe that an officer of a man-of-war has not the right to require you
to show your papers," added Mr. Birdwing with a palpable sneer.
"This is an American vessel," repeated Captain Sawlock.
"Then why did you hoist the British flag?"
"That's my business!"
"But it is mine also. Do you decline to show your papers? You are
trifling with me," said Mr. Birdwing impatiently.
At this moment there was a scuffle in the waist of the steamer, which
attracted the attention of all on the deck. Mr. Gilfleur had suddenly
thrown himself on the first officer of the Ionian; and when his second
officer and several sailors had gone to his assistance, the third
lieutenant of the Chateaugay had rushed in to the support of the
Frenchman. The man-of-war's men were all armed with cutlasses and
revolvers; but they did not use their weapons, and it looked like a
rough-and-tumble fight on the deck.
Mr. Birdwing and Christy rushed over to the starboard side of the
steamer; but Mr. Carlin and his men had so effectively sustained the
detective that the affray had reached a conclusion before they could
interfere. Mr. Gilfleur was crawling out from under two or three men who
had thrown themselves upon him when he brought the first officer to the
deck by jumping suddenly upon him. The Frenchman had in his hand a tin
case about a foot in length, and three inches in diameter, such as are
sometimes used to contain charters, or similar valuable papers.
The contest had plainly been for the possession of this case, which the
quick eye of the detective had discovered as the mate was carrying it
forward; for Mr. Carlin had sent two of his men to the stern at the
request of the Frenchman, charged to allow no one to throw anything
overboard. The first officer of the Ionian had listened to the
conversation between Captain Sawlock and the first lieutenant, and had
gone below into the cabin when it began to be a little stormy.
"What does all this mean, Mr. Carlin?" inquired Mr. Birdwing.
"I simply obeyed my orders to support Mr. Gilfleur; and he can explain
his action better than I can," replied the third lieutenant.
"I have requested the officers, through Captain Chantor, to see that
nothing was thrown overboard, either before or after we boarded the
steamer," interposed Christy.
"And the captain's order has been obeyed," added the first lieutenant.
"Will you explain the cause of this affray, Mr. Gilfleur?"
"With the greatest pleasure," answered the detective with one of his
politest bows. "While you were talking with the captain of the Ionian,
I saw the first officer of this steamer go into the cabin. I was told by
a sailor that he was the mate. In a minute or two he came on deck again,
and I saw that he had something under his coat. He moved forward, and
was going to the side when I jumped upon him. After a struggle I took
this tin case from him."
The detective stepped forward, and handed the tin case to the executive
officer as gracefully as though he had been figuring in a ballroom.
Captain Sawlock had followed the officers over from the port side. He
appeared to be confounded, and listened in silence to the explanation of
Mr. Gilfleur. But he looked decidedly ugly.
"That case is my personal, private property," said he, as soon as it was
in the hands of the chief officer of the boarding-party.
"I don't dispute it, Captain Sawlock; but at the same time I intend to
examine its contents," replied Mr. Birdwing mildly, but firmly.
"This is an outrage, Mr. Officer!" exclaimed the discomfited master.
"If it is, I am responsible for it," added the executive officer, as he
removed the cover from the end of the case.
"I protest against this outrage! I will not submit to it!" howled
Captain Sawlock, carried away by his wrath.
"Perhaps you will," said Mr. Birdwing quietly.
"But I will not!"
With a sudden movement he threw himself upon the officer, and attempted
to wrest the tin case from his hands. Christy, who was standing behind
him, seized him by the collar with both hands, and hurled him to the
deck. A moment later two seamen, by order of Mr. Carlin, took him each
by his two arms, and held him like a vice.
"I think we will retire to the cabin to examine these papers, for I see
that the case is filled with documents, including some sealed letters,"
continued Mr. Birdwing, as he moved towards the cabin door.
"That cabin is mine! You can't go into it!" howled Captain Sawlock,
crazy with anger. "Don't let them go into the cabin, Withers!"
Withers appeared to be the mate, and he stepped forward as though he
intended to do something; but a couple of seamen, by order of the first
lieutenant, arrested and held him. He had apparently had enough of it in
his encounter with the detective, for he submitted without any
resistance. If the captain of the steamer was a fool, the mate was not,
for he saw the folly of resisting a United States force.
"Mr. Carlin, you will remain on deck with the men; Mr. Passford and Mr.
Gilfleur, may I trouble you to come into the cabin with me?" continued
Mr. Birdwing, as he led the way.
The executive officer seated himself at the table in the middle of the
cabin, and his companions took places on each side of him. The first
paper drawn from the case was the clearance of the Ionian for
Wilmington, with a cargo of old iron. The manifest had clearly been
trumped up for the occasion. The old iron was specified, and a list of
other articles of merchandise.
At this point the executive officer sent for Mr. Carlin, and directed
him to take off the hatches and examine the cargo, especially what was
under the pieces of machinery. There were several letters to unknown
persons, and one in particular to the captain himself, in which he was
directed to deliver the machinery to a gentleman with the title of
"Captain," who was doubtless a Confederate agent, in St. George's,
Bermuda. The papers were abundantly sufficient to convict Davis of
treason. The last one found in the case directed Captain Sawlock to
deliver the cannon and ammunition in the bottom of the vessel to the
steamer Dornoch, on her arrival at St. George's, or at some convenient
place in the Bahama Islands.