AN IMPRACTICABLE SCHEME
Before the War of the Rebellion the commerce of the United States
exceeded that of any other nation on the globe. The Confederate
steamers, the Sumter, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and other cruisers,
swept our ships from the ocean, and the country has never regained its
commercial prestige. Christy Passford listened with intense interest to
the conversation between his uncle and the commander of the Dornoch, and
he came to the conclusion that the latter was a naval officer of no
ordinary ability. He evidently believed that the six-gun steamer in his
charge was a command not worthy of his talent.
The Sumter, and some other vessels fitted out as privateers or war
vessels, had already done a great deal of mischief to the shipping of
the Northern States, and the young man fully realized the meaning of his
uncle's intentions. Colonel Passford had been supplied with money by his
government, with what he had raised himself, to purchase larger and more
powerful steamers than had yet been obtained, and Captain Rombold
appeared to be his confidant, with whom he must have been in
communication for a considerable length of time.
Colonel Passford was going to England and Scotland to purchase the
steamers mentioned and recommended as the kind required by his present
companion. Christy could think of no manner in which he could serve his
country so effectually as by preventing, or even delaying, the adding of
these vessels to the navy of the South. But it was a tremendous
undertaking for a young man. His uncle had certainly been very
indiscreet in talking out loud about his plans; but it could hardly have
been supposed that any loyal ears were near enough to hear them, for
even the American consul was not safe in the islands.
Christy had doubled himself up in his chair, and pretended to be asleep,
so that no notice was taken of him by the two gentlemen in conversation.
He continued to listen till he heard a clock strike nine; but he
obtained no further information, except in relation to the details of
the colonel's plans. He was in great haste to get to England to purchase
the vessels, and he had the drafts about him for the purpose. It was a
vast sum, for the prices of desirable steamers had largely advanced
under the demand for them for running the blockade.
"The easiest and quickest way for you to get to Liverpool or Glasgow is
to go to New York, and there take a steamer to either of these ports,"
suggested Captain Rombold.
"I dare not go to New York, for I should certainly be recognized there.
My only brother is one of the most prominent agents of the Yankee
government, and every passenger from Bermuda and Nassau is watched and
dogged by detectives. It would not be prudent for me to go New York, for
some pretext to rob me of the drafts I carry would be found," replied
Homer Passford.
"There may be a steamer from Bermuda in a week or a month, for there is
no regular line," added the naval officer.
"But there are regular lines from Havana, Mexico, Jamaica, and the
Windward Islands," suggested the agent of the Confederate government.
"Very true, and it is not necessary that I should make a port in the
Confederate States before I begin my work on the ocean," said Captain
Rombold. "I have my commission from your government, with full powers to
act, though I desired to make a port in the South, for, as you are
aware, my wife is a native of Georgia, and is at her father's plantation
at the present time. I captured two Yankee vessels off the Azores, and
burned them."
"I have no doubt about your powers; but can you not aid me in getting to
England?" persisted the colonel.
"If you will take the chances, I can, Colonel Passford. If you will go
on board of my ship to-morrow afternoon, and sail with me, I have no
doubt we shall overhaul a steamer bound to England in the course of a
week, for I will get into the track of these vessels."
The agent promptly accepted this proposition, and soon after the
conference ended, though not till the listener had taken himself out of
the way, Christy had turned over in his mind a plan to terminate very
suddenly his uncle's mission to purchase steamers, and to obtain
possession of his drafts. M. Rubempré was adroit enough to accomplish
almost anything, and he intended to have the detective make the
colonel's acquaintance, and induce him to embark with them in the
Eleuthera, pretending that he was going to France himself, and intended
to intercept a French steamer from Progreso, whose course lay but a
short distance south of the Bermudas.
But the plan suggested by Captain Rombold, and adopted by Colonel
Passford, saved him from what the young officer regarded as his duty in
the deception and capture of his uncle. When the Bellevite, while she
was still the yacht of Captain Horatio Passford, had gone to the
vicinity of Mobile, to the home of his father's brother, Homer had done
all in his power to capture the steamer for the use of his government,
and had made war upon her with armed vessels. He had done so
conscientiously, believing it to be his duty to his country. This fact
from the past made it easier for Christy to think of such a thing as the
capture of his uncle, even in a neutral country.
The young man returned to the Atlantic Hotel. He found M. Rubempré still
fast asleep, for his slumbers the night before had been very brief.
He waked him, and told him all that had transpired during the evening,
though not till the detective had ordered supper, which they had not
partaken of so far. He stated the plan by which he had proposed to
himself to prevent the purchase, for the present at least, of the
Gateshead and Kilmarnock.
"Not a practicable plan, Christophe," said the detective, shaking his
head vigorously.
"Why not?" demanded Christy; and he explained the conduct of his uncle
in regard to the Bellevite, when she was on a peaceful errand to convey
her owner's daughter back to her home.
Then he related the attempt of the colonel's son, his cousin Corny,
to capture the Bronx by a piece of wild strategy.
"But I do not object to your scheme on moral grounds," interposed M.
Rubempré. "Have you forgotten the affair of the Trent, when Messrs.
Mason and Slidell were taken out of an English steamer? The British
government made a tremendous tempest, and would certainly have declared
war if the two envoys had not been returned to a British ship-of-war.
The English flag waves over these islands, and they are supposed to be
neutral ground."
"Neutral with a vengeance!" exclaimed Christy.
"If Colonel Passford had been carried off in the manner you thought of,
the United States government would have been compelled to return him to
these islands, with all his drafts and other property. I am very glad
you found it unnecessary to carry out such a plot," said the detective,
as a knock at the door announced that their supper was ready.
As Christy's plan was not in order, (missing words) the business of
the visitors at the islands was finished. Both of them slept till very
late in the morning, and after breakfast lay down again and slept all
the forenoon. The young man was afraid to go out of the hotel in the
afternoon, fearful that he might meet his uncle. But his companion
walked about the place, and visited the Hamilton, where he again
encountered Captain Rombold, who introduced him to Colonel Passford;
informing him that he was to be his fellow passenger. When the commander
of the Dornoch told him that he might not make a Confederate port for
some weeks, if at all, M. Rubempré decided not to take passage with him.
Of course nothing was said that could be of any service to the
detective, for he had already obtained the information he needed; but he
assured himself that the steamer would sail at the time stated the day
before.
Towards night the detective informed the landlord that he was to go to
St. George's in the evening, paid his bill, and liberally rewarded the
waiters. He had been over to the pier to look after the Eleuthera, and
had found Joseph at his house. The boat was all right; her keeper had
washed her out, and put everything in order on board of her. M. Rubempré
returned to the hotel, and after supper Joseph came for the valises. It
was quite dark when they left the place, and made their way to the pier.
No one asked any questions, and the detective had caused it to be
understood that he had engaged a boatman to take him to St. George's by
water.
They went on board of the boat, and the fisherman assisted them in
getting under way. The liberal skipper gave him another sovereign,
adding that he need not say anything to any person about him and his
servant. Joseph was profuse in his expressions of gratitude, for with so
much money in his pocket he need not go a-fishing again for a month or
more, and protested with all his might that he would not mention them to
anybody.
The night was dark enough to conceal the Eleuthera after she got away
from the shore, but not so dark that the skipper could not find his way
around the reefs to Hogfish Cut. It was high tide, as it had been when
they came inside of the rocks, and the boat went along quite briskly in
the fresh west wind that was still blowing. Without accident or incident
of importance, though the wind was ahead a portion of the way, the boat
reached the Cut at about midnight. She stuck on a reef at this point,
but very lightly, though it required half an hour or more to get her
off. She made no water, and did not appear to be injured.
Without further mishap the Eleuthera passed through the opening in the
reefs, and, taking the bearing of the light on Gibbs Hill, Mr. Gilfleur,
as Christy began to call him from this time, laid his course to the
south-west. The Chateaugay was not to show any lights, and there was
nothing but the compass to depend upon; but a light was necessary to
enable the skipper to see it. The lantern was used for this purpose, but
it was carefully concealed in the stern.
"We are all right now, Mr. Passford; and you may turn in for about three
hours, for I don't think we shall sight the ship in less than that
time," said the detective, as he put on his overcoat, for the night air
was rather chilly, and his companion had already done so.
"I have no occasion to turn in, for I have slept enough at that hotel to
last me for a week," replied Christy. "It looks now as though we had
made a good job of this visit to the Bermudas."
"I think there can be no doubt of that, Mr. Passford; and there is an
unpleasant surprise in store for your worthy uncle," said Mr. Gilfleur,
chuckling as he spoke.
"And perhaps for your accomplished friend Captain Rombold. We have both
heard him say that he was regularly commissioned as a commander in the
Confederate navy, and that his ship is armed with all proper authority
to capture, burn, and destroy the mercantile marine of the United
States."
"But Captain Rombold is an ex-officer of the Royal navy, and you may
depend upon it he will fight. There will be a naval battle somewhere in
the vicinity of these islands to-morrow, and Captain Chantor will find
that it will be no boy's play," added Mr. Gilfleur.
"My father told me that he was a very able officer, and had already
rendered good service, good enough to procure his rapid promotion.
I liked the looks of his officers and crew, and I have no doubt they
will give a good account of themselves."
"I hope so, for I am to be an American citizen: I have filed my first
papers."
"I doubt not you will make a good and useful citizen; and your wonderful
skill as a detective will make you very serviceable to your new
country."
The conversation was continued for full three hours longer; at the end
of which time they saw a dark body ahead on the port bow, and heard some
rather gentle screams from a steam whistle.