CAPTAIN CARBONEER AND HIS PARTY
As Captain Carboneer blew his whistle, a mile below the moorings of the
Bellevite, an occasional response came from the shore. Everything was
remarkably quiet on the river, though at long intervals a steamer passed
on its way up or down the stream. The signals made by the naval officer
were not loud, and the replies, made without the aid of any instrument,
were quite feeble. One might have taken them for some frolic on the part
of the boys.
"I don't quite understand this business," said Major Pierson, after he
had listened a while to the signals. "I suppose from the answers you
get, that your men are all along the river, and the woods seem to be
full of them."
"I have no doubt they are all here," replied Captain Carboneer. "I have
been in this vicinity all day, and I have made good use of my time.
I believe the Bellevite belongs to the Confederacy, and it shall be
no fault of mine if the goods are not delivered in good order and
condition."
"My father was confident that he should obtain her at Nassau, though he
was mistaken," added the major.
"But when she went within our lines, we were all satisfied that she was
ours. I have not yet been able to understand why she was permitted to
escape."
"If you mean by that to cast any blame upon those who did their best
to prevent her escape, Captain Carboneer, you wrong them grossly,"
said Major Pierson. "She came on a friendly visit to the plantation of
Colonel Passford; but this gentleman, though the owner of the steamer
was his own brother, promptly gave information of her presence in the
creek, and did all he could to have her captured. No man could have
sacrificed more to his patriotism than he did."
"I do not reflect on him or on any one; I only wonder how the Bellevite
contrived to escape when several steamers were sent out to capture her,"
added the captain.
"The son of the owner of the Bellevite was a prisoner of mine, for when
I had my brother arrested for desertion, this young man was with him.
The only mistake I made was in not putting him in irons. The captain of
my tug proved to be a traitor to the Confederacy, and this fellow, with
Christy Passford, did the most of the mischief in preventing the capture
of the steamer."
"I was told that he was a smart boy," added the naval officer.
"He is all of that; and I think it was very fortunate that he did not
happen to be at home when we visited the Bellevite just now," said Major
Pierson, who evidently had a proper respect for the abilities of the
millionnaire's son.
"I do not see that his presence in his father's mansion, if he had been
there, could have made any difference," added the captain, as he sounded
his whistle again, and heard a faint response from the shore. "As long
as he was not actually on board of the steamer, he was harmless."
"Perhaps he was, though I have the feeling that it would have been
otherwise. There was a whistle from the shore."
"I heard it, and I understand it. Haslett has done his whole duty,
I judge," replied Captain Carboneer.
"Who is Haslett?" asked the major curiously. "I never heard of him
before."
"He is to be the first lieutenant of the Bellevite."
"You seem to have a full supply of officers and men, Captain Carboneer,"
added Major Pierson, apparently a little disconcerted. "I do not see
that I am of the least use here, for you seem to have done everything
without consulting me."
"In naval matters I have; but I give you full credit for the planning of
the enterprise," replied the captain, in his softest tones.
"When I was removed from my command because I allowed the steamer to
pass the forts, I felt that a great injustice had been done to me. I did
all I could to effect the capture of the vessel, but the attempt was a
failure," argued the major. "The shot hole through the bow of the Belle
utterly wrecked her, and the force on board of her could do nothing, and
Christy Passford had brought my own tug to bear against me. Why, the
Bellevite actually saved the force on board of the Belle from drowning.
A violent gale came up, and that did a great deal to nullify all our
efforts. But I think I did my whole duty."
"I have no doubt of it, Major Pierson; and for that reason you were sent
on this mission; and I am confident that the success of the enterprise
will restore you to your former command, or give you another quite as
good," said Captain Carboneer, as consolation to the military arm of the
expedition.
"But I cannot see that I have been of any use to this enterprise, and I
might as well have staid at home."
"You are too modest by half, major. You planned the expedition, and
suggested that Corny should take part in it, as he would have the
_entrée_ to the residence of Captain Passford. But, being a mere boy,
he could not be sent alone, and your services were likely to be of
the most important character. It is no fault of yours that we found
everything made ready for us, as it were. It might have been quite
different, and the burden of the action might have rested upon you.
It is all right as it is."
"I am satisfied," added the major, "though I think it was no more than
right that you should have consulted me in regard to your methods, of
which I am still profoundly ignorant. In getting up the scheme, I based
everything on the fact that Corny could go into his uncle's house and
obtain all the information we needed."
"The scheme was well concocted; and I shall have the pleasure of
reporting to the government that the military arm of the expedition
conducted the enterprise to a perfect success, the naval force only
doing the duty pointed out by the military."
"You are very kind, Captain Carboneer," said Major Pierson, who could
not well help being entirely satisfied, and even greatly pleased, with
this happy showing of the final result.
"By daylight in the morning we shall be outside of Sandy Hook, I expect.
We have no time to waste, and you can see for yourself how the affair of
the young lady would have complicated our operations."
"How do you intend to convey these men, who seem to be scattered all
along the shores of the river, to the steamer?"
"They understand my signals, and they will all be ready within an hour
to take a small steamer which will pick them up."
"But where is the steamer?"
"She is farther down the river. As you seem to be a little sensitive to
the fact that I have not consulted you in regard to the naval operations
of this enterprise, I can tell you in a few words all there is of them,"
continued Captain Carboneer. "As you are aware, as soon as our plan was
matured by you, I left Mobile with Lieutenant Haslett, though you knew
nothing about him, for Nassau. We had no difficulty in getting out of
the bay, for the blockade was not then enforced. At Nassau I engaged a
couple of English engineers, and a few other officers, with thirty
seamen, mostly English, who were looking for prize-money. I had to take
my force to Quebec, for no steamer offered for New York. I sent them all
here in small parties, and Haslett posted them along the river when I
told him they would be needed to-night."
"I did not leave Mobile till two weeks later with Corny," added the
major. "But I got here sooner than you did."
"You were more fortunate in finding a steamer. I believe I have a
capital crew, though I shall obtain more men at Bermuda, or some other
port. There are plenty of good English sailors who are willing to fight
on either side if there is a good showing for prize-money; and I have
no doubt I shall capture a dozen vessels before we reach the Bermudas,
which will fully satisfy them, especially as the government will pay
the value of all vessels we are compelled to burn on the high seas."
"You will have the advantage over everything that floats, for I was told
that the Bellevite made twenty knots an hour, and had done twenty-two,"
said Major Pierson. "At what time do you think you will get on board of
the steamer?"
"By one or two in the morning, I hope; but it will depend upon the
steamer Haslett engages, though he told me he had bargained for an old
one with a walking-beam; but that will answer our purpose. I believe he
had to buy her, though she was of no great value."
At a creek which appeared to be the rendezvous of the conspirators,
the boat left the river; but there was no steamer, though quite a number
of men had gathered there. Leaving the party in the boat to follow out
the remaining details of their enterprise, which, by this time, in the
absence of anything like an obstacle, they regarded as so many mere
formalities, it becomes necessary to make another visit to the mansion
of Captain Passford. This gentleman had gone to the city upon important
business connected with the fitting out of the Bellevite, and he had not
returned when the clock in the great hall struck ten, which was at about
the time Captain Carboneer and his companions went into the creek five
miles down the river.
"There is no knowing when your father will come home, Florry," said Mrs.
Passford, as she suspended her work on a stocking she was knitting for
the soldiers. "But I can't imagine what has become of Christy. He never
stays out as late as this unless he tells us of it beforehand."
"I am really worried about him, mother," replied the beautiful daughter,
looking up from the stocking on which she was employed. "He went away in
the Florence, and something may have happened to him."
"I think not, Florry: there has been no storm, or heavy blow, and
he thinks he is as safe in his boat as he is on shore," added Mrs.
Passford, with an effort to control the fears of the daughter. "He may
have gone down to the city. He is very indignant at the delay in giving
the order to have the steamer sent to the navy yard, and wherever he is,
I am confident he is doing something in connection with the steamer."
"I wish I knew whether the Florence was at the boathouse," continued
Florry. "He said he was going out in the boat; but perhaps he did not.
Perhaps he is with father."
"There is the front-door bell," added Mrs. Passford, with a start.
"It cannot be your father or Christy, for both of them have latch-keys.
Who could come here at this time in the evening?"
"Mr. Paul Vapoor," said the man-servant, who answered the bell.
The gentleman announced walked into the sitting-room without any
ceremony, for he had long been a familiar visitor. He was dressed in
the full uniform of a chief engineer of the navy. Removing his cap, he
politely bowed to the two ladies; and any one who was looking might have
seen that Miss Florry blushed a little when she saw him; and very likely
if Major Pierson had witnessed the roses on her fair cheek, he might
possibly have concluded that it would have been useless to postpone the
capture of the Bellevite to enable him to fortify his position near her.
"I beg your pardon, ladies, for calling so late," said Mr. Vapoor, as he
drew a long envelope from his pocket. "But I thought Christy might wish
to see what is in this envelope before he retired."
"Why, what is in it?" asked Mrs. Passford.
"Christy's commission as a midshipman in the navy."
"But Christy is not at home, and we are somewhat anxious about him,"
added the mother, stating the facts in regard to her son.
Paul Vapoor volunteered to go in search of him, and left the house.