A CHASE OFF THE BERMUDAS
All the officers on board of the Bellevite who had never been in the
navy had spent their long vacation in the study and practice of gunnery
and naval tactics; and the men had been carefully drilled by a competent
officer as soon as they reported for duty. But a considerable number of
the latter had served for years on board of men-of-war, and a few were
sheet-anchor men. The latter are sailors who have spent the greater part
of their lives in the national sea-service, and they were competent to
teach many of the junior officers.
Every day after the ship went into commission, both officers and
seamen were drilled, and the captain declared that they had all made
satisfactory proficiency. He was ready to meet an enemy with them;
but then the ship's company of the steam-yacht were of the very best
material. They were all intelligent men, and sailors to begin with, so
that the task of qualifying them for active duty was not very laborious.
Christy was even better fitted for his duties than many of the older
officers, for he was not only full of enthusiasm, but he was skilful and
scientific, as a rule. He neither asked nor expected any favors on
account of former relations with the captain and other officers, and he
was determined to make his way by merit rather than by favor. Besides,
he had already been under fire, and he had an idea how it felt. Though
he was as prudent and careful as circumstances might require, he had
proved that he was as brave as a lion, and that shot and shell were not
likely to drive him from the post of duty.
Every man was in his place at the midship gun, seventeen of them,
including the powder-boy, and Christy gave the orders for loading the
piece as though he had been in the navy all his life. The other guns,
the broadsides, were loaded at the same time. But just now Paul Vapoor
was the most important man on board, and he was rapidly making himself
felt in the increasing speed of the Bellevite. Captain Breaker estimated
that the steamer which had just come out of port was all of five miles
ahead. It was only seven o'clock in the early darkness of this latitude.
Whether the chase was the Killbright or not, it was impossible to make
out in the darkness.
If it was the Killbright, Captain Passford's correspondent wrote that
she was capable of making twenty knots an hour, as she had been built
more for speed than anything else, though she could hardly be a
profitable commercial venture. But even accepting this speed as the
difficulty to be overcome, the Bellevite would probably overhaul her in
two or three hours. The engineer felt that his reputation and that of
the ship were at stake, and could not think of such a thing as failure
in the first actual encounter with the enemy.
"We are gaining on her without the ghost of a doubt, Mr. Passford," said
Boxie, who was ready for duty at the gun.
"No doubt of that, Tom Boxie," replied the third lieutenant. "But she is
taking it very coolly. She has not yet even put out her lights."
"I suppose you know why she hasn't, Mr. Passford," added the captain of
the gun.
"I am sure I don't know," replied Christy. "If I was in command of that
steamer, and wanted to do just what she does, I should not proceed as
she does. But I am nothing but a boy."
"But you have got a long head on your shoulders, Mr. Passford, and I
should like to know, if you please, what you would do."
"I would put her lights out before I winked twice."
"Right, Mr. Passford!" exclaimed the sheet-anchor man. "I am glad to
hear you say that. The trouble with most of the boys is, when they go to
sea to fight the battles of their country, they are as reckless as young
wildcats."
"I think it is possible to use proper caution without being a coward,
Tom Boxie; and my father gave me a lesson on that subject not long ago."
"Eight bells, sir; and that steamer has had a good hour of running so
far. I will wager my day's grub that we are two knots nearer to her than
when she laid her course," added Boxie, delighted with the situation.
"I have no doubt of it. I think they are beginning to see it on board of
her. There go her lights! She has not a ghost of a glow in sight; and I
suppose there is going to be some monkeying about it, if she has
ascertained that she cannot run away from us."
"Most likely, sir; but this is not a good night to play tricks, for we
have a bright night and a smooth sea."
"As that steamer has such a reputation for speed, I have no doubt they
put a very valuable cargo on board of her; probably she has a good
supply of arms in her hold."
"So much the better for us, Mr. Passford. We don't fight for
prize-money, but when a man gets to be as old as I am, a good round sum
of money don't come amiss to him. But I am sorry to see that it looks
like a change of weather," continued the sheet-anchor man, as he hitched
up his trousers, and took a survey of the heavens.
The wind began to come from the west after it had been almost a dead
calm since noon. It looked as though a heavy shower was coming up, and
clouds of mist and fog swept over the ocean. The usual lookouts had been
doubled, but, in spite of all precautions, the Bellevite lost sight of
the chase when she could not have been more than a mile from her. But
this weather was to be expected in this changeable latitude. Captain
Breaker was as perplexed as any one, however skilful, must have been in
the same situation. It was impossible to know what the chase would do,
though it was plain enough, since she put out her lights, that she would
change her course.
It was over six hundred miles to Cape Hatteras, and she had room enough
to manoeuvre in any manner she pleased. The change in the weather hardly
amounted to a storm, and probably it would be all over in a few hours.
But the chase might turn to any point of the compass, and the Bellevite
was as likely to pursue in the wrong as the right direction. But the
first thing the commander ordered the chief engineer to do was to save
his coal; though he held to his course, and the ship continued at a
moderate speed till daylight.
As the wise ones had predicted, the shower was of brief duration. As
soon as it was light enough to see, and the fog banks had been swept
away, a sharp lookout was kept for the chase. If she was ahead, she had
outsailed her pursuer; but Captain Breaker was sure she had not done
this, for she could not have had confidence enough in her heels to adopt
such a course.
"Sail, ho!" yelled a man on the cross-trees, a few minutes later.
"Where away?" called the officer of the deck.
"On the port beam, sir."
Several officers mounted the rigging to obtain a sight of the reported
sail. She was at least ten miles off, and no one could make out whether
or not it was the chase of the night before. The captain ordered the
ship to be headed to the southward, and, after she had gone on this
course an hour, there was another hail from the cross-trees.
"Sail is a steamer, sir!" reported the lookout.
With the aid of the spyglasses, a long streak of black smoke could be
made out of the dark clouds that were retreating in that direction.
A little later it was demonstrated that she was headed for the coast
of the United States. Whether it was the chase they sought or not, she
needed looking after. The course was laid in a direction to intercept
the steamer, for her inky smoke indicated that she was not American.
In another hour she could be very distinctly made out, though the chase
had not been so clearly made out the night before as to enable the
officers to identify her. Paul Vapoor was in his element again, and the
Bellevite was doing her best. The two vessels were approaching each
other, and Boxie suggested that there would be "music" in less than an
hour.
The people on board of the strange steamer must have been as much in the
dark in regard to the caliber of the naval vessel as those on board of
the Bellevite were in respect to their confident rival. The chase was a
long craft, it could be seen now, with two masts and two smokestacks,
all of which raked in the most dashing style. She was rather low in the
water, and, if it had been in the days of the pirates, the stranger
would have been a fair ideal of the freebooter's ship.
"She keeps on just as though she intended to mind her own business, and
leave the Bellevite to do the same," said Boxie, as Christy took his
place near the midship gun.
"I have no doubt the Bellevite knows her business in this case, and that
she will attend to it in due time," added the lieutenant.
"Good!" exclaimed the sheet-anchor man, suddenly.
This exclamation was called forth by a flag, which was run up at the
peak, and which proved to be that of the Confederacy as soon as it was
spread out to the breeze.
"She is plucky, anyhow," added Christy.
"There is no lack of pluck in the South. But I wonder what she means by
setting that rag."
"Beeks, hoist the ensign at the peak," said the captain, and the
brilliant banner was spread in the morning air.
"I reckon both sides understand the situation now. I don't know the
captain of that craft, but he is an able fellow, and probably got his
education in the old navy, and not in the new one, where he is serving
now," continued Boxie.
"I think it is easy enough to see what he means," replied Christy. "He
ascertained last night that, fast as his vessel is, he cannot outsail
the Bellevite; and there is really only one thing he can do, and that is
to fight."
The lieutenant had hardly spoken the words before there was a puff of
smoke from one side of the chase, and a heavy report came across the
water. But the two steamers were still a long distance apart, and the
shot fell short, to the satisfaction of the captain. The chase had been
obliged to come to in order to bring her gun to bear, and she had lost
a little time in doing so. It could be easily seen on board of both
steamers that the Bellevite was gaining rapidly on the other.
"Mr. Passford, I am as sure of capturing that vessel as though I had
her now, and I do not wish to injure her any more than is necessary,"
said Captain Breaker, as he sighted the Parrot, and devoted especial
attention to her. "She is a very fast steamer, and she will be very
valuable in our navy in picking up just such vessels as she is herself."
Perhaps it was impudence for him to do so, but Christy could not help
casting his eye along the gun. All possible precautions were taken to
secure a correct aim, and then the lieutenant gave the order to "Fire!"
"Hit her, sir!" shouted one of the lookout men aloft, who could see over
the cloud of smoke.
"Where did it strike her?" demanded the captain.
"Right in the broadside, abreast of the forward smokestack, sir! She has
stopped her screw!" added the lookout.
"Mr. Dashington, get the ship astern of the chase at once," continued
the captain to the first lieutenant.
This was the work of at least half an hour; but the Bellevite was
running for the stern of the other steamer, as though she intended to
cut her in two lengthwise. The chase lay helpless on the water, unable
to bring her broadside guns to bear on her enemy.