LIEUTENANT PASSFORD IN COMMAND
Christy felt as much honored by the confidence reposed in him by the
captain as though he had been appointed to the command of a steamer.
But he had more than once proved that he could be safely trusted, and
demonstrated that he had judgment, discretion, and skill beyond his
years. He was not only brave and resolute, but he was faithful and
patriotic.
He went about among the ship's company and selected the men he desired
to assist him in his enterprise, and requested those chosen to say
nothing about the matter, for the lieutenant was aware that he should
have more volunteers than he could accommodate in the largest of the
boats. All would want to go, and the young officer would be teased and
coaxed, and all sorts of influence brought to bear upon him to permit
this and that one to be of the party. It was easier to be silent than
it was to reply to all the applications.
Christy selected a large whaleboat for the service in which he was to
be employed, and he had his own reasons for the choice he made. He had
received unlimited authority to adopt his own measures. The only point
that was strongly impressed upon his mind by the captain was that the
Teaser must be captured.
After supper the order was given to the third lieutenant to convey
Captain Westover back to the fort, or to land him at the usual place
near it. Nothing was thought of the order, though perhaps some of
the officers considered a dozen seamen, all armed with cutlasses and
revolvers, a large boat's crew for such a service. It was very thick
weather, and Captain Westover begged Christy not to land him within the
enemy's lines, which he promised not to do.
The men gave way, and the boat went off into the gloom of the evening.
Beeks gave his whole attention to the course of the boat, and Lieutenant
Passford was engaged in a very earnest conversation with the military
passenger. The landing-place seemed to be reached too soon, for Christy
had not finished his business. He landed with him, and together they
went to the fort, where the young officer had a conversation with the
commander of the force there.
"I hope you will not get into hot water, Mr. Passford," said Captain
Westover, as he came to the sallyport with him.
"I cannot say that I shall not," replied Christy, "but I shall do the
best I can to report on board of the ship with the force intrusted to
me; and I hope I shall have the Teaser with me."
"I hope you will. There are several small steamers up in the bay; but I
have not the least idea where you will have to look for the Teaser, for
we at the fort have not seen any such steamer lately."
"There can be no doubt of her existence, Captain Westover, for the
Bellevite was sent here to look out for her, as her speed is said to
be remarkable. But, good-night, captain."
"Good-night, lieutenant; success to you, and a safe return," added the
captain.
"Thank you," answered Christy, as he hurried down to the landing-place.
Among those whom the lieutenant had selected was a master's mate by the
name of Flint, who had assisted on board of the Bellevite in the affair
with the Vampire. He was a modest, quiet man, who made no especial
figure among his shipmates, though he had strongly attracted the
attention of his officer. Next to Christy he was the highest in rank,
and the second in command. Beeks was the next man selected, and he had
done all that was necessary in the preparation of the boat, including
putting into it slyly a supply of provisions, and a number of articles
which the lieutenant had designated.
On his return to the boat, Christy found his crew in excellent order,
for he had instructed Flint to allow no noise or disorder, as sailors
and young men generally are somewhat given to skylarking when not under
the eye of a commissioned officer. Christy took his place with Flint
in the stern sheets of the boat, and ordered Beeks, who was acting as
coxswain, to shove off and give way.
"I have no instructions yet, sir," replied Beeks, as he obeyed the
order, and headed the boat away from the shore.
"We have to make two miles east by south, and that course will carry
us parallel with the shore of Santa Rosa Island, variation included,"
replied Christy, who had been a diligent student of the chart, and had
written down all that it was important for him to remember, though he
had one of his own charts, or a piece of one, in the boat.
"East by south, sir," replied Beeks, as he put the whaleboat on the
required course.
Thus far, Christy had kept his own counsel, and not whispered a word
of his intentions even to the master's mate. He had no motive for such
heroic concealment of his plan, but he had not had the time to discuss
it with any person. Besides, though he had decided upon his course
in the beginning, he was too much in the dark himself to lay down a
definite plan; and his course must depend largely upon the information
he obtained from time to time.
He had examined the charts and the Coast Pilot very carefully; and the
facts he had obtained from the latter rather staggered him in regard to
the idea he had advanced that the Teaser might go out through Santa Rosa
Sound. It was not navigable for vessels with a draught of over four
feet, and it would have to be a very small man-of-war that could float
in that depth. Though it was now the time of the spring tides, they did
not add more than six inches to the height of the mean tide, which was
but a couple of inches over two feet.
Even before he took his place in the boat alongside the ship, he had
come to the conclusion that the Teaser, if she proved to be anything
more than a toy boat, could not go to sea through the sound, and she
was not likely to attempt it. He had said as much as this to Captain
Breaker, who reminded him that he was to ascertain if possible what the
craft intended to do, if he succeeded in finding her.
Flint did not manifest any desire to know more than the law allowed,
and he asked no questions in regard to the enterprise in which he was
engaged. In fact, one reason why he was chosen was because he had an
excellent habit of minding his own business. Possibly Christy was more
particular on this point than an older officer would have been.
"I think we have made two miles, Mr. Passford," said Beeks, when the men
had pulled about an hour. "Of course, I cannot be sure of the distance
run, for I can only guess at it."
"Run up to the shore, then, and let us see how far off we are," added
Christy.
In a few minutes the bottom of the boat struck on the sand, and it was
forced up far enough to permit the lieutenant to go on shore. Like most
of the islands in this part of the gulf, Santa Rosa was nothing but
sand, which in the eastern end is of a peculiar reddish hue. It is
little more than a sand spit for its whole length, though in some places
the wind has piled up mounds, or dunes.
"Come with me, if you please, Flint," said Christy, as he leaped to the
shore.
Flint followed him, as usual asking no questions, and, if he had any
curiosity in regard to the purposes of his leader, he did not manifest
it. The lieutenant glanced at the trend of the shore, and then walked at
right angles with it. No part of the island was inhabited, or even
occupied, except Fort Pickens and a Union camp. It was a dismal place,
especially in the fog and darkness.
A short walk brought the explorers to the waters of Pensacola Bay. It
was in vain that they tried to penetrate the gloom and the mist, and
nothing could be seen. Flint expressed himself to this effect.
"I did not expect to see anything," replied Christy. "I only came across
here to find how wide the island was at this point. I am satisfied that
we are about where I supposed we were. Half a mile to the westward of us
the island is more than double the breadth it is here."
"I see, sir; if you had found it much wider than it is, you would have
known that you had not gone far enough in the boat," replied Flint.
"Precisely so; I wanted to find where we were before I changed the
course in going farther to the eastward," added Christy.
Flint made no further remark, and they returned to the boat, and seated
themselves in their places. The lieutenant gave the order to shove off.
"We are in no hurry, Beeks; if the men are tired, you can stop longer to
rest them," continued the commander of the expedition.
The men scouted the idea of being tired after a pull of two miles in a
comparatively smooth sea. Christy told them that they might have some
very heavy work to do before they returned to the ship, and he did not
wish to use up their strength unnecessarily.
"Now, keep her east by north for a couple of miles, Beeks," continued
Christy. "That will be as far as we have occasion to go in this
direction. Don't hurry them; take it easy, for it will not be high tide
till half-past twelve, and we may have more time than we shall know how
to use."
The crew pulled very leisurely, and it was over an hour before Beeks
estimated that they had made the two miles. As before, Christy and Flint
were landed, and they walked across the island. But their walk was not
even half the length of the last one; and the spit was so narrow at this
place that the lieutenant was confident he had struck the point he
intended.
"This is our base of operations," said Christy, as he stood on the shore
of the bay. "We have got along very well so far, for it is not time yet
for the music to begin, if it is to begin at all. What are you about,
Flint?"
The master's mate had lain down on the sand at the water's edge, and
his companion was very much puzzled by his attitude. He wondered if his
companion had the stomach-ache, and was not able to stand up.
"I beg your pardon, Lieutenant Passford, but if you will kindly be quiet
for a moment, I hope to be able to answer your question," replied Flint,
in a low tone.
Christy complied with the request, and as he did so, he thought he heard
a noise in the distance, though he was not sure of it. He listened with
all his ears, and some confused sounds came to him; but he could make
nothing of them.
"I heard some sort of a noise," said Flint, rising from his recumbent
position. "But I can make nothing of what I hear. If there was a fresh
breeze, I should say that it was the surf."
"I heard it, too; but I am bothered to make out what it is. Did you get
an idea of any kind?" asked Christy.
"It sounded as though something of a gang of men were at work off in
this direction," replied Flint, pointing east of north. "I am almost
sure I heard the blows of hammers, or something like them."
"The noise I heard might have been almost anything," added Christy.
"What is there off in that direction?" asked Flint, pointing again.
"About north of us is Town Point, and just beyond it is Old Navy Cove,"
said the lieutenant, who had been up the bay in the Bellevite on an
excursion, and who had studied up all the localities.
"Possibly they are repairing a vessel there," suggested Flint.
"They would not do that over there, and certainly not on a dark night,"
argued Christy. "But we will soon find out all about it."
He led the way back to the boat, which he had ordered Beeks to have
carried on the shore. Then they proceeded to bear it across the island
to the bay, where it was put into the water again.