Fighting for the Right, Oliver Optic [easy novels to read .txt] 📗

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.

143 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 144 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, 145 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, 146 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.

147 CHAPTER XIII AT THE END OF THE CHASE

Mr. Gilfleur estimated that the Eleuthera was at least fifteen miles from the light, and the whistles were not loud enough to be heard at that distance. Neither of the voyagers had any doubt that the dark mass ahead was the Chateaugay, and the skipper headed the boat for her. If it were not the ship that was expecting to pick up the visitors to the island, she would not be whistling in mid-ocean; and any other vessel would carry a head and side lights.

In half an hour more, for the Chateaugay appeared to have stopped her screw, the boat was within speaking distance, and the hail of Christy was answered. When she came alongside the steamer, the accommodation ladder was rigged out, several seamen came on board, and the voyagers hastened to the deck of the ship. Captain Chantor grasped the hand of the lieutenant, and then of the detective.

148 "I had some doubts whether or not I should ever see you again," said the commander. "If they had discovered that one of you was a United States naval officer, they would have mobbed you."

"As they did the American consul while we were there," added Mr. Gilfleur.

"You will tell me of that later," replied the captain, as he directed the officer of the watch to hoist in the boat and secure it as it had been before. "Now, come down into my cabin, and tell me your news, if you have seen something, even if you have not done anything," he added.

"We were not expected to capture the islands, or make any demonstration; and we have been in only one fight," replied Christy, to whom the commander turned as soon as they were seated at the table.

"Then you have been in a fight?" queried the captain.

"Only with the fists. We defended the United States consul when he was hard pressed, and we got him safely into his office by the time the police came upon the scene," continued Christy. "But we have important information. Mr. Gilfleur will give it to you in full."

149 "Pardon; but I very much prefer that Mr. Passford should be the historian of the expedition," interposed the detective.

"But my friend and companion has been the principal actor; and I am sure I could not have done anything to obtain the information without him," protested the lieutenant.

"Then it is all the more proper that you should tell the story, Mr. Passford, and spare Mr. Gilfleur's modesty," said the captain.

It was agreed that Christy should be the narrator of the results of the expedition, and he first described the trip to Hamilton in the boat. Then he told about the assault on the consul, and in what manner they had defended him.

"I ought to inform you at once that the Dornoch was at St. George's harbor, and that she was to sail yesterday afternoon at five o'clock," said Christy. "But she is bound to the southward, and her first mission is to intercept an English or French steamer, and put a Confederate commissioner, wishing to get to England, on board of her. This agent of the South happens to be my uncle."

"The brother of Captain Passford?"

"Yes, Captain; and he is provided with funds 150 to purchase two vessels—steamers, to be fitted up as men-of-war."

"Then if he is your father's brother, you think, perhaps, that we ought not to molest him," suggested the captain.

"Why, his graceless nephew even considered a scheme to entice him on board of our boat, under pretence of finding a passage to England for him," interposed Mr. Gilfleur, laughing heartily at the suggestion of the commander.

"I believe in treating him like a Christian and a gentleman, for he is both of these; but I do not believe in letting him fill up the Confederate navy with foreign-built steamers, to ruin the commerce of my country," replied the young officer with spirit. "My father would no more believe in it than I do. You should treat him, Captain Chantor, exactly as though he was nobody's brother or uncle."

The commander clapped his hands as though he was of the same opinion as his passenger, and Christy proceeded with his narrative, describing their visit to the Dornoch and the blockade-runners at St. George's and Hamilton. The captain was very much amused at his interview in 151 French with Captain Rombold, and his conversations with officers of other vessels they had boarded. The detective took his papers from the belt, and read the names of the steamers, and the ports for which they were bound.

"They were a very obliging lot of blockade-runners," said the captain, laughing heartily at the freedom with which they had spoken.

"I don't suppose there is an American in the Bermudas at the present time besides Mr. Alwayn, the consul," added the detective. "The blockade-runners have the islands all to themselves, or at least the two towns on them. They have plenty of money, and they spend it without stint or measure. They make business good, and the inhabitants take excellent care of them. It is no place for Americans; for everybody's sympathy is with the South. It seems to me that there is no danger of talking about their business anywhere in the islands."

"They were speaking all the time to a Frenchman, who had considerable difficulty in using the English language," said Christy. "All the talk with Captain Rombold was in French."

The narrative was finished, and discussed at 152 great length. The order had been given to the officer of the deck to go ahead at full speed, making the course south-east, after the Eleuthera had been hoisted on board and secured.

"It looks decidedly like a battle some time to-morrow," said the commander thoughtfully.

"No doubt of it," added Christy.

"If the Dornoch sailed at five o'clock yesterday afternoon, according to the arrangement, she must be over a hundred miles from the islands at this moment," continued Captain Chantor thoughtfully, as he consulted his watch. "We can only conjecture his course, and that is the important thing for us to know. His first objective point is to intercept a steamer bound to England or France. If he runs directly to the southward he may miss the first one."

"If I were in his place I should run to the eastward, so as not to fall astern of any possible steamer bound to England," added Christy.

"That was the thought that first came to my mind," replied the commander, as he brought out a chart and spread it on the table. "For that reason I gave out the course to the south-east."

A careful examination of the chart and an extended 153 calculation followed. It was agreed between the two naval officers that the Dornoch would go to the eastward till she fell into the track of vessels bound to the north-east from Jamaica, Cuban ports, or Mexico, and then put her head to the south-west. It was four o'clock in the morning, the cruiser had been out nine hours, and the captain dotted the chart where he believed she was at that moment.

"She has made all the easting necessary, and by this time she has laid her