CHAPTER VIII
THROUGH SHOT AND SHELL
A ringing cheer went up from the men and they stepped forward with oneaccord.
"I'll go with you, Captain," cried one. "With you and the little girl tothe death."
"Ay! to the death," shouted the others in chorus.
The Captain smiled down into Jeanne's face.
"You see what you have done," he said. "They did not care to follow me,but will go anywhere with you. I believe that we shall have to turn overthe boat to your charge."
"I think they would have gone," said Jeanne, rather abashed at so muchnotice. "Perhaps they were just thinking it over."
"True for you, my beauty," cried the first mate. "That's what we weredoing, Captain. We'd a gone all right."
"Now, men," said the Captain seriously, still retaining Jeanne's hand,"you fully realize what you are doing, do you? Think well, because therecan be no backing out when we have started. Any one who does not wishto join us may go forward. We have no means of fighting and must takewhatever the 'rebs' choose to give us. You see that I am not mincingmatters with you, boys. Move forward any of you who do not wish to go."
He paused and waited for a few moments, but not a man stirred from hisplace.
"Then listen," he went on briskly. "We'll finish giving the Commodorehis supplies, and then barricade the boat with bales of cotton. Underthe protection of one of Davis's gunboats we will try to run the batteriesunder cover of the darkness. Now fall to, my hearties. There is much tobe done."
There was another cheer and the men sprang to their tasks. The Captainlooked down at the girl by his side. Jeanne's eyes were like stars, andher cheeks were red as roses. The blood of her Revolutionary ancestors wasup and she showed no sign of fear.
"What will your father say if I do not bring you safely through this?"asked the Captain.
"It is a risk that we must run," said Jeanne. "There is no more dangerfor me than for you and the men."
"True, child; yet we are men, and you are only a girl. I don't know justwhere you ought to stay through this affair. One part of the boat willbe just as safe as another."
"Don't mind me, Captain. You will have your duties to attend to, and Iwill not bother if I am 'only a girl.'"
"Ah! that touched you, did it?" laughed the Captain. "But I do mind you,child. I don't half like this idea of your going. You are sure that youwon't stay here?"
"Sure, Captain. Indeed, I must get to New Orleans, and there is no otherway, is there?"
"No; to try to make it by land on either side the river would be throughthe enemy's country with every chance in favor of capture. This is adesperate risk but sometimes desperate chances stand the best show ofsuccess. Once past Vicksburg and the rest is easy."
"Then please don't say anything more about my staying," pleaded Jeanne. "Iwill try not to be the least bit in the way."
And so it came about that the transport made ready to run the batteriesof Vicksburg with Jeanne on board. The girl watched the men as theyworked, and waited impatiently for the time to come for them to start. Atlast night fell. There was no moon, and a little before midnight a gunboatdrifted out of Miliken's Bend where the fleet lay, and, showing no lightfrom its chimney, moved like some great bird down the noiseless current,while the transport, hugging the western shore under the cover of thefriendly darkness, followed close in the rear.
No sound could be heard from the heights of Vicksburg, nor could anylights be seen. The city lay in the brooding darkness as calmly quietas though no dread batteries lay at her feet waiting but the word ofcommand to belch forth their terrible fire. An hour passed, and Jeanne,sitting in the darkness of the cabin listening with strained ears tocatch the least sound, began to believe that they would get safely pastthe city undiscovered.
Suddenly there came a flash followed by a crash that shook the shores.Lights danced along the heights. Thunder answered thunder and theroar of batteries from land and water rent the air. Presently a blazeflickered, flashed and then sprang up in a great sheet of flame upon theheights throwing the gunboat and the transport into a strong light,and turning the gloom of the black midnight into the brilliancy of day.The Confederates had fired a mass of combustibles with which to spyout the whereabouts of their enemies.
With the first burst of the artillery Jeanne ran up on deck.
"Back to the cabin, girl," shouted the Captain hoarsely. "This is no placefor you."
But as Jeanne turned to obey him a shot tore through the cabin and fellhissing into the water beyond. The girl paused. Captain Leathers caughther arm and drew her behind a bale of cotton.
"Stay there!" he panted. "You will be as safe as anywhere."
At this moment a terrible shape loomed out of the darkness making straightfor the gunboat. A shout went up from the crews of the gunboat and thetransport as the rebel ram Arkansas was recognized. Determined to make agrand effort to escape, Captain Leathers ordered all steam to be crowdedon, thinking to run down the river while the gunboat engaged the ram.
The Gem responded nobly to the appeal and her prow cut the waters untilthey rolled from her in one mass of foam. But the Captain's design waspenetrated instantly by the enemy, and shot and shell sizzed through theair like hail. It seemed miraculous that the transport escaped beingriddled.
Meantime the gunboat saw that the ram designed to run her down, andswinging round, welcomed the visitor with a full broadside. As the soundof the guns and their tremendous reverberations ran along the shore, theanswer came in a terrific onslaught from the batteries above. Pandemoniumseemed to have broken loose. Shot and shell whistled and sang throughthe air carrying death and desolation in their wake. Shouts and criesadded to the confusion of the moment.
The ram, foiled in her first attempt to run down the Yankee, withdrew ashort distance and turned again upon the boat. This time she got her sharpbow full in upon the heavy iron sides of the gunboat but her headway wasnot sufficient to cause any very serious damage. Before she could getaway the Captain of the Yankee vessel rushed upon the hurricane deck andseizing a pistol shot the rebel pilot dead. The rebel crew retaliatedby shooting him down. In the meantime the ram prepared for another blow,withdrawing for a terrific onslaught.
Just at this moment a shell struck the magazine of the plucky gunboat.There was an instantaneous explosion and the boat was blown to atoms, hergallant crew perishing with her.
"We are doomed," groaned Captain Leathers. "Nothing can save us now. Areyou ready to die, little girl?"
"Ready, Captain," came from Jeanne's pale lips, and she arose from herplace behind the cotton. "But I want to die standing. I wish we couldshoot, Captain."
"So do I. But we are at their mercy. It would be a relief to do something,but to die without a chance for a shot. Ah!"
The exclamation was caused by the fact that the light of the bonfireswas dying down, and the transport was nearing the turn of the lower bend.The shadows grew deeper and longer, and soon only a pale flickeringflame remained of the brilliant light of a short time before. Then theblackness of night settled once more upon the river and a cheer brokefrom the crew as the transport rounded the lower bend of the great loopupon which Vicksburg stood, and passed out from under the batteries ofthe modern Gibraltar.
"Will that terrible vessel come after us?" asked Jeanne hardly realizingthat the danger was over.
"No, child. We are safe. The ram knows that Farragut is somewhere nearhere, and she will not venture out to-night. We are safe; thank God!"
"Thank God!" echoed the girl faintly. "Safe! Oh, Captain, Captain!" andshe burst into a passion of weeping.
"Why, my little heroine, what does this mean?" cried Captain Leathersdismayed. "You were cool enough through that fire of grape and canister.'Ready to die,' you said; 'just so that you could die standing.' It wasenough to frighten the bravest man, yet you were not afraid. And now youbreak down?"
"Leab her ter me, massa," said old Tenny coming up on deck. "Jest youleab dat chile ter ole Tenny. Ef dis night ain't
been enuff ter make anangel weep den I dunno nuffin. Lawsie, massa! I'se been suah dat I wuzdaid fer de las' hour. Fiah an' brimstone nebber scare me no mo'. De badman ain't got no wuss ter gib dan dis has been, an' I knows it. Come,chile! Come, honey! Ole Tenny'll put yer ter bed now."
"Yes; that is the best place for her," said the Captain as the girlcontinued to sob uncontrollably. "I'll carry her down, Tenny, and yousee to her."
He lifted Jeanne up bodily in his arms, and bore her into the cabinpicking his way carefully through the debris scattered about.
"I--I can't help but cry," sobbed Jeanne with an effort at self-control.
"It's all right, my little girl. Cry all you want to. You are nervousand overwrought. I feel as if I'd like to do the same if I wasn't a man.Sleep well because you are safe now, and you won't have any more of thisto go through. Good-night."
"Good-night," murmured Jeanne and presently she grew calm under Tenny'ssoothing ministrations.