CHAPTER XXII
A VARIETY OF NIGHT SIGNALS
The dip of the oars of the guard-boat could be distinctly heard inthe pilot-house, and it was probable that the men in it could see theTeaser. But Christy was not much concerned about the situation, and hewas not much disposed to give any attention to the boat.
"Stop her, or we will fire into you!" yelled the officer in charge ofthe guard-boat.
Even this menace did not induce the lieutenant to ring his bell to stopthe engine. The boat was doubtless full of men, and as he could not givestraight answers to all the questions that might be put to him, it mightprovoke a fight to attempt to do so, and he decided not to incur therisk. His prisoners might make trouble if he reduced the guard in chargeof them, as he would be obliged to do to beat off the attack of theboat.
"What is this boat here for, Dave?" asked Christy, as he peered throughthe gloom to obtain a glance at the craft.
"To keep the people at Fort Pickens from sending out any armed force,"replied the intelligent contraband.
"Do they think a boat full of men could do that?"
"No, sir; but they could give the forts on the other side warning."
The sounds from the boat had come from the starboard bow of the steamer,and it looked as though the guard-boat had intercepted her by accident,since it was impossible that they could have seen the Teaser in the fogand gloom. As the steamer dashed ahead at full speed, the sound of theoars came from a point on the beam. But the boat seemed to be wastingher time, for nothing had been done since the threat to fire into thesteamer.
"If a vessel is going to run out she has to satisfy this boat that sheis all right," said Dave.
But he had hardly spoken before a volley of musket-balls passed over theTeaser; and perhaps the officer in the boat intended that they shouldpass over her. At any rate no harm was done by them. Then a rocketdarted from the boat up into the air, which could be dimly seen fromthe pilot-house.
"What steamer is that?" shouted a hoarse voice out of the gloom.
"The Teaser!" yelled Christy, with all the voice he could command.
The boat did not fire again; and if it had done so the steamer was outof its reach. But a minute later the boom of a great gun came across thebay. Fort Barrancas had evidently opened fire in response to the rocket,which had no doubt been sent up as a signal to notify the garrison thata vessel was going out or coming in, and that her movements were notregular. The first shot was followed by others, and a shot dropped intothe water near the Teaser.
"Let the leadsmen sound, Beeks," said Christy. The order was repeated,and the reports were made known in the pilot-house. Sampson seemed tobe testing the capacity of the engine, for he was doing his best in thematter of speed; but the Teaser behaved under the strain to which hesubjected her as though she had been very strongly built.
"By the mark eight," chimed the leadsman on the port side.
That was water enough to float a seventy-four, and there was no let-upin the speed. In fact, it would not have been convenient to reduce thespeed while the guard-boat could be at no great distance from the flyingsteamer. This was the report for the next mile at least, and Christyfelt that the enemy was at a safe distance from him.
"And a half six!" shouted the port leadsman, with energy, as though heunderstood the effect his report would produce.
Christy rang to slow her down. The depth of water was the only directoryhe had in addition to the distance run, which was very indefinitewithout a knowledge of the speed of the vessel.
"By the mark six!" shouted the port leadsman, who was on the sidenearest to the island of Santa Rosa.
This did not induce the pilot to take any further action, and the Teasercontinued on her course at less than half speed. Christy looked at hiswatch by the light of the binnacle lamps. It was half-past eleven,and the Teaser appeared, as well as he could calculate it, with thenecessary allowances, to have made at least sixteen knots on the runfrom the sound channel.
"And a quarter five!" cried the leadsman of the land side.
Christy spoke to Sampson through the tube, and the result was a furtherreduction in the speed of the steamer, Beeks, who was at one side ofthe wheel while the lieutenant was at the other, seemed to be a littlenervous as the depth diminished; and if he had spoken his thought, hewould have expressed his surprise that his superior officer was runningthe steamer so near the shore, with the apparent intention of goingstill nearer.
"Mark under water three!" yelled the leadsman on the port side, whilethe one on the starboard gave "By the mark four."
"Shoaling fast," said Beeks.
"Yes; but as expected," replied Christy.
"Steamer, ahoy!" shouted a voice on the port side.
"On shore!" replied Christy promptly.
"What steamer is that?" demanded the shore speaker.
"The Teaser, prize to the United States ship Bellevite," answered thelieutenant.
"Boga-hobble-good!" continued the man on shore.
"Rabble-gabble-weed!" responded Christy.
"There's a Chinaman on shore there; but I am glad you speak hislanguage," said Beeks, trying to repress his laughter.
"You are all right as to position!" shouted the islander.
"The guard-boat must be about a mile astern of me," added Christy.
"We will take care of that," replied the shore speaker.
Christy rang to stop the engine, which was done, though the steamercontinued to go ahead under the impetus of her former headway. Theleadsman on the port side reported two fathoms a little later, and thenthere was a ring to back her, for there could not be more than two footof water under the keel. At this moment the peal of a twelve-poundercame from the shore, and a little later the bursting of a shell washeard astern of the Teaser.
Beeks was very much perplexed by the strange speech which had passedbetween the lieutenant and the shore, and now by the discharge of thegun on the island; but he was a well-disciplined quartermaster, and heasked no questions.
"I don't think that boat will come any farther this way," said Christy,as a second report from the gun reached his ears.
"Then I suppose the shots we hear are directed at the boat," addedBeeks.
"They can hardly be directed at anything out in that fog and darkness;but I don't think the guard will be willing to take the risk of a chanceshell bursting near them," added Christy.
"On board the Teaser!" shouted a voice quite near the bow of thesteamer.
"In the boat!" replied Christy. "Sound that bell slowly, Beeks, to lethim know where we are."
The ripple of oars was presently heard, and a boat came out of thegloom, rowed by two soldiers, with an officer in the stern. It came upto the forward gangway, and the person in the stern climbed on board.The boat did not wait for him, but pulled directly back to the island.
"I am glad to see you, Captain Westover," said Christy, as the officercame into the pilot-house.
"And I am equally glad to see you, lieutenant," replied the captain."You seem to have been successful in your undertaking?"
"Successful so far, and I think the worst of it is over now."
As soon as Beeks heard the name of Captain Westover, he understood allthat had been dark before. Even the Chinese lingo must have been agreedupon. The army and the navy officer had been very busy in talking oversomething when they came in the boat from the Bellevite, and after theylanded on the island. What they had been talking about was plain enoughnow.
Captain Westover had not much confidence in the expectations of theyoung naval officer when he expressed a hope that he might capture theTeaser; but he had promised to render all the assistance in his power.He had agreed to be on the shore of the island if the Teaser presentedherself, and thus assure the lieutenant of his position on the bay. Hehad done more than this, for he had brought out a couple of guns and asection of artillerists to beat off the guard-boat if it interfered withthe operations of the navy.
Christy had taken a course from the entranc
e of the sound, half waybetween the island and Town Point, west-southwest. He knew that thedistance was about four miles; but he could not know, except bysounding, when he came to the island, and he had bargained with the armyofficer to be on the lookout for him. Captain Westover had heard thenoise of the Teaser, and had hailed her, thus assuring the lieutenantthat his calculation had been correct, and that he was in the vicinityof Fort Pickens.
"I had no idea that you would accomplish anything, lieutenant," saidCaptain Westover.
"I found everything laid out just as I should have wished it to be,"replied Christy. "We had plenty of information that the steamer wouldrun out the first favorable night; and nothing could have been morefavorable for blockade running than this fog and darkness."
"But nothing has been seen of this steamer from the fort."
"Where was she fitted out, Dave?" asked Christy, turning to the steward.
"Up by Emanuel Point, sir, about a mile above the town," replied Dave.
"Then she has not shown herself in the lower bay."
The conversation was interrupted by the roll of a drum on the shore.
"There you are, lieutenant," said the captain with a smile. "When youare ready to go ahead, don't wait on my account, for I will go on boardof the ship."
"But what is the drum for?" asked the lieutenant, who was in the dark inhis turn.
"I am not much of a sailor, lieutenant, but I have sent a drummer tofollow the shore to the west end of the island, and you will know by theracket he makes where the island is, and how far off it is," replied thearmy officer.
"I am much obliged to you, Captain Westover; that will be a safe guidefor me," said Christy, as he rang to go ahead.
He gave out the course west by north, and he thought he should be ableto keep within hail of the island, though, as he could see nothing,it would be difficult to tell when he reached the northwest corner ofit. If he continued on this course too long, he was likely to scrapeacquaintance with Fort McRae, for there would be nothing in thesoundings to indicate the approach to this dangerous neighbor.
Nothing more was heard of the guard-boat, though the section ofartillery continued to discharge shells into the fog for a short time.On the other side of the bay Fort Barrancas kept up its fire at longintervals, and Fort Pickens could not reply without the danger ofputting a shot into the Teaser after her recent reformation. The steamerkept on her course at half speed; but in ten minutes the sound of thedrum fell astern of her, when the drummer could go no farther.
"Heave over the wheel, Beeks," said Christy.
Then he rang the bell to go ahead at full speed.