Within The Enemy's Lines by Oliver Optic (beach books txt) 📖

they had been instructed not to speak a loud word after the party left the south side of the island. The noise to which Christy and Flint had listened indicated that something was going on, though they could not decide what it was. In the stillness of the night, and in the absence of any roar of breakers, sounds could be heard a long distance, though whether they came one mile or two, they could not determine.

"Get out those cloths, Beeks," said Christy, as soon as the boat had been put into the water. "Every oar must be very carefully muffled, and you will see that it is properly done."

"I will have it done in a few minutes, sir," replied the acting coxswain.

213 "As I said before, we are in no hurry, and you may take your time to do it properly," added the lieutenant.

"Those sounds are still to be heard," said Flint, who had been a short distance from the boat to listen for them.

"I hear them," replied Christy, walking away from the boat to continue the investigation while they were waiting. "Some kind of a job is in progress at no great distance from us. From how far off do you calculate that those sounds come?"

"I think they must come a mile; and I don't believe I can guess any nearer to it than that, though it is possible they come two miles. I know little or nothing of the region about here. Suppose we should go a mile north-northeast from this spot, what should we find there, Mr. Passford?" asked Flint, apparently greatly interested in the question.

"It would be a point on Pensacola Bay, about half-way between this island, where we stand, and Town Point," replied Christy. "I should say it would be in the channel leading into Santa Rosa Sound."

"Precisely so!" exclaimed Flint, in an energetic 214 whisper. "That's the way they are going to take the Teaser out, and they are doing something over there to prepare her for the trip in shallow water."

The master's mate was not aware that Christy had suggested to the captain this way of escape for the Teaser, and he had abandoned the idea himself. Flint had reached his conclusion from his own premises. They discussed the matter for some time, though it was impossible to arrive at any conclusion for the want of data on which to base their reasoning.

"All ready, sir," reported Beeks, coming up to them at this moment.

"How far is the entrance to the sound from Fort Pickens, Mr. Passford?" asked Flint.

"About four miles."

"Then why should they choose such a night as this for their work?"

"The Bellevite, floating in four fathoms of water on the other side of the island, could shell them out if they were seen, as they certainly would be from Fort Pickens," replied Christy.

"That makes it plain enough," added Flint, as they walked towards the boat.

"But I am not quite willing to believe yet that 215 the Teaser will go out through the sound. If she could get through at all, it would only be after getting aground no end of times, and if to-morrow should be a clear day, she could be seen anywhere on her course," persisted Christy. "She cannot expect to make eight or ten knots an hour in that shallow water."

The lieutenant ordered the men into the boat, after she was shoved off the beach. They worked with such care that not a sound came from her. The oars were shipped, and the sailors began to row. As instructed, they pulled very slowly, though such work could not be done in perfect silence.

"Look out for that binnacle, Beeks," said Christy. "The light from it may betray us."

"You have not given me the course, sir," replied the coxswain, as he obeyed the order.

"North-northeast," added Christy, as he settled back in the stern sheets.

No one was allowed to speak in the boat, and the lieutenant set the example of silence. But he kept his ears wide open, though the little noise made by the oars and the rippling of the water prevented him from hearing anything at first. It 216 was so dark that one could hardly see another in the boat. It was in vain that Christy watched in the gloom for the glow of a light; for all was nearly total darkness in every direction.

In about half an hour they began to hear the sounds which had attracted their attention on the island, and they proceeded from directly ahead, indicating that the operations, whatever they were, came from the entrance to the sound. The workmen were not likely to hear the approach of the boat while they were making so much noise themselves. In addition to the sounds they had heard before, they recognized the noise of escaping steam.

This last discovery made it certain that a steamer was there, though the listeners could not know whether it was the Teaser or not. Both of the officers of the expedition, in the uselessness of their eyes, made the best use they could of their ears. Christy listened to ascertain if there was more than one steamer present. In a whisper he asked Flint to consider this question. There was no doubling of the sounds to indicate more than one steamer.

For ten minutes more Christy listened and was silent; but he was doing some very heavy thinking, 217 for by this time the boat was very near the scene of operations, if it could be a scene in that dense darkness. Every sound, even to the speech of the men, could be distinctly heard. Still nothing could be seen, and Christy knew that there was a point of nearness where something could be discerned even in any gloom of night. He permitted the boat to continue on its course, till he could very dimly make out an object ahead.

"Way enough," he whispered to Beeks.

The coxswain raised both hands, and made a gesture with them, which was the signal for the men to cease rowing. The sounds were now more tangible. Occasionally there were a few raps with a hammer, but the most of them were the orders of the person in charge.

"I don't believe there are more than a dozen men there," whispered Flint.

"More than that, I should say; but even if there are two dozen, it is all the same. Take off the mufflers from the oars, Beeks," continued Christy. "Then give way with a will, and run for whatever may come in sight."

Beeks obeyed the order, and in a couple of minutes the boat was driving into the gloom at her 218 ordinary speed. Something came into view a moment later, and it was a small steamer.

"Boat, ahoy!" shouted some one from the steamer.

"On board of the steamer!" replied Christy.

"Are you the pilot?" demanded the speaker from the vessel.

"Ay, ay, sir," responded the lieutenant.

"I shall not want you now," continued the man on the steamer.

"How is that?" demanded Christy, as though this was an entirely unexpected reply.

"I have concluded to make my way out through the sound, Gilder."

"Then my name is Gilder," added Christy, in a low tone.

"I have a plan of my own, and I reckon I shall make it go," proceeded the captain of the steamer. "The Teaser don't draw much water, and I know how to help her over the shoal places."

"When do you expect to get through the sound?" asked Christy.

"I don't know when; but I shall get through."

"But you will find a blockader at the east end of the island; and then you will be as badly off as you are now," argued Christy.

219 "I don't believe there is any blockader there. Who are all those men in the boat with you, Gilder?"

"They belong to the water guard," replied Christy, at a venture, and he thought that would describe them as well as any terms at his command. "They expected you to go out by the main channel to-night."

"No lie in that," chuckled Flint.

"I wish they would come on board of the Teaser and help me out, for my men won't work."

"How many men have you?" asked the lieutenant.

"Just fifteen; the rest of my crew were to come on board at midnight, half an hour before high tide. But the men I have with me won't work, and I shall not be ready for them, I am afraid."

"What is the reason they won't work?"

"They say they shipped to fight the Yankees, and they are not going to do such work as lighting up the steamer."

"Perhaps we can bring them to their senses," said Christy, as he ordered Beeks to give way again.

A few strokes of the oars enabled the officers in 220 the stern sheets to obtain a full view of the Teaser, and she looked like a trim little steamer of about two hundred tons. She was rather long, and she had a very sharp bow. The reports gave her the reputation of being a very fast sailer.

"Let every man have his arms in order," said Christy impressively, in a low tone. "Give way with a will, and when you unship your oars have your weapons ready, though I hardly think you will have to use them at present."

As the boat dashed towards the little steamer, the sounds of an altercation came over the water. The angry voice of the captain, if the late speaker was the captain, and several others were heard in a dispute; and as the boat came alongside the report of a pistol indicated that the belligerents were in earnest.

Christy sprang upon the deck of the Teaser, with his revolver in his hand. Half a dozen men stood in a group by the side of the engine-room, confronting the man who had done the talking with the boat, as Christy knew by the sound of his voice.

"We are not held by any papers we signed!" protested one of the men forward. "We are willing 221 to do our duty, Captain Folkner, but we did not ship to burrow through the sand, and run the risk of being captured by the Yankees. We shipped to run the blockade, and that risk is in the papers."

"I shall take my vessel out as I think best, Lonley; and my men are not to dictate to me what I am to do," replied Captain Folkner angrily.

"I am willing to leave it to Captain Gilder. You know as well as I do that the rest of the ship's company would not come on board till the Teaser was outside of Santa Rosa Island. We appeal to you, Captain Gilder," said Lonley.

"Why do you object to going out through Santa Rosa Sound?" asked Christy, willing to do the fair thing, since the mutineers had appealed to him.

"The Teaser draws ten feet of water with her coal in, and she cannot get through the sound in a week, if ever."

"Are you willing to go to sea by running the blockade, Lonley?"

"Perfectly willing; and so are the whole ship's company."

222 "But I won't take the risk of running the blockade. They put a fast steamer on there to-day, and it is useless," replied Captain Folkner.

The situation was certainly interesting to Christy and his companions.

223 CHAPTER XX COMING TO THE POINT

Captain Folkner of the Teaser was evidently somewhat timid, and he had heard of the arrival of the Bellevite. Just now the large ships-of-war which had been there were absent on their duty, though they were expected to return at any time. There was liable to be some unpleasantness at any time between Fort Pickens and Fort Barrancas; but everything was quiet just now.

Flint had come on board of the Teaser with Christy, but none of the boat's crew had attended them. The situation was very novel to the lieutenant, and he did not feel competent to arbitrate between the contending parties. Besides, he was not willing to believe that he could be entirely impartial, for he had a personal and patriotic interest in the issue of the quarrel.

The seamen, under the leadership of Lonley, who appeared to be an officer, were the more powerful 224 party, and the more to be dreaded. He was disposed to decide against them, if he could get them out of the way by doing so. They were willing to leave the matter to him, and he began at last to see his way through it.

"The captain of a ship is the authority to be respected, Lonley," said he, when he had made up his mind what to do.

"We might as well bury ourselves in the sands as try to go through there," replied the leader of the mutiny, who seemed to be a very intelligent