Captain Passford hardly noticed the announcement made to him by the commander, that the tug2 was alongside, for he was not yet ready to make use of it. Even the wife and the son of the owner wondered what the mission of the little vessel3 was to be; but the husband and father had not yet disclosed his purpose in coming to anchor almost in sight of his own mansion4.
"Why have you come to anchor here, Horatio?" asked Mrs. Passford, taking advantage of the momentary5 pause in the interesting, and even 36 exciting, conversation, to put this leading question.
"I was about to tell you. I have already adopted my plan to recover Florry, and bring my brother and his family out of the enemy's country," replied the owner, looking with some solicitude6 into the face of his wife, as though he anticipated some objection to his plan.
"You have adopted it so quick?" inquired the lady. "You have not had much time to think of it."
"I have had all the time I need to enable me to reach the decision to rescue my child from peril7, and save my brother and his family from privation and trouble in the enemy's country. But I have only decided8 what to do, and I have yet to mature the details of the scheme."
"I hope you are not going into any danger," added the wife anxiously.
"Danger!" exclaimed Captain Passford, straightening up his manly9 form. "War with all its perils10 and hardships is before us. Am I a villain11, a poltroon12, who will desert his country in the hour of her greatest need? I do not so understand myself."
37 "Of course I meant any needless exposure," added Mrs. Passford, impressed by the patriotic13 bearing of her husband.
"You may be assured, Julia, that I will incur14 no needless peril, and I think I am even more careful than the average of men. But, when I have a duty to perform, I feel that I ought to do it without regard to the danger which may surround it."
"I know you well enough to understand that, Horatio," said the lady.
"I believe there will be danger in my undertaking15, though to what extent I am unable to say."
"But you do not tell me how you intend to recover Florry."
"I intend to go for her and my brother's family in the Bellevite."
"In the Bellevite!" exclaimed the lady.
"Of course; there is no other possible way to reach Glenfield," which was the name that Homer Passford had given to his plantation16.
"But Fort Morgan, at the entrance of Mobile Bay, is in the hands of the Confederates, and has been for three or four months," said Christy, 38 who had kept himself as thoroughly17 posted in regard to events at home as the sources of information would permit.
"I am well aware of it; and I have no doubt, that, by this time, the fort is strongly garrisoned18, to say nothing of other forts which have probably been built in the vicinity," replied Captain Passford.
"It says in this paper that the ports of the South have been blockaded," said Christy, glancing at the journal in his hand.
"The President has issued a proclamation to this effect, but there has hardly been time to enforce it to any great extent yet. But of these matters I have nothing to say yet. The important point now is that I shall go in the Bellevite to Mobile Bay, and by force or strategy I shall bring off my daughter and the family of my brother."
"Then I suppose Christy and I are to be sent on shore in the tug alongside," suggested Mrs. Passford.
"I should be willing to go with you, and share 39 whatever dangers you may incur," said the lady, who had by this time come to a full realization20 of what war meant.
"I should be a heathen to allow you to do so. A woman would be more of a burden than a help to us. You had better return to Bonnydale, Julia, where I am sure you can render more service to your country than you could on board of the steamer. All that I am, all that I have, shall be at the service of the union; and I wish you to act for me according to your own good judgment21."
"I shall do whatever you wish me to do, Horatio," added the lady.
"My mission will be a dangerous one at best, and the deck of the steamer will be no place for you, Julia."
"Very well; Christy and I will take the tug as soon as you are ready to have us leave you."
"Am I to go on shore, father?" demanded Christy, with a look of chagrin22 on his handsome face, browned by exposure to the sun on the ocean. "I want to go with you; and I am sure I can do my share of the duty, whatever it may be."
40 "You are rather young to engage in such an enterprise as that before me, Christy," added his father, as he gazed with pride at the face and form of his son, who had thrown back his head as though he felt the inspiration of all the manliness23 in his being.
"If there is to be a war for the union, I am a union man, or boy, as you like; and it would be as mean and cowardly for me to turn my back to the enemy as it would be for you to do so, sir," replied Christy, his chest heaving with patriotic emotion.
"I am willing you should go with me," added Captain Passford, turning from the young man to his mother.
There was a tear in the eyes of the lady as she looked upon her son. It was hard enough to have her husband leave her on such a mission: it was doubly so to have Christy go with him.
"Christy might be of great service to me," said his father. "I look upon this war as a very solemn event; and when a man's country calls upon him to render his time, his comfort, even his life, he has no moral right to put himself, his father, his brother, or his son in a safe place, and 41 leave mere24 hirelings, the thoughtless, reckless adventurers, to fight his battle for him."
"I am ready to go, sir," added Christy.
"He may go with you, if you think it best," said the mother with a quivering lip. "I shall miss him, but I am sure you would miss him more."
"My first mission is hardly in the service of my country; at least, it is not directly so, though I hope to be of some use to her during my absence. As I said before, I think my first duty—a duty committed to me by the Almighty25, which takes precedence over all other duties—is, within reasonable limits, to my own family. I will not spare myself or my son, but I must save Florry and my brother's family."
"I think you are right, Horatio."
"On my return I shall present the Bellevite to the Government, which is in sore need of suitable vessels26 at the present time, and offer my services in any capacity in which I can be useful," continued Captain Passford. "Captain Breaker," he called to the commander.
"Here, sir."
"Pipe the entire ship's company on the forecastle, 42 and see that no one from the tug is near enough to hear what is said there."
Captain Breaker had formerly27 been a lieutenant28 in the navy, and the forms and discipline of a man-of-war prevailed on board of the steam-yacht. In a minute more the pipe of the boatswain rang through the vessel, and all hands were mustered29 on the forecastle. The tug was made fast on the quarter of the steamer, and no one from her had come on board.
Captain Passford and Christy walked forward, leaving the lady with her own thoughts. She was a daughter of a distinguished30 officer in the navy, and she had been fully31 schooled in the lesson of patriotism32 for such an emergency as the present. She was sad, and many a tear dropped from her still handsome face; but she was brave enough to feel proud that she had a husband and a son whom she was willing to give to her country.
The ship's company gathered on the forecastle; and every one of them seemed to be deeply impressed with the solemnity of the occasion, for not a light word was spoken, not a laugh played on any face. They had just learned that the country was in a state of war; and the present 43 occasion indicated that the owner had some serious question in his mind, which was now to be presented to them.
The Bellevite was heavily manned for a yacht; but every person had been selected for his position, from the highest to the lowest, with the utmost care by Captain Breaker, assisted by the owner. Every one of them had been attached to the steamer for at least a year, and some of them for a longer period. All of them were personally known to the owner and the members of the family, who had taken the greatest pleasure in improving and assisting them and their families, if they had any.
They were all devoted33 to the owner and the members of his family, who had taken such a strong personal interest in them and theirs. Many instances of the kindness of the lady in times of sickness and death, as well as in the brighter days of prosperity and happiness, could be related; and in return for all this generous and considerate treatment, there was not a man on board who would not have laid down his life for the family.
It was certainly a model ship's company; and 44 if there had ever been another owner and captain like those of the Bellevite, there might also have been such another collection of officers and seamen. But every one of them had been selected for his moral character, not less than for his nautical34 skill and knowledge. In fact, the personal history of any one of them would have been interesting to the general reader.
These men composed the audience of Captain Passford when he took his place at the bowsprit bitts; and, if the occasion had been less solemn, they would have cheered him, as they were in the habit of doing on every suitable opportunity, and even when it was not suitable.
The owner prefaced his remarks with a statement of the events which had occurred in the country since the last dates they had received, and then proceeded to describe his mission as indicated to his wife and son. He fully stated the perils of the enterprise, with the fact that his operations would be somewhat irregular; though he intended to make an immediate35 tender of the vessel to the Government, with his own services in any capacity in which he might be needed.
In spite of the solemnity of the occasion, the 45 men broke out into cheers, and not a few of the sailors shouted out their readiness to go with him wherever he might go, without regard to danger or hardship. One old sheet-anchor man declared that he was ready to die for Miss Florry; and he was so lustily cheered that it was evident this was the sentiment of all.
"I have called the tug at the quarter alongside to convey Mrs. Passford to the shore, though Christy will go with me," added the owner.
At this point he was interrupted by a volley of cheers, for Christy was a universal favorite on board, as Florry had always been; and the ship's company regarded her as a sort of mundane36 divinity, upon whom they could look only with the most profound reverence37.
"In view of the danger and the irregularity of the enterprise, I shall not persuade or urge any person on board to accompany me; and the tug will take on shore all who prefer to leave the vessel, with my best wishes for their future. Those who prefer to go on shore will go aft to the mainmast," continued Captain Passford.
46 Officers and seamen looked from one to the other; but not one of them took a step from his place on the forecastle, to which all seemed to be nailed.
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1
seamen
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| n.海员 | |
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tug
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| v.用力拖(或拉)；苦干；n.拖；苦干；拖船 | |
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vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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mansion
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| n.大厦，大楼；宅第 | |
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momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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solicitude
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| n.焦虑 | |
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peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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manly
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| adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地 | |
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perils
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| 极大危险( peril的名词复数 )； 危险的事（或环境） | |
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villain
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| n.反派演员，反面人物；恶棍；问题的起因 | |
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poltroon
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| n.胆怯者；懦夫 | |
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patriotic
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| adj.爱国的，有爱国心的 | |
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incur
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| vt.招致，蒙受，遭遇 | |
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undertaking
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| n.保证，许诺，事业 | |
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plantation
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| n.种植园，大农场 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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garrisoned
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| 卫戍部队守备( garrison的过去式和过去分词 )； 派部队驻防 | |
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precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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realization
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| n.实现；认识到，深刻了解 | |
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judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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chagrin
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| n.懊恼；气愤；委屈 | |
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manliness
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| 刚毅 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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almighty
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| adj.全能的，万能的；很大的，很强的 | |
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vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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mustered
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| v.集合，召集，集结（尤指部队）( muster的过去式和过去分词 )；（自他人处）搜集某事物；聚集；激发 | |
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distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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patriotism
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| n.爱国精神，爱国心，爱国主义 | |
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devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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nautical
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| adj.海上的，航海的，船员的 | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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mundane
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| adj.平凡的；尘世的；宇宙的 | |
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reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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