Christy was satisfied that all was going well in regard to the capture of the Bronx, and he went to sleep after he had disposed of his dinner, and arranged the final details of the enterprise with the second lieutenant2. Mr. Flint was somewhat impatient to carry out his plan; but Christy insisted that nothing should be done till the orders of the flag-officer had been actually disobeyed. It was decided3 that coming about, and heading the Bronx to the westward4 would constitute disobedience.
When Christy awoke it was dark, or at least dusky, as far as he could judge in his concealment6. He heard the rattle7 of dishes, knives and forks in the cabin, and he understood that the captain was taking his dinner. A conversation was in progress, and Christy concluded from the 159 voices he heard that Corny had invited his first lieutenant to dine with him.
"I think we shall be in Pensacola Bay by daylight," said Mr. Galvinne; "and we have just the right kind of weather for our enterprise. It is cloudy, and it looks as though we might have a fog, for they often come up after dark when the wind is as it is now."
"What time shall you come about?" asked Corny, apparently8 from curiosity rather than any especial interest in the navigation of the steamer.
"About nine o'clock; perhaps sooner. Byron will have the deck from eight bells for the first watch; I hope and expect Flint will turn in at that time, for he will have the mid-watch. It might be a little awkward if he happens to be on deck when we change our course from east to west."
Christy did not believe that the second lieutenant would turn in at the time indicated, though he might make a pretence9 of doing so, and shut himself up in his stateroom. Mr. Galvinne proceeded to say that he should have Rockton and Warton ready to make Mr. Flint a prisoner in case he became too inquisitive10. Nichols and Sayles would 160 be available near the quarter-deck in case any demonstration11 was made by any portion of the crew.
"But there will be no trouble of any kind," added the first lieutenant. "We are not carrying sail, and I shall quietly give the word to the quartermaster to make the course west instead of east. Flint is the only man on board who is at all likely to question the regularity12 of the proceedings13 on board; and I do not see how he can do it, for he knows nothing at all about the orders under which we are sailing. In fact, we shall be on the other tack14 before the time comes to open the sealed envelope."
"I hope it will all come out right," added Corny.
"You may depend upon it that we shall be under the guns of Fort Barrancas, or farther up the bay, before daylight," replied the actual commander.
"What am I to do, Mr. Galvinne?" asked Corny.
"Nothing at all; you can turn in as soon as you like and sleep through the whole, for there will be nothing at all to disturb you. As I said, 161 Flint is the only person on board who is likely to make the least trouble, and he will be asleep in his berth15. If he asks hard questions when he comes on deck at eight bells for the mid-watch, our men will secure him. That is the whole of it. I must go on deck now, for I can smell the fog."
"How are you going to get to the entrance of the bay in a fog?" inquired Corny.
"If we keep her due west we shall be all right; and I know this coast as well as I do my father's plantation," replied Mr. Galvinne; and Christy heard him open the door.
"I think I shall go on deck and see the fun, if there is any, and turn in if there is none," added Christy.
The dishes rattled16 for a moment, and then the fugitive17 heard the step and the voice of Dave in the stateroom.
"I done bring you something more to eat, Massa Christy," said the steward18, who appeared to have suffered some lapse19 in his grammar and pronunciation during the absence at the North of his instructor20; and as he spoke21 he handed in a piece of pie and a large slice of cake.
162 Christy was not very hungry after his late dinner, but he ate the dainties brought to him, and found that the cook of the Bronx had lost none of his skill. He might not have an opportunity to eat again very soon, for he did not lose sight of the fact that failure was possible, and he might soon be an occupant of a Confederate prison with Flint, as he had been once before.
Dave busied himself in clearing the cabin table, and Christy impatiently waited the time for the decided action which had been planned. About half an hour later, when he realized from the condition of the stateroom that it was quite dark, the sounds coming to him assured him that the course of the Bronx had been changed as indicated by Mr. Galvinne. No noise or confusion on deck followed it, and the naval22 officer's prediction seemed to be in a fair way to be realized.
Another half hour elapsed, and except the monotonous23 plaint of the screw, no sound was to be heard. A footstep came from the cabin, where Dave was at work, or appeared to be, for he had been stationed there for his part of the programme which was presently to be carried out.
"Steward, light the lamp in my stateroom," 163 said Corny; and Christy was glad to find that he intended to retire for the night, for he had no duties to perform unless there was a disturbance24 on the quarter-deck.
The lamp on gimbols was lighted, and Corny took possession of the room, and had not a suspicion that he was not its only occupant. He lay down in his berth after he had removed his coat and shoes, and in a few minutes Christy judged that he was asleep from the sound of his breathing, which soon degenerated25 into a mild snore. Mr. Flint was to make a beginning in the project, or, as Dave called it, "open the ball."
In less than another half hour, Christy heard a knock on the cabin door, which was the signal from the second lieutenant that it was time to begin operations. He crawled to the front of the space beneath the berth at the sound, and at the same moment Dave came in at the door of the stateroom, which had been left open.
The steward lost no time in acting26 his part, the first step of which was to jam a handkerchief into the half-open mouth of Corny Passford; but he had been counselled to use no more force than was necessary to subdue27 him. Dave then turned 164 him over on his back in spite of his aimless struggles, for, as he was roused from his sound slumber28, he was too much bewildered to accomplish anything like an effective resistance. The strap29 which Christy had provided for the purpose was used in fastening his hands behind him, and so far as Corny was concerned, the battle was fought and the victory won.
Christy had crawled out of his narrow quarters under the berth as soon as Dave began to operate on the sleeper30 above him, and he stood ready to assist the steward if his services were required; but there was hardly anything like a struggle, for Corny had been so completely surprised that he was incapable31 of doing anything in self-defence. With his hands strapped32 behind him, and with the gag still in his mouth, he was permitted to remain in the berth under the guard of Dave.
Not a particle of noise had been made in the stateroom; at least, none that could be heard on the deck above. Christy hastened from the little apartment through the cabin to the gangway, where he found Mr. Flint at the head of the stairs prepared to execute the part of the work assigned to him, which was to fall upon Mr. Galvinne; 165 but he did not appear to be in a favorable position for the attack.
"What are you waiting for, Mr. Flint?" asked Christy in a whisper, as he joined the second lieutenant.
"He has gone into the waist," replied the officer in waiting. "He will be back in a moment."
Christy had looked into the ward5 room as he passed the door, for the captain's cabin was not provided with a separate companion-way, as is usual on men-of-war, for the space could not be spared in so small a vessel33. All was still there, but two men stood near the door waiting for the signal to rush to the deck.
"What are those men doing aft, Mr. Byron?" demanded the first lieutenant, with some excitement in his manner. "They were very nearly on the quarter-deck, and they seemed to be very reluctant to go forward."
"I am sure I don't know, Mr. Galvinne; I did not order them there," replied the third lieutenant, who was in charge of the deck.
"I suppose they have seen that the course of the ship has been changed, and I thought they might have come aft to ask some questions, 166 though the men ought to be better trained than that," added Mr. Galvinne, as he came quite near the companion-way where the second lieutenant was waiting for him, with Christy behind him, and ready to support him.
Mr. Flint sprang upon the quarter-deck and threw himself upon Mr. Galvinne, closely followed by Christy. At the same time, and as soon as the gangway was clear, the two men who had been stationed in the ward room leaped upon the deck, and threw themselves upon the third lieutenant. At the same moment, the six men who had been lurking34 in the waist, and who had attracted the attention of the executive officer, hastened to the scene of the conflict. Rockton, who had been made a quartermaster, and the helmsman, Warton, went to the assistance of the first and third lieutenants35.
Neither of the two disloyal officers of the Bronx was an infant, and each struggled like a brave man against the force that attacked them. Mr. Flint had fallen upon Mr. Galvinne from behind, and had thrown him down at the first onslaught. He fought like a tiger, but with the aid of Christy and two of the men from the 167 waist, he was subdued36, and Christy had a strap ready to confine his hands behind him. Then he was drawn37 over to the rail and made fast to a belaying pin.
Byron was not less energetic than his superior in his own defence, but the two stout38 sailors who had been selected to capture him were more than doubly a match for him, and he was carefully secured. At the same time there was a free fight between Rockton and Warton on the one side, and the sailors who had come aft, but the disloyal tars39 were conquered in the end. The prisoners were all bound and made fast to the rail. The entire watch had come aft while the battle was in progress, and those who had been instructed in the situation and had taken part in the recovery of the ship explained to their loyal companions the meaning of the affair which had just been brought to a conclusion. Involuntarily they gave three tremendous cheers, and then three more for the genuine commander.
Not a few of them who had served with Christy in the Gulf40 declared they had not believed that the person who was the nominal41 captain was their old first lieutenant; they knew that something 168 was wrong, they said, though they could not tell what. Perhaps they found the captain less active than formerly42, and considered him somewhat changed after his visit to the north; but doubtless they were as much blinded by the resemblance as others had been.
"Mr. Flint, I appoint you acting first lieutenant of the Bronx," said Christy, as soon as the affray was over. "You will restore order on board."
The new executive officer sent the men forward, called out one of the old quartermasters to con1 the wheel, and placed a loyal seaman43 under his charge as helmsman. Order was almost instantly restored under his direction, and the men had enough to talk about to last them the entire night. Mr. Flint had his doubts in regard to the security of the prisoners; their bonds of straps44 and rope were removed, and their places supplied by iron handcuffs.
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1
con
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| n.反对的观点，反对者，反对票，肺病；vt.精读，学习，默记；adv.反对地，从反面；adj.欺诈的 | |
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2
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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3
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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4
westward
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| n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西 | |
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5
ward
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| n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开 | |
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6
concealment
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| n.隐藏, 掩盖，隐瞒 | |
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rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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8
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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pretence
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| n.假装，作假；借口，口实；虚伪；虚饰 | |
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10
inquisitive
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| adj.求知欲强的，好奇的，好寻根究底的 | |
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11
demonstration
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| n.表明，示范，论证，示威 | |
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12
regularity
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| n.规律性，规则性；匀称，整齐 | |
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13
proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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14
tack
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| n.大头钉；假缝，粗缝 | |
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15
berth
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| n.卧铺，停泊地，锚位；v.使停泊 | |
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16
rattled
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| 慌乱的，恼火的 | |
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17
fugitive
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| adj.逃亡的，易逝的；n.逃犯，逃亡者 | |
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18
steward
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| n.乘务员，服务员；看管人；膳食管理员 | |
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19
lapse
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| n.过失，流逝，失效，抛弃信仰，间隔；vi.堕落，停止，失效，流逝；vt.使失效 | |
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20
instructor
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| n.指导者，教员，教练 | |
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21
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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22
naval
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| adj.海军的，军舰的，船的 | |
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23
monotonous
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| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
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24
disturbance
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| n.动乱，骚动；打扰，干扰；(身心)失调 | |
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25
degenerated
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| 衰退，堕落，退化( degenerate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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26
acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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27
subdue
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| vt.制服，使顺从，征服；抑制，克制 | |
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28
slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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29
strap
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| n.皮带，带子；v.用带扣住，束牢；用绷带包扎 | |
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30
sleeper
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| n.睡眠者，卧车，卧铺 | |
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31
incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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32
strapped
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| adj.用皮带捆住的，用皮带装饰的；身无分文的；缺钱；手头紧v.用皮带捆扎(strap的过去式和过去分词)；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带 | |
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33
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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34
lurking
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| 潜在 | |
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35
lieutenants
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| n.陆军中尉( lieutenant的名词复数 )；副职官员；空军；仅低于…官阶的官员 | |
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36
subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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37
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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39
tars
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| 焦油，沥青，柏油( tar的名词复数 ) | |
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40
gulf
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| n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂 | |
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41
nominal
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| adj.名义上的；(金额、租金)微不足道的 | |
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42
formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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43
seaman
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| n.海员，水手，水兵 | |
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44
straps
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| n.带子( strap的名词复数 )；挎带；肩带；背带v.用皮带捆扎( strap的第三人称单数 )；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带 | |
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