mrs. passford was astounded at the news brought in by her son, and miss florry was terrified when informed that major pierson was not far from the mansion. but paul vapoor assured the latter that there was no danger, and christy convinced his mother, who had a great deal of confidence in him, that he was fully equal to the occasion.
"but i do not see that you can beat off the assailants if they happen to get alongside of the bellevite," suggested mrs. passford. "there are only four of you at the most."
"i hope for re-enforcements," replied christy, as he rang a bell for a servant. "beeks and thayer, two of the quartermasters, live in the village; mr. watts, the chief steward, and three others of the old ship's company, live near here, and i think we can raise half a dozen more, making ten in all."
93 "i know where to find half a dozen coal-passers," added paul.
"then we shall do very well if we succeed in finding all these," added christy, as the man-servant came to the door.
"call up all the stablemen, and have two horses saddled as quick as possible," continued christy to the man.
"what's that for, christy?" asked paul, who had succeeded in quieting the fears of miss florry.
he was not altogether inexperienced in this duty, for the young lady had been alarmed more than once on board of the steam yacht, and he was always more successful than any other person at these times.
"i can't stop to talk it all over, paul; but if you will trust me, i will tell you as we go along what i think of doing," replied christy.
"all right, midshipman; i belong to the engine department, and we always obey orders even if the ship goes down," added paul, laughing.
"i am willing enough to tell you, but i have not the time to spin a long yarn, and perhaps answer objections, just now. we will mount the 94 horses as soon as they come to the door, and drum up the force we have mentioned."
christy continued by giving paul the names of those he was to visit and summon to the deck of the bellevite, and then they were to meet at a given place. they mounted the two fleet horses which christy had selected for the occasion, and dashed off to the town, a short distance from the river. the middy found the two quartermasters, who boarded in the same house. they were to go on board of the steamer at once; but beeks was to bring a canoe from the boat-house to the point on the shore nearest to the bellevite before he went on board. both of these men were cautioned not to say anything about any person they might see, and the same instruction was given to all the others whose services were required.
mr. watts had not retired when christy called at his house, and he was duly startled by the information the young officer gave him. he was as ready to take part in the enterprise as even the middy himself, and he was conducted to the place where paul was to meet the leader. he had more calls to make than christy, and they had to wait some time for him; but when he did come, he 95 reported that he had found and sent on board all the firemen and coal-passers he had named, and a few more, besides the old sailors who had sailed for years in the yachts of the owner of the bellevite.
the services of about a dozen had been procured, but half of these were to do duty in connection with the engine, and the party so hastily gathered were not strong enough to beat off the force of the enemy if they attempted to board the vessel.
"now, paul, i want you to understand the whole affair before we go any farther; and i wish you would go on board and take the command there," said the midshipman, as soon as the engineer had reported the result of his mission.
"but are you not going to be on board, christy? i don't pretend to be a sailor or a gunner," said paul.
"i shall go on board as soon as i can," replied christy. "you will find a boat on the shore, near the steamer, and you will go on board in that; but have the boat sent back for me."
"all right, christy; i will obey orders," added paul, as he dismounted from his horse.
"mr. watts will take your horse, and ride with 96 me down the shore. we can see the river all the way, for we shall not stick to the road when it leads us away from it. as soon as we discover the steamer that is to bring up the enemy, i will run my horse back to this point, and go on board."
"that is all easy enough," added paul.
"easy enough; but i can form no idea as to when the steamer will come. we may have to wait till morning for it, and perhaps the plan of the enemy will fail, and they will not come at all."
"if they don't come to-night, they never will; and there will be time enough for the home guard to scour the woods, and arrest all suspicious persons."
"i said what i did so that you need not be impatient if you have to wait a long time. you will have a watch kept from the moment you get on board, and no stranger is to be allowed to put a foot on the deck. captain carboneer may send some one of his party to see that everything is working right on board for his side of the affair."
"i will do that."
"see that the steam is well up, so that we can move off in good time if we find it necessary to get under way," continued christy.
97 "i thought that was a settled point, and the ship was to be taken down the river in any case," said paul.
"i supposed so myself in the beginning; but if it is not necessary to run away, i don't care to do so. let boxie see that the cable is buoyed and ready to run out at a moment's notice."
"all right, midshipman," replied paul, as he hastened to the boat.
"why does he call you midshipman?—that is a new name," said the chief steward.
"he brought me the news this evening that i had been appointed in the navy with that rank," replied christy. "now we will ride down the river. do you happen to know what time it is, mr. watts?"
"i don't know, but i think it is about half-past eleven. i am not much of an equestrian," replied the steward, as he mounted the horse, "for i have been to sea all my life; but i think i can stay on if the beast don't run away with me."
"he is perfectly gentle, and he will not run away with you. we have no occasion to ride fast, and we may not have to go more than two or three miles."
98 they rode along the river for a few minutes, and then christy reined in his steed and dismounted. he went to the water side, at a point where there was a bend, and carefully examined the surroundings, both above and below. he could not see the bellevite in the darkness, for he had directed the engineer to allow no light to be shown on board of her. he had brought a little mathematics into his calculations, and he had pointed the big gun of the steamer so as to cover the craft with the walking-beam when she came in sight around this turn of the stream. by this plan she was sure to come into the range of the piece, no matter on which side of the channel she was moving.
"now, mr. watts, i have a further duty for you to perform," said christy, as he explained his plan to the steward. "we shall go down the river till we meet this steamer which conveys the enemy. as you are a sailor as well as a caterer, you have a nautical eye, and when you have seen this steamer you will know her again."
"trust me for that. if it is the old tub i think it is, i know her already," answered the steward.
"what steamer do you think it is?"
99 "the old vampire; and if you give her much of a rap, she will go to the bottom without the least difficulty."
"i don't care where she goes to, provided she don't put her passengers on board of the bellevite. but i am taking you down the river with me in order that you may see her and know her."
"i shall know her as soon as i see her."
"as i said before, i shall run my horse back and get aboard of the bellevite as soon as i am satisfied that the enemy are moving up the river," continued christy.
"i am afraid i shall not be able to keep up with you if you run your horse," suggested the steward.
"i don't want you to keep up with me. you can come along as leisurely as you please, though you must not let the enemy get ahead of you."
"if the enemy are in the old vampire, i could keep ahead of her on foot."
"you had better keep ahead of her on your horse about a quarter of a mile, or more; but your main duty will be here. i have brought with me half a dozen roman candles, and i am going to fix them in the ground on this spot. here is a 100 bunch of matches," said christy, handing it to him.
the steward watched the midshipman while he planted the fireworks in the sand, and particularly marked the spot where they were located, for his companion told him he was to fire them, and he must be ready to do so without any delay.
"a boy could do that and like the fun of it," said mr. watts, laughing at the simple duty he was to perform.
"but it is the time that you are to do it, and the boy might be skylarking, or become impatient. this signal of the fireworks is to assure us at the right moment that the vampire, if it should be she, is in the place where i expect her to be."
"i understand it perfectly."
"after i leave you, another steamer may come along, and get to this point ahead of the vampire; and i should be very sorry to blow her out of the water, or sink her under it. you are to let us know by this signal that it is the vampire, and no other, that is coming round the bend. you had better leave your horse a short distance from the river, for that gun will make every pane of glass within a mile of it shake when it is discharged."
101 "you may be sure that i will not be on his back at that time."
"still further: i have planted six candles in the sand. you will light only one of them when the steamer begins to round the bend. that will be enough to inform us of the fact on board of the bellevite."
"what are the others for?" asked the steward, taking a memorandum-book from his pocket as though he intended to write his instructions.
"it is not necessary to write it. we shall not be able to see what effect the shot produces after we fire. if the vampire, always supposing she is the one, is not hurt, light a second candle—only one of them. if she should be disabled, you will light two candles."
christy repeated what he had said, and was careful not to give the steward too much to remember. as soon as the matter was fully understood, the middy mounted his horse, and they proceeded on their mission down the river. after they had ridden about three miles, mr. watts insisted that the steamer was coming, and that it was the vampire.
"i don't see anything," added christy.
102 "neither do i; but i know that the vampire is coming up the river. if you listen, you will hear a hoarse puffing; and nothing but that old ark could make such a wheezy noise," replied the steward.
the middy heard it and was satisfied.
