the bronx had been three days on the station, christy had made his report in full on her arrival, and the flag officer had visited the vessel in person, in order to ascertain her fitness for several enterprises he had in view. the confederates were not sleepy or inactive, and resorted to every expedient within their means to counteract both morally and materially the efficiency of the blockade.
the bronx was admirably adapted to service in the shoal waters where the heavier vessels of the investing squadron could not go, and her arrival solved several problems then under consideration. captain blowitt and christy had been sent for, and the late commander of the bronx was questioned in regard to the steamer, her draught, her speed, and her ship's company. the damage done to her in the conflict with the escambia had been 236 fully repaired by the carpenter and his gang, and the steamer was in as good condition as when she sailed from new york.
"in regard to the present officers, mr. passford, excepting present company, of course, they are excellent," said captain mckeon, the flag officer. "for the service in which the bronx is to be engaged, its success will depend upon the officers, though it is hardly exceptional in this respect. i understand that you sailed from new york rather short-handed abaft the mainmast."
"yes, sir, we did; but fortunately we had most excellent material of which to make officers, and we made them," replied christy.
"i should like to know something about them; i mean apart from captain blowitt and yourself, for you have already made your record, and yours, mr. passford, is rather a dazzling reputation for one so young."
"i am willing to apologize for it, sir," replied christy, blushing like a maiden, as he was in duty bound to do, for he could not control the crimson that rose to his browned cheeks.
"quite unnecessary," replied captain mckeon, smiling. "as long as you do your duty nobody 237 will be jealous of you, and you will be a fit officer for all our young men to emulate. you were the acting commander on the voyage of the bronx from new york. your executive officer is the present second lieutenant. is he qualified for the peculiar duty before you?"
"no one could be more so, sir," replied christy with proper enthusiasm.
"i can fully indorse this opinion of mr. passford," added captain blowitt. "in the capture and bringing out of the teaser, mr. flint was the right hand man of the leader of the enterprise."
"and i gave him the command of the ocklockonee, after her capture, and she took an active part in the affair with the escambia, sir," said christy.
"then we will consider him the right man in the right place," replied the flag officer. "who is the present third lieutenant?"
"mr. amblen is acting in that capacity at present, and he is a very good officer, though he holds no rank," answered christy.
"then i can hardly confirm him as second lieutenant," added captain mckeon.
"in my report of the affairs with the ocklockonee 238 and the escambia, i have strongly recommended him and three other officers for promotion, for all of them are fitted by education and experience at sea to do duty on board of such vessels as the bronx."
"have you any officer in mind who would acceptably fill the vacant place, captain blowitt?"
"i know of no one at present who holds the rank to entitle him to such a position, and i shall appeal to mr. passford," replied the new commander.
"you have named mr. amblen, mr. passford; is he just the officer you would select if the matter were left to you?" asked the flag officer.
"no, sir, though he would do very well. mr. baskirk, who served as executive officer while mr. flint was away in the ocklockonee, is better adapted for the place," said christy. "he commanded the first division of boarders on board of the escambia, and he fought like a hero and is a man of excellent judgment. i am confident that he will make his mark as an officer. i am willing to admit that i wrote a letter to my father especially requesting him to do what he could for the immediate promotion of mr. baskirk."
239 "then he will be immediately promoted," added captain mckeon with an expressive smile.
"i may add also that i was presumptive enough to suggest his appointment as third lieutenant of the bronx," continued christy.
"then he will be the third lieutenant of the bronx; and what you say would have settled the matter in the first place as well as now," said the flag officer, as much pleased with the reticence of the young officer as with his modesty. "amblen may remain on board till his commission comes, and you can retain him as third lieutenant, captain blowitt, if you are so disposed. i have ordered a draft of twelve seamen to the bronx, which will give you a crew of thirty, and i cannot spare any more until more men are sent down. i may add that i have taken some of them from the bellevite."
"i am quite satisfied, sir, with the number, though ten more would be acceptable," replied the commander of the bronx.
the two officers were then dismissed and ordered on board of their ship. a little later the draft of seamen was sent on board, and among them christy was not sorry to see boxie, the old 240 sheet-anchor man of the bellevite, who had made him a sort of pet, and had done a great deal to instruct him in matters of seamanship, naval customs, and traditions not found in any books.
the commander and the executive officer paid their final visit to the bellevite the next day, and the order was given to weigh anchor. when all hands were called, christy thought he had never seen a better set of men except on board of the bellevite, and the expedition, whatever it was, commenced under the most favorable auspices.
the bronx sailed in the middle of the forenoon, and the flag officer was careful not to reveal the destination of the steamer to any one, for with the aid of the telegraph, the object of the expedition might reach the scene of operations in advance of the arrival of the force. at four o'clock in the afternoon captain blowitt opened his envelope in presence of the executive officer. he looked the paper through before he spoke, and then handed it to christy, who read it with quite as much interest as the commander had.
"cedar keys," said the captain, glancing at his associate.
"that is not a long run from the station," 241 added christy. "we are very likely to be there before to-morrow morning."
"it is about two hundred and eighty statute miles, i had occasion to ascertain a week ago when something was said about cedar keys," replied captain blowitt. "we have been making about fifteen knots, for the bronx is a flyer, and we ought to be near our destination at about midnight. that would be an excellent time to arrive if we only had a pilot."
"perhaps we have one," added christy with a smile.
"are you a pilot on this coast, mr. passford?" asked the commander, mistaking the smile.
"no, sir, i am not; but i remember a conversation mr. flint and i had with mr. amblen, who was engaged in some sort of a speculation in florida when the war came on. he was so provoked at the treatment he received that he shipped in the navy at once. i only know that he had a small steamer in these waters."
"send for mr. amblen at once!" exclaimed the commander, who appeared to have become suddenly excited. "there will be no moon to-night in these parts, and we may be able to 242 hurry this matter up if we have a competent pilot."
christy called dave, and sent him for the acting third lieutenant, for he knew that mr. flint had had the watch since four o'clock. mr. amblen was sunning himself on the quarter deck, and he promptly obeyed the summons.
"i am glad to see you, mr. amblen, and i hope you will prove to be as useful a person as i have been led to believe you may be," said the captain.
"i shall endeavor to do my duty, sir," replied the third lieutenant, who was always very ambitious to earn the good opinion of his superiors. "i mean to do the best i can to make myself useful, captain blowitt."
"i know that very well; but the question now is what you know rather than what you can do as an officer. mr. passford informs me that you were formerly engaged in some kind of a speculation on the west coast of florida."
"hardly a speculation, sir, for i was engaged in the fish business," replied mr. amblen, laughing at the name which had been given to his calling. "when i sold a small coaster that belonged to me, i got in exchange a tug boat. i had been out of 243 health a few years before; i spent six months at cedar keys and tampa, and got well. fish were plenty here, and of a kind that bring a good price farther north. i loaded my tug with ice, and came down here in her. i did a first-rate business buying from boats and in catching fish myself, and for a time i made money, though ice was so dear that i had to sell in the south."
"did you have a pilot on board of your tug?" asked the captain.
"no, sir; i was my own pilot. i had the charts, and i studied out the bottom, so that i knew where i was in the darkest night."
"then you are just the person we want if you are a pilot in these waters."
"what waters, sir? we are now off cape st. blas and apalachicola bay. i have been into the bay, but i am not a pilot in those waters, as you suggest."
"i have just opened my orders, and i find we are ordered to cedar keys," interposed the commander.
"that is quite another thing, sir; and there isn't a foot of bottom within five miles of the keys to which i have not been personally introduced. 244 when i was down here for my health i was on the water more than half of the time, and i learned all about the bay and coast; and i have been up the suwanee river, which flows into the gulf eighteen miles north of the keys."
"i am exceedingly glad to find that we have such an excellent pilot on board. i am informed in my orders that schooners load with cotton at this place, and make an easy thing of getting to sea," added captain blowitt.
"i should say that it was a capital port for the confederates to use for that sort of business. small steamers can bring cotton down the suwanee river, the railroad from fernandina terminates at the key, and this road connects with that to jacksonville and the whole of western florida as far as tallahassee."
"we may find a steamer or two there."
"you may, though not one any larger than the bronx, for there is only eleven feet of water on the bar. probably no blockaders have yet been stationed off the port, and it is a good place to run out cotton."
"i am much obliged to you, mr. amblen, for the information you have given me, and your services 245 will probably be in demand this very night," added the commander, rising from his chair.
"i am ready for duty at all times, sir," replied mr. amblen, as he retired from the cabin.
the charts were then consulted, and sundry calculations were made. at one o'clock that night the bronx was off cedar keys.
