"I have not seen him since he left Philadelphia in the Chatauqua."
"I have."
"You were in the Chatauqua with him?"
"For a short time."
"I had a letter from him, dated at Richmond, saying that he had changed his plans."
"Changed them--did he?" said Somers, who had changed them for him.
"Perhaps you will inform me how you happened to be on board this vessel."
"I don"t object; it makes little difference what I say now. After obtaining the command of the Tallapoosa for Pillgrim, I went to Wilmington, where I was to take command of the Coosa."
"You mean the Ben Nevis."
"I do."
"I thought you were to call her the Louisiana."
"We did not always give you correct information," added Langdon, with a sickly smile.
"Go on."
"While at Wilmington I got a letter from Pillgrim, then in Richmond, informing me that the Ben Nevis had been captured, and that I was appointed first lieutenant of the Tallapoosa, if I chose to take the place. I did choose to take it, hoping soon to be in command of one of the California steamers. I went to Mobile at once, and attended to the fitting out of the ship. Pillgrim wrote me that he should be on board by the 22d, and I had steam up to run out the moment he arrived."
"How happened you to tell your officers that Pillgrim was coming down in a Yankee man-of-war?" asked Somers.
"That was his original plan. Though he wrote me from Richmond, I did not know but that he intended to return to the Chatauqua. He gave me no particulars; did not tell me that his plans had failed, only that he had changed them. When he wrote that he should be on board by the 22d, I knew he was coming down by land, and I corrected my statement. Now, Mr.
Somers, will you tell me how you happen to be here?"
"Marine, bring out the other prisoner," said Somers, who had been instructed by Captain Cascabel to confer with the conspirators, if he could obtain any information from them.
The discomfited, crestfallen commander of the Tallapoosa was brought from his room by a marine. He saw Somers, and started back with astonishment. He was pale and haggard, as though he had been spending his time in drinking bad whiskey, and in other debauchery. He had upon his face a fortnight"s growth of black beard, and looked more like "Coles" than when Somers had last met him. His captor concluded that his misfortunes on board the Chatauqua had depressed his spirits, in spite of the cool look he had before carried, and that he had given way to dissipation. He certainly appeared like a person who had just come out of a hard "spree."
In the Ben Lomond there was a door opening from the ward-room into the captain"s cabin. The vessel had evidently been built for a swift pa.s.senger steamer. The ward-room was a portion of the main cabin, from which the steerage and engineers" rooms had been parted off; while the captain"s cabin was the original "ladies" saloon." Langdon had been conducted by the marines through this door to the captain"s cabin, where the conversation with him had taken place. Pillgrim was in the same manner introduced to this apartment.
"Mr. Somers!" exclaimed the traitor.
"Yes, sir. In the letter you sent me from Old Point Comfort,--and I am greatly obliged to you for the information contained in that letter,--you expressed a hope that you should meet me on board of the Ben Lomond. Your wish has been realized," replied Somers, taking the original letter, with other papers, from his pocket.
Pillgrim trembled in every fibre of his frame. It was not thus he had hoped to meet his enemy.
""If you capture the Ben Lomond, it will make you a lieutenant. Do it, by all means,"" continued Somers, reading the last paragraph of the letter. "This was your advice. I have done it."
Pillgrim made no reply. His pale, haggard face, darkened by his half-grown beard, was contorted by emotion, and his bloodshot eyes had lost their fire.
"You don"t seem to enjoy the situation so much as your letter intimated that you would."
"Mr. Somers, I am your prisoner," said he, with a desperate struggle.
"You are; you will not have the pleasure of hanging me at the yard-arm."
"I am bewildered--overcome."
"So was Langdon."
"I see why you did not join your ship before," said Langdon, with a sneer, as he glanced contemptuously at his princ.i.p.al. "You have been dissipating."
This remark brought forth an angry retort from Pillgrim, and for a few moments each traitor reproached and vilified the other, much to the amus.e.m.e.nt of the marines, and to the disgust of Somers, who was compelled to interfere. Langdon"s severest charge against his late captain was, that he had betrayed their schemes by writing letters, and in other stupid ways. Pillgrim denied it.
"Mr. Somers has just thanked you for the information contained in your letter," sneered Langdon. "He has good reason to do so."
"I gave him no information that could be of any service to him."
"You gave him the name of the vessel," retorted Langdon.
"But I did not tell him where she was."
"You gave me that information, Mr. Langdon," said Somers, quietly.
"I?"
Somers exhibited the letter in cipher.
"You could not read that without the key," protested the writer of the note.
"The first word I made out was "Langdon:" the next, "Ben Lomond." I am indebted to both of you. The moral of the whole affair is, that treason cannot prosper. I am indebted to both of you for the information which enabled me to capture the steamer. Gentlemen, it becomes my duty to conduct you on board of the Chatauqua."
"No, Mr. Somers!" groaned Pillgrim, "spare me that."
"I must obey my orders."
The traitor objected strongly to being taken into the presence of the officers of the ship in which he had so recently served. He protested that he had but a few days to live, and begged to be saved from this humiliation. But Somers, though he was not without pity for the degraded and disgraced wretch, had no alternative but to obey the orders of Captain Cascabel.
Langdon accepted his misfortunes with more resignation. He was quite cheerful, and volunteered to tell all he knew, though he was very bitter against Pillgrim, who, he declared, had ruined all their hopes by his dissipation, his silly pretensions, and his reckless exposure of their plans.
Somers was now satisfied that Pillgrim had been intoxicated when he came over the side of the Ben Lomond the night before, which accounted for his violent conduct, and which was one of the accidents which a.s.sisted in the easy capture of the vessel.
Both the prisoners were examined on board the Chatauqua; and, with the explanations of Somers, their operations were clearly comprehended. They were placed in confinement, to await the final decision in regard to them. In the forenoon Somers was sent to make his report to the admiral.
He was warmly received, judiciously commended, and courteously dismissed. The young officer"s respect and admiration for the "Brave Old Salt" were not diminished by his second interview.
In the afternoon the Ben Lomond, in charge of an acting ensign, was sent to Pensacola, where she was to remain until further orders. It was surmised that the admiral, not wishing to spare any of the best officers of the fleet, when on the eve of a mighty event, had decided to let the prize remain in port with her prisoners until a more favorable season.
Be this as it may, the Old Salamander kept everybody busy for the next ten days, when, the monitors having arrived, and all the ships intended for the attack being in complete readiness, the order was given for the battle, which now stands without a parallel in the annals of naval warfare.
CHAPTER XXV.