While these events were taking place at Hatteras Inlet, Marcy and his brother remained at home, waiting with as much patience as they could to see how the battle was going to end. They knew there was a battle going on, for they heard about it when they went to the post-office on Thursday morning; and if they had believed all that was told them, they would have gone home very much disheartened. One man a.s.sured them (and he got his information from his papers) that the remnant of the fleet, that is to say all the vessels that had not been wrecked when the expedition left Fortress Monroe, had made its appearance in due time, begun the a.s.sault in the most gallant manner, and the few that had not been sunk or disabled by the seventeen heavy guns of the forts, had been scattered by the gale. The flag of the Confederacy waved triumphant, and Hatteras Inlet was yet open to blockade-runners.
When the two were on their way home, and each had read all he cared to read in papers that did not give any reliable information, Marcy inquired:
"How much of those stories do you believe?"
"Not quite half," replied Jack. "Perhaps some of the attacking fleet were sunk; they are liable to be when they go into action. But I believe that if our fellows were whipped, they were whipped by the gale and not by the forts. We ought to hear something definite in the course of a few days."
And they heard something the very next morning; but even then, to quote from Jack, who was very much disgusted when he said it, they "didn"t get the straight of the story." Young Allison did not come out to greet them when they drew up their horses at the hitching-rack (he objected to being called a stay-at-home blow-hard), but Colonel Shelby and his intimate friend, Dillon, were standing close by, and the boys noticed that they looked very solemn.
"Well, the agony is over," said the colonel.
"Have you received some reliable news at last?" exclaimed Jack. "How did it come out? Which whipped?"
"Oh, the Federals overcame us with the force of numbers aided by their long-range guns," answered the colonel. "My paper acknowledges a defeat, but says it doesn"t amount to anything, for it will not help the enemy in any way."
"It will close Hatteras against blockade-runners, will it not?" said Marcy.
"Oh, that doesn"t amount to a row of pins," said the colonel. "We have Wilmington, Charleston, and a dozen other ports that the Yankees can"t shut up for want of a suitable fleet. They haven"t stationed a ship off Crooked Inlet yet, and you and Captain Beardsley----"
"I know they haven"t put a ship there," Marcy interposed. "But if they didn"t have the wickedest kind of a steam launch at that very place the last time I came through, I don"t want to lay up anything for old age.
That night"s work put the blockaders on their guard, and we can"t use that Inlet any more. Beyond a doubt they pulled up our buoys, and more than that, they"ll watch it as a terrier watches a rathole. Beardsley will have to lay his schooner up or go somewhere else."
"You will go with him, I suppose?" said Dillon carelessly.
"I am ordered to report at the end of ninety days," replied Marcy, who knew that the question was meant for a "feeler." "If I live I shall do so; and I expect to stay with the schooner as long as she is in the business."
"As for me, I shall report in less than ninety days," said Jack. "I"ve a notion to start for Newbern to-morrow; and if I find that things are working as I should like to have them, I will return and say good-bye to mother, and some fine morning you"ll see Marcy ride down to the post-office alone."
"Good for you, Jack!" exclaimed the colonel, thrusting out his hand. "I looked for something like this when I heard that you had purchased a Confederate flag and brought it home with you. Where did you get the flag, if it is a fair question?"
"Of a good Confederate," replied Jack readily. "He left it in a certain place, and when I saw my chance I took it."
"Had to take it on the sly, did you? Then there must have been some Union men hanging around."
"There were, several of them; and they were fighting mad, too. But I got away with the flag."
"I hope it will not be the means of bringing mischief to you and your mother," said the colonel; "but if I were in your place, I wouldn"t make it so conspicuous. Now, when you go to Newbern to enlist in the army----"
"But if I go there, it will not be for any such purpose," interrupted Jack. "On land I am as awkward as a mud-turtle; but when I am at sea, I can get about with the best of them. I shall go into the navy if I can get the chance."
"Never fear. You"ll get the chance easy enough. When you return I should like to have you tell me how things look on our side, and what the Yankees are doing at the Inlet."
"You mustn"t be surprised if I don"t," answered Jack, "for I may slip back and slip out again without taking time to say good-bye to anybody.
When I fail to come to town with Marcy, you may know that I am in the navy."
When the boys went in after their mail, they found a silent and sulky-looking company leaning against the counters. They said not a word to the new-comers or to one another, but simply stared at the floor, apparently absorbed with gloomy reflections. Jack and his brother were glad to find them so, for it gave them an opportunity to secure their mail without delay and get away by themselves, where they could exult to their hearts" content over the victory at Hatteras.
"What is this new notion you have taken into your head all of a sudden?"
was the first question Marcy propounded. "You haven"t any idea of going to Newbern."
"Yes, I think it would be a good plan," said Jack. "I want to know just where the Union fleet is, and what it is doing, and I can"t depend upon these lying rebel papers to tell me. So the only thing I can do is to find out for myself; for of course I don"t want to run outside in the _Fairy Belle_ unless I know of a certainty that there is a gunboat there to receive me. If Beardsley"s schooner is in port I"ll take a look at her, and then I can tell whether or not she is the one that chased the _Sabine_."
"She"s the one," replied Marcy. "But you"ll not know her. She is disguised."
Jack said he didn"t care if she had been painted a dozen different colors since he saw her, she couldn"t fool him. He would look at her "general make-up;" and while he was describing some peculiarities in the _Hattie"s_ rigging that Marcy had not noticed himself, they rode through the gate into the yard.
CHAPTER XIII.
UNION OR CONFEDERATE--WHICH?
For the first time since sailor Jack came home he was the bearer of good news, and you may be sure that his mother was glad to listen to it. He declared that he took no stock whatever in the thousand and one conflicting reports that had come to him through the papers, and so suspicious had he become that the only thing that led him to believe the rebels had been worsted in the fight at Hatteras, was because they were willing to confess it themselves. Of course it would not be safe for him to try to carry out his resolve to enlist in the Union navy until he knew just how the land lay; and the only way in which he could find out would be to go to Newbern and make personal observations. If his mother did not object he would start the very next morning and take Marcy with him. This proposition startled Mrs. Gray, for she had looked upon another separation from Jack as something that was far in the future, and would not allow herself to think about it if she could help it. She said nothing discouraging, however, and Jack"s programme was duly carried out.
The trip to Newbern was the most exciting and altogether disagreeable one that Marcy had ever taken on the cars. The train was crowded with soldiers, and among them were some boisterous and inquisitive ones who seemed to think it their duty to question every civilian who came on board. And they did not do it in the most gentlemanly manner, either.
Before the train had left Boydtown a mile behind, a young man, dressed in a neat, clean uniform that had never seen a minute"s service at the front, stopped in the aisle and laid his hand heavily on Jack"s shoulder.
"Look here, my lad," said he, in a tone that was as offensive as his manner, "you are strong and able-bodied, are you not?"
"You"ll think so if you don"t take your hand off my collar mighty sudden," replied Jack, jumping from his seat.
"Hallo!" exclaimed the young man, starting back in some alarm when he saw the sailor"s broad shoulders rising to a level with his own. "I wouldn"t throw on any airs," he added, glancing around at his uniformed companions, who straightway became interested in the proceedings.
"I won"t, and I don"t mean to let you do so, either--not with me,"
replied Jack. "You seem to feel very important because you happen to have some good clothes on, but you haven"t been under fire yet."
"Neither have you," answered the Confederate.
"That"s all you know about it. Now go off and let me alone, or I"ll pitch you through the window."
The young man fell back to call up re-enforcements, and Jack took his seat again.
"It"s all right," said he, when he noticed the troubled expression on his brother"s face. "Because he wears a uniform himself, he thinks he had a right to know why I haven"t one also; but it is none of his business. Besides, it is nothing more than you did to Allison in the post-office at Nashville."
"But I was among friends when I backed Allison down, and these men are all strangers to us," replied Marcy.
"No matter for that. I judge by their looks that they are mostly Americans, and if they are they will see fair play. There will be a white man along to question us presently."
And sure enough there was. The defeated rebel drew back a little way to hold a council of war with some of his friends, and in a few minutes one of these friends, whose uniform was by no means as clean and neat as the others", arose from his seat and came down the aisle.
"Beg pardon, sir," said he respectfully. "I wish to offer a word of excuse for my impulsive young companion"s conduct. He is a warm patriot----"
"So I see," said Jack, with a smile. "A good many get that way the minute they put on a gray suit; but my brother and I, who have already risked our lives and liberty, do not feel called upon to give an account of ourselves to every raw recruit who may demand it. If he had asked me a civil question I would have given him a civil answer."
"Of course; certainly. But I know you will overlook it this time. But are you two really in the service?"
"My brother has been on a privateer and now he belongs to a blockade-runner," answered Jack. "You see he"s got a bad arm, don"t you?