"In charge of the steamer! I would not trust a coward like you in charge of a sick monkey," added Lindley, with his contempt fully expressed in his face.
"See here, Lindley, I don"t mean to be insulted on board of this steamer by my own brother. If you can"t be decent, I have nothing more to say to you!" cried Percy, his wrath breaking out quite violently.
"If you give me an impudent word, I will take you into the boat and put you into the fort," added the major, as he stepped down upon the deck.
"No, you won"t. I will jump overboard before I will be carried to the fort. I have done just what my father told me to do, to say nothing of my mother; and I won"t be insulted by you. It is you who are the coward and the poltroon, to do so," continued Percy, boiling over with rage.
Whatever provocation the major had had for his savage treatment of his brother, the owner of the Bellevite thought his conduct was unjustifiable. The young man was under age; and whether or not his father was less a patriot than his older son, the latter was certainly unkind, ungenerous, and even brutal. Without being a "milk-and-water man," Captain Pa.s.sford was full of kindness, courtesy, and justice. He did not like the behavior of the major towards his brother.
It looked like a family quarrel of the two brothers on board of the steamer; for Percy was evidently "a weak chicken," after all, though he had become desperate under the stings and reproaches of the major. Under present circ.u.mstances, it did not appear that Percy could be of any service on board of the Bellevite, for his brother would not hear a word he said. Captain Pa.s.sford directed the commander to have every thing ready for a hurried movement at once, for there was but little hope of satisfying a man as unreasonable as the commander of the fort had proved himself to be in his dealing with his brother.
The captain of the steamer went to Mr. Vapoor, who was standing near the door of the engine-room, and said something to him, which soon produced a lively effect among the coal-pa.s.sers below.
"I will attend to your case in a few minutes, Percy, for I do not allow any one to be impudent to me," growled the major.
"Nor I either. If you put a finger on me, I will put a bullet through your head, if you are my brother!" yelled Percy, as he took a small revolver from his hip-pocket.
This demonstration increased the anger of Lindley; and he ran up the steps to the rail again, where he called upon two soldiers to come on deck. At the same moment, Captain Breaker, as instructed by the owner, rang the bell on the quarter, and the engine began to move again. Before the men from the boat could leave it, the steamer was moving, and it was no longer possible for them to obey the order.
"What are you about, sir?" demanded Major Pierson, rushing to the commander, not a little excited by what had been done.
"I think this thing has gone about far enough, sir," replied Captain Breaker, as calmly as though there had not been a ripple on the surface of affairs.
"But I came on board of this steamer to make an examination of the character of the vessel," protested the major, who evidently did not like the present aspect of the situation.
"I have waited for you to do so; but I do not care to lose the tide while you are quarrelling with your brother, sir," added the commander.
"But I order you to stop, sir!" continued the major.
"What am I to do, Mr. Percy?" asked Captain Breaker, addressing the young man with a revolver in his hand.
There was something on the part of the commander which indicated that he was playing a part, as were all on board, though he seemed to be a little amused to find that he was taking his orders from a boy of eighteen. At the same time he nodded his head slightly, though very significantly, to the young agent.
"Go ahead just as fast as you can make the steamer travel, Captain Breaker," said Percy, with as much energy as though he had been in command of a Confederate fleet.
"Certainly, Mr. Percy; I shall obey your order, as you have charge of the vessel," added the commander.
This pa.s.sage between the authority of the steamer and his brother absolutely confounded the major, and for a couple of minutes he was unable to say any thing at all. But Captain Breaker, who was the only pilot on board, was obliged to leave the ship"s guest in order to look out for the course of the steamer.
It seemed to be useless to attempt to get over the bar where he had tried to do so; and he directed the vessel towards the main ship-channel, finding plenty of water to enable him to reach it. But he would have to run the gauntlet of Fort Morgan, and the chances of a shot were against him.
"Do you mean to say that Percy is in charge of this steamer, Captain Breaker?" demanded Major Pierson, who had by this time recovered some portion of his self-possession.
"That is what both he and I said to you," replied Captain Breaker.
"And the vessel is to be in the service of the Confederate States,"
added Percy, with more pluck than he had displayed before. "If my brother will not let her pa.s.s into the bay, I will go on sh.o.r.e at Fort Morgan, and explain the situation to the officer in command,"
bl.u.s.tered Percy; and perhaps he would have done just as much under the circ.u.mstances if he had known the vessel was on the other side in the coming conflict.
"Where are your papers, sir?" asked the major.
"We have no papers; and that is why I am come in charge of the steamer,"
replied the agent, who seemed to be quite able to strain a point when necessary.
"We met Colonel Richard Pierson in Na.s.sau, and I believe he is your father and Mr. Percy"s," answered Captain Breaker.
"He is; but I can hardly understand how he happened to send my brother home in charge of this fine steamer," said the major, glancing at his brother.
"Going into the army is not all the duty a man has to do for his country," said Percy warmly.
"May I ask where this vessel came from?" inquired the commander of the fort.
"From New York before she went to Bermuda and Na.s.sau; before that, from England," replied the commander evasively.
"If you are really in charge of the steamer, Percy, I have nothing more to say," continued Major Pierson. "Now may I ask who owns her?"
"Captain Horatio Pa.s.sford, who stands there?"
The officer in command of the fort started back as though he had received another surprise, greater than before.
CHAPTER XII
HOW THE BELLEVITE Pa.s.sED FORT MORGAN
Major Lindley Pierson was plainly very much disturbed when the owner of the Bellevite was pointed out to him by the commander. He had practically retreated from the position he had taken with his brother, and had apparently given up the idea of sending him to the fort to be made a soldier.
From the point which the steamer had reached, just north of Little Pelican Island, Captain Breaker had directed Mr. Dashington to head the vessel to the eastward, through Sand Island Channel; and she was now moving towards the main ship-channel, which pa.s.sed under the very guns of Fort Morgan.
The tug had picked up the boat from the fort on the other side of the bay, and was following the Bellevite, though she had fallen a long way behind her in a very short time. It was about two miles to the more formidable fort, and the steamer was going at full speed, so that it could not be long before a shot would interrupt the harmony of her movements.
In the mean time the commander of Fort Gaines was really a prisoner on board of the Bellevite, for Captain Breaker had started her screw before he could get any of his force on board. But the major was not half so much disturbed by this fact as he was by the consciousness that he had behaved in a very rude, brutal, and tyrannical manner in the presence of Colonel Pa.s.sford"s brother, who had thus far spoken not a word to him.
"Captain Breaker, may I ask you to present me to the owner of the steamer?" said Major Pierson, after he had looked about him for a time, and perhaps considered how he should atone for his rudeness.
"Certainly, if you desire it," replied the commander, who was as polite as though he had been brought up in Paris, though he was hardly an exception to all naval officers.
"Will you excuse me if I say that you are running at great speed, sir, and a shot from Fort Morgan cannot be much longer postponed," added the major, as he glanced at the fort on the right.
"I did not willingly start the steamer, sir; but it was my duty to protect the agent in whose charge the steamer comes into port. If you say that he shall suffer no further annoyance, either on your own part or that of your people, I will stop the screw and wait your pleasure,"
said the commander.
"I have had some difficulty with my brother, and it looked incredible to me that he had come into Mobile Bay in charge of this fine vessel.
I apologize to you and the owner for my rudeness, and a.s.sure you that I will not trouble Percy again while he remains on board," continued Major Pierson, with no little embarra.s.sment in his manner.
"I accept the apology, and your explanation is entirely sufficient. What happens to Mr. Percy after he leaves the steamer does not concern me,"