A Victorious Union Part 27

"Your executive officer will be Lieutenant George Baskirk," continued Captain Pa.s.sford, reading from a paper he took from his pocket.

"Good! He was the second lieutenant of the Bronx when I was in command of her; and a better or braver officer never planked a deck."

"He was available, and I suggested him. Your second lieutenant is Joel Makepeace, just promoted from the rank of master. He is fifty-two years old, but as active as ever he was. He is a regular old sea dog, and commanded an Indiaman for me fifteen years ago; but you never met him.

He has made a good record in the war, and I feel sure that you will like him."

"I have no doubt I shall, father; and I like the idea of having an officer who is old enough to be my father, and who has had a great deal of experience at sea," replied Christy.

"He was an able seaman and petty officer in the navy for three years when he was a young man, and has served as a master from the beginning of the war," continued Captain Pa.s.sford.

"Probably he does not like the idea of being under the command of one who has not yet reached his majority in years," suggested the commander of the St. Regis.

"On the contrary, he seemed to be delighted with his appointment. Your third lieutenant is Ensign Palmer Drake who brought home your prize."

"He is a good man and a good officer, and I am entirely satisfied with him."

"Ensign Barton French is to serve as master on board of your ship. Some doubts were expressed in regard to his knowledge of navigation, and he pa.s.sed a very creditable examination."

"I am very glad indeed that he has obtained his promotion, and that he is to sail with me," added Christy, who had taken quite an interest in him as an able seaman, and had procured his appointment as prize-master of the West Wind.

"Dr. Connolly, who was with you in the Bronx, is your surgeon. The chief engineer of the St. Regis is one Paul Vapoor," continued Captain Pa.s.sford, with a very obvious twinkle of the eyes.

"Paul Vapoor!" exclaimed Christy, leaping out of the chair in which he had just settled himself after the excitement of his father's first announcement had partly subsided.

"Paul Vapoor," repeated the captain.

"It can hardly be possible," persisted Christy.

"What is the matter? Has Captain Breaker fallen out with him?"

"Not at all; the commander of the Bellevite thinks as much of him as ever he did, and even a great deal more."

"Then how under the canopy does Paul happen to be appointed to the St.

Regis?" demanded Christy.

Captain Pa.s.sford took from his pocket a letter he had received from Captain Breaker, and proceeded to read portions of it, as follows: "If Christy is not promoted and given an adequate independent command, I shall be disappointed; and given such whether he consents or not. He has never been wanting in anything; and though I say it to his father, there is not a more deserving officer in the service, not even one who is ten years older. I have expressed myself fully in my report.

I believe his gallant exploit in the late action with the Tallahatchie saved the lives of at least one-fourth of my ship's company; and it thinned out the ranks of the enemy in about the same proportion. Captain Rombold insists that he should have captured the Bellevite if the tide had not been thus turned against him; but I do not admit this, of course.

"I still set the highest value upon the services of Chief Engineer Paul Vapoor, and I should regret exceedingly to lose him. But Christy and Paul have been the most intimate friends from their school days; and if your son is appointed to an independent command, as I believe he ought to be, it would do something towards reconciling him to his appointment if his crony were in the same ship with him. For this reason, and this alone, I am willing to sacrifice my own wishes to the good of the service. I have talked with Paul about the matter, and he would be delighted to be the companion of Christy, even in a small steamer."

"Captain Breaker is very kind and very considerate, as he always was; and I shall certainly feel more at home on board of the St. Regis with Paul Vapoor as her chief engineer," replied Christy; and the effect seemed to be what the commander of the Bellevite antic.i.p.ated. "Go on with the list, father."

"Paul's first a.s.sistant engineer will be Charles Graines," continued Captain Pa.s.sford.

"That is very good; but Charley is a sailor as well as a machinist, and I may borrow him of Paul on some special occasions, for he has what Captain Breaker calls ingenuity, as well as bravery and skill."

"The second a.s.sistant is Amos Bolter, a brother of Leon, who has been first a.s.sistant of the Bellevite from the beginning of the war, and who has been promoted to chief at the suggestion of the commander in the letter from which I have just read. The third a.s.sistant is John McLaughlin, whom Paul knows if you do not. These are your princ.i.p.al officers; and we had better go and see your mother and Florry now."

"I have good news for you and your family, Captain Pa.s.sford, for I am informed that I have been exchanged, and need trespa.s.s no longer upon your generous and kindly hospitality," said the commander.

"That is no news to me, Captain Rombold, for I had the pleasure of suggesting the officers for whom you and the doctor might be exchanged,"

replied the host with a pleasant laugh. "But I a.s.sure you in all sincerity that you have both of you been the farthest possible from trespa.s.sers."

"I do not feel that I have yet half reciprocated the kindness you extended to my son," added Mrs. Pa.s.sford.

"I wish I could do ten times as much for you as I have been able to do,"

said Florry.

"Though wounded I have pa.s.sed four of the pleasantest weeks of my life here; and I shall never forget your kindness to me," said the commander, grasping the hand of his host; and his example was followed by the surgeon.

"We have been made happier by your presence with us than we could have made you, gentlemen," added Mrs. Pa.s.sford.

Not a word about politics or the cause of the war had been spoken.

CHAPTER XXVI

THE ST. REGIS IN COMMISSION

The kindly expressions of feeling which pa.s.sed between the hosts and their guests were far from being mere compliments, for the Confederate commander and surgeon had made themselves very agreeable. Quite a number of pleasant parties had been given in compliment to them and Christy.

But the family felt that they owed a debt of grat.i.tude to their guests which they could not repay; and enemies though they were, the most eminent personages on the Federal side could not have been better treated.

"I am sorry you are going, though I congratulate you on the prospect now before you of returning to your friends," said Captain Pa.s.sford, after the conversation had continued for half an hour. "But I did not come in to receive your adieus; only to introduce to you, and to Mrs. Pa.s.sford and Florry, a new character, who has just stepped upon the stage of action."

"Draw it mild, papa," interposed Christy, shrugging his shoulders.

"I have the pleasure of presenting to you Lieutenant-Commander Christopher Pa.s.sford."

Captain Rombold and Dr. Davidson set to clapping their hands as though they had suddenly gone crazy. When the former had nearly blistered his own, he rushed to the newly-promoted, and grasped his hands with a pressure which made the recipient of his warm greeting squirm with pain.

"I congratulate you with all my heart and mind, Commander Pa.s.sford," he added, with exceeding warmth. "I know that you deserved this promotion, and I was sure you would get it from the moment I saw you in the mizzen rigging of the Bellevite, and within the same minute leaping over the rail of the Tallahatchie, closely followed by thirty or forty of your seamen. I lost all hope of taking your ship then, for almost at the same instant came the discharge of the thirty-pounder I had prepared to lay low half your boarders. I told you this would come, but you seemed to be doubtful of it; and I repeat what I have said before, that G.o.d makes some fully-developed men before they are twenty-one."

The surgeon followed the example of his fellow-prisoner; and then Christy's mother and sister hugged and kissed him, and he heartily returned their affectionate embraces.

"I have only to add that my son has been appointed to the command of the St. Regis, a steamer of over eight hundred tons, and reputed to have a speed of twenty knots an hour, though I have some doubts in regard to the last item," said Captain Pa.s.sford.

"I cannot wish him success in his new command, for that would be treason; but I have no doubt he will damage our cause even more than he has in the past; and so far as he is personally concerned, I can wish him success with all my heart," added Captain Rombold. "I have kept a list of the names of the vessels in the Federal navy so far as I could obtain them; but it does not include the St.-- What you call her?

I never heard the name before."

"The St. Regis, after a river in the Adirondacks," said Captain Pa.s.sford, laughing. "But I can a.s.sure you, Captain, that you know her better than any of the rest of us, for I never even saw her."

"The St. Regis?" interrogated the commander, puzzled by the a.s.sertion.

"Just now this steamer is something like a newly-married widow, for she is entering upon her third name," continued the host, very lightly.

"Formerly she was the Trafalgar, a highly honored name in British history; but more recently she received the name of Tallahatchie; and now she becomes the St. Regis."