"Here we are, my Chinese friend," said Percy, as he joined Christy on deck, and made out the tall tower in the distance. "I wish I was on the Island of Nassau, instead of here."

"Why, Mr. Percy, this is your own, your native land; and in China we always used to have a warm affection for our own country," replied Christy.

"You didn't have to go into the army there," said Percy with a sigh.

"But don't you want to go into the army?"

"Certainly I do; that is the dearest wish of my heart. But my father would not let me, and what could I do?"

"If you were bent on it, like a patriot, as you must be, you could run away and enlist. I don't know but I shall do that when I get back to China."

"I don't like to do any thing to make my poor father unhappy. I am afraid my absence now, without his knowing where I am, or whether I am dead or alive, will bring on a fit of sickness."

"But I am sure he would be very proud of you if you should run away and join the army."

"Perhaps he would; but I should not feel very proud of myself if I did a thing like that. I am only afraid I shall meet my brother, Major Pierson, and that he will make me go into some regiment against the wishes of my father and mother. He is not willing to hear a word from either of them," replied Percy, disgusted with the prospect before him.

"He is very patriotic," suggested Christy.

"He is altogether too patriotic for me. But don't misunderstand me: I am really very anxious to go into the army, and fight the enemies of my country."

"I see that you are, and perhaps you and I had better run away and enlist."

"My conscience would not let me do that contrary to the wishes of my parents," replied Percy, shaking his head vigorously.

"But you may not see your brother the major; for probably he has been ordered away with his regiment before this time," said his companion in comforting tones, though he was not as sincere as he generally was.

"I am afraid I shall; and I fear, that, in the absence of my father, he would put me into the ranks in spite of all I could do."

"But your mother is at home."

"Lindley don't care a rush for what she says in this matter, for he insists that a boy of eighteen ought not to be tied to his mother's apron-strings when his country needs his services, I may see my brother before we get fairly into the bay."

"Where in the world are you going to see him before you get on shore?" asked Christy, becoming more interested in the conversation.

"I believe he is in command of the garrison at Fort Gaines, though I am not sure," replied Percy, suddenly looking more disconsolate than ever at the prospect of meeting his patriotic brother.

"What makes you think he is?" asked Christy, with the feeling that he might be on the point of obtaining some useful information.

"They talked of sending him there before father and I left for New Providence."

"I supposed your brother was a young fellow like yourself."

"I believe he is twenty-six years old; but he has been two years in a military school in North Carolina, and they say he is a good soldier, and knows all about guns and forts and such things."

"Where do you think we are likely to overhaul him?"

"I don't know much about this business; but don't a boat have to come out from the fort and see that this vessel is all right before she can go into the bay?" asked Percy.

"I don't know about that. We may run into the bay without waiting for any boat."

"Then they fire on you from the fort," suggested the disconsolate.

"We rather expect that," added Christy quietly.

"You do?"

"Of course, a shot from the fort may blow us out of the water; but we can't help that, and we must take our chances of being hit."

"But that is terribly risky business, and the whole of us may be killed before we get by the fort."

"Of course: that may be the case; but we have no papers, and we have to take things as they come."

"It isn't pleasant to take cannon-balls as they come, for they are apt to hit hard. But they won't fire at us if a boat comes off to examine the vessel."

"But in that case you will have the pleasure of meeting your brother the major."

"And whatever he may do with the steamer, he will take me to the fort with him, and put me into the ranks."

"Perhaps we can save you from such a fate in some way," suggested Christy, who was already doing some heavy thinking on his own account.

"I wish you would!" exclaimed Percy, catching at the straw held out to him.

"There is time enough, and I will see you again," added Christy, as he joined his father on the forecastle, where lie was taking a survey.

The owner's son had an idea, and he thought it was a good one. Without losing any time, he laid it before his father, explaining it in detail. He was even ready to remove objections to the scheme, and was confident that it would succeed. Captain Passford called the commander, and informed him what his son had suggested. Captain Breaker heartily approved it; for, if it failed, it would leave the steamer in no worse position than before, with all her chances of running the gauntlet successfully still open to her.

Christy was the best person on board to manage the details, for he was the most intimate with the son of the purchaser of vessels. He returned to that part of the deck where he had left his companion. He found that Percy was very anxious to see him again, for he had founded a hope on what had been said before.

"I think we can manage it, Mr. Percy, if you will do just what you are told to do," Christy began.

"I will do all that to the letter," protested Percy; and a smile actually lighted up his face at the prospect of escaping the fate to which his father and mother objected so strongly.

"You see the trouble with the Bellevite is that she has no papers; not even a letter from the Confederate agent who is picking up vessels for the navy. But I think we can manage it if you will learn your part correctly."

"I will do that. Do you think you can really keep my brother from taking me to the fort?" asked Percy, his tones and manner burdened with anxiety.

"I feel almost sure of it."

"Good for you!"

"You must go into the cabin now with me. They are just starting up the steamer again, and she will soon reach the channel where she is going into the bay."

The owner and the commander were busy in instructing the ship's company in regard to what would be expected of them as soon as the Bellevite was in motion again. All the men spoken to smiled as they heard what was said to them, and they evidently regarded the whole affair as a decided pleasantry. But they all promised to be very discreet, and to say only what they had been told to say if they were called on for any information by Confederate officials.

In the mean time Christy was very busy with his pupil, who entered heartily into the plan which promised to save him from shouldering a musket in one of the companies of his brother's regiment. He had been quite enthusiastic from the first; and, as he was deeply interested in the result of the adventure, he was a very apt pupil.

As the Bellevite approached the Middle Channel, a tug-boat was discovered off Fort Gaines, which immediately began to move towards the approaching steamer. Examined with the glass, a heavy gun was seen on her forecastle.



CHAPTER X

THE ATTEMPT TO PASS INTO MOBILE BAY

The tug appeared to be one of the craft which had been hastily prepared for service, and she did not look like a formidable vessel. Captain Breaker was sure he could blow her out of the water with his heavy guns, on an emergency; but this would be bad policy, and he did not propose to do any thing of this kind.

He was not as confident as Captain Passford and his son were that the plan adopted would be an entire success, with the assistance of Percy; but there could be no harm in trying it. He intended to pass as near Fort Gaines as possible, for it was not probable that the works were yet in the best condition; and two miles from Fort Morgan, which was doubtless much stronger, would afford a better chance of escaping any shots fired from it.

As the Bellevite approached the channel, where there could not be more than a foot of water under her keel, Christie came on deck, followed by Percy. The latter wore a sort of naval uniform, which his instructor had borrowed for him from his own stock. It fitted him well; for he was no larger than the owner's son, though he was two years older.

Percy was to be on duty, on board of the steamer, as a Confederate agent taking the vessel into the bay for service. He was not a little inflated by the position which had been assigned to him, though he had no powers whatever, except in appearance. He had been instructed to conduct himself boldly, and to insist that the vessel was in his charge, when she was boarded by officers from the tug or from the fort. His very nature inclined him to play this part to the best advantage.

The blockade had been established at some of the northern ports of the seceded States, but not yet at the cities on the Gulf of Mexico; and the only real obstacle to the passage of the Bellevite into the bay consisted of the two forts, for the tug-boats were not regarded as of any consequence to an armed steamer of great speed like the Bellevite,

"We are approaching the shoal water now," said Captain Breaker to Mr. Vapoor, as the steamer came near the south-eastern end of Pelican Island. "We may take the ground, for the shoals have an ugly trick of changing their position. Let her go at about half speed."

"Half speed, sir," replied the chief engineer, as he descended to the engine-room.

"Is it fully high tide now, Breaker?" asked Captain Passford, who was watching the movements of the vessel with the most intense interest, for it seemed to him that the critical moment in his enterprise had come.

"Not quite; it will not be full sea for about half an hour," replied the commander. "If we take the ground, we shall have some small chance of getting off.—Mr. Dashington."

"On duty, sir," responded the first officer.

"Beeks has the wheel, I believe?"

"Yes; and Thayer is with him."

"They are both reliable men; but I wish you would stand by the helm, and see that the steamer is headed directly towards the eastern end of Dauphine Island. That will give us the deepest water till we get to the spit. Have a man in the port and starboard chains with directions to sound as fast as possible."

"Mr. Blowitt," called the first officer, "let a hand sound in the port and starboard chains, and look out for it yourself, if you please."

The second officer went forward and the first officer aft, each to perform the duties assigned to him by the captain. The speed of the Bellevite had been reduced, and she was going along at a very easy rate. The tug was some distance beyond Fort Gaines when she was first seen, and she seemed to be incapable of making more than six knots an hour.

The steamer had taken on board all the coal it was possible for her to stow away in her bunkers, and a large supply had been put into the hold; but she had used a considerable portion of it in her rapid passage, though she had still an abundant supply for her return voyage. The reduction in the quantity had made her draught somewhat less, and the owner and captain hoped she would get through the channel.

But the thought had hardly passed through their minds before the Bellevite came to a sudden stop, and her keel was heard grinding on the bottom. Mr. Vapoor heard the sound in the engine-room, and felt the jar; and before any bell came to him, he had stopped the machine, and reversed it so as to check the steamer's headway.

"Run her back with all the steam you can crowd on, Mr. Vapoor," said Captain Breaker, as he hastened to the door of the engine-room.

"I don't think she hit the ground very hard, captain," added the chief engineer.

"No; she will come off. The ground has shifted since I was here last," said the captain of the vessel.

But it was half an hour before she yielded to the pressure brought to bear upon her, and then only because a few inches had been added by the tide to the depth of water. She went back, and came into depth enough to give her a foot under her keel.

"It don't look very hopeful," said Captain Passford, as he joined the commander at the door of the engine-room.

"Oh, I think we shall be all right now!" replied Captain Breaker very cheerfully. "I have found where the shoal is now, and I know where to find deeper water.—Keep her going astern, Mr. Vapoor."

"A boat from the fort, sir," reported a messenger, who had been sent aft by the second officer on the forecastle.

"That looks like an inquiry into our business here," added the owner.

"Now we are all right," said the commander, who was watching the position of the vessel very carefully. "I must go to the wheel, and look out for the course myself."

Again the Bellevite went ahead; and she soon reached a point half way between the two forts, and her speed was reduced to not more than three knots. But the tug was approaching, and the worst part of the channel was still to be attempted. The two men in the chains reported the depth as rapidly as they could heave the lead, and it was soon evident that the steamer could not pass the extensive bar to the westward of the ship-channel.

"Steamer ahoy!" shouted the captain of the tug, as he stopped his screw within hailing-distance of the Bellevite.

"Reply to that hail, Mr. Percy," said the commander to the young gentleman in uniform. "You must do all the talking."

"I shall be very happy to do it, and I think I can do it to your satisfaction," replied Percy confidently.

"Jump up on the rail nearest to the tug, where you can see and hear."

"I am not much of a sailor, Captain Breaker, and I don't pretend to be one," added Percy. "What shall I say to the captain of that boat?"

"On board of the tug!" shouted the agent of his father, after the commander had instructed him in regard to his speech.

"What steamer is that?" demanded the master of the tug.

Captain Breaker instructed him in what manner to make his reply, though he did not tell him what to say. The young man was to explain the character of the vessel as he understood it; and neither the commander nor the owner was disposed to indulge in any unnecessary strategetical falsehood, though they felt that they could do so in the service of the Union.

"The Bellevite from Nassau," replied Percy.

"Is she a Federal vessel?" inquired the captain of the tug with the greatest simplicity.

"A Federal vessel!" exclaimed Percy, evidently expressing by his manner some of the indignation he felt. "Do you mean to insult me, sir?"

"No, I do not mean to insult you; but it becomes necessary for me to ascertain something more in regard to the steamer," returned the other. "Where are you from?"

"I told you the vessel was from Nassau."

"But she don't hail from Nassau. Where did she come from before that?"

"From Bermuda," answered Percy, as instructed.

"But she don't belong to Bermuda."

The volunteer agent of the Confederate cause was not able to answer any questions in this direction, and the commander did not tell him what more to say.

"Can you tell me who is in command of Fort Gaines at the present time?" demanded Percy, branching out on his own account.

"I can; but I want you to tell me something more about the steamer, before I answer any questions. Is the steamer armed?"

"She is armed; and she could blow your tug into ten thousand pieces in four minutes if she should open upon you," added Percy; and the listeners were of the opinion that he was beginning to use strong speech.

"That may be; but with a fort on each side of you, I don't think you will get into the bay in broad daylight," said the captain of the tug. "The commander of Fort Gaines is in that boat, and I suppose he is coming off to examine the steamer. As you are not disposed to answer my questions, you can wait for him; but if you try to get into the bay, you will find that a shot from both forts can reach you."

"I am an agent of the Confederate government, and my father has been sent to Nassau to obtain vessels for our navy," continued Percy, as he saw that the boat from the fort was still some distance from the vessel.

"Why didn't you say so before?" demanded the captain of the tug rather impatiently. "Of course you have some papers from the agent at Nassau, to show what the vessel is."

"Not a single paper; he had no time to give me any."

"Who is the agent?"

The question was evidently put as a test; for if the young agent, as the captain could see that he was, gave a known name, it would be some evidence that he told the truth.

"Colonel Richard Pierson; and he is my father."

"Your father!" exclaimed the other, evidently impressed with the fact, and his tone was more respectful.

"You can come on board and see her for yourself," suggested Percy, prompted by the commander; for there was nothing on board to betray her true character, the guns having been concealed.

"I will not do that, as the commander of the fort will soon be here, and he may make the examination for himself. But perhaps you will be willing to give me your name?" added the captain.

"My name is Percy Pierson; and, as I told you, I am the son of Colonel Richard Pierson."

"Then you are the brother of Major Pierson, who is in command of Fort Gaines. I think it must be all right."

"Of course it is all right. Do you think I would bring a vessel into this bay if she were not all right?" inquired Percy with becoming indignation.

"I suppose you have heard there is going to be a war, and it is necessary to find out what vessels go into the bay," said the captain of the tug, when he had brought his craft quite near the steamer. "That is a very fine vessel."

"It is the fastest and strongest steamer that floats, and she will give a good account of herself when the trouble begins in earnest."

"Here comes the boat from the fort, and I see that Major Pierson is in the stern sheets. I have no doubt he will find you all right," said the captain.

The boat came alongside of the Bellevite, and the major went on board.



CHAPTER XI

THE MAJOR IN COMMAND OF FORT GAINES

Percy Pierson retained his position on the rail when his brother the major came up the gangway steps, which had been put over for him. As the latter went up, he could not help seeing him; and his astonishment evidently mounted to the highest degree, as manifested in his expression. The owner and the commander stood near the rail, to give the visitor a pleasant reception.

But the major took no notice of them; for his attention was plainly absorbed in his surprise at seeing his brother, dressed in uniform, on the rail of the steamer. He halted as soon as he had mounted the rail, over which he must pass to reach the deck. He looked at Percy for some time, without being able to say a word, and seemed to be not quite sure that it was he.

The younger brother was as silent as the older one; for he had had some rather exciting times with him in the matter of enlisting, and he was not very confident of his reception at the hands of the commander of Fort Gaines. He looked at him with interest, not unmingled with some painful solicitude for the future.

"Percy!" exclaimed Major Pierson at last, when he was entirely satisfied that the young man was his brother, in spite of the uniform of blue he wore, though the gray had not yet come into extensive use.

"Lindley!" added the younger, evidently desiring to go no faster than the occasion might require of him.

"I am glad to see you back again," continued the major, without offering to take his hand. "You deserted like a coward, and I have been ashamed of you ever since. A young fellow like you, eighteen years old, who will not fight for his country, ought to lose the respect of even his own brother."

"That is a pleasant greeting," replied Percy, with the suspicion of a sneer on his face.

"It is all that a coward deserves," replied Lindley severely.

"I am no coward, any more than you are," protested Percy. "You know that father did not wish me to join the army, though I wished to do so."

"I know that you wished to do so just as any other coward does,—over the left."

"What could I do when father told me not to go to the war?"

"What could you do? You could have gone! If you had not been a poltroon, you would have joined the first regiment that came in your way."

"I never was in the habit of disobeying my father," pleaded the young agent.

"You were not? You ran away to New Orleans last winter when your father told you not to go. You came home from the academy when he told you to remain there. You have spent the evening in Mobile when he told you not to go there. I could tell you instances all day in which you disobeyed him, and mother too," continued the soldier warmly.

"That was different."

"It was different; and you could obey your father in a bad cause, but not in a good one. I am heartily ashamed of you, and I don't feel willing to own you as a brother of mine."

"But my father told me that I could better serve the good cause by going with him than I could by joining the army."

"And you were willing to go with him, for then you could keep out of danger. Father is getting old, and he is not fit to serve in the army; and you have been his pet since you were born. But that is no excuse for you; and if I can get you back into the army, I mean to do so."

Percy was afraid he might succeed, and he did not feel as confident as he had been; and he lost, for the time, some of his self-possession. He was confronting the fate he had dreaded when he found the steamer was leaving Nassau.

"What are you doing here?" demanded the major, looking down upon the deck of the vessel for the first time.

"I am taking this steamer into the bay, where she is to go into the service of the Confederate States," answered Percy, plucking a little more confidence from the nature of his present occupation.

"You are taking her into the bay!" exclaimed the older brother.

"That is what I said, and that is what I mean," added Percy, glad to see that his mission had produced an impression.

"Taking this steamer into the bay!" repeated the major, evidently unable to comprehend the mission of his brother. "Do you mean to say that you are taking her in, Percy?"

"That is what I mean to say, and do say."

"Are you the pilot of the steamer? I should think you might have been, for she was aground just now," sneered the commander of the fort.

"I am not the pilot, and I don't pretend to be a sailor; but the steamer is in my charge," replied Percy, elevating his head to the need of the occasion.

"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 Passford 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 circumstances, 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 Passford 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-passers 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 passage 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 pass into the bay, I will go on shore at Fort Morgan, and explain the situation to the officer in command," blustered Percy; and perhaps he would have done just as much under the circumstances 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 Nassau, 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 Nassau; 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 Passford, 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 PASSED 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 passed 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 Passford'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 assure you that I will not trouble Percy again while he remains on board," continued Major Pierson, with no little embarrassment 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," answered Captain Breaker with a polite bow, as he went to the quarter and rang the bell to stop her.

When he had done this, he conducted Major Pierson to the quarter-deck, where Captain Passford and Christy were seated, and formally presented him to both of them.

"I am most happy to make your acquaintance, Captain Passford," said the commander of Fort Gaines, as he extended his hand to the owner, which was taken, though the expression of the gentleman from the North did not indicate that he was very well pleased with him.

To Christy he was as polite as to his father, and to both he was almost obsequious. It was rather difficult for father or son to realize that this was the man who had threatened to send his own brother to the fort as a soldier, to say nothing of the abusive language he had used.

"I am very glad to see you in the State of Alabama, Captain Passford, and especially at this time," the major began; and it looked as though the cordiality of his welcome was to compensate for former rudeness.

"I am not a total stranger here," added the owner rather coldly.

"It affords me a degree of pleasure I cannot express to see you come here, as events are getting big all around us, and with such a fine steamer. I am sure the Government will regard you as one of its greatest and truest benefactors," continued Major Pierson.

"It is my intention to serve the good cause with whatever measure of ability I may possess; but I do not care to say any thing at all about my purpose till I have talked with my brother. I hope I shall find my brother Homer in full sympathy with me in my views," added the owner, though it was not a pleasure to him even to deceive an enemy.

"Colonel Passford!" exclaimed the major. "Have you any doubt about him?"

"Hardly any, though I prefer to talk with him before I say much on my own account."

"Colonel Passford is not a very demonstrative man, but no one in the vicinity of Glenfield has any doubt as to how he stands on the great question."

"I think no one will have any doubt as to how I stand, as soon as I take my position."

"Certainly, sir, you will give no doubtful sound."

"I hope not."

"I came on board to examine this steamer before we permitted her to pass the forts," continued Major Pierson. "I find her in charge of my brother, in the absence of any letter from my father or other Confederate agent. I humbly apologize for the rudeness of which I was guilty, though I assure you I have had abundant provocation for it."

"That is a family affair with which we have nothing to do beyond the proper protection of the young agent in charge of the steamer."

"I wish to say that I am entirely satisfied, Captain Passford, and I am heartily delighted to learn that you are about to make your residence in this section of the country," said the major, who seemed to have assured himself on this point without much assistance from those most deeply concerned.

The owner looked at him, and tried to ascertain what was passing in his mind; and it was not a very difficult enterprise to accomplish his purpose. The hint he had received about the frequent visits of Major Pierson at Glenfield seemed to explain the present operations of his mind. Florry Passford was a beautiful young lady of eighteen, and any young man of twenty-six could easily have been excused for making his visits very often at the mansion in which she resided.

Though the fond father was not disposed to interfere unnecessarily with the choice of his daughter, even the hint that she might be entangled more than a thousand miles from her home had given him a positive shock. Now that he had seen the young man, and observed his conduct on board of the Bellevite, he most earnestly hoped that she was not in any degree committed to him. He had an additional inducement to get her away from the home of his brother, and the thought of it nerved him to increased exertion. What he had seen of the commander of Fort Gaines, though he appeared to be a faithful, patriotic, and energetic young man, as he understood his duty to his country, assuredly he was not the person he would have chosen for Florry. But his brother could tell him more about it, and how far the matter had gone, when he saw him.

By the time Captain Passford had settled his conclusions as far as he could, the tug came up to the steamer, towing the boat from the fort, Percy felt that he had won a victory over his brother, and a Bantam rooster could not have made a wider spread on the deck. He seemed to feel that he was in command of the steamer, though he did not venture to interfere with any thing on board.

"I am very sorry to have given you any annoyance, Captain Passford," said the major, as the tug came up to the gangway. "I think we should have understood each other better if your steamer had not got aground."

"We have suffered little or no inconvenience, sir."

"Whether you have or not, you shall suffer no more. The tug has come alongside, and I will see that you are not delayed a moment after I can get to Fort Morgan, which will certainly fire upon you if I do not interfere; and I will go to it in the tug," continued the major, who was still struggling to make all the atonement in his power for his former conduct.

"You are very kind, Major Pierson, and I am under obligations to you. I have not seen my daughter for nearly six months, or my brother; and the sooner I meet them, the better I shall like it," replied the owner.

"I have had the pleasure of meeting your daughter several times, as your brother's plantation is next to my father's. It is possible that, if the exigencies of the coming war permit, I may desire to address a communication to you at no distant day," said Major Pierson, with considerable embarrassment in his manner.

Captain Passford made no reply to this remark; for he thought it was entirely out of place under present circumstances, and hoped matters had not gone far enough even to think of future formalities. The major shook hands with the owner and his son, and then with the commander, and went over the side. As he did so, he requested Captain Breaker not to advance till he reached the fort, or at least not to attempt to pass it.

The tug-boat went off on its course, but it was nearly half an hour before it got near enough to the fort to allow the Bellevite to start her screw. As there was nowhere less than three fathoms of water, and Captain Breaker knew every inch of bottom, he directed Mr. Vapoor to hurry the engine, so that no one should have time to change his mind. The steamer shot by the fort as though she did not like the looks of it, and in another half an hour she was out of the reach of its guns.

The commander had piloted the steamer to her present destination before; and there was plenty of water till she nearly reached the wharf, where the planter could load small vessels with cotton. It was not within the city of Mobile, though it was not far from it; and it was a sort of low-ground paradise, which money and taste had made very beautiful.

"What am I to do now, Mr. Pierson?" asked Percy, when the steamer had come to her moorings alongside the wharf.

"That will be for you to decide, Mr. Percy: but you had better take that uniform off before you live any longer, for I am afraid some one will mistake your character if you wear it on shore," replied Christy.

"I don't know that I shall go on shore," replied the agent doubtfully. "I got by my brother very nicely, thanks to Captain Breaker; for I should have been sent to the fort if he had not started the screw."

"Do you think you are in any danger here?" asked Christy.

"I know I am. My father's house is over in that direction about half a mile. My brother can leave the fort any time he likes; and he will either do so, or send some of his men up here in the fast tug to catch me."

"Why don't you go into the army, if your brother is so anxious about it, Percy?"

"That is just what I want to do, but my father positively forbid my doing so," replied the volunteer agent. "I should like to get back to Nassau; for I know I shall be forced into the army, in spite of my father, if I stay here."

"My boy," called his father, "I am going on shore now, and I should like to have you go with me to see your uncle."

Christy was glad to do so; and he departed with the owner, leaving Percy in charge of the commander.



CHAPTER XIII

A DECIDED DIFFERENCE OF OPINION

If Homer Passford was not a rich man in the sense that his brother was, he was still a wealthy man, and lived in a style as elegant as that of any nabob in the South. More than this, and of vastly more consequence, he was a good and true man. He was a member of his church, and his brother believed that he was a genuine and true religious man. The same principles of justice, humanity, and fairness had been born into both of the brothers, and inherited from the same father.

This was the brother whom he from the North was about to visit on the most solemn and momentous questions which could unite or separate the only two sons of the same father. Though Horatio had reasoned himself into the belief that Homer was as strongly a Union man as he was himself, he had argued without any adequate premises; and now, when he was almost on the threshold of his door, he did not feel sure of the position of his brother, though his hope was very strong.

It was with no little trepidation on this account that he rang the bell at the front door of Glenfield. A few minutes or an hour or two would settle the momentous question, and decide whether or not all the family, as well as Florry, would take passage in the Bellevite for a more Northern clime.

"De Lo'd!" exclaimed the venerable colored man that came to the door. "De hull family done be wery glad to see you, Massa 'Ratio."

"I hope you are very well, Pedro," replied Captain Passford, as he gave his hand to the old servant. "Here is Christy."

"De Lo'd bless Massa Christy!" And he shook hands with the son as he had with the father.

"Is your master at home, Pedro?" asked the visitor, in haste to see his brother.

"Yes, sar; all de folks to home; jes' gwine to lunch. I spects dey all wery glad to see Massa 'Ratio and Massa Christy. Walk in, sar; took a seat in de parlor; and I done reckon we call Massa Homer and de rest ob de folks afore you gits to sleep in yer char, thar," said Pedro, as he scurried out of the room where he had shown the visitors.

It was Florry who caught the first sound of the visitors who had arrived, and she rushed into the drawing-room before the others could be called from up-stairs. She bounded into the room like a fawn, with her eyes swimming with tears, and threw herself into her father's arms. She could not speak a word, and the captain was as dumb as she was.

For a moment she remained folded in his arms, and then she gently disengaged herself, to render the same wealth of affection in its manifestation to her brother, who was standing by her father when she darted into the room. But Christy was a boy, and not as demonstrative as his father, though he discharged the duties of the affecting occasion with becoming fidelity, so that the loving girl was sure that his heart was where it had always been.

"Why, papa, I had no idea of seeing you to-day!" exclaimed Florry, when she had wiped away her abundant tears. "I did not know that I should ever see you again, for they say that all the roads to the North have been closed to travel."

"We did not come by land, either by railroad or otherwise; and the Bellevite lies at the wharf near this house," the captain explained.

"I was terribly afraid I should never see you again, and that I should have to stay here till this war is ended, papa; but they say it will soon be over," said the fair girl.

"I am afraid it will not be over for a long time, for each side is firmly united in its own cause. But I could not leave you here. Do you want to go back to Bonnydale, Florry?"

"Do I want to go back? What a funny question, papa!" exclaimed she.

"Why is it a funny question?" asked the anxious father, recalling the rather presumptuous suggestion the gallant major from Fort Gaines had made.

"Don't you think I want to see mamma? You have not told me a word about her; and it is a long time now since I have heard any thing. I do want to go home, and especially I want to see mamma."

"Then you shall see her."

"Is she here, papa?" exclaimed Florry, leaping out of the chair in which she had seated herself.

"She is not here, my child. She is at home, but it will not take many days to bear you to her," replied the devoted father, embracing her again, while she kissed him over and over again.

"Can I see her before the war is over, papa?" she asked.

"Certainly you can, if no accident interferes with my plans. You really want to go home?"

"To be sure I do. How cruel it is of you to ask me such a question!"

"Then I won't ask it again. But perhaps you will not be able to come to Glenfield again for years," added Captain Passford, looking earnestly into her face.

"What makes you look at me so, papa? What have I done? You look just as you did when I was little and pulled the kitten's tail."

"It is a long time since I have seen you, Florry and I want to look at you all I can."



"Then you may look at me as much as you wish; and I shall be thankful it is not that Major Pierson who comes here, for he has stared me out of countenance every time he came," replied she, blushing a little.

"Then you don't like him, do you?" asked her father, with more interest than he cared to display.

"I like him well enough, but I wish he would not stare at me all the time. He seems to think I am good for nothing but to look at," replied Florry smartly.

But the entrance of Mr. and Mrs. Passford turned aside the inquiries the captain was making before he had satisfied himself, though he had obtained enough to afford him some hope. The greeting extended to the brother and nephew was all that could be expected or desired; and if the country had not been riven into two bitterly hostile sections, the interview could not have been more brotherly and affectionate. A full hour was used in talking about the trip of the Bellevite, so anxious were the family, including Florry, to hear the particulars of the voyage.

"But how in the world did you get here, Horatio, when every public conveyance that leads into the South has been discontinued?" asked Homer.

"I came as I came before," replied Horatio.

"You came in the Bellevite!" exclaimed Homer.

"I did."

"But how did you get by the forts? Both of them have been garrisoned, and they have been ordered to allow no vessel to pass unless she give a good account of herself," continued the planter.

"In other words, it is war now," added Horatio.

"Undoubtedly it is war; and, in my judgment, it will be a terrible conflict before it is finished."

"I fully agree with you, Homer."

"But you did not tell me in what manner you passed the two forts, which are already strong enough to blow your steamer into a thousand pieces," suggested Homer.

"I did not tell you, and I think we had better understand each other a little better before I say any thing at all about the passage of the forts; though I can assure you that not a single shot was fired at the Bellevite," said Horatio, somewhat embarrassed by the situation.

"De lunch am ready, saw," said a darky at the door at this moment; and perhaps the summons saved the owner of the Bellevite from some further annoyance.

An hour was spent at the table, for there was enough to talk about without meddling with delicate subjects. When the repast was over, Florry invited her brother to look at the flower-garden, which was in the height of its glory, and she was followed by Gerty her cousin, and by Mrs. Passford. As in the Northern family, there were only two children; but Cornelius, or Corny as he was generally called, was not at home, though nothing at all was said about him.

Horatio was invited into the library by his brother, and they seated themselves for a long talk. The owner of the Bellevite was confident that he should soon know on which side the planter belonged, though he was still confident in his former views.

"I suppose there is no other way for you to get here at the present time except in your yacht, and not many men can command so elegant and substantial a vessel as the Bellevite," said Homer, when they were seated. "But what in the world do you expect to do with her down here?"

"I intend to return to my home in her, and to take my daughter back to her mother," replied Horatio, as unmoved as though he had uttered a commonplace expression.

"Take Florry back to her mother!" exclaimed Homer, springing out of his armchair as though his five-and-forty years counted for nothing. "I hope that nothing at all is the matter with your brain, Horatio."

"Nothing at all, so far as I am aware, Homer. You seem to think it is a great undertaking to take my daughter home," added Horatio.

"But it is war in this country, and all along the coast. You will certainly be captured, and your daughter sent to a prison, at least till she can be sent home. You have not more than one chance in ten to get to New York."

"Do you think so?" asked Horatio, smiling.

"If you don't know it, I do, my dear brother, that the Southern Confederacy has sent out agents to buy up all the suitable vessels they can find, to do duty as cruisers and privateers. You are almost sure to be captured, and think what Florry would suffer in such an event."

"You seem to think that the North is going to hold still, and let you do all this, Homer," added the owner of the Bellevite.

"I don't see how the North can help itself."

"My information is rather meagre; but I am informed that the Government of the United States has proclaimed the blockade, and even that it is enforced farther north, as I am sure it will be on the south."

"That is all nonsense, Horatio, and you know it."

"I don't understand it so."

"How is it possible for the Yankee Government to station ships-of-war on the coast of the Southern States? It is simply impossible," said Homer, warming up with the argument. "The business of fitting out vessels is already begun, I read in the newspapers; and it will be pushed to the utmost."

"I am confident that every Confederate port in the United States will be invested by one or more vessels within a reasonable time."

"But your steamer will be captured before you can get home, even if you get out of Mobile Bay."

"I don't apprehend any difficulty on that account. If the Bellevite can't keep out of the way of any thing that floats, she deserves to be captured. She will belong to the Government within a few weeks," added Horatio quietly.

"The Bellevite!" exclaimed Homer.

"The Bellevite, certainly. I should be ashamed to retain her a month after I knew that the Union needs her, and the Union shall have her as a free gift," added Horatio, quite as warmly as his brother had spoken.

"You will give your steamer to the Yankee Government!" gasped Homer, rising from his chair again, and darting across the room, as though he was both shocked and disgusted at the conduct of Horatio. "You will allow her to be used in subduing a free people? I am sorry."

Homer was very deeply grieved, and Horatio hardly less so.



CHAPTER XIV

THE BLUE AND THE GRAY

To Captain Passford the question seemed to be settled; and he could no longer doubt that his brother fully sympathized with the leaders of the rebellion, if he was not one of them himself. He was certainly the most enthusiastic person he had yet seen on that side of the question. But Homer was thoroughly sincere, for he never was any thing else on any subject.

Horatio was unable to understand how his brother could reason himself into the belief that secession was right, when the duty of saving the Union was to him paramount; and certainly Homer was equally puzzled over the political faith of Horatio. Until the darkness of evening began to gather, they argued the tremendous question; and they discussed it ably, for both of them were thinking and reasoning men.

But, when the darkness gathered, they were not one hair's-breadth nearer an agreement; and probably if they had continued to argue till morning, or even till the end of the year, they would have come no nearer together. Each had a sort of horror of the views of the other, though they had lived in peace and harmony all the days of their lives.

"Homer, you are my brother; and I am sure that an unpleasant word never passed between us," said Horatio, when the sun had gone down on the fruitless discussion.

"Certainly not, brother; and it grieves me sorely to find that you are upon one side, while I am on the other," replied Homer with a strong manifestation of feeling. "I did not expect to see you at Glenfield; but I felt sure that you would not be found, actually or constructively, in the ranks of the enemies of the South."

"And I was equally sure that you would be found on the side of your country,—the whole country, and not a miserable fraction of it," added Horatio, with quite as much warmth as his brother. "I came here in the Bellevite as much to convey you to a place of safety, as to restore Florry to her mother."

"My country is here in the South. I have no other country; and I shall stand by it to the last ditch, wherein I am ready to cast all that I have and all that I am. If you thought it possible for me to desert the cause of the South, you strangely misjudged me; and I do not feel at all complimented by the formation of your opinion of me," said Homer, with a trifle more of bitterness in his tone and manner than he had used before.

"I see how it is with you, Homer; and I realize that it is worse than folly for us to discuss this important question. Your mind is made up, and so is mine; and I fear that we might quarrel if we should continue to bandy words on the subject. We had better drop it entirely, once for all."

"Perhaps we had; but it grieves me sorely, even to think of my only brother taking part with the hirelings of the North in an attempt to subdue the free, untamed, and untamable South. It would not hurt my feelings more to know that you were a buccaneer, roving on the ocean for the plunder of all nations."

"You should also consider my feelings when I think of you in armed rebellion against the best government God ever allowed to exist; that my own brother is a rebel and a traitor, who is liable to be shot or hung for his armed treason."

This was too much for Homer, and he gave vent to his emotion in a laugh at the picture his brother had drawn. He walked the library, and chuckled as though he were actually amused at the remarks of the other; and perhaps he was.

"I am really and heartily sorry for you, Horatio. Your future, I fear, will be terribly dark. Of course, all business will cease at the North: the grass will grow in the streets of New York and other large cities. You have an immense fortune, which I do not believe you can retain a single year; for the war is not to be confined to Southern soil, but will be carried into the North, where the expenses of our men will be paid by the enemy."

"I think we had better confine our attention to the present, and let the future take care of itself," said Horatio, with a smile at the prophetic croakings of his brother.

"Be that as it may, though I feel confident that all I predict will come to pass, I desire to have one thing understood: when you have lost your fortune, or wasted it on the hireling armies of the North, or on ships for its navy, you may always be sure of a home at Glenfield for yourself and all your family."

"If you do not lose or waste all that you have on the army of the other side," added Horatio with a smile. "But I am ready to drop this subject."

"It seems to be useless to continue it; though, if there were any possible way to convert you from the error of your way of thinking, I would struggle all night with you," said Homer.

"You cannot make a traitor of me, brother. But I must tell Florry to pack her trunk at once."

"Pack her trunk? Why are you in such a hurry?" demanded Homer.

"Because this is not a safe place for me and mine; and I have my two children with me."

"You ought to have left Christy at home."

"I think not. Though he is only sixteen, he has seen so much of the world, and is so bright, that he is almost a man. He will go into the navy within a few weeks, and I shall expect him to give a good account of himself."

"He is rather young. Corny is eighteen, and he has already enlisted with his mother's blessing and mine. But I think you need not be in such a hurry, Horatio, to get away from here; for it is a long time since we met."

"I have expressed my political sentiments very freely to you, Homer, and you know as well as I do, that, if they were known, I should not be safe a single day."

"Not quite so bad as that, for I think I should have sufficient influence to save you from arrest," added Homer.

"The Bellevite cost me over half a million dollars, and she is worth all she cost. If I were safe a single day, the steamer and ship's company on board of her would not be. I brought them down here, and I intend to take them back."

"And then you present this fine vessel to the Yankee Government, and doubtless the men on board of her will go into the service of the navy."

"I certainly expect as much as that of them."

"Then I question whether I ought to allow such a prize to pass out of the bay for such a purpose," said Homer.

"Then, with such a doubt as that in your mind, I ought not to remain here another hour," added Horatio quietly. "If you have gone far enough in treason to betray your own brother, coming here to your home for no warlike purpose, into the hands of the enemy, why, all I can do is to look out for myself."

"I did not say that I should betray you, Horatio. It is simply a question with me whether my duty to my country will allow me to let your steamer leave these waters. I have not settled the question in my own mind."

"I hope you will settle it soon. If I am to take my first step in this fratricidal war by defending myself against my own brother, let him speak, and I am ready," replied Horatio, shaken by an emotion deeper than he had ever experienced before.

"Horatio, whatever you may do, whatever I may do, each in the discharge of his duty to his country, his country as he understands it, let us have no unfraternal feeling," continued Homer, almost as much disturbed in his feelings as his brother.

"In other words, if you hand me and my vessel over to your leaders, and consequently take from me the means of bearing my daughter to a place of safety, I am to put my hand on my heart, and say that my brother has done right, for I will not use any stronger terms," said Horatio, struggling with his emotion.

"I must do my duty as I understand it," protested Homer. "The question I put to myself is this: can I justify myself, before God and my country, if I permit the finest steamer in the world, as you state it, to be transferred to the Yankee navy, to be used in killing, ravaging, and destroying within the free South? The steamer is here, and within my reach. After all you have said, she would be the lawful prize of any tug-boat in the bay that could capture her. I begin to realize that I should be guilty of treason to my country in letting her go."

"You must be your own judge in regard to that," replied Horatio bitterly, as he rose from his chair and walked towards the door.

"One word more, Horatio. I look upon the Bellevite as already belonging to the Southern Confederacy. Of course, being a private yacht, she is not armed?"

Homer paused and looked at his brother as though he expected an answer to this question; but the owner of the steamer made no reply.

"Do you say that the Bellevite is armed, Horatio?" repeated Homer.

"I do not say any thing about it. I find that I am in the presence of an enemy, though he is my own brother."

"Do not assume that tone to me, Horatio: it wounds me to the heart," said Homer, in a deprecatory tone. "If we are enemies because you choose to oppress our people, I cannot help it; but we will still be brothers."

"The attack upon Fort Sumter was made by the South; and thus far, at least to the extent that I have been informed, the South has been the assailant; and you say that I choose to oppress your people. They have taken the sword, and they will perish by the sword."

Captain Passford could not trust his feelings any longer to remain with his brother, and he left the room. In the hall he met Florry, who had been lying in wait for him for over an hour. She threw herself on his neck as she had done before; but she found her father full of energy, and he was not even willing to use his minutes to caress her.

"What is the matter, papa?" asked the fair girl, astonished at the manner of her father, for she had never before seen him so agitated.

"Do not ask me any questions, Florry, for I have not time to answer them now," said he hastily. "Go to your room and pack all your things as quick as you possibly can, and without saying a word to any one."

"Why, papa!"

"Not a word, my dear child," he added, kissing her.

"It will not take me five minutes, papa; for I have been packing my trunk this afternoon, when I had nothing else to do."

"Where is your room, Florry?"

"It is on the lower floor, next to the library."

"I will be there in a few minutes. Dress yourself, and be ready to leave at a minute's notice," continued Captain Passford. "Where is Christy?"

"He went out about an hour ago, when he saw from the window a young man I did not know," replied Florry, as she passed into her room.

Captain Passford wondered who the young man was whom his son had gone out to meet; for no one was allowed to leave the deck of the Bellevite who belonged to her, and he was not aware that Christy had any friend in the vicinity. He was annoyed at his absence, for he wanted him at that very moment.

Mrs. Passford and Gerty were up-stairs, where nimble fingers were busily at work for the soldiers of the Southern Confederacy, as they were also in the North for the Union. The captain looked all about the house, but he could not see or hear of his son.



CHAPTER XV

BROTHER AT WAR WITH BROTHER

Captain Passford was very much annoyed at the absence of Christy at that particular moment, for it seemed to be heavily laden with momentous events to him and his family; though Christy could not possibly know what had transpired in the library between the two brothers. He waited very uneasily in the hall, after his return from his search.

Homer Passford did not come out of his library, and he sat brooding over the remarkable interview which had taken place between the brothers. No doubt he would have been glad to believe that he had been wrong; for he had nothing but the kindest feelings in the world towards his brother, and had never had in all his life. He was five years older than Horatio; and, in their earlier life, he had been to some extent his guardian and protector, and he had never lost the feeling of boyhood.

But he had proved himself to be a patriot of the severest type, and proposed to rob his brother of his steamer, his only means of conveying his daughter to his home, for the benefit of the fraction of the nation which he called his country, and more to prevent her from being transferred to the navy of the Union.

While the captain was waiting in the hall, the library door opened, and Homer presented himself. He invited his brother to return to the apartment, for he had something to say to him; but Horatio positively declined to do so, fearful that they might come to an open rupture if the exciting discussion was continued.

"But you will hear me a moment or two, will you not, Horatio?" asked Homer; and his lips quivered under the influence of his active thought.

"I will as long as that," replied Horatio.

"I have been thinking of the subject of our conversation in relation to the Bellevite; and I have something to propose to you, which I hope will satisfy you, and at the same time will not rob our Government of what now belongs to it."

"I am listening," added Horatio, as Homer paused to note the effect of his proposal.

"You did not tell me how you got by the forts in your steamer, and perhaps you are ready to do so now."

"I am not ready now; and I am not likely to be ready at any future time to do so, Homer. You have indicated that we are enemies, and each should keep his own counsels."

"Of course you will do as you think proper. I cannot reconcile myself to the idea of permitting a fine steamer like the Bellevite, now virtually in possession of the Confederacy, to sail away out of the bay. I feel that I should be guilty of treason to my country to do so."

"And you propose to steal her from your own brother, if you can. You have done a large business in stealing forts, and one ought not to be surprised when you propose to steal a ship," replied Horatio mildly but sternly.

"I pass over the injustice and unkindness on your part of that remark, and I hope you will accept my offer."

"Let me hear it as soon as possible."

"In spite of your present, unfortunate position, Horatio, I believe you are still a man of truth, honor, and integrity."

"Thank you, Homer."

"I do not wish to keep Florry here when her mother desires so much to see her, and I have hit upon a plan by which you can do this without making me a traitor to my country."

"It must have been a happy thought," added Horatio, somewhat interested in what the other was saying.

"I think it was a happy thought, and I sincerely hope you will be able to accept the plan. I have some little influence in this section, and I have no doubt I can procure a pass for your steamer to go to sea," continued Homer, pausing to study the expression of his brother.

"Do I understand that you propose to do this, Homer?" asked Captain Passford, not a little astonished at the apparent change his brother had made in his position.

"On a certain condition, which you can easily meet."

"It looks as though you were becoming more reasonable. What is the condition on which you will do this? For I should certainly prefer to have no shots fired at the Bellevite while Florry is on board of her."

"As I have said, your word is as good as your bond; and I am willing to accept the consequences of the step I propose to take, since the Confederacy will not suffer any loss or detriment on account of it."

"It will not!" exclaimed the captain, beginning to see that he could not accept the conditions.

"It will not. I could not injure or cheat my country, even to serve my only brother, greatly as I desire to do all I can for him."

"But what is the condition, Homer?" asked Captain Passford, who had by this time lost all hope of the plan.

"You shall take Florry to some point,—Bermuda, for instance,—from which she can obtain passage to New York. Before you go, you shall give me your simple word that you will return to Mobile Bay with the Bellevite, and surrender her to the Confederate authorities. I am entirely willing to accept your promise to do this, without any bond or other writing."

"Is that all?" asked Horatio, hardly able to contain himself.

"That is all; what more do you desire?"

"Nothing; that is enough. I have already tendered my steamer to the Government of the United States; do you think me capable of surrendering my vessel to rebels and traitors, under any possible circumstances? I would blow her up with all on board of her, before I would do such a thing. You insult me by proposing such treachery to me. Not another word about it, if you please!"

Homer returned to his library, and closed the door after him; for the last remark of the owner of the Bellevite had excited him, and he could not trust himself to remain any longer in the presence of his Union brother.

"I am all ready, papa," said Florry, who had opened the door once before, and found that her father was engaged.

"I cannot find Christy, but I hope he is not far off," added Captain Passford, as he went into the room, and, to the astonishment of his daughter, bolted the door after him.

"I did not know the young man he went out to see, but I noticed that he looked something like Major Pierson," said Florry.

"Then it was the major's brother, and he came from Nassau with us on board of the steamer. I hope neither of them will get into any trouble, for all this country is in a very excited condition," said the captain, as he carefully opened the window at the side of the apartment.

This was quite as singular a movement as bolting the door; and the fair girl, who had heard some of the energetic conversation in the hall, began to think that something strange was about to transpire in the mansion. Her father spent some time in looking out the window; for it was now quite dark, and he could not make out objects outdoors very readily.

The window opened upon a lawn covered with orange, magnolia, and other ornamental trees. The house was low on the ground, and it was not more than three feet from the window-sill to the lawn. Without explaining any thing, Captain Passford took his daughter's trunk, carried it to the window, and then dropped it upon the lawn beneath.

"Now, Florry, I want you to get out at this window; and you can easily step down upon the trunk," continued the owner of the Bellevite.

"Get out of the window, papa?" demanded the maiden, with a look of intense astonishment at her father.

"Do just as I tell you, my child, and don't ask any questions now; for all will be explained to your satisfaction," replied he, as he assisted her to a chair, by which she mounted to the window-stool.

She dropped lightly down upon the trunk, which had been placed in a convenient position for her, and then to the ground. Her father followed her; though he stopped long enough to close the window after him, and leave every thing as it had been before.

"I think I can understand something about it, papa," said Florry, as the captain joined her. "But am I to leave this house, where I have been for six months, without saying good-by to uncle or aunt?"

"Not a word to any one, my child. I am sorry it must be so; but this is a time of war, and I have no time to stand on ceremonies," replied her father, as he picked up the trunk, and tossed it on his shoulder as though he had done that kind of work before.

He walked off with a firm step, in spite of his burden, taking the nearest way to the wharf where he had left the Bellevite. The distance was considerable, and the millionnaire was obliged to stop and rest two or three times; and, though Florry insisted upon helping him, he would not allow her to do so. It was nearly ten o'clock at night when the wanderers reached their destination, and were hailed by the vigilant watch on the deck.

"Florence!" called the owner of the steamer when he was challenged, and gave the word that had been agreed upon.

"Pass, Florence," replied the sentinel.

All the officers were still upon board, and Florry received a very respectful greeting from all of them. Her trunk was carried to her stateroom; and she soon followed it, for the excitement of the afternoon and evening was rather too much for her.

"Is Percy still on board, Breaker?" asked the owner.

"He is not: he lounged about the deck till nearly night, and then he said he would go up and see his mother, to which I had not the least objection," replied the commander.

"I have no objection to his going where he pleases now, but the worst of it is that Christy appears to have gone with him. They must have been gone three hours, and I begin to be worried about my son. But no matter for that now: we are ready to sail, and it is necessary to get out into the bay, at least without any loss of time, Breaker. The tide is right now."

Captain Breaker had not expected to leave so soon, and thought it probable that the vessel would remain where she was for several days or a week. But he had caused the fires to be banked, so as to be ready for any emergency, though he did not anticipate any; for he reasoned that the powerful influence of the owner's brother would be enough to protect the steamer from interference.

The commander called all hands, and the owner requested that the work be done with as little noise as possible. In less than an hour the Bellevite was floating in the deep waters of the bay. But the owner was far from easy; though, in spite of all his brother had said, he felt that the steamer was safe for the present: he was not a little alarmed at the continued absence of Christy.

Captain Passford had formed a very decided opinion in regard to Major Pierson, and he did not believe that Percy had seen the end of his troubles in the matter of joining the army. It was not over a three hours' run in a reasonably fast steamer from the forts to the city, and at least ten hours had elapsed since the Bellevite came up. Possibly the major might wonder whether or not the coming of Captain Passford would disturb the residence of Miss Florence at the mansion of her uncle. It was not improbable that he had, or might, come up to look out for his interests.

If he came across his brother Percy after he left the steamer, he was likely to make a soldier of him; and it was unfortunate that Christy had been his companion when last seen.



CHAPTER XVI

CHRISTY FINDS HIMSELF A PRISONER

Christy Passford had not gone out of his uncle's house for any particular purpose; though he saw Percy, and joined him as he left the mansion. He had visited Glenfield before, and he had some curiosity to see familiar objects again. It was nearly dark, and he wondered where the major's brother was going at that hour.

"Where are you going now, Mr. Percy," he asked, as he approached the agent.

"I thought I would go up to the house and see my mother," replied Percy. "Won't you go over with me? It is only a short distance."

"No, I think not: I don't care to go a great way from the house."

"It isn't above half a mile, and I am coming directly back again."

"I will not go as far as you are going, but I will take a little stroll as far as the gate. Where is your brother now?"

"I suppose he is at the fort. If I thought he were about here, I should not leave the steamer. He has got it into his head that I must join the army, and he will never be satisfied till I am there."

"He is certainly very much in earnest, judging by his conduct on board of the Bellevite," added Christy.

"He pretends to believe that my not joining the army will be a disgrace to the family; but, if my father don't think so, Lindley need not worry his head about the matter."

"Your brother seems to have a very strong will of his own," suggested Christy.

"He will send me into the army in spite of my father and mother; and, for that reason, I don't mean to go where he can put his finger on me. Of course, the Bellevite is going into the Confederate navy."

Percy looked his companion in the face, as though he had been thinking of something which would benefit his own case.

"You will have to ask my uncle about that," replied Christy, not willing to say any more than was necessary on this subject.

"There can be no doubt of it, and I would rather be in the navy than in the army. I hope your uncle will be able to do something for me."

"I don't know whether he can or not. For aught I know, the steamer may be sent to England, or to some other country," replied Christy, as they approached the gate, which was to be the end in that direction of his walk.

"At any rate, I mean to stay on board of the Bellevite; and I shall take my chances of getting a position of some kind on board of her."

"What kind of a position do you desire?"

"I am willing to be one of the lieutenants, or something of that kind," replied Percy with becoming condescension.

"One of the lieutenants!" exclaimed Christy. "Of course you know all about handling a ship or a steamer."

"I can't say I do. In fact, I never went on the sea till I went to Nassau with my father," replied Percy candidly. "But I can soon learn all about it."

"A nice lieutenant you will make! Why don't you apply for the position of commander of her?"

"I am willing to take a subordinate position till I learn something about the business."

"That's right! Be humble at first, and you will be great afterwards."

"I should have been willing to go into the army as a captain, or even as a lieutenant; but I couldn't quite stand it to go in as a common soldier, while my brother made a beginning as a major."

"I think I will not go any farther, Mr. Percy," said Christy, as he halted near the gate.

"Oh, don't leave me now, Mr. Pierson! We are half way to my father's house," Percy objected.

"I can't go any farther, for I may be wanted."

"You will be safe enough, Mr. Pierson, My mother is at home, and she will be glad to see you."

"I think I will not see your mother to-night," added Christy, as he turned, and began to retrace his steps towards the mansion of his uncle.



They had halted in the road near the gate, and on both sides of it was a thick undergrowth of small trees and bushes; and in the shade of this foliage it had become quite dark. Christy had not taken three steps before four men sprang out of the thicket in front of him, all of them armed with muskets, and wearing a uniform of gray. Two placed themselves in front of Christy; while the other two rushed after Percy, who took to his heels as soon as he saw them.

The gate was an impediment to the latter; and before he could get over or through it, the two soldiers had laid violent hands on him. He could offer no effectual resistance, and it was evident that he was frightened out of his wits; for he looked and acted like the ghost of despair itself. The two men immediately tied his hands behind him; and, though they did not use any undue harshness, they did their work thoroughly.

Christy was even more astonished than his companion at this sharp discipline. He did not regard himself as a fit subject for such treatment, and he could not understand why he had been subjected to it. He was not liable to do military duty, and Major Pierson could hardly think of pressing him into the service of the Confederacy. His two captors were as prompt in their action as the two who had taken Percy, and his hands were also tied behind him.

"Good-evening, gentlemen," said Christy, as soon as the soldiers had bound him, and then stood in front to take a look at him. "Don't it strike you that you are indulging in rather sharp practice?"

"We haven't any thing to do with the practice: all we have to do is to obey orders," replied one of the men.

"But I think you have mistaken your orders," suggested the prisoner.

"I think not: if we have, we will set things to rights at once," replied the man, who appeared to be the sergeant in command of the party. "But our business is not so much with you as with the other young fellow."

Upon this, Christy was conducted to the gate, where Percy had not yet recovered any of his self-possession. For his own part, he felt that a mistake had been made, which must soon be corrected. He knew nothing of the wide difference of opinion which had suddenly become apparent between his father and his uncle, and he was sure that the latter could soon effect his release.

"This is an outrage!" exclaimed Percy, who perhaps felt that it was necessary for him to say something, now that Christy had come within hearing distance.

"Perhaps it is, Mr. Pierson," replied the sergeant. "But that isn't any of my business."

"You will be held responsible for it, sir!" protested Percy.

"Perhaps I shall; but I shall obey my orders," replied the soldier doggedly.

"Who gave you your orders?" demanded Percy imperatively.

"Well, I don't belong to the class in catechism, and I don't answer all the questions that are put to me."

"My father will have something to say about this business."

"He can say all he likes, but he need not say it to me; for I only obey my orders, and I have nothing to do with giving them."

"What are you going to do with me?" asked Percy, when he found he could make nothing of the sergeant.

"I don't know what they will do with you; but I reckon they won't shoot you, as they might a fellow whose father was not a man of some consequence," replied the sergeant, as he ordered one of his men to open the gate.

"Shoot me!" exclaimed Percy, evidently appalled at the bare possibility of such an event.

"I reckon they won't do that," added the soldier.

"This is my father's plantation, and my mother is in the house," continued Percy.

"She can stay there: we shall not meddle with her."

"But you are going to take me away from her."

"You look like a stout young fellow, and you ought to be able to get along for a while without your mother," chuckled the sergeant. "You belong in the army; and I reckon you will have to go back to it, in spite of your mother."

"I don't belong to the army," protested Percy.

"Well, they call you a deserter, anyhow."

Percy seemed to be overcome by this statement, and Christy thought there was something more of his story than he had told on board of the Bellevite. It was possible, after all, that Major Pierson was not as much of a brute as be had appeared to be. But, if his companion was a deserter, he certainly did not come under that head himself, and he could not understand why he had been arrested.

"I suppose you don't claim me as a deserter, do you?" asked Christy good-naturedly.

"I don't think they do," replied the sergeant, as pleasantly as he had spoken himself.

"Then, why do you arrest me?"

"My orders were to arrest any person with Mr. Pierson; and that is all I know about your case, and I am very sorry to give you any annoyance. Things are a little mixed, and I hope they will soon get them levelled down. If you don't object, we will march."

"I suppose you will march all the same, if I do object," added Christy. "I was not aware that it was a crime here to be in the company of that young man."

"I reckon I was ordered to arrest you as a matter of precaution; and I dare say they will let you return as soon as we report to the major," said the sergeant, leading his prisoner through the gateway.

The other men took Percy by the arm; and, after they had closed the gate, they followed the road for a considerable distance, and then struck across the fields. Not far ahead, Christy saw many lights; and he concluded that this must be the location of the mansion of Colonel Pierson, the father of Percy, and for some reason best known to himself, the sergeant desired to avoid going very near it.

A march of a short distance farther across the field brought them to a road, which they followed till they came to a wagon drawn by two horses. The animals were hitched at the side of the road, and no one seemed to be in charge of the team. But the sergeant halted his party at this point; and, leaving the prisoners in charge of his men, he went to the wagon.

"Major Pierson," said he; but no answer came to his question, and he repeated it with no better success.

Then he mounted the seat in front of the wagon, and looked over into the body of it. Then he reached over; and a moment later the form of a man was seen to rise from a quantity of hay which filled the body.

"Is that you, Spottswood?" demanded the rising form.

"Yes, sir, I am here; and I have two prisoners. One of them is your brother, and I don't know who the other is," replied the sergeant.

"Are you sure that one of them is my brother?" asked the major.

"I am as sure as I can be, for I heard the other fellow call him Percy two or three times before I stepped in front of them."

"Don't you know who the other one is?"

"I haven't the least idea. I arrested him as you told me, but I did not question him."

The major ordered him to put his prisoners into the wagon.



CHAPTER XVII

MAJOR PIERSON IS PUZZLED

Two of the soldiers were placed at the rear of the wagon, one took his place on the hay with Percy, while the major and the sergeant seated themselves on the cushion in front. Spottswood took the reins; and the officer told him to drive on, without saying a word to the prisoners.

It was quite dark; and Christy had not the least idea where he was, or where he was going. He could see that Major Pierson had sent this party to arrest his brother, as Percy seemed to fear that he would do, and had remained and slept away the time in the wagon himself. He had been introduced to the major, and had been treated with "distinguished consideration" by him. In view of the possible relations between him and Florry, he did not feel much concerned about his own safety, though he was sorry to have his father and sister worry over his absence.

"Then, it seems you have been in the army, after all," said he to his fellow-prisoner, after they had gone some distance.

"I never belonged to the army," he replied decidedly.

"Did you put your name down?"

"Yes, I did; but I supposed I was to be a captain, or something of that sort. When I found I must go as a common soldier, mixed up with all sorts of people, I couldn't stand it. I applied for my discharge; but they would not give it to me, and I went home without it."

"That looks very much like desertion," added Christy, and the major went up somewhat in his estimation.

"But it was not desertion; for I applied for my discharge, and all they had to do was to give it to me. They understood it so, for they did not come to the house after me," argued Percy. "Then, when my father went to Nassau, he took me with him. But the surgeon said I was not fit for the army, for I had indications of varicose veins. My father sent the certificate to the authorities, and applied for my discharge."

"Was it ever granted?"

"I suppose it was, but I don't know."

"If it had been, your brother would know about it."

"Will your uncle make you join the army, Mr. Pierson?"

"No: my uncle has no authority over me, and he cannot make me join the army," replied Christy.

"Where is your father?"

"He was at my uncle's plantation. I think we have kept up this farce long enough, Percy," said Christy, laughing. "My father is the owner of the Bellevite."

"What did you tell me your name was Percy Pierson for?" demanded the other prisoner.

"For the same reason that I told you the steamer belonged to the Chinese government, and a dozen other things of the same sort."