Chapter IX
BETWEEN TWO FIRES
The boat, pulled by six robust oarsmen, flew over the water. The fogwas growing dense, and it was with difficulty that James Playfairsucceeded in keeping to the line of his bearings. Crockston sat at thebows, and Mr. Halliburtt at the stern, next the Captain. The prisoner,only now informed of the presence of his servant, wished to speak tohim, but the latter enjoined silence.
However, a few minutes later, when they were in the middle of theharbour, Crockston determined to speak, knowing what thoughts wereuppermost in Mr. Halliburtt's mind.
"Yes, my dear master," said he, "the gaoler is in my place in the cell,where I gave him two smart blows, one on the head and the other on thestomach, to act as a sleeping draught, and this when he was bringing memy supper; there is gratitude for you. I took his clothes and his keys,found you, and let you out of the citadel, under the soldiers' noses.That is all I have done."
"But my daughter--?" asked Mr. Halliburtt.
"Is on board the ship which is going to take you to England."
"My daughter there! there!" cried the American, springing from his seat.
"Silence!" replied Crockston, "a few minutes, and we shall be saved."
The boat flew through the darkness, but James Playfair was obliged tosteer rather by guess, as the lanterns of the _Dolphin_ were no longervisible through the fog. He was undecided what direction to follow, andthe darkness was so great that the rowers could not even see to the endof their oars.
"Well, Mr. James?" said Crockston.
"We must have made more than a mile and a half," replied the Captain."You don't see anything, Crockston?"
"Nothing; nevertheless, I have good eyes; but we shall get there allright. They don't suspect anything out there."
These words were hardly finished when the flash of a gun gleamed for aninstant through the darkness, and vanished in the mist.
"A signal!" cried James Playfair.
"Whew!" exclaimed Crockston. "It must have come from the citadel. Letus wait."
A second, then a third shot was fired in the direction of the first,and almost the same signal was repeated a mile in front of the gig.
"That is from Fort Sumter," cried Crockston, "and it is the signal ofescape. Urge on the men; everything is discovered."
"Pull for your lives, my men!" cried James Playfair, urging on thesailors, "those gun-shots cleared my route. The _Dolphin_ is eighthundred yards ahead of us. Stop! I hear the bell on board. Hurrah,there it is again! Twenty pounds for you if we are back in fiveminutes!"
The boat skimmed over the waves under the sailors' powerful oars. Acannon boomed in the direction of the town. Crockston heard a ball whizpast them.
The bell on the _Dolphin_ was ringing loudly. A few more strokes andthe boat was alongside. A few more seconds and Jenny fell into herfather's arms.
The gig was immediately raised, and James Playfair sprang on to thepoop.
"Is the steam up, Mr. Mathew?"
"Yes, Captain."
"Have the moorings cut at once."
A few minutes later the two screws carried the steamer towards theprincipal channel, away from Fort Sumter.
"Mr. Mathew," said James, "we must not think of taking the SullivanIsland channel; we should run directly under the Confederate guns. Letus go as near as possible to the right side of the harbour out of rangeof the Federal batteries. Have you a safe man at the helm?"
"Yes, Captain."
"Have the lanterns and the fires on deck extinguished; there is a greatdeal too much light, but we cannot help the reflection from theengine-rooms."
During this conversation the _Dolphin_ was going at a great speed; butin altering her course to keep to the right side of the CharlestonHarbour she was obliged to enter a channel which took her for a momentnear Fort Sumter; and when scarcely half a mile off all the gunsbearing on her were discharged at the same time, and a shower of shotand shell passed in front of the _Dolphin_ with a thundering report.
"Too soon, stupids," cried James Playfair, with a burst of laughter."Make haste, make haste, Mr. Engineer! We shall get between two fires."
The stokers fed the furnaces, and the _Dolphin_ trembled all over withthe effort of the engine as if she was on the point of exploding.
At this moment a second report was heard, and another shower of ballswhizzed behind the _Dolphin_.
"Too late, stupids," cried the young Captain, with a regular roar.
Then Crockston, who was standing on the poop, cried, "That's onepassed. A few minutes more, and we shall have done with the Rebs."
"Then do you think we have nothing more to fear from Fort Sumter?"asked James.
"Nothing at all, but everything from Fort Moultrie, at the end ofSullivan Island; but they will only get a chance at us for half aminute, and then they must choose their time well, and shoot straightif they want to reach us. We are getting near."
"Right; the position of Fort Moultrie will allow us to go straight forthe principal channel. Fire away then, fire away!"
At the same moment, and as if in obedience to James Playfair, the fortwas illuminated by a triple line of lightning. A frightful crash washeard; then a crackling sound on board the steamer.
"Touched this time!" exclaimed Crockston.
"Mr. Mathew!" cried the Captain to his second, who was stationed at thebows, "what has been damaged?"
"The bowsprit broken."
"Any wounded?"
"No, Captain."
"Well, then, the masts may go to Jericho. Straight into the pass!Straight! and steer towards the island."
"We have passed the Rebs!" cried Crockston; "and, if we must have ballsin our hull, I would much rather have the Northerners; they are moreeasily digested."
In fact, the _Dolphin_ could not yet consider herself out of danger;for, if Morris Island was not fortified with the formidable pieces ofartillery which were placed there a few months later, nevertheless itsguns and mortars could easily have sunk a ship like the _Dolphin_.
The alarm had been given to the Federals on the island, and to theblockading squadron, by the firing from Forts Sumter and Moultrie. Thebesiegers could not make out the reason of this night attack; it didnot seem to be directed against them. However, they were obliged toconsider it so, and were ready to reply.
It occupied James Playfair's thoughts whilst making towards the passesof Morris Island; and he had reason to fear, for in a quarter of anhour's time lights gleamed rapidly through the darkness. A shower ofsmall shell fell round the steamer, scattering the water over herbulwarks; some of them even struck the deck of the _Dolphin_, but noton their points, which saved the ship from certain ruin. In fact, theseshell, as it was afterwards discovered, could break into a hundredfragments, and each cover a superficial area of a hundred and twentysquare feet with Greek fire, which would burn for twenty minutes, andnothing could extinguish it. One of these shell alone could set a shipon fire. Fortunately for the _Dolphin_, they were a new invention, andas yet far from perfect. Once thrown into the air, a false rotarymovement kept them inclined, and, when falling, instead of striking ontheir points, where is the percussion apparatus, they fell flat. Thisdefect in construction alone saved the _Dolphin_. The falling of theseshells did her little harm, and under the pressure of her over-heatedboilers she continued to advance into the pass.
At this moment, and in spite of his orders, Mr. Halliburtt and hisdaughter went to James Playfair on the poop; the latter urged them toreturn to their cabins, but Jenny declared that she would remain by theCaptain. As for Mr. Halliburtt, who had just learnt all the nobleconduct of his deliverer, he pressed his hand without being able toutter a word.
The _Dolphin_ was speeding rapidly towards the open sea. There wereonly three miles more before she would be in the waters of theAtlantic; if the pass was free at its entrance, she was saved. JamesPlayfair was wonderfully well acquainted with all the secrets ofCharleston Bay, and he guided his ship through the darkness with anunerring hand. He was beginni
ng to think his daring enterprisesuccessful, when a sailor on the forecastle cried:
"A ship!"
"A ship?" cried James.
"Yes, on the larboard side."
The fog had cleared off, and a large frigate was seen making towardsthe pass, in order to obstruct the passage of the _Dolphin_. It wasnecessary, cost what it might, to distance her, and urge thesteam-engine to an increase of speed, or all was lost.
"Port the helm at once!" cried the Captain.
Then he sprang on to the bridge above the engine. By his orders one ofthe screws was stopped, and under the action of the other the_Dolphin_, veering with an extraordinary rapidity, avoided running foulof the frigate, and advanced like her to the entrance of the pass. Itwas now a question of speed.
James Playfair understood that in this lay his own safety, MissJenny's, her father's, and that of all his crew.
The frigate was considerably in advance of the _Dolphin_. It wasevident from the volumes of black smoke issuing from her chimneys thatshe was getting up her steam. James Playfair was not the man to be leftin the background.
"How are the engines?" cried he to the engineer.
"At the maximum speed," replied the latter; "the steam is escaping byall the valves."
"Fasten them down," ordered the Captain.
And his orders were executed at the risk of blowing up the ship.
The _Dolphin_ again increased her speed; the pistons worked withfrightful rapidity; the metal plates on which the engine was placedtrembled under the terrific force of their blows. It was a sight tomake the boldest shudder.
"More pressure!" cried James Playfair; "put on more pressure!"
"Impossible!" replied the engineer. "The valves are tightly closed; ourfurnaces are full up to the mouths."
"What difference! Fill them with cotton soaked in spirits; we must passthat frigate at any price."
At these words the most daring of the sailors looked at each other, butdid not hesitate. Some bales of cotton were thrown into theengine-room, a barrel of spirits broached over them, and this expensivefuel placed, not without danger, in the red-hot furnaces. The stokerscould no longer hear each other speak for the roaring of the flames.Soon the metal plates of the furnaces became red-hot; the pistonsworked like the pistons of a locomotive; the steamgauge showed afrightful tension; the steamer flew over the water; her boards creaked,and her chimneys threw out volumes of smoke mingled with flames. Shewas going at a headlong speed, but, nevertheless, she was gaining onthe frigate--passed her, distanced her, and in ten minutes was out ofthe channel.
"Saved!" cried the Captain.
"Saved!" echoed the crew, clapping their hands.
Already the Charleston beacon was disappearing in the south-west; thesound of firing from the batteries grew fainter, and it might withreason be thought that the danger was all past, when a shell from agun-boat cruising at large was hurled whizzing through the air. It waseasy to trace its course, thanks to the line of fire which followed it.
Then was a moment of anxiety impossible to describe; every one wassilent, and each watched fearfully the arch described by theprojectile. Nothing could be done to escape it, and in a few seconds itfell with a frightful noise on the fore-deck of the _Dolphin_.
The terrified sailors crowded to the stern, and no one dared move astep, whilst the shell was burning with a brisk crackle.
But one brave man alone among them ran up to the formidable weapon ofdestruction. It was Crockston; he took the shell in his strong arms,whilst showers of sparks were falling from it; then, with a superhumaneffort, he threw it overboard.
Hardly had the shell reached the surface of the water when it burstwith a frightful report.
"Hurrah! hurrah!" cried the whole crew of the _Dolphin_ unanimously,whilst Crockston rubbed his hands.
Some time later the steamer sped rapidly through the waters of theAtlantic; the American coast disappeared in the darkness, and thedistant lights which shot across the horizon indicated that the attackwas general between the batteries of Morris Island and the forts ofCharleston Harbour.
Chapter X
ST. MUNGO
The next day at sunrise the American coast had disappeared; not a shipwas visible on the horizon, and the _Dolphin_, moderating the frightfulrapidity of her speed, made quietly towards the Bermudas.
It is useless to recount the passage across the Atlantic, which wasmarked by no accidents, and ten days after the departure fromQueenstown the French coast was hailed.
What passed between the Captain and the young girl may be imagined,even by the least observant individuals. How could Mr. Halliburttacknowledge the devotion and courage of his deliverer, if it was not bymaking him the happiest of men? James Playfair did not wait for Englishseas to declare to the father and daughter the sentiments whichoverflowed his heart, and, if Crockston is to be believed, Miss Jennyreceived his confession with a happiness she did not try to conceal.
Thus it happened that on the 14th of February, 18--, a numerous crowdwas collected in the dim aisles of St. Mungo, the old cathedral ofGlasgow. There were seamen, merchants, manufacturers, magistrates, andsome of every denomination gathered here. There was Miss Jenny inbridal array and beside her the worthy Crockston, resplendent inapple-green clothes, with gold buttons, whilst Uncle Vincent stoodproudly by his nephew.
In short, they were celebrating the marriage of James Playfair, of thefirm of Vincent Playfair & Co., of Glasgow, with Miss Jenny Halliburtt,of Boston.
The ceremony was accomplished amidst great pomp. Everyone knew thehistory of the _Dolphin_, and everyone thought the young Captain wellrecompensed for his devotion. He alone said that his reward was greaterthan he deserved.
In the evening there was a grand ball and banquet at Uncle Vincent'shouse, with a large distribution of shillings to the crowd collected inGordon Street. Crockston did ample justice to this memorable feast,while keeping himself perfectly within bounds.
Everyone was happy at this wedding; some at their own happiness, andothers at the happiness around them, which is not always the case atceremonies of this kind.
Late in the evening, when the guests had retired, James Playfair tookhis uncle's hand.
"Well, Uncle Vincent," said he to him.
"Well, Nephew James?"
"Are you pleased with the charming cargo I brought you on board the_Dolphin_?" continued Captain Playfair, showing him his brave youngwife.
"I am quite satisfied," replied the worthy merchant; "I have sold mycotton at three hundred and seventy-five per cent. profit."
End of The Blockade Runners
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