CHAPTER XV
A FLANK MOVEMENT UNDERTAKEN
The commander of the enemy's ship could not know that the Belleviteintended to board; but he could hardly help regarding with anxiety therapid progress she was making through the water. The loyal ship wasgetting nearer to him, and Captain Rombold could not avoid seeing thathis situation was becoming desperate. It was absolutely necessary forhim to do something, unless he was ready to haul down his flag, whichChristy, for one, having been present at a battle with him, did notexpect him to do yet.
The executive officer kept a close watch upon the enemy, frequentlyusing his glass, even while he was discussing his suggestion with thecaptain. There was great activity on deck near the stern of theTallahatchie, and her commander must have been at least hopeful thatthe steering apparatus could be restored to some degree of efficiency.In the meantime he could not bring his broadside guns to bear on theBellevite for he was unable to come about. The Federal ship was headeddirectly for the enemy, and as Captain Breaker was impatient to board,he could not fire the Parrot or the broadside battery without losingtime to put his vessel in position for throwing shot or shell.
"She is starting her screw again!" exclaimed Christy suddenly, as hediscovered the stirring up of the water astern of the enemy.
"I see she is," added the commander. "She has not got her extra wheel inposition yet, and probably she has pried her tiller over, or hauled itover with a purchase. Make the course west, Mr. Passford."
Christy gave the order to the quartermaster, and without checking herspeed, the Bellevite described a quarter of a circle and came to thedesired course. The three guns of her port battery were immediatelydischarged, loaded with shell as on the last occasion. One of them wasseen to explode in the midst of the gang of men who were at work on theextra wheel. The other two burst in the air, too far off to do anyserious damage.
Very slowly, and apparently with great difficulty, the Tallahatchieswung around, so that her port guns could be brought to bear upon theBellevite, and the two ships were abreast of each other so that neithercould rake the other. The loyal ship continued on her course to thewestward, and in ten minutes she had made three miles and a half, whichplaced her out of the reach of the broadside guns of the Tallahatchie.
Christy did not abate his watchfulness over the movements of the enemy.The shot from the sixty-pounder which had struck on the quarter of theConfederate, had evidently created a great deal of confusion in thatpart of the vessel. She had intended to describe a quarter of a circlein order to render her port broadside guns available, but she had notmade more than the eighth of the circuit before she appeared to be goingahead, and her direction was diagonal to that of the Bellevite.
"What does that mean?" asked Christy of the commander who stood nearhim, though he had a very decided opinion of his own on the subject.
"It simply means that the last shot which struck her deranged whateverexpedient her captain had adopted for controlling the rudder," repliedthe commander. "It failed when she was half round, and then she wentahead."
"She has stopped her screw again, sir," added the first lieutenant.
"It is time for her to haul down her flag; but she does not seem tobe disposed to do it," continued Captain Breaker. "It is certainly ahopeless case, and he ought to spare his men if not himself."
"Captain Rombold is not one of that sort. Though he is a Briton, he is a'last ditch' man."
"Probably a very large majority of his ship's company are English, oranything but Southern Americans, and he ought to have a proper regardfor them."
"I think he must see some chance of redeeming himself and his ship, forI never met a more high-toned and gentlemanly man in all my life, and Idon't believe he would sacrifice his people unless with a hope that heconsiders a reasonable one."
"Come about, Mr. Passford, and bear down on the enemy. Unless he workshis steering gear, we have her where she is utterly helpless," said thecommander.
"I wonder she does not get a couple of her heaviest guns in position onher quarter-deck, and use them as stern chasers," said Christy, after hehad obeyed the captain's order, and the Bellevite was again headeddirectly for the enemy.
"She appears to require all the space there for the work on her steeringappliances," replied Captain Breaker. "In ten minutes more I hope weshall be able to board her; and I think we can then make very short workof this business. About the flanking movement you propose, Mr. Passford,I have never seen anything of the kind done, for most of my fightingexperience with blockade-runners has been at long range, though I wasin the navy during the Mexican war, where our operations were mostlyagainst fortifications and batteries."
"I do not consider the plan practicable except under peculiarcircumstances, like the present," returned Christy. "I am confidentthat we outnumber the enemy, and the men for the flank movement areavailable."
"If we were boarding in boats we should naturally attack both on thestarboard and port sides. But, Mr. Passford, the executive officercannot be spared to command the launch and its crew."
"I was not thinking of commanding the flanking party myself, sir."
"Neither can the officers of divisions be spared."
"I think I can find a volunteer, not in the sailing department, whowould conduct the movement to a successful issue, Captain," addedChristy, very confidently.
"Mr. Vapoor? But we cannot spare him from the engine room for a minute,"protested the commander, who was well aware that the chief engineer wasthe lieutenant's especial crony. "That would not do at all."
"I was not thinking of Mr. Vapoor, sir," interposed Christy.
"Who, then?" demanded the commander, lowering his spy-glass to look intothe young man's face.
"My associate in the expedition to Mobile Point, who did quite as muchas I did, if not more, to make it a success. I mean Mr. Graines, thethird assistant engineer. I know that he is a brave man and an officerof excellent judgment," replied the lieutenant, with more enthusiasmthan he usually manifested when not in actual combat.
"Very well, Mr. Passford; I give you the order to carry out your plan,and I hope it will work to your satisfaction. But you must not take morethan twenty men," said the commander in conclusion of the whole matter.
"Mr. Walbrook," called Christy without losing a moment in thepreparations for carrying out his scheme, which neither the captain norhimself could say was an original idea.
The station of the second lieutenant at quarters is on the forecastle,and of the third in the waist, or the middle of the ship. The thirdlieutenant stepped forward at the call of the executive officer, touchedhis cap, for "the honors due the quarter-deck cannot be dispensed with,"even at exciting times.
Christy gave him the order to cast loose the launch, and have it inreadiness to lower into the water at a moment's notice; and Mr. Walbrookproceeded to obey it without delay. The first lieutenant then called Mr.Walters, a midshipman, and directed him to give his compliments to Mr.Vapoor, and ask him if he could spare the third assistant engineer forspecial duty for a couple of hours, more or less.
The messenger returned with the reply that the chief engineer would behappy to detail Mr. Graines for special duty at once. In five minutesmore the assistant engineer appeared upon the quarter-deck in uniform,and touched his cap to the executive officer.
"I am directed to report to you, Mr. Passford, for special duty," addedGraines.
"I wish you to assume this duty, Mr. Graines, as a volunteer, if atall," replied Christy. "All the officers on deck are required at theirstations, and the commander has authorized what I call a flankingmovement, which I purpose to send out under your orders."
"I am very much obliged to you, Mr. Passford, for the honor you do mein selecting me for this duty; and I accept the position with pleasure,"answered the engineer, touching his cap again.
"But this is a fighting position, Mr. Graines," added Christy with asmile.
"So much the better, sir; and if my education permitted, I should preferto be in
the thickest of the fight rather than shut up in the engineroom," returned the engineer; and this was just the estimate thelieutenant had made of him.
He had been well educated; but he had learned the trade of a machinist,and the want of any naval training rather than his own inclination haddriven him into the engine room. But he had been three years at sea as asailor, and came home as second mate of an Indiaman.
Christy explained to him very fully the plan he had suggested, andGraines readily grasped the idea. He provided himself with a cutlass andrevolver, and became very enthusiastic in the discharge of his specialduty. With the aid of the first lieutenant he selected the men for themovement, though Christy would not permit the detail to consist of allthe best men, for that would not be fair or generous to the officers ofdivisions. They were a fair average of the quality of the seamen.
The Tallahatchie made an attempt to come about in order to make herguns available; but for some unknown reason it appeared to be a failure,for she presently stopped her screw again. The Bellevite was rapidlyapproaching her, and her commander evidently realized that the loyalship intended to board, for he made his preparations to meet theonslaught.
Captain Rombold, in spite of his misfortune in the Dornoch the yearbefore, was inclined to disparage the bravery and skill of the officersof the United States Navy, and to regard the seamen as inferior to thoseof his own country, though he was too gentlemanly to express himselfdirectly to this effect. Christy had drawn this inference from what hesaid in the conversations with him when Colonel Passford and he wereprisoners on board of the Chateaugay.
Holding this view, as Christy was confident he did, it was plain fromhis action that he expected, or at least hoped, to win a victory in thehand-to-hand encounter which was impending. Of course it was possiblethat he might do so, and come into possession of the Bellevite, winchhad outsailed him, and disabled his ship for a combat at longer range.
As the Federal steamer drew near to the enemy a volley of musketry waspoured into her, which was promptly returned, and several of the crew onboth sides dropped to the deck, and were borne to the cockpit, thoughthe relative strength of each remained about as before, as nearly as theofficers on the quarter-deck of the Bellevite could judge.
The speed of the attacking ship had been greatly reduced as she nearedthe Tallahatchie, and the launch was already in the water with its crewof twenty men on board. The crew of the latter were armed with all theboarding weapons in use, and before the hands on deck had fastened tothe enemy, the flanking party were working their heavy craft around thestern of the steamer.
The loyal ship came in contact with the side of the Confederate. Thegrappling irons were cast, and in an incredibly short space of time thetwo vessels were firmly attached to each other. The supreme moment hadcome, as all thought, but for some reason not apparent, the command toboard was withheld. Captain Breaker who stood on the quarter deck withChristy, appeared to be perplexed. He saw that the seamen of the enemywere drawn up on the starboard side, instead of at the port bulwarks.