■'%. 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY OF 
 
 NORTH CAROLINA 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 THE WILMER COLLECTION 
 
 OF CIVIL WAR NOVELS 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 RICHARD H. WILMER, JR. 
 

.4 
 
 / 
 
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feb. 
 
 N 
 
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Latitude Forty-one : Longitude Sixty-two. Page ITS, 
 
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THE YAIs^vEE MIDDY; 
 
 OR, 
 
 THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 
 
 gv f t0ra tf m ^xtui ^tMlun. 
 
 BY 
 
 OLIVER OPTIC, 
 
 AUTHOR OF "BICH AXD HOIBLE," "IN SCHOOL AXD OUT," "WATCH AKD WAIT,' 
 
 "THE BOAT CLUB," "ALL ABOARD," "NOW OR NEVER," "TRY AGAIN," 
 
 "rOOR AND PROUD," "LITTLE BT LITTLE," "THE RIVEKDALB 
 
 6T0EY BOOKS," "THE SOLDIER BOY," "THE SAILOB 
 
 BOY," " THE YOUNG LIEUIENAJJT," ETC, 
 
 BOSTON: 
 LEE AND SHEPARD, 
 
 BUCCESSOBS TO PHILLIPS, SAIIFSOS & CO. 
 
 1866. 
 
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1865, by 
 
 WILLIAM T. ADAMS, 
 
 In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusett*. 
 
 KLECTROTTPED AT THl 
 
 Botton Stereotype Foundry, 
 No. 4 Spring L«no. 
 
TO 
 
 EDWIN FLEMING, ESa., 
 
 Tliis Book 
 
 IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED, 
 
 BY HI« FRIEND 
 
 WILLIAM T. ADAMS, 
 
 602676 
 
PREFACE 
 
 "The Yankee Middy" is a sequel to '«The Sailor Boy," 
 and traces the career of Jack Somers, as an officer, from the Naval 
 Academy to his promotion to the rank of ensign. The hero is 
 not an ideal being ; he has hundreds of prototypes in our gallant 
 navy. He is brave, but no braver than thousands of others, who 
 have lived to see the Great Rebellion crushed out by their devoted 
 efforts ; he is true to God and himself, but he is only what hun- 
 dreds of others have been who have passed through the fiery 
 ordeal of temptation, and have come forth unscathed. 
 
 The incidents of the story are those which have occurred on the 
 ocean, and on the bays, inlets, and rivers of the South, common 
 in the experience of all our naval officers who have been actively 
 employed during the war. As in its predecessors, so far as the 
 work is historical, the best authorities have been consulted. The 
 author is again indebted to his friend, Ensign Francis L. Harris, 
 not only for verbal details, but for the use of charts, diagrams, 
 and works relating to the navy. The text books of the Naval 
 Academy have been constantly at hand during the preparation of 
 the volume. 
 
 Again we submit Jack Somers — or rather Mr. Midshipman 
 Somers — to our readers, young and old. We have intended to 
 
 (5) 
 
6 PREFACE. 
 
 make him a noble and Christian young man : and we have left hi« 
 daily life to teach the lesson of Christian fidelity and patriotism, 
 without any attempt to enforce the moral by interweaving an 
 occasional page of dry •' deductions," which are very likely to be 
 omitted in the reading. If the moral cannot readily be seen, it is 
 not worth looking for. 
 
 The author, drer grateful for the kindness of his readers, sub- 
 mits the fourth volume of "The Armt and Navy Series," with 
 the hope that it will be fo\ind worthy of the favor which has been 
 bestowed upon its predecessors. 
 
 -WILLIAM T. ADAMS. 
 
 Hakbisox Sqttase, ItlAss., October 23, 1865. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAFTIB 
 
 PAOS 
 
 I. Mrs. Commodore Portingtok and Partt. . . .11 
 
 II. A MiDSHIPMAK IN HIS ELEMENT 22 
 
 III. Mr, Midshipman Somers 34 
 
 IV. Somers attends an Evening Party 46 
 
 V. Somers goes on Night Duty 58 
 
 YI. Somers listens to an interesting Conversation. . 69 
 
 VII. Somers sent upon active Service 82 
 
 VIII. On Board the Theban 95 
 
 IX. The Man %vith the Thin Face I07 
 
 X. The United States Schooner Rosalie 119 
 
 XI. Mr. Midshipman Tubbs 131 
 
 . XII. Somers in Darkness 143 
 
 XIII. Mr. Tubes becomes bloodt-minded 154 
 
 XIV. Latitude Forty-one, Longitude Sixty-two. . . . 164 
 XV. The Snowden and her Commander 174 
 
 XVI. Mr. Tubes comes to Grief 185 
 
 XVII. The Rosalie in Doboy Sound 196 
 
 XVIII. In the Fog and Darkness 206 
 
 XIX. The First Cutter in Trouble 217 
 
 XX. Somers keeps his Ears wide open again. . . .227 
 
 XXI. Somers under Guard 236 
 
 (7) 
 
8 COXTEXTS. 
 
 XXII. SOMERS MEETS WITH AN ACCIDENT 246 
 
 XXIII. A Shot froji the Rosalie ^6 
 
 XXIV. In the Cabin of the Viola 266 
 
 XXV. The Coukt-Maktial and its Sentence 277 
 
 XXVI. The Rebel Cotton-Clad 287 
 
 XXVII. An Enterprise which ends in an Explosion. . . 297 
 
 XXVIII. The Last of Phil Kennedy 306 
 
 XXIX. SoMERS in Command 317 
 
 XXX. Miss Kate Portington 324 
 
THE YANKEE MIDDY 
 
 (9) 
 
THE YANKEE MIDDY; 
 
 OR, 
 
 THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 MRS. COMMODORE PORTINGTOX AND PARTY. 
 
 ANAGE the boat ! Why, my dear madam, 
 
 you forget that I served five years in the 
 
 United States navy, and that I know every 
 
 rope in the ship," said Mr. Philip Kennedy, 
 
 steadying himself with the boat-hook he held in his hand. 
 
 " I know you are a good sailor, but — " And Mrs. 
 
 Portington did not seem to be inclined to give further 
 
 expression to the thought which was in her mind. 
 
 There had been a very pleasant party at the old fort 
 on the Dumpling Rocks. It was a picnic, and the com- 
 pany had enjoyed themselves to the full extent that a 
 sea-breeze in August, with choice eatables and cool 
 drinkables, can produce enjoyment. Mrs. Commodore 
 Portington and her fair daughter Kate were of the party, 
 
 (11) 
 
12 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 and had attended under the escort of Mr. Philip Ken- 
 nedy. An engagement in the evening obhged the lady 
 and her daughter to return to Newport in advance of the 
 rest of the company. She had come down to the 
 water's edge, where the gentleman had hauled up the 
 boat in readiness for her to embark. 
 
 The lady seemed to be perplexed with a serious doubt ; 
 for though her husband was a commodore in the navy, 
 she had a womanly respect for salt water, especially, as 
 in the present instance, when the wind and the waves 
 were coquetting violently with each other, thereby wak- 
 ing up the sleepy tide, and creating a pretty heavy 
 in-shore sea. The lady did not like the looks of the 
 waves that beat upon the ragged rocks. They were 
 suggestive of wet dresses, and, more remotely, of an 
 involuntary bath, and still more remotely, of a commis- 
 sion to a fashionable undertaker. 
 
 The craft was a Avell and strongly built Newport boat, 
 with a single sail, worn on a cat-rig — the best in the 
 world for rapid movements. Mrs. Portington was the 
 wife of a sailor, and knew a safe and weatherly boat 
 when she saw one. It was by no means dangerous 
 weather ; it did not yet blow even half a gale ; it was 
 only a jolly fresh breeze. Still, she was perplexed with 
 a doubt, and the longer she gazed upon the gentleman 
 in charge of the boat, the larger and more formidable 
 became the doubt. ^^ RS« 
 
 ^^ Ncu 
 
THE ADVEXTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 13 
 
 If the picnic had been conducted on purely temperance 
 principles, it is quite probable that the lady would not 
 have been disturbed by a single doubt ; for certainly it 
 would not have been consistent for the wife of a commo- 
 dore to be afraid of a fresh breeze and a sloppy sea. 
 We are sorry to be obliged to say that a certain exhila- 
 rating fluid, wrung from the grapes on the plains of 
 France, or from the apples on the plains of New Jersey, 
 — we meddle not with intricate questions, — had been 
 freely circulated among the ladies and gentlemen com- 
 posing the party. At the same time we are happy to 
 add, that most of those who imbibed used their worldly 
 discretion to a degree which saved them from scandal. 
 Mr. Philip Kennedy was not of this number. He boasted 
 that he had " punished " an entire bottle of the sparkling 
 beverage ; and action and re-action being equal, as well 
 in tippling as in mechanics, the bottle aforesaid, in its 
 turn, was " punishing" him ; and so far as the observa- 
 tion of the lady was concerned, the bottle was decidedly 
 having the best of it. 
 
 Mr. Philip Kennedy could stand up, and could talk 
 even more glibly than usual. The boat-hook in his hand 
 was a convenience in preserving his equilibrium ; but he 
 was impatient to be in his seat in the stern-sheets of the 
 boat. It was awkward to be obliged to stand up on the 
 sharp rocks for an unreasonably long time. The rocks 
 were slippery, and exhibited an inclination to fly up and 
 2 
 
14 THE YANKEE MIDDT, OR 
 
 hit him in the forehead, though thus far they had be- 
 haved tolerably well. 
 
 " I don't think it is quite safe to go now," said Mrs. 
 Portington, after she had observed the young gentlemaa 
 for a moment in silence. 
 
 " Safe ? Why, Mrs. Portington, you will be as safe 
 in this boat, with me at the helm, as though you were 
 at home in your own parlor. I pledge you my honor, as 
 a gentleman and a sailor, that I will land you safe on 
 the end of Long Wharf in just twenty-five minutes from 
 the present moment." 
 
 " I'm afraid you can't manage the boat," added the 
 lady. 
 
 " Really, my dear madam, a reflection upon a sailor's 
 seamanship would be an insult if it came from any other 
 person than a lady," replied Mr. Kennedy, throwing up 
 his head, with a display of dignity. 
 
 " I know you are a good sailor, Phil, — but — " 
 
 *' But what, my dear madam ? If you know I am a 
 good sailor, allow me to assist you into the boat ; " and 
 he extended his hand to assist the lady in embarking. 
 
 " I am afraid to go with him," said Mrs. Portington, 
 in a whisper, to her daughter. 
 
 " What are you afraid of, mother ? " 
 
 " Don't you see in what a condition he is ? " 
 
 " I don't see that anything ails him," replied Kate, 
 whose knowledge of gentlemen in that condition was 
 
THE ADVEXTURES OF A SAVaL OFFICER. 15 
 
 happily very limited. " He is well enough, and I'm sure 
 I'm not afraid to go with him." 
 
 "He has drank too much champagne, child. Don't 
 you see that he can hardly stand up ? " 
 
 " Let him get into the boat and sit down, then," added 
 she, laughing merrily at the idea. 
 
 " Come, Mrs. Portington, let me help you into the 
 boat." 
 
 " I am afraid to go with you, Phil." 
 " What are you afraid of, allow me to inquire?" de- 
 manded the gentleman, with a maudlin expression on his 
 countenance, which, being interpreted, meant that he was 
 hurt by the lady's doubts, and by her want of confidence 
 in his skill as a boatman. 
 
 " I am afraid you can't manage the boat as well as 
 usual, to-day." 
 
 " Why not to-day, madam ? " 
 
 " Because you have drank too much champagne, Phil," 
 said she, breaking the force of the harsh judgment by 
 accompanying it with a merry laugh. 
 
 " Too much champagne ! 'Pon my word, madam, you 
 wrong me ; you strike me in a very tender place. My 
 capacity is two bottles ; and I assure you, on the word 
 and honor of a gentleman and a sailor, that I have 
 drank but one bottle." 
 
 " Then it was the sea breeze ; for you certainly are 
 not in your usual sound and healthy condition." 
 
16 THE YASKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 " I beg your pardon, madam ; but do you mean to 
 insinuate that I am intoxicated?" demanded he, with 
 another unsteady display of native dignity. 
 
 "O, dear, no, Phil ! nothing of the kind — only that 
 you have drank too much champagne," laughed the lady. 
 
 " Excuse me, madam, but I can't help saying that I 
 am very much injured in my feelings by this unjust 
 reflection." 
 
 '' There, mother, you are making a mess of it," inter- 
 posed Kate. " Phil is well enough. I don't see that 
 anything ails him." 
 
 *' Blessings on your sweet face, and sweeter words, 
 Kate. You do me justice ; and nothing more than 
 justice. Your judgment is cool and unbiassed," added 
 Phil, wdth enthusiasm. 
 
 " It ought to be, for I never drink champagne," re- 
 plied the spirited girl, as, without any assistance from 
 Phil, she leaped into the boat, and seated herself on a 
 thwart amidships. 
 
 " You are a darling, Kate, and you shall be, the figure- 
 head of my ship as soon as I get one." 
 
 " I will thank you to be a little less familiar in your 
 remarks, Mr. Phil Kennedy." 
 
 " Par.don me, Kate ; it was but a momentary enthusi- 
 asm which prompted me to use the unseemly word." 
 
 '* If you ever call me ' darling,' I ^vill never speak to 
 you again, if I should live to be two hundred years old. 
 
THE ADVEXTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 17 
 
 Come, mother, we shall not get home any too soon if we 
 start at ouce." 
 
 Mrs. Portington was still in doubt ; but the words and 
 the example of her daugliter were not without their 
 iufluence. She stepped into the boat no better satisfied 
 than before, but with the hope that good fortune, rather 
 than judgment and skill, would enable Kate and herself 
 to reach the opposite shore in safety. She felt that she 
 was tempting calamity to choose her for its victim ; but 
 Mr. Philip Kennedy would make himself intensely dis- 
 agreeable, if he did not actually create a tempest, in the 
 event of her refusal to accompany him. She disliked a 
 scene, and against her better judgment she intrusted her 
 life, and the more precious life of her daughter, in the 
 keeping of an intoxicated man. 
 
 In the middle of the afternoon the wind had come 
 round to the north-east, with the prospect of a storm. It 
 was coming fresher and fresher every moment, and the 
 longer the passage was delayed, the rougher it would be. 
 Mr. Philip Kennedy, under ordinary circumstances, was 
 a good boatman, and the boat got off into deep water 
 without incident or accident. As she had to round the 
 northern point of Goat Island, it was necessary to beat 
 dead to windward. The gentlemanly skipper laid her 
 course mechanically rather than with good judgment, 
 and the weatherly little craft behaved herself exceed- 
 ingly well for a time. 
 2* 
 
18 THE YASKEE MLDDY, OR 
 
 *' We are doing very well, mother," said Kate, when 
 they had made half a mile on their course. 
 
 *'Yery weU indeed, Kate. Perhaps my fears were 
 groundless," replied Mrs. Portington ; though it was evi- 
 dent, from the troubled expression on her face, that she 
 was ill at ease. 
 
 " There is not the slightest danger, I assure you, mad- 
 am," added Phil. '' I am troubled about the groundless 
 charge you have made against me. If there is anything, 
 madam, which is vile and despicable in a gentleman, it 
 is intoxication — a condition, my dear madam, to which 
 I have never been reduced. What will Commodore 
 Portington say, what will my excellent foster-father say, 
 when such an accusation is fastened upon me ? " 
 
 "I don't propose to mention the matter, of course," 
 replied Mrs. Portington. " Indeed, it was a mistake on 
 my part, and I am sorry I uttered a word." 
 
 "Thank you, madam. You are very kind to ac- 
 knowledge your error, and you remove a heavy load 
 from my mind by your considerate words. Madam, if I 
 could so far forget myself as to get intoxicated while 
 taking charge of ladies, and especially of Mrs. Porting- 
 ton and her lovely daughter — " 
 
 *' That will do in that direction, Phil," interposed Kate. 
 
 "If I had been guilty of such an impropriety, I 
 could never forgive myself. I would jump overboard and 
 drown myself the moment I realized the degrading fact.** 
 
THE ADVEXTURKS OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 19 
 
 " That is all very pretty, Mr. Phil Kennedy, but I 
 will thank you to mind your helm," said Kate, as the 
 boat fell off a little, and, under the impulse of a fresh 
 gust of Avind, careened till she took in a small quantity 
 of water over her lee-rail. 
 
 "I'm all attention. Miss Kate. It is very rough out 
 here in the channel; but I pledge you my word and 
 honor, there is not a particle of danger," replied the 
 boatman. 
 
 " I am not afraid, if you will only mind your helm." 
 
 "I am all attention, Kate ; " and the young man 
 glanced ahead at the white-capped waves which dashed 
 against the bows of the boat. 
 
 Mrs. Portington watched him, and watched the course 
 |f the boat with deep interest and anxiety. The con- 
 dition of the tipsy boatman did not improve as the 
 danger increased. He seemed to become more unsteady 
 in his movements, and to pay less attention to the helm. 
 She found it necessary to caution him frequently ; and 
 Kate declared if he did not keep a steadier hand at the 
 helm she should steer herself. 
 
 " It's very rough out here in the channel," repeated 
 he, when the boat was off Fort Adams, distant about a 
 mile. M 
 
 "Very rough indeed, Phil, and you cannot be too 
 careful." 
 
 *' No man can be more careful in a boat than I am," 
 
20 TEE YAXKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 protested he. " I intended to go to the northward of Goat 
 Island, ladies, but I think I will go to the southward, 
 where she will be in smoother water, under the lee oi 
 the land." 
 
 As he spoke, he let out the sheet and put the helm up, 
 taking the wind abeam. The ladies scrambled hastily 
 up to the weather side, for Phil had not let out the 
 sheet far enough to permit the boat to go easily on her 
 new course. 
 
 " You will certainly upset us, Phil," said Mrs. Porting- 
 ton, now actually alarmed by the uncertain movements 
 of the boat. 
 
 " 'Pon my word and honor, as a gentleman and a sail- 
 or, I will not ! " exclaimed Phil, as he unfastened the 
 sheet, and eased it off a little. " She is doing splendidly, 
 madam ; and I assure you again there is not a particle of 
 danger." 
 
 Mr. Philip Kennedy attempted to look easy, confident, 
 and unconcerned. He was trying with all his might to 
 disguise or conceal certain movements of his own, which 
 he was conscious were not entirely regular. The last 
 bumper of champagne he had taken seemed now to be 
 struggling for expression in his words and actions. His 
 estimate of lengths and distancesjfwas very uncertain ; 
 and when he intended to move the tiller a very little, he 
 threw the boat up into the Avind, or put her before it. 
 
 Now, when he unfastened the sheet, — which, by tho 
 
THE ADVEyTURES UF A y'AVAL U FEW Ell. iJl 
 
 way, ought not to have beca fa8tened at all, in such a 
 gusty ^viud as that, — one of his miscalculations of dis' 
 tauce caused him to lose his grasp upon the rope. He 
 thought he had hold of it, when it was a foot from his 
 hand ; consequently, he missed his grasp, and the strong 
 breeze acting on the sail jerked it out of his reach. Of 
 course the sail flapped violently, and the long boom beat 
 the water in the most savage manner. To the ladies it 
 looked very much like a desperate situation, especially 
 as the boat, having lost the steadying influence of the 
 sail, began to roll heavily in the trough of the sea. Still 
 there was no particular danger, as long as the little craft 
 was skilfully handled. 
 
 Mr. Philip Kennedy saw that his reputation for sobri- 
 ety and seamanship was in imminent peril, and his first 
 impulse was to save the bubble from a premature explo- 
 sion. Unfortunately for him and the bubble, his judg- 
 ment, impaired by the fumes of the champagne, was 
 not sharpened by the emergency ; and instead of putting 
 the helm down, and allowing the wind to carry the boom 
 aft, he leaped from his place in the stern, and sprang 
 forward to grasp the refractory spar. The boat was 
 very unsteady under him, and Mr. Phil Kennedy was 
 very unsteady over i1^; and as he stepped upon the gun- 
 wale to catch the boom, a heavy roll pitched him into 
 the water, and he disappeared from the view of the 
 anxious ladies. 
 
22 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 A MIDSHIPMAN IN HIS ELEMENT. 
 
 HILE the scene described in the preceding 
 chapter was taking place, a boat, similar in 
 size and rig to that occupied by Mr. Philip 
 Kennedy and party, put out from the pier at Fort Adams. 
 It contained but two persons, one of whom was the boat- 
 man, and the other a young man dressed in the uniform 
 of a midshipman of the United States navy. As the man 
 in charge of this boat had drank no champagne, or other 
 exhilarating fluid, he handled his craft with skill and 
 good judgment. 
 
 The young gentleman with the four anchors on his 
 coat collar had been sent down to deliver an important 
 messasfe to the officer in command at the fort, and 
 having discharged this duty, he was now on his return 
 to the Naval Academy. Though he was a midshipman, 
 he had a conscience, and did no#propose to waste a 
 single moment of his time in skylarking about the bay ; 
 and therefore he requested the boatman to make his best 
 time back to the landing-place at Newport. The boat 
 
THE ADVESTl'liKS OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 23 
 
 made one short tack out into the channel to get an offing ; 
 but when she was ready to come about, the doubtful 
 movements of Mr. Phil Kennedy's boat attracted the 
 attention of the midshipman. 
 
 " There's some lubber in that boat ; he don't know 
 how to handle her," said the boatman. 
 
 " That's plain enough ; and that's a pretty heavy sea out 
 there for a fellow who don't know how to manage his craft. 
 She has two ladies aboard," added the midshipman. 
 
 " Scared half out of their wits, no doubt." 
 
 " I don't blame them much. The boat yaws about as 
 though she were half full of water." 
 
 "Shall I come about?" asked the boatman, mindful 
 of the injunction which had been put upon him to lose no 
 time. 
 
 " No, not just yet. I'm afraid there will be trouble 
 out there, and the ladies may want some assistance." 
 
 " Just my sentiments exactly ; and if you say so, I'll 
 stand on towards the boat." 
 
 "Do so, if you please. We can go to the northward 
 of the light without losing much time." 
 
 " Just as you say, sir." 
 
 " Do you know the people in that boat? " 
 
 " Can't make 'em out yet ; but I know the boat, and 
 there isn't a better one in the bay when she is well 
 handled," replied the boatman, taking a careful survey 
 of the craft, as she labored in the heavy sea. 
 
24 THE TAXKEK Ml DDT, OR 
 
 " He has changed her course ; he is going to the 
 southward of the island. The lubber will swamp her ! " 
 exclaimed the midshipman, now much excited by the 
 perilous situation of the little craft. 
 
 " That he will. There, now he has eased off the 
 sheet, and she is all right again." 
 
 By this time the tAvo boats were near enough to enable 
 the boatman to see the faces of the parties in the other 
 craft. 
 
 '' I know who they are," said he, still gazing at the 
 ladies. 
 
 "TVTio are they?" 
 
 "That's Mrs. Portington and her daughter. There 
 has been a picnic over to the old fort, and they are just 
 coming home." 
 
 *' But who is the man in charge of her? " 
 
 " That's the fellow they call Phil Kennedy. They say 
 he is courting the commodore's daughter ; but I don't 
 know anything about that. She is a desperate smart 
 girl, and I reckon she is too good for such a fellow as 
 he is." 
 
 '^ Well, he is no boatman, whatever else he may be," 
 added the midshipman, with emphasis. 
 
 " Xo, but he ought to be, if he isn't. He's a passed 
 midshipman in the navy ; that is to say, he was a passed 
 midshipman, and resigned when the war broke out." 
 
 " O, he is a secesh — is he ? " 
 
THE ADVEy TURKS OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 25 
 
 " They say not ; somebody told mo lie resigned be- 
 cause they promoted some other fellow over his head." 
 
 '* He was no great loss to the navy, if he can't handle 
 a boat any better than that." 
 
 *' I reckon you're more'n half right," said the boat- 
 man, laughing, as he watched the erratic movements of 
 the craft. 
 
 *' I don't exactly see how a man so loyal and true as 
 Commodore Portington should permit an officer Mho re- 
 signed at the beginning of the war to hang round his 
 daughter," continued the midshipman, musing on what 
 seemed to him to be a very obvious inconsistency. 
 
 " There's a reason for that ; and it so happens that I 
 know all about it. I took him and another young buck 
 down to Burnett's Cove the other day, and I heard him 
 tell the whole story." 
 
 " I'm afraid he will swamp the boat and duck the 
 ladies, before you can finish it." 
 
 " I'm afraid he will ; but the story is a short one. 
 Commodore Portington, you know, is a Maryland man. 
 His father, old General Portington, is living now, and is 
 worth a mint of money — the young chap says hard ou 
 to half a million. I don't kaow nothing about that, 
 of course. The commodore's mother died some years 
 ago, and the old general married a young widow by 
 the name of Kennedy — in fact, this young chap's 
 mother." 
 
26 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 " Is the old general, the commodore's father, a loyal 
 man now?" asked the midshipman. 
 
 " Well, as near as I could make it out from what this 
 young chap said, the old fellow don't care a straw which 
 side wins, so long as they don't take his money away 
 from him." 
 
 " He is no such man as his son then ? " 
 
 " That's a fact ; the commodore goes in all over for 
 the old flag." 
 
 "Go on with your story, if there is any more of it." 
 
 " The old general took a liking to his young wife's son, 
 and treated him as if he had been his own. He got him 
 into the navy, and it was generally understood that he 
 intended to divide his money equally between young 
 Kennedy and his granddaughter, Kate." 
 
 " He is a lucky fellow then," said the midshipman. 
 
 " Perhaps he would have been, if he had behaved him- 
 self well. The young chap owned up that he had been 
 going it too fast, and rather got the old general's back up 
 against him. Then, when he gave up his situation in 
 the navy, the old fellow was as mad as Tophet, and said 
 right up and down, that he wouldn't give him a six- 
 pence." 
 
 " Then he has fooled away his chances." 
 
 " "Well, he is kind of making it up with the old man 
 now. That's about all I heard the young chap say ; but 
 I kind of guessed at the rest of it. I reckon the young 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 27 
 
 buck means to marry one half of the old general's 
 fortune, in case the other half should slip through his 
 fingers." 
 
 The midshipman appeared to be deeply interested in 
 the recital of Mr. Philip Kennedy's antecedents and 
 prospects ; but it was simply as a story, for he had no 
 acquaintance with any of the persons mentioned, except 
 that he knew Commodore Portington as a brave and 
 loyal man, who had stood by the flag of his country 
 without wavering, and without the shadow of turning, 
 though he had many southern connections who were 
 identified with the rebellion. But the interest of the 
 story did not permit the midshipman to withdraw his 
 gaze from the imperilled boat even for a single instant. 
 At the conclusion of the narrative the two boats were 
 within a hundred yards of each other, and the counte- 
 nances of the ladies could be distinctly seen. 
 
 *' There ! " shouted the boatman, jumping up in his 
 seat, " the lubber has let go his sheet ! " 
 
 '' Put your helm down ! " cried the midshipman, as he 
 saw the gentleman leap out of his seat, and run forward 
 to secure the truant rope. 
 
 But his voice was not heard above the dashing of the 
 waves ; and probably it would not have been heeded if 
 it had been heard. 
 
 " Steady ! " shouted the boatman again, as the neg- 
 lected craft heeled over to leeward. " Steady, or you 
 
'2S THE YAXKEE MIDDY, OH 
 
 will swamp her ! " be repeated, highly excited by the 
 dangerous situation of the boat and her fair passengers. 
 
 Scarcely were the words uttered, when Mr. Philip 
 Kennedy made his unfortunate misstep, and went over 
 the side, disappearing beneath the angry waves. 
 
 " He is overboard, as sure as fate I " exclaimed the 
 midshipman. 
 
 Mrs. Portington uttered a faint scream of terror as 
 she saw the young man go down, and realized that she 
 and her daughter were then at the mercy of the stormy 
 waves, which were every moment increasing in fury. 
 
 '^ Port your helm a little, and run for the boat I " said 
 the midshipman, in tones so full of energy and determi- 
 nation that the boatman did not venture to disregard his 
 words. 
 
 " Will you let the poor fellow drown? " said he. 
 
 " No ; run down under the stern of that boat, and I 
 will jump on board of her. You can save the man, and 
 I will take charge of the boat with the ladies." 
 
 *' All right," replied the boatman, deeply impressed by 
 the vigor and energy of his young companion, and with 
 a feeling that he was born to command. 
 
 The boat in which the ladies were seated, unsteadied 
 by the sail, was rolling violently in the trough of the 
 sea — so violently that at each motion she took in a large 
 quantity of water. It was fully evident to the boatman 
 and his passenger, that, without innnediate assistance, she 
 
oil' the Dumpling: Kucks. Page 29. 
 
THE ADVEXTURES OF A XAFAL OFFICER. 29 
 
 M'oiiM be swamped, and perhaps the worst fears of the 
 mother realizecj. 
 
 " Now, steady as she is," said the energetic midship- 
 man, as he placed himself in the bow of the boat. 
 
 In another instant — for the boat darted like a rocket — 
 she was within six feet of the other craft. 
 
 " Up with your helm ! " shouted the midshipman, as 
 he gathered up his light and agile form, and sprang 
 towards the stern-sheets of the storm-tossed bark. 
 
 It was a long leap to make from one unsteady object 
 to another ; and the enthusiasm of the leaper had well 
 nigh played him as ugly a trick as the champagne had 
 played upon Mr. Phil Kennedy. But he had his wits 
 about him, which the other had not, and when he 
 realized that he had made a miscalculation, he did the 
 next best thing ; that is, when his feet failed him, he 
 used his hands. He succeeded in grasping the rail of 
 the boat, and though he was subjected to the discomfort 
 of a complete ducking, his efficiency was not thereby 
 diminished. He held on with his hands till the boat 
 careened on the opposite side, and then, with surprising 
 agility, scrambled over the rail into the boat. 
 
 The midshipman did not even stop to shake himself, 
 but turned his attention at once to the safety of the boat. 
 Seizing an oar, he heaved the boat's head up into the 
 wind, which brought the boom in-board, and enabled 
 him to recover the stray sheet. With this rope at com- 
 3* 
 
30 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 mand, the boat was soon brought under perfect control. 
 Having performed this work of necessity, he directed his 
 thoughts to the man who had fallen overboard. It was 
 his purpose to go about and assist in the rescue of the 
 unfortunate tippler ; but the boat had shipped so much 
 water that she was in no condition for such a service. 
 
 *' Phil will be drowned ! " exclaimed Mrs. Portington, 
 when she saw that her own safety and that of her 
 daughter were provided for. 
 
 " I hope not, madam," replied the midshipman. " This 
 boat has so much water in her that it would be hardly 
 safe to go about. 
 
 *' The boatman has got hold of him, and is pulling 
 him out of the water," said Kate, with breathless eager- 
 ness. " He is safe, mother." 
 
 *' Thank Heaven," gasped the lady. '' If we only get 
 ashore, I will never trust myself in one of these boats 
 again." 
 
 " I beg your pardon, ladies, but where do you wish to 
 land ? " asked the polite midshipman. 
 
 " Anywhere ! Anywhere, if you will only put me 
 on the dry land again," replied" Mrs. Portington, with 
 emphasis. 
 
 " That shall be done very s'oon, madam, if you will 
 tell me where you ^4sh to go on shore." 
 
 " I don't care where, if I only get on the land once 
 more." 
 
THE ADVKXTUIiES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 31 
 
 " I believe I have the honor of addressing Mrs. Com- 
 modore PortingtoD," continued the young officer, as he 
 touclied his cap. " And I presume you wish to land in 
 the vicinity of Long Wharf." 
 
 " I am Mrs. Portington, and you may land me any- 
 where you please. I am very grateful to you, young 
 gentleman, for what you have done, and I shall never 
 forget your gallant conduct." 
 
 " I thank you, madam, for your kind words, though I 
 assure you I could not possibly have done any less. If 
 you please, Mrs. Portington, I will bale out the boat, and 
 then you will be more comfortable." 
 
 " What a nice young man ! " said Kate, as she took 
 the place assigned to her by the new skipper, who pro- 
 ceeded to bale out the boat with one hand, while he held 
 both the helm and the sheet with the other. 
 
 The young inau blushed up to his eyes as he listened 
 to this gay remark from one who had so recently been in 
 extreme peril. He could not determine what she meant ; 
 whether the words were intended as a compliment, or 
 whether she was making fun of him. He cast a single 
 furtive glance at her, but without solving the question. 
 Though he did not solve that question, he did solve 
 another, — one of no little importance to foolish young 
 men, passing put of their teens, — that Miss Kate Por- 
 tington was a very pretty girl. Perhaps this fact had 
 something to do with the deep blush that mantled his 
 
32 THU YAXKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 cheek, as the novelists say ; for it is hard to be made the 
 sport of any young lady, and doubly hard if she happens 
 to be pretty. 
 
 *' I said you were a nice young man," repeated Kate, 
 apparently enjoying the confusion of the gallant fellow ; 
 " and you are as speechless as an infant rhinoceros." 
 
 '" 1 was paralyzed by the remark." 
 
 " Don't you think you are a nice young man ? " per- 
 sisted the fair tormentor. 
 
 " Really, Miss Portington, I have given the question 
 so little consideration that I am not prepared to give a 
 definite answer," replied the midshipman, rallying under 
 the eftect of what seemed to be the young lady's sarcasm. 
 
 "May I ask you to give the subject an earnest and 
 patient examination, with the favor of a definite reply 
 within three weeks ? " 
 
 " I will endeavor to comply with so reasonable a 
 demand." 
 
 ** Thank you. I dare say you have been reading some 
 vile, yellow-covered novel." 
 
 " Indeed, I have not. I have no time to squander as 
 you suggest." 
 
 " Then you must be a natural born hero. Xo doubt 
 you have been longing for years for an opportunity to 
 rescue some forlorn damsel from a wat^gy grave, or a 
 fiery furnace. Your patience has at last been rewarded, 
 and I am the victim." 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 33 
 
 " "WTiat an ungrateful girl you are, Kate ! I'm ashamed 
 of you ! " exclaimed the mother. 
 
 " Isu't it ridiculous that I should become the heroine 
 of a stupid melo-drama like this ! Pray, sir, may I 
 ask your name ? '* 
 
 " John Somers, at your service," promptly replied the 
 midshipman. 
 
34 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 MR. MIDSHIPMAN SOMERS. 
 
 € 
 
 '^HE name and fame of Mr. Midshipman Somers 
 had gone before him, for both Mrs. Portington 
 and her daughter had heard of the distinguished 
 young gentleman. His gallant conduct on the southern 
 coast, and the exploits of which he was the hero, had 
 been duly reported at Newport. He had been examined 
 by the board of medical officers and by the Academic 
 Board, and was not only pronounced physically fit to 
 serve his country in the navy, but had been admitted to 
 the second class in the institution. 
 
 It is true some wise and prudent people said that his 
 admission was not altogether regular ; but it was certain 
 that he was admitted entirely on his own merits, what- 
 ever influence might have been used in breaking through 
 arbitrary forms, that were invaluable in piping times of 
 peace, but which the exigencies of the times could very 
 properly vary. But we do not intend to discuss the " red 
 tape " items in the career of our hero ; and we can only 
 say that he was a member of the Naval Academy, in 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 35 
 
 high standing in his class, and in excellent repute with 
 the officers and professors of the institution. We im- 
 agine his admission was no more irregular than the 
 departure of the two upper classes when their services 
 were needed in the active duties of their chosen profes- 
 sion. It was said that Commander Bankhead had more 
 influence in Washington than some officers of equal rank ; 
 and this devoted and patriotic man was Somers's warm 
 friend. 
 
 Our midshipman had studied with a zeal which was 
 worthy of success. Before he entered the institution he 
 had improved every moment of time, and even the 
 greater portion of his thirty days' furlough had been 
 spent in the solitude of his chamber over navigation, 
 gunnery, and general mathematics. He had graduated 
 with honor in the High School of Pinchbrook, and 
 was therefore in condition to take advance rank in 
 the Academy, after he had added to his early attain- 
 ments the results of six months' earnest and devoted 
 study. 
 
 Somers had not been satisfied to meet the require- 
 ments of the institution, but had used his spare hours to 
 promote the great object of his present existence. His 
 constitution was strong and his health vigorous, so that 
 he did not break down under this pressure ; and the 
 result was evident to his teachers, though they were not 
 clearly aware of the means by which he made such trc- 
 
86 :rt5» YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 inendous progress in his studies. At the June examina- 
 tion he had not a single demerit recorded against him, 
 and his "general merit roll" placed him near the head 
 of the class. He was trusted and respected, not only for 
 what he had done, but for what he was. 
 
 When Somers entered the institution he was an able 
 seaman, and had an excellent practical knowledge of 
 gunnery and working a ship. While his classmates were 
 studying and practising what he was competent to teach, 
 Somers devoted himself to branches of study in which 
 he had made less progress. Our young readers, there- 
 fore, must not suppose that he got his "learning" by 
 instinct, for he obtained his position only by the severest 
 labor and the most self-denying sacrifices. He knew 
 nothing of the gay festivities of the brilliant wateringr: 
 place in which he resided, and did not even witness the 
 dissipation which abounds in that luxurious society dur- 
 ing the fashionable season. His only visitor during the 
 summer was Lieutenant Waldron, of the navy, whom he 
 had saved from being washed overboard during a gale, 
 on his passage home from Key West. This gentleman 
 was fully alive to the merit of our midshipman, and 
 freely expressed his desire to have hii|fc with him in the 
 Rosalie, to which he had been appointed. 
 
 And now, having informed our readers who and what 
 the midshipman was, we will return to the boat where 
 we left him with the ladies. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 37 
 
 *' Mr. Midshipman Somers ! " exclaimed Mrs. Porting- 
 ton, when the young gentleman had given his name ; " I 
 have heard of you before." 
 
 '' Mr. Midshipman Somers ! " repeated Kate. " / 
 have heard of you before ; and you must know that I 
 re"-ard it as a very distinguished honor to be rescued 
 from a watery gi-ave by such a remarkable prodigy as 
 Mr. Midshipman Somers." 
 
 " Don't you be so saucy, Kate," remonstrated her 
 mother. 
 
 " I am not saucy, mother ; my heart overflows with 
 gratitude to the distinguished young gentleman for the 
 signal service he has rendered us," replied Kate, with a 
 merry laugh. 
 
 The boat was now under the lee of Goat Island, 
 where the water was comparatively smooth, and the con- 
 fidence of both the ladies was completely restored. The 
 other boat, with Mr. Philip Kennedy as a passenger, 
 was about half a mile astern of her. Somers had baled 
 out the water, and taken a reef in the sail. Miss Kate 
 was comfortable, and could afford to be saucy. She was 
 an enigma to the midshipman. It was not possible, after 
 the good service' he had rendered to her and to her 
 mother, that the young lady intended to ridicule him. 
 It was her humor ; and as she was very beautiful, she 
 could afford to say and do almost anything, which 
 w^ould have been fatal to a less favored damsel. 
 4 
 
38 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 • 
 
 " You arc positively impudent, Kate," added her 
 mother. 
 
 '^ On the contrary, my dear mother, I am using the 
 strongest language I can find to express my admiration 
 of the gentleman's gallant conduct, and my high appre- 
 ciation of his efficient service to you and me." 
 
 " Spare me. Miss Portington," said Somers, with a 
 blush and a smile. 
 
 " I will not spare you ; you deserve praise, an(J praise 
 you shall have, to the farthest verge of my capacity to 
 commend you. I have heard my father say that you 
 rescued Commander Bankhead from a watery grave." 
 
 " I beg you will not say watery grave again," replied 
 Somers. '' I am afraid you have been reading novels, 
 Miss Portington." 
 
 " I was only trying to speak a language which you 
 can understand. The only thing that vexes me is, that 
 I should become one of your heroines — the victim of 
 your insane desire to make a knight-errant of yourself. 
 Pray, did you ever read Don Quixote ? " 
 
 " I never did." 
 
 " Read it, by all means, at the first opportunity." 
 
 "I am afraid I have mortally offended you. Miss 
 Portington," added Somers. 
 
 "Not mortally, only seriously. You knight-errants 
 use provokingly strong language." 
 
 " I propose — 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 39 
 
 " Dou't do it yet, young man. Even Don Quixote 
 would not have been so hasty." 
 
 " Pray hear me out." 
 
 " I could not possibly listen to anything of that kind 
 now," laughed the merry girl. 
 
 '' I was only going to propose — " 
 
 '* Don't do it, Mr. Somers. Spare me, if you please." 
 
 " I was only going to offer to correct the mistake I 
 have made." 
 
 '' What mistake, Mr. Somers ? " 
 
 " I have been so unfortunate as to save you — in your 
 own choice language — from a watery grave. It now 
 appears that this was a grievous blunder on my part." 
 
 " Exactly so ; you are infinitely more sensible than I 
 supposed a prodigy could be." 
 
 "• I propose to correct my mistake." 
 
 '' Do, by all means. You will impose upon me a debt 
 of gratitude which will last me the rest of my life- 
 time — " 
 
 ^'And which would soon be cancelled, then, if you 
 were left to your own efforts in the heavy sea off the 
 Dumplings." 
 
 ••' Really, that is quite smart." 
 
 " With your leave, I will endeavor to remedy the mis- 
 chief I have done. Afler landing Mrs. Portington, I 
 propose to return to the channel, and leave you exactly 
 as I found you." 
 
40 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 " Excellent idea. I will bo your friend for life, 
 then." 
 
 " Thank you for your kind consideration, — though 
 our friendship would be short and sweet, like angels* 
 visits." 
 
 " Positively, you are gi'owing brilliant, in spite of 
 your wet jacket. But, seriously, Mr. Somers, don't you 
 think I am to be pitied ? " 
 
 " I do. I sympathize with you from the depths of my 
 heart." 
 
 " Here I am, an unfortunate maiden of seventeen, 
 who, without any fault of my own, and without the 
 indulgence of a single sickly sentiment such as you find 
 embodied in the novels, have been subjected to the peril 
 of being drowned. Just at this moment, one of these 
 little monkeys of midshipmen appears upon the stage, 
 and saves me from my impending fate ! Don't you 
 think it is superlatively ridiculous ? " 
 
 " Certainly it is ; and I cannot express how deeply I 
 regret my agen(:;y in the affair. Had I known your sen- 
 timents, it is possible that I might have saved your 
 mother, without meddling with you." 
 
 " Kate, I will not listen to this impudence any longer," 
 said Mrs. Portington. 
 
 " Excuse me, madam, but I assure you I enjoy it as 
 much as she does," added Somers. 
 
 *' You are determined to make yourself ridiculous, in 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 41 
 
 spite of all my exertions to save you from your own 
 folly," continued Kate ; and this time, for some reason 
 which Ave cannot explain, there was a blush upon her 
 cheek. 
 
 "She does not mean what she says," added Mrs. 
 Portington. " She is really as grateful to you as I am ; 
 and I feel that I owe my life and hers to your gallant 
 conduct." 
 
 " I should think you had been reading novels, too, 
 mother. Of course I am grateful to Mr. Somers for 
 wetting his jacket in my behalf. He has my thanks, and 
 I shall ask father to make an admiral of him as soon as 
 he comes back from New York." 
 
 " Thank you. Miss Portington ; and for your sake I 
 should probably accept the situation, if it were offered to 
 me." 
 
 " For my sake ! You are almost as impudent as our 
 last boatman. Do you expect me to twine a chaplet 
 for your lofty brow, Mr. Somers, and, like the her- 
 oines of romance, blush whenever your name is men- 
 tioned?" 
 
 " I should certainly wear the chaplet if your fair 
 hands twined it ; and it would afford me inexpressible 
 pleasure to learn that you blushed at the mention of my 
 name." 
 
 " You are more impudent than Phil Kennedy." 
 
 " I haven't the pleasure of Mr. Kennedy's accquaint- 
 4* 
 
42 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 auce ; but I believe I am indebted to him for the honor 
 of this unexpected interview." 
 
 " The same accident that removed me from his pro- 
 tection placed me under yours. I did not submit to his 
 impudence, and I shall not to yours. I am your victim ; 
 but I beg you will use your advantage as mildly as 
 possible." 
 
 " I will. "We are approaching the wharf; and as it is 
 not probable that we shall ever meet again, permit me to 
 say that the pleasure of my brief acquaintance with you 
 amply compensates for the discomfort of a wet jacket." 
 
 " Dear me ! I declare you are a philosopher as well 
 as a prodigy." 
 
 " So my shipmates used to call me, which exhibits a 
 remarkable unanimity of opinion between you and 
 them." 
 
 " What tremendous long words you use, Mr. Somers ! " 
 
 " They are all in the dictionary, Miss Portington, and 
 all authorized by the best usage." 
 
 " Doubtless they are. I will look them out when I 
 get home. If I remember rightly, you just now ob- 
 served that we were about to part to meet no more, in 
 the language of the sentimental songsters." 
 
 " Probably ; by accident, possibly." 
 
 " I protest against any such conclusion, Mr. Somers," 
 interposed Mrs. Portington. " I hope to meet you 
 often, and to have an opportunity to express over and 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 43 
 
 over again my gratitude to you for the kind service you 
 have rendered.'* 
 
 " Mother has been reading novels, I declare ! Well, 
 it is perfectly safe for her; she isn't 'just seven- 
 teen.' " 
 
 "Now, Kate, if you don't join me in inviting Mr. 
 Somers to spend the evening at our house, I shall be 
 offended with you." 
 
 " Certainly, I will join you, mother. Mr. Somers, 
 let not the hero and heroine of this ecstatic adventure be 
 thus rudely sundered. Let not the cloud come between 
 them on the very threshold of their acquaintance. Let 
 not the dews of a genial friendship — " 
 
 " Take care the boom, Miss Portington," said Somers, 
 as the boat rounded in at the landing-place. 
 
 " A plague upon the boom ! You spoil a very flow- 
 ery sentence, Mr. Somers." 
 
 "Pardon me, but I had to luff up, or stave the boat 
 against the wharf." 
 
 The midshipman passed the painter through a ring, 
 and secured the boat at the wharf. The sail was low- 
 ered, and the eventful voyage was ended ; but the ladies 
 preferred to remain in their seats till the arrival of the 
 other boat with Mr. Phil Kennedy. In spite of the 
 remarkable nature of the conversation, the young mid- 
 shipman had enjoyed it to the utmost, and even forgot 
 the discomforts of his wet clothing?. In his estimation 
 
44 THE TAXKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 Miss Kate Portington was positively fascinating ; and he 
 regretted that the cruise should so soon be finished. 
 
 As they sat in the boat, Mrs. Portington tried in vain 
 to have a little serious conversation with her deliverer ; 
 but Kate's sarcasms spoiled her good intentions. The 
 conversation of the latter continued to be laden with 
 merry impudence till the other boat touched the wharf, 
 when Somers assisted INIrs. Portington to land. Kate, 
 without waiting for any help, leaped lightly upon the 
 wharf. 
 
 " After serious reflection, Mr. Somers," said she, as 
 he stepped on the wharf, " I think we had better not 
 part to meet no more, for in spite of your absurdities, I 
 rather like you. Here is my hand, Mr. Somers. You 
 will call and see us — won't you ? " 
 
 Somers took the offered hand, and felt a slight tempta- 
 tion to be silly. The fair girl was sincere and sensible 
 now ; and as he pressed the little gloved hand, he ex- 
 perienced an emotion which was new to him, but 
 decidedly pleasant to remember. 
 
 " You must excuse me. Miss Portington, but I am so 
 constantly employed that I find no time to go into com- 
 pany," replied Somers. 
 
 " Then you are angry with me because I have talked 
 so lightly of the service you rendered me ? " 
 
 "Far from it. I have enjoyed your conversation 
 more than I can describe." 
 
THE ADVENTUIiES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 45 
 
 *' Tlien you will call at our house. If you do not, I 
 shall believe you are offended, and shall never forgive 
 myself for my idle words.'* 
 
 " I am not offended. It would be impossible for me 
 to be offended with one — no matter ; I will not say it. 
 You would accuse me of stealing the rest of the sen- 
 tence from a novel." 
 
 *' Promise that you will call, then." 
 
 *' I will do so, if possible." 
 
 " I will content myself with that, for I know it wiU be 
 possible. Here is Phil." 
 
 The lady very gracefully introduced Mr. Phil Ken- 
 nedy and Mr. Midshipman Somers. The former had 
 completely recovered from the effect of his indiscretion, 
 furnishing another proof that cold water is the best 
 antidote for the malady with which he had been afflicted. 
 
 " Mr. Somers, I am happy to make your acquaint- 
 ance," said Phil, as he grasped the young man's hand. 
 ''You are a brave fellow, and I shall cultivate your 
 friendship, if you will permit me ; " and he proceeded to 
 give, in minute detail, the particulars of the accident 
 which had thrown him into the water, though he did 
 not even remotely allude to the champagne which had 
 been at the bottom of the mischief. 
 
 The party then separated, and Somers hastened up to 
 the Academy to report on his mission to Fort Adams. 
 
46 TEE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 SOMERS ATTENDS AN EVENING PARTY. 
 
 ASS the word for Mr. Somers," said the captain 
 of the crew to which that young gentleman be- 
 longed, at the close of the recitation in the after- 
 noon of a day about a week after the events 
 detailed in the last chapter. 
 Mr. Somers presented himself. 
 
 "You will report to the commandant forthwith," 
 added the captain of the crew. 
 
 Somers repaired at once to the office of the com- 
 mandant, much wondering for what he could be wanted 
 there. This was the way in which delinquents were 
 sometimes summoned for reprimand, and he tried to 
 think what wicked thing he had done for which he could 
 be called to the bar of the august executive of the institu- 
 tion. He had not failed in his studies ; he had not been 
 late at any muster ; he had not staid out after hours, 
 and he had not broken a leave of absence. He was not 
 conscious of being guilty of any real or constructive 
 enormity, and he therefore came to the conclusion that 
 he was to be detailed for some special duty. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 47 
 
 Into the presence of the mighty man of the Academy 
 he Avent, with some doubts but no fears, for a clear con- 
 science is the best assurance which a young man can 
 have in the hour of trial. There was an expression on 
 the face of the commandant which he could not under- 
 stand, as he removed his cap, and reported himself, as 
 he had been ordered. There was an appearance of 
 severity, but there was something else which modified it, 
 and Somers could not tell whether he ought to expect a 
 reprimand, or an order for special duty. 
 
 "Mr. Somers," began the commandant, "your con- 
 duct has been so uniformly exemplary, that I am very 
 much surprised to find you under censure at the present 
 time." 
 
 " Under censure ! " exclaimed Somers, his face turning 
 as red as a blood beet. " I was not aware, sir, that I 
 had transgressed any rule of the institution. If I have, 
 I am very sorry for it." 
 
 " You have, sir," replied the commandant ; but there 
 was something which looked very much like a smile on 
 his fine countenance. 
 
 " I was not conscious of it, sir." 
 
 " Perhaps not ; but I must hold you responsible, never- 
 theless, and compel you to make all the reparation in 
 your power." 
 
 " Will you be kind enough to inform me what rule I 
 have disregarded?" asked Somers, encouraged by the 
 
48 THB YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 smile that still lurked about the mouth of the executive 
 officer. 
 
 " Certainly, Mr. Somers. That rule vvhich requires 
 the naval cadets to conduct themselves according to the 
 rules of politeness and good-breeding in all their rela- 
 tions with their fellow-beings, outside as well as inside 
 of the institution." 
 
 " Really, sir, I was not conscious that I had been 
 wanting in this respect in any duty I owe to my feUow- 
 beings." 
 
 "You made the acquaintance of Mrs. Commodore 
 Portington and her daughter under rather remarkable 
 circumstances ; and you partially promised to call upon 
 the family. You have not done so, though a week has 
 elapsed since the event." 
 
 " I have not yet abandoned the intention of calling 
 upon the family." 
 
 "But your delay looks very much as though you 
 intended to disregard the invitation. Mr. Somers, mid- 
 shipmen cannot afford to slight the invitation of a com- 
 modore's lady." 
 
 " I did not mean to slight it." 
 
 " I suppose not. If it had been any other gentleman 
 in the institution, I should have been applied to for leave 
 of absence six times within that week. Why have you 
 not been, Mr. Somers ? " 
 
 " I wished to go very much indeed ; nothing could 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 49 
 
 have afforded me more pleasure tlian to accept the 
 invitation.'* 
 
 "Then, why under the sun didn't you go? You 
 ■were sure of your leave of absence, for you have never 
 asked a favor since you have been here." 
 
 " I am not exactly on an equality with the commo- 
 dore's lady and daughter, and I concluded that my going 
 to see them would look very much like an intention on 
 my part to remind them of the trifling service I had the 
 good fortune to render them.'* 
 
 '•' Somers, you are too modest by half; and you wrong 
 the people of whom you speak. Now, I happen to 
 know that the young lady is much grieved at your non- 
 appearance, and fully believes that she has deeply offend- 
 ed you." 
 
 " That is far from the truth." 
 
 " I don't think we have any young gentlemen who can 
 afford to be offended with the commodore's daughter. 
 She is a little wild, and is sometimes rather erratic in her 
 ways, but she is pure gold. I think you have uot done 
 quite right, and I feel compelled to give you leave m 
 absence till ten this evening, with orders to report at 
 Commodore Portington's house." 
 
 The playful manner of the commandant assured Som- 
 ers that his disobedience was not very desperate, and he 
 retired to put himself in order for obeying the mandate. 
 AVe feel compelled to add, that his heart was all in a 
 5 
 
50 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 flutter at the prospect of speuding an evening in the pres- 
 ence of the commodore's beautiful daughter. He dressed 
 himself with the most extraordinary care, and laid every 
 lock of his fine curly hair in the best possible position. 
 We cannot say that he looked much better after he had 
 "fussed" for half an hour, than when he began; but 
 Nature had done so much for Mr. Midshipman vSomers, 
 that it was hardly necessary to improve upon her handi- 
 work. It was no merit of his that he was .an exceed- 
 ingly good-looking fellow. 
 
 When he had completed his toilet, he hastened to the 
 residence of the commodore. The distance was short — 
 not half long enough to enable him to recover his self- 
 possession, of which sundry queer thoughts had completely 
 deprived him. His confusion was so great, that when 
 he reached the house, he had not the courage to ring the 
 bell. Somers w^as still a boy, and as bashful as a school- 
 girl. In spite of himself, he walked straight past the 
 door, stealing only a hasty glance at the front windows 
 through the corner of his eye. He walked half a mile 
 l^youd the house, until he thought he had brought his 
 courage up to the sticking point, when he ventured to 
 turn around and retrace his steps. 
 
 Again he reached the house, and again the tremen- 
 dous idea of standing in the presence of Miss Kate Por- 
 tington so overawed him, that he passed the house with 
 a speed which must have led inquisitive people to think 
 
TEE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 51 
 
 lie was after the doctor who lived a few squares beyond. 
 Somers began to grow desperate ; and tlie more desperate 
 he became, the more rapid was his pace. This time he 
 actually walked dowoi to the wharf where he had parted 
 with the damsel a week before. The remembrance of 
 her raillery almost blanched his cheek ; but it glowed 
 again when he recalled the kind words with which they 
 had parted, and the eagerness with which she attempted 
 to extort from him a promise to call. 
 
 Under the influence of this last reflection, he retraced 
 his steps again ; but Avhen he reached the door of the fair 
 one's home, his courage once more failed him. " She 
 will call me a prodigy," thought he, " and I shall sink 
 through the floor." It was true he had given some smart 
 answers before, but he might not be able to do so again. 
 lie bolted past the door as though he had been a pro- 
 jectile from a hundred pounder Parrott. 
 
 " What a fool I am ! " said he, pettishly, to himself, 
 after he had galloped off about a mile. I will either go 
 in or give it up this time. I haven't any more pluck 
 than a wooden man. Why should I be afraid of that 
 girl's ":ongue ? I can talk as big as she can, if I have a 
 mind to do so ; and I will, too." 
 
 Thus thinking, and thus muttering his thoughts, he 
 came about as squarely as though he had been on pa- 
 rade, and darted down the street again. 
 
 " I am going in this time," muttered he, as he ap- 
 
62 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 • 
 
 proaclied the house. " I will charge on the battery, if 
 I die for it." 
 
 Thus musing, he increased liis pace ; but when he 
 reached the house, a stolen glance at tlie window dis- 
 closed to him the fair face of Kate. He looked down 
 upon the sidewalk, doubled his speed, and passed the 
 house for the fourth time. 
 
 " Avast there, Somers ! Where bound ? " said a famil- 
 iar voice, hailing him as he bolted down the street 
 towards the wharves. " I thought I saw you leave for 
 Commodore Portington's an hour ago." 
 
 " You did, sir," candidly replied Somers, with a hasty 
 glance at the quizzical face of the commandant of mid- 
 shipmen, for he was the person who had hailed him. 
 
 " O, you have been there?" 
 
 " N — no, sir. I haven't been there yet." 
 
 '' Indeed ! Where have you been ? " 
 
 " I have been taking a little walk." 
 
 '* I should think you had. Why, I supposed, from your 
 pace, that Miss Kate had a fit, and you were running for 
 the doctor." 
 
 "No, sir, I haven't been there yet. Isn't it rather 
 early, sir?" 
 
 "Early? No. They expect you, and will wait tea 
 till you come." 
 
 " Expect me?" 
 
 "Certainly they do. I told them you would come, and 
 
THE ADVEXTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 53 
 
 you have been ^vasting a whole hour of the most vahia- 
 ble time ever allotted to mortal man," laughed the com- 
 mandant, for he ventured to smile occasionally ou the 
 favorite of the Academy. " Come with me, for I am 
 bound there." 
 
 The die was cast now. He did not wish to abandon 
 the chase, and w^as rather pleased to find his " want of 
 pluck" had not defeated his good intentions. Wliile 
 they walk up the hill at a more moderate pace than 
 Somers had descended it, we must pause to rescue our 
 little volume from the imputation of being a love story. 
 We solemnly assure our readers, old and young, that Mr. 
 Midshipman Somers had no more idea of falling in love 
 than he had of falling overboard. He Avas a youth of 
 eighteen, and of course there w^as no room in his head or 
 his heart for such a silly notion. If any stronger phe- 
 nomena than this appear to the experience of those versed 
 in such matters, we can only assure them that they were 
 simply " strokes of nature." A school-boy may be afraid 
 of the pretty girl who sits at the desk near his own, with- 
 out having his common sense impugned ; and we pledge 
 our word that Mr. Midshipman Somers's case w^as not a 
 whit more desperate. 
 
 The commandant rang the bell at Commodore Porting- 
 
 ton's house, with a firmness of purpose and a steadiness 
 
 of nerve which excited the envy of his young companion. 
 
 He would have given his prospect of prize-money for the 
 
 5* 
 
54 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 next year, if lie could have jingled that bell without a 
 trembling of the limbs and a sinking of the heart. The 
 bell had been rung, and the Rubicon was passed. They 
 were ushered into the drawing-room, where quite a large 
 party were seated. 
 
 " TThy, Mr. Somers, I am delighted to see you ! " ex- 
 claimed Kate Portington, rushing up to him, and extend- 
 ing her hand, which Somers had the courage to take, 
 though the floor beneath seemed for a moment to be 
 composed of very unsubstantial material. " I was afraid 
 you intended to deprive me of the romantic pleasure of 
 being the heroine of an unwritten novel. I am delighted 
 to see you." 
 
 " I thank you ; I called to invite you to sail with me 
 on the first stormy day, that I may*have an opportunity 
 to undo the mischief done the other day." 
 
 " I will not go. After careful reflection, I have de- 
 cided to submit to the destiny in store for me, and be a 
 willing victim. Being rescued by a prodigy of a midship- 
 man ought to reconcile any lady to such a fate." 
 
 " Well, Miss Portington, whenever you are disposed 
 to rebel at your destiny, I will cheerfully aflTord you an 
 opportunity to join the mermaids, and sport in the cav- 
 erns of the mighty deep." 
 
 " How poetical ! There is no limit to your attain- 
 ments." 
 
 ■ 
 
 " I beg your pardon ; there is at least one limit." 
 
TBE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 55 
 
 "Pray, what is that?" 
 
 " To look unmoved upon one so fair, so witty, and so 
 wise as Miss Portington." 
 
 "You are an impudent little middy, in spite of all 
 your accomplishments." 
 
 "I am afraid impudence is contagious," laughed 
 Somers. 
 
 " Worse and worse." 
 
 By this time Mr. Midshipman Somers had to be pre- 
 sented to the rest of the company. He had found his 
 tongue now, and having faced the heaviest battery first, 
 he was prepared for any other that could come athwart 
 his hawse. 
 
 Mr. Philip Kennedy was there, and treated Mr. Som- 
 ers with the most distinguished consideration. Commo- 
 dore Portington was there, and with much emotion 
 thanked him for what he had done for his wife and 
 daughter. Mrs. Portington was as kind and motherly as 
 though the tie of blood had connected her to the young 
 gentleman. In spite of the courage and vigor with 
 which Somers faced the sarcasm of Kate, he was re- 
 duced to the condition of blushing a dozen times before 
 the party sat down to tea ; for, very much to the disgust 
 of such a modest youth, he was the lion of the occasion. 
 
 Sarcastic as Miss Kate was disposed to be, she kepC 
 Somers constantly at her side. O, they were excellent 
 friends ! — nothing more, we again feel compelled to 
 
56 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 assure our readers. He sat by her side at the table, and 
 if he ventured during the evening to wander from her 
 chair, by some of those delicate arts best understood by 
 young ladies, she contrived to bring him back. Entire 
 candor compels us to say that Somers did not regard this 
 imprisonment as a punishment ; or if it was, he submitted 
 with most exemplary patience to the infliction. 
 
 Kate continued to be sarcastic, and to make all man- 
 ner of fun of " the prodigy of a midshipman ; " but we are 
 happy to inform our interested friends that Somers re- 
 torted with grace and spirit, always hitting, but never 
 wounding. The commodore laughed till his sides ached, 
 as he listened to this exciting badinage ; and it is quite 
 certain that Mr. Midshipman Somers lost nothing in his 
 good opinion for the vigor and spirit with which he used 
 his tongue. 
 
 At nine o'clock the party was prematurely broken up 
 by the departure o^ a portion of the guests, and the others 
 decided to follow their example. Somers, though urged 
 to remain longer, did not deem it prudent to accept the 
 invitation, but he promised, with the prompt indorse- 
 ment of the commandant of midshipmen, to repeat the 
 visit at an early date. 
 
 Somers left the house alone, for the commandant had 
 another engagement. He had walked but a few steps 
 towards the Academy, when he was joined by Mr. Phil 
 Kennedy. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 57 
 
 " Ah, Somers ! Glad to meet you again. Whither 
 now?" 
 
 " Home," replied Somers. 
 
 '' Is your leave out ? " 
 
 " No, not till ten." 
 
 "Walk up the street, then. You are a good fellow, 
 and I should be happy to know you better." 
 
 " Thank you," replied Somers, as Phil took his arm, 
 and they walked towards the Ocean House. 
 
58 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 SOMERS GOES ON NIGHT DUTY. 
 
 R. PHILIP KENNEDY was a man of 
 
 the world, and was perfectly familiar with 
 all the phases of fashionable dissipation. 
 His knowledge of the vices of society was 
 profound and intricate. There was no game of cards, 
 no turn of the dice, by which money changed ownership, 
 in which he was not an adept. 
 
 Even Somers, simple as he was in worldly arts, did 
 not for an instant suppose that Mr. Philip Kennedy and 
 himself had met by accident. The brilliant young gen- 
 tleman had probably waited for the midshipman, and 
 thrown himself in his path in a careless manner, that no 
 purpose or intention on his part might be apparent. He 
 had an object in view, though Somers was too innocent 
 to suspect him of any improper motives. The latter had 
 been a lion in the party — had been treated with high 
 favor by the commodore and other naval officers present ; 
 Mrs. Portington had been very kind to him ; and Kate 
 had artlessly monopolized his attentions during the entire 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 59 
 
 evenin«T. Very likely Mr. Somcrs's brain was turned by 
 the consideration which had been awarded to him ; very 
 likely he considered himself a person of no little conse- 
 quence. It was quite natural that Mr. Philip Kennedy 
 should seek to cultivate his acquaintance. 
 
 We cannot positively say that Mr. Midshipman Somers 
 passed all these things through his mind ; but the notice 
 of Phil Kennedy was only a continuation of what had 
 been going on all the evening. It did not seem strange, 
 therefore, that the " man of the world" should take his 
 arm, and invite him to a stroll up the street. It is pos- 
 sible that the unsophisticated middy felt flattered by the 
 notice of so brilliant a person as Mr. Phil Kennedy. 
 
 They walked up to the Ocean House, and Somers 
 sauntered with him through the various halls and public 
 apartments, and saw what of fashion and gayety the 
 waning season had left behind. In the course of their 
 peregrinations about the extensive establishment, they 
 visited the billiard saloon ; but Somers did not know the 
 first thing about the game, and they finally came to a halt 
 in front of the bar. With the nonchalance of a man of 
 the world, Kennedy called for a sherry cobbler, and asked 
 his young companion what he would have, in a tone which 
 seemed to indicate that a refusal to drink was not to be 
 expected. 
 
 Somers politely but firmly refused to " imbibe," and per- 
 sisted to the last in declining to "join" his accomplished 
 
60 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 friend, even to the extent of a glass of lemonade. Per- 
 haps he was over-fastidious in refusing to partake of a 
 harmless beverage ; but he had a perfect horror of a 
 public bar, and all Mr. Phil Kennedy's eloquence was 
 unavailing to change his purpose. If Phil had any 
 object in view he was utterly and signally defeated. 
 
 As they passed out of the bar-room, Somers made an 
 explanation ; but it was not an apology — only an open, 
 straightforward statement that it was against his princi- 
 ples to taste intoxicating drinks. Phil took the explana- 
 tion very kindly, and apologized for pressing the point as 
 far as he had done. He supposed all young men drank, 
 and nothing but a misapprehension could have induced 
 him to extend so offensive an invitation to one whose 
 principles were opposed to the practice. 
 
 At half past nine they separated, and Somers returned 
 to the Academy with a very high regard for Mr. Phil 
 Kennedy. That gentleman had treated him with the 
 most marked attention, and extended to him many cour- 
 tesies which a man of the world does not often bestow 
 upon a needy young middy. But, after all the kindness 
 and consideration of Phil, Somers did not employ many 
 of his leisure moments in thinking of him. His thoughts 
 dwelt more earnestly on the incidents of the evening at 
 the house of the commodore. Kate had made fun of 
 him for three hours, almost without cessation ; but there 
 was something very pleasant to rei^iember in her words, 
 her looks, and her manner. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. Gl 
 
 Somcrs, though tolerably familiar with human nature 
 among men, was profoundly ignorant of its develop- 
 ments in the opposite sex. It is a remarkable fact, 
 deduced from long experience and close observation, that 
 young ladies often make fun of those to whom they are 
 the most strongly attached. They often call men mon- 
 sters, even while they admire them, and rail at those to 
 whom, at the fitting moment, they are willing to speak 
 the kindest of words. Well, it is only an exhibition of 
 that feminine tact by which ladies conceal, or attempt to 
 conceal, their real sentiments. It is unfortunate for 
 them that prejudice and public opinion compel them to 
 hide their thoughts and feelings, their hopes and aspira- 
 tions, till somebody has irrevocably committed himself. 
 Whom she hates, she often loves ; and whom she de- 
 spises, she often takes to her heart. 
 
 This is worldly wisdom ; and Jack Somers, still a boy, 
 knew nothing at all about it. But there were those 
 present at that evening party who were not deceived by 
 outward appearances ; and perhaps Mr. Philip Kennedy 
 was deeply enough versed in the wiles of feminine ways 
 to understand all about it. It was distinctly understood 
 that he had aspirations in the direction of Miss Kate ; 
 but, beyond a half concealed scowl, and an occasional 
 impatient movement, he appeared to be utterly uncon- 
 scious of the presence of Somers. 
 
 The dreams of our middy have not been reported, and 
 6 
 
62 THE TAXKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 we have no means of knowing what vagaries occupied 
 his sleeping hours that night ; but we do know that the 
 midnight bell had struck before he ceased to think of 
 ■what had taken place at the hospitable mansion of 
 Commodore Portington. 
 
 During the succeeding month Somers was an occa- 
 sional visitor at the house of the commodore. Kate 
 always railed at him, but her words, her look, and her 
 manner ^vere just as fascinating as on the first occasion. 
 As they became more intimate, the raillery became more 
 earnest ; but everybody beUeved that Kate and the 
 prodigy of a middy were excellent friends. Mr. Phil 
 Kennedy was ahvays present on these occasions, and 
 always made himself as agreeable as the circumstances 
 would permit. He continued to cultivate the acquaint- 
 ance of Somers, w4io was rather pleased to be on inti- 
 mate terms with such an elegant and accomplished young 
 gentleman. 
 
 About this time, there Avas a brilliant party, for an 
 out-of-season one, at the residence of Commodore Por- 
 tington, who was on the point of departing for the South, 
 where he had been ordered to a command. Of course 
 Somers w^as invited, and obtained leave of absence till 
 twelve o'clock, which is a very late hour for young men 
 to be out of the house, and could only be tolerated at the 
 Academy on the occasion of a commodore's party. Kate 
 Avas unusually brilliant and fascinating, especially to Mr. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 63 
 
 Midshipman Somers. It was observed that she danced 
 only once during the evening ; and some of the scandal- 
 mongers were malicious enough to say that it was because 
 the *•' prodigy of a midshipman " did not know how to 
 dance, and therefore could not join with her in her 
 favorite amusement. It was further whispered, tiiat she 
 had twice declined to dance with Mr. Phil Kennedy. 
 Certainly this elegant man of the world was in very bad 
 humor, which gave a color of truth to the scandal. 
 
 We have no intention of detailing the events of the 
 evening, or of describing the beautiful dresses worn by 
 the ladies on this interesting occasion ; we pass on to 
 more stirring events. About half past eleven o'clock a 
 messenger brought a note to the commandant of midship- 
 men, who, as a valued friend of the commodore, was 
 never absent from his house on great occasions. The 
 oliicer read the note, and his face wore a sad and troubled 
 expression. 
 
 "^Mr. Somers," said he, after he had read the note, 
 " I am sorry to abridge your enjoyment, even for a 
 moment ; but I must ask the favor of your assistance in 
 a matter of some importance. Pardon me for interrupt- 
 ing you. Miss Portington." 
 
 " ISIr. Somers cannot leave a moment before twelve," 
 replied she, with well-made petulance. " I am teaching 
 him to box the compass, and he hasn't got half way 
 round yet. He is the most stupid fellow for a prodigy 
 
64 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 that I ever met, aud I wouder how he learns his mathe- 
 matics." 
 
 " If you would shut your eyes he would be a better 
 student ; your glance distracts his attention. But you 
 •will excuse him, when I tell you that this is a work of 
 mercy," replied the commandant, witli a smile. "A 
 transport steamer, from New Orleans, bound to Boston, 
 has put in. short of coal. There is an officer, a friend of 
 mine, on board of her, who is very low from the effects 
 of a gunshot wound. The surgeon fears lie Avill not live 
 till morning, and has sent for me. I happen to know 
 that the sufferer's sister is in Ne^\'port, and I wish Mr. 
 Somers's assistance in conveying her on board." 
 
 Kate looked very sober and very sad, leaving no doubt 
 in the mind of any one that she felt deeply for the poor 
 invalid, who might die before the loved one could reach 
 him to smooth his dying pillow. Of course she offiired 
 no further objection, and did not indulge in any unseemly 
 remark. 
 
 " Mr. Somers, you will oblige me by going down to 
 the wharf, and getting the school boat ready for us. If 
 you can find a boatman, employ him ; but I am afraid 
 they are not to be had at this late hour. I will find the 
 lady, but I may be delayed some little time," continued 
 the lieutenant, as he departed from the house. 
 
 " Come to-morrow, if you can, Mr. Somers, and tell me 
 about the sick man," said Kate, as they parted at the door. 
 
THE ADVEXTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 65 
 
 " I will, if possible," replied Somers, as he took her 
 offered hand, and was rather surprised to receive a gentle 
 pressure, into which her interest in the suffering officer 
 had probably surprised her. 
 
 " Confound that young puppy ! " muttered Mr. Philip 
 Kennedy, as he witnessed this little incident. " Good 
 night, Kate," he added, stepping forward and offering 
 her his hand, perhaps with the intention of applying a 
 test to the feelings of the young lady. 
 
 " Good night, Phil," replied she, apparently not seeing 
 the hand he extended, at least not taking it. 
 
 He went his way, grinding his teeth with chagrin and 
 disappointment. A few rods from the commodore's 
 house, he was saluted by an elderly man, whose ill- 
 favored visage even the darkness of the night could not 
 wholly conceal. 
 
 " TVell, Mr. Kennedy, I have been trotting up and 
 down here for a full hour, w^aiting for you," said the 
 man. 
 
 " It is not twelve yet," replied Phil. 
 
 " Business before pleasure is my motto," growled the 
 stranger. " You must be off for Boston by the steamer 
 at three o'clock, if you are going to do this job." 
 
 " Hush up, man ! Don't open your mouth here," said 
 Phil, in low but earnest tones. 
 
 " We must have an hour's talk together before you go," 
 added the hard-visaged man, in a more cautious tone. 
 6* 
 
66 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 *' Not in the street." 
 
 " Anywhere you please ; but don't lose any more time. 
 Where shall it be — at your hotel ? " 
 
 "No, the very walls have ears. "Walk down to the 
 wharf at the foot of the street, and I will meet you there 
 in fifteen minutes." 
 
 *' If you are not there in fifteen minutes I will not 
 wait," said the stranger, gruffly. 
 
 " I w^ill be there," replied Phil, as he turned and 
 walked towards the house of Commodore Portington. 
 
 The company had not all left, and Kate was still in 
 the hall, making her adieus to the departing guests. 
 
 " Kate," said he, stepping up to her with extended 
 hand, " I am going away in the morning, and I may not 
 Bee you again for weeks, perhaps months ; and you re- 
 fused to shake hands with me at parting." 
 
 " Refused? I protest that I did nothing of the kind ! 
 There is my hand, Phil, if you are going away," said 
 she, suiting the act to the words. 
 
 " You seem to rejoice in my going, Kate," sighed he. 
 
 "Where are you going, Phil? You didn't say you 
 were going." 
 
 " I was afraid the intelligence would be too wel- 
 come." 
 
 " What put such a thought as that into your silly head, 
 Phil?" laughed the maiden, who seemed to be deter- 
 mined to repress any exhibition of sentiment on the part 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 67 
 
 of the elegant young gentleman. " But you have not 
 told me where you are going, Phil." 
 
 " I am going to Portland." 
 
 ** You will return, some time, of course ? " 
 
 "Possibly." 
 
 " WeU, Phil, I shall see you if you do." 
 
 •*' Do you wish to see me again?" 
 
 *' What a foolish question ! " 
 
 Mr. Phil Kennedy used up his fifteen minutes in a 
 vain attempt to win a word of regret at his going from 
 Kate ; but the obdurate girl, whatever she thought and 
 felt, refused to gratify him. He took leave of the rest 
 of the family, and hastened down the street in no enviable 
 frame of mind. 
 
 " Confound that young piippy ! " he muttered several 
 times, and even interlarded his exclamations with some 
 stronger expressions, w^hich it would scandalize our page 
 to write. 
 
 In the mean time Somers had gone down to the 
 wharf, unmoored the school boat, hoisted the sail, and 
 hauled her in by the landing steps. The commandant 
 and the lady did not yet appear. Just as he had com- 
 pleted his preparations, it began to rain. We have 
 before intimated that our middy was a philosopher. He 
 did not believe in being uncomfortable, even for a single 
 moment, when duty did not require the sacrifice. It was 
 a mild evening, and the appearance was, that the rain was 
 
68 THE YAXKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 only a shower, which Avould soon be over. A wet 
 jacket might keep him uncomfortable for several hours ; 
 and, true to his philosophy, he cast about him for the 
 means of avoiding this unpleasant prospect. 
 
 The forward part of the school boat was decked over, 
 though there was no bulk-head to separate the covered 
 portion from the rest of the space. He crawled in 
 beneath this deck, and stowed himself away on some old 
 coats and pieces of sail-cloth, in such a position that he 
 could see his passengers when they arrived. 
 
 He had scarcely coiled himself up in his narrow 
 quarters before he heard voices on the wharf ; but they 
 were not those of the commandant and the lady, and he 
 did not leave his covert. Two men stepped down the 
 stairs into the boat next to f he one occupied by Somers. 
 
 " Are we safe here? " asked one of the men. 
 
 " If any one comes we can push off from the wharf,'* 
 replied the other. " I don't much like the idea of being 
 out in the rain." 
 
 "The rain won't hurt you," said the first man; "it 
 will soon be over." 
 
 " This thing is treason for me, but we must make a 
 good job of it," continued the second speaker, in whom 
 Somers recognized Mr. Phil Kennedy. 
 
THE ADJ'ENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 69 
 
 / 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 SOMERS LISTENS TO AN INTERESTING CON-VERSATION. 
 
 /^^ OMERS was on the point of coming out from 
 VS&J^ his conceahnent, for he was too high-spirited to 
 C^^ play the part of a listener, when he heard Mr. 
 Phil Kennedy acknowledge that the "thing" was trea- 
 son. He was not overburdened with curiosity, but when 
 his elegant friend pleaded guihy of plotting against his 
 government, he felt it to be his duty to hear more, and 
 understand the "thing" better. He was shocked to find 
 that Phil was not a loyal and true citizen ; and he was 
 quite sure that the family of Commodore Portington had 
 no suspicion of his dangerous proclivities. 
 
 " Now, Mr. Kennedy, before we do any business, you 
 must show me your commission as a lieutenant in the 
 Confederate navy," said the stranger. "You know that 
 all the business we have done thus far has been based 
 upon the fact that you had one." 
 
 " Do you doubt my word?" demanded Phil. 
 
 "When I do business I want to know what I am 
 about," added the stranger, stiffly. " I don't want any- 
 
70 THE YAXKF.E AnDDY, OR 
 
 thing left to chance ^Yhich can be just as well reduced to 
 a certainty." 
 
 " I told you I had a commission as a lieutenant in the 
 Confederate na\-y ; and that ought to satisfy you." 
 
 *' But that does not satisfy toe. I want to see the doc- 
 ument. You young fellows talk a great deal of bosh." 
 
 *' Don't insult me." 
 
 " Insult you ? That kind of twaddle won't go down 
 with me. "We are talking about business, now, and you 
 had better put your fine sentiment on the shelf." 
 
 " Of course I don't carry my commission in my pock- 
 et. It is in my trunk at the hotel.'* 
 
 " Very well ; then I will see it before we part in the 
 morning." 
 
 " I did not expect to have my word doubted," said 
 Phil, sourly. 
 
 " Xobody doubts your word, Mr. Kennedy ; but all our 
 operations are based on that commission, and I must 
 satisfy myself that everything is regular. I have fitted 
 up the steamer at a cost of twelve thousand pounds, and 
 she will be ready for you next Thursday. She has a 
 good crew on board, who have an idea of the work in 
 which they are to engage. "When you get the vessel into 
 "Wilmington, you can select your o%\ti officers." 
 
 '' "Where is the armament ? " 
 
 "All stowed under the cargo, where no one can 
 find it." 
 
THE ADVENTURJilS OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 71 
 
 " But I "svaut to use the guns before we go into Wil- 
 iningtoa." 
 
 " Xo, none of that ; the parties of whom I purchased 
 the vessel refused to sell her unless I would agree that 
 she should go into a Confederate port before she was 
 fitted up as a man-of-war." 
 
 " I may have a chance to capture a dozen vessels be- 
 fore I reach Wilmington," said the ambitious man of the 
 world. 
 
 " YoQ must not do it." 
 
 *' Is the steamer fast?" 
 
 " She makes twelve knots, under favorable circum- 
 gtances." 
 
 *' She ought to make fourteen, for the business." 
 
 " Steamers that make fourteen knots are rather scarce. 
 She is as fast as seven eighths of the Yankee gunboats." 
 
 " She will do. You are going with me — are you not, 
 Coles ? " 
 
 " No ; but I shall join you on the way." 
 
 " Join me on the way ? " repUed Kennedy, evidently 
 much surprised at his answer. 
 
 *' Yes, join you on the way ; that's possible — isn't it ? " 
 answered Coles. " I have a venture on board of an old 
 schooner in New York, which I intend to put into your 
 vessel — something that will pay better than anything 
 else we have." 
 
 "What is it?" 
 
72 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 "Percussion caps. The bulk is small, but they are 
 "worth their Aveight in gold in the Confederate States." 
 
 *' But -where -svill you board the steamer? " 
 
 " You will leave Halifax on Thursday. About Satur- 
 day morning you will be in latitude 41°, longitude C2°, 
 where you will cruise till I join you." 
 
 " 1 don't like the plan very well," said Kennedy, after 
 a momentary silence. 
 
 '' Then some other man will caiTy it out. The first 
 officer of the Snowden has orders to sail on Thursday 
 morning, if you are not on board at that time. We can 
 get along without you, Mr. Kennedy, if you don't choose 
 to embark in the venture. I thought I was doing you a 
 favor, instead of yoiu- doing me one." 
 
 *' For which I am to pay half the expense," sneered 
 Kennedy. 
 
 *' If you ever have anything to pay with," added 
 Coles. 
 
 " You have my bond for forty thousand dollars." 
 
 "To be paid when General Portington dies, and you 
 come into possession of one half his property, which 
 may never happen. A JewAvouldn't take such security." 
 
 "You are sure of your money." 
 ' " Not very sure, especially as the general has turned 
 you out of the house, or done about the same thing." 
 
 " We are good friends now." " 
 
 "How comes on the other speculation ?_^When we 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 73 
 
 met last you were sure of marrying one half of the gen- 
 eral's property, if you failed to get the other half. Ho^y 
 does that speculation look just now?" 
 
 Somers did not hear Mr. Phil Kennedy grind his teeth 
 at this question, but it was only because he was not near 
 enough ; but he was appalled to hear that Kate was to 
 be made the subject of a heartless speculation, and had 
 no suspicion that he was himself regarded as an obstacle 
 in the carrying out of the operation. 
 
 " You don't answer," said Coles, with a low chuckle. 
 
 " Everything is right there, or at least it will be in 
 due time," answered Phil, carelessly. 
 
 *' Then there is a hitch there? " 
 
 " Perhaps you can help me out a little." 
 
 *' Perhaps I can ; but I don't like to meddle with such 
 matters." 
 
 " A young puppy of a midshipman stands directly in 
 front of me, just now." 
 
 " O, ho ! " laughed Coles. " Then the value of my 
 bond is going down in the market." 
 
 " Not at all. The young cub is the son of a poor 
 man ; and when he is sent to sea, Kate will forget all 
 about him, and I shall be all right again. If you could 
 contrive some way to bring this fellow off to the Snow- 
 den in your schooner, perhaps it would add something to 
 the value of your bond." 
 
 "Perhaps it would, and perhaps it wouldn't. In a 
 7 
 
74 THE TAXKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 "word, Mr. Kennedy, I don't attacli much importance to 
 your speculations in the matrimonial line. General 
 Portington, I happen to know, has made a will in your 
 favor. If he don't alter it, I am all right." 
 
 " So am I. But I am determined to marry the girl, 
 if it is only to punish her for her impudence. I hate 
 this young cub of a midshipman, and I would rather 
 get him on board the Snowden than capture a thousand- 
 ion ship. Couldn't you contrive some way to have him 
 as a passenger in your schooner ? " 
 
 " Perhaps I could, if it would accommodate you very 
 much." 
 
 " I am very much obliged to you," thought Somers ; 
 " and I will hold you in affectionate remembrance for 
 your kind intentions." 
 
 " I will give you ten thousand dollars for him." 
 
 " In bonds ? " laughed Coles. 
 
 *' From my first prize-money." 
 
 " That's worth thinking about," 
 
 " If we get the Snowden into Wilmington, the Confed- 
 erate government will pay us more than she cost, and I 
 shall be in funds then." 
 
 *' I will look the matter over." 
 • "Thank you," said Somers to himself. ""WTien you 
 get me, I shall be there." 
 
 Mr. Kennedy then proceeded to give Coles a very 
 minute description of the " young puppy of a midship- 
 
TJIE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 75 
 
 man," with some particulars of liis past history, and 
 even ventured to suggest a plan by whj«h he could lure 
 the young gentleman on board of the schooner. But 
 Coles was a practical man, and rejected the plan without 
 a thought, indicating the point at which it would inev- 
 itably fail. « 
 
 " I have a better method than that," said Coles. 
 
 " Hush ! " said Mr. Kennedy, as he seized the oars of 
 the boat ; " somebody is coming." 
 
 Somers saw a carriage stop on the wharf, from which 
 a lady and gentleman alighted. Before they reached the 
 landing-stairs Kennedy had pulled off out of sight in the 
 darkness, and the listener was deprived of the satisfac- 
 tion of hearing Coles's plan for getting him on board of 
 the steamer. He was greatly disappointed, for his curi- 
 osity was deeply roused to learn the notable method by 
 which the plot was to be carried out. 
 
 " Mr. Somers ! " called the commandant. 
 
 *' Here, sir," replied he, springing from his place of 
 concealment. 
 
 " Is your patience all gone?" added the commandant, 
 us he handed the lady into the boat. 
 
 " 0, no, sir ; I have been well occupied all the time.'* 
 
 " I had some difficulty in finding the lady, which de- 
 tained me longer than I expected. Shove off, Mr. 
 Somers." 
 
 A distant church clock struck one as the boat gathered 
 
76 THE TAXKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 way before a liglit breeze. As the reader will have no 
 difficulty in believing, Somers was intensely excited by 
 the treasonable plot to M'hich he had listened. The con- 
 spiracy against himself personally caused him no uneasi- 
 ness ; but the mischief which an armed steamer might 
 do the cause of the country demanded prompt action. 
 The presence of the lady passenger on board the boat 
 prevented him from saying anything to the commandant ; 
 but as soon as they had boarded the transport steamer he 
 related to him the conversation which he had overheard. 
 
 Mr. Revere was incredulous ; and when Somers told 
 him he had crawled under the half deck to keep out of 
 the rain, he thought he must have been asleep, and 
 dreamed the whole story. Mr. Phil Kennedy was un- 
 derstood and believed to be a loyal man ; and his rela- 
 tions to the family of Commodore Portington rendered it 
 necessary to proceed with the utmost caution. After the 
 commandant had seen the sick man, it was decided to 
 leave the sister with him, and return to the shore. 
 
 *' I think you must have been asleep, Mr. Somers, and 
 dreamed this thing," said the commandant, as the boat 
 pushed off. 
 
 " I am very confident, sir, that I was wid& awake. I 
 don't often go to sleep when on duty." 
 
 "Mr. Kennedy has been trying to get back into the 
 navy. He has offered his services, and would have 
 been accepted, but some question about his relative rank 
 
THE ADVEXTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 77 
 
 interfered. He cannot be a traitor. He is on the best 
 of terms ^vith Miss Portington — is lie not ? " 
 " I believe be is." 
 
 " She would have spurned him if there had been any 
 suspicion against him." 
 
 " I only know what I have heard, sir." 
 " I think there must be some mistake, though I cannot 
 see where it is. I wiU caU at the hotel and see Mr. 
 Kennedy." 
 
 " I am certain you will find it as I have stated, sir," 
 replied Somers, confidently. 
 
 They soon reached the wharf ; and after the boat had 
 been properly secured, Mr. Revere, attended by Somers, 
 proceeded to the hotel where Phil Kennedy had a room. 
 The night porter said the gentleman had retired. 
 
 " AYas there any one with him when he came in ? " 
 asked the commandant. 
 *' No, sir ; he was alone." 
 
 Mr. Revere looked at Somers, and smiled significantly. 
 The young man was confused and confounded to find 
 his statement of so little value in the eyes of the com- 
 mandant, and was almost sorry that he had said anything 
 about the affair. As it was, he had not mentioned that 
 portion which related to himself. The incredulity of the 
 commandant almost shook his own faith in the reality of 
 the events which had transpired at the wharf. 
 
 Mr. Revere decided to visit the room of Phil Ken- 
 7* 
 
78 TEE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 nedy, and tliey found that gentleman in bed, and appa^ 
 ently asleep. 
 
 "I heard you were going away in the morning, M>. 
 Kennedy," said the commandant, after apologizing for 
 disturbing the sleeper. 
 
 "Indeed! Who told you so?" demanded Mr. Ken- 
 nedy, rubbing his sleepy eyes. 
 
 " I heard so after we left the commodore's." 
 
 "Did Kate tell you so?" 
 
 " No ; it was some other person. I only wanted to 
 ask you when you return, for there may be a commission 
 for you soon." 
 
 " It was only a joke I played off on Kate," said Mr. 
 Kennedy, laughing as though he enjoyed the recollection 
 jof the jest. " I am not going away at present." 
 
 " I thought not ; excuse me for breaking your slum- 
 bers, and I will see you in the morning," said !Mr. Re- 
 vere, as he retired from the chamber. 
 
 "Why don't you examine his trunk, sir?" asked 
 Somers, more confused than before. 
 
 "Examine his trunk?" laughed the commandant. 
 " That would be a serious matter. Now, ]Mr. Somers, 
 I don't doubt your sincerity, but I believe you have been 
 mistaken. If you didn't dream, you put a wrong con- 
 struction on what you heard. If Mr. Phil Kennedy 
 plots treason, he don't do it in an open boat, within hail 
 of the wharf. I will look into the matter still further in ' 
 
 \ 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 79 
 
 the morning. If you will show me Mr. Coles, that will 
 be a point gained." 
 
 " I should not know him ; it was pitch dark and rain- 
 ing hard when they came on board of the boat." 
 
 They returned to the Academy, where Somers, almost 
 convinced that he had made a blunder, wrote down such 
 particulars of the treasonable conversation as he could 
 recall, particularly the name of the steamer which was 
 to run the blockade, and then be sold to the Confederate 
 government, and the latitude and longitude in which she 
 was to be in waiting for the schooner. 
 
 In the morning it was found that Mr. Phil Kennedy 
 had departed, bag and baggage ; and Mr. Midshipman 
 Somers's credit as a reliable witness rose high in the 
 estimation of the commandant. He was given a day's 
 leave of absence, to enable him to hunt up Coles, who 
 would be another link in the chain of evidence. But it 
 was almost a hopeless task, for he knew nothing about 
 the man except the sound of his voice. Whether he was 
 young or old, tall or short, spare or stout, he knew not. 
 He visited all the hotels that were open, listened to the 
 voice of every stranger, but without coming any nearer 
 to tJie solution of the problem. Coles was an unsolved 
 mystery, and was likely to remain so, unless, in attempt- 
 ing to carry out the benevolent wishes of Mr. Phil Ken- 
 nedy, he should make himself known to our hero. 
 
 After dinner, Somers called at Commodore Porting- 
 
•80 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 ton's, not only to inform Kate that the wounded officer 
 had died just before the transport sailed, but also to 
 learn what he could about the sudden exit of Phil. Kate 
 told him he had announced his intended departure to 
 her ; but beyond this, there was no information to be 
 gained. 
 
 Somers left the house but little wiser than he entered 
 it. It was patent to the commandant, as well as to him, 
 that Phil had told a deliberate lie when he denied his 
 intention to leave. Our midshipman had no particular 
 qualifications as a detective, and he was tired of the job 
 which he had been ordered to perform. Hopeless of suc- 
 cess, he strolled up to the Redwood Institute, and sat 
 down upon a seat in the grounds, to think over the events 
 of the last twenty-four hours. 
 
 While he was musing, a gentleman seated himself at 
 the other end of the bench. 
 
 " Fine day, after the rain," said the stranger, when 
 they had sat there a short time. 
 
 *' Splendid day," replied Somers. 
 
 "I see by your uniform that you are a naval cadet," 
 continued the stranger. " Do .you have a good time 
 there?" 
 
 " Yes, very good, but plenty of hard work." 
 
 '' I suppose so ; but the country wants you as fast as 
 you can get ready." 
 
 " We are ready now," laughed Somers. 
 
THE ADVEXTURES OF A XAVAL OFFICER. 81* 
 
 *' Very likely you all think so. I am a stranger here, 
 and I should like — " 
 
 " Mr. Coles, if I am not mistaken," said Somers, 
 'uhen he was satisfied that the voice was a familiar one. 
 
 " That's my name ; but I do not remember to have 
 met you before," replied the stranger, with no little con- 
 fusion evident in his features. 
 
 " I cannot tell where I have met you ; but I have seen 
 you before," added Somers. 
 
THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 SOMERS SENT UPON ACTIVE SERVICE. 
 
 z**^ FTER some time spent in fruitless efforts to 
 71 determine where they had met, Coles expressed 
 >^\/ his desire to visit the Naval Academy ; and 
 — ^ Somers told him how he could gain admission. 
 All this, of course, was simply to make talk. The 
 stranger, in his own estimation, was playing a deep 
 game ; and he certainly managed the affair with great 
 adroitness, so that without the advantage which he had 
 obtained the night before, Somers would have felt highly 
 honored by the pleasant words which his companion so 
 freely uttered. As it was, the midshipman was amused, 
 and gave his polite friend " all the rope " he wanted. 
 
 The interview ended with an invitation on the part of 
 Coles for Somers to visit him at his hotel, which the 
 latter promised to do when his duty would permit. He 
 had obtained the name of the stranger's hotel, which was 
 all he had been waiting for ; and taking leave of the 
 inquiring gentleman, he hastened to report to Mr. Revere 
 the result of his day's work. It was very satisfactory, 
 
THE ADVEXTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 83. 
 
 and the midshipman obtained more credit for his diplo- 
 matic skill than he deserved, or would have been awarded 
 to him, if he had told the part of the story which related 
 to himself. 
 
 " Mr. Somers, I have what I suppose will be pleasant 
 intelligence to you," said the commandant, with a smile, 
 after he had listened to the young gentleman's report. 
 " You have been ordered to sea, with your friend Mr. 
 "Waldron, who goes out in command of the Rosalie." 
 
 "It is indeed good news to me, sir, though my resi- 
 dence in Newport has been very pleasant," repUed 
 Somers. 
 
 " The Rosalie is a fine topsail schooner, of about two 
 hundred tons,. and a very fast sailer. ]Mr. Waldron is 
 an excellent officer, and you will find yourself well ' 
 situated on board of her. Of course you will not neglect 
 your studies, for you will still be a midshipman, and a 
 member of the Naval Academy." 
 
 " I certainly shall not neglect my studies. I have too 
 great a dread of examinations to do that, sir." 
 
 " That's a very wholesome dread. I know all aboi.t 
 it myself, from bitter experience. It drives one to be 
 faithful to his duties. But, Somers, you must go to New 
 York to-morrow night ; for the Rosalie may be ordered 
 off at any moment." 
 
 This was rather short notice, and Somers immediately 
 wrote a letter to his family at home, informing them of 
 
84 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 the fact that he had been detailed for duty. Leave of 
 absence ^vas given to him during the remainder of his 
 stay, and of course he did not neglect to make a final 
 visit at the house of Commodore Portington. Kate 
 received him with a smile, as she always did. 
 
 "I am .glad you have come. Prodigy, for I have a 
 skein of worsted for you to hold, while I wind it." 
 
 " I thank you for the honor you propose to confer on 
 me," replied Somers, as he held out his hands to receive 
 the skein. 
 
 " Truly it is an honor which is not conferred on every 
 little midshipman that prinks himself like a bantam in the 
 morning sun. Middies are useless beings as a general 
 rule, and I feel that I am doing a benevolent act when I 
 redeem one from idleness, even for a single moment." 
 
 " Your benevolence deserves a monument ; but I am 
 happy to inform you that I shall not much longer be a 
 proper subject for the exercise of your beneficent genius." 
 
 "And why so. Prodigy?" asked she, looking up into 
 his face. 
 
 "I am going to work — am saved from the mise- 
 ries of idleness." 
 
 " Pray, what can such a useless fellow as you do? " 
 
 *' Not much. I am ordered to duty." 
 
 "What?" 
 
 " I am going to sea immediately. I leave for New 
 York to-morrow night." 
 
TEE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 85 
 
 Kate stopped winding tlic worsted, and looked Somers 
 full in the face. 
 
 '•'' Do you mean so ? " 
 
 " Certainly I do. I am ordered to the Rosalie, now 
 ready for sea, at New York." 
 
 " I haven't the least idea that you can be of any use 
 on board the Rosalie; but I suppose the government 
 wants to keep some of the middies out of mischief," said 
 Kate. But even Somers could not help seeing the crim- 
 son on her cheek, and being aware, now that his eyes 
 had been opened by the kindly revelations of Mr. Phil 
 Kennedy, that she was not at all pleased with the idea 
 of his departure. 
 
 She tried hard to conceal what was really passing in 
 her mind and heart, but she did not wholly succeed. She 
 was less flippant during the remainder of the evening, 
 and even became quite sober and sedate before nine 
 o'clock. She was a little absent-minded, an^ several 
 times failed to answer the questions which her mother 
 put to her. 
 
 " Well, Mr. Somers, I am really sorry that you are 
 o-oinn-, for I shall have no one to make fun of," said she, 
 when the young gentleman rose to depart. " There are 
 plenty of middies in Newport, but very few prodigies 
 among them." 
 
 *' I am sorry to go, but I am very thankful that I 
 have had the grace to contribute, in a humble degree, to 
 8 
 
Sfi THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 your amusement. Perhaps Mr. Kennedy may return, 
 and you can make fun of him." 
 
 " Perhaps he may," she replied, rather vacantly. *' I 
 am going to extort one more promise from you before 
 you go." 
 
 " I promise in advance." 
 
 " Don't be rash — middies should never be rash." 
 
 " I know that I may safely promise anything -which 
 Miss Portington can ask." 
 
 " That's very gallant, even for a prodigy ; but I am not 
 going to demand anything very serious." 
 
 " I knew you would not, and therefore I gave my 
 promise in season." 
 
 " You are going to sea, and you are a prodig}'. You 
 have already done deeds fit to be put in school histories 
 for little children to study, and very likely you will do 
 something again." 
 
 " Possibly I may," laughed Somers, who had long 
 since ceased to depreciate his own merit when she railed 
 at him. 
 
 "Probably you will. I want you to promise, if you 
 do any great things, that you will write me a letter, and 
 tell me about them ; but mind, you are not to write 
 unless you do something that is decidedly splendid," 
 continued Kate ; but somehow, there seemed to be less 
 heart in her raillery than usual. 
 
 " I promise ; but I can assure you, before I go, that 
 
THE ADVEXTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 87 
 
 my investments in postage stamps on this account will 
 be very small." 
 
 " How, sir ! do you mean to break your promise in the 
 same breath that you make it ? " 
 
 *' I mean to keep my promise ; but you ordered me 
 not to write unle?s I shall have done something that is 
 decidedly splendid." 
 
 " You shall be your own judge of the quality of your 
 great deeds." 
 
 *' I do not expect to perform any great deeds, Miss 
 Portington." 
 
 *' I declare, the prodigy has some modesty, after all ! " 
 said Kate, with a feeble laugh. 
 
 "• Perhaps my ship may do something worthy of record. 
 May I write to you when she distinguishes herself? " 
 
 *' I don't care a straw for your ship ! " 
 
 *' Then I am afraid I shall have no opportunity to 
 write to you." 
 
 *' What a silly dolt you are ! I thought you were a 
 good scholar, and knew an elephant from a basket of 
 chips," exclaimed Kate, provoked that he did not promise 
 without making any reservations or exceptions. 
 
 " Thank you. I am always stupid in your presence, 
 just as the stars are invisible when the sun shines." 
 
 " Well, upon my word, you need some refreshment 
 after such an effort as that remark must have cost 
 you. Let me bring you a glass of cold water." 
 
S8 THE YAXKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 " Thank you. I am not at all exhausted by it. I 
 could do the same thing right over again." 
 
 " Then you will not write to me, Prodigy? " 
 
 " Certainly I will, with the greatest pleasure, if you 
 will remove the restrictions you imposed upon me." 
 
 " "What restrictions ? " 
 
 " That I should write only when I had done some big 
 thing." 
 
 " Well, you shall use your own judgment." 
 
 Somers departed almost with the belief that Phil Ken- 
 nedy had good reason for his hatred. He was not 
 conscious, however, of anything more than a very pleas- 
 ant friendship, such as boys and girls sometimes get up 
 among themselves, and was utterly unable to realize that 
 he was the slightest obstacle in the way of Phil's matri- 
 monial speculation. 
 
 The following day was spent in making his prepara- 
 tions for sea. He left the Academy Avith the kindest, 
 wishes of all the officers and professors, and with the 
 good will of nearly all the young gentlemen ; for there 
 were a few who envied his fair fame, and resented his 
 bright example. In the afternoon, as he was returning 
 from Commodore Portington's, where he had been to 
 take his final leave, — for these things have to be done 
 over several times in particular cases, — he met Coles, 
 who, it was apparent from his movements, had been on 
 the lookout for him. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER, 89 
 
 " All, Mr. Somers, I hear that you arc ordered to 
 duty," said the polite gentleman. 
 
 " Yes, sir, I go to New York to-night." 
 
 " How fortunate ! We shall be fellow-passengers ; for 
 I had made my arrangements to leave to-night." 
 
 " Then I shall be happy to meet you on board of the 
 steamer ; but you must excuse me now, for I am in a 
 great hurry." 
 
 " You must be busy at this time ; excuse me for de- 
 taining you," replied Coles, as he turned and walked up 
 the street. 
 
 A thin-faced man, on the other side of the street, 
 turned round, and went up the hill at the same time. 
 Whoever saw Coles that day, might have seen the 
 sharp eyes of tliis man fixed upon him everywhere he 
 went. 
 
 At eight o'clock Somers was on board of the Empire 
 State, bound to New York. Coles was there, too ; and 
 so was the thin-faced man, though no one knew him — 
 least of all the object of his constant and keen scrutiny. 
 
 " Good evening, Mr. Somers ; I am glad to see you 
 again," said Coles, as he seated himself by the side of 
 the midshipman. " Did you secure a state-room?" 
 
 " No, sir. I can sleep very Avell in the cabin." 
 
 " I always take a room ; it is so much more comforta- 
 ble to be by yourself," continued Coles, his hard visage . 
 lighted up with an amiable smile. " There are two 
 8* 
 
90 THE YAXKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 berths in my state-room ; allow me to offer you one of 
 them." 
 
 " Thank you ; but you would not be by yourself if I 
 accepted your polite invitation," laughed Somers. 
 
 " It is more pleasant to be with one's friends even than 
 it is to be alone. I don't like to flatter young men, for 
 it spoils them ; but you must permit me to say, that I 
 have learned some of the particulars of your history, and 
 I feel a deep interest in you. My friend, Captain Bank- 
 head, gave me a very interesting account of your exploits 
 at the South, and I assure you I feel higldy honored by 
 being permitted to make your acquaintance." 
 
 " Thank you, sir ; you are very complimentary," re- 
 plied Somers, who knew that the other's statement must 
 be a lie, made out of whole cloth. 
 
 Coles continued to say pleasant things, and Somers 
 received them for what they were worth. As he listened 
 to them, it occurred to him that he might serve his coun- 
 try by learning more about this traitor's schemes. He 
 had been assured by Mr. Revere, that the information 
 he had obtained on that eventful night would be used. 
 Whether it had been or not, he was now in ignorance ; 
 he was not even aware of the presence of the thin-faced 
 man who dogged the steps of Coles, whose slightest 
 movement did not escape his notice. Perhaps the gov- 
 ernment was too busy, just then, to attend to small trai- 
 tors ; and Somers concluded that he might obtain more 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A XAVAL OFFICER. 91 
 
 useful information by humoring liis complimentary 
 friend. 
 
 With this view he considered Coles's invitation to occupy 
 one of the berths in his state-room. After supper they 
 met again in the saloon, and the thin-faced man was 
 within ear-shot of them. Coles said Captain Bankhead 
 — his friend, Captain Bankhead — had told him Somers 
 was a splendid boatman, and a fine judge of a good ves- 
 sel. Somers acknowledged that a handsome craft was 
 his especial delight. 
 
 *' I have just been having a schooner yacht built for 
 my private use. Nautical men say she is a beauty." 
 
 *' Indeed ! I should like to see her," added Somers, 
 fully confident that this was the development of the plan, 
 the details of which he had been disappointed in hearing 
 while in the boat at Ne^^^Dort. 
 
 " I should be delighted to have you go on board of 
 her," said the pleased owner of the; fine yacht — which, 
 of course, was a myth. " She lies in New York harbor, 
 and if you have time, in the morning we will visit her." 
 
 '' I am afraid I shall not have time. I must report 
 on board my ship, as early as possible." 
 
 *' Ah, then I can arrange it for you, so that you will 
 hardly lose a moment. Your ship, I presume, lies off 
 the navy yard ? " 
 
 *'She does." 
 
 " We can take a shore-boat, visit the yacht, and then 
 pull off to your ship." 
 
92 TEE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 * 
 
 Somers liked the plan, and readily assented to it. He 
 had not the remotest fear of being personally injured by 
 his polite companion. He had a loaded revolver in his 
 pocket, and considered himself man enough for Coles, or 
 even two or three like him. He wanted to see the vessel 
 which Avas to convey the valuable venture out to the 
 Snowden, so that he could report her to the proper au- 
 thorities, and have her seized before she had a chance to 
 depart upon her errand of mischief. At ten o'clock our 
 travellers retired to the state-room ; for Somers had ac- 
 cepted Coles's polite invitation in order to prevent him 
 from indulging any suspicions. Both of them were ex- 
 ceedingly well satisfied with themselves, an(> each Avas 
 confident that he was effectually carrying out his own 
 cherished scheme. 
 
 They entered the state-room, and the thin-faced man 
 made a note of the fact that they were fast friends, 
 and that they were going off together in a boat in the 
 morning. 
 
 The Empire State reached her pier at half past six the 
 next morning. Coles with his valise, and Somers with hia 
 bag, took a carriage together, and were driven over to 
 the navy yard ferry. The thin-faced man sat on the box 
 of another carriage, and did not lose sight of them for a 
 single instant. They crossed the ferry together ; but 
 the thin-faced man had on a mustache and a different 
 colored coat as he stepped on board of the steamer. On 
 
THE ADVEXTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 93 
 
 the Other side, Coles took a boat, and they pulled out from 
 the pier into the stream. 
 
 ''Yonder is my yacht," said Coles, pointing to a 
 beautiful schooner, which lay a short distance from the 
 shore. 
 
 " She's a beauty," replied Somers. " I should like to 
 sail in such a craft as that." 
 
 *' I should be happy to have you ; but I suppose that 
 would be impossible at the present time." 
 
 " Have you a crew on board?" 
 
 " No ; and her cabins are locked up. The man in 
 charge of her is on board of this old schooner," replied 
 Coles, pointing to an old vessel near the yacht. " I shall 
 have to go on board of her for the keys." 
 
 Somers concluded that this old schooner was to be the 
 bearer of the rich venture to the Snowden. He could 
 not understand how the keeper of the yacht should be 
 on board of this schooner, and he did not think it worth 
 his while to investigate the mystery. Coles directed the 
 boatman to pull up alongside of the old vessel. 
 
 *' This schooner belongs to me, too," said Coles, as he 
 stepped over her rail. " I will not detain you above a 
 minute." 
 
 He disappeared for a moment, but presently returned 
 with an invitation to Somers to go on board and take 
 a cup of coffee, which would not detain them five min- 
 utes. Somers, though fully aware that a plot for his 
 
94 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 capture had been matured by Kennedy and Coles, did not 
 hesitate to step on the deck of the schooner. He had a 
 perfect contempt for Coles as a physical power, and a 
 boyish confidence in his own ability to take care of him- 
 self. Besides, he was so intent upon obtaining valuable 
 information for the government, that he almost forgot 
 that he was himself an object of Kennedy's scheming. 
 
 He stepped down into the cabin, and drank a mug of 
 coffee, handed to him by the steward. 
 
 " I used to be the skipper of this vessel in my young 
 days," said Coles, as he gazed about the cabin. 
 
 " Indeed ! Then you are a sailor." 
 
 " O, yes. This was my state-room. I had it put up 
 myself," he added, opening the door of the little apart- 
 ment. " Just look in and see how convenient it is for a 
 man of small desires." 
 
 Somers did look in; did more — he went in — was 
 pushed in. The door was suddenly closed upon him and 
 locked. 
 
 Apparently Mr. Coles's notable scheme had been en- 
 tirely successful ; but the thin-faced man was yet to 
 be heard from. 
 
TEE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 95 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 ON BOARD THE THEBAN. 
 
 (lUJ^/ OW make sail* as fast as you can, Murdock," 
 
 M^ said Coles, in excited tones, when lie had 
 r\j^ \' locked the door of the state-room. 
 
 — ^ " 1 ddn't know about this business, Captain 
 
 Coles," replied Murdock, shaking his head, as he glanced 
 towards the state-room. 
 
 " You don't know about it? Why, what do you mean 
 by that?" demanded the polite friend of our middy, 
 though he was not now quite so soft-tongued as he had 
 been. 
 
 "That wasn't in the bargain," added the doubtful 
 skipper of the schooner ; for such was the position filled 
 by Murdock. 
 
 "^Yhat wasn't in the bargain? Why don't you speak 
 out, if you have anything to say?" added Coles, impa- 
 tiently. 
 
 Somers's kind friend did not appear to be aware that 
 he was engaged in a business in the slightest degree 
 irregular. He looked virtuous and indignant at the 
 
96 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 scruples of his companion in treason, and bore himself 
 as loftily as though he had been a loyal man on the deck 
 of a loyal ship of war. 
 
 '' Carrying that officer off in this kind of way is some- 
 thing rather different from running a cargo of merchan- 
 dise into a blockaded port. I don't like the looks of the 
 thing ; and I'm not paid for doing a job of that sort." 
 
 " Good ! Then you shall be paid for it. You shall 
 have a thousand dollars if we put him safe on board of 
 the Snowden." 
 
 " That alters the case, Captain Coles." 
 
 " I thought it would," replied Coles, contemptuously. 
 
 " I reckon we have no time to spare. But the young 
 cub will get out of that state-room." 
 
 " Drop the dead-light, and fasten it down. He will 
 be safe enough then," added Coles, as he led the way to 
 the deck, where Murdock proceeded to get the schooner 
 under way, without the loss of another moment. 
 
 " Boatman," said Coles to the man who had pulled 
 them off from the Brooklyn shore, " we have concluded 
 to remain on board, and you may go back. Here is a 
 dollar for you." 
 
 " Thank you, sir. "WTiat will I do with the young 
 gentleman's bag ? " 
 
 " Throw it on deck." 
 
 ♦' I will, your honor," replied the boatman, as he 
 tossed the bag on the deck. 
 
THE ADVEXTUIiES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 97 
 
 *' Sec here, my man : the young fellow got into a little 
 scrape over iu the city last night, and wants to keep out 
 of sight for a few days. Here's another dollar for you, 
 and don't mention to anybody that you have seen him." 
 
 " God bless your honor for a gintleman, as ye are ; 
 but I won't spake of it to any living sowl — not even to 
 Biddy, and that's me wife, long life to her ! " 
 
 The dead-light was fastened down, leaving the prisoner 
 in total darkness ; the mainsail was hoisted, the anchor 
 hove up, and in less than half an hour the old craft was 
 making her way down the harbor in the direction of 
 Sandy Hook ; and the man w^ith the thin face had not 
 been heard from yet. 
 
 While the Theban — for that was the classic name of 
 the antiquated craft — is sailing down the bay, we will 
 take a look at Somers, if the state-room is not too dark 
 for such an operation. Mr. Coles was so polite and sin- 
 cere that our hero did not suspect any immediate foul 
 play. He knew, but, in his eagerness to obtain " valu- 
 able information" for the government officers, he had 
 not kept it uppermost in his mind, that he was expected 
 to be an involuntary passenger in the venerable schocyjier 
 «f which Coles had been skipper in his earlier days. He 
 iiad a revolver in his pocket, ready for instant use ; but 
 with so amiable a person as his Newport friend, such an 
 instrument had appeared to be entirely unnecessary, and 
 it hardly occurred to him that he had it. 
 9 
 
98 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 With the information Somers had of the intentions of 
 the conspirators, "Nve must say that he was careless to 
 venture on board of the schooner ; but we feel more 
 inclined to excuse his want of caution when we remem- 
 ber that he had been impelled to do so by the desire to 
 serve his government and defeat the purposes of traitors. 
 "When he looked into the state-room, he expected to find 
 it stored full of percussion caps, or some other commod- 
 ities contraband of war ; which fact he intended to use 
 as evidence against the traitors. He fully expected to 
 obtain such proofs of the character of the vessel, and of 
 her intended voyage, as would justify Captain Waldron 
 in seizing her when he should impart the information. 
 It would be a good thing for the new captain of the 
 Rosalie to do a prompt act for the government service, 
 and add to his credit at "Washington. These considera- 
 tions had caused Somers to forget his own relation to the 
 conspirators. 
 
 He was angry with himself for his imprudence when 
 the state-room door closed upon him, and he realized 
 that Coles had actually made him his victim. He' had 
 been guilty of an indiscretion, which was more painful 
 to him than the fact of his imprisonment. With the 
 future he did not yet trouble himself; the present was 
 too full of doubt and mortification to allow him to with- 
 draw his thoughts from it. 
 
 " I can't stand this," said he, ready to cry with vexa- 
 
THE ADVE^TUHES OF A XAVAL OFFICER. 99 
 
 tion, as lie thought of his folly in getting into such a 
 scrape. 
 
 "What are you going to do about it?" a voice seemed 
 to reply from the thick gloom around him — a voice 
 ■which appeared to embody, in mocking tones, the spirit 
 of the conspirators who had been the cause of his misfor- 
 tunes. 
 
 " I am going to fight my way out of this scrape as 
 fast as I can," muttered Somers, in audible tones, as 
 though he were speaking to the obstacles w^hich sur- 
 rounded him. 
 
 He took hold of the handle and shook the door, to test 
 its strength. It was a thick, strong piece of joiner's 
 work, and the trial did not afford a very encouraging 
 prospect of making his way through it. He applied his 
 shoulder, but with no better result. He then examined 
 the stern-window. He could open the sash, but the 
 dead-light w^as carefully secured on the outside for the 
 present emergency. The partition w^as so thick ancf 
 solid that Somers concluded the captain'-s state-room had 
 been made for a specie room. 
 
 While everything looked thus hopeless, the unhappy 
 prisoner bethought him of an expedient w^hich afforded a 
 slight prospect of success. He had his revolver, and 
 plenty of metallic cartridges in his pocket. Placing the 
 muzzle of the pistol near the bolt of the lock, he fired, 
 and repeated the process several times, hoping to perfo- 
 
100 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OE 
 
 rate the wood imtil it gave way. Perhaps this experi- 
 ment might have been crowned with success, if the 
 smoke of tlie burnt powder had not become so overpow- 
 ering that he was compelled to suspend operations. 
 
 " Fire away ! " shouted Coles from the cabin, with a 
 hearty laugh, either real or forced, which grated harshly 
 on the ear of the disconsolate prisoner. 
 
 " Open the door, or I shall suffocate," cried Somers. 
 
 " Go ahead and suffocate," replied the brute. " If you 
 don't know any better than to fire a pistol in a close 
 room like that, you ought to suffocate." 
 
 "Will you open the door?" 
 
 " I will, if you desire it very much," replied Coles. 
 "But, Mr. Somers, you are a brave man, and I dare say 
 you are a discreet one. My friend Captain Bankhead 
 said you were as prudent as you were brave." 
 
 Coles chuckled as he uttered this remark, and Somers 
 heard his step as he moved towards the door of the 
 state-room. He was tempted to fire again, and wipe out 
 his persecutor from the face of the earth, if he could hit 
 him ; but the chances of making a good shot through the 
 door were so few, that he was discreet enough not to 
 risk it. 
 
 " Now, Mr. Somers, I want to tell you, before I go 
 any further, that I have a pistol in my hand. If you use 
 yours, I shall use mine ; in a word, if you don't behave 
 yourself you are a dead man. AYliat do you say?" 
 
THE ADVEXTUIiES OF A XAVAL OFFICER. 101 
 
 " Open the door ; that's call I have to say," replied 
 Somers, in savage tones. 
 
 " If that's all, I won't open it ; and you can amuse 
 yourself firing at a mark in the dark." 
 
 Somers was almost suffocated by the dense mass of 
 powder smoke in the little apartment ; and he was not 
 in a condition to be very haughty. 
 
 " Open the door, if you please," said he, after he had 
 chewed upon the matter for a while. 
 
 " Say that you will behave yourself like a man, and I 
 wiU." 
 
 " I will behave myself like a man," replied Somers, 
 who interpreted this promise as including the right to 
 make a gallant and manly strike for his freedom, if the 
 circumstances would permit such an attempt. 
 
 " You are a sensible fellow now," added Coles, as he 
 turned the key, and opened the door a couple of inches. 
 
 The fresh air which came in through the aperture 
 gave the prisoner a new life, and he inhaled the precious 
 blast with grateful eagerness. 
 
 " Now, youngster, pass your pistol out, and I will open 
 it wider," said Coles. 
 
 " I can't spare my pistol," answered Somers. 
 
 " All right," said Coles, as he closed the door, and 
 locked it. " What do you say now? " 
 
 Somers did not know what to say. The room was 
 still too full of smoke to enable him to breathe with 
 9* 
 
102 THE TAXKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 comfort. "WTiile he was confined, the pistol "W'as a useless 
 piece of furniture, and the chances outside were better 
 without the pistol than they were inside with it. 
 
 " I will give up the pistol," said he. 
 
 " Sensible again," replied Coles, as he opened the 
 door, and took the pistol. "There, Mr. Somers, you 
 have now fully vindicated your reputation for bravery 
 and prudence. You have fired half a dozen shots into 
 that wooden door, which proves that you are a brave fel- 
 low ; and you have given up your- pistol, which proves 
 that you are a prudent one. I honor you, and deem it a 
 privilege to become acquainted with such a distinguished 
 young gentleman." 
 
 " Your success has not impaired your politeness," 
 answered Somers, rather tamely. 
 
 " Not at all. I was brought up as a gentleman, and 
 I Intend to be one till the last day of my life. I shall 
 leave a letter of thanks for the sexton who buries me, 
 to be delivered to him if he does his work well." 
 
 " You had better write that letter very soon then, for 
 you will be introduced to a hangman before you are much 
 older." 
 
 " My dear Somers, that is a very impolite suggestion. 
 I was born a gentleman, as I just now remarked, and I 
 intend to die like a gentleman." 
 
 "Were you a gentleman in your earlier days, when 
 you commanded this old tub?" said Somers, who was 
 
THE ADVEXTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICE/l. 103 
 
 amnscd, in spite of himself, at the conceits and oddities 
 of his gentlemanly friend. 
 
 " My dear fellow, that was an amiable fiction of mine, 
 intended to assist in quieting your nerves, before you 
 took up your quarters in that state-room. You may 
 come out now, if you desire to do so ; but I trust you will 
 not attempt to leave this cabin, for that would reduce me 
 to the disagreeable necessity of shooting you." 
 
 '' And thus save your friend Phil Kennedy from any 
 further uneasiness on my account." 
 
 " Ah ! " exclaimed Coles, starting back with astonish- 
 ment at this obvious knowledge, on the part of his pris- 
 oner, of what no one was supposed to know. " You are 
 wiser than the law allows young men of your age to be." 
 
 " I know why I am here," added Somers. 
 
 "Do you, indeed?" 
 
 " Undoubtedly I do ; and wise as your age and expe- 
 rience have made you, I could tell you a dozen things 
 that are worth knowing." 
 
 " Perhaps you will oblige me by doing so," sneered 
 the hard-visaged man. 
 
 " Perhaps I will ; and then, again, perhaps I won't.*' 
 
 '• Don't be unkind, my dear young friend. Confidence 
 is a jewel between such friends as we are." 
 
 " You can sit there and crow over me, but my time 
 will come by and by," said Somers, as he stepped out of 
 the state-room, and sat down opposite his persecutor. 
 
104 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 " Crow over you, my dear fellow? I have been treat- 
 ing you with tlic most distinguished consideration." 
 
 " You naay think all your plans are crowned with suc- 
 cess, but I assure you they will all fail," added Somers, 
 fearfully galled by the jeering tones of Coles. " You 
 have got almost to the end of your rope, in a double 
 sense." 
 
 " That is, my plans will fail, and I shall be hung for 
 my politeness to you." 
 
 " Exactly so. This old tub wiU never reach latitude 
 forty-one, longitude sixty-two." 
 
 Coles sprang to his feet, and his hard visage turned as 
 red as blood. His politeness suddenly deserted him, and 
 he clutched the pistol in his hand with convulsive energy. 
 
 " Neither will you ever pocket ten thousand dollars 
 for handing me over to Phil Kennedy," added Somers. 
 
 " Young man, it is evident that you know more of me 
 than I had supposed." 
 
 " And Phil Kennedy wiU never invite you to his wed- 
 ding with Miss Kate Portington," continued Somers, 
 who could not resist the temptation to pour in one more 
 hot shot. 
 
 " I am afraid you know too much for your own safety, 
 young man," said Coles, with difficulty repressing his 
 emotions. 
 
 " Too much for yoiir safety, you mean." 
 
 " For both, if that suits your humor better." 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 105 
 
 *' Perhaps I do ; and I assure you, the best thiug you 
 can do will be to put me on shore at the earliest possible 
 moment, and make your ten thousand dollars m a more 
 respectable and gentlemanly way." 
 
 " I a|iall not do that ; you and I will hang together for 
 the present." 
 
 " We shall be separated at the final hanging, which 
 cannot much longer be delayed." 
 
 " Mr. Somers, I hold a pistol in my hand, and I will 
 thank you not to indulge in any useless impudence." 
 
 Our middy was prudent enough to take this broad 
 hint, and permitted Coles to do the talking for some time, 
 without venturing to make a reply. There was not 
 much, however, that the amiable gentleman could say, 
 for Somers had taken the wind all out of his sails, by 
 exhibiting his knowledge of the conspirators' mysteries. 
 He was exceedingly troubled, and he could no longer 
 conceal from his prisoner his anxiety and uneasiness. 
 He made several efiorts, more or less direct, to ascertain 
 Avhere Somers had obtained his information ; but the 
 latter was too well satisfied w^ith the change which had 
 come over his persecutor to enlighten his bewildered 
 mind. 
 
 " Captain Coles, there is a steamer coming down the 
 bay, which acts very strange. I reckon she is after us," 
 said Murdock, at the companion-way. 
 
 "Nonsense!" exclaimed- Coles'; "it is some tow- 
 boat." 
 
106 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 " The men on board of her keep looking at us through 
 their glasses." 
 
 *' All right ! " said Somers, with emphasis, hoping and 
 believing that the information he had given Mr. Revere 
 was now to save him from a rebel prison. 
 
 The man with the thin face was beginning to make 
 himself felt. 
 
7-77^ ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 107 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE MAN "WITH THE THIN FACE. 
 
 R. SOMERS, I will trouble you to remain in 
 this cabin," said Coles, again assuming the 
 polite manner which had distinguished him 
 in more prosperous hours. 
 " I will stay here with the greatest pleasure. I shall 
 make no attempt to escape, Mr. Coles, for I am too much 
 interested in the results of this adventure to be voluntarily 
 deprived of the pleasure of seeing the conclusion of the 
 whole matter," replied Somers, with a bland smile, and a 
 courteous bow. 
 
 " Don't flatter yourself just yet, my dear young friend," 
 continued Coles, as he rose from his seat, and walked 
 towards the companion-way. " You and I will not part 
 company to-day." 
 
 Somers hoped they would, and fully expected that such 
 would be the result of the excursion down the bay. He 
 was satisfied that Mr. Revere had used the information 
 he had given him, and it was hardly possible that the 
 authorities would permit a vessel with important military 
 supplies to leave the harbor. 
 
1Q8 THE YAXKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 Coles went on deck. Polite and easy as his bearing 
 was, he was sorely tried by tlie ditiiculties of his situation. 
 He was amazed and confounded at the information in 
 possession of his prisoner, and he felt very much as 
 though he stood on a volcano in process of irruption. 
 
 " There's the steamer," said Murdock, as Coles stepped 
 on deck ; " and, if I'm not greatly mistaken, she's af- 
 ter us." 
 
 '' What makes you think so? " asked Coles, uneasily. 
 
 " In the first place, there are not less than twenty men 
 on her deck, and it appears to me that about one half of 
 them have spy-glasses in their hands, and are watching 
 this vessel." 
 
 " I think you are right, Murdock," replied Coles, 
 more nervously. " Where did you stow our cargo?" 
 
 " Under the gi'oceries." 
 
 " Do you think they will find the kegs? " 
 
 " Nothing to prevent their finding them, if they look 
 far enough." 
 
 " You have your clearance and other papers all right? " 
 
 " All right and straight, Captain Coles. I fixed every- 
 thing just as you told me." 
 
 By this time the Theban was off " The Kills," which 
 is the strait connecting New York and Newark Bays. 
 The steamer that caused Coles and his companion in 
 treason so much anxiety was half a mile distant. The 
 wind, which wa.s tolerably fresh, was from the south- 
 
Tlir. ADVEXTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 109 
 
 ward, and the old schooner was close-hauled, lying -as 
 near the Avind as she could, which, however, was not 
 within eight points of her course. The steamer was 
 headed due south, knowing that the Theban must pres- 
 ently tack, and stand out into the middle of the bay again. 
 
 "The steamer will overhaul us in fifteen minutes 
 more," said Coles, as he glanced up the Kills. 
 
 " We can't expect to run away from a steamer in this 
 old craft," replied Murdock. 
 
 " There are only two things that we can do." 
 
 "Not more than -that," answered Murdock, with a 
 grim smile. 
 
 " We can take our chance in being examined, or run up 
 the Kills and take to the boat. Which shall we do ? " 
 
 " There isn't much chance any way," said Murdock ; 
 " but I think we had better run up the Kills." 
 
 "Do so, then." 
 
 " What are you going to do with that young cub in 
 
 the cabin?" 
 
 " I have a mind to throw him overboard. He knows 
 too much for his own comfort and mine." 
 
 " lie will blow on us the moment the officers come on 
 
 board." 
 
 " AVe must get rid of him before any of them come," 
 added Coles, as the schooner fell off, and stood up the 
 strait. "We shall know, now, whether the steamer 
 is looking for us or not." 
 10 
 
110 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 " Ay, there goes her helm over to port, and she is 
 headed this way," said Murdock. 
 
 "I am afraid it is all up with us," replied Coles, as he 
 went down into the cabin. 
 
 "Well, Mr. Coles, how goes the battle?" demanded 
 Somers, with abundant good nature. " You see I am 
 taking it very coolly." 
 
 " Everything works right ; but, my young friend, as I 
 have now shown you my yacht, and exhibited my state- 
 room to you, I think it is about time for you to join your 
 ship," said Coles, with an effort to assume his former 
 easy air. 
 
 " Thank you for your considerate regard for my wel- 
 fare. Then you have concluded not to put me on board 
 of.the Snowden ? " 
 
 " I am sorry that I shall be obliged to disappoint our 
 friend Mr. Kennedy. I will trouble you now to go on 
 deck, where I shall take the liberty to transfer you to a 
 shore bo«t." 
 
 "Don't give yourself any further trouble on my 
 account. I prefer to remain where I am." 
 
 "Do you? Then you shall be gratified. But I shall 
 have to ask you to resume your place in the state- 
 room." ' 
 
 " I shall be just as comfortable where I am," replied 
 Somers, facetiously. 
 
 " You will be too comfortable," said Coles, producing 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICE H. Ill 
 
 his pistol. " This is the only argument I can offer for 
 your consideration at the present time." 
 
 " O, well, if you are in earnest, I will enter the state- 
 room ; " and Somers, not doubting that he should be 
 released in a few moments, obeyed the polite order. 
 
 The little room had been thoroughly ventilated, and 
 was now quite comfortable. He sat down to abide the 
 issue, fully satisfied that before noon he should grasp the 
 hand of Lieutenant Waldron on board the Rosalie. 
 
 Coles went on deck again. He was nervous and un- 
 easy, and occasionally glanced at the pursuing steamer 
 as a condemned criminal looks at the gallows on which 
 he is to be hung. 
 
 " Captain Coles, if you are going to stand an examina- 
 tion, I reckon we have made a blunder in coming into 
 this channel," said Murdock. 
 
 '' It's no use to run away in a place like tliis. Put 
 your helm down, and come to anchor under the weather 
 shore of the creek," replied Coles. 
 
 " Down with your helm ! " said Murdock to the man 
 at the tiller. ^' Let go the anchor," added he, when the 
 jib had been hauled down. " Here we are, Captain 
 Coles." 
 
 " When they come on board, just say that we found 
 the wind ahead, and concluded to anchor in this place 
 till we could get a little slant." 
 
 " I understand,"" answered the intelligent skipper. 
 
112 THE YAXKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 The Theban came up to her anchor, with her patched 
 fore and main sails flapping in the wind. Murdock sat 
 down on the rail, liglited his pipe, and looked as un- 
 concerned as though he had been a loyal trader to a 
 loyal port. Coles went aft, and busied himself in gazing 
 up the creek, apparently unconscious that any great cveut 
 was about to take place. 
 
 The steamer ran her bows alongside the schooner, 
 while the eager crowd, including the man with the thin 
 face, carefully scrutinized the old craft. 
 
 " Hallo, there ! " shouted Murdock, suddenly spring- 
 ing up, as though he had just seen the steamer for the 
 first time. " Hard a-port your helm, or you will run 
 me doA^Ti ! What are you about ? Do you mean to 
 stave me in ? " 
 
 The steamer's people made no reply to this warning, 
 but as her bow came up with the Theban's side, one of the 
 deck hands passed a small hawser through one of her 
 channel plates, and the man with the thin face leaped on 
 board of the schooner. He was followed by several 
 other men, who appeared to be officers, though none of 
 them were dressed in uniform. 
 
 " What are you about now ? " demanded the innocent 
 skipper of the Theban. " "What are you all coming 
 aboard of this craft for?" 
 
 ''We have business here," replied the man with the 
 thin face. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 113 
 
 " 0, have you ? " 
 
 *' I have. Who is the captain of this vessel?" 
 
 "I am, for the want of a better," said Murdock, as he 
 sat down again, and proceeded with the utmost delibera- 
 tion to relight his pipe, 
 
 " But you are not the person I want," said the man with 
 the thin face, who was a government detective officer. 
 
 He had been sent on from New York to " work up " 
 the^case of Coles and Kennedy, after Mr. Revere had 
 telegraphed the information obtained by Somers. 
 
 " Then you don't want to see the captain of this vessel," 
 replied Murdock, pliilosophically. 
 
 " Where is the other man?" demanded the officer. 
 
 *' What other man ? " 
 
 " The one that came on board just before you sailed — 
 two of them, for that matter. Where is the elderly 
 man?" 
 
 " Well, I reckon he isn't a great way off. He stood 
 on the taffrail a few moments ago." 
 
 " Do you mean me ? " said Coles, now coming up from 
 the cabin, where he had gone, as the steamer was making 
 fast to the Theban, to satisfy himself that his prisoner 
 was not complicating his affairs. 
 
 " I mean you," answered the detective. " You are 
 ihe man I want." 
 
 " What do you want of me ? " asked Coles, with as 
 much simplicity as so artful a man could assume. 
 10* 
 
114 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 " There is a room in Fort Lafayette ready for yoiir 
 use," replied the facetious man with the thin face. 
 
 " What do you mean ? " 
 
 " It's a plain case. But I think we will overhaul 
 your cargo a little before we go any farther." 
 
 " I reckon you will find it all right," said Murdock. 
 
 " Perhaps we shall. We can tell better after we have 
 examined it." 
 
 A dozen men were set at work in the hold. "V^ithin 
 an hour, they had brought to light a number of kegs, 
 labelled "cut nails," which were found, upon further 
 examination, to contain articles contraband of war, and 
 to prove that the label was a lie. 
 
 '^ Exactly so ! " exclaimed the detective, when the kegs 
 were open. " The facts correspond with the information." 
 
 " Just what the rebels want most," said a loyal mem- 
 ber of the boarding party. 
 
 " Mr. Coles, you are my prisoner," continued the de- 
 tective. "Where is the other man? " 
 
 " What other man ? " asked Coles, with genuine sur- 
 prise. 
 
 " The young fellow in false colors — wearing the uni- 
 form of a midshipman." 
 
 " He's down below," answered Coles, actually chuc- 
 kling, in spite of his own misfortunes, at the blunder of 
 the officer. 
 
 " I want him too." 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 115 
 
 " What do you want of him ? " 
 
 " I don't like to separate two such loving friends as you 
 are, and I think they can find a room in Fopt Lafayette 
 big enough to hold both of you." 
 
 " He is down in the cabin. Come with me, and I will 
 show you where to find him," added Coles, maliciously. 
 
 *' I can find him without any assistance from you," 
 continued the detective, with highly commendable caution. 
 
 " Perhaps you can," said Coles, doubtfully. 
 
 The detective went below, but the " young fellow 
 wearing the uniform of a midshipman," was not visible 
 to the naked eye. 
 
 •' Where is he ? " called the officer, who did not imme- 
 diately discover the state-room. 
 
 Coles, followed by a couple of the detective's party, went 
 below, and turning the key of the state-room, which he 
 did in such a manner that the movement wa^ not seen by 
 his captors, he threw open the door. 
 
 " You are my prisoner ! " said the man with the thin 
 face, slapping Somers on the shoulder, as he stepped out 
 of his narrow quarters. 
 
 " Your what? " demanded the young officer, astonished 
 beyond measure at this unexpected demonstration. 
 
 " My prisoner, my gallant little fellow. You under- 
 stand English — don't you? " 
 
 " I don't understand you, sir." 
 
 " I can't stop to explain just now ; but you will prob- 
 
116 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 ably understand it by the time you find yourself com- 
 fortably quartered in Fort Lafayette," replied the 
 enterprising detective, as he handed both of his pris- 
 oners over to his associates. 
 
 " In Fort Lafayette ! " exclaimed Somers, filled Avith 
 horror at the bare mention of the place in connection 
 ■with his own name. 
 
 The ofiicer in charge of the party hastened on deck, 
 without paying any further attention to the complaint of 
 the unfortunate young gentleman. The anchor of the 
 Theban was hove up, and she proceeded up the bay 
 in tow of the steamer. 
 
 *' Well, my dear young friend, we are not to be rudely 
 separated, after all," said Coles, in mocking tones, as 
 he seated himself between the two officials who were 
 charged with his safe keeping. 
 
 " I presume I am indebted to you for this insult," re- 
 plied Somers, bitterly ; for being put under arrest for 
 treasonable practices was the severest trial which he had 
 yet been called to endure. 
 
 He was not as patient as he might have been under 
 this new misfortune, and he at once concluded that he was 
 indebted to Coles for it. He believed that the malicious 
 traitor had accused him to the officer of being his ac- 
 complice. 
 
 " ip^eep cool, my dear fellow," continued Coles. " Our 
 mutual friend, Captain Bankhead, assured me you were 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 117 
 
 the coolest young man he had ever known ; but I must 
 confess that present appearances do not confirm his good 
 opinion of you." 
 
 Somers was disgusted with Coles, and disgusted with 
 the results of the adventure ; and he made no reply to the 
 taunts of his companion in misery. He seated himself 
 in a corner of the cabin, and maintained a savage silence 
 till the steamer and her prize reached East River, where 
 the latter was anchored under the guns of the Rosalie, 
 which had just hauled out into tlie stream.' 
 
 " Now, gentlemen, if you will step on board of the 
 steamer, we will give you comfortable quarters behind 
 a thick stone wall," said the polite detective. 
 
 *' Thank you," replied Coles, with forced indifference. 
 
 " I should like a few moments' private conversation 
 with you before you go any farther," said Somers, rising 
 heavily from his seat. 
 
 " I can't spare the time." 
 
 " Then you will make a great mistake if you arrest 
 me, for I assure you I am guilty of no crime, and am as 
 loyal to the government as you are." 
 
 '* I can't stop to discuss these questions now. It isn't 
 my business to try the case. Hurry up, if you please." 
 
 "^ You will injure your credit if you go on with this 
 matter." 
 
 " If you save your own credit, young man, I will take 
 care of myself," replied the official, laughing. 
 
118 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 " I gave the first information which led to the seizure 
 of this vessel," whispered Somers. 
 
 " Come, come, my lively little bird, your tongue is a 
 useful member to you, but it won't do you any good in 
 the present instance." 
 
 " Very well ; if you won't hear me, will you, as a 
 special favor, send a man to inform Captain Waldron, of 
 the Rosalie, that you have arrested Midshipman Somers, 
 of his vessel, on a charge of treasonable practices." 
 
 " I don't make any charges, young man — I leave that 
 for a court-martial to do. I found you in company with 
 men engaged in smuggling percussion caps out of New 
 York." 
 
 " I can explain why I happened to be on board of this 
 vessel." 
 
 " You came from Newport with this man, Coles ; you 
 were on intimate terms with him ; and you slept in his 
 state-room. ' Do you know Captain TValdron, of the 
 Rosalie ? " continued the officer, who seemed to be con- 
 sidering whether there might not, after all, be some mis- 
 take. 
 
 " I know him well, and am ordered to duty on board 
 his vessel." 
 
 " I will send for him." 
 
 " Thank you, sir," replied Somers, now assured that 
 he should soon be discharged from arrest. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 119 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE UNITED STATES SCHOONER ROSALIE. 
 
 fV^j(^X^/4, OX'T you be kind enough to inform Captain 
 Waldron that I am here also?" interposed 
 Coles, as the boat with 'the messenger was 
 about to shove off. 
 
 " Is he a friend of yours, too?" demanded the officer, 
 as a momentary doubt overshadowed his thin face. 
 
 But the mocking smile on the countenance of Coles 
 assured one so well versed in the expression of the hu- 
 man face that the remark was a facetious one ; and he 
 paid no further attention to the real traitor. While the 
 messenger was absent, iSomers and the officer compared 
 notes in regard to the trip from Newport ; and the detec- 
 tive was pretty well satisfied that the young man spoke 
 the truth. 
 
 In less than half an hour the well-timed stroke of a 
 man-of-war boat was heard near the Theban. Up went 
 the oars, and Captain Waldron leaped on the deck of 
 the old schooner. 
 
120 THE YAyKKE MIDDY, OR 
 
 " Got)d morning, Mr. Somers," shouted the captain, 
 as he grasped the hand of his young friend. 
 
 " Good morning ; I never was so glad to see a friend 
 in ray life as I am at this moment." 
 
 "What is the matter, Somers?" laughed Captain 
 Waldron, who seemed to regard the whole matter as an 
 excellent joke. . 
 
 " Nothing in particular, only I am arrested for run- 
 ning contraband goods out the port." 
 
 "Is that all?" 
 
 " I have been watching this Coles for two days, and 
 followed him from Newport. Mr. Somers has been his 
 constant companion most of the time, and occupied the 
 same state-room with him on the passage. I found him 
 in bad company, and I concluded he was one of the 
 traitors," said the man with the thin face, in apologetic 
 tones. 
 
 " "SVell, I know nothing whatever about this matter," 
 replied Captain Waldrcn ; " but I will vouch for the 
 loyalty of Mr. Somers against any charges that can be 
 presented." 
 
 " You may be mistaken, as well as I," suggested the 
 detective. " lie was on board the schooner oroino: down 
 the harbor, and occupying the only state-room in the 
 vessel." 
 
 " Yes, and I was locked in," added Somers ; " I was 
 a prisoner there." 
 
TUE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 121 
 
 *' That may be ; but he seems to be on excellent terms 
 with this man whom I was set to watch." 
 
 *' I will take Mr. Somers on board of my vessel, and 
 will bo responsible for his safe keeping," said Captain 
 "Waldron. 
 
 The officer, who had no orders in regard to Somers, 
 was satisfied with this proposition, and promised to in- 
 form himself forthwith in relation to the young man's 
 complicity w^ith the transaction he had been "work- 
 ing up." 
 
 " Captain Waldron, perhaps you will be kind enough 
 to do me the same favor?" added Coles, who was de- 
 termined to maintain his self-possession to the end. 
 
 " I haven't the honor of your acquaintance," replied 
 the commander of the Rosalie, rather coldly. 
 
 " My particular friend, Mr. Somers, will vouch for me." 
 
 *' Do you know this man, Somers?" asked the cap- 
 tain, as they went on deck. 
 
 " Never saw him in my life till three days ago. If 
 you please, sir, I will tell you all about this affair when 
 we get on board." 
 
 A few lusty strokes of the bargemen placed the boat 
 alongside the Rosalie, whose fair lines and beautiful pro- 
 portions Mr. Midshipman Somers was now, for the first 
 time, in condition to appreciate. The side was manned, 
 and Captain Waldron was received with the customary 
 formalities as he went on deck. He repaired immedi- 
 11 
 
122 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 ately to his cabin, to which his young companion was 
 invited. 
 
 Though Somers had been very cautious in speaking 
 about the information he had obtained at Newport, in 
 the presence of his friends, or where it could possibly do 
 any harm, he felt at liberty to tell JMr. "Waldron the 
 whole matter, not even excepting the part which was 
 purely personal. It was entii-ely satisfactory to his par- 
 tial auditor, and fully explained the mystery of his being 
 on board the Theban, though Mr. Waldron could not 
 help condemning the young man's want of prudence. 
 
 The man with the thin face went over to the city ; the 
 telegraph instruments clicked a few times, and Mr. Mid- 
 shipman Somers was wholly exonerated from any con- 
 nection with traitors and blockade-runners ; indeed, the 
 telegi^aph was so obliging as to inform the intelligent 
 detective that the suspected person had actually commu- 
 nicated the information which led to the arrest of Coles. 
 
 The thin-faced man went on board of the Eosalie w^th 
 the answers he had obtained, and made Somers the hap- 
 piest man in the vessel by acknowledging the truth of 
 every statement he had made. He apologized in the 
 handsomest manner for his mistake ; but Somers, with 
 becoming moderation, assured him he had only done his 
 duty. 
 
 " Now, Mr. Somers, you have removed the last shad- 
 ow of a stain upon your good name, and you may go to 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 123 
 
 your duty. I will introduce you to the executive officer, 
 and I doubt not we shall all be friends. By the way, 
 Somers, I have an old acquaintance of yours on board." 
 
 "Indeed! Who is he?" 
 
 *' One Tom Longstone." 
 
 " Is it possible ! The old man brought me up, and 
 made a sailor of me. He is a splendid man." 
 
 " He is the boatswain of the Rosalie, just now — that 
 is, he is a boatswain's mate, acting as boatswain." 
 
 " I am very glad to hear of it, for he is one of the 
 best men in the service. I should like to see him a full 
 boatswain." 
 
 "You may before long, when we get into a bigger 
 ship than this." 
 
 Somers was then introduced to Mr. Layard, the execu- 
 tive officer, by whom he was duly presented to Mr. 
 Jackson, the second lieutenant, Mr. Greene, the third 
 lieutenant, and Mr. Brown, the sailing-master. The 
 actual rank of the officers of the Rosalie did not corre- 
 spond with that which they held on board of the vessel. 
 Mr. Waldron was a lieutenant ; but being in command 
 of the schooner, he was called captain by courtesy. The 
 three lieutenants were ensigns, and held the office of first, 
 second, and third lieutenants, respectively, according 
 to the dates of their commissions — the earliest commis- 
 sioned taking the highest rank. The sailing-master was 
 also an ensign, and the junior officer in the ward-room. 
 
124 ^ THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 Our midshipman had not reached the dignity of being 
 a ward-room officer, and he treated the lieutenants with 
 the most respectful consideration. His peers and equals 
 were Mr. Midshipman Tubbs, whose warrant was two 
 years older than his o>vn, and two masters' mates, who 
 had just received their appointments. Tubbs was the 
 son of a naval officer, who had been relieved for obvious 
 reasons. The mates had formerly been officers of mer- 
 chant vessels, and had acting warrants, which would be 
 annulled when the demand for their services ceased to 
 exist. 
 
 The two midshipmen and the two masters' mates oc- 
 cupied the steerage, a snug little apartment, with only 
 room to contain four berths, and a small table, at 
 which they were to take their meals. Somers examined 
 this place with the deepest interest, for it was to be his 
 home for some months at least. It was a very small 
 room for four persons ; but our middy never grumbled at 
 manifest destiny, and the character of his companions 
 was a matter of more consequence. But the place was 
 well fitted up, and looked comfortable in spite of its nar- 
 row proportions. 
 
 Having been duly introduced to his messmates in the 
 steerage, Somers went on deck to take a view of the ves- 
 sel. She was a splendid craft in every sense of the 
 word, and satisfied every requirement of a critical sea- 
 man. She had been built for a yacht by a wealthy 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 125 
 
 gentleman, ^\ho intended to take a cruise up the Mediter- 
 ranean in her ; but the Avar had interrupted his calcula- 
 tions, and he had sold her to the government for war 
 purposes. She had been completely refitted for her 
 present use, and Lieutenant Waldron had obtained the 
 command of her, in preference to a small steamer, which 
 had been available at the same time. 
 
 Her crew, consisting of fifty-two hands, had been on 
 board of her several days ; and when Somers reported 
 for duty, everything on board was in working order. 
 The officers and men had been assigned to their stations, 
 and the Rosalie was ready to go to sea at a moment's 
 notice. She was only waiting for her orders, which 
 were hourly expected to arrive. 
 
 When Somers reached the deck, he looked about him 
 for the familiar form and face of Tom Longstone ; and it 
 was with no slight emotion that he identified the old 
 man, as he rolled aft to greet him. 
 
 " My blessed biscuit-nibbler ! " exclaimed Tom, as he 
 rushed forward to grasp his hand, in violation of all the 
 traditions of navy discipline. 
 
 " I am glad to see you, Tom ! " exclaimed Somers, as 
 he grasped the hand of the veteran. " It does me good 
 to meet you again, and be in the same ship with you." 
 
 " Thank you, Mr. Somers," returned the acting boat- 
 swain, recovering himself far enough to touch his hat, as 
 he remembered what discipline required of him. " You 
 11* 
 
126 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 are as spruce as the cap'n's monkey on the Fourth of 
 July ; and you look well in your new togs." 
 
 " I have worn these a long time, Tom ; and they are 
 an old story with me." 
 
 *' I suppose so ; but I calculate you are the same chap 
 that you used to be aboard the Harrisburg, and in the 
 little Middy," said Tom, stepping back a pace, as the 
 fact that Somers was now an officer became more real 
 to him. 
 
 " The same person, Tom." 
 
 " I'm sorry we don't mess together in this craft ; 
 but you'll be an admiral one of these days," added Tom, 
 rather sadly. 
 
 " We shall be good friends, as we always were, Tom. 
 I am in the second lieutenant's watch, and my station is 
 forward, where I shall have a chance to see you." 
 
 " Thank ye, Jack — beg pardon, Mr. Somers,'* said 
 the veteran, touching his hat, as he corrected the mis- 
 take. 
 
 "Never mind, Tom; when you are boatswain, and 
 I call you Tom, instead of Mr. Longstone, you will for- 
 give me for it." 
 
 " I will, my dear." 
 
 It took an hour to discuss the events of the past year, 
 and to recall those of the memorable cruise of the Middy 
 up the river. The little steamer, in which they had both 
 seen some stirring work up the Mississippi, and on the 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 127 
 
 coast of Florida, was affectionately remembered ; but 
 Somers thought she did uot compare with the Rosalie. 
 
 " Isn't she a beauty ! " exclaimed Tom, glancing 
 around at her fair proportions." 
 
 " That she is." 
 
 *' Look at that bow ! Did you ever see anything go 
 ahead of that ? Look at her foremast ! Did you ever see 
 a prettier spar, or a more ship-shape piece of rigging ? " 
 
 " Never ; I am as proud of her as you are. 1 only 
 want to get at something that wears the rebel flag, and 
 then we shall soon find out what €he is good fpr." 
 
 Tom then called the young officer's attention to her 
 armament, which consisted of a fifty-pounder rifled gun 
 amidships, with four brass howitzers, twenty-four-pound- 
 ers, for broadside guns. There was a twelve-pound how- 
 itzer on the forecastle, mth two swivels on the quarters. 
 
 " I suppose you have no idea where we are going, Mr. 
 Somers ? " 
 
 " Not the least ; but I presume we are going on the 
 blockade," replied Somers. 
 
 " I reckon we can hold way with some of their block- 
 ade-running steamers, if we have a decent wind. They 
 say this craft has made her fourteen knots." 
 
 While they were talking about it, the orders came 
 down for the schooner to put to sea at once. As usual, 
 these orders were sealed up, to be opened when the 
 vessel was outside of Sandy Hook. 
 
128 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 " All hands, up anchor, ahoy ! " shouted Tom, when 
 he had received his orders from the officer. 
 
 The crew of the vessel, sharing the impatience of the 
 officers to be on the blue sea, sprang to their stations 
 with alacrity, and obeying the orders as they were issued, 
 they were soon walking round the capstan. When the 
 cable was brought to a " short stay," the capstan was 
 pawled, and the vessel was ready for the second oper- 
 ation. 
 
 " Stations for loosing sail ! " said Mr. Layard ; and 
 his order was repeated by the several officers on duty. 
 " Lay aloft, sail loosers ! " 
 
 The portion of the crew included in the last command 
 was small ; for, as the Rosalie carried only a Ibretop- 
 sail, and foretop-gallant-sail, it did not require a heavy 
 force to handle them. They were loosed and set, ac- 
 cording to the strict rule of the service. The capstan 
 was manned again, and when the boatswain reported the 
 " anchor a-weigh," the jib and flying-jib were set, and 
 the Rosalie went off, close-hauled, down the bay, with 
 her port tacks aboard. 
 
 The wind was fresh, and her speed was apparent to all 
 on board. She went by several little steamers, that hap- 
 pened to be going in the same direction, and her sharp 
 bow cut the water as clean as a knife. Somers wanted 
 to shout with admiration at her performance, and thought 
 there was nothmg in the world equal to her — unless it" 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A XAVAL OFFICE H. 129 
 
 was Miss Kate Portington, who, in the whirl of exciting 
 events since he left Newport, had by no iiieans been 
 forgotten. 
 
 At four o'clock in the afternoon, the Rosalie had 
 worked her way down to Sandy Hook, and the sealed 
 orders were opened. Shortly after this important event, 
 Somers was sent for by the captain, and ha^itened to his 
 cabin. 
 
 '•'• Mr. Somers," said Captain T\'aldron, with a smile 
 of satisfaction on his face, '^ I find my orders relate to 
 the steamer you told me of this morning — the Snowden. 
 It appears that there is no steam vessel available for the 
 service, and we are sent out to intercept her. Xotice of 
 her coming has also been sent down to the blockaders off 
 Wilmington. I am further instructed, that Mr. Somers 
 can give me any further information I may require." 
 
 " Then I may chance to meet Mr. Phil Kennedy again," 
 replied Somers. 
 
 ^' Perhaps you may ; but the chances are rather against 
 capturing a st jamer with a sailing vessel." 
 
 '' The Snowden can make but twelve knots under 
 favorable circumstances. That was all that Coles 
 claimed for her, and it is doubtful whether she will do 
 even that." 
 
 " We are at the mercy of the wind. Without a breeze 
 she could walk right away from us. My orders are, to 
 repair to latitude forty-one, longitude sixty-two." 
 
130 THE YAXKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 " Those are the right figures, sir ; and Coles expect- 
 ed to see the steamer about Saturday morning. The 
 schooner was to burn a blue-light, if she happened to 
 make out a steamer in the night." 
 
 " Good ! Then I hope we shall sight her in the night, 
 for we can burn blue-lights as well as the Theban," 
 added the captain. 
 
 " If you run a little farther to the northward, sir, you 
 might improve your chance of coming up with her in the 
 night." 
 
 *' Very true, but we might miss her by that process. I 
 think our chances are rather small, Mr. Somers." 
 
 The midshipman thought so too ; and when he was 
 dismissed, he returned to the steerage, it being his watch 
 below, to meditate upon the matter ; but we are sorry to 
 say that he forgot all about the Snowden in three minutes, 
 and was wondering what Kate Portington was thinking 
 about at just that time. 
 
THE AD VESTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 131 
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 MR. MIDSHIPMAN TUBES. 
 
 you are the captain's favorite — are you ? '* de- 
 manded Mr. Tubbs, when Somers returned to 
 the steerage. 
 
 " Not that I am aware of," replied Somers, with 
 proper dignity. 
 
 " You needn't put on airs, Somers," added the young 
 gentleman. 
 
 " I was not conscious of putting on airs, Mr. Tubbs." 
 
 Somers was not so much astonished at this coarse salu- 
 tation as the reader will be, for ]Mr. Tubbs, from the 
 first moment of their acquaintance, had made himself as 
 disagreeable as possible. He was very evidently bent on 
 getting up a quarrel, reckless both of cause and conse- 
 quence. He had been detailed from the Academy only a 
 few days before Somers, but as they had been in different 
 classes, they hardly knew each other by sight — at least, 
 such was the fact so far as Somers was concerned. He 
 had seen him with Kennedy once, but he had no reason 
 to suppose they were friends. He could not, therefore, 
 
132 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 ascribe liis apparent malignity to any sympathy with the 
 man who had chosen to consider him an enemy. 
 
 " K there is any man about the ship that I despise, it 
 is a fellow who claims to be the captain's favorite," con- 
 tinued Mr. Tubbs. 
 
 " I have made no such claim." 
 
 " Actions speak louder than words, Mr. Somers. You 
 expect, under favor of the captain, to shirk your share 
 of duty, and bear off all the honors, when there are any 
 to be borne off. I despise such a fellow ! '* 
 
 " Well, Mr. Tubbs, you needn't waste any more breath 
 on that subject ; for whether you despise me, or despise 
 me not, will not keep me awake one moment at night, or 
 cause me to miss any portion of my grub." 
 
 "You mean to say that my opinion is of no conse- 
 quence," growled Mr. Tubbs, beginning to feel that l^e 
 had made some progress in getting up a quarrel. 
 
 " On the question at issue, precisely so, Mr. Tubbs." 
 
 "Do you hear that, Thompson?" added Tubbs, ap- 
 pealing to one of the master's mates, who happened to be 
 in the mess-room. 
 
 " I hear it," replied Thompson, with indifference. 
 
 " "What should you say to that ? " 
 
 " Nothing ; mind my own business." 
 
 " So should I," said Somers. , 
 
 " If you think, Somers, that being the captain's favor- 
 ite makes you chief of the mess, you are confoundedly 
 mistaken." 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A XAVAL OFFICER. 133 
 
 " I have never assumed any such position, Mr. 
 
 Tubbs." 
 
 *^ Yes, you have ; you carry it in your looks and man- 
 ner. One can see that you look down upon the rest of 
 us, and expect to bear off all the honors," replied Tubbs, 
 -Nvho was not to be checked by any minor obstacles. 
 
 " As to the honors, let every tub stand on its own bot- 
 tom." 
 
 '' Sir ! " roared Tubbs, jumping off the stool on which 
 
 he sat. 
 
 Now, Somers, being a most exemplary young man, 
 had no more idea of making a pun than he had of mak- 
 ing a quarrel ; and he did not realize that he had done 
 so till the flushed face of his brother middy assured 
 him of the fact. 
 
 " Good ! " said Thompson, with a low, inward chuckle, 
 which assured his 'companions that he was listening, in 
 spite of his determination to remain neutral. 
 
 " Do you mean to insult me, ISIr. Somers?" growled 
 Tubbs. 
 
 " I had no such intention." 
 
 *' Then you shall apologize." 
 
 " With pleasure — for what ? " 
 
 " For the remark you made." 
 
 " Then every tub should not stand on its own bottom. 
 Is that satisfactory ? " 
 
 " No, sir ! It is not." 
 12 
 
134 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 " Well, I have put it both ways, and you are not con- 
 tent with either." 
 
 " Will you apologize, or not ? " demanded Mr. Tubbs, 
 striking the table violently with his fist. 
 
 " I am not conscious of having done anythino' for 
 which I should apologize." 
 
 " You intended to insult me." 
 
 " I have already assured you that I did not intend to 
 insult you." 
 
 " You made an unwarrantable use of my name." 
 
 " I simply quoted a common maxim, and I did it 
 without any reference whatever to your name. That is 
 all I have to say about this matter, Mr. Tubbs," replied 
 Somers, as he took a book from his berth, and seated 
 himself near the door. 
 
 " That will not do, Mr. Somers ! You can't insult a 
 gentleman, and then refuse to give him satisfaction." 
 
 Somers found his place in the book. 
 
 " Do you hear me, sir? " 
 
 Somers began to read. 
 
 " Mr. Somers, I demand satisfaction." 
 
 Somers finished a short paragraph. 
 
 " You have grossly insulted me ! You have made fun 
 of the honored name I bear, and I will not submit to it ! " 
 roared Mr. Tubbs. 
 
 Somers began another paragraph. 
 
 " You are a mean, cowardly flunkey ! You can 
 
THE ADVEXTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 135 
 
 toaily to the captain, and put on airs among the men, but 
 you can't insult a gentleman ! Do you hear me, sir? " 
 
 Somers finished the paragraph. 
 
 *' TVill you answer me, Somers, or shall I kick you? " 
 
 Somers thought he had better not ; but he finished the 
 second paragraph without making any reply. 
 
 " V^Q have come to a pretty pass in the service when 
 common sailors are made midshipmen, and put in with 
 gentlemen." 
 
 " Shut up, Tubbs ! Stop your noise ! " said Thomp- 
 son, w^io rarely uttered two sentences without stopping 
 to rest. 
 
 " Do you apply that language to me, Mr. Thompson?" 
 demanded the irate middy. 
 
 " Shut up ! " was all the taciturn master's mate would 
 venture to reply, or all he had breath to utter. 
 
 " The service is going to ruin when such brutes are 
 tolerated on board a man-of-war." 
 
 *' Stop your noise, Tubbs," replied Thompson, in low 
 and feeble tones, as though he had already exhausted 
 himself by the long speeches he had made. 
 
 Somers was so much amused by the cool indifference 
 of the master's mate to the abuse of the inflammatory 
 middy, that he could not repress a laugh ; and he did 
 laugh, without considering what the effect might be upon 
 the stormy little monster. 
 
 " Mr. Somers ! " said Tubbs, boiling with fury, as he 
 
136 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 threw himself on a stool opposite the object of his 
 anger. 
 
 " ]Mr. Tutbs," replied Somers, with great good nature. 
 
 " You cannot insult a gentleman ! '* 
 
 " I never tried." 
 
 " You insulted me ! I am no gentleman — is that 
 what you say ? " 
 
 " No, you said it," laughed Somers. 
 
 " Mr. Somers, 1 know you ! I know who you are 
 and what you are ! You have grossly insulted me, and 
 I will pay you off for it, if it costs me my life ; " and Mr. 
 Tubbs, still foaming with wrath, rushed out of the mess- 
 room, and went on deck. 
 
 " Mad," said Thompson, without looking up from the 
 book he was reading. 
 
 " He acts like a crazy man," replied Somers. 
 
 " Look out for him," said Thompson, with a tremen- 
 dous effort, for more than three words were a trial to 
 him ; and he never exceeded that number except on ex- 
 traordinary occasions. 
 
 " I am not afraid of him by any means. I can't 
 imagine what ails him. I haven't done anything to 
 offend him that I know of." 
 
 " Tubs ! " added the mate. 
 
 " That was an accident. I did not intend to insult, or 
 to cast any reflections upon the honored name he bears, 
 and I told him so." 
 
 " Means mischief." 
 
THE ADVEXTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 137 
 
 *' "Well, it i3 all a mystery to me ; he commenced 
 almost as soou as I came ou board." 
 
 " Hates you." 
 
 " I don't know of any reason ^\h.y he should. I cer- 
 tainly never did him any injury." 
 
 *' Pass the "word for Mr. Somers," said the master ; 
 and the middy obeyed the call, leaving Mr. Thompson 
 alone with his books, and to the silence in which he 
 seemed to revel. 
 
 Eight bells sounded through the vessel, which was 
 rolling along slowly before a very light breeze. The 
 boatswain's whistle piped up the first watch ; and pres- 
 ently everything was as quiet on board as in a well- 
 ordered church. , 
 
 " Pass the word for Mr. Somers," said the officer of 
 the deck. And the order went from one mouth to 
 another till it reached the midshipman's berth, where 
 Mr. Tubbs and Mr. Walker were seated at the table 
 reading by the dull light of a ship's lamp. 
 
 " Mr. Somers is not here," replied Mr. Tubbs, as 
 amiably as though he had been the tenderest lamb in 
 the fold. 
 
 Mr. Xbompson, who was on duty, was sent to find 
 Mr. Somers. He went to every place where a middy 
 might be supposed to exist, but he was not to be found, 
 and he so reported. It so happened that it was the 
 captain who wanted Somers. As a zealous and devoted 
 12* 
 
138 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 officer, he had hardly ceased for a single moment, since 
 he opened his orders, to think of the difficult mission 
 "which had been committed to him. Some point in re- 
 gard to the Snowden, which Mr. Somers might possibly 
 settle, had come to his mind, and he had sent for him in 
 order to have another conference. 
 
 Captain Waldron was duly and properly surprised 
 when it was reported that the young gentleman could not 
 be found. The Rosalie was not large enough to afford 
 many hiding-places. There was plenty of room outside of 
 her, in the broad ocean, but very Uttle within her wooden 
 walls ; and Mr. Somers could not be far off. The cap- 
 tain ordered a more careful search to be made, which 
 was done with no better result. He then went on deck, 
 somewhat alarmed at the non-appearance of his young 
 friend. 
 
 Strict inquiries were instituted. Mr. Layard had not 
 seen him ; neither had Mr. Jackson, nor Mr. Greene. 
 He had been with the captain after he had been relieved 
 at eight bells in the afternoon watch. Mr. Thompson said 
 he was in the mess-room at one bell in the first dog-watch. 
 
 The captain began to be very nervous, and feared 
 that some accident had happened to the absentee ; but it 
 was hardly possible that he could have fallen overboard 
 in broad daylight without being seen. None of the 
 officers had assigned him to any special duty, and none 
 of them had seen him for two hours and a half. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 139 
 
 " Where is Mr. Brown ? " demanded the captain. 
 
 *' Below, sir." 
 " Send for him." 
 
 Mr. Brown, the sailing-master, presented himself. He 
 had sent Mr. Somers down to open the after-hold, but 
 the keys had been returned to him within ten minutes 
 after the order was given. This was a little later news 
 than any which had yet been furnished in regard to the 
 absentee ; but it did not solve the mystery. Another and 
 still more careful search was made. 
 
 *' Mr. Tubbs," said Thompson, as they w-alked forw-ard 
 together. 
 
 " Well, what do you want ? " replied the midshipman, 
 with more suavity than he was in the habit of using. 
 
 <-' You know," added Thompson, significantly. 
 
 " Know wiiat?" asked the innocent middy. 
 
 " Where Somers is." 
 
 " I haven't the least idea where he is. Do you sup- 
 pose I should be looking for him, if I knew where he 
 was?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " Upon my word and honor as a gentleman, I haven't 
 seen him since we parted in the mess-room," protested 
 Tubbs. 
 
 " Stuff ! " 
 
 " Don't you believe me, when I give you my word and 
 honor?" added the middy, indignantly. 
 
140 THE YAXKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 » No ! " 
 
 The "vim "of Thompson's sentences compensated for 
 ■what they lacked in lengtli ; and Tubbs had no difficulty, 
 for the want of words, in appreciating his meaning. 
 
 *' It's of no use to talk to one who don't believe what 
 you say." 
 
 *' Row in the mess." 
 
 " That wasn't my fault." 
 
 " Lie ! " 
 
 " Do you mean to tell me I lie ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 Somehow Tubbs could not get up steam as readily 
 as he had done in the afternoon ; and he did not 
 resent even the " lie given him," as might have been 
 expected from one of his high notions and fiery temper- 
 ament. In fact, he was comparatively tame ; perhaps 
 because he was aware that the taciturn master's mate 
 regarded him with supreme contempt. 
 
 " He insulted me then, and I am not the man to sub- 
 mit patiently to an insult." 
 
 " Tell the captain." 
 
 " Tell him what ? " said Tubbs, rather appalled at the 
 idea of having the captain know what had happened in 
 the mess-room. 
 
 " Row." 
 
 " Well, if you choose to tell him about that, you can, 
 of course ; but I don't know where Somers is any more 
 
THE AD VEX TU RES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 141 
 
 than you do. The captain would blame me, punish me, 
 ■when I am not to blame." 
 
 " Serve you right." 
 
 " If Somers has fallen overboard and got drowned, it 
 is not my fault." 
 
 *' Villain ! " gasped Thompson, as he seized Tubbs by 
 the collar. 
 
 The master's mate had probably read the story of the 
 dog and the fox, and come to the conclusion, rather has- 
 tily, that the young wretch had pushed the missing officer 
 overboard. 
 
 " I don't say he has fallen overboard," protested Tubbs ; 
 " and I don't believe he has. Let go of me — will you? 
 Don't say anything to the captain, and I will make it aU 
 right with you." 
 
 " Where's Somers? " 
 
 "I don't know — upon my life, I haven't the least 
 idea. After the little row we had, it would make things 
 look bad against me if you said anything about it." 
 
 A call from the officer of the deck caused Thompson 
 to release his hold upon Tubbs, who was careful not to 
 go too near him again. The mate was questioned about 
 the absentee, and he cautiously acknowledged that there 
 had been some dispute between Tubbs and Somers in 
 the mess-room. 
 
 Tubbs was then called up by the captain, who was too 
 much interested in the search to permit the fii'st lieutcn- 
 
142 THE YAXKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 ant to carry on the investigation. The malignant little 
 wretch presented himself, but he stuck to his former text 
 that he knew nothing about Mr. Somers, and had not seen 
 him since he left the steerage at one bell in the dog-watch. 
 
 " You had a dispute with him ? " said the captain. 
 
 " A little friendly sparring," replied Tubbs. 
 
 "What was it about?" 
 
 " About putting on airs, I believe ; or something of 
 that kind. Mr. Thompson was present, sir." 
 
 ]Mr. Thompson was appealed to, but he had all that 
 sensitiveness about exposing his messmates to punish- 
 ment, even if guilty, which prevails among sailors and 
 school-boys. He did not deny Mr. Tubbs's statement, 
 but he was fully resolved, on his own account, to bring 
 the quarrelsome middy to justice, if Somers did not soon 
 appear. 
 
 "Were there any hard words passed between you?" 
 demanded the captain. 
 
 " No hard words ; but there was some rather strong 
 language used by both of us." 
 
 If Mr. Tubbs had any further information, he would 
 not impart it. The master was examined once more. 
 He was positive that the keys of the afier-hold had been 
 returned to him by Mr. Somers within ten minutes after 
 he took them. It was useless, therefore, to examine the 
 hold, and the search was sorrowfully abandoned ; but 
 there were some sleepless eyes in the Eosalie that night. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 143 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 SOMERS IN DAKKNESS. 
 
 i^Pj^HE keys of the after-hold are the especial 
 /'■ charge of the master. It is never opened ex- 
 ^^Jy cept in presence of a suitable officer, who is 
 responsible for any neglect or carelessness of which the 
 party taking out stores may be guilty. Somers had been 
 sent down to attend to this duty. He had delivered the 
 stores, or rather seen them delivered ; and, in order to 
 be sure that everything was right, he had stepped within 
 the door to make a careful survey of the place. He had 
 scarcely done so when the door was suddenly closed upon 
 him. He was in total darkness, for he had left the lantern 
 outside, that he might the better detect any appearance 
 of fire Avithin the store-room. 
 
 Somers groped his way back to the door, but found 
 that it was locked. Of course he was greatly annoyed 
 and astonished at the blunder some one had made. But 
 it was a mistake which must shortly be corrected. He 
 concluded that Mr. Brown, the sailing-master, had come 
 below himself, and finding the store-room open, had 
 
144 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 closed it, and gone on deck to find the officer who had 
 thus neglected his duty. He would soon return, and an 
 explanation would make the matter all right. 
 
 Mr. Brown did not return ; no one came to release 
 him from his dark prison-house. The mistake began to 
 appear unaccountable to him. He made some experi- 
 ments with his voice, which, however, seemed to be fail- 
 ures, as they did not bring the needed relief from above. 
 It was no use to fret about his situation, which he re- 
 garded as by no means desperate. At the worst he could 
 only spend the night there, and some one would release 
 him in the morning, if a call happened to be made for 
 stores. It was a dark, disagreeable place in which to 
 «pend the night ; but as that was the best which could be 
 done, he decided to content himself with the situation. 
 
 The hours wore away very slowly ; but Somers im- 
 agined himself in Newport, holding a skein of worsted 
 for Kate Portington, and his fancy easily changed the 
 gloomy apartment into the pleasant parlor of Commo- 
 dore Portington. From there he went to Pinchbrook, and 
 sat for an hour in the kitchen, talking with his father and 
 mother about the Rosalie, and M'ondering how he could 
 contrive to tell them about the fair young lady who 
 always called him a prodigy. But, after all, the dark 
 hold was neither the parlor at Newport nor the kitchen 
 at Pinchbrook ; and, in spite of his vivid fancy, he 
 was occasionally brought to a realizing sense that he 
 
THE ADVEXTURES OF A \AVAL OFFICER. 145 
 
 was surrouuded by boxes and bags, casks, kegs, and 
 caus. 
 
 At an early hour he made his bed on the floor, and in 
 due time went to sleep. His sublime philosophy enabled 
 him to accomplish this feat without any very severe ex- 
 ertions. The bed was very hard, and latterly he had not 
 been accustomed to roughing it on a plank ; so he waked 
 up several times during the night, but, after a careful 
 consideration of his position each time, he went to sleep 
 again. On the Avhole, he passed a tolerably comfortable 
 night, though he would have preferred to be in his berth 
 in the steerage, or with his watch on deck. He did not 
 regard himself as a martyr, and did not make any set 
 statement of his sufferings, wherewith to regale his mess- 
 mates after his escape. 
 
 Morning came, though Somers, shrouded in the deep 
 gloom of the hold, was not conscious of the fact. He 
 had slept all he could, and, being a resolute sleeper, he 
 concluded from this fact that it must be daylight. But hour 
 after hour passed away, and no one came for stores ; and 
 the darkness frowned upon him as savagely as ever. He 
 could not hear the bells on deck, though the occasional 
 footstep of an officer in the ward-room was audible. 
 
 In the mean time. Captain Waldron was greatly dis- 
 tressed about the absence of his young officer. On one 
 occasion Somers had saved his life, and he was as grate- 
 ful as one man could be to another for this service. In 
 13 
 
146 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 addition to this fact, tlie absentee "was a splendid fellow 
 in his estimation ; and, for this reason alone, he could 
 not afford to lose him. He had not slept half as well in 
 his comfortable cabin as Somers had on the soft side of 
 the pine plank which formed his bed. 
 
 A careful consideration of all the circumstances, and a 
 careful weighing of all the evidence in his possession, 
 well nigh convinced him that Somers had not fallen over- 
 board. He was either in the vessel, or he had been 
 swallowed up by the ocean. As no one had seen him 
 fall overboard, as no one had seen him in a position 
 where he could fall overboard, it seemed more probable 
 that he was still in the vessel. 
 
 At eight bells, when the forenoon watch came on deck, 
 and the essential parts of the ship's work had been per- 
 formed, the captain ordered a strict search to be made in 
 every part of the vessel, not excepting the bread-room 
 and magazine. The master himself was ordered to 
 superintend the search in the parts of the hold under his 
 own care, and the first place he went to was the store- 
 room. 
 
 ** Good morning, Mr. Brown," said Somers, touching 
 his cap, as by the light of his lantern he recognized the 
 sailing-master. 
 
 •'Good heaven, Somers! you here?" exclaimed Mr. 
 Brown, as much astonished as though a ghost had risen 
 from the depths of the ocean to confront him. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 147 
 
 *' I am here, sir, just where you left me last night,'* 
 replied Somers, with undisturbed good nature. 
 
 *' "Where 1 left you?" demanded Mr. Brown; "I 
 didn't leave you here ; I hadn't the slightest idea where 
 you were." 
 
 " I supposed not, and I concluded that you had fas- 
 tened the door on me by mistake." 
 
 " It would have been a mistake if I had done so, but 
 I did not close the door at all. I don't understand this 
 matter." 
 
 " Xor I either, sir. It was rather too dark in there 
 to see into anything." 
 
 " But you brought the keys to me last night, and re- 
 ported the after-hold closed," continued Mr. Brown. 
 
 " I beg your pardon, sir, but I did not." 
 
 " Then it was your ghost," replied the bewildered 
 master. 
 
 " That may have been, sir ; but I am not responsible 
 for the movements of my ghost." 
 
 " But I am sure it was you w^ho placed the keys on 
 my desk, and reported the after-hold all secure." 
 
 *' You will excuse me, sir, if I deny it again. It 
 would not have been convenient for me to lock myself 
 into the store-room, and carry the keys to you." 
 
 *' I should say it would not. It is all a mystery to 
 me, for I would have taken my oath you brought me the 
 keys. But I am glad to find you again. Now come oq 
 
148 THE YAXKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 deck, and show yourself to the captain, who has almost 
 had a fever on your account." 
 
 It was instantly reported through the vessel that Mr. 
 Somers had been found, and under the direction of acting 
 Boatswain Longstone, three lusty cheers were given by 
 the men, of which manifest breach of discipline no notice 
 was taken by the officer of the deck, for Captain Wal- 
 dron was pacing the weather side of the quarter-deck 
 with him. 
 
 " I have the honor to report myself, sir," said Somers, 
 touching his hat to the officer of the deck. 
 
 The captain grasped his hand with enthusiasm, and his 
 example was followed by the executive officer. Somers's 
 face was radiant with smiles, and it was plain that he 
 was not in a suffering condition, and had undergone no 
 severe hardships during his absence. 
 
 "Have you been ashore, Mr. Somers?" asked the 
 captain, as he wrung his hand. 
 
 " No, sir, I have not." 
 
 " Where have you been? " 
 
 " Down in the store-room, sir. I got locked in by some 
 mistake." 
 
 " By some mistake ? How did it happen ? " 
 
 " I have not the least idea, sir. I only know that I 
 was sent down with the keys by Mr. Brown. When the 
 steward had taken his stores, I went in again, to be sure 
 there was no fii'e there. I left the lantern in the passage- 
 
THE ADVEXTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 149 
 
 wav, and was making a careful examination, when the 
 door Mas closed and locked. That is all I know about it, 
 sir. I supposed it was an accident, and that Mr. Brown 
 had locked the door himself." 
 
 " I did not, sir," added Mr. Brown. 
 " You said that Mr. Somers brought you the keys," 
 said the captain. 
 
 " I said so, sir, and I would have sworn to the fact ten 
 minutes ago, though, of course, that could not have been 
 the case." 
 
 "Well, who did bring you the keys?" demanded the 
 captain, impatiently ; for every thing did not look regular 
 and ship-shape to him. 
 
 " I do not know, sir. I was making an entry in one 
 of my books at the time. The keys were laid on my 
 desk, and the after-hold reported secure for the night. 
 I believed at the time, and did believe till the evidence 
 of my own senses assured me I was mistaken, that Mr. 
 Somers was the person who had reported," continued the 
 master, very much annoyed and confused by the situa- 
 tion in which he found himself placed. 
 
 Captain Waldron was as much mystified by the ex- 
 planation as he had been by the fact of the midshipman's 
 disappearance. If Mr. Somers had not returned the 
 keys to the master, who had ? On this point Mr. Tubbs 
 and the two master's mates had been questioned ; but 
 they could not solve the problem. Neither of them had 
 13* 
 
150 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 returned the keys to Mr. Greene. As no further informa- 
 tion could be obtained, the officers returned to their usual 
 duty, and the captain, in despair, gave up the attempt to 
 unveil the mystery. Mr. Somers went to the mess-room 
 to obtain his breakfast. Mr. Tubbs and Mr. Thompson 
 had preceded him. 
 
 *' Well, Mr. Somers, may I be allowed to inquire how 
 you liked your quarters last night ? " asked Mr. Tubbs, 
 when Mingo, the mess steward, had gone for the absen- 
 tee's breakfast. 
 
 " As well as could be expected, Mr. Tubbs," replied 
 Somers, with the most provoking good nature ; for our 
 hero was expected, under the circumstances, to be very 
 much dissatisfied, and veiy indignant. 
 
 " I am glad you liked them ; but I suppose you got used 
 to such accommodations when you were before the mast." 
 
 "O, yes," replied Somers, refusing to take offence at the 
 intended insult. " I have slept in worse places than that." 
 
 " By the way, Mr. Somers, it is a little strange how 
 you contrived to lock the door of the store-room, and 
 give the key to Mr. Brown, while you were shut up in 
 the room," added Tubbs, facetiously. 
 
 " Mr. Brown explains that." 
 
 "Does he?" 
 
 " Yes. He suggests that it was my ghost who gave 
 him the keys. I think it was a ghost, but one of ianother 
 color ; a fellow about your height, Tubbs." 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 151 
 
 *'Do yon mean to say tliat I locked you up in the 
 store-room?" demanded Tubbs, his face turning red. 
 
 " If it -wasn't you, it wasn't anybody else," answered 
 Somers, with a pleasant laugh. 
 
 " Mr. Somers, you make a grave charge against me. 
 You took occasion last evening to make a quarrel 
 with me — " 
 
 " I took occasion to make a quarrel with you ! " ex- 
 claimed Somers. " Why, man, you pitched into me as 
 though you had a seven years' grudge to wipe out." 
 
 " I made some playful remarks, and you took advan- 
 tage of them to insult me. During your absence I was 
 compelled to suffer on account of the words we had. 
 In short, I was suspected of having helped you over- 
 board, or spirited you away in some other mysterious 
 manner. If you hadn't returned as you did, I have no 
 doubt I should have been accused of your murder." 
 
 " That's so," muttered Thompson. 
 
 " If there is any man I despise, it is one that wants to 
 get up a quarrel in the mess-room," added Mr. Tubbs, 
 with the utmost self-complacency. 
 
 " I am exactly of your mind, Mr. Tubbs," said Somers. 
 
 " Do you mean to accuse me of getting up a quarrel 
 in the mess ? " 
 
 "As I am not disposed to get up another quarrel, we 
 will drop that, if you please, Mr. Tubbs," replied Som- 
 ers, as Mingo brought in his breakfast. 
 
 " After you have insulted a gentleman, you want to let 
 
132 THE YANKEE MiUDW Oil 
 
 it drop. I know all about you, Mr. Somers. You have 
 iusulted me, and 3'ou will fmd it no easy matter to let it 
 drop, as you call it." 
 
 " Mr. Tubbs, you will oblige me by holding your 
 tongue long enough for me to eat my breakfast," con- 
 tinued Somers, playfully. 
 
 But the irate middy "was in no mood for a playful 
 remark, and he worked himself up into a passion, though 
 Somers took no further notice of him. 
 
 " Shut up ! " said Thompson, who was trying to im- 
 prove his mind in the mysteries of gi'eat circle sailing, 
 and was much disturbed by the vaporings of the angry 
 youngster. 
 
 " Mr. Somers, the day of reckoning will come, and 
 come soon. I want you to understand that I cannot be 
 insulted with impunity, and you have done it twice. 
 Will you apologize or fight ? " , 
 
 " Neither," replied Somers, as he stuffed half a biscuit 
 into his mouth. " But if you will let me eat my break- 
 fast in peace, I will talk over the matter with you when 
 you are entirely cool ; then, if I have done anything 
 wrong, I shall be happy to make it all right with you." 
 
 " No words over an insult," foamed Tubbs. " I will 
 give you till eight bells to apologize ; if you don't do it, 
 you may look out for breakers." 
 
 "Bah ! " growled Thompson, in a significant tone ; but 
 for some reason or other, Mr. Tubbs refused to consider 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 153 
 
 himscilf insulted by anything wliicli the burly master's 
 mate could say. 
 
 Mr. Tubbs went on deck, and Somers finished his 
 breakfast— ^vhich was an ^unusually long operation in 
 the present instance — without further annoyance. 
 
 '^ Mr. Thompson, who do you suppose locked me in 
 the Store-room?" he asked, when he had finished. 
 
 " Tubbs." 
 
 " AVhat makes you think so? " 
 
 " The row." 
 
 " I am satisfied myself, but there is no evidence." 
 
 '^ No." 
 
 "In my opinion Tubbs followed me into the hold to 
 get up a fight with me ; and when he saw me in the 
 store-room, he took his revenge by locking me in." 
 
 " Told you," added the mate, raising his eyes from his 
 book for the first time. 
 
 "Told me what?" 
 
 " To look out." 
 
 " So you did ; but I didn't think of his playing a little 
 
 dirty trick on me." 
 " Malicious wretch." 
 " I will keep my eye on him after this." 
 
 " Do." 
 
 To Somers and Thompson the mystery was satisfac- 
 torily explained ; but as there was not a particle of 
 proof of Tubbs's agency in the matter, they agreed that 
 it was useless to ?ay anything. 
 
154 
 
 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 MR. TUBES BECOMES BLOODY-MINDED. 
 
 R. TUBES was not satisfied — he was very- 
 far from being satisfied. He felt that the 
 "honored name he bore" was suffering for 
 an expiatory sacrifice, for it had been igno- 
 miniously punned upon — used as a synonyme of a vul- 
 gar household utensil, closely allied to dirty shirts and 
 befouled dickies. He was evidently spoiling for a quar- 
 rel with Mr. Somers. He made no issues with the mas- 
 ter's mates ; and it looked very much as though he had a 
 special object in picking a fight with his brother middy. 
 
 He was silly enough to do any ridiculous thing ; and 
 before noon he rushed down into the mess-room with a 
 desperate resolve burning in his heated brain. Taking 
 his bag from beneath his berth, he drew from it a dirty 
 portfolio, into which his papers had been thrust without 
 order or method. He searched diligently for a clean 
 sheet of note paper, but he did not find it. Taking tl;G 
 nearest approach to it he could find, he sat down at tli© 
 table, and ^^T0te this luminous epistle : — 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 155 
 
 Mr. John Somers. Sir : You have insulted me, and 
 you have refused to apologize. There is but one alterna- 
 tive among gentlemen, and I take this method of formally 
 demanding the satisfaction which nothing but blood can 
 wash from the stain upon mine honor. 
 
 By communicating your answer in writing, you will 
 greatly oblige 
 
 Yours, respectfully, 
 
 Timothy Tubes. 
 
 T\'ith convulsive energy Mr. Tubbs folded this savage 
 document and thrust it within an envelope. 
 
 " Mr. Somers," said he, as he laid the note upon the 
 table at which the object of his wrath was still seated. 
 
 " What's this ? — a challenge ? " laughed Somers. 
 
 " Read for yourself," replied Mr. Tubbs, as he sailed 
 out of the mess-room, unwilling, perhaps, to trust him- 
 self any longer in the presence of his enemy. 
 
 Somers read it, and laughed again. He handed it to 
 Thompson, who read it, and laughed also. 
 
 " Savage," said Thompson, as he returned the note. 
 
 " I suppose I must accept it, or be branded as a cow- 
 ard," added Somers, as he turned the dangerous paper 
 over in his hands, as persons often do, when they have 
 read a letter, to ascertain if there is any more of it. 
 
 " Bosh ! " ejaculated Thompson. 
 
 In the present instance there was something more in 
 the letter to reward the receiver for his search — some- 
 
158 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 thing which seemed to be of greater importance than 
 
 the silly challenge it was intended to convey. On the 
 
 third page there was another note, which Mr. Tubbs had 
 
 turned in without noticing it. As it was part and parcel 
 
 of the terrible document which Somers had received, he 
 
 ventured to read it, as follows : — 
 
 "Wednesday. 
 
 My dear Tubes : I am sorry I was not able to see 
 you last night, as arranged. The unexpected arrival of 
 a business associate prevented me from keeping the ap- 
 pointment, which you will please excuse. My offer is 
 still open, and will remain so. I don't know of any 
 easier way by which you can make five thousand dollars, 
 and thus relieve your father's present necessities. 
 
 Yours, ever, 
 
 P. Kenxedy. 
 
 " Five thousand dollars ! " exclaimed Somers, when 
 he had read the note. " That's a great deal of money, 
 and I hope it was not offered for doing any mean or 
 wicked act." 
 
 Thompson did not understand this remark, and it 
 was too great an effort to ask an explanation ; therefore 
 he said nothing. Somers was serious now, for this note 
 from Kennedy was suggestive. Tubbs had been offered 
 a large sum of money for doing some unwritten act. 
 Coles had been offered double tlie sum to deliver him as 
 a prisoner on board of the Snowden. Tubbs had mani- 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 157 
 
 fcsted a decided hostility towards him since the first 
 moment they met. 
 
 There was no date to the note, only the day of the 
 week ; and the only thing that it proved was the fact of 
 a negotiation of some kind with Phil Kennedy. He sus- 
 pected that the offer related to himself — that at the 
 most convenient time he was, by some underhand means, 
 to be given into the power of the rebels. He was not 
 willing to believe anything worse than this of Mr. Tubbs, 
 malicious as he had shown himself. 
 
 If Somers's supposition was correct, Mr. Phil Ken- 
 nedy had been singularly unfortunate in the choice of 
 the instrument of his evil purpose. Tubbs was little 
 better than an idiot ; and by his display of hostility 
 towards his assumed victim, he had almost destroyed his 
 chance of carrying out his plan, whatever it was. 
 
 Somers decided to take no notice of the challenge at 
 present, but to keep both eyes wide open to defeat any 
 evil intention his messmate might cherish. He did not 
 see Tubbs again till dinner-time, when that gentleman 
 seemed to be cooler and more reasonable than when they 
 had last met. 
 
 ^' You received my note, Mr. Somers?" said he, after 
 dinner, when they happened to be alone. 
 
 " I did." 
 
 " Have you a note in reply?" 
 
 " No, sir." 
 
 14 
 
158 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 " What have you to say in regard to the contents of 
 my note ? " 
 
 " Nothing." 
 
 " What do you propose to do about it?" 
 
 " Nothing, unless I hand it to the first lieutenant," 
 replied Somers. 
 
 " I might have expected that ; but I will do you the 
 justice to say, Mr. Somers, that I did not expect it. If 
 there is any person I despise in the mess, it is a tattler. 
 I have never believed you to be a gentleman of that 
 description," replied Tubbs, who was evidently much in 
 dread of such a disaster. 
 
 "What did you mean by the note, Mr. Tubbs?" 
 demanded Somers, who could not lose sight of the 
 ludicrous event which the contents of the epistle sug- 
 gested. 
 
 *' Don't you understand it?" 
 
 *' It looked very much like a proposition to fight a 
 duel ; but as I don't believe you have courage enough to 
 do anything of that kind, I confess I am very much in 
 doubt in regard to its real signification." 
 
 Mr. Tubbs looked as dark and threatening as a thun- 
 der-cloud. Another insult had been added to the list of 
 his grievances, real or imaginary. 
 
 " I meant to fight, Mr. Somers ! Can you understand 
 that?" said Tubbs, with emphasis. 
 
 " Where ? — here in the mess-room ? " 
 
THE ADVEXTLRES OB- A NAVAL OFFICER. 159 
 
 " The time and place are after-considerations, which 
 can be adjusted when you accept the challenge." 
 
 "IIow would the fore-yard do for tlie conflict?'* 
 laughed Somers. *' I will take the lee, while you percli 
 yoiirself on the weather yard-arm. That would be a 
 novel idea in duelling, and it would afford half an hour's 
 amusement for the whole ship's company. "What do you 
 say?" 
 
 " You may treat this matter as lightly as you please. 
 I am in earnest, and I will convince you that I have the 
 courage to fight a duel." 
 
 " If that is your object, you may soon have an oppor- 
 tunity to show your pluck in a more sensible way — in 
 close conflict with the enemies of your country." 
 
 " This is subterfuge, sir. In plain words, sir, will 
 you apologize, or will you fight?" demanded Tubbs, 
 working himself up into a frenzy beneath the galling 
 sarcasm of his cooler companion. 
 
 " In plain words, Mr. Tubbs, I will not fight, nor apolo- 
 gize. I will talk the matter over in a friendly way with, 
 you, and if I have done anything wrong, I will make it 
 all right. That's all I have to say about it." 
 
 '* Then I brand you as a coward ! " exclaimed Tubbs, 
 bringing his fist down on the table. 
 
 *' You can brand me as much as you please. Xow, 
 sir, you have carried this ridiculous fiirce far enough, and 
 if you allude to it again, I will hand your note to the 
 first lieutenant." 
 
IGO THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 " I might have expected that," said Mr. Tiibbs, in 
 utter disgust. " But the day of retribution Avill come." 
 
 " Let it come ; when it does, I am ready for it. I will 
 not light a duel with any man, least of all with a little 
 bully like you.*' 
 
 " 'Sdeath, sir ! " ejaculated Tubbs, springing to his feet. 
 
 *' Keep cool, Tubbs. I have only one word more to say. 
 I have listened to your nonsense till I am disgusted with 
 it and with you. If you should venture to put a finger 
 on me, in carrying out any of your notions of retribu- 
 tion, I will thrash you so that you will remember it to 
 the end of your natural life." 
 
 " You are insolent, sir," said Tubbs, more tamely. 
 
 " I can afford to be, under all the provocation you 
 have given me. In conclusion, Mr. Tubbs, if yoii pro- 
 pose to deliver me over to your friend Mr. Philip Ken- 
 nedy, and put five thousand dollars into your pocket by 
 the operation, you must do the job within a very few days." 
 
 With this remark Somers rose from the table, and ab- 
 ruptly left the mess-room. Mr. Tubbs wilted ; his face 
 turned deadly pale, and his knees smote each other in 
 the extremity of his terror. Somers must be in commu- 
 nication with the evil one — else wliere had he obtained 
 a secret which was locked up in the breasts of himself 
 and his co-conspirator? It was strange, it was unac- 
 countable ; and he racked his slender brain to explain how 
 Kennedy's offer had become known to the person who 
 had the least risht to know it. 
 
THE ADVEXTURES OF A XAVAL OFFICER. 161 
 
 Neither Mr. Tubbs's memory nor his speculations af- 
 forded him the slightest clew to the mystery. He was 
 perplexed and troubled, and endured the most intense 
 sufferings in view of an expected exposure of his pur- 
 pose. He behaved himself with the utmost propriety 
 during the succeeding three days ; in fact, he was as sub- 
 dued and tame as a whipped poodle. 
 
 " Mr. Somers," said Tubbs, on the third day after the 
 conversation in regard to the duel, " may I beg the favor 
 of a few moments' private conversation with you?" 
 
 " If you wish to talk about your challenge, I must de- 
 cline," replied Somers, promptly. 
 
 " I do not ; I concluded to accept your apology." 
 
 "What apology?" demanded Somers. 
 
 '' You observed that if you had done me any wrong, 
 you would make it all right. That is the spirit of a gen- 
 tleman, and I am entirely satisfied. At the close of that 
 interview you made a most extraordinary remark." 
 
 " I wasn't aware of it." 
 
 " Something about my friend, — and yours, I trust, — 
 Mr. Philip Kennedy." 
 
 "Well, Mr.. Tubbs." 
 
 " And about a sum of money — five thousand dollars, 
 I think you said." 
 " Well, Mr. Tubbs." 
 " It was a very extraordinary remark." 
 " Possibly it was." 
 U* 
 
162 THE YAXKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 *•■ Will you do me the favor to explain that remark? ' 
 said Mr. Tubbs, with the most insinuating eloquence. 
 
 " It explained itself." 
 
 " But it was incomprehensible to me." 
 
 " O, well, let it drop, then ! If there is anything in it, 
 it will come out in due time. I wouldn't worry myself 
 about it." 
 
 " But if I remember rightly, it involved a very grave 
 charge against me." 
 
 " Perhaps it did." 
 
 *' AVill you be so kind as to give me the name of your 
 informant — in other words, the person who fastens such 
 a disreputable charge upon me ? " 
 
 " I shouldn't dare to do it, my dear Tubbs," replied 
 Soraers, with a tantalizing smile. 
 
 "Why not?" 
 
 "Because you would challenge the poor fellow, and 
 shoot him down in cold blood." 
 
 " I give you my word and honor that I will not molest 
 him." 
 
 " I don't know" that it is exactly safe to trust such a 
 sanguinary person as you are in a delicate matter of this 
 description." 
 
 " Pray be serious, ^Ir. Somers. This is a matter of 
 great importance to me. Of course you did not believe 
 the nefarious charge. Some one has been taking liberties 
 with my good name. My reputation, which is far dearer 
 
THE ADIEXTLRES OF A XAVAL OFFlCEIi. 163 
 
 to me than life itself, is involved in this cruel imputatiou. 
 You owe it to me, as a shipmate, to give me the name 
 of the person from whom you obtained this false im- 
 putation.'* 
 
 " Really, you must excuse me, Mr. Tubbs.'* 
 
 " Just give me his name. An enemy hath done this 
 thing, and I wish merely to defend my omti character. 
 Give me his name, only his name, and I will ask nothing 
 more." 
 
 " Xothing more ? " 
 
 " Xot another particular." 
 
 *' Then I will give you his name," replied Somers, 
 biting his lips to repress a struggling smile. 
 
 " Thank you — nothing but his name. I shall under- 
 stand it all then — only his name." 
 
 *' Mr. Timothy Tubbs," replied Somers, rising and 
 hastening out of the mess-room. 
 
 Mr. Tubbs was not satisfied. 
 
164 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 LATITUDE FORTY-ONE, LONGITUDE SIXTY-TWO. 
 
 C 
 
 'HE Rosalie took her " departure " from Sandy 
 Hook at four o'clock on Saturday afternoon. 
 She had to make nearly six hundred miles 
 before she could reach the latitude and longitude to which 
 the commander's orders required him to proceed. But 
 as she had about six days and a half to accomplish this 
 distance, Captain "\Yaldron had but little doubt of his 
 ability to obey his instructions. Under favorable circum- 
 stances, he would have had two or three days to spare. 
 It happened that she .had several days of light or head 
 winds ; and when the master had reported the position of 
 the ship on the Friday following, at meridian, the captaiu 
 had some serious doubts about the success of his expedi- 
 tion, especially as the sea at this time was hardly ruflled 
 by a breeze, and the log showed that the schooner was 
 making only three knots an hour. 
 
 Captain "Waldron was very nervous and uneasy. He 
 paced the deck impatiently, occasionally tasting his eyes 
 to windward, as if invoking the favor of a fresh breeze. 
 
THE ADVEXTURES OF A XAVAL OFFICER. 1G5 
 
 Ills instructions informed liim that a steamer would be 
 gent to assist in the capture of the Snowdcn, if one was 
 available. He hoped to accomplish his work before any- 
 such aid arrived, and he was anxious to make out his 
 expected prize before the daylight betrayed the true char- 
 acter of his vessel to the blockade-runner. 
 
 Hour after hour he paced the deck, and at eight bells 
 in the afternoon he was absolutely in despair, for the 
 wind had subsided almost to a calm. 
 
 "Did you hear anything about waiting for the 
 schooner?" asked Captain Waldron, as he called Soraers 
 over to the weather side of the deck. 
 
 " No, sir ; but I should suppose that would be under- 
 stood," replied Somers. 
 
 " It looks bad for us just now. If we don't have a 
 wind, we cannot reach the spot in season." 
 
 " I think the Snowdeh will wait, for Kennedy expects 
 Coles to go with him into Wilmington." 
 
 Somers went over to the lee side again, which is the 
 part assigned to midshipmen, and masten^s mates, and 
 commissioned officers not on duty, while the weather side 
 is exclusively appropriated to the captain and the officer 
 of the deck. 
 
 Shortly after, it was a dead calm, and the sails of the 
 Rosalie hung useless from the spars, flapping idly, as the 
 vessel rolled on the long swell of the ocean. The 
 captain looked as blue as a whetstone; and the more 
 
166 THE YAXKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 the vessel didn't go, the faster he walked np and down 
 the quarter-deck. His example was contagious, and the 
 " people" looked as if there had been a funeral on hoard. 
 
 Mr. Midshipman Somers tried to keep cool, but it was 
 hard work. Only a few of the officers on board besides 
 himself knew the destination of the vessel, and the de- 
 pression of the rest, and of the crew, was wholly from 
 sympathy, or from the natural effects of a calm at sea, 
 which is the bluest thing in the vocabulary of a sailor. 
 There was an evident want of faith on board, from the 
 captain down to the side-boys, which nothing but a lively 
 breeze could dissipate. 
 
 Fortunately for the captain's peace of mind, if not for 
 the actual preservation of his sanity, — for he was now 
 walking at a fearful pace, — at two bells, in the first dog- 
 watch, a change came over the bosom of the throbbing 
 ocean. A slight ripple was observed far to the south- 
 ward, which travelled slowly up towards the Rosalie. 
 The last wind had come from the north-east, and she had 
 her port tack^ aboard ; but before " the breath of the 
 gentle south," as Mr. Walker, the senior master's mate, 
 who was a salt-water poet, called it, the sails were 
 trimmed on the other tack. 
 
 The wind struck the waiting sails, and the captain 
 very sensibly abated the speed of his monotonous peram- 
 bulation. It came fresher in a few minutes, and he 
 '' planked the deck " more like a sane man. At four 
 
THE ADVEXTUnrS OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 167 
 
 bells he smiled as blandly as a man on his wedding day, 
 Avhen the ofTicer of the deck reported that the ship was 
 making ten knots. At eight bells it was blowing half a 
 gale, and the captain, mindful of the safety of his spars, 
 ordered the' fore square-sail to be taken in. The Rosalie 
 was now flying through the water, and Captain Waldron 
 was providentially saved from reporting at a lunatic 
 asylum when he went on shore. He was satisfied, and 
 went below. 
 
 If the decks of the vessel, reflecting the sombre looks of 
 the people, had worn a funereal aspect before, it now looked 
 like feast time on board. The officers on duty walked 
 with a buoyant step, and the old sheet-anchor men spun 
 jolly yarns about festive scenes on ship and shore, instead 
 of gloomy tales of blood and death, inspired by the de- 
 pressing influence of the calm. 
 
 Even Mr. Midshipman Tubbs was happy ; for, what- 
 ever else he knew, he was not aware that only a few 
 leagues lay between him and his particular friend, Mr. 
 Philip Kennedy. He had no suspicion that his confiding 
 co-conspirator was in immediate danger of being " gob- 
 bled up." He was happy because others were ; and, 
 seeing everybody so good-natured, he ventured again to 
 open the subject nearest to his heart to Somers. 
 
 "You promised not to ask me anything but the name 
 of my informant," laughed Somers. 
 
 " Yes, but your answer was a jest, a mere evasion ; 
 
168 THE YAXKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 for how could I have informed you of that which never 
 entered into my head." 
 
 *• Nevertheless, Mr. Tubbs, I told you the truth, the 
 whole truth, and nothing but the truth." 
 
 " Come, come, Somers, this is absurd ; you trifle with 
 my feelings. I am only anxious to vindicate my fair 
 fame." 
 
 " I must hold you to your promise, Mr. Tubbs ; but I 
 will add, for your consolation, that you will probably 
 have an opportunity to vindicate your fair fame in the 
 courses of the next twelve hours. I hope you will be 
 able to do it successfully." 
 
 " Really, Mr. Somers — " 
 
 " You must excuse me if I decline to hold any further 
 conversation with you." 
 
 " If there is anjiihing I despise in the mess-room, Mr. 
 Somers, it is mystery," replied Tubbs, impatiently. 
 
 " So do I ; therefore 1 advise you to make a clean 
 breast of it." 
 
 " You speak in riddles," added Tubbs, more tamely. 
 " You seem to imply that I have some designs against 
 you." * 
 
 " I don't imply it ; I say it. Now, I am as curious to 
 know in what manner you proposed to hand me over as a 
 prisoner to the rebels, as you are to know how I obtained 
 my information." 
 
 " I hand you over to the rebels? Why, that would 
 
THE AD TEXTURES OF A XAVAL OFFICER. 1C9 
 
 be treason ; it would be giving aid and comfort to the 
 enemy." 
 
 " It is liable to that construction." 
 
 " That is a grave charge," added Tubbs, shaking his 
 head. 
 
 '* If you wish to own up, I will give you all the infor- 
 mation in my power. Will you do it ? — yes or no ? " 
 
 " Of course I will not, for no such thought ever 
 entered my head." 
 
 *' I have nothing more to say. I must turn in now, 
 for it is my watch at twelve." 
 
 Somers did turn in, and Mr. Tubbs left the mess-room 
 more bewildered and uneasy than ^before. The latter 
 was what is technically called an " idler " on board ship. 
 This term is applied to officers and others who are 
 not in either of the watches, being what is called " day 
 officers." The captain and executive officer, who occupy 
 the most responsible positions on board, are, by this 
 queer anomaly, the principal idlers. Mr. Tubbs was on 
 duty on the berth-deck during the day ; hence he was an 
 idler, which will account for his being in the mess-room 
 with Somers during som^^ of the long conversations we 
 have had occasion to report. Mr. Tubbs could obtain 
 no satisfaction below ; so he went on deck, to nurse the 
 venom of his discontent, leaving Somers to sleep out his 
 watch below. 
 
 The wind continued to blow very fresh all night, and 
 15 
 
170 THE YAXKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 the captain was happily relieved from all doubts and fear, 
 on that account. Although we are not permitted to in- 
 vade the sanctity of the captain's cabin, we will venture 
 to say that he did not sleep much during that anxious 
 night. At six bells he was up and dressed, engaged in 
 overhauling certain reports which had been made to him 
 in regard to the position of the vessel. When he had 
 carefully examined the sailing-master's figures, he went 
 on deck. 
 
 It was seven bells in the mid-watch, or half past three 
 in the morning, when he took his place by the side of the 
 officer of the deck. 
 
 " Sail ho ! " shouted the forecastle man, who had been 
 stationed on the fore-yard as a special lookout. 
 
 " Sail ho ! '* repeated Mr. Midshipman Somers. 
 
 "Where away?" demanded the officer of the deck. 
 
 " On the lee bow, showing a green light and a whit© 
 light.'* 
 
 " That's a steamer ! " exclaimed the captain, when the 
 report reached him. 
 
 All steamers belonging to the United States, as well as 
 English, French, Dutch, and Russian steam vessels, carry, 
 in the night, a bright white light at the foremast head, a 
 green light on the starboard side, and a red light on the 
 port side. • This is done in order to prevent collisions at 
 sea ; but it also enables those in charge of other vessels to 
 tell which way the steamer is going. Suppose the reader 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF ^4 XAVAL OFFICER. 171 
 
 is stuuding on the forecastle of the Rosalie, and sees a 
 red and a^green light with a white one between them; 
 then the steamer is approaching you. 
 
 The white light, which is placed higher on the vessel 
 than the colored ones, should be seen, in a clear night, 
 at the distance of five miles. It is the warning light. 
 The red and green lights, being lower down, can be seen 
 only two or three miles. If the lookout sees the white 
 light, he watches till the others, or one of them, can be 
 se'en. If the Rosalie were headed to the east, and a red 
 light only were reported, her commander would know 
 that the steamer was coming up from the southward; 
 for then she would show her port side. If the green light 
 were seen, it would prove that she was coming from the 
 north. If any of our young readers wish to remember 
 this explanation, so that they may test it when they go 
 to sea, they have only to call to mind the fact that port 
 ^vine is red — port is the side, and red the color. If 
 they cannot remember the color on the other side, they 
 have only to think how green they are in a knowledge of 
 nautical night signals. 
 
 The green light seen over the port bow assured Cap- 
 tain ^Ildi'on that the steamer was coming from the 
 north, and that her course was at right angles with that 
 of the Rosalie. He had no doubt that the steamer was 
 the Snowden, and his hopes run high. The circum- 
 Btauces could hardly have been more favorable, for the 
 
172 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 wind was fresli enough to make the schooner almost, if 
 not quite, a match for tlie Suowdcn in point of speed. 
 But the captain did not care to reduce the question 
 to a mere matter of speed ; so he ordered the signal 
 quarter-master to burn blue lights on the quarter of 
 the Ivosalie. 
 
 The steamer replied by burning another blue light ; and 
 her identity was fully established. Mr. Phil Kennedy 
 had precisely carried out his part of the arrangement ; 
 but it soon appeared from the movements of the Snow- 
 den, that he had no intention of being boarded, at present, 
 by his fellow-conspirator. Instead of bearing down for 
 the schooner, he held his course to the southward, occa- 
 sionally burning a blue light, to assure the schooner that 
 she was aware of her presence. 
 
 Captain "W^aldron was perplexed at first, but he finally 
 interpreted the movement to mean that he must wait for 
 daylight before he boarded her. In confirmation of this 
 supposition, it was found that the Snowden had reduced 
 her speed one half at least. The Rosalie could not fol- 
 loAv her, as the wind was exactly south ; but she came 
 about on the port tack, and sailed within six points of 
 her course. 
 
 The Snowden exhibited no intention to run away, and 
 therefore Captain "Waldron did not deem it prudent to 
 open fire upon her, and thus disclose what he really was. 
 The fifty-pounder amidships was loaded, ready for use. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 173 
 
 This Ugly gun would betray the vessel as soon as there 
 Mas light enough to make it out on board of the Snow- 
 den. To prevent so undesirable a recognition, one of the 
 boats was hoisted on board, and turned, keel up, over 
 the piece. The broadside guns were covered with 
 sails, and as much of the man-of-war appearance of the 
 schooner as time would permit was removed. 
 
 At daybreak the Rosalie was about three miles from 
 the Snowden, and rather to the windward of her, Avhen 
 the latter indicated by signal that she was ready to have 
 the schooner approach. The critical moment was at 
 hand. The Rosalie went about on the other tack, and 
 easing off her sheets, went off towards the Snowden with 
 the wind abeam. 
 
 In a quarter of an hour the Rosalie hove to under the 
 bows of the steamer. The men, except those necessary 
 to work the vessel, were sent below, and there was as 
 Ihtle display as possible of " blue coats and brass buttons'* 
 on the quarter-deck. One of the quarter-boats was low- 
 ered, and Mr. Jackson, the second lieutenant, was ordered 
 to board her. Somers, at his own request, was allowed 
 to go in her. The men were armed to the teeth, for i^ 
 was not impossible that a conflict might occur ; but their 
 arms were carefully concealed at first, and another boat 
 was in readiness to pull off to her assistance if necessary. 
 15* 
 
174 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 THE SNOWDEN AND HER COMMANDER, 
 
 ^VAPTArN" WALDRON had at first objected 
 / 1 1 to the request of Somers to go in the boat, 
 ^^Jy fearing that the sight of him might raise a 
 suspicion in the mind of the commander of the Snow- 
 den. But our Yankee middy, who was a bit of a law- 
 yer as well as a sailor, argued that his presence would 
 be the very thing to allay any suspicion on the part of 
 Kennedy, since it was hoped, if not expected, that he 
 would be a passenger in Coles's schooner. 
 
 " "What vessel is that?" demanded a voice on the 
 quarter-deck of the Snowden, as the boat approached the 
 steamer. 
 
 " That's Kennedy," said Somers to Mr. Jackson, who 
 had been partially informed iu relation to the event in 
 which he was an actor. 
 
 " The Theban, of Xew York, with caps on board," 
 replied the second lieutenant. 
 
 " All right 1 " shouted JSIr. Phil Kennedy.' " ^Yhere 
 is Coles?" 
 
THE ADVEXTlTiES OF A XAVAL OFFICER. 175 
 
 " On board the schooner." 
 
 " AVhere did you get so many men?" asked Kennedy, 
 when he saw au unusual number in the boat. 
 
 " They are good fellows that want a passage to the 
 south, and are willing to ship in a good steamer at Wil- 
 mington." 
 
 " All right ! — the more the better," responded Ken- 
 nedy, to whom the replies were sufficiently intelligible. 
 
 By this time the boat came up under the lee of the 
 Snowden, abaft the paddle-box. A rope was thrown to 
 her, and she was hauled up at the accommodation 
 ladder. 
 
 *' Ton my word and honor as a gentleman and a 
 sailor I " exclaimed Mr. Phil Kennedy, who had grasped 
 the man-ropes, and Avas now looking down into the boat. 
 " Whom have you there? " 
 
 " Mr. Midshipman Somers, the prodigy," replied Jack- 
 son, who had been instructed in his part ; for it was 
 Tery necessary that Mr. Kennedy should be kept quiet 
 until force enough had been transferred to the deck of 
 the steamer to prevent anything like reaction. 
 
 If the commander of the Snowden suspected any foul 
 play, he had only to ring the bell to start the engine, and 
 the boat might have been swamped in the heavy sea, or 
 at least placed in a position where it would be impossible 
 for the gallant blue-jackets to board her. 
 
 *' Somers, upon my word ! " added Ivcuuedy ; " Coles 
 
176 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 ♦ 
 
 is a jewel, and ought to be made an admiral. Come on 
 board. Have you any caps in the boat?" 
 
 " Ay, ay, sir ; a few," replied Mr. Jackson, though he 
 neglected to say there was a head under each one of them. 
 
 " Pass them up, as lively as possible." 
 
 " Let some of these men come on board first ; they 
 are in the way here." 
 
 " Pipe them up, then." 
 
 Mr. Jackson went up the accommodation ladder first, 
 and was followed by Somers. Kennedy looked sharp at 
 the second lieutenant, as he stepped down from the rail. 
 He evidently did not like the looks of the uniform he had 
 on, though Mr. Jackson wore an old coat, from which 
 the shoulder-straps and sleeve-band had been removed. 
 
 "Who are you, sir?" demanded Kennedy, rather 
 roughly, as he stood off and eyed the lieutenant. 
 
 " My name is Jackson, sir, at your service ; and I 
 hope to obtain a position on board of this vessel when 
 she goes into commission, even if it is no better one than 
 master's mate." 
 
 " You are the man we want, then ; Coles has been 
 doing a lively business in Xew York," added Kennedy, 
 as the old salts, who had been carefully instructed to 
 hold their tongues, poured in upon the deck, fourteen in 
 number. " These are good fellows, and I see they bring 
 their arms with them, which is better yet." 
 
 " Yes, sir ; when we heard what sort of a man we 
 
THE ADf'EXTi'IiES OF A XAVAL OFFICER. Ill 
 
 •u'cre to liave as commander, we thought it likely -we 
 should want to use these playthings before we got into 
 port," replied Jackson. 
 
 "Very likely you will," returned Kennedy, pleased 
 with the compliment contained in the remark. " If Coles 
 will consent, we will capture the first Yankee ship we 
 meet." 
 
 " I think he will agree to it, from what I heard him 
 say." 
 
 " My dear Mr. Somers, I am delighted to see you ! " 
 exclaimed Mr. Phil Kennedy, who had hardly removed 
 his eyes from our middy during the conversation with 
 the second lieutenant. " Pray, how did you leave Miss 
 Portington ? " 
 
 " She was in excellent health and spirits the last time 
 I saw her," replied Somers, in a tone suited to the trying 
 occasion. 
 
 " I am glad to hear that she was well. Possibly she 
 w^as rather sad when you informed her of your intention 
 to leave Newport." 
 
 *' She did not seem to be much affected." 
 
 '* And how were the rest of the family in Newport? " 
 continued Kennedy, rubbing his hands with delight. 
 
 *' They were all well." 
 
 " Was Kate really willing to let you go from her 
 side?" 
 
 " Not very willing ; but I consoled her with the assur- 
 
178 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 ance that you would soon return, and she would be happy 
 again." 
 
 " 'Pon my word as a gentleman and a sailor, that was 
 very kind of you to remember, the absent. I shall recip- 
 rocate that favor ; for I shall probably see her before 
 you do." 
 
 " Very likely." 
 
 " Really, Mr. Somers, this is a very unexpected pleas- 
 ure. I hardly anticipated seeing you again so soon. Do 
 I understand that you are tired of serving in the old 
 navy, and intend to try your luck in the gallant little 
 marine of the south ? " 
 
 " No, sir ! I don't intend to do anything of the sort, 
 Mr. Kennedy. You know me well enough to be satisfied 
 that I would never desert the flag of my country," said 
 Somers, with proper spirit. 
 
 " Bravo, my little bantam ! " replied Kennedy. " So 
 much the worse for you. If you wish to serve the Con- 
 federate States of America in the capacity of midship- 
 man, I think I have influence enough to procure you a 
 warrant." 
 
 " You kn(5w me better than that, Mr. Kennedy. I 
 would cut my right hand off before I would do anything 
 of the kind." 
 
 " Then your right hand must be a very useless mem- 
 ber to you, my dear Somers, or you would not be willing 
 to get rid of it so easily." 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 179 
 
 " Excuse me, Mr. Kennedy, but the remembrance of 
 our past intercourse brings to my mind a very pertinent 
 question." 
 
 " Good on your dictionary, Somers ; I wish Kate could 
 have heard that remark. But what's the pertinent ques- 
 tion?" 
 
 " Commodore Portington and all his family, as you 
 are well aware, are intensely loyal. The question which 
 occurred to me was, how you intend to make your peace 
 with them after engaging in an enterprise of this descrip- 
 tion." 
 
 " My dear and astute friend, that question has already 
 been up for consideration in my mind ; and I am very 
 happy to answer you. In less than six months from the 
 present time, that which is now called the United States 
 of America will have ceased to exist ; or if it exists at 
 all, it will only be as a rival, but not an equal, of the 
 Confederate States of America. Doesn't that answer 
 the question ? " 
 
 " Hardly, Mr. Kennedy." 
 
 " We who have fought for southern independence will 
 not then be regarded as rebels and traitors. What is 
 now called treason will shine out as the glorious deeds of 
 brave and self-sacrificing men. What looks black now 
 to the benighted eyes of those Avhom you call loyal 
 — 'pon my honor, I hate the sound of the word — will 
 glow like living fire. Those who are now fighting the 
 
180 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 battles of the North will sneak off like whipped puppies, 
 and return to the mud from which they came, there to 
 dig till your huge debt is paid. Then, ray dear Somers, 
 the officers of the southern army and navy will not have 
 to apologize for what they have done." 
 
 " They will not, if things turn out as you predict," 
 replied Somers. 
 
 " They will turn out just as I predict. Long before 
 you ever see your native town again, France will have 
 recognized the Confederate States ; England will follow 
 her example, and the great work of the nineteenth cen- 
 tury will be accomplished. But, my dear Somers, I can- 
 not stop to discuss this question now, and we shall have 
 plenty of time for it, as we cruise to the southward." 
 
 " Then I am to be a cabin passenger-^ am I? " asked 
 Somers, in rather doleful tones. 
 
 *' Certainly, for the friendship I bear you, I must 
 accord you that privilege ; but when we get into port, of 
 course I can do nothing more for you." 
 
 ■ " "What is to happen to me then ? " 
 
 " I am .very sorry, my dear fellow, but the fortunes of 
 war have placed you in my power, and I can do nothing 
 less than hand you over to the authorities as a prisoner." 
 
 " Do you think my capture w^as entirely fair and hon- 
 orable ? " asked Somers, who was prolonging the inter- 
 view to enable Mr. Jackson to make his dispositions of 
 the men about the deck and below. 
 
THE ADVEXTUEES OF A XAVAL OFFICER. 181 
 
 " Perhaps not exactly in accordance witli the strict 
 letter of the rules of war ; but you see, my dear Somers, 
 I had a particular liking for you, and wanted you very 
 badly. I hope Kate will be able to get along without you." 
 
 "Probably she will not miss either one of us very 
 much.. In a word, I suppose I happen to be here to 
 gratify your malice towards me." 
 
 " Don't use hard words, my dear Somers. You were 
 certainly in my way, and it was necessary to remove you. 
 Here you are, my fine fellow, and it will be many a day 
 before you see NeM^ort again." 
 
 " I am satisfied if you are, Mr. Kennedy." 
 
 " Well, I ought to be. I have won the game," added 
 he, rubbing his hands again, in the exuberance of his 
 delight. " That's a very fine pistol you wear in your 
 belt, my dear Somers ; allow me to look at it." 
 
 "Excuse me, Mr. Kennedy, it is loaded, and you 
 might get hurt with it," replied Somers, as Mr. Jackson 
 approached the quarter-deck. 
 
 "Pll trouble you for that pistol, Somers," repeated 
 Kennedy, rather sharply. 
 
 " I can't spare it." 
 
 " You are my prisoner, Somers." 
 
 " Not yet, Mr. Kennedy." 
 
 " I am sorry to interrupt you, gentlemen," interposed 
 the second lieutenant of the Rosalie, " but I think it is 
 about time to proceed to business." 
 16 
 
182 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 " I think so, too. Have you brought your caps on 
 board ? " demanded Kennedy. 
 
 " Yes, sir ; all on board." 
 
 *' Very well ; but the first business is to disarm this 
 young puppy." 
 
 " I think I wouldn't stop to do that just now. Captain 
 Kennedy," replied Jackson, hardly able to keep from 
 laughing. " He will do no harm." 
 
 " Where are your caps, Jackson?" demanded Kennedy, 
 glancing around the deck for the valuable stores. 
 
 *' They are on the heads of the men." 
 
 " I am in no humor for jesting," growled Mr. 
 Kennedy. 
 
 " Neither am I ; and I think we will bring this farce 
 to an end." 
 
 " Pray what do you mean by this farce ? " demanded 
 the commander of the Snowden. 
 
 " Well, sir, you have had all the fun to yourself thus 
 far, and I think it is time for us to have our turn," re- 
 plied the lieutenant. 
 
 " Confound your impudence, sir ! " exclaimed Ken- 
 nedy. " I put you under arrest for insolence ! " 
 
 " Pardon me. Captain Kennedy, but that is just what 
 I was about to do with you. Without further jesting, 
 which I find is offensive to you, allow me to add, that 
 you are my prisoner." 
 
 " Your prisoner ? " 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 183 
 
 « My prisoner, sir, I repeat ; and your vessel is the 
 prize of the United States schooner Rosalie, Captain' 
 Waldron. I think I have been sufficiently explicit, Mr. 
 Kennedy, to leave you no further doubt in regard to our 
 relative positions. Mr. Somers, the prisoner is in your 
 
 charge." 
 
 ]Mi\ Phil Kennedy sank down on a seat by the side of 
 the skylight. He turned deadly pale, and the terrible 
 revulsion of circumstances shook every fibre in his 
 
 frame. 
 
 " That's a fine pistol you have in your belt, Mr. Ken- 
 nedy ; allow me to look at it," said Somers, as he dis- 
 covered the weapon beneath the frock-coat of his prisoner. 
 
 " Don't insult me, Somers," said he, savagely. 
 
 " I don't mean to insult you ; but I will trouble you 
 for your pistol." 
 
 '' You can't have it," growled the wretched man. 
 
 " Take it from him," said Somers to the ship's cor- 
 poral and a quarter-master, who had been detailed to 
 guard the prisoner. 
 
 Kennedy sprang to his feet, and attempted to draw the 
 pistol, evidently with the intention of taking a sweet 
 revenge upon the man whom he hated. The ship's cor- 
 poral was too quick for him, and before he could disen- 
 gage the weapon from his belt, the burly chief of police 
 of the Rosalie was hugging him, as a bear hugs his 
 prey ; while the quarter-master wrested from him the 
 
184 THE YASKEE MIDD 1\ OH 
 
 weapon which would have been dangerous in the hands 
 of a desperate man. Having deprived the prisoner of 
 his power to do injury, the men released him at a signal 
 from Somers. In the mean time, Mr. Jackson had 
 effectually secured possession of the vessel, and the trusty 
 blue-jackets stood ready, with cutlass and pistol in hand, 
 to enforce the orders of their officer. But no resistance 
 was made. 
 
 " What does all this mean, Somers? " asked Kennedy, 
 in a more subdued tone. " Where is Coles?" 
 
 " A prisoner in Fort Lafayette. We came out after 
 this vessel, and we have her." 
 
 *' You expected her, then." 
 
 "We did." 
 
 " Some one has betrayed me," groaned the traitor. 
 
 *' No, sir ; you betrayed yourself. When those liv- 
 ing fires of which you spoke begin to glow, you will not 
 be ^/lere," replied Somers. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 185 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 MR. TUBES COMES TO GRIEF. 
 
 >^^^HE Snowden was a steamer of about eight hun- 
 dred tons. Her capture was complete, and it 
 
 (1. 
 
 only remained to make the proper dispositions 
 for sending her into port, which, of course, could only be 
 done by the captain. 
 
 " Mr. Somers, you will proceed to the Rosalie, with 
 your prisoner, and report to the captain the capture of 
 the steamer," said Mr. Jackson, when he had placed his 
 little force in positions where they could repel any at- 
 tempt to recapture the vessel. 
 
 Somers touched his cap, and requested his prisoner to 
 go over the side into the boat. Kennedy was silent and 
 sullen. He had been robbed of his last hope, and the 
 glowing fabric he had painted of the great Southern Con- 
 federacy suddenly crumbled into ruins, for most men 
 identify their own fate with that of their nation. He 
 went below with the ship's corporal, and pointed out his 
 personal effects, which were put into the boat. Without 
 a remark, he went down the accommodation ladder, and 
 seated himself in the stem-sheets. 
 16* 
 
186 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 " I have to report the capture of the Snowden, sir," 
 said Somers, touching his cap, as he reached the deck of 
 the Rosalie, and met the captain, who was eagerly wait- 
 ing for intelligence from the prize. " Her commander 
 accompanies me, sir," he added, when Mr. Phil Ken- 
 nedy appeared, in charge of the acting master-at- 
 arms. 
 
 " I am happy to receive your report, JMr. Somers," 
 said the captain, glancing at the disconsolate prisoner. 
 
 " Mr. Jackson directed me to say that he was waiting 
 further orders." 
 
 " They shall be sent to him presently." 
 
 Mr. Jackson was immediately detailed as prize-master, 
 with Mr. Somers as first and Mr. Thompson as second 
 oflicers. 
 
 " But before you go, Mr. Somers, there is a matter of 
 some importance to be adjusted. Pass the word for Mr. 
 Tubbs," said the captain. "Mr. Kennedy, may I trouble 
 you to go below ?" 
 
 " I am your prisoner, and you can do with me as you 
 please," growled Kennedy, sulkily. 
 
 The captain went down into his cabin, followed by the 
 prisoner, and by Somers, who was ordered to be present 
 at the interview. 
 
 " Captain Waldron, if you propose to question me in 
 regard to the steamer, I have only to say, that this 
 business is wholly irregular," said Kennedy, as he threw 
 
THE ADVEXTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 187 
 
 himself into a chair ; " and I intend to let the conse- 
 quences rest with you." 
 
 " I am entirely willing to bear the responsibility." 
 *' You have captured my vessel without even exam- 
 ining her papers." 
 
 "I think I understand perfectly what I am about, 
 
 Captain Kennedy." 
 
 " My ship is a British steamer, bound from one British 
 
 port to another." 
 
 " Are you a British subject?" demanded the captain. 
 
 Kennedy wilted. 
 
 " I do not intend to answer any question in regard to 
 my vessel," he replied, at last, in surly tones. 
 
 " It is not necessary for me to ask any questions on 
 
 that subject." 
 
 At this moment, Mr. Tubbs entered the cabin, where 
 he had been ordered to appear. He looked very much 
 astonished at the invitation he had received, and it was 
 clear that he did not know whether to expect a shock, or 
 an appointment on board of the prize. Kennedy took 
 no notice of him as he entered, and perhaps this fact had 
 some influence in shaping the young gentleman's future 
 
 course. 
 
 " Mr. Tubbs," said the captain, with a queer smile, 
 which the senior midshipman of the Rosalie could not 
 fathom, " we have a friend of yours here, and I thought 
 it probable you might wish to see him." 
 
188 TEE YANKEE MIDj^W UR . 
 
 " A friend of mine ! " exclaimed Tubbs. " Ah, Mr. 
 Somers ? I learn that he is about to leave us for a time. 
 I am sorry to part with him." 
 
 " No doubt you are ; but I did not allude to him, but 
 to your friend Mr. Kennedy, commander of the steamer 
 just captm-ed." 
 
 *' I beg your pardon, sir, but I have not the honor of 
 the gentleman's acquaintance," replied Mr. Tubbs, with 
 a polite bow to the prisoner. 
 
 " Indeed? I thought you were old friends." 
 
 " No, sir ; it is quite possible that I have seen the 
 gentleman before." 
 
 " Your memory is astonishingly poor, Mr. Tubbs. 
 Perhaps Mr. Kennedy's is better." 
 
 " The gentleman is a stranger to me," said the pris- 
 oner, who was so strongly desirous of annoying the 
 captain, that he immediately fell in with the course laid 
 out by the midshipman, though it is possible he had 
 some stronger and more interested motive in view. 
 
 *' This is very singular, Mr. Tubbs," added the cap- 
 tain, taking from his pocket a paper, which proved to be 
 the challenge sent to Somers. " Did you ever see this 
 letter before, Mr. Tubbs ? " continued the inquisitor, 
 handing him the treacherous document, opened so as to 
 exhibit only Kennedy's letter to his fellow-conspirator. 
 
 " Really, I do not just now remember to have received 
 any such letter, though it is certainly addres&ed to me," 
 
THE ADVEXTCRES OF A XAVAL. OfFlCEli. 189 
 
 Stammered the senior middy, his face growing crimson, 
 as he turned over the fatal missive. 
 
 '* Did you ever have that letter in your possession, Mr. 
 Tubbs ? " demanded the captain, sternly, for he was dis- 
 gusted with the duplicity of the wretch. 
 
 " If I ever did, I really cannot call to mind the fact. 
 I was trying to think." 
 
 " Really, sir, your memory is the most unserviceable 
 one a young man ever had. You are offered five thou- 
 sand dollars for performing some act which does not 
 appear in the letter, and you have the audacity to tell 
 me you don't remember about it." 
 
 " Excuse me, Captain Waldron ; but I was trying to 
 think," stuttered Tubbs. 
 
 " You are conjuring up a new lie, sir. The letter is 
 signed by Mr. Kennedy, and he made you this offer." 
 
 *' I cannot now recall the circumstances connected 
 with this letter, sir." 
 
 " It would be very inconvenient, no doubt, to do so," 
 added the captain, severely. " May I ask if you can 
 recall the circumstances connected with this letter?" 
 continued the commander of the Rosalie, as he took the 
 paper, and, turning it over, exhibited the challenge. 
 
 ]Mr. Tubbs was overcome — had not another shot in 
 the locker ; -and there was no decent course left to him 
 but to surrender at discretion. Unfortunately for the 
 young gentleman thus convicted, he chose still to shuffle 
 and deceive. 
 
190 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 " I took Mr. Somers for a gentleman," said he, when 
 he had slightly recovered from the shock. " He insulted 
 me, and I demanded satisfaction." 
 
 " Pshaw ! " exclaimed the captain ; and even Mr. Phil 
 Kennedy, laboring under the heavy burden of his own 
 griefs, could not restrain a smile as he glanced at Tubbs, 
 and fancied him engaged in a duel. 
 
 " It seems he has betrayed me to the captain — a 
 piece of treachery to which no gentleman would de- 
 scend," added Tubbs. 
 
 " The challenge is too ridiculous for a moment's con- 
 sideration, though it is sufficient to procure your dishon- 
 orable discharge from the navy. It would never have 
 been brought to me but for the more important matter 
 on another part of the sheet." 
 
 " I deny all knowledge of that matter," said Tubbs, 
 with sudden energy, as if he had resolved upon a plan to 
 fight the desperate battle. 
 
 " The original letter was in your possession." 
 
 " And it was stupid of you to write a challenge on an 
 old note," interrupted Kennedy. 
 
 " I didn't see it," answered Tubbs, rallpng to defend 
 himself from this new charge. 
 
 'the captain laughed at this unguarded admission, and 
 Tubbs sank back into a corner, utterly overwhelmed with 
 confusion, when he realized what a blunder he had made. 
 
 " Hold your tongue now, Tubbs, and face the music 
 
THE ADVEXTVRES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 191 
 
 like a man," added Kennedy, who evidently had a very 
 mean opinion of the ability of his companion in misery, 
 u Mr. Tubbs, it appears that you are in correspondence 
 with Mr. Kennedy ; that you are engaged together in a 
 conspiracy; and it is strongly to be st.spected that you 
 have received, and perhaps accepted, an offer to give md 
 and comfort to the enemy. You are, therefore, placed 
 
 under arrest." 
 
 uO, Captain Waldron ! " exclaimed Tubbs, bursting 
 
 into tears, " do not ruin me ! " 
 " You have ruined yourself." 
 
 - But I am not guilty of these charges. I appeal to 
 Captain Kennedy," pleaded the unfortunate middy. 
 
 u Don't appeal to me, you whining puppy," said the 
 late captain of the Snowden, incensed at his want of 
 manhood. 
 
 '^ My poor father ! " sobbed Tubbs. 
 
 u You should have thought of him before," repUed the 
 
 captain. 
 
 u I meant no harm. Captain Waldron." 
 
 u Haven't you plotted with this man to fit out a gun- 
 boat to prey upon the commerce of your country?" 
 
 u Indeed I have not ! I had no suspicion of the mten- 
 tions of Mr. Kennedy when he wote me that note. I 
 can prove it, sir." 
 
 u You will have to prove it in some other place, ISlr. 
 
 Tubbs.'* 
 
192 THE YAXKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 " If I had had any intention, as you say, of fitting 
 out a gunboat, do you suppose I would have confided my 
 plans to such an idiot as this boy ? " interposed Kennedy. 
 
 " For what were you offered five thousand dollars, 
 Mr. Tubbs ? " asked the captain. 
 
 " If you will permit me, I will explain." 
 
 " Go on ; but be brief." 
 
 " Mr. Kennedy, as you are all aware, was the accepted 
 suitor of Miss Kate Portington," Tubbs began. 
 
 No one present was aware of it ; but as that was the 
 speaker's view of the matter, it was not thought neces- 
 sary to controvert the statement. 
 
 " An accident placed Mr. Somers in a very favorable 
 situation before the lady. In fact, he saved her life, for 
 which she was very grateful, as she ought to have been. 
 Mr. Somers made a very unfair use of the advantage 
 thus obtained. There was an entire want of magnanim- 
 ity on his part." 
 
 " Confine yourself to a statement of facts, Mr. Tubbs," 
 said the captain, indignantly. 
 
 " I will, sir. Mr. Somers used the advantage he had 
 thus obtained in supplanting Mr. Kennedy. In other 
 words, he attempted ' to cut him out.' " 
 
 " That is all an idle tale," sneered Kennedy. " Do 
 you think I could ask any favors of such a person as 
 Mr. Somers?" 
 
 " I only state what Mr. Kennedy told me," replied 
 
THE ADVEXTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 1^3 
 
 Tiibbs, resolutely. " Captain Waldron, I mean to tell 
 nothing but the truth now." 
 
 " That's the greatest lie you have told yet," snarled 
 the " accepted suitor." 
 
 " When Mr. Kennedy told me this tale of his wrongs, 
 I very naturally felt indignant, as any high-minded per- 
 son would have felt." 
 
 The captain opened his eyes very wide, and Kennedy 
 uttered a brief exclamation indicative of his contempt. 
 
 " I thought Mr. Somers had played a very mean part 
 in a delicate matter, and I did not hesitate so to express 
 myself. My father, having a large family to maintain, 
 with his pay greatly reduced, was in very straitened 
 circumstances ; and Mr. Kennedy proposed to point out 
 a way by which I could make five thousand dollars. For 
 my father's sake I listened to the offer." 
 
 '' AVell, sir, what were you to do for the five thousand 
 dollars ? " asked the captain, as the speaker paused in his 
 narrative, when he came to the disgi'aceful part thereof. 
 
 '' I was to get Mr. Somers into difiiculty, and injure 
 his credit with the officers." 
 
 " Was that aU?" 
 
 " I was to dispose of him as I could." 
 
 " Dispose of him ? Do you mean that you were to 
 take his life?" 
 
 " Mr. Kennedy may have entertained that view, but I 
 never did." 
 
 :7 
 
194 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 " Mr. Kennedy never entertained any such view," in- 
 terposed that gentleman ; " speak for yourself, if you 
 must speak at all." 
 
 " Indeed, sir, I never accepted the offer," added Mr. 
 Tubbs, brightening up, as though he had found a means 
 of clearing himself from all blame. 
 
 " But you commenced operations when you locked Mr. 
 Somers up in the store-room." 
 
 " No, sir ; I am willing to acknowledge that I despised 
 him for his meanness in the matter I have mentioned, 
 and was willing to play him a trick when I got a chance. 
 I never intended to injure him — only to annoy him." 
 
 " How came Mr. Kennedy to make you this offer?" 
 
 " I heard that Somers and myself were to be appointed 
 to this vessel a week before I was sent on board ; and I 
 told Mr. Kennedy so." 
 
 " Mr. Kennedy bargained with another man to hand 
 Mr. Somers over as a prisoner on board the Snowden," 
 added the captain. 
 
 " I did not know that, sir," replied Tubbs. 
 
 " As nearly as I can judge, you were to do the dirty 
 job if the other man failed." 
 
 " I was not to do that — at least I never intended to 
 injure Mr. Somers." 
 
 " You have done enough to disgrace any officer. You 
 are under arrest." 
 
 " I beg you — " 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 195 
 
 " I have nothing more to say. Report to the master- 
 at-arms, under arrest." 
 
 " I wish to say, sir, so far as Miss Portington is con- 
 cerned, I never had the remotest idea of supplanting Mr. 
 Kennedy," interposed Somers, blushing like a child. " I 
 never paid her any attentions such as Mr. Tubbs men- 
 tions. I never made love to her, in a word." 
 
 Mr. Somers thought he had not ; he had no " serious 
 intentions " — indeed, no intentions at all ; but it is quite 
 likely he did not untlerstand the matter. 
 
 The captain went on deck, followed by Somers, while 
 Kennedy and Tubbs >veT<* baidcd over to the master-at- 
 arms. 
 
196 THE YANKEE MIDDT. OR 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 THE ROSALIE IN DOBOY SOUND. 
 
 HILE Captain Waldron was in the cabin, 
 "working up" the case of Mr. Midship- 
 man Tubbs, the first lieutenant was mak- 
 ing the details for the crew of the Snowden. Somers 
 and Thompson brought up their bags, and the boat put 
 off. The engineers and fireman of the steamer were 
 willing to retain their positions on certain conditions ; but 
 it was deemed necessary to have a large force of Yankee 
 sailors on board, in case of any attempt to recapture 
 her. •'The Rosalie was to keep near her, and to be towed 
 by her in light or head winds. 
 
 Mr. Midshipman Somers was now first ofificer of the 
 steamer, and the place had been assigned to him at the 
 special request of Mr. Jackson. He was young, but he 
 was considered fully competent to perform the duties of 
 the position. The boat returned to the Rosalie, which 
 immediately filled away on her course. 
 
 The wheels of the Snowden were started, and with a 
 quarter-master to con the wheels, she followed in the 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 197 
 
 wake of lier little captor. During that day the Rosa- 
 lie was able to hold way with the steamer ; but at sunset 
 the wind subsided, and a hawser was passed from her to 
 the Snowden. 
 
 The purposes of our story do not require us to follow 
 the return voyage in detail, and we pass over the tame 
 incidents of an unbroken passage, till the Snowden took 
 on board a pilot, about a hundred miles east of Sandy 
 Hook. Though our voyagers had been absent from 
 home but a brief period, they were anxious to learn the 
 war news, and the bundle of papers which the pilot 
 brought on board were examined with great eagerness. 
 They were three days old, but they were nearly a week 
 later than any the officers had seen. 
 
 There was no very exciting news ; but Somers, who had 
 a very decided relish for newspapers, devoted himself to 
 a careful perusal of them, as soon as he was relieved 
 from duty on deck. Of course he read the wai^^news 
 first ; and while looking over the paper for other matters 
 of interest, his attention was attracted by a familiar 
 name — no other than that of " Portington." His gaze 
 was instantly riveted to the paragraph, for everything 
 connected with that name had a kind of charm about it. 
 
 The paragraph in which he had found it, announced 
 
 the dangerous illness of General Portington, who had 
 
 been attacked by paralysis. The papers were sent on 
 
 board the Rosalie, with this sentence marked, that it 
 
 17* 
 
198 THE YAXKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 might not escape the attention of the captain. The an- 
 nouncement -would give !Mr. Thil Kennedy a thrill of 
 anxiety, but it would not be on account of the impend- 
 ing death of one who had been his guardian and pro- 
 tector, but for the final disposition of his large property. 
 
 Perhaps the general was already dead ; and it was not 
 impossible that the prisoner on board the Rosalie was 
 the heir of a quarter of a million. Money covers a mul- 
 titude of sins ; and if the general had carried out what 
 was understood to be his intention, and made Phil joint 
 heir with Kate of his estates, it would not be a difficult 
 matter for him to break through the meshes of the law. 
 From this point of view the matter was one of no incon- 
 siderable interest to Somers. 
 
 On Tuesday morning the Snowden steamed up the 
 harbor of New York, followed by the Rosalie, w^hich had 
 cast off the hawser, and run up, in gallant style, before a 
 fresh breeze. Both vessels came to anchor off the navy 
 yard, and the first edition of the evening papers contained 
 full accounts of the chase and the capture. Somers 
 bought two of the papers, and mailed one to Pinch- 
 brook, and the other to Newport. 
 
 His first care, after he had discharged the duties inci- 
 dent to the arrival of the vessel, was to examine the 
 papers of each day, since the date of the one brought off 
 by the pilot, to ascertain the result of General Porting- 
 ton's illness. He could obtain no further information 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 199 
 
 from the papers, nor from any of the ofTicers with whom 
 he was brought into official connection. 
 
 Mr. Phil Kennedy was sent to Fort Lafayette as soon 
 as the Rosalie's anchor struck the mud. INIr. Tubbs's 
 case Avas reported to the authorities, and he remained 
 under arrest, awaiting orders. On the following day, 
 orders came by mail from Washington for the Kosalie to 
 put to sea again as soon as practicable. AYhile the few 
 stores she needed were coming on board, the depositions 
 of the officers were taken, to be used in the prize court 
 in the case of the Snowden. 
 
 Our younger readers may not understand that, when a 
 ship is taken in war, the captors cannot sell nor use her at 
 their own pleasure. The customs or practices of mari- 
 time nations, embodied in what is called " international 
 law," regulate all these affiiirs. A vessel may be cap- 
 tured as the property of an enemy in war, or of a neutral 
 while engaged in entering a port legally blockaded, or 
 when it appears to the satisfaction of the officer making 
 the capture, that she is conveying goods contraband of 
 war to the enemy ; but she is, not yet the property of the 
 nation under whose authority the capture was made. 
 
 If this were the law, or the fact, vessels might be un- 
 justly taken from their owners. After the vessel or the 
 goods are captured, they still belong, in theory, to the 
 original owner, and the officer Avho captures them is 
 responsible for his act. The captured ship is sent into 
 
200 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 a port of the captor, or of a neutral, and the case 
 brought before a court created for the purpose, which 
 must sit in the country of the captor or his ally. The 
 evidence on both sides is then heard, and the court de- 
 cides whether or not the vessel was legally taken. All 
 the testimony respecting the vessel's nationality, the ob- 
 ject of her voyage, indeed all the information that can 
 be obtained, is presented to the court. 
 
 On this evidence the decision of the court is made. 
 If the testimony is not sufficient to prove that she is a 
 lawful prize, she is acquitted, and the government must 
 pay any damage which may be caused by her capture. 
 If the evidence is sufficient, the vessel is condemned, and 
 handed over to the marshal of the district to be sold. If 
 the government wants the vessel, it must buy her at auc- 
 tion, the same as a private individual, for the sale is 
 necessary in order to establish the value. 
 
 The distribution of the proceeds of this sale is also 
 regulated by law. 'W'hen the vessel is taken by a man- 
 of-war, if the captured ship be armed and of greater force, 
 all the money she brings go'es to the captors ; if she is of 
 equal or of less force, one half goes to the government, 
 and the other half to the officers and crew making the 
 capture. If we divide the whole sum into twentieths, 
 the captain has three parts, or, if his vessel belongs to a 
 squadron, he has only two, the admiral taking the other 
 part. Two parts are divided among all the lieutenants, 
 
THE ADVEXTUIiES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 201 
 
 the captain of marines, and the sailing-master ; two 
 parts among the chaplain, surgeon, paymaster, master's 
 mates, and similar officers ; three parts and a half 
 among the midshipmen, armorer, boatswain's mates, 
 cockswain, and other officers of approximate rank ; two 
 and a half parts among certain petty officers ; and seven 
 parts to all the seamen, marines, and all other persons 
 not included in other grades. If there are, for example, 
 three lieutenants and a sailing-master, each of them re- 
 ceives one fourth of two twentieths of all the money — 
 that is, one fortieth. If there are fifty sailors of all 
 degrees, each one receives one fiftieth of seven twentieths, 
 or seven dollars of every thousand divided. 
 
 The Snowden and her cargo brought sixty thousand 
 dollars above the expenses, one half of which was divided 
 among the officers and crew of the Rosalie. There were 
 twelve persons of the class to which Somers belonged ; 
 therefore he received one twelfth of three and a half 
 twentieths of thirty thousand dollars, which is four hun- 
 dred and thirty-seven dollars and a half — no small sum for 
 a young man of eighteen to make in less than a fortnight. 
 
 Somers and his fellow-officers of the Rosalie made 
 depositions before a magistrate in regard to their knowl- 
 edge of the Snowden, to be used in the prize court 
 if they should be absent on duty Avhen the case was 
 adjusted. The officers and sailors of the captured steam- 
 er would also be required to give their evidence. 
 
202 THE YAXKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 All these matters were disposed of, and Somers thought 
 the importance of the events iu which he had been an 
 actor was sufficient to warrant him in writing a letter to 
 Kate, as he had promised. He did not write the playful 
 letter he intended, fearing that such an epistle might be 
 distasteful to her while the family were waiting to hear 
 of the death of her grandfather, if the news had not 
 already reached them. He scarcely alluded to Phil 
 Kennedy, for her relations with him were too intimate to 
 permit a full statement of his infamy. 
 
 At meridian, on the following day, the Rosalie went 
 to sea again, and, as usual, not a soul on board knew 
 where she was bound. But everybody was contented 
 and happy, for the success already obtained was an 
 earnest of the future. The vessel and her commander 
 had received a great deal of credit for the capture of the 
 Snowden, and the prospect of a handsome sum of prize 
 money was calculated to make all hiands good-natured. 
 
 The officers and crew were the same as before, with 
 the exception of Mr. Tubbs, who had been relieved from 
 duty, and ordered to hold himself in readiness for trial 
 by court-martial ; and we may as well anticipate the 
 event, and say that he was dishonorably dismissed from 
 the navy, the charge of aiding and comforting the enemy 
 not being fully established. 
 
 Everything proceeded with the utmost regularity on 
 board, after the Rosalie passed Sandy Hook, where the 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 203 
 
 sealed orders were opened and read. The schooner was 
 to go upon the blockade on the coast of Georgia, where 
 sundry schooners laden with cotton had eluded the vigi- 
 lance of the steamers, so few in number that it was 
 impossible to cover the numerous watercourses which 
 ran inland from the ocean. The particular point to 
 which the Rosalie was ordered was the mouth of Doboy 
 Sound ; and she reached her station after a rather rough 
 passage of twelve days. 
 
 " Here we are," said Captain Waldron, when the ves- 
 sel came to anchor to the southward of Chimney Spit. 
 
 This remark was addressed to Somers, who was on 
 duty near the speaker. 
 
 " Yes, sir ; but I hope we shall have something better 
 to do than lie at anchor." 
 
 *' Patience, Mr. Somers. I have no doubt we shall 
 find occupation before many days have passed away. This 
 Doboy Sound is one of the back doors of the Altamaha 
 River. So many of the vessels of the navy have been 
 engaged in the attack upon Sumter, that the rebels have 
 been encouraged to send out vessels, and they have done 
 so with some success. This region has been pretty 
 thoroughly explored and burned over by the negro troops. 
 Darien was destroyed not long since, and vast quantities 
 of property captured and burned. The place had a large 
 trade in lumber." 
 
 " I suppose they don't run the blockade with lumber, 
 
204 THE YANKEE 3nDDY, OR 
 
 sir," added Somcrs, who did not think such a cargo 
 would pay for the risk. 
 
 " No ; but a gi-eat deal of cotton comes down the Aha- 
 maha River, which the rebels are anxious to get out, in 
 order to pay the cotton loan." 
 
 " I hope we shall have a chance to do our share in 
 putting down the value of the cotton loan." 
 
 " Probably we shall ; for it is reported that blockade- 
 running is quite brisk in this vicinity at the present time. 
 Though it is rather a narrow field, we have this sound 
 entirely to ourselves." 
 
 But the Rosalie mocked the expectations of the com- 
 mander and his officers for a fortnight ; for there was no 
 appearance of a vessel going in or out of the inlet during 
 that time. The weather had been remarkably fine, with 
 bright moonlight evenings, which was not favorable for 
 blockade-running, and all hands whistled for a change of 
 weather. A rainy, misty, foggy day soon rewarded the 
 seamen's prayer, and extra precautions were taken to 
 entrap any vessel which might attempt to run out. The 
 darlaiess set in with a fog so dense that the lookouts 
 could not see a ship's length in any direction. Mr. 
 Greene, the third lieutenant, was sent ofi" in the second 
 cutter to do picket duty inside of the sound. 
 
 At eight bells in the first watch, when it was dead low 
 tide, and the wind was blowing in fresh from the east- 
 ward, this boat was recalled ; for it was not considered 
 
THE AD VENTURES OF A NA VAL OFFICER. 205 
 
 possible that any vessel would attempt to run out at that 
 stage of the tide, and with a head wind. At two bells 
 in the mid watch, the lookout on the forecastle reported 
 a noise like the puffing of a steamer up the sound. In 
 an instant everything w^as alive on board the Rosalie. 
 The order to call the men to quarters was given ; but 
 everything was conducted in silence, that the position of 
 the schooner might not be revealed to the approaching 
 vessel. 
 
 18 
 
206 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 IN THE FOG AND DARKNESS. 
 
 y-M^'LEXR away the first cutter, Mr. Jackson," said 
 / I the captain, who, when the order had been re- 
 \^J^ peated, gave the second lieutenant his directions, 
 which were to proceed towards the approacliing steamer, 
 and carry her by boarding, if practicable ; if not, to 
 throw up rockets, slanted towards the position of the 
 blockade-runner. 
 
 At this moment Somers contrived to place himself in 
 such a situation that the captain might see him. He had 
 heard the order given to carry the steamer by boarding, 
 and he had a Yankee sailor's taste for this exciting 
 employment. Captain Waldron, however, did not see 
 him, for the fog and the darkness were very dense ; 
 but, as our middy almost invariably formed one of 
 Mr. Jackson's crew, when he w^as sent away in the 
 boat, he ventured to go a step farther than " hanging 
 around." 
 
 " Shall I go in the first cutter, as usual, sir? " asked 
 he, stepping forward and touching his cap. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 207 
 
 " Certainly, Mr. Somers, certainly," replied Captain 
 "Waldron, smiling at the eagerness of the young officer. 
 
 The Yankee middy rushed to the deck, and obtained a 
 cutlass, which, in addition to his usual arms, rendered 
 him quite a formidable person. 
 
 " You will hardly need that, Mr. Somers," said the 
 captain, as the young gentleman sprang to the accommo- 
 dation ladder. " Boarding a blockade-runner is quite a 
 peaceful occupation." 
 
 " It is best to be ready for anything that may turn up, 
 and I should feel bad if there were to be a fight, while I 
 was not in condition to have a hand in it." 
 
 " Up oars ! " shouted the cockswain of the cutter. 
 
 " Silence there ! " said the captain. " You will wake 
 up every man within ten miles of us." 
 
 *' Shove off! " added the cockswain, in more cautious 
 tones. 
 
 " Hold on a moment, if you please," called Somers, 
 finding the boat was going away without him. 
 
 " Haul in again, bowman," said Mr. Jackson, who 
 was always glad enough to have Somers in the boat 
 with him ; not only because he was a faithful and 
 reliable officer, but because he w^as a pleasant com- 
 panion. 
 
 Somers leaped into the fore-sheets of the cutter, and 
 made his way aft, where he reported himself in due form 
 to his superior. 
 
208 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 " Glad to have you M'itli me, Mr. Somers," said Mr. 
 Jackson. '' We may have a little fun to-night." 
 
 "Shove off!" repeated the cockswain; and the boat 
 left the schooner's side, and plunged into the fog and 
 darkness. "Let fall! " he added; and the oars, poised 
 in a perpendicular position, all dropped into the water. 
 
 " Less noise, men ! " interposed Mr. Jackson, sharply, 
 for the men, excited by the prospect of a stirring event, 
 and perhaps by the hope of a handsome sum of prize- 
 money, were in a fair way to defeat the object of the 
 expedition by their own enthusiasm. 
 
 " Give way together," continued the cockswain, giving 
 the last order. 
 
 A boat compass, enclosed in a brass case, with lamps 
 inside, so that the points could be seen without shedding 
 any light outside, had been placed where the cockswain 
 could see it, and he was ordered to keep her head to the 
 north-west, which would carry the boat directly up the 
 sound. The men had been directed to pull in silence, 
 and the oars had been carefully muffled ; that is, a 
 piece of sail-cloth had been wound around the loom 
 where it played in the rowlock, thus preventing its 
 motion from making a noise. 
 
 " One thing is plain, Mr. Somers," said the second 
 lieutenant, in a low tone — "the steamer we have heard 
 is not a blockade-runner." 
 
 " She is a high-pressure boat, sir, or she wouldn't 
 make that noise." 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 209 
 
 " She is evidently a river steamer, and I suppose she 
 is towing something out." 
 
 "I thought of that before I came into the boat," re- 
 plied Somers. 
 
 '' You have seen some service on the southern rivers." 
 
 *' A little, sir, on the Gulf." 
 
 " Perhaps the steamer is armed." 
 
 " It may be that she is. If so, we may have a brush 
 before we return." 
 
 " We are all ready for it," replied Somers, picking up 
 his cutlass from the bottom of the boat, and placing it by 
 his side. 
 
 " We always are," added Mr. Jackson. " It is low tide, 
 and the wind is fresh from the sea. We must stop this craft 
 before she passes the Rosalie, for she cannot follow her." 
 
 *' That is the disadvantage of a sailing vessel." 
 
 " Yes ; and I suppose the rebels who planned this 
 movement intend to profit by our weakness. Where is 
 the steamer now? Dixon, lay on your oars," added Mr. 
 Jackson to the cockswain. 
 
 \^ Stand by to lay on your oars ! " said Dixon. " Oars ! " 
 
 At this order, the oarsmen levelled their oars, with the 
 blades feathered, and in a perfect line, though it was too 
 dark for any one to see and admire the precision with 
 which the commands were executed. 
 
 "Can you hear the steamer, Somers?" asked Mr. 
 Jackson. 
 
 18* 
 
210 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 " No, sir ; they must have stopped her." 
 
 *' Steerage-way gone, sir," said Dixon, after they had 
 waited a moment for any sounds from the approaching 
 vessel. 
 
 *' Give way, then ! " 
 
 " Give way ! " repeated the cockswain ; and again the 
 men pulled their steady, silent stroke. 
 
 Mr. Jackson was perplexed at the discontinuance of 
 the rounds on which he had relied to guide him to the 
 expected prize. After the boat had proceeded a short 
 distance farther, he again ordered the men to lay on their 
 oars ; and the officers listened for any indications of the 
 steamer, but there was nothing to be heard but the 
 dashing of the waves. The men pulled again ; and this 
 time they went about a mile up the sound before another ' 
 stop was made. It was certain that the steamer was not 
 near the boat ; for even if she was not in motion, the 
 noise of the escaping steam must have betrayed her 
 presence. 
 
 " Is it possible that we have passed her ? " asked JSIr. 
 Jackson, appalled at the very thought of such an event. 
 
 " Hardly possible, sir," replied Somers. 
 
 " I don't understand it. We are at least two miles 
 from the ship, and the steamer could not have been that 
 distance from us when we heard her." 
 
 " She may have come out of one of these creeks, and 
 gone up the sound," suggested Somers. " It looks as 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 211 
 
 though there was no blockade-runner in the scrape, 
 after all." 
 
 '' I am very confident she could not have passed us. 
 I know we should have heard her, for this sound is not 
 much over a mile in width. I doubt whether anything 
 will happen to-night to reward our patience. However, 
 we will go up a little farther, and see if we can get any 
 information, if we don't obtain anything else." 
 
 The men bent to their oars once more ; and, after 
 going another mile, the boat was again stopped: still 
 there were no sounds to disclose the present position of 
 the steamer. Mr. Jackson's hopes had been abating, 
 until he gave up the chase in despair. He had given the 
 order to return to the Rosalie, when a voice was heard 
 from the depths of the fog and gloom. It came from 
 over the starboard bow, and immediately excited a pro- 
 found sensation on board of the first cutter. 
 
 "Who dar? Who dar?" demanded some invisible 
 person from the mass of fog ; but his quality and social 
 station were sufficiently indicated by his dialect. 
 
 " It's a darky," said Mr. Jackson. 
 
 " And for that reason, sir, the most valuable person 
 we could meet at the present time," replied Somer^ 
 « The negroes are all loyal ; and if this man has any 
 information of the steamer, he will give it to us. 
 
 " Wlio dar?" shouted the negro again. 
 
 " Boat ahoy ! " replied the second lieutenant. 
 
212 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OB 
 
 "Is you de Yankees, massa?" asked the cautious 
 darky, ^vho was still uuseeu by the cutter's crew. 
 
 " Yes ; where are you ? — on shore ? " 
 
 " No, massa ; dis nigger's in de dug-out.'* 
 
 " What are you doing at this time of night?'* 
 
 " Trying to find de Yankees, massa," replied the occu- 
 pant of the dag-out, as the craft emerged from the mass 
 of fog, and ranged up astern of the cutter. " Dis nigger 
 been tryin to get off dis tree weeks : now, here he is, 
 glory be to Massa Ole Abe ! " 
 
 " "Where have you been these three weeks ? " asked 
 Mr. Jackson. 
 
 " Been loadin de schooners wid de cotton." 
 
 " O, indeed ! Have you? " 
 
 " Yes, massa." 
 
 '-'• There is one up here now — is there?" 
 
 " Yes, massa — fourteen ob 'em." 
 
 " Fourteen ! " exclaimed the lieutenant, incredulously. 
 
 " Well, sar, dis chile can't edzactly say dare's jes 
 fourteen ob 'em ; but dar's a big pile ob 'em, as sure as 
 you lib, massa." 
 
 " Where's the steamer? '* 
 ^ " I kin told you all about de steamer, massa.'* 
 
 " Can you? Then you are just the man we want.'* 
 
 " Dis chile kin tell you all about her, sar ; but dis 
 chile want to go to de Norf." 
 
 " Very well ; you shall go to the North, if you know 
 how to tell the truth.'* 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 213 
 
 '' De truf ! Golly ! Dis chile ncber tells nossin but de 
 truf, as shore as you was born ! " 
 
 "Where is the steamer?" asked Mr. Jackson, now 
 fully satisfied that he had captured a prize who would 
 add a large sum to the credit of the officers and crew of 
 the Rosalie. 
 
 " She done gone ober dar, massa," replied the contra- 
 band, pointing out into the gloom. 
 
 " What's she doing here?" 
 
 " She was gwine to take one ob de schooners down 
 ober de bar." 
 
 ''Where is the schooner?" demanded the lieutenant, 
 
 impatiently. 
 
 "Dey bof gone ober dar!" replied the negro, again 
 pointing into the banks of fog. 
 
 " Why don't she go down the sound, if she is going?" 
 
 " Dar's de trouble, massa," said the black man, signifi- 
 cantly. 
 
 " What is the trouble ? " 
 
 The intelligent contraband then proceeded to explain 
 the whole matter. He informed the lieutenant that the 
 steamer, with a schooner in tow, got whhiu a short dis- 
 tance of the Chimney Spit, off which the Rosalie lay, 
 when a boat, which had been sent ahead to feel the way, 
 had returned with the intelligence that the man-of-war 
 was getting out her boat to capture them. The negro 
 further informed Mr. Jackson, that the very dug-out in 
 
214 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 which he sat had been used as the pioneer of the blockade- 
 runner, and that he himself had held the paddle. The 
 mate of the steamer was with him ; and, after he had put 
 him on board, he had cast off again, and had been pad- 
 dling about for an hour in search of the man-of-war, or 
 one of her boats. 
 
 His statement seemed to be very consistent, and as his 
 case was that of thousands of his kind in bondage, he 
 was readily accepted as a truthful witness. 
 
 " What did the steamer do when the mate returned on 
 bbard?" asked Mr. Jackson, after he had fully satisfied 
 himself in regard to the character of his informant. 
 
 ^' She put back, massa. Dat schooner down dar got a 
 big gun ; blow de steamer aU to squash, if she git a rap 
 at her." 
 
 " That's so," answered Mr. Jackson. 
 
 " Yes, sar." 
 
 " Then she has given up the attempt to run the 
 schooner out to-night." 
 
 " No, sar ; she's gwine to wait till all tings is still 
 again ; den she's gwine down. Dat's what I hear the 
 nable ossifer say." 
 
 "The what?" 
 
 " De nable ossifer — de man like you is, dat come from 
 Sabannah to git de schooners out." 
 
 " Who is the naval officer? " 
 
 " Dunno, massa." 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAd. OFFICER. 215 
 
 " Do you know where the steamer is uow ? " 
 
 *' Well, sar, dis nigger dunno edzactly whar she is, 
 but I reckon she done runned inter de creek," replied the 
 contraband. 
 
 "What creek?" 
 
 " Tea-kettle Creek, massa.^ 
 
 " Give way, Dixon ! " said Mr. Jackson. 
 
 " Golly, massa ! Dis child ain*t goin up dar, no how," 
 said the negro, with something like a shudder. 
 
 " We will take care of you. Come into the boat." 
 
 " Dis nigger's afeerd ob his life to go up dar, sar. 
 Spose dey done cotch dis chile ! Golly, dey put him in 
 de furnaces for bringin de Yankees up dar." 
 
 The contraband's fears were proof against the elo- 
 quence of the second lieutenant for a time ; but at last he 
 compromised, by agreeing to follow in the dug-out. 
 
 " Give way ! " said Dixon ; and the boat darted 
 through the fog, in the direction of the creek where 
 the steamer and her companion were reported to be. 
 
 " We shall not go back empty-handed, after all," said 
 Mr. Jackson, whose hopes had again risen to the highest 
 pitch. 
 
 " No, sir ; I hope not," answered Somers. 
 
 " The chances are all in our favor, at any rate," added 
 the lieutenant ; " that is, if the darky's statement is 
 correct." 
 
 " I believe a darky was never yet known wilfully to 
 give false information." 
 
216 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 " No, I think not." 
 
 The boat continued on her course till, in the opinion 
 of the officers, she had made four miles from the 
 schooner's anchorage, which was the distance to the 
 creek. All the officers of the Rosalie had diligently 
 studied the chart, and calculated the distances between 
 various points in the sound, in anticipation of occasions 
 like the present. At this point she ran in towards the 
 northerly shore of the sound. They did not strike the 
 creek, for the calculations of distances were necessarily 
 very imperfect ; but they persevered until they accom- 
 plished the object, and the noise of escaping steam, half 
 a mile distant, guided them to their prey. 
 
 " Stand by your cutlasses, my men," said Mr. Jack- 
 son, in a low tone, when the boat had approached near 
 enough to the steamer to enable them to hear the voices 
 of the men on her deck. 
 
 " Ay, ay, sir," replied the ready blue-jackets. 
 
 At that instant the roar of a gun saluted them, and a 
 twelve-pound shot struck the cutter amidships, tearing 
 open her side, while the water poured into her with the 
 velocity of a mill-stream. From that moment of ex- 
 citement and eager expectation, the officers and crew of 
 the cutter passed to one of anxiety for their o\vn safety. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 217 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 THE FIRST CUTTER IN TROUBLE. 
 
 /^^^IIE shot had struck the cutter near- her watbr- 
 # H line, and she was no longer capable of bearing 
 \J__ly up her gallant crew. The groans of some of 
 the men assured the officers that the effects of the shot 
 were not confined to the boat. It was evident that the 
 expedition had fallen into a snare of some kind ; but it 
 was impossible to ascertain the further purposes of the 
 rebels. 
 
 " Jump overboard and hang on at the rail of the 
 boat," said Mr. Jackson, who fortunately had the pres- 
 ence of mind to do what the desperate condition of the 
 boat would permit. 
 
 " Ay, ay, sir," responded the men, cheerfully ; for 
 our sailors never give way to despair as long as there is 
 a voice to direct them. 
 
 The order was promptly obeyed ; and in a moment the 
 crew were in the water, supporting themselves by hold- 
 ing on at the rail of the cutter. She had no ballast or 
 other heavy matter on board which would cause her to 
 19 
 
218 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 siuk ; on the contrary, when the weight of the men was 
 removed, she rose so that the hole in her side was above 
 the water. There were two men of the party who were 
 unable to obey the order, and still remained in the boat. 
 One of them was quite dead ; the other was severely 
 wounded. 
 
 Mr. Jackson directed the cockswain to examine into 
 the nature and extent of the damage done to the boat ; 
 and he soon reported a ragged hole in her side about a 
 foot in diameter. It was also found that she would sup- 
 port two or three men, without sinking so deep as to 
 cause the water to flow in. Two of the lightest of the 
 men were directed to get in on the opposite side and bale 
 her out. 
 
 The sound was quite smooth at this distance from the 
 sea, and there was no difficulty in carrying out the vari- 
 ous orders which had been given. When the boat had 
 been baled out, five more men got in, including Mr. 
 Jackson, who had already devised a plan for stopping 
 the leak. 
 
 "Where is Mr. Somers?" demanded the lieutenant, 
 now for the first time noticing the absence of our middy. 
 
 " Mr. Somers," repeated the cockswain and several of 
 the men. 
 
 The word passed around the circle of men clinging to 
 the boat ; but Somers was not there to answer to his 
 name. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 219 
 
 '' AVhcre is he?" demanded the lieutenant, almost 
 paralyzed in his efforts to save the boat, by this sad 
 discovery. 
 
 No one could tell where he was. In the excitement 
 which had followed the discharge of the gun and the 
 staving of the boat, no one could tell, in the gloom of the 
 terrible moment,-^ what his neighbor had done to secure 
 his own safety. Dixon had seen some one go overboard 
 before the order was given, but he did not know who 
 it was. 
 
 " He could not have been killed by the shot," said Mr. 
 Jackson, with a shudder. 
 
 " Perhaps he was hit by a splinter, sir," suggested one 
 of the men, who proved to be the stroke-oarsman ; " one 
 of them struck me on the shoulder." 
 
 Several shots followed the first one ; but it was evident 
 that they Avere fired at random, and that it had been a 
 chance shot which struck the boat. The tide had now 
 begun to run in, and the shattered boat was drifting up 
 the sound. The shots Avere directed farther down the 
 inlet. It was evident, therefore, that the rebels did not 
 know where they were, and had no idea of the mischief 
 they had done. 
 
 Mr. Jackson, after the wounded man had been as com- 
 fortably disposed of as the circumstances would permit, 
 ordered the sail, which had been placed in the bottom of 
 the boat, to be hauled under her keel, and carefully 
 
220 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 secured to the gunwales. This work was successfully 
 accomplished, in spite of ail the disadvantages under 
 which the men labored. Ko one was permitted to speak 
 above a whisper, and all noise was carefully avoided, so 
 that the rebels could not obtain any information to direct 
 them in pointing their guns. 
 
 The men were all ordered into the boat again. Of 
 course the leak could be only partially stopped, and two 
 men were detailed to bale the water out, and two more 
 to stand by the hole and keep the canvas in its place. 
 The boat was not in condition for active service ; and all 
 that could be expected of her was, that she would enable 
 the crew to reach the Rosalie in safety. Under these 
 discouraging circumstances Mr. Jackson gave the order 
 to return. 
 
 The dug-out, with the contraband, had disappeared 
 about the time the shot was fired. The negro's worst 
 fears seem to have been realized ; and he had probably 
 paddled away from the scene of strife in mortal terror. 
 The lieutenant did not concern himself about the dug-out 
 or its timid occupant ; his thoughts dwelt only on the 
 disappearance of Somers. He had not abandoned all 
 hope of picking him up on his return. The middy was 
 a powerful swimmer, and an oar or a log would enable 
 him to support himself for a long period on the water. 
 
 At the risk of drawing the fire of the rebels, he called 
 his name as the boat proceeded on her course towards 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 221 
 
 the Rosalie, but without success. Everything was done 
 which the circumstances would admit to recover the lost 
 officer ; and Mr. Jackson came to the conclusion that he 
 had swum ashore, and, if not captured by the enemy, 
 had concealed himself where he could return to his vessel 
 the next day. While he was thus considering the fate 
 of his young companion, the splash of the steamer's 
 paddle-wheels was distinctly heard by the crew of the 
 cutter. 
 
 " She is ahead of us, sir, and going down the sound," 
 said Dixon. 
 
 " I am afraid we have made a bad night's work of it," 
 replied Mr. Jackson. " Those guns were not on board 
 of the steamer, as I supposed ; for they are still firing 
 them. They have got an artillery company there to 
 protect the cotton. We can't catch the steamer if we 
 chase." 
 
 But there was a remote possibility that something 
 might be done to compensate for the mishaps of the 
 night, and Mr. Jackson ordered the men to give way 
 with all their might, hoping that sometliiug might occur 
 to the steamer to delay or stop her. The men pulled 
 a vigorous stroke ; but using two less than her comple- 
 ment of oars, with the drag of the sail under her keel, 
 she made but poor time through the water. Then, to 
 add to these disadvantages, and cover the attempt with 
 disaster, the canvas was drawn from its place, and the 
 19* 
 
222 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 water be^an to flow into the boat a;;ain. The chase was 
 abandoned ; and when the canvas had been restored to its 
 former position, the boat proceeded slowly on her course. 
 
 The steamer was gaining rapidly on the boat, and was 
 now at least a mile from her. 'The lieutenant chafed 
 and fretted under the difficulties of his situation, and 
 groaned in despair as he heard the steamer speeding on 
 her way down the sound. He could not help thinking of 
 the miserable report he should be obliged to give the 
 captain, on his return, of the failure of the expedition, the 
 staving of the boat, and, worse than all, of the loss of 
 Somers. 
 
 While he was thus indulging in unpleasant reflec- 
 tions, he was suddenly startled by the report of a hea\'y 
 gun, which he was satisfied was that of the Rosalie. A 
 lively cannonading was heard for a few moments ; but it 
 soon ceased, and the lieutenant ventured to hope that the 
 schooner had accomplished what he had failed to perform. 
 This hope, like its predecessor, was soon dissipated by 
 the nearer approach of the steamer ; and it was rendered 
 evident that she had again put about, and was seeking 
 safety by a return to her former position. 
 
 " Now is our time ! " said Mr. Jackson, with energy. 
 " We will board her, boat or no boat." 
 
 " Ay, ay, sir ! " replied the stroke-oarsman, who did 
 the speech-making for the crew. 
 
 " Have your cutlasses ready, my lads ! " added he. 
 " Stand by to lay on your oars ! " 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 223 
 
 When the boat stopped, Mr. Jackson listened atten- 
 tively to determine the position of the steamer. She was 
 approaching her, and it was only necessary to be quiet 
 till she came up. In a short time he could hear her 
 close aboard ; but when almost up with the boat, she 
 shifted her helm, and stood away towards the northern 
 shore. 
 
 " Give way, Dixon ! " said Mr. Jackson. 
 
 The men bent on their oars, just as the dark form of 
 the schooner came in sight through the fog. 
 
 " Pull ! pull ! " shouted Dixon, with a zeal which 
 promised good results. 
 
 The boat dashed up to the schooner : as she came 
 abreast of her, the bowman made fast to her side; and 
 the hopeful tars sprang into her chains. 
 
 " Lay aboard of her ! '* shouted Mr. Jackson, as he 
 followed them up, and leaped on the deck. 
 
 But there was no resistance. Only half a dozen men 
 appeared on the deck, and they submitted without striking 
 a blow. As soon as the steamer realized the situation 
 of affairs on board of her consort, she cast off her tow- 
 lines, and, thus relieved of her heavy burden, darted 
 forward, and disappeared in the fog. It was useless to 
 pursue her, and Mr. Jackson ordered his men to let go 
 the anchor, for the prize, having no sail on her, was 
 liable to drift ashore. 
 
 While the men were engaged in this manoeuvre, thb 
 
224 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 second cutter of the Rosalie, with Mr. Greene in charge, 
 dashed up to the schooner, and a dozen of her crew 
 leaped on board. 
 
 *' You are too late, Mr. Greene," said the second lieu- 
 tenant. " The prize is ours." 
 
 " I am glad to hear it," replied the third lieutenant. 
 " We began to be troubled about you when we heard 
 the firing above. "What was it all about ? " 
 
 " We are all right," replied Mr. Jackson, who felt 
 that he had saved his credit by the capture of the 
 schooner ; " that is, most of us are. The first cutter had 
 a shot go through her, and we have lost Mr. Somers, 
 missing, and one man killed, and one wounded." 
 
 " Somers missing ! " exclaimed Mr. Greene. " That's 
 bad news." 
 
 " I have strong hopes that he is all right. I am pretty 
 well satisfied that he was not killed, and we may pick 
 him up in the course of the day. I dread to tell the 
 captain of this part of our mishap." 
 
 '" I was sent out to assist you as soon as w^e heard the 
 firing ; but when I found the steamer w^as coming down, 
 I went on board to report, and was then ordered to make 
 sure she did not run by us in the fog," continued Mr. 
 Greene. 
 
 " I will go on board and report with the second cutter," 
 said Mr. Jackson ; " for I hope the captain will move 
 the vessel up, and look alter the company of artillery 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 225 
 
 whicli I think is statioued up the sound. You must keep 
 your weather eye open, Mr. Greene, for I should not be 
 surprised if an attempt was made to recapture this 
 schooner." 
 
 " I have not a gun to defend her, if the steamer should 
 return with the artillery company." 
 
 " You shall hear from me before she can do that," re- 
 plied Mr. Jackson, as he went over the side into the 
 second cutter. 
 
 " Ah, Mr. Jackson," said the captain, as the second 
 lieutenant reported on board the Rosalie, " I began to 
 be very much alarmed about you when I heard the 
 firing." 
 
 '' AVe were somewhat alarmed about ourselves, sir, at 
 one time ; and I regret to report the loss of one officer 
 missing, one man killed, and one wounded." 
 
 " One oflicer missing, Mr. Jackson ! " exclaimed the 
 captain. 
 
 "It is hardly necessary for me to add that it is Mf. 
 Somers ; but I hope for the best in regard to him." 
 
 Mr. Jackson briefly reported the events which liad oc- 
 curred during his absence, concluding with the capture of 
 the cotton schooner, and suggesting that she was in dan- 
 ger of being ret|iken by the rebels. The wind and the 
 tide would permit the Rosalie to be moved up the sound, 
 though she was powerless to chase a steamer in the oppo- 
 site direction. Orders were immediately given to slip 
 
226 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 and buoy the cable, and in a few moments she was 
 moving up the bay. 
 
 " What became of the contraband who gave you your 
 information ? " asked Captain Waldron, when the vessel 
 was under way. 
 
 " He disappeared, I hardly know when. I heard the 
 dug-out's paddle a moment before the shot was fired. I 
 presume he made the best of his way from the danger, 
 but in what direction, I don't know." 
 
 " Perhaps Mr. Somers was picked up by this contra- 
 band," suggested the captain. 
 
 " That is utterly impossible, sir," replied the lieuten- 
 ant, shaking his head. 
 
 " Why impossible? " 
 
 " Because, if Mr. Somers had got into the dug-out, he 
 would immediately have made his way to our relief, for 
 he knew that the boat had a hole knocked in her side. 
 He is not a man to look out for himself when his com- 
 rades are in danger. 
 
 " You are right, Mr. Jackson," said the captain, sadly. 
 
 After considerable difficulty in the fog and darkness, 
 the Rosalie was moored near the blockade-runner, in 
 readiness to repel any attack which might be made by 
 the rebels. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 227 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 SOMERS KEEPS HIS EARS WIDE OPEN AGAIN. 
 
 m 
 
 C^(^^' HEN the cannon shot struck the first cutter, 
 Somers realized, as soon as any other per- 
 son in the boat, that the expedition must 
 prove to be a failure. He heard the water pouring in at 
 the fractured side, and there was nothing to think of at 
 that tremendous moment but the safety of the officers 
 and crew. As we have before shown, our middy was 
 not deficient in self-possession ; and the question of 
 what should be done came to his mind with all the force 
 which such an event could require. 
 
 It so happened that he had noticed the position of the 
 dug-out only a moment before the catastrophe occurred. 
 The contraband, apparently frightened out of his wits, 
 when the shot struck the boat, was paddling away from 
 the spot as fast as hd could ; and when Somers looked 
 for it, it was just disappearing in the dense fog. There 
 was only an instant for reflection ; and before the full 
 extent of the mischief was known, Somers had leaped 
 into the water, and was swimming with all his mio-ht 
 towards the retreating skifi". 
 
228 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 There would have been but a slight chance of over- 
 taking it, if the contraband, attracted by his voice, had 
 not suspended his labors, and waited for him to come up. 
 The water was smooth, and Somers made good time ; but 
 the negro did not offer to shorten the distance between 
 them by paddling towards him. 
 
 " Why don't you pull up to the boat and help save the 
 men ? " demanded Somers, incensed at the stupid course 
 of the negi'o. 
 
 '' Golly ! dis chile's afeerd he be shot by de cannon 
 balls," replied the contraband, as he helped Somers into 
 the boat. 
 
 , " Paddle over to the boat as fast as you can," said 
 Somers, fiercely, as he sat down on the bottom of the 
 dug-out, out of breath from the violence of his exertions. 
 , The contraband raised his paddle, as if he intended to 
 comply with this reasonable demand ; but instead of ap- 
 plying the implement to its legitimate use, he sprang 
 towards his exhausted passenger, and brought it down 
 with tremendous force upon the top of his head. Somers 
 sank back in the boat, unconscious of what followed. 
 The boatman, having accomplished this treacherous deed, 
 paddled up the creek a short distance to escape the flying 
 shots, and then made for the shore, along which he 
 rowed till his boat reached the steamer. 
 
 Probably the wretch believed he had killed his victim ; 
 for without devoting any further attention to him, he 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 229 
 
 fastened the boat, and stepped upon the deck. He passed 
 half a dozen persons, but he did not stop till he had 
 reached the bow, where he found the man of whom he 
 had been in search. 
 
 " Now's your time ! " said the black man. " You 
 haven't a moment to spare." 
 
 "Where is the boat?" 
 
 " Smashed by a shot, and one half her crew killed." 
 
 " Are you sure of that ? " 
 
 "Am I sure of it? I saw it with my O'ati eyes," 
 answered the black man. " I picked up one of them." 
 
 "But the firing must have alarmed the people on 
 board of the schooner below," replied the cautious cap- 
 tain of the steamer — for he was the person who spoke. 
 
 " What of that? She will depend upon her own boat, 
 which has just been smashed, to head you off, and will 
 not get out another. Turn your wheels before it is too 
 
 lat«." 
 
 " Well, I will make the attempt," said the captain. 
 
 The black man returned to the dug-out, jumped in, and 
 paddled round the steamer to a point of land on which 
 the guns were posted. Somers still lay perfectly quiet, 
 and his captor seemed to be of the opmion that he never 
 would move again, for he stepped on shore and walked 
 up to an officer who stood in the rear of the guns. Som- 
 ers was worth half a dozen dead men. The blow he 
 had received was given with the fla£ of the paddle ; and 
 20 
 
230 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 though it produced very great coufusiou of ideas, — in- 
 deed, a total suspensiou of all ideas for a time, — it Avas 
 far from a fatal one. He had begun to have a tolerably 
 clear idea that he was still in the laud of the living, when 
 the black man went on shore ; and before he had been 
 gone fifteen minutes, he was quite certain that he was 
 not dead. 
 
 Having fully established this fact to his own satisfac- 
 tion, he very naturally turned his attention to the circum- 
 stances which surrounded him. He first heard, then saw, 
 the steamer, with the schooner in tow, moving away 
 from the landing. He could not prevent her from going ; 
 and this fact filled him with regi'et. He was thankful to 
 God that his life had been twice spared within an hour, 
 and how much shorter time he knew not. 
 
 Somers sat in the boat a few moments, thinking over 
 the events which had just happened. Some of the poor 
 fellows who had been in the boat with him had " lost 
 the number of their mess," and the others were in immi- 
 nent danger of being captured by the rebels while in 
 their helpless condition, if such an event had not already 
 happened. Again his heart glowed with gratitude to 
 God for his own preservation. 
 
 "With this thought — and not only this thought, but 
 this feeling — present in his mind and heart, he rose 
 from his recumbent posture in the bottom of the boat. 
 The guns on the sliore had ceased firing, but he coul^" 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 231 
 
 hear the voices of persons on the point of hind. It was 
 evident to him that he had been expected to lie still a 
 much longer time than had actually been the case, for 
 there appeared to be no person in charge of hira. Tak- 
 ing advantage of this fact, he cast oif the painter of the 
 ^ug-out, and pushed her off a little way from the shore. 
 
 Unfortunately for him, as he then thought, the rising 
 tide forced the boat back to the shore. lie was in the 
 act of repeating the operation, when he heard voices 
 close by hira. Hoping the last push would send the 
 boat far enough from the land to permit him to use the 
 paddle without exposing himself, he again lay down in 
 the bottom of the dug-out. The voices of the men came 
 nearer, and he did not deem it prudent to show himself. 
 
 '' Now, Biggs, you have told me what I ought to do, 
 and I want to know what you have done," said one of 
 the persons on shore, in a voice which sounded strangely 
 familiar to our middy. 
 
 " I told you I had smashed the boat, and killed half 
 the crew. More than that, I have taken one prisoner ; 
 and I suppose he is dead by this time." 
 
 "Why dead?" 
 
 " Because I was obliged, in order to keep him quiet, 
 to knock his brains out with the paddle." 
 
 " He won't miss them," replied the first speaker, 
 facetiously, whose tones had already caused the heart 
 of Somers to beat wildly with wonder. 
 
232 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 He listened with the most intense eagerness — not to 
 hear what the speaker said, but to compare the sound of 
 •iiis ypice with the familiar one which he recalled. He 
 could not believe the evidence of his senses, and he re- 
 jected the conclusion to which he was tending, as an 
 illusion of his own imagination. 
 
 " If you had taken the guns on board the steamer, 
 Mr. Kennedy — " 
 
 Somers could hear no more, for that name confirmed 
 what he had rejected as utterly and absurdly impossible. 
 Mr. Kennedy ! This was the name by which Biggs had 
 called him ; and this evidence, added to that of the tones 
 of his voice, left him no margin to doubt that one of the 
 parties on the shore was Mr. Phil Kennedy. This 
 gentleman had certainly been committed to Fort Lafay- 
 ette before, he left New York ; and he was, within four 
 weeks of that time, doing rebel work on the coast of 
 Georgia. It was strange and unaccountable, and nothing 
 but the most positive evidence would have justified him 
 in believing what was now undoubtedly a fact. 
 
 " I tell you my orders would not permit me to take the 
 guns on board of the steamer," replied Mr. Phil Ken- 
 nedy, in the same impatient tone which the listener had 
 so often heard before. " Besides, I didn't believe in it 
 myself." 
 
 " It is the most amazingly stupid plan I ever heard of. 
 You might have put your guns on board, and bloAved the 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 233 
 
 schooner all to pieces, if she had given you any trouble," 
 replied Biggs, highly excited by what he deemed the 
 mismanagement of aifairs on the sound. 
 
 " You have a right to your opinion. Biggs, and you 
 can be as blind as you please. What sort of a chance 
 should I have against the Rosalie, with her rifled fifty- 
 pounder, and her four twenty-fours. I tell you I will 
 capture the schooner, and go on a cruise in her within 
 two weeks." 
 
 " Perhaps you wall," thought Somers. 
 
 " I have done all that has been done so far." 
 
 " Pray, what have you done. Biggs ? " 
 
 " I have got that schooner out to-night, for one thing." 
 
 *' If I had been near enough at the time, I should 
 have prevented her from getting under way." 
 
 " I dare say you w^ould," sneered Biggs. 
 
 '* She will be captured, and the steamer .with her, very 
 likely." 
 
 " What was I sent out in that dug-out for? " demanded 
 Biggs. 
 
 " To give you a little more practice in nigger talk," 
 laughed Kennedy. 
 
 *' Then I made a blunder, and did the enemy more 
 damage than you w^ll in six months." 
 
 " What damage have you done ? " 
 
 *' I put your guns in the w^ay of killing half that boat's 
 crew by luring them in shore." 
 20* 
 
234 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 " That was a chance shot which hit the boat. It looks 
 to me just as though you brouglit it in there to enable 
 her to capture the steamer and the schooner. If we hit 
 the boat, it was an accident, for we could not see or hear 
 the first thing to aim at. I don't think much of your 
 strategy, Biggs." 
 
 And he was doomed to think still less of it, when the 
 steamer returned with intelligence of the schooner's cap- 
 ture. Mr. Phil Kennedy and Mr. Biggs continued to 
 argue the point for some time longer ; and Somers 
 listened, as he had done at Newport, with the most 
 intense interest. It was remarkable that he should find 
 himself overhearing Kennedy's plots and plans a second 
 time, though it was not half ^so remarkable as that Ken- 
 nedy should be there, when he ought to have been a close 
 prisoner in Fort Lafayette. 
 
 From all that he heard, and all that followed as a 
 matter of course, Somers derived some valuable infor- 
 mation, which may be summed up in briefer terms than 
 the conversation from which it was deduced- Biggs was 
 the black man, — ■ a counterfeit contraband, — who, relying 
 on the Yankee's faith in the negro, had lured the boat 
 within range of the guns on the point. This fact our 
 middy could have argued out without any direct state- 
 ment to that effect. 
 
 Mr. Phil Kennedy was there to assist in running 
 sundry schooners through the blockade ; but the gi'eat 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 
 
 235 
 
 Object be bad in view was tbe capture of the Rosalie, ia 
 which he intended to go on a cruise under the Confed- 
 erate flag. Much to Somers's disappointment, be did not 
 indicate^the means by which he intended to accomplish 
 this job ; and the listener was inclined to agree with the 
 critical Mr. Biggs, that he never would do it. 
 
 a There comes the steamer!" exclaimed Kennedy, 
 ^vhen he bad ^^'rung all the information out of the coun- 
 terfeit contraband which that clever actor contained, or 
 
 would impart. 
 
 '' Then she is not captured," replied Biggs, trium- 
 phantly. 
 
 "Xo ; but she has not had time to tow the schooner 
 
 even down to the Chimney Spit, much less over the bars.'^*^ 
 
 " I don't think she has, but she can speak for herself," 
 
 replied Biggs, disgusted with this unpleasant conclusion.^ 
 
 ' '' I'll bet you my year's pay she has lost the schooner." 
 
 " No, she hasn't ; she is towing her back, as she did 
 
 before. The captain of that steamer hasn't pluck enough 
 
 to look an alligator baby out of countenance." 
 
 " He is a prudent man, and I presume he has obeyed 
 
 my orders." ^ 
 
 "Very likely," sneered Biggs. "But I must look 
 after my prisoner ; • he may come to Ufe." 
 
 " Who is he ? " asked Kennedy, carelessly. 
 
 " I don't know ; but I reckon he's an officer," replied 
 Bi-o-s, as he walked towards the boat in which Somers lay. 
 
236 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 € 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 SOMERS UNDER GUARD. 
 
 'HE critical moment in Mr. Midshipman Somers's 
 affairs appeared to liave arrived. He had kept 
 very quiet in the boat, hoping that something 
 would occur to call Biggs and his dangerous companion 
 away from the spot, and enable him to move to a place 
 of safety. The return of the steamer promised at one 
 time to afford him this relief. The noise of her escape- 
 pipe could be heard at no great distance, but the pru- 
 dence of Mr. Biggs was likely to defeat his expectation. 
 His captor was approaching the boat ; indeed, he was 
 on tlie point of stepping into it, and it was " now or 
 never " with Mr. Somers, for the presence of Mr. Phil 
 Kennedy complicated his affairs in this quarter. As he 
 lay in the bottojp of the boat, he had considered what 
 chances he had to make a forward movement. He had a 
 revolver in his belt, but it was embedded in his wet 
 clothes, and he had some doubts about its present fitness 
 for use. The paddle was in the boat, just where Biggs 
 had left it, and Somers had one hand on the implement 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 237 
 
 while he listened to the remarks of the gentlemen /On 
 shore. 
 
 Having arrived at the conclusion that the paddle was a 
 more reliable instrument, for the present, than the pistol, 
 he clung to it, and stood ready to use it when the critical 
 moment should arrive. It had come now ; and when 
 Mr. Biggs was on the point of putting his foot into the 
 dug-out, he rose, and, with a couple of energetic strokes 
 with the paddle, propelled the clumsy craft out into the 
 fog and darkness. 
 
 Half a dozen pistol shots were promptly discharged at 
 him ; but Somers was careful enough to lie down in his 
 boat, as soon as he had escaped from the first and more 
 immediate peril. The balls whistled over his head ; and 
 again he had good reason to thank God for his preserva- 
 tion. Not deeming it safe to use the paddle yet, lest the 
 noise of it should inform his enemies Avhere he was, and 
 thus bring another volley of pistol balls down upon 
 him, he lay still in the dug-out. He was cool and self- 
 possessed enough to do this ; if he had not been, in all 
 probability his life would have paid the penalty of his 
 nervousness. \ 
 
 " Your prisoner is gone ! " said Phil Kennedy, whose 
 derisive tones were distinctly heard by Somers. 
 
 " He won't go far. I will have him again," replied Biggs. 
 
 " Perhaps you Avill. Did you say he was an officer? " 
 
 " I did — a midshipman, I think." 
 
238 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OB 
 
 " A midshipman? " 
 
 " I think he was. He appeared to be on excellent 
 terms with the officer in command of the boat." 
 
 "Did you hear his name?" asked Kennedy, with 
 more interest than he had before manifested in his com- 
 panion's prisoner. 
 
 " I did not." 
 
 *' There is a midshipman on board of that steamer 
 whom I want very much. He and I have an old account 
 that must be settled," continued Mr. Phil Kennedy ; and 
 he was evidently the " nable ossifer " alluded to by the 
 contraband, who appeared to have told more truth than 
 the nature of his business required. 
 
 " You have got a grudge against hira — have you ? " 
 
 " I have. I lost the Snowden by his operations ; but 
 that isn't the worst thing 1 have against him." 
 
 "What's the other?" 
 
 " Never mind the other ; it is a private matter. But 
 why don't you take care of your prisoner, if you intend 
 to recapture him ? " 
 
 " There's time enough. I have no boat now, but the 
 steamer will be here in a moment more." 
 
 She was now within a few rods of the place where the 
 dug-out lay, and Somers found it necessary to change his 
 position, to avoid being run down by her. But he was 
 too much interested in the movements of his friends on 
 shore to move a great distance, especially as the fog and 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER, 239 
 
 darkness eifectually concealed him from the view of the 
 rebels. The steamer moved slowly up to the point : she 
 had a man on her forward deck who constantly reported 
 the soundings, as she felt her way through the fog. She 
 had returned without the schooner, which gave Somers a 
 hope and a fear — a hope that the Rosalie had captured 
 the cotton vessel, and a fear that she had escaped and 
 gone to sea. 
 
 " Hallo ! " shouted Kennedy from the shore. " Where's 
 the schooner ? '* 
 
 " We lost her," replied some person at the bow of the 
 steamer. 
 
 " What do you mean? Did you get aground? " 
 
 " No ; the Yanks boarded her, and we had to cut away 
 from her," replied the captain of the steamer ; for he was 
 the person who answered the question. 
 
 " Glory, Hallelujah ! " exclaimed Somers, in an em- 
 phatic whisper, as he listened to the volley of oaths which 
 came from the shore. 
 
 " She is two miles from the man-of-war ; and if you 
 will put your men and guns on board, we can take her 
 again, with the boat's crew in charge of her." 
 
 The steamer now touched the bank, and the conversa- 
 tion between the captain and the men on shore was so low 
 that Somers could not hear it ; but he waited witli the most 
 intense interest for further developments. Success had 
 crowned the operations of the liosalie, in spite of the 
 
240 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 destruction of the first cutter. It was plain that Captaib 
 Waldron and his officers had been wide awake ; but our 
 middy was disgusted with the idea that the rebels might 
 recapture the schooner. 
 
 Somers was suffering from a severe headache, pro- 
 duced by the blow he had received ; but while he lay in 
 the dug-out, Avhat he heard made him feel, with uncom- 
 mon force, that he was an officer of the United States 
 navy, and that he had no right to think of his own 
 aches and pains, when there was an opportunity to serve 
 the cause in which he had enlisted. He was but a few 
 rods from the steamer, and in great peril of being cap- 
 tured when the search should be made for him. Yet he 
 could not leave what he regarded as a very interesting 
 and promising field of labor. 
 
 Further developments soon convinced him that the ad- 
 vice of the captain of the steamer was to be adopted ; and 
 he soon heard the orders given for taking on board the 
 guns, and the soldiers or sailors — whatever they were — 
 w^ho manned them. In the excitement of the hour he 
 hoped that Biggs would forget his prisoner, or that the 
 exigencies of the moment would not permit him to make 
 the expected search. 
 
 The steamer lay w^ithin a few rods of him ; and he 
 cautiously paddled the dug-out to a position near her 
 stern, that he might obtain a better idea of the prepara- 
 tions lor the capture oi tlic bcliooucr. The men were 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 241 
 
 ruDniDg out planks upon which to roll the guns on deck. 
 Everybody seemed to be in earnest, and he could plainly 
 hear the voice of Phil Kennedy, as he delivered his 
 orders from the deck. Somers trembled for the safety 
 of the prize, and wished his own feeble hands could be 
 multiplied a hundred, or even ten fold, that he might be 
 enabled to defeat the purposes of the rebels. 
 
 To obtain a nearer view of the operations, he rowed 
 the dug-out up to the stern, where he discovered the 
 steamer's boat, which had been towed behind her in 
 readiness for immediate use, if occasion should require. 
 Somers was a thoughtful young man, and he considered 
 that anything which could be serviceable to the rebels, 
 would, in the same proportion, be injurious to the loyal 
 cause. With this thought in his mind, he cast off the 
 boat's painter, and pushed it out into the gloom, where 
 the tide presently took it in charge, and started it off on 
 a cruise up the sound or up the creek. Our middy had 
 hardly carried out this suggestion before he hotird per- 
 sons approaching the stern. 
 
 " Are your oars in the boat?" demanded one of them, 
 in the familiar tones of Bifr":s. 
 
 " Yes, sir ; all ready," replied one of his companions. 
 
 Somers pushed his dug-out away from the steamer, and 
 lay as still as a mouse, under cover of the fog and gloom. 
 
 " Where is the boat ? " continued Biir<Ts. 
 
 CD 
 
 '' Made ftist to the stern, sir," replied the other. 
 21 
 
242 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 "Where?" 
 
 But the man could give him no further information. 
 The boat was not there, and Biggs was so angry that he 
 indulged in some big words, which were neither pretty 
 nor polite. 
 
 " All right, my dear fellow ! " said Somers to himself, 
 as pleasantly as his aching head would permit. 
 
 He was safe for the present, at least ; for there was 
 no other boat, as he had heard Biggs acknowledge ; be- 
 sides, that worthy must have felt that he had delayed the 
 pursuit so long as to render it almost hopeless. Somers 
 felt secure in his present situation, and would have felt 
 so even if there had been a boat to pursue him, for the 
 fog and darkness were his best friends that side of the 
 Rosalie. 
 
 Biggs swore, and ordered the men with him to search 
 for the boat. They did so, but of course they could not 
 find it. While the party were thus engaged, Somers 
 heard the voice of Phil Kennedy at the stem of the 
 steamer. 
 
 " The boat is gone," said the discomfited Mr. Biggs. 
 
 " Gone !" exclaimed Kennedy. " We can't go with- 
 out a boat." 
 
 " You don't want a boat to capture the schooner. 
 Y-ou will get two or three when you take her." 
 
 " Very true ; but suppose we fail. Suppose a shot 
 from a boat howitzer should plump into the engine of the 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 243 
 
 steamer and disable her. "What should we do then? 
 No, sir ; I have no idea of being a prisoner of the 
 Yankees, if we fail." 
 
 " You are rery prudent, Mr. Kennedy." 
 
 " It is fortunate that I am. You have lost one schoon- 
 er for me to-night by your rashness, and I can't afford to 
 lose myself. My boat lies on the other side of the point." 
 
 " I didn't know you had one," answered Biggs. 
 
 *' If you had knoAvn it, probably I should not have 
 had one by this time ; it would have been added to your 
 contributions to the Yankees. Take Wythe with you ; 
 he knows where it is. She pulls four oars." 
 
 '^ Good ! I shall catch that Yankee yet." 
 
 " Perhaps you will." 
 
 *' TTe can pull four miles to his one in the dug-out." 
 
 " The fog is in his favor." 
 
 " He will paddle with all his might down tlie sound, 
 and we shall find him, you may depend upon it." 
 
 Biggs, confident as ever, hastened away to carry out 
 his purpose, leaving Somers to meditate upon his be- 
 clouded prospects. Of course it would not be safe for 
 him to move down the bay, for the- four-oar boat would 
 soon overhaul him. It would be better to pull to the 
 other side of the creek, and go on shore ; but the banks 
 of the sound, he had reason to believe, were occupied by 
 rebels, whose business it was to watch the Eosalie, and 
 report her movements to the blockade-runners above. 
 
244 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OB 
 
 The steamer which Mr. Phil Kennedy employed to 
 assist him in getting the cotton vessels to sea, was an 
 ordinary river boat. Her guards, as is usual in these 
 craft, extended over the water nearly the whole length 
 of her. Somers knew all about these river steamers ; 
 and while he was considering his proper course under 
 the trying emergency, it occurred to him that he might 
 save a deal of hard paddling against wind and tide by 
 permitting the rebel steamer to tow him down to the 
 scene of action. She was high enough out of water to 
 permit him to run the dug-out under her guard. 
 
 This suggestion of his inventive genius, daring as it 
 was, he promptly adopted. Passing the painter through 
 one of the braces, far enough aft to avoid destruction by 
 the water from the surging wheels, and far enough for- 
 ward to conceal the dug-out from the observation of any 
 on board, he hauled her under the guard. 
 
 " Now I am under guard," said he to himself, face- 
 tiously, " and I am perfectly safe." 
 
 After washing his aching head in cold water again, he 
 lay down in the bottom of the dug-out to await the next 
 move of his anxious friends on board. The operation 
 of transferring the guns from the shore to the steamer 
 was a difficult one, on account of the depth of the mud 
 on the land ; and it began to be light in the morning 
 before she was ready to move off. Somers saw nothing 
 of the boat in which Biggs was to pursue the dug-out ; 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 245 
 
 and he concluded that she had gone down the sound upon 
 this errand. ' 
 
 The steamer backed out from the shore, and com- 
 menced her third trip in the direction of the Rosalie. 
 As soon as the boat began to move, Somers found his 
 situation very uncomfortable. As the steamer came 
 about, she heeled over so far that the dug-out barely 
 escaped being swamped, as the sinking guard forced 
 her deep down into the water. The alarmed occupant 
 grasped the painter, in readiness to let go ; but as the 
 steamer righted up in a moment, he decided to hold on 
 for a time longer. While she w^ent on an even keel he 
 did very well, though his position was by no means a 
 comfortable one. Unpleasant as it was, he remembered 
 that he had a mission to perform ; and he soon forgot the 
 perils of his situation in the consideration of an exciting 
 question. 
 
 21* 
 
246 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 SOMERS MEETS WITH AN ACCIDENT. 
 
 OMERS had been seeing, hearing, and inferring 
 what the rebels intended to do ; and the most 
 important information he had obtained was, that 
 they pm'posed to recapture the schooner, now in posses- 
 sion of a boat's crew from the Rosalie. On board of the 
 steamer were at least two guns, and not less than twenty 
 men. The man-of-war was two miles below the cotton 
 vessel, and out of supporting distance. 
 
 The fear that the rebels would recapture the prize was 
 very trying to Somers. He was not aware of the fact 
 that the Rosalie had run up the sound, and lay within a 
 few fathoms of the schooner. The force on the steamer 
 was equal, if not superior, to that in charge of the prize ; 
 and he saw no reason why the rebels, with tolerably 
 good management, should not accomplish their purpose. 
 It was his duty to prevent so undesirable an occurrence, 
 if possible ; and the important question which he was en- 
 gaged in considering was, whether he could do anything 
 to defeat the rebels, either in whole or in part. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER.^ 247 
 
 He was a single man against an armed host ; therefore 
 he could not fight under present circumslauces. But the 
 little mouse gnawed away the net that confined the majes- 
 tic lion ; and Somers looked about him for some means 
 by which he might disable the steamer. If he could get 
 at the engine, the removal of a bolt or a pin might 
 render it useless ; but it would be fatal to expose himself 
 on the deck. 
 
 As he lay in the dug-out, he heard the creaking of the 
 ropes and chains by which the rudder was connected to 
 the wheel on the hurricane deck. They were within 
 reach of his hand, and he immediately commenced an 
 examination of them. If he could break this rope or 
 chain, the steamer would at once become unmanageable, 
 at least for a time. But the connections were all of iron 
 near his locality, and it was impossible to sever them. 
 He pursued his investigations as far as he could ; but the 
 steamboat law requiring iron " tiller ropes " had been 
 complied with, so far as he could discover. 
 
 The steamer was rapidly approaching the cotton ves- 
 sel, and if anything was to be accomplished, there was 
 no time to be lost. Somers was nervous and uneasy, 
 made so by his desire to do something to defeat the inten- 
 tions of the rebels. Letting out the painter of his boat, he 
 followed the rudder-chains aft, in the hope of finding a 
 point where he could break the connection, but without 
 success. 
 
248 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 There was yet another practicable expedient, "vvhich 
 afforded him some hope of stopping the course of the 
 steamer. He tried to "jam " the chain where it passed 
 through a bracket ; but in this, also, he failed. If he 
 could follow the chain farther, it was still possible that 
 he might find a weak place, where it could be separated ; 
 but the rapid motion of the steamer prevented him from 
 doing this, for if he cast off the painter, the dug-out 
 would go adrift in spite of him. 
 
 "WTiile he was mourning over his weakness and in- 
 ability to do the work he had resolved to do, the wheels 
 of the steamer stopped. Without pausing to consider 
 the object of the stoppage, he cast off the painter, and 
 handed the dug-out round to the stern of the steamer. 
 Here he found a ring, through which he passed the 
 painter, and, without losing a second of his valuable 
 time, he proceeded to make a further examination of the 
 chain. To his great satisfaction, he found a place, near 
 the rudder, where the chain had been " toggled ; " that is, 
 one link had been passed through another, and secured 
 with an iron bolt. "When the chain was slack, he pulled 
 out the bait, and the two ends dropped down into the 
 water. 
 
 Having performed this work, he felt that his mission 
 was finished, and that the steamer could go no farther 
 down the sound. Having no other business to transact 
 with the rebels, he concluded to push off, especially as it 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 249 
 
 was now nearly dayliglit, and make the best of his way 
 down to the cotton schooner, which could not be far off. 
 
 *' I have done it," said he to himself, as he pulled the 
 painter through the ring, and shoved off the dug-out 
 from the steamer. "Your pipe is out for the present, 
 Mr. Phil Kennedy." 
 
 The dug-out shot off into the fog ; and Mr. Somers, 
 almost stunned by the noise of the escaping steam, of 
 which the engineer relieved the boilers when the boat 
 stopped, did not hear certain sounds which would have 
 M'arned him of approaching danger. Indeed, he was too 
 well satisfied with himself, after the important job he had 
 done, to think of anything except the fact that he had 
 defeated another of Mr. Phil Kennedy's enterprising 
 schemes. As the dug-out darted away from the steamer, 
 JMr. Somers's ideas were suddenly thrown into confusion 
 by an unexpected crash. Some object, moving rapidly 
 through the water, had struck his frail craft on the broad- 
 side. It was borne under, and our middy was " spilled 
 into the drink." 
 
 But Somers immediately rescued his ideas from the 
 confusion into which they had been thrown, and without 
 sapping to consider how the catastrophe had happened, 
 he struck out for the steamer, which was not three 
 fathoms distant from him. 
 
 The crash had been caused by the four-oar boat, in 
 which Biggs had been in search of the dug-out and his 
 
250 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 prisoner. The steamer had stopped to permit him to 
 come on board, for he had given up all hope of recover- 
 ing the prize he had lost. Just as Somers backed out 
 from the stern of the steamer, the four-oar boat was 
 rounding in under her quarter. It was still very foggy, 
 and there was not light enough to enable Mr. Biggs at 
 once to decide what had happened. He was looking at 
 the steamer as he rounded in under her stern ; and the 
 men, sitting with their backs to the bow, had not seen 
 the dug-out. 
 
 " What's that? " demanded Biggs, with an oath, as he 
 grasped the gunwale to recover his balance ; for the col- 
 lision had given the larger boat a very sensible shock. 
 
 " A boat, sir," replied the bowman. 
 
 By this time Somers was perched on one of the braces 
 under the guard of the steamer, engaged in relieving 
 his throat and nasal organs of an uncomfortable quantity 
 of salt water, which the suddenness of the accident had 
 surprised him into swallowing. 
 
 " It's the dug-out, sir," added another of the men, 
 whose eyes were better than those of his companion. 
 
 " Was there any one in her?" demanded Mr. Biggs. 
 
 " I think I heard a man swimming and pufRng in tjie 
 water," said "Wythe, who pulled the stroke oar. 
 
 " We have blundered on him then. He can't be far 
 off," added Biggs, with no little excitement at the pros- 
 pect of recapturing his prisoner. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 251 
 
 The blood of Somers ran cold in bis veins at the im- 
 minent danger of his position. He could hardly escape 
 being taken dotn-, and handed over to ISIr. Phil Kennedy, 
 whose inveterate hatred would subject him to every 
 discomfort, if not to death itself. He trembled with 
 apprehension as he saw, at one glance, the fate that 
 impended. There was hardly the shadow of a hope left ; 
 but he climbed in as far as he could under the guard, 
 and wedged himself under a brace. 
 
 The boat pulled up to the steamer's stem, on which 
 the captain and Phil Kennedy were now standing. Biggs 
 was awfully in earnest, and he commenced a vigorous 
 search for his prisoner. In answer to a question from 
 Kennedy, he stated what had happened, and his own 
 conviction that the Yankee was on board of the steamer. 
 But Mr. Biggs could not find his prisoner. He searched 
 under the guard and over the guard ; but the middy's 
 compact form was too closely stowed away to be seen in 
 the darkness. 
 
 " He has swum ashore," said the captain. 
 " I don't believe it," replied Biggs. 
 " Of course he has, or you would have found him 
 before now. Come on board, Biggs ; we shall have the 
 whole of them in a few days," said Phil Kennedy. 
 
 " I know he is about here somewhere," added the con- 
 fident Biggs. 
 
 « Come on board, Biggs ; we can't stop here all day. 
 
252 THE YANKEE MlDgT, OR 
 
 "We have something better to do," continued Kennedy, 
 impatiently. 
 
 *' I know he must be under the guard ; send me a 
 lantern, captain, and I will soon find him." 
 
 " Nonsense, Biggs ; I tell you he isn't there. He has 
 swum ashore before this time. Come here," added Ken- 
 nedy, in a tone so low that Somers could not hear him. 
 
 *' I'll bet my life he is here," answered the obdurate 
 contraband, that was ; but he stepped on board the 
 steamer, as Kennedy had requested. 
 
 The two talked together for a few moments, during 
 w^hich the naval officer occasionally pointed to the boat. 
 Biggs seemed to understand him, and to acquiesce in 
 his decision ; for the men were ordered on board, and the 
 painter made fast. 
 
 Somers could hardly believe his senses ; and, still 
 shivering with cold and with apprehension, he audibly 
 whispered his prayer of thanksgiving that he had again 
 been preserved from capture. But he had lost the dug- 
 out, and he had no means of reaching the captured 
 schooner when the steamer abandoned her purpose, as he 
 believed she would. The prospect was not as encour- 
 aging as it had been ; yet he had the consolation of 
 knowing that he had delayed, if not prevented by the 
 delay, the recapture of the Rosalie's prize. Then it 
 occurred to him that the boat in which Biggs had been 
 searching for him was at the slei^ of the steamer ; and 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OF^ICEIi. 253 
 
 he decided to get into it as soon as practicable, and bid 
 a final adieu to his dangerous locality. 
 
 He heard the bell ring for the engine to start ; and it 
 did start. The wheels began to turn, and Somers was 
 nearly drowned by the surging waters which they heaped 
 upon him. Presently he heard the rudder chain rattling 
 above him ; then the bells were rung to stop and back 
 her ; and it was evident that the helmsman had discov- 
 ered the mischief which had been done. 
 
 '* Now's my time ! " thought Somers ; and he began 
 to move from brace to brace aft. 
 
 It was not his time yet, and he soon discovered his 
 mistake ; for men w^ere sent to the stern to repair the 
 damage done to the rudder chain. The precise nature 
 of the mischief was soon ascertained; but it required 
 nearly an hour to overhaul the chain, and "toggle" it 
 again. It was now broad daylight, though the fog was 
 as dense as ever. Somers crawled as far aft as he dared. 
 He saw the boat which he coveted, and had arranged the 
 method by which he intended to get into her at the 
 proper moment. 
 
 The steamer started again ; but Somers was vexed to 
 find that she was still headed down the sound — that the 
 delay had not induced Kennedy to abandon his purpose. 
 She continued on her course for a few minutes, and then 
 stopped again. Our middy felt that he had done all he 
 could for his country, and that it was time to do some- 
 22 
 
254 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 thing for himself. He had delayed the steamer, and it 
 was possible that this delay had favored his friends, 
 though in what manner he was unable to tell. 
 
 He felt that the present was his own ; and as soon as 
 the wheels ceased to turn, he worked his way aft, and 
 seizing the painter of the boat, drew it up so that he 
 could jump into it. He then tried to unfasten the painter 
 where it was attached to the boat ; but finding this im- 
 possible, he stood up in the bow, and reached over the 
 transom of the steamer to untie it at the ring. 
 
 At that moment, a man, who had been lying on the 
 deck, sprang forward, and seizing the venturesome mid- 
 dy by the collar of his coat, jerked him on the deck, as 
 he would have whipped a codfish from the water. 
 
 " I've got you, my little Yank ! " exclaimed the burly 
 fellow who had done this unkind act for him. 
 
 "Have you got him?" shouted Biggs, who had sta- 
 tioned himself near the stern, apparently for the purposa 
 of witnessing the performance which had just taken place. 
 
 *' Yes, sir," replied the man. 
 
 " Tell the captain to go ahead again," said Biggs, 
 hastening aft to witness the discomfiture of his trouble- 
 some prisoner. " Hold on tight, Wythe ! " 
 
 There was no need of this latter caution, for "Wythe 
 held our unfortunate middy in a grip of iron ; and it was 
 utterly impossible for him to make any resistance. 
 
 " How does your head feel, my little fellow ? " 6.c 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 255 
 
 manded Biggs, in mocking tones. " I thought I struck 
 heavy enough ; but I declare you have got the thickest 
 skull, even for a Yankee, that ever I saw." 
 
 Somers made no reply. He was very much out of 
 spirits, and did not feel a bit like giving or taking a joke. 
 Biggs ordered Wythe to tie him hand and foot, and make 
 him fast to a stanchion, which was done in the most 
 faithful manner. 
 
256 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 A SHOT FROM THE ROSALIE. 
 
 OMERS had fallen into a snare which had been 
 set for him. Mr. Biggs had not for one moment 
 abandoned his hope of recovering his prisoner. 
 The conversation which had taken place between him 
 and Kennedy, and which was in so low a tone that the 
 intended victim could not hear it, was the one thing 
 needful to enable Somers to keep out of the hands of 
 his enemy. 
 
 When Biggs w^ent on board of the steamer, Kennedy 
 had suggested to him that the Yankee would make his 
 way into the boat and cast off at the first favorable op- 
 portunity. It was only necessary to watch the boat, and 
 the game, if there was any game there, could be quietly 
 bagged in a few minutes. Biggs assented to the plan, 
 and the boat started ; but the broken steering apparatus 
 had produced a long detention, and Somers gave himself 
 up for lost half a dozen times, when the men who were 
 overhauling the chain came within a few feet of his perch 
 on the brace. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 257 
 
 When the steamer started, the man had been placed on 
 tlie dock so that he could not be seen, to watch him and 
 the boat. As Somers did not hurry out from his con- 
 cealment, it was believed that the motion of the boat 
 prevented his operations ; and she was stopped for a mo- 
 ment, to afford him an opportunity to be caught. Unfor- 
 tunately for him, he had improved this opportunity, though 
 it was his last chance of escape, and had been captured. 
 He Avas now a prisoner, and bound hard and fast to a 
 stanchion. The worst fate, in his own opinion, that 
 could possibly befall him, had overtaken him. He was 
 not only a prisoner, which was certainly appalling enough 
 as the rebels treated their prisoners, but he was in the 
 power of Phil Kennedy. 
 
 The clouds hung dark and black over him. His per- 
 sonal misfortune was not the only nor even the worst 
 side of the picture ; for if he had succeeded in saving the 
 cotton schooner from capture, he would have been com- 
 pensated, in a great measure, for the mishap of being 
 captured. But even this comfort was denied him ; for the 
 rebel steamer, with two guns and a squad of trained 
 artillerists, was hastening down to undo what the Rosa- 
 lie's people had done. It was useless to fret, and he tried 
 to make the best of the circumstances which surrounded 
 him ; but it was hard work, with his aching head and 
 disappointed heart, to submit cheerfully to his destiny. 
 
 Somers thought over the matter for a time, and his 
 22* 
 
258 THE YAXKEE MIDDY, Oil 
 
 sublime philosophy soon got the better of his vexation. 
 It was useless to repine ; it would not improve his condi- 
 tion, and therefore he wisely determined not to repine. 
 He had done the best he could, both for his country and 
 himself, and unavailing regrets did not tend to promote 
 his comfort nor his happiness. 
 
 The steamer must now be very near to the captured 
 schooner, and the great event of the morning must soon 
 take place. It was evident to the prisoner that he mut^t 
 soon be joined by some of his shipmates, who were to be 
 captured ; but he did not look forward with any satisfac- 
 tion to the meeting. • If he could have blown up the 
 boat on which he was confined, he would have been con- 
 tent to go to the bottom in her, if he could thereby have 
 saved liis friends in the Rosalie from capture, and pre- 
 vented the rebels from recovering the cotton vessel. 
 Somers indulged this reflection ; but we are forced to be- 
 lieve that it was a sentimental idea, and that, when he 
 came to a decision, he would have chosen to remain 
 above water. 
 
 While he was deliberating upon his unpleasant pros- 
 pects, and was passing from the depths of despondency 
 to the sublime heights of philosophical submission, he 
 heard the voice of Mr. Biggs, as he M^alked aft. That 
 gentleman had made several blunders during the night ; 
 he had given the advice which had caused the capture of 
 the schooner ; he had criticised the naval otficer's policy ; 
 
rnr: adventures of a naval officer, 259 
 
 and it was no little satisfaction for hira to be able to 
 exhibit even a single Yankee prisoner, especially as. that 
 one was an officer. lie Avas dispcved to make some dis- 
 play of his prowess, and he was now conducting Mr. 
 Phil Kennedy aft to show him his prize. 
 
 " If your prisoner has not escaped again, you have 
 done one thing to-night, Biggs," laughed Kennedy, as 
 they approached the place where Somers was tied to the 
 stanchion. 
 
 " That's more than you can show for your night's 
 work," growled Biggs, who, by tliis time, had washed 
 off most of the burnt cork which had transformed him 
 into a contraband. 
 
 *' You are sharp. Biggs. What is the rank of your 
 prisoner ? " 
 
 " A midshipman ; but he is a smart fellow, and if we 
 had half a dozen like him in the Confederate navy, we 
 should have done something before this time." 
 
 " Thank you ! " thought Somers, wiio could not help 
 acknowledging this lian<l.'^ome compliment. 
 
 " No doubt .of it ; half a dozen men with your ideas 
 would have ruined the Confederate States before this 
 time. "Where is your prisoner ? " 
 
 " Here he is," replied Biggs, as he walked up to tlie 
 stanchion with a lantern in his hand," which he held up 
 so that the naval officer could see our middy. 
 
 " Ah, my dear Mr. Somers ! " exclaimed Kennedy, as 
 he recognized the features of the prisoner. 
 
260 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 It was plain that the meeting was entirely unexpected 
 to him, for he started back, at first, in the utmost aston- 
 ishment. 
 
 "No doubt you are better pleased to see me than I am 
 to see you," replied Somers, pleasantly, for he knew how 
 much satisfaction it would give Kennedy to see him de- 
 spondent and depressed. 
 
 " Well, my dear fellow, I am exceedingly rejoiced to 
 meet you ; and if you are not glad to see me, of course 
 that is not my fault. Circumstances have slightly 
 changed since we met last," continued the traitor. 
 
 " Accidents will happen," replied Somers, coolly. 
 
 *' Then I was your prisoner. Now you are mine." 
 
 " Mine, if you please," interposed Biggs, unwilling to 
 be deprived of his hard-earned honors. 
 
 " Well, it's all the same. As your prisoner is a par- 
 ticular friend of mine, a young gentleman to whom I 
 have taken a great liking, I am going to ask you, as a 
 special favor, to turn liim over to me. I want to use him." 
 
 *' Certainly, lieutenant — with the greatest pleasure." 
 
 " Mr. Somers, I can't help commending my friend, Mr. 
 Biggs, for his ability, when I consider that he has cap- 
 tured Miss Portington's prodigy. He is smart, Mr. 
 Somers." 
 
 " I recommend him to join the first band of negro 
 minstrels he can find, for lie has a very decided talent in 
 that direction," said Somers. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 261 
 
 " Good !" added Kennedy. " You are as witty as ever." 
 
 " Thank you, Mr. Kennedy. That reminds me that 
 
 your wits have served you better on this than on a former 
 
 occasion, Avhich you will readily recall. I think I left 
 
 you locked up in Fort Lafayette." 
 
 " You did, my dear Somers ; but of course you did 
 not expect me to remain there any great length of time." 
 "How did you get out?" asked Somers, who was 
 burning with curiosity to know how he happened to be in 
 Georgia at that particular time, though he did not very 
 confidently expect an answer. 
 
 " I walked out, my sympathizing friend." 
 " I didn't know but the traitors there were ashamed 
 of you, and kicked you out," answered Somers, with an 
 unpardonable w^ant of politeness. 
 
 " Excellent, Somers. Miss Kate Portington would 
 have given you a crown of roses for that brilliant 
 remark." 
 
 " Schooner in sight, sir," said, an officer, who had 
 been sent aft to inform Kennedy of the fact. 
 
 '' I must leave you for a time, ray dear Somers," said 
 the rebel naval officer, in mocking tones. " When I have 
 captured your ship's prize, I will do myself the honor to 
 meet you again." 
 " Thank you, sir." 
 
 Somers was glad to have him go, not only because 
 he disliked the man, after what had happened, but 
 
262 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 because he felt vexed at the idea of a rebel success, aud 
 lie was afraid he might betray his feelings. As sood as 
 Kennedy had gone forward, where the guns were placed, 
 the steamer " slowed down," aud cautiously approached 
 her expected victim. Somers was disturbed by the most 
 painful emotions ; for he felt that he was doomed to be a 
 spectator to one of the navy's reverses, which had been 
 so few aud far between, that our gallant tars have not 
 become at all accustomed to them, aud have not learned 
 to look upon them with anything like toleration. 
 
 Everybody was busy forward, now, either in watching 
 the progress of the exciting event, or in making prepara- 
 tions for it. Somers could catch an occasional glimpse 
 of the cotton steamer, just visible in the dense fog, as he 
 gazed eagerly through the vista of men, guns, and ma- 
 chinery which lay between him and the vessel. He could 
 now see that Kennedy's force were sailors, and that there 
 were as many as thirty of them. There seemed to be 
 no chance for the people of the Rosalie, in charge of 
 the schooner, to make a successful resistance, and with a 
 sinking heart Somers saw that the steamer was bearing 
 dow^n upon her prey, already — as the rebels viewed it — 
 within her grasp. 
 
 Suddenly, however, a change came over the spirit of 
 their dreams ; for, as the steamer advanced, the graceful 
 outline of the Rosalie was discovered, moored a short 
 distance from the cotton vessel. This was more than 
 
THE ADVEXTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 2G3 
 
 they hud bargained for, and more than they were pre- 
 pared to meet ; and the rebels were at once lllled with 
 cbusternatlon. 
 
 '* Hard-a-port the helm ! " shouted Kennedy, with 
 energy. 
 
 " AVhat's tlie matter now ? " demanded Biggs. 
 
 "Don't you see that man-of-war?" said Kennedy, 
 nervously. 
 
 " Are you going off without giving or taking a shot? '* 
 added Biggs, in disgust. 
 
 But this valiant gentleman was not to be entirely dis- 
 appointed ; for, as the steamer swung round, the thunder 
 of the Rosalie's big gun broke on the quiet of the dark 
 morning, and the shot crushed through the upper works 
 of the boat. At the same moment, and while the pine 
 wood was still cracking around him, Somers found him- 
 self lying flat on the deck, with the stanchion still clino"- 
 iiig to him ; but he w^as quite certain that he had not 
 been killed. 
 
 The shot had struck the steamer just abaft the port 
 paddle-box, and passed diagonally throngli her upper 
 works. It had torn away a portion of the cabin floor, 
 striking the stanchion to which Somers had been fastened, 
 and as it had fallen, the prisoner went down with it. 
 When he had satisfied himself that he was not killed, or 
 even materially injured, the truth dawned upon him that 
 the Ilo>alie had moved up the bay. and was in position to 
 defend her prize. 
 
2G4 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 *' Hail, Columbia ! " shouted Somers, as the gratifying 
 fact became evident to his understanding. 
 
 As the rebels had received a shot, though they had not 
 given one, Mr. Biggs was probably sati.-^ried ; at any 
 rale, the crashing of pine boards prevented him from 
 making any further suggestions to the naval officer, and 
 he walked aft to ascertain the extent of the damage, 
 possibly in search of a safer place than the open deck 
 afforded. Th>B exclamation of his prisoner caught his 
 ear, and he saw that the stanchion had been sliot away. 
 From prudential or other motives he went forward again, 
 to call Wythe's attention to the matter, instead of exam- 
 ining into it himself. 
 
 Somers could not help thinking that the shot had been 
 a godsend to him, and he used his best endeavors to 
 shake off the stanchion, which still clung to him ; but, as 
 his feet, as well as his hands, were tied, he met wdth but 
 indifferent success. While he was wriggling and twist- 
 ing to disengage himself from his encumbrance, another 
 shot struck the steamer, and smashed through her upper 
 works. Unfortunately for him, the machinery of the 
 boat was not struck, and she still sped on her way from 
 her dangerous situation. 
 
 While the prisoner was still exercising his inventive 
 genius over the stanchion, Wythe came aft, and relieved 
 him from all further exertion by removing the broken 
 stanchion, and making him fast to another. The hope. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A XAVAL OFFICER. 265 
 
 which Somers had cherished, of escaping during the con- 
 fusion, Avas lost to him, and he submitted, with the best 
 gi'ace he could command, to whatever doom his foes had 
 in store for him. Shot after shot from the heavy gun of 
 the Rosalie followed the retreating steamer ; but as she 
 was now under the protecting mantle of the fog, she was 
 not hit again, and continued on her way np the sound. 
 This time she did not stop at the point of land where the 
 guns had been posted, but proceeded up one of the rivers, 
 where the shallow water would not permit the formidable 
 man-of-war to follow her. At a safe point, she was 
 moored to a tree on the bank. 
 
 While Somers was carefully watching the movements 
 of the steamer, "Wythe came aft, unloosed him, and con- 
 ducted him to the cabin above the main deck, where he 
 found Kennedy seated at a table. 
 23 
 
266 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 IN THE CABIN OF THE VIOLA, i 
 
 ENNEDY, disappointed by the failure of the 
 expedition down the bay, was morose and even 
 savage ; but he knew the humor of his prisoner 
 well enough to understand that any exhibition 
 of ill nature on his part would subject him to a storm of 
 taunts and sarcasms which were more unwholesome to 
 him than even the screaming of shells and the hissing of 
 cannon shot. There w^as on his face an expression of 
 triumph, as he glanced at Somers — an expression which 
 boded no good to the unfortunate young man. 
 
 " My dear Mr. Somers," Kennedy began, intent upon 
 making the captivity of his prisoner as bitter as possible, 
 " I am at liberty now to bestow further attention upon 
 you," 
 
 " Thank you," replied Somers, with a low bow. 
 " You are in my power now," added Kennedy, as his 
 compressed lips indicated an intention to use his ad- 
 vantage. 
 
 " I am ; and my hands are tied behind me, so that 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 2G7 
 
 you need not foar to say and do anything Avhicli your 
 amiable nature may suggest." 
 
 The lieutenant bit his lips, for he did not like the im- 
 putation on his courage which the remark conveyed. He 
 -was tempted to fly into a passion ; but he feared that his 
 prisoner would keep cool, and sting him with his tongue 
 beyond what he could endure. 
 
 ' " You are my prisoner, Mr. Somers," he repeated. 
 •' You have eluded my grasp several times before ; but I 
 have you sure, now." 
 
 " There can be no possible doubt of the fact, Mr. 
 Kennedy. I have no intention of denying or refuting 
 your position. I await your pleasure." 
 
 '' You carry a very bold face upon the matter. I 
 think you don't quite understand your situation," sneered 
 Kennedy. 
 
 " Perfectly." 
 
 " I think not. The circumstances under which you 
 were captured justify me in regarding you, not as a 
 prisoner of war, but as a spy." 
 
 " Anything you please, Mr. Kennedy," replied Som- 
 ers, with apparent indifference ; but it is useless to deny 
 that he was appalled at the announcement. 
 
 " The court-martial which I have summoned will 
 make all that plain to you." 
 
 " I am ready for anything that may come, while I am 
 in your power," said Somers. 
 
268 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 " Have you no favor to ask of an old friend?" 
 
 " None." 
 
 " I wish to save you, Mr. Somers, from the conse- 
 quences of your own folly." 
 
 " Then of course you will do so." 
 
 " I cannot do so without some acknowledgment on 
 your part." 
 
 "Of what?" 
 
 " Of the error of your ways." 
 
 " I am not conscious of any errors, such as you indi- 
 cate. I have done my duty to my country as well as I 
 could," replied Somers, firmly. 
 
 " That's all nonsense," said Kennedy, impatiently, 
 " We will not talk politics. You have upset all my 
 calculations several times." 
 
 " That was your fault, not mine. You should not 
 have engaged in such calculations." 
 
 " You need not give me any good advice. I don't 
 propose to hear it." 
 
 " I think it would be wasted if I did." 
 
 *' You have been a stumbling-block in my path since 
 the first time I saw you. You are aware that you have 
 crossed me in that wherein no man will brook any inter- 
 ference. Before I left Ne-vN^ort I found myself less wel- 
 come at the house of Commodore Portington than before 
 you went there." 
 
 " And I fancy that you will be still less welcome 
 
THE ADVEXTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 269 
 
 whenever you go there again," added Somers, very im- 
 pudently. 
 
 " Very likely. You own your guilt, and seem to 
 pride yourself in it." 
 
 " I own no guilt. I refer wholly to your treasonable 
 conduct. Miss Portington — for I will not aiFect to mis- 
 understand you, Mr. Kennedy — will never smile upon a 
 traitor to his country." 
 
 " You use hard terms, Mr. Somers, and wrong ones. 
 I am a native of Maryland. I go with the South ; and I 
 am as true to her as you are to the North. There is a 
 difference of opinion betAveen us ; and it would be wiser 
 and safer for you, sir, not to use hard words when milder 
 ones will suit the case better," replied Kennedy, his 
 brow darkening with anger. 
 
 " Miss Portington is also a native of Maryland ; but 
 she sticks to her colors." 
 
 " Simply because her father does ; but we will not 
 discuss that question, for it has nothing to do with either 
 of us at present. By some means, best known to your- 
 self, you caused Miss Portington to dislike me. Of 
 course you used your tongue to my prejudice." 
 
 " I never uttered a syllable to her in disparagement 
 of you or any other person," replied Somers, warmly. 
 '• On the contrary, I had a very high regard for you 
 until your treasonable practices opened my eyes ; and I 
 always expressed myself so to her, and to others. Since 
 23* 
 
270 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 that I have never spoken to her of you in any other 
 than respectful terms." 
 
 " Your apology is well dra-wn np," sneered Kennedy. 
 
 " I make no apology. I only wished to say that I 
 never presumed to look upon Miss Portington as any- 
 thing but a friend. I never made any pretensions in 
 that direction." 
 
 " Are you willing to promise me that you will never 
 see her again ? '* 
 
 " No ! " 
 
 " Consider your situation, Mr. Somers," said Kenne- 
 dy, in mocking tones. " You are in my power, charged 
 with being a spy." 
 
 " If you are afraid of me, in your Newport rela- 
 tions — " 
 
 *' Nothing of the sort," replied the lieutenant, proudly. 
 " I wish you to confess for your own sake, not mine." 
 
 " I sliall not do it, either for your sake or mine. All 
 I have to say about Miss Portington is, that you have 
 ruined all your hopes with her, if you ever had any. 
 The Snowden affair was quite enough to satisfy her, I 
 presume." 
 
 " By the way, Mr. Somers, you managed that affair 
 very well." 
 
 " I didn't manage it at all. It managed itself." 
 
 " You put Coles in the fort, and brought poor Tubbs 
 to irrief." 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 271 
 
 *' My agency in those affairs was very small. Mr. 
 Tubbs exposed himself." 
 
 " Exactly so ; Mr. Tubbs -was a fool, and that is the 
 reason -svhy I employed him. Coles was no fool, and 
 you used him up, and finally you brought me to the 
 ring." 
 
 Somers tried to fathom the purpose of his inquisitor. 
 It was evident that he had some object to gain, for he 
 could not be making all these mortifying acknowledg- 
 ments for nothing. 
 
 " Nothing of this kind could have happened, if you 
 and your friends had not been engaged in a bad specula- 
 tion," replied Somers. 
 
 " More good advice. I suppose you think that those 
 who do their duty, as you understand it, never come to 
 grief," sneered Kennedy. 
 
 " The fact that I am here now shows that I don't 
 believe any such thing. Misfortunes overtake all men ; 
 but those who are faithful to duty have the courage to 
 endure them." 
 
 " That's a pious thought. I suppose you think you 
 have the courage to endure whatever comes of this 
 affair." 
 
 " I trust in God, and intend to do my duty. If it is 
 his will that I should suffer, I will be as firm as I can.'* 
 
 '' We shall see about that pretty soon, for the rope by 
 which you will hang is waiting you now." 
 
272 THE YAXKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 " Hang ! " exclaimed Somers, startled by the word. 
 
 " Certainly ; that is what you will come to within a 
 few hours, unless you are less haughty than you have 
 been yet," replied Kennedy. 
 
 "Do you hang your prisoners?" demanded Somers, 
 — a cold chill creeping through his vefns as he consid- 
 ered how probable such a fate was in the hands of so 
 inveterate a foe. 
 
 " Spies are hung on both sides, as you arc aware. In 
 few "words, Mr. Somers, you have been in my camp, and 
 on board my steamer, listening to all we said, counting 
 our guns and men, and doing us what mischief you could 
 while in our midst. This morning you uutoggled the 
 tiller chains of the Viola, and prevented me from cap- 
 turing the schooner. This I call being a spy ; for you 
 conducted all your operations within my lines." 
 
 " But I was captured by one of your men — by Mr. 
 Biggs," replied Somers, discouraged by the appalling 
 array of facts which his persecutor alleged against him ; 
 not that they would, before any fair tribunal, convict 
 him as a spy, but because ho knew that his enemy w^as 
 malicious enough to draw any conclusion from these facts. 
 
 " I grant it." 
 
 " Mr. Biggs left me for dead in the dug-out." 
 
 " But you were not dead ; and instead of making your 
 escape, as you could have done, you went on board of 
 the steamer ; you went iulu your enemy's premises. If 
 
THE ADVENTUIiES OF, A NAVAL OFFICER. 273 
 
 you had escaped when it was in your power, and then 
 been recaptured, you could not have beeu held as a spy." 
 
 Somers was forced to acknowledge that there was an 
 appearance of justice in the conclusion of Kennedy, and 
 he already felt the rope of the hangman pressing against 
 his neck. If his implacable foe wanted to hang him, 
 there was no difficulty in procuring the charge, and the 
 testimony upon which the deed could be perpetrated. 
 
 " You understand the matter, I perceive, Mr. Somers," 
 said Kennedy, when the prisoner relapsed into silence, 
 and contemplated the disgraceful death to Avhicli he had 
 already been doomed, in advance of a coiirt-martial's 
 decision. 
 
 " I do, sir," replied Somers, in a sad and subdued 
 tone ; " if you choose to hang me, you can do so. I 
 have no power to prevent it." 
 
 " You will perceive that your conduct justly entitles 
 us to regard you as a spy ; and as my operations here 
 permit of no delay, I have summoned a court-martial 
 to sit upon your case forthwith." 
 
 *' Then you are determined to sacrifice me ? " 
 
 " On the contrary, I desire to save you." 
 
 " Mr. Kennedy, if you have any proposition to make 
 to me, I beg you to make it at once," said Somers, dis- 
 gusted with the conduct of the inquisitor. " I will not 
 deny that I don't wish to be hung." 
 
 " You are beginning to be quite sensible, Mr. Somers. 
 
274 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 I have no proposition to make. If you have any, I am 
 willing to hear it." 
 
 Kennedy was too proud to offer terras ; they must be 
 proposed by Somers. Our middy was perplexed. Life 
 was sweet to him, and he was completely in the power 
 of the villain, who had plainly announced his intention 
 to hang him as a spy, without even consulting his supe- 
 rior. It was possible that Kennedy was only trying to 
 frighten him into something — what, he did not know; 
 but he determined to find out, if he could. 
 
 " Shall I pledge myself never to see Miss Portington 
 again ? " asked he. 
 
 " Yes ; that would be a decent reparation for the 
 wrong you have done me," replied Kennedy, with appar- 
 ent indifference. 
 
 " Shall I beg your pardon for causing the capture of 
 the Snowden and the Tlieban, and for bringing Mr. Coles 
 and Mr. Tubbs to justice ? " 
 
 " That would do no good ; you can do better than 
 that," added Kennedy, with a smile, as though he had at 
 last come to a result. 
 
 '' What can I do ? " 
 
 " You can inform me where you obtained your infor- 
 mation in regard to the Snowden." 
 
 " Truly, I can inform you," answered Somers, musing. 
 
 " Very good, Mr. Somers ; if you agree to these two 
 things — " 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 275 
 
 " Wliat two things ? " 
 
 " Never to see Miss Portington again, and to tell me 
 where you obtained your information in regard to the 
 Snowden and tljie other vessel. If you will agree to 
 these two things, I will promise to use my utmost en- 
 deavors to save your life." 
 
 " I will consider the matter," replied Soraers, thought- 
 fully. " I see no objection to telling you where I got my 
 information. It can harm no one now." 
 
 " I wish to know who the traitor was that betrayed 
 me ; thus shifting the responsibility from you to him." 
 
 " You will not have to go a great way to find him." 
 
 "Who was he?" 
 
 " It was you, yourself." 
 
 " Are you trifling with me?" said Kennedy, sternly. 
 
 " I speak the truth. How long will you give me to 
 consider the terms ? " asked Somers. 
 
 " While I eat my breakfast." 
 
 *' What will be done with me in case I accept the 
 terms ? " 
 
 " Your life will be spared, and you will be sent to 
 Savannah as a prisoner of war." 
 
 " I will think of it." 
 
 " Take your prisoner down to the main deck again," 
 added Kennedy, after he had called in Wythe, who had 
 been sent out of the cabin at the beginning of the inter- 
 view. 
 
276 THE YAXKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 Somers had already decided not to accept the degrad- 
 ing and humiliating terms ; at least not till the sham 
 court-martial had convicted him. He had never made 
 any pretensions in respect to Kate PoWington ; but the 
 idea of being pledged never to see her again was so 
 repulsive that lie could not entertain the thought. He 
 had no right to do so, he felt ; for even if he did not 
 wish to see her, she might wish to see him ; and if such 
 a baro-ain was to be made, she ought to be a party to it. 
 
 We are disposed to believe that Somers intended to 
 decline the arrangement because he did not think Phil 
 Kennedy would dare to execute his infernal threat — be- 
 cause he thought the whole thing was a plot to humbug 
 and deceive him. 
 
 While he was still considering the matter, Wythe 
 came for him again. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 277 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 THE COURT-MARTIAL AND ITS SENTENCE. 
 
 » 
 
 (^C^^ ELL, Mr. Somers, what is your decision?" 
 asked Kennedy, as he was again ushered 
 into the cabin. ^' Have you concluded to 
 accept the terms ? " 
 
 *' I have concluded not to accept them," replied Som- 
 ers, firmly. 
 
 Kennedy looked disconcerted and angry. It was some 
 time before he spoke. 
 
 " Why so ? " he demanded. " I thought you had con- 
 cluded to do so before we parted." 
 
 " No, sir." 
 
 " You saw no objection to informing me where you 
 obtained your information." 
 
 " I see none now." 
 
 *' Then the other point is the one to which you ob- 
 ject?" 
 
 " It is." 
 
 " You say you have no pretensions." 
 
 " None, Mr. Kennedy ; but if ever I am near Miss 
 24 
 
278 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 Portington again, I want the right to caution her against 
 one -who would make her the victim of a heartless specu- 
 lation." 
 
 Undoubtedly this declaration was a very impudent 
 one ; and if Mr. Kennedy had not before made up his 
 mind to hang his victim, this would have been sufficient 
 to induce him to carry out his barbarous threat. Somers 
 did not believe that his captors, in the face of public 
 sentiment and the recognized laws of war, would have 
 the hardihood to perpetrate such an atrocious crime. It 
 must be confessed, in the light of previous and subse- 
 quent revelations, that he failed to understand and appre- 
 ciate the diabolical spirit of the rebellion. 
 
 Kennedy's stock of patience was exhausted, and he 
 could no longer express himself in the assumed tones of 
 politeness which he had before labored to use. He was 
 angry and morose ; and the dark scowl on his brow was 
 a witness of the darker purpose which brooded in his soul. 
 
 " Mr. Somers, you beard the lion in his den. I will 
 w^aste no more words upon you," replied he, furiously ; 
 and he sent the servants to summon certain officers 
 whom he named. 
 
 " I think it my duty to say exactly what I mean," 
 replied Somers. 
 
 • The officers who had been sent for presently appeared. 
 The number included Biggs and the captain of the 
 steamer, neither of whom was competent to sit on a 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFTCEli. 279 
 
 court-martial. Two naval officers, apparently masters or 
 midshipmen, completed the quorum, and tlie trial pro- 
 ceeded at once. The charges were written out in due 
 form, and there was an appearance of fairness used, 
 though the whole proceeding was simply a pretext to 
 sacrifice the life of the prisoner. Fifteen minutes com- 
 pleted the business of the session ; and Somers, after a 
 consultation of fifteen minutes more, was sentenced to be 
 hung as a spy forthwith. 
 
 By this time the prisoner had come to a painful real- 
 ization of the fiict that his enemies were in earnest. He 
 was doomed to an ignominious death, and the sentence 
 was to be immediately executed. He was taken to the 
 main deck again by Wythe, wdio acted as master-at- 
 arms. Over the hatchway a cord had been suspended 
 from a deck beam above, and a board placed over the 
 aperture, on which the culprit was to stand. 
 
 Somers saw these preparations, and the blood seemed 
 to be frozen in his veins. He felt that he was about to 
 die — that he was on the threshold of eternity. It was a 
 solemn and awful thought, though he had often contem- 
 plated the possibility, and even the probability, on the 
 eve of battle, of passing away from the scenes of earth. 
 But now, it w^as more real than ever before ; for there, 
 before him, was the rope, and there the drop from which 
 he was to be ushered into the world beyond the grave. 
 " Are you all ready, Wythe?" demanded Kennedy. 
 
280 THE YAXKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 " All ready, sir," replied the ma?ter-at-arms. 
 
 " Then bring forward your prirfouer." 
 
 Somers was conducted to the hatchway. He was con- 
 scious that he was still a living being — that his brain was 
 still active ; but his body seemed to be detached from the 
 thinking and feeling part of him. Everything looked 
 misty and confused to him. 
 
 " Adjust the rope," said Kennedy, mechanically, for 
 he seemed to be hardly less moved than his'victim. 
 
 The command was obeyed ; but even l\"ytlie's hand 
 trembled as he placed the knot under the ear of the 
 prisoner. Everything contributed to assure Somers that 
 the rebels were in earnest — that it was no farce in which 
 they were engaged. Even his executioner trembled, 
 which would not have been the case if he had been 
 engaged in an attempt to deceive him. There was no 
 hope, and Somers breathed his silent prayer to God in 
 that a^vful hour that his sins might be forgiven ; that the 
 loved ones at home might be happy Avhen he was gone ; 
 and that his death might not be in vain, but be an accept- 
 a|;)le sacrifice to the holy cause to which he had devoted 
 himself. 
 
 His prayer gave him hope and strength ; his body and 
 his brain seemed to be reunited ; and he looked his mur- 
 derers full in the face. He was determined to die like a 
 man and a Christian, and to permit his enemies to derive 
 no strength from his -weakness. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 281 
 
 "Are you ready, Mr. Somers?" asked Kennedy, in 
 tones so full of emotion as to betray his terror to Lis 
 companions. 
 
 ••' I am," replied Somers, calmly and gently as one 
 who can almost see the glories of the invisible world. 
 
 " Have you nothing to say?" 
 
 " Nothing." 
 
 " No message to leave?" 
 
 " None that I can intrust to you. You would defile it." 
 
 " Proceed, Wythe ! " said Kennedy, fiercely ; for the 
 words of the victim roused anew the hatred which the 
 solemn event had for the momeflt softened. 
 
 Somers was led out upon the board over the hatch- 
 way, which was so placed that it could be easily slipped, 
 and thus precipitate the prisoner into the hold. 
 
 " If you ever say prayers, say them now, for you 
 have but a moment left," said Kennedy, in sneering 
 tones. 
 
 Somers prayed as he had never prayed before, for God 
 was nearer to him, and he was speaking in the presence 
 of the Infinite. 
 
 " Again I ask you, Mr. Somers, if you have anything 
 to say, or any message to leave. If you can speak 
 without insulting me, I assure you your last request 
 shall be fulfilled," said Kennedy, again mollified by the 
 awful circumstances of the hour. 
 
 " I thank you, Mr. Kennedy, and I forgive you for 
 24* 
 
282 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 the murder which you are committing. If you ever 
 meet any friend of mine, say that I died like a Chris- 
 tain," replied Somers. 
 
 " Do you still adhere to your determination — " 
 
 As Kennedy reached this point in the sentence, a 
 twenty-four pound shot struck in the upper Avorks of the 
 steamer, making teip-ible havoc among boards and beams, 
 and sending confusion into the midst of the group that 
 gathered around the victim of the intended murder. 
 The cabin floor above them was torn away for the space 
 of ten feet, and the wreck dropped down upon the heads 
 of the men, who were completely absorbed in the barba- 
 rous scene w^hich was transpiring there. 
 
 The first shot was followed by a second, whose effects 
 were hardly less destructive. The beam to which the 
 hangman's cord had been attached was shivered, but it 
 still hung in its place, and Somers's situation was not 
 improved by the event. The shots produced a panic 
 among the rebels, and all eyes were turned from the 
 prisoner in the direction from which the shots had come. 
 Right over the bow of the steamer they saw two of the 
 Rosalie's boats, each of which had a howitzer mounted 
 in the fore-sheets. 
 
 " Give way, my lads ! " shouted Mr, Jackson, who 
 was in command of the expedition. " Lay 'em aboard ! " 
 
 The cutters' crews bent on their oars, and the boats 
 Struck the bow of the rebel craft at the same instant. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER, 283 
 
 Tom Long^tone was in the bow of one, and in spite of 
 his years, he leaped on the deck like a cat, followed hj 
 the boarding party. The other boat poured her men 
 upon the deck at the same instant. 
 
 The rebels, who had been so intent upon the barbarous 
 spectacle at the hatchway that they had neglected to keep 
 a lookout on the bow and stern, weije completely para- 
 lyzed by tlie suddenness of the onslaught. As the crews 
 of the boats boarded the steamer over the bow, they fled 
 to the stern, and leaped into the water, or made their 
 ^vay to the shore as best they could, leaving the assailants 
 in complete possession of the steamer. 
 
 The attention of the rebels ha^ been instantly with- 
 drawn from Somers when the first shot struck the 
 steamer. They had not a thought for him now ; and, as 
 the men from the boats leaped up, they fled as though 
 the avenging angel were already at their heels. Their 
 guilty consciences gave wings to their flight, and there 
 was no chance for the boarders to strike a single blow. 
 
 Tom Longstone was the first man to put his feet on 
 the deck of the Viola. As he rushed forward, he dis- 
 covered Somers, still standing on the board over the 
 hatchway. He recognized him at a glance, and saw the 
 rope extending from his neck to the broken beam above. 
 '' My blessed ! " exclaimed he, in trembling tones, as 
 he sprang out upon the board, and grasping the cord in 
 one hand, he severed it with his cutlass. 
 
284 THE TAXKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 Throwing the weapon on the deck, lie placed his 
 brawny arms around the middy, and raising him as 
 though he had been a baby, he bore him over the bend- 
 ing board to the firm planking of the main deck. 
 
 " My blessed boy ! " exclaimed he, bursting into tears, 
 as he pressed him to his beating heart. " What have 
 they been doing to you ? " 
 
 Tom Longstone stammered out the words, and then 
 sobbed like a child. He was completely overcome, and 
 for a moment he gave vent to emotions which were too 
 strong for utterance. 
 
 " Thank you, Tom," said Somers, in a gentle tone, 
 hardly above a whispet* ; and the tears coursed down his 
 6heeks almost as freely as donni the weather-stained face 
 of the boatswain. 
 
 The officers and crew stood in silence, but with hearts 
 swelling with emotion, while Tom held his young friend. 
 There was no enemy for them to strike, and they were 
 chained to the spot by the affecting scene. 
 
 " The — the — infernal — villains ! " gasped Tom, 
 struggling with his feelings, which would hardly permit 
 him to utter a word. 
 
 " Be calm, Tom ; I am safe now," said Somers, in the 
 soft tones of one who had just come from the embrace of 
 death, and whose soul had been sanctified by his com- 
 munion with his God, and with the gi'eat destroyer 
 of man. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 285 
 
 *'Caliu? Would the cutthroats hang you?" roared 
 Tom, as he detached himself from the embrace of the 
 middy, and seizing his cutlass, brandished it with a des- 
 peration which fired the souls of the crew. 
 
 They shouted in unison with him, breathing vengeance 
 upon the wretches who had meditated so heinous a crime. 
 The officers came forward and grasped the hand of 
 Somers. They congratulated him on his miraculous 
 escape ; but their words were few, for their mission was 
 not yet accomplished. Mr. Jackson gave his orders in 
 a spirited tone, and the men dashed on shore in pur- 
 suit of the flying foe. 
 
 A few of them w^ere captured, but only a few, for the 
 rebels had every advantage over their pursuers. They 
 knew the country, and they had a choice of the paths, 
 which, in that swampy region, was equivalent to a vic- 
 tory. Unfortunately, none of the officers were taken. It 
 was well for them that they w^ere not, for their lives 
 would have paid the penalty of their barbarous conduct, 
 and it was difficult for the officers to prevent the men 
 from wreaking their vengeance upon the few who did fall 
 into their hands. 
 
 The expedition, which had thus fortunately saved the 
 life of Somers, had been organized as soon as the Viola 
 turned her bow up the sound. It had gone up Tea-kettle 
 Creek, choosing this course because the battery hadjbeen 
 planted at the mouth of it, apparently to defend its- 
 
286 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 waters from an approach in that direction. From the 
 creek they had heard the noise of escaping steam, which 
 guided them to their prey. By a cut-off they had reached 
 Mud River, above the Viohi. The dense fog protected 
 them from discovery, and as soon as the boats came 
 within sight of the steamer, Mr. Jackson gave the order 
 for each to fire a single shot, and then board, in the con- 
 fusion which a couple of twenty-four pound balls would 
 be likely to create. 
 
 The Viola was not a valuable prize, for there was 
 little on board of her except the two howitzers and the 
 ammunition. Upon examination it was found that the 
 second shot had passed through one of her wheels, and 
 twisted it so that it could not be made to turn. Under 
 these circumstances the two guns were transferred to the 
 boats, and she was set on fire. 
 
 At meridian the boats reached the Rosalie, and Mr. 
 Somers reported himself to the executive officer. 
 
THE ADVE^iTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 287 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI 
 
 THE REBEL COTTON-CLAD. 
 
 OMERS was received on board the Rosalie as 
 one who had come from the jaws of death. He 
 told his story, which was listened to with breath- 
 less eagerness ; for the perils through which he had 
 passed won for him an attentive audience. He was 
 highly commended for his fidelity in attempting to stop 
 the steamer, and in obtaining information which would 
 be valuable to the loyal cause. 
 
 " You probably saved the cotton schooner from being 
 recaptured, Mr. Somers," said the captain, when he 
 had finished his story ; "if you had not dehiyed the 
 steamer, the Rosalie would not have been near the prize." 
 
 " I am very glad, theu, that I did not work for noth- 
 ing," replied Somers. " I wanted to do something, and 
 if 1 failed it was not because I did not try." 
 
 " You have done exceedingly well, Mr. Somers ; and 
 in my report of this affair, I shall take pleasure in men- 
 tioning your name." 
 
 " Thank you, sir," added Somers, touching his cap. 
 
288 TUE YANKEE MILDY, OR 
 
 At the close of the iDterview, Somers went down to 
 the steerage, and being alone, thought over the events of 
 the morning. He had been nearer to death's embrace 
 than ever before ; and, from the depths of his grateful 
 heart, he poured forth his thanksgiving to Him who had 
 saved his life in that trying hour. 
 
 He could not help feeling that he had done something 
 worth telling to Kate, and he wrote quite a long letter, 
 detailing the events we have narrated ; but he deemed it 
 best to suppress the name of Phil Kennedy. She must 
 some time know that he was little better than a fiend — 
 that he was a rebel of the darkest dye ; but he preferred 
 that some other person than himself should give her the 
 information. In the letter he confined himself strictly to 
 the events which had occurred during the Rosalie's stay 
 at Doboy Sound, and hardly introduced a personal allusion. 
 
 In the afternoon the fog cleared off, and the Rosalie 
 went down to her former anchorage. Thompson was 
 sent up to Port Royal as prize-master of the captured 
 schooner, taking with him the prisoners and the mail. 
 For a M'eek the oflScers and crew were doomed to another 
 quiet time. If there were any more schooners up the 
 sound, as the counterfeit contraband had declared, they 
 did not deem it safe to come out ; for the Rosalie had 
 proved herself to be a faithful sentinel at the mouth of 
 the inlet. 
 
 Mr. Phil Kennedy had not yet done " a big thing" for 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 289 
 
 llie Southern Confederacy in helping along the cotton 
 loan ; nor had he yet secured a suitable vessel in which to 
 make a cruise at sea. This seemed to be a favorite aspi- 
 ration with him, and Somers had already reported to the 
 captain his intention to capture the Rosalie, and make 
 her the bearer of his fortunes on the broad ocean. 
 
 Shortly after the departure of Thompson in the cotton 
 schooner, a supply steamer came on the station, and with 
 other good things, left a mail and a quantity of news- 
 papers. Somers had several letters from home ; and 
 while he was below, reading the news from Pinchbrook, 
 which included the promotion and furlough of his brother 
 Tom, the captain sent for him. 
 
 " Mr. Somers, the mystery is solved," said Captain 
 Waldron. 
 
 ''What mystery, sir?" asked Somers, somewhat sur- 
 prised at the announcement. 
 
 "In regard to Mr. Phil Kennedy. The newspapers 
 give us full particulars. It seems that General Porting- 
 ton died of the illness we heard of, and Kennedy was 
 paroled to allow him to attend the funeral of liis foster- 
 father. He did attend it, but instead of returning to 
 New York, he went south." 
 
 " He is bad enough to do that, though he pretends to 
 be a gentleman, and to value his honor as the apple of 
 his eye," added Somers. " But it is rather singular that 
 he should turn up just where v.e happen to be." 
 25 
 
290 THE YASKLE MIDDY, OR 
 
 " Not very singular. The sending of a bloekadcr here 
 created the necessity for some action on the part of the 
 rebels, and Kennedy, happening to report about the time 
 we came, was sent here ; but he hasn't done them much 
 good," laughed the captain. 
 
 "He means to capture this vessel. Perhaps that is 
 Avhat he is down here for." 
 
 " Perhaps it is ; but if he keeps on as he has begun, 
 he will not get her very soon. He has lost two vessels 
 now, instead of capturing one." 
 
 " I think he intends to make the attempt." 
 
 " I hope he will ; and the sooner the better," replied 
 the captain, confidently. 
 
 " Did you see anything in the papers about General 
 Portiugton's will, sir ? " 
 
 '' Not a word ; but I presume Kennedy has been neg- 
 lected ; for if half the fortune had been left to him, he 
 would hardly have gone south — at least not before he 
 had come into possession of his inheritance.** 
 
 Somers returned to the mess-room to finish the read- 
 ing of his letters, and to muse upon what the captain had 
 told him. Mr. Phil Kennedy certainly did not improve 
 on further acquaintance ; and, for his own part, he desired 
 nothinn^ better than to forget him. Events were not cal- 
 culated to enable him to do this ; for that very night, our 
 middy and the only personal enemy he had in the world 
 were doomed to meet again, face to face, on the deck of 
 the Rosalie. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 2'Jl 
 
 It was early in the evening ; eight bells had just 
 struck, and the first watch piped on deck, wlieu the look- 
 out reported a steamer, apparently loaded with cotton, 
 approaching the schooner. She Avas at least double the 
 size of the Viola, which had been burned, and as she 
 was a river steamer, it could not be supposed that she 
 intended to go to sea. 
 
 The Rosalie immediately beat to quarters, and the 
 captain leaped into the fore-rigging to examine the ap- 
 proaching monster ; for such she was, with the cotton 
 bales piled up to her hurricane deck. There were no 
 guns to be seen, nor any men, for that matter, as even 
 the wheel-house was encased in bales of cotton. 
 
 Captain Waldron looked very anxious when he came 
 down from the fore-rigging, for the steamer was no 
 blockade-runner, and the sad experience of our vessels 
 in Galveston Bay was a sufficient warning to him, 
 as well as an explanation of the character of the 
 approaching steamer. 
 
 " She is a cotton-clad," said he to the first lieutenant. 
 *' She has come down to capture our vessel." 
 
 " So I perceive," replied Mr. Layard. 
 
 "Open upon her with the rifled gun," added the 
 captain. " Aim low, and knock a hole in her hull if 
 you can." 
 
 The fire was instantly opened from the pivot gun amid- 
 ships ; but the present contingency seemed to have been 
 
202 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 provided for by the rebels, for the shot appeared to have 
 no serious effect upon her. The cotton monster con- 
 tinued on her course apparently unharmed, headed di- 
 rectly towards the Rosalie. There were still no signs of 
 any guns. 
 
 " Your friend, Phil Kennedy, has come at last," said 
 the captain, as Somers passed him in the discharge of 
 his duty. 
 
 " Yes, sir. I suppose he is on board that craft," re- 
 plied Somers. 
 
 The captain watched the cotton-clad with an anxiety 
 which he could not wholly conceal, especially after the 
 pivot gun had been discharged several times without 
 arresting her course. There was hardly a breath of wind, 
 or he would have slipped his moorings, which would 
 have enabled him to make choice of his own position, 
 even if he could not run away from the dangerous craft. 
 The Rosalie had kept a spring on her cable, while at 
 anchor, to enable her to swing round, if necessary, so as 
 to bring her broadside guns to bear on any passing vessel. 
 
 By the aid of this device, she was able to work two 
 broadside guns as well as the pivot. But all her efforts 
 w^ith shot and shell were failures, and the monster was 
 within speaking distance of the Rosalie, now apparently 
 doomed to certain capture. The cotton-clad came up, 
 bow on, and stopped her wheels at the distance of thirty 
 or forty fathoms from her intended victim. If she was 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER, 293 
 
 provided witli guns, the present was the time to use them ; 
 but she was still as silent as though she were on a peace- 
 ful errand. 
 
 " Pipe below, Mr. Layard ! " said the captain, sud- 
 denly. " All hands below ! " 
 
 This remarkable order was promptly executed, and 
 even the officers were ordered down upon the berth deck. 
 
 " There is only one way to fight that fellow," said 
 Captain Waldron* 
 
 A volley of least a hundred muskets presently ex- 
 plained the wisdom of the captain's order, and proved 
 that he had rightly comprehended the tactics of the 
 enemy. The balls were heard rattling on the deck above, 
 but not a man was injured. The captain's precaution 
 had saved a fearful havoc among his officers and men. 
 The volley was repeated several times, but there was 
 not a soul on the deck of the Rosalie to be injured by 
 the fire. 
 
 By this time the rebels probably concluded that they 
 had killed half the crew of the schooner, and her' wheels 
 were started again. 
 
 " Stand by your cutlasses, my lads," said the captain. 
 " They are going to board us." 
 
 " Ay, ay, sir ! " responded the ready tars. 
 
 The cotton-clad came up with her head on the port 
 bow of thQ Rosalie. No doubt the rebels were surprised, 
 when they came near enough to overlook the deck, to fiud 
 25* 
 
294 THE YAXKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 it deserted. Probably they were filled with exultation 
 when they realized the fact, for they began to pour in like 
 bees over the bow of the schooner. 
 
 " Repel boarders ! " shouted the captain ; and all hands 
 sprang to the deck, and rushed upon the over-confident 
 assailants. 
 
 *' Down with them," shouted Somers, always among 
 the foremost in such a scene. 
 
 No formidable resistance had been expected by the 
 rebels, and Mr. Phil Kennedy was in the front rank of 
 the boarding party. Somers saw him, and rushed at him 
 with his cutlass. Kennedy discharged a pistol at him, but 
 it failed, and he stood his ground with the sword for a 
 moment, when, finding his impetuous foe was too much 
 for him, he retreated. His example was followed by the 
 rest of the rebels, though most of them had fought with 
 skill and energy. 
 
 " Lay 'em aboard ! " shouted the intrepid Mr. Lay- 
 ard, as he pressed the retreating rebels on board the 
 cotton-clad. 
 
 " Ay, ay, sir ! " roared the excited seamen, as they 
 followed close upon tlie heels of their brave lieutenant. 
 
 But the rebels had all retired from the deck of the 
 Rosalie, and the riflemen behind the cotton bales poured 
 a volley into the daring sailors who were driving the 
 boarders back. Mr. Layard fell, and the captain ordered 
 the men back. They obeyed, bearing the wounded oflicer 
 
Ou the Deck of the Kosahe. I'aj,'e 21)4, 
 
THE ADVEXTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 295 
 
 with them. He was conveyed to his state-room, and 
 breathed his last before the surgeon could find his wound. 
 
 The plan of the rebels was evidently a safe one, for 
 they intended to remain behind their cotton bales, and 
 shoot down every man who showed himself above the 
 deck. Already half a dozen of the Rosalie's crew were 
 killed or wounded. They had retired to the berth 
 deck again, and the rebels had learned by experience 
 that it was not prudent to board her. Behind the cot- 
 ton, where no harm could reach them, they continued to 
 fire into the hatch of the schooner ; but the men had been 
 so placed that no more of them suffered from the fire. 
 
 The cotton-clad still hugged the Rosalie, turning her 
 wheels just enough to keep her in position. It looked 
 like a " dead lock," and each party was impatiently 
 waiting for the other to make the next move. If the 
 schooner's people would only appear on deck, the rebels 
 could shoot them down without exposing themselves to 
 harm. If the steamer's people would only board, the 
 brave tars of the Rosalie felt able to whip them, in what- 
 ever numbers they might appear, for then the riflemen 
 could not fire without killing their own men. 
 
 The cotton-clad had at least double the number of men 
 belonging to the !^osalie ; and Kennedy, who command- 
 ed her, perhaps ashamed of his own timidity, ordered 
 another assault. The boarding party was permitted to 
 advance as far as the main hatch, when a dozen men 
 
296 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 rushed up the compauion-way from the ward-room, and 
 discharged the two swivels, which had been loaded with 
 grape during the first onslaught. 
 
 The remainder of the men followed, and with stunning 
 cheers rushed on the rebels, who had been terribly cut 
 up by the grape from the swivels. They broke and fled 
 to the shelter of the cotton bales again, wliile the captain 
 instantly ordered his crew below, beA rs auotJier volley 
 from the riflemen should be delivered. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 297 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 AN ENTERPRISE WHICH ENDS IN AN EXPLOSION. 
 
 C 
 
 'he situation of the Rosalie, if not absolutely 
 alarming, was calculated to excite a reasonable 
 doubt in the minds of her officers in regard to 
 the final result. It was in the highest degree galling to 
 a man of Captain Waldron's temperament to be driven 
 below, and be held in abeyance there, by his powerful 
 enemy ; but the safety of his officers and crew, and conse- 
 quently of his vessel, depended on his prudence as well 
 as his bravery. 
 
 For two hours the two vessels remained in the same 
 relative positions, each waiting for the other to make the 
 next move. In the mean time a breeze, from the south- 
 east had sprung up ; but the Rosalie's crew, confined be- 
 low, were unable to take advantage of it. If Captain 
 Waldron was impatient under the perilous circumstances 
 which surrounded him, the enemy were even more so ; 
 for they had come down the bay with the confident assur- 
 ance of a speedy victory. Behind the cotton bales they 
 could shoot down evej:y man who offered any resistance, 
 
298. THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 and in a short time compel the vessel to surrender. If 
 Captain Waldron had insisted on fighting his ship accord- 
 ing to the traditions of the navy, Mr. Phil Kennedy's 
 calculations would have been correct, and he might 
 have gone to sea in the Rosalie without any provoking 
 delay. 
 
 Two hours were a long time to wait in the presence of 
 death or capture ; and when Captain Waldron heard the 
 fresh breeze piping merrily through the rigging of his 
 vessel, he chafed still more under the restraint which 
 prudence imposed upon him ; but there appeared to be 
 no hope- of immediate relief, unless the wind increased to 
 a gale, and thus rendered the unwieldy cotton-clad un- 
 manageable. It was quite certain that the wind was 
 increasing in force, but it might be hours before it 
 amounted to a gale. 
 
 The wind, though it did not blow hard enough to 
 endanger the cotton-clad, now produced a change in the 
 position of the vessels. The monster lying athwart the 
 channel was no longer able to keep her head up to the 
 bow of the Rosahe, for the vast pile of cotton exposed 
 an immense surface to be acted upon by the freshening 
 breeze, and she was compelled to retire for a time, in 
 order to bring her bows up to the wind. Her movement 
 was instantly perceived on board the Rosalie. 
 ^'' Pipe all hands on deck, Mr. Jackson," said the cap- 
 tain, promptly, when the cotton-clad had retreated a 
 
THE AD-i^NTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 299 
 
 short distauce. " Slip the cable, and make sail in- 
 stantly." 
 
 The acting first lieutenant obeyed the order ; and the 
 ofRcers and crew, animated by a new hope, performed 
 their duty with even more than usual alacrity. Before 
 the steamer could assume her intended position, the Ro- 
 salie, close-hauled, was standing across the sound. The 
 crew were beat to quarters, and she opened on the enemy 
 again with everything that could be brought to bear, yet 
 without any visible effect upon her mailed opponent. 
 
 " Ready, about ! " shouted the first lieutenant, when 
 she had gone as far as it was safe to go on the " short 
 leg " of the tack. 
 
 Round came the schooner ; but pressing forward with 
 all her speed, the steamer immediately intercepted her, 
 and poured a murderous volley upon her decks. Among 
 those who fell was Mr. Brown, the sailing-master, now 
 acting as third lieutenant. He was borne to his cabin, 
 and the Rosalie sped on her way, out of gun-shot reach 
 of the steamer. But on the long tack she ran a few 
 fathoms too far, and, as if to crown the misfortunes of 
 the night, she struck on the Chimney Spit, and was hard 
 and fast aground. 
 
 This unhappy event promised to be fatal to the poor 
 Rosalie, and the men looked aghast at each other. But 
 the captain did not lose his presence of mind. The 
 cotton-clad was standing on her course down the bay to 
 
300 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 intercept the schooner as she came up on the long tack. 
 The useless sails were now furled, and nothing but the 
 steadiness of the officers saved the men from despond- 
 ency. As long as the leaders are firm, and have a voice, 
 the seamen will never give up the ship. 
 
 The captain and his remaining officers could not con- 
 ceal from themselves, if they could from the men, the 
 fact that the situation of the ship was utterly desperate. 
 Mr. Layard was dead, Mr. Brown was severely wound- 
 ed, and ten of the crew had been killed or disabled. 
 The cotton-clad would soon be down upon the disabled 
 schooner, and her capture, so far as human wisdom 
 could discern the future, was only a question of a few- 
 hours, more or less. 
 
 Under these desperate circumstances, therefore, the 
 captain summoned a council of the officers. They met 
 in hurried conference on the quarter-deck ; but as fate 
 seemed already to have fastened its seal on the ship, 
 there was little that could be said. Mr. Jackson pro- 
 posed to board the steamer, as a last resort ; Mr. Greene 
 was in favor of taking shelter below, and repelling any 
 attack, hoping for a change in the circumstances. 
 
 " What do you say, Mr. Somers ? '* said the captain 
 to our middy, who was now, by virtue of his rank, the 
 acting third lieutenant. 
 
 " If you will give me two men and six kegs of pow- 
 der, I will make an attempt to disable the steamer," 
 
THE AD VESTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 301 
 
 replied Somers, who proceeded, without waiting to hear 
 the comments of the officers, to detail the plan he had 
 conceived. 
 
 Although the scheme did not look like a very hopeful 
 one, the zeal and determination of the young officer did 
 much to recommend it. He was familiar with the con- 
 struction of these river steamers, and had had some ex- 
 perience with cotton-clads on the Suwanee River. As 
 a desperate venture it was adopted, and Somers was 
 ordered to select his companions for the perilous en- 
 terprise. 
 
 " Tom Longstone and the gunner's mate," he promptly 
 replied. " I wnll take the dingy, and I recommend that 
 the first and second cutters be in readiness for immediate 
 service." 
 
 " With howitzers? " asked Mr. Jackson. 
 
 *' No, sir ; the men wdll need only their pistols, pikes, 
 and cutlasses." 
 
 " Don't be rash, Mr. Somers," added the captain. " I 
 would not tolerate the enterprise if our situation were 
 only a little less desperate." 
 
 " I will be prudent, sir ; but I assure you, I had 
 rather be blown up at the post of duty, than be hung by 
 the fiend who commands that steamer, for that will be 
 my fate if we are captured." 
 
 " God be with you, Mr. Somers ! " ejaculated the 
 captain, fervently. " Remember that we have the boats 
 26 
 
302 THE YANKEE MIDDY, Oli 
 
 left, and can run for the shore if the worst comes ; so 
 don't be rash." 
 
 By this time the gunner's mate had the powder for the 
 enterprise on deck, and it was hurriedly transferred to 
 the dingy, which Tom Longstonc had hauled up to the 
 gangway. It was not yet time to put tlie plan into exe- 
 cution ; and, as the cotton-clad was now approaching, 
 having suspected the cause of the schooner's detention, 
 all the crew were sent below, to escape the deadly fire of 
 her riflemen. She drew but little water, compared with 
 the Rosalie, and she swept round upon the spit, so as to 
 bring her head to the wind, placing herself directly to 
 leeward of her intended prize. Her bow overlapped 
 that of the schooner, so that her men, concealed among 
 the cotton bales, could fire down upon the deck of the 
 Rosalie. 
 
 This time she carried her audacity a point farther, and 
 made fast to the fore-chains of the schooner. It was 
 quite dark, and nothing but the motions of the devoted 
 tars could betray their presence to the enemy. Mr. 
 Jackson stood in the shadow of the mainmast, while the 
 captain was concealed behind the companion-hatch, on 
 the quarter-deck, in readiness to summon the men when 
 they should be needed to repel an attack. 
 
 Somers, with the acting boatswain and gunner, was iu 
 the dingy, waiting for the favorable moment to commence 
 his desperate enterprise. The gunner was preparing the 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAV-iL OFFICER. 303 
 
 kegs of powder for use, agreeably to the directions of 
 the officer. 
 
 " Well, my darling, are you going to send us all to 
 heaven to-night ? " asked Tom Lougstone, in a whisper, 
 as he glanced at the ominous powder kegs. 
 
 " I am going to do my duty to God and my country ; 
 and I cannot answer for the result to ourselves indi- 
 vidually," replied Somers, cheerfully. 
 
 " Go ahead, my dear ! I'm with you, ready to go up 
 or down, which ever way the powder may send us." 
 
 *' You and I have been en2ra"red in an affair like this 
 
 o o 
 
 before, Tom." 
 
 *' Yes, and you were shot in the leg, and lefl on 
 shore." 
 
 " I intend to do better this time." 
 
 " I hope you will, my love. If you go up, I hope I 
 shall go up with you." 
 
 " I hope none of us will go up. Now work the dingy 
 along the side of the ship, but don't make a particle of 
 noise." 
 
 The eyes of the rebels were too intently fixed on the 
 deck of the Rosalie to see anything that transpired in 
 the water. The dingy was concealed by the vessel from 
 their sight till it passed the cutwater ; and then the 
 enemy were too far behind their breastwork to obtain a 
 sight of it, even if they had been on the watch. 
 
 Tom Longstone, guided by Somers's directions, shoved 
 
304 THE YAXKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 the little boat under the guard of the steamer, and 
 continued to Avork it along by her side till he reached a 
 point on the opposite quarter, where the young officer 
 began to search lor a favorable place to operate. The 
 rebels were all over on the side next to the Rosalie, not 
 expecting any danger from the opposite direction. They 
 were straining their eyes to sfte a man, and their ears to 
 hear a sound, which would enable them to reduce the 
 number of their foes by even a single one. 
 
 The cotton on the steamer was piled up to a level with 
 the hurricane deck. The riflemen were on the top, and 
 fired over the breastwork. The dingy had to go forward 
 of the wheels before any aperture could be found which 
 would admit the six kegs of powder. Just forward of 
 the paddle-box, a space about eighteen inches in width 
 had been left, so that any water which the steamer might 
 take on board would run off. 
 
 Through this hole Somers could see the engineers, and 
 others connected with the boat ; but they were busily en- 
 gaged in watching the progress of events on the other 
 side. The gunner then placed his powder so that the 
 whole mass should explode at once, and he managed his 
 part of the work so carefully that no hint of his move- 
 ments was given to the enemy. 
 
 "Are you all ready, sir?" asked the gunner, in a 
 whisper, when he had completed his arrangements. 
 
 " All ready," replied Somers. 
 
TRE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 305 
 
 " Hand me the match-paper, Longstone," added the 
 gunner, whose husky tones indicated his consciousness of 
 the peril to which he exposed himself. " Shove off!" 
 added he, as he placed the burning match where, in a 
 moment, it would fire the mass of powder. 
 
 Tom Longstone grasped the side of the steamer, and 
 handed the dingy along the guard, assisted by Somers, 
 till it shot past the stern. The two men then grasped 
 the oars, and rowed with all their might to reach a safe 
 position. 
 
 They had pulled but a few strokes before the explosion 
 took place, which seemed to shake the very waters be- 
 neath them, apparently rending the cotton-clad into a 
 thousand pieces. 
 
 2«* 
 
306 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 THE LAST OF PHIL KENNEDY. 
 
 / ^Ito'HAT takes her off the hinges ! " exclaimed Tom 
 / I Longstone, coolly, while the fragments of the 
 VJJy wreck were falling around the boat. 
 
 " Ay, ay ! That give it to her good ! " added the gun- 
 ner. " I'd give a sixpence to know what them rebels 
 are thinking about jest now.'* 
 
 " I dare say they are rather confused in their minds," 
 said Somers. " But, give w^ay, my men ! I hope we 
 haven't blown up the Rosalie." 
 
 " I cal'late we have shook her up some," replied the 
 gunner, who was proud of the work of his hands. 
 
 The veterans pulled for the Rosalie, and Somers -^c uld 
 not conquer his fears in regard to her. As yet he could 
 not fathom the extent of the mischief caused by the 
 explosion. He had, by the flash of the burning powder, 
 seen the mass of cotton bales lifted up, or precipitated 
 into the water. The steamer now appeared to be on 
 fire, though the flames had as yet made but little 
 progress. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER, 307 
 
 The dingy dashed up to the accommodation ladder of 
 the Rosalie. The gallant little craft seemed to be un- 
 injured by the explosion, and Somers leaped on her 
 deck, anxious to take part in any proceedings that 
 might follow. 
 
 '* I have to report myself," said he to the first lieu- 
 tenant, as he touched his cap, for no circumstances could 
 make him forget the discipline of the navy. 
 
 " You have already reported, Mr. Somers," replied 
 Mr. Jackson, grasping his hand, hurriedly. " We have 
 all heard you." 
 
 " Is the Rosalie damaged, sir? " 
 
 " I think you have smashed all the dishes in the 
 pantry. I don't know that any other damage has been 
 done." 
 
 " Bravo, Mr. Somers ! " exclaimed the captain, seiz- 
 ing the hand of our middy. " You have done it ! 
 Are you hurt?" 
 
 " No, sir — haven't a scratch." 
 
 " Thank God for that ! " replied the captain. " But 
 we have no time to spare. Does she surrender, Mr. 
 Greene ? " he shouted to the second lieutenant, who was 
 forward. 
 
 " No, sir ; she has just fired several shots into us." 
 
 "Open upon her, Mr. Jackson. Strike while the 
 iron is hot ! Boatswain, see how much water we have 
 forward ! " 
 
808 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OB 
 
 The report of the pivot gun followed the captain's 
 order, and was succeeded by the minor roar of the two 
 twenty-four pounders on the broadside, and the swivels 
 aft. The forecastle was so lumbered up with cotton bales 
 from the wreck, that the forecastle gim could not be used. 
 In the mean time, the fires on board of the steamer had 
 been gathering way, and the Rosalie was in imminent dan- 
 ger of being destroyed in the conflagration which must 
 Boon envelop her assailant. The firing was suspended 
 in ten minutes, to learn the intentions of the rebels. 
 
 " Do you surrender?" demanded JMr. Greene, whose 
 station was forward. 
 
 " Never ! " shouted the well-known voice of Phil 
 Kennedy ; and as he uttered the word, several muskets 
 were discharged. 
 
 Mr. Greene reported the result, and at the same time 
 suggested that it would be best to board the steamer. 
 Captain Waldron examined the situation, and concurring 
 with the advice, ordered Mr. Jackson to lead the attack. 
 Somers grasped his cutlass, and made sure that his 
 pistol was in good condition. 
 
 " Lay 'em aboard, my lads ! " cried Mr. Jackson. 
 
 " Ay, ay, sir ! " shouted the ready tars, adding a 
 rousing cheer to emphasize their willingness. 
 
 " You are not going without me, my blessed little 
 officer," said Tom Longstone, as he put himself along- 
 side our middy. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 309 
 
 lie had just reported the depth of water forward. 
 The tide was rising, and in a short time the Rosalie 
 would be afloat, if she was not doomed to burn with the 
 steamer. He had carried an anchor out to windward to 
 warp her off when she floated, and to prevent her from 
 driving on any farther. 
 
 The boarding party, headed by the first lieutenant, 
 with Somers hardly a pace behind him, rushed over 
 the pi>es of cotton, and leaped upon the shattered 
 deck of the steamer. As they advanced, a dozen shots 
 were fired from the riflemen, and a couple of their 
 number fell ; but heedless of everything but victory, 
 they pressed forward to the deadly conflict. 
 
 Most of the rebels were engaged in an attempt to 
 keep down the flames, which threatened them in the 
 rear ; but at the call of Kennedy, they abandoned this 
 occupation, and sprang to their arms. The Rosalie's 
 intrepid blue-jackets were fully imbued with the spirit 
 of their gallant leader, and they poured over the cotton 
 bales so impetuously that nothing could resist them. 
 
 " Down with them ! " shouted Mr. Jackson. 
 
 " Ay, ay, sir ! " roared the sailors, with a will, as they 
 plunged into the midst of the rebels. 
 
 A desperate hand-to-hand fight ensued, with varying 
 results for a time, for the rebels still outnumbered the 
 Rosalie's people. Kennedy, evidently conscious that the 
 crisis had come, and that his own fortunes were now 
 
310 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR » 
 
 to be decided, fought with a zeal and energy "which he 
 had not before displayed. His own salvation, rather 
 than that of the Southern Confederacy, was involved in 
 the conflict, and he fought as a drowning man clings to 
 a straw. If he failed, his credit as an officer, waning 
 before, would be utterly lost. 
 
 " Show me the beggar that wanted to hang you, my 
 dear," said Tom Longstone, when he had cleared a 
 spot around him with his cutlass. 
 
 "Fight for your country, Tom — not for revenge," re- 
 plied Somers, as he rushed into the thickest of the fight. 
 
 " Show me the beggar, and I will do my country all 
 the good I can." 
 
 But Somers was gone. He was some distance in 
 advance of his party, for the stalwart arm of Tom 
 Longstone, added to his o^^ti, had forced back the rebels 
 near the place where they stood. In this exposed 
 position he was seen by Phil Kennedy, whose soul 
 was still rankling with evil passions, and whose re- 
 venge was still unsated. He crowded through his 
 men, and rushed upon Somers with a fury which 
 promised instant destruction to his enemy. 
 
 " Now we will settle the old score," gasped he, as he 
 brought down his cutlass in the direction of Somers's 
 head. 
 
 The blow fell ringing on the blade of the middy, who, 
 with a sudden spring, passed his weapon through th^ 
 
THE ADVEXTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 311 
 
 body of Ills revengeful enemy. lie fell, and Somers 
 pressed forward, with Tom at his side, to win the vic- 
 tory, not to satisfy his own malice. The fall of Kennedy, 
 whose words and example had been the life of the con- 
 flict on the rebel side, discouraged his followers; and 
 having fought desperately for a few moments, they gave 
 way all at once, retreating to the stern of the steamer. 
 They w^ere closely pressed by the enthusiastic tars ; but 
 they cried for quarter, and surrendered at call. 
 
 The victory was w^on, and loud cheers rent the air. 
 The disordered masses of cotton bales were covered with 
 dead and w^ounded, most of w^hom had been the victims 
 of the explosion. The fire had begun to gather headway 
 again, since the rebels had ceased to combat it, and the 
 Rosalie was in danger of perishing with her shattered 
 prize in the devouring element which knows no friends 
 nor foes. 
 
 Mr. Jackson, panting from the violence of his exer- 
 tions, ordered the men to roll the burning bales over- 
 board. The rebels were required to aid in this necessary 
 toil ; and the officers, with cutlass in hand, compelled 
 the able ones to work. The buckets were manned, and 
 in less than an hour the flames were subdued, though 
 the task was not accomplished without the severest labor 
 on the part of friends and enemies. 
 
 When this pressing work was accomplished, attention 
 was bestowed upon the rebel wounded. The portion of 
 
312 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 the steamer's cabin abaft the paddle-boxes was still in 
 condition to be occupied, and the sufferers were borne to 
 the state-rooms, or laid upon beds on the cabin floor. 
 Tliere were about thirty of them, most of whom had 
 been injured by the falling cotton bales, or the flying 
 missiles of the explosion. Not less than twenty dead 
 men lay on the main deck ; and the sight on board was 
 sickening, even to those who had been accustomed to 
 the carnage and ruin of hard-fought battles. 
 
 Somers was as active in his care for the wounded and 
 suffering as he had been in the excitement of the battle. 
 Among the first he saw, in his humane labors, was Ken- 
 nedy. He bent over him to ascertain if his wound had 
 been fatal ; and he found that he was still alive. He 
 was borne to the saloon above, and was one of the first 
 who received the attentions of the Rosalie's surgeon. 
 
 After all had been cared for, Somers went again to the 
 cot of his enemy. The surgeon had done what he could, 
 but the patient was now suffering severely from the pain 
 of his wound. 
 
 " Water ! Water ! " said he, with a heavy groan, as 
 Somers entered the state-room. 
 
 " How do you feel, Mr. Kennedy?" askedr the visitor. 
 
 " Somers ! " exclaimed he, " have you come to revel 
 in my misery ? " ' 
 
 " No ; far from it," replied the young officer, shocked 
 at the very thought. 
 
* THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 313 
 
 " You have finished me, Somers, and you ought to be 
 satisfied." 
 
 " I did not seek you in the fight ; and I am sorry that 
 my duty compelled me to strike as I did." 
 
 " You have killed me ! Tell Kate Portington you 
 have killed me," gasped the sufferer. 
 
 " Perhaps not ; you may recover." 
 
 " Will you do me a favor, Somers?" added Kennedy, 
 more gently. 
 
 *' With pleasure." 
 
 " Then give me a glass of water. I am burning up." 
 
 Somers brought a tin cup full of water to him, and he 
 drained it at a draught. Another was brought, of which 
 he drank a part. The surgeon of the Rosalie now en- 
 tered the room, for a moment, to learn the condition of 
 the most important personage among the rebels. 
 
 " "SMiat do you think of him ? " asked Somers. 
 
 " Speak out plainly, doctor," added Kennedy, as the 
 surgeon proceeded to examine him again. 
 
 " He cannot recover," he replied. 
 
 " Do you think so?" cried the wounded man. 
 
 " It is a plain case, sir," said the doctor, shaking his 
 head. " He may live till morning ; but I don't think he 
 will," he added, turning to Somers. 
 
 " Then it is all up with me," groaned the sufferer, as 
 the surgeon hastened away to attend to the pressing 
 duties of the hour. 
 27 
 
314 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 " The doctor says there is no hope for you," replied 
 Somers. 
 
 For a moment he lay breathing heavily, and appar- 
 ently musing upon the solemn truth which had just been 
 spoken of him. He was about to pass away from the 
 world in which he had sinned, and be ushered into 
 another, " where the wicked cease from troubling, and 
 the weary are at rest." It was an awful thought to him, 
 for the memories of the past were not pleasant in his 
 dying hour. 
 
 " I canH die, Somers ! " exclaimed he, suddenly, as 
 the full force of the thought impressed itself upon him. 
 
 " I fear you must, Mr. Kennedy ; and I hope you will 
 prepare yourself for the trying hour while you have the 
 time. I must go now, and — " 
 
 *' Don't leave me alone, Somers ! " moaned Kennedy. 
 *' You will forgive me the w^rong I have done you?" 
 
 " Freely ! Here is my hand," said Somers, taking 
 that of his late enemy. 
 
 " Thank you ; now don't leave me." 
 
 " I must report to the executive officer on board the 
 ship ; but I will return in a few moments." 
 
 *' Do, if you can." 
 
 Our hero was almost disgusted by the praise bestowed 
 upon him by the captain and Mr. Jackson, for he had 
 just come from the couch of the dying man. By his 
 heroism he had saved the Rosalie ; but with Kennedy's 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 31 J 
 
 rrlazino- eve still before his vision, lie felt how vain was 
 all human glory. He readily obtained permission to 
 return to the bedside of the dying rebel, and hastened 
 down into the steerage for the Testament which his 
 mother had given him, and which had not been an 
 unused companion in his leisure hours. 
 
 He found Kennedy was sinking ftist, on his return, 
 and, with the patient's ready permission, he read to him 
 a chapter from his Testament. 
 
 " That's all very well, Somers ; but if you forgive me, 
 I feel that God will," said the suiferer. 
 
 " I forgive you ; and from my heart I pray that God will 
 forgive you — as I know he will if you are truly sorry." 
 " I am satisfied, Somers." 
 
 But it was plain that he was not satisfied ; that he did 
 not possess that inward peace which alone can smooth a 
 dying pillow. 
 
 " I have wTonged you, Somers, more than any other 
 man," he added, after Somers had given him another 
 drink. "When I heard that your ship was ordered 
 here, I asked to be appointed here, that I might be re- 
 venged upon you.'* 
 
 " Never mind me, Mr. Kennedy ; you have wronged 
 your country more than you have wr#iged me." 
 
 " I have done what I thought was right, and I am 
 not sorry for it, except so far as you are concerned. If 
 you see Kate, tell her you forgave me." 
 
316 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 " I will." 
 
 A kind of spasm impaired the dying man's utterance, 
 and Somers, though he felt his own weakness in the 
 midst of such a scene, read another chapter, and tried to 
 raise the sufferer's thoughts to higher things than those 
 of earth. He felt that he had succeeded to some extent. 
 Kennedy could not speak now. Somers bent over him, 
 and uttered a short prayer ; but the patient did not speak 
 nor move when he had finished. 
 
 He was dead. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 317 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 SOMERS IN COiniAND. 
 
 OMERS closed the eyes of the only enemy he 
 had in the world, and returned to the Rosalie to 
 report the event. For the first time since the 
 battle, he had an opportunity to ascertain the extent of 
 the loss which his ship had sustained. Poor Mr. Layard, 
 as noble and brave an officer as ever walked a deck, lay 
 dead in his state-room. Mr. Brown, the sailing-master, 
 was severely wounded in the hip. Five of the crew, in- 
 cluding the acting glmner, who had fired the train that 
 shattered the steamer, were dead, and twelve were dis- 
 abled by wounds, in addition to as many more still able 
 to attend to duty. 
 
 It had been a hard-fought series of actions, and nothing 
 but the indomitable gallantry of the crew had saved the 
 Rosalie from being captured. The plan which had been 
 devised and executed by Somers was #ie immediate sal- 
 vation of the vessel ; but if the officers had been less 
 devoted, and the crew less determined, the schooner 
 would have been taken early in the evening. Somers 
 27* 
 
318 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 realized now what a desperate battle had been fought 
 against greatly superior numbers. 
 
 Though victory had crowned the terrible work of the 
 night, there was nothing but sadness about the vessel. 
 Not an officer nor a man was seen to smile, now that the 
 excitement of the battle was over, and the fearful re- 
 sults even of victory had been summed up. The death 
 of that one brave man, who lay dead in the ward-room, 
 would have cast a deep gloom through the ship ; but the 
 poor gunner, who had risked his life without a murmur to 
 save the ship, had fallen, and there were four other cold 
 forms shrouded in the banner for which they had fought 
 and died. 
 
 In the ward-room lay the sailing-master, suffering un- 
 told agonies from his painful wound, and the sick-bay 
 was^ crowded with gallant fellows, who scorned to utter a 
 groa^ or a murmur in the midst of their sufferings. 
 Truly the consequences of victory are hardly less terri- 
 ble than those of defeat. 
 
 There was no sleep in the Rosalie that night, for there 
 were hardly men enough left to keep watch on deck, and 
 guard the horde of rebel prisoners on board the shattered 
 steamer. When Somers had his watch below, he de- 
 voted himself to #ie care of Mr. Brown, as other officers 
 and men had done by their wounded shipmates. 
 
 The Rosalie had been hauled off from her dangerous 
 proximity to the Chimney Spit. Gloom and sadness per- 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 819 
 
 vaded every part of her ; but the duty which she had 
 been sent to perform was not neglected. While the dead 
 slept on, and tlie wounded stifled their sighs of pain, the 
 lookouts on deck still gazed fixedly into the gloom of 
 the night, serving the cause of freedom and humanity as 
 truly as the admirals who led the fleets, and the generals 
 who marshalled the armies of the Union. 
 
 " Sail ho ! " shouted the lookout on the bowsprit ; but 
 the tone was less buoyant and joyful than usual, for the 
 speaker had a heart which was with the dead and the 
 dying below. 
 
 " Clear away the midship gun," said the officer of the 
 deck, wdien he had made out the approaching sail, which 
 was a brig coming down the sound. 
 
 The captain presently appeared, and a shot was dropped 
 across the forefoot of the blockade-runner — for such she 
 was w^ithout a doubt. Mr. Somers was ordered out in 
 the second cutter to board the vessel, which was beating 
 out with a fresh breeze. It was quite evident that those 
 in charge of the vessel did not expect to find any obstacle 
 to her passage out of the sound, for they would not have 
 attempted to run by the Rosalie with a head Avind. Phil 
 Kennedy had probably been so certain of capturing the 
 Rosalie, that he had ordered this brig to sail at high tide. 
 
 Somers directed his cockswain to lay on his oars, Avhen 
 the cutter had pulled a few strokes from the ship. lie 
 sat in the stern, coolly contemplating the movements of 
 
820 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 the brig, and appeared to be fully master of the situa- 
 tion. The blockade-runner was now approaching the 
 spit, and must tack in a moment. 
 
 " Give way," said Somers, when he had carefully 
 timed the movements of the brig. 
 
 The men, hardly excited, under the trying circumstances 
 of the hour, by the prospect of a prize, gave way with 
 the vigor of discipline, rather than of enthusiasm, and 
 the boat came up with the vessel just as she went in 
 stays. The bowman seized her bob-stay, and Somers, 
 who had gone forward into the fore-sheets, sprang into 
 her head rigging, and made his way to the deck. He 
 was closely followed by a dozen of his brave tars. 
 
 " Who are you ? " demanded the captain of the brig, 
 with an oath. 
 
 " Your vessel is a prize to the United States schooner 
 Kosalie, Captain Waldron. Stand by her fore-braces ! 
 Mainsail, haul ! " shouted Somers, finding the crew had 
 not completed the operation of tacking, and that the brig 
 was in danger of misstaying. 
 
 The ready seamen sprang to their stations as though 
 they had shipped in the brig, which, having a good full, 
 came round handsomely, and stood off on the other tack. 
 The captain was very much surprised to find his vessel 
 captured, for he had been assured that, in a few hours, 
 there would be no man-of-war in the sound to dispute his 
 passage. Aller one more tack the brig came to anchor 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 321 
 
 a short distance from tlic Rosalie, and Somers went on 
 board to report the success of his undertaking. 
 
 Captain Waldron was entirely satisfied with the man- 
 ner in which Somers had discharged his duty ; and he 
 was sent back with orders to remain in charge of her as 
 prize-master. The boatswain of the Rosalie, and four 
 seamen, w^ere detailed as his command ; but the crew of 
 the brig were all foreigners, and as willing to serve under 
 one flag as another. They volunteered for duty, and a 
 majority of them expressed a desire to ship in the navy. 
 
 Somers, burdened by the responsibility of his first 
 command, did not dare to sleep ; and he spent the re- 
 mainder of the night on the quarter-deck of the brig, 
 talking over the affairs of the past and present with his 
 faithful friend, Tom Longstone. When the morning 
 came, the men, fatigued and saddened by the events of 
 the night, were called upon to perform the heavy labor of 
 moving the cotton-clad to a more secure position. She 
 still floated, though her port paddle-box and guard, and 
 all her upper works forward of the wheels, had been 
 shattered to pieces. She was towed up under the shelter 
 of a point of land, and the Rosalie anchored near her. 
 
 All the prisoners were put under guard on board of 
 her, including the officers of the captured brig. Nothing 
 could be done with them at present, for it was necessary 
 to keep the well ones to nurse the wounded. In the 
 course of the forenoon, Somers was electrified at the 
 
322 THE YAXKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 receipt of an order, addressed to him, as acting third 
 lieutenant of the Rosalie, to proceed to Port Royal in 
 command of the brig. Mr. Walker and Tom Longstone 
 were detailed as his first and second officers, and he was 
 to be the bearer of the despatches to the admiral. The 
 remains of the first lieutenant were conveyed on board, 
 to be sent to his friends at the North. 
 
 Almost overwhelmed by the responsibility laid upon 
 him, and the confidence reposed in him, Somers made 
 sail, and proceeded on his voyage. The record of his 
 cruise would be only a narrative of sleepless nights, with- 
 out any incident worthy a place in these pages. The 
 young commander could not make the cares of his new 
 situation rest easily upon him. But the pleasant weather 
 and the favor of divine Providence enabled him to 
 reach his destined port in safety. 
 
 Blushing and stammering, he reported to the admiral, 
 who happened to be there, and delivered his despatches. 
 The papers told the story, and he was thrown into a ter- 
 rible state of confusion by the admiral seizing his hand, 
 and thanking him for the valuable service he had ren- 
 dered. 
 
 '^I have heard of you before;, Mr. Somers, and you 
 have been true to your record. You shall go to Boston 
 in command of the brig you have captured." 
 
 " Thank you, sir," stammered Somers, unable to say 
 another word. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER, 323 
 
 Before the brig departed, a steamer was sent down 
 with a reenforcement for the crew of the Rosalie, and at 
 sundown, the Harwich, which was the name of Somers's 
 vessel, was out of siglit of land. Our middy soon be- 
 came accustomed to his responsible position, and was 
 able to sleep nights. The brig ran through a gale of 
 eighteen hours' duration, but, being weU handled, she 
 reached Boston in safety. 
 
324 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OB 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 MISS KATE PORTINGTON. 
 
 C 
 
 'HE Harwich came to anchor off the navy yard 
 at Cha^lesto^^^l, and her young commander went 
 on shore to deliver his despatches from the admi- 
 ral. The necessary legal proceedings were immediately 
 commenced, and Somers was required to remain, as s^ 
 witness until the prize had been condemned. At the 
 earliest moment his duties would permit, he ran down to 
 Pinchbrook, where, of course, he was warmly welcomed. 
 It required an afternoon and evening for him to tell his 
 adventures ; and no soldier or sailor from the stirring 
 scenes of the South ever had a more attentive audience. 
 At the conclusion of the legal business he was ordered 
 to New York, there to take passage for the South, where 
 he was to join his ship, together with the officers and 
 sailors who had accompanied him. Having found that 
 the vessel in which he was to return would not sail for 
 several days, he obtained permission to spend a day in 
 Newport. Mr. Revere, the commandant of midship- 
 men, received him like a brother, and the officers and 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 325 
 
 members of the Academy gave him a very pleasant 
 "welcome. 
 
 " Well, Mr. Somers, I suppose you will not forget to 
 go over to Commodore Portington's — will you ? " asked 
 the commandant, with a significant smile, when our 
 middy had answered all the questions about the service 
 which had been proposed. 
 
 " I don't know, sir," said Somers, whose telltale face 
 betrayed the fact that he had been thinking of such a 
 thing. 
 
 '" You don't know ! *' exclaimed Mr. Revere ; " yes, 
 you do know." 
 
 '• I suppose I shall call there." 
 
 " You more than suppose it, Mr. Somers. If I thought 
 you had any doubt about going there, I would put you 
 under arrest, and send you under guard of a file of 
 marines." 
 
 " I will go, sir," laughed Somers. 
 
 And he did go. Though he was not willing to confess 
 it, even to himself, the anticipated pleasure of that visit 
 had been considerably more than half the inducement for 
 him to visit Newport. Kate was not in the room when 
 he entered, and he received a very motlicrly greeting 
 from Mrs. Portington. But presently the daughter's 
 step was heard in the adjoining apartment, and poor 
 Somers's heart fluttered worse than it did when he had 
 been appointed to the command of the Harwich. It was 
 2iJ 
 
826 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 ten times worse than repelling boarders to meet her face 
 to face, after so long an absence. 
 
 Somers felt very much like going by the board, as the 
 rustle of the silk dress fell upon his ears ; but Kate 
 entered the room, and rushed forward, with both hands 
 extended, to welcome him. Her cheeks were suffused 
 wuth blushes, and it was quite evident that she was not 
 taking the matter so coolly as her manner and her subse- 
 quent remarks might have led one to suppose. 
 
 " Why, Prodigy, is it possible that you have re- 
 turned?" exclaimed she, as he took her extended hands. 
 
 " For a brief period only," said Somers, hardly able 
 to articulate the words. 
 
 " Why couldn't you say for ' a short time,' instead of 
 ' a brief period,' Mr. Somers?" 
 
 *' Now, Kate, you shall not begin to make fun of Mr. 
 Somers," interposed Mrs. Portington. 
 
 " If I had known your pleasure, I sh,ould certainly 
 have said so," added Somers. 
 
 " My pleasure ! Why can't you talk like a Christian, 
 and not use that stilted language ? You are not an admi- 
 ral yet. Now, sit down, and tell me where you have 
 been, and what wonders you have done." 
 
 " I haven't done any wonders, Miss Portington." 
 
 " Yes, you have. I read all about it in one of the Bos- 
 ton papers." 
 
 " Then there is no need that I should tell you." 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 327 
 
 " But I waut to hear it from you." 
 
 " I will give you uu abstract of the log book of 
 Rosalie." 
 
 " Fiddlesticks ! I don't care for the log book of the 
 Rosalie. I suppose you want to tell me the latitude and 
 longitude of Doboy Sound. But what awful stories are 
 told about poor Phil Kennedy ! " added slie, suddenly 
 looking as grave as a matron of sixty. " Are they 
 true ? " 
 
 *' I am sorry to say they are. Of course you have 
 heard of his death?" 
 
 They had not heard of it ; and Somers narrated the 
 events which had terminated in the death of the mis- 
 guided young man, including the last scene which had 
 transpired on board of the cotton-clad. Mrs. Portington 
 and her daughter were both much moved as he described 
 the sad event ; but both of them condemned, in fitting 
 terms, his treason and his treachery. 
 
 Somers spent the afternoon, and took tea with the 
 family. Kate's cheerfulness was not mucli impaired by 
 the intelligence of Kennedy's death, after the first shock 
 had passed away. Neither she nor her mother was 
 disposed to say much about him. Perhaps they felt that 
 be had disgraced the family by his connection with it, 
 and that silence was the only proper commentary on his 
 conduct. Somers had learned that General Portington 
 had destroyed the will in which Kennedy had been joint 
 
328 THE YAXKKE MIDDY, OR 
 
 heir -with Kate of his property, and tliat the commodore, 
 as the next of kin, would succeed to his fortune. Deli- 
 cacy, therefore, as well as policy, required them to speak 
 lightly, or not at all, of Phil's infirmities. 
 
 "■Now you are going off to do new wonders — are 
 you?" said Kate, after tea. 
 
 " I am going to do my duty ; though for your sake I 
 could almost hope that I shall have nothing to do hut my 
 daily routine for a year," replied Somers. 
 
 " For my sake ! I hope you will capture every block- 
 ade-runner at the South. AVhy, you are a prodigy, Mr. 
 Somers ; and I believe, if they would turn you loose 
 on the Atlantic Ocean in a jolly-boat, wuth nothing but a 
 broken ramrod, you would capture the Alabama within 
 twenty-four hours." 
 
 ^' I protest," laughed Somers. 
 
 " Well, call it forty-eight, then," added the merry 
 girl. 
 
 " "Wouldn't you oblige me by making it a week? " 
 
 " No, not another hour. Two days are enough for you 
 to sink or blow up the biggest ship that ever floated." 
 
 " Well, I don't know what I might do, under the in- 
 spiration of bright eyes at home," said Somers, looking 
 archly into her beaming orbs. 
 
 " What bright eyes? " asked she, with the least possible 
 agitation. 
 
 " Yours, to be sure," laughed the little naval hero. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 329 
 
 *^ That's silly, Mr. Somers. Do you mean to say that 
 you ever think of any one besides yourself, while you aro 
 away ? " 
 
 "" To be sure I do ; I don't believe there is a single 
 hour of my watch on deck in which I don't think of my 
 mother and you." 
 
 " Well, I declare, Prodigy, you are improving won- 
 derfully. Wouldn't you like to have me fall overboard, 
 or do some other ridiculous thing, to afford you another 
 opportunity to save me from a watery grave ? " 
 
 " I hope you are not angry with me for thinking of 
 you when I am away. You have amused me so much 
 that I cannot help thinking of you.'* 
 
 " Pray, Mr. Somers, is that the particular reason why 
 you think of your mother when you are on duty ? *' 
 
 " Certainly not." 
 
 " Then I will thank you not to think of me as the 
 sport of your idle hours." 
 
 " How may I think of you, then ? " 
 
 "As an esteemed and valued friend, who is always 
 ready to give you good advice, and keep your vanity 
 from eating you up." 
 
 » " Then I will think of you as such. I suppose you 
 forgot, during my absence. Miss Portington, that such a 
 person as Mr. Midshipman Somers was in existence." 
 
 " You are not here to catechise me, Mr. Somers. You 
 are a prodigy ; but there are some things you cannot 
 28* 
 
330 THE YANKEE MIDDY, OR 
 
 do," replied Kate ; but she answered the question much 
 more satisfactorily in her looks and manner. 
 
 " Pardon me," said he, rising to go ; "I must leave 
 now." 
 
 " Tear yourself away, you ought to have said, to be 
 entirely consistent with your record. But go ; and re- 
 member that your esteemed and valued acquaintance in 
 Newport will look with friendly interest for intelligence 
 from you — in other words, write to me." 
 
 " I will, with pleasure ; but what may I hope for in 
 return ? " 
 
 " For an answer, of course." 
 
 " With a letter from you in my pocket, I could capture 
 the whole Confederate navy." 
 
 " You shall have it, then," said she, with some con- 
 fusion. 
 
 " Good by," he added, taking her hand. 
 
 " You mentioned me, just now, in the same breath 
 with your mother, IVIr. Somers. "WTiat did you say to 
 her when you parted with her ? " 
 
 " That I would try to be true to God and my coun- 
 try," replied he, earnestly. 
 
 *'' Those were good words to leave behind you." 
 
 " Then I will leave them with you ; I will try to be 
 true to God and my country." 
 
 " I know you will be," replied Kate, seriously. 
 
 *' And then — and then — " 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A NAVAL OFFICER. 331 
 
 " What then ? " asked Kate. 
 
 " I kissed my mother," he replied, as, with one of 
 those tremendous mental efforts which had braced his 
 nerves in the hour of battle, the audacious wretch actu- 
 ally kissed Miss Kate Portington ! 
 
 Kate was astonished, but not half so much astonished 
 as Somers himself, when he realized what he had done. 
 Again he braced himself to receive the rebuke which he 
 was conscious of deserving ; but it did not come. She 
 only blushed and smiled, thus assuring him that he had 
 not committed an unpardonable sin ; and the memory of 
 that happy moment lingered with him for months and 
 years. He pressed her hand, both said good by, and he 
 was gone. 
 
 " I wish she was my sister ! " thought Somers, as he 
 walked down the street* 
 
 Perhaps he did. If he did, it was only because he 
 did not know any better. 
 
 In the evening he took the steamer for New York, 
 where he embarked for the South, and in due time re- 
 ported on board of the Rosalie again. His welcome was 
 scarcely less enthusiastic than that which had greeted 
 him at home. The vacancies had been filled, and ao"ain 
 he was nothing but a Yankee middy. 
 
 The capture of two sailing vessels and the destruction 
 of two steamers gave the rebels a sharp warning, and 
 nearly spoiled the occupation of the Rosalie ; for thouo-h 
 
332 . THE YANKEE MIDDT. 
 
 she remained on the station till the following ppring, 
 she captured but one schooner. It was a dry time ; but 
 Somers employed all his leisure hours, as he had done 
 before, in pressing forward his studies. In June he was 
 examined, having the highest recommendations which 
 his officers could give, and came off with flying colors. 
 He was immediately promoted to the rank of ensign ; 
 and though Mr. Somers served with distinguished fidelity 
 and success under that "brave old salt" who com- 
 manded the West Gulf Squadron, here properly ends his 
 career as the Yankee Middy. 
 
RIYERDALE STORY BOCKS 
 
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 FIOH^TINO JOE; 
 
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 A SEQUEL TO "THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT." 
 
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 HOPE ^^JVI> HA^VE. 
 
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