CHAPTER XXIV.
PILLGRIM AND LANGDON.
"I have the honor to report the capture of the Ben Lomond, otherwise the Tallapoosa," said Somers, as he advanced towards Mr. Hackleford, his face red with blushes, and his heart bounding with emotion.
The first lieutenant of the Chatauqua had regarded his enterprise with a want of faith, to say the least; and when the young commander of the expedition came forward to report its entire success, there was something like pride and exultation in his manner, mingling not ungracefully with the manifestations of his natural modesty. He had done "a big thing;" he felt that he had done "a big thing;" and it would have been a ridiculous affectation for him to pretend, by word or manner, that he had not done "a big thing."
"I congratulate you upon your success, Mr. Somers," replied Mr. Hackleford, warmly. "I was sceptical, I confess; but no man in the fleet is happier than I am at your good fortune."
"Thank you, sir," said Somers, blushing more deeply than before, and almost wishing that the first lieutenant had done the "big thing" instead of himself, because he was so kind and generous in his commendation.
"You have managed the affair with skill and energy. For my own part, I did not believe you would even get into the bay, let alone capturing the vessel. I am astonished at your success, but none the less delighted because I am surprised."
"Thank you, sir," was all Somers could say in reply to this praise so magnanimously bestowed.
"Captain Cascabel will see you, in his cabin, and we will hear your verbal report there."
Mr. Garboard had already gone on board the prize, hauled her off from the ship, where she was chafing her sides, and moored her a cable's length distant. Somers went below, where he was as warmly and generously greeted by the captain as he had been by the first lieutenant. He related the story of his night's adventures to them with all necessary minuteness. His auditors could not help laughing when he told them what he had done with his old friends, the first lieutenant and the commander of the rebel craft. He had acted on his theory of Pillgrim's intended movements, and thus kept himself above suspicion.
"How does Mr. Pillgrim appear?" asked the captain.
"I haven't seen him, sir; I was very careful not to let him see me. Mr. Swayne, the first lieutenant of the Ben Lomond, after I had disposed of Langdon, managed him for me."
"It's a very amusing as well as a very exciting affair. But we must see these officers. Where are they?"
"Under guard in the state-rooms of the prize, sir."
"Bring them on board, if you please, Mr. Somers. Get your breakfast first."
Somers went to the ward-room, where he breakfasted with the officers off duty. He was cordially congratulated upon his success, though perhaps some of the mess regarded him as rather exclusive in permitting none of them to share his laurels.
After breakfast the first cutter was cleared away, and Somers pulled to the prize in her. The Ben Lomond was temporarily in charge of the second lieutenant of the Chatauqua, who had secured the prisoners, and put everything in order on board. Somers went at once to the ward-room, where the two most important prisoners were confined. There were now at each door a couple of marines with loaded muskets, but no communication had been had with the solitary occupant of either.
Pillgrim had several times attempted to obtain some information in regard to what was going on, but he was still in darkness. Even the bull's eye in his room could not have enlightened him, for it was on the starboard side of the steamer, while the Chatauqua lay on the port side.
Somers ordered the marines to open the door of Langdon's room first, and the late first lieutenant of the Tallapoosa came forth.
"Lieutenant Wynkoop, I believe," said Somers, facetiously.
Langdon looked at him with astonishment.
"Have you any more old sherry that has made two voyages to India?"
"This is hardly magnanimous, Mr. Somers," said Langdon, coldly.
"Perhaps not; but when officers stoop to such tricks as those you have practised, there can be no great harm in mentioning them."
"Mr. Somers, I find myself somewhat bewildered."
"I dare say," laughed Somers. "Very likely your friend Pillgrim, or Coles, is in the same situation."
"Is he on board?"
"He is."
"I have not seen him since he left Philadelphia in the Chatauqua."
"I have."
"You were in the Chatauqua with him?"
"For a short time."
"I had a letter from him, dated at Richmond, saying that he had changed his plans."
"Changed them—did he?" said Somers, who had changed them for him. "Perhaps you will inform me how you happened to be on board this vessel."
"I don't object; it makes little difference what I say now. After obtaining the command of the Tallapoosa for Pillgrim, I went to Wilmington, where I was to take command of the Coosa."
"You mean the Ben Nevis."
"I do."
"I thought you were to call her the Louisiana."
"We did not always give you correct information," added Langdon, with a sickly smile.
"Go on."
"While at Wilmington I got a letter from Pillgrim, then in Richmond, informing me that the Ben Nevis had been captured, and that I was appointed first lieutenant of the Tallapoosa, if I chose to take the place. I did choose to take it, hoping soon to be in command of one of the California steamers. I went to Mobile at once, and attended to the fitting out of the ship. Pillgrim wrote me that he should be on board by the 22d, and I had steam up to run out the moment he arrived."
"How happened you to tell your officers that Pillgrim was coming down in a Yankee man-of-war?" asked Somers.
"That was his original plan. Though he wrote me from Richmond, I did not know but that he intended to return to the Chatauqua. He gave me no particulars; did not tell me that his plans had failed, only that he had changed them. When he wrote that he should be on board by the 22d, I knew he was coming down by land, and I corrected my statement. Now, Mr. Somers, will you tell me how you happen to be here?"
"Marine, bring out the other prisoner," said Somers, who had been instructed by Captain Cascabel to confer with the conspirators, if he could obtain any information from them.
The discomfited, crestfallen commander of the Tallapoosa was brought from his room by a marine. He saw Somers, and started back with astonishment. He was pale and haggard, as though he had been spending his time in drinking bad whiskey, and in other debauchery. He had upon his face a fortnight's growth of black beard, and looked more like "Coles" than when Somers had last met him. His captor concluded that his misfortunes on board the Chatauqua had depressed his spirits, in spite of the cool look he had before carried, and that he had given way to dissipation. He certainly appeared like a person who had just come out of a hard "spree."
In the Ben Lomond there was a door opening from the ward-room into the captain's cabin. The vessel had evidently been built for a swift passenger steamer. The ward-room was a portion of the main cabin, from which the steerage and engineers' rooms had been parted off; while the captain's cabin was the original "ladies' saloon." Langdon had been conducted by the marines through this door to the captain's cabin, where the conversation with him had taken place. Pillgrim was in the same manner introduced to this apartment.
"Mr. Somers!" exclaimed the traitor.
"Yes, sir. In the letter you sent me from Old Point Comfort,—and I am greatly obliged to you for the information contained in that letter,—you expressed a hope that you should meet me on board of the Ben Lomond. Your wish has been realized," replied Somers, taking the original letter, with other papers, from his pocket.
Pillgrim trembled in every fibre of his frame. It was not thus he had hoped to meet his enemy.
"'If you capture the Ben Lomond, it will make you a lieutenant. Do it, by all means,'" continued Somers, reading the last paragraph of the letter. "This was your advice. I have done it."
Pillgrim made no reply. His pale, haggard face, darkened by his half-grown beard, was contorted by emotion, and his bloodshot eyes had lost their fire.
"You don't seem to enjoy the situation so much as your letter intimated that you would."
"Mr. Somers, I am your prisoner," said he, with a desperate struggle.
"You are; you will not have the pleasure of hanging me at the yard-arm."
"I am bewildered—overcome."
"So was Langdon."
"I see why you did not join your ship before," said Langdon, with a sneer, as he glanced contemptuously at his principal. "You have been dissipating."
This remark brought forth an angry retort from Pillgrim, and for a few moments each traitor reproached and vilified the other, much to the amusement of the marines, and to the disgust of Somers, who was compelled to interfere. Langdon's severest charge against his late captain was, that he had betrayed their schemes by writing letters, and in other stupid ways. Pillgrim denied it.
"Mr. Somers has just thanked you for the information contained in your letter," sneered Langdon. "He has good reason to do so."
"I gave him no information that could be of any service to him."
"You gave him the name of the vessel," retorted Langdon.
"But I did not tell him where she was."
"You gave me that information, Mr. Langdon," said Somers, quietly.
"I?"
Somers exhibited the letter in cipher.
"You could not read that without the key," protested the writer of the note.
"The first word I made out was 'Langdon:' the next, 'Ben Lomond.' I am indebted to both of you. The moral of the whole affair is, that treason cannot prosper. I am indebted to both of you for the information which enabled me to capture the steamer. Gentlemen, it becomes my duty to conduct you on board of the Chatauqua."
"No, Mr. Somers!" groaned Pillgrim, "spare me that."
"I must obey my orders."
The traitor objected strongly to being taken into the presence of the officers of the ship in which he had so recently served. He protested that he had but a few days to live, and begged to be saved from this humiliation. But Somers, though he was not without pity for the degraded and disgraced wretch, had no alternative but to obey the orders of Captain Cascabel.
Langdon accepted his misfortunes with more resignation. He was quite cheerful, and volunteered to tell all he knew, though he was very bitter against Pillgrim, who, he declared, had ruined all their hopes by his dissipation, his silly pretensions, and his reckless exposure of their plans.
Somers was now satisfied that Pillgrim had been intoxicated when he came over the side of the Ben Lomond the night before, which accounted for his violent conduct, and which was one of the accidents which assisted in the easy capture of the vessel.
Both the prisoners were examined on board the Chatauqua; and, with the explanations of Somers, their operations were clearly comprehended. They were placed in confinement, to await the final decision in regard to them. In the forenoon Somers was sent to make his report to the admiral. He was warmly received, judiciously commended, and courteously dismissed. The young officer's respect and admiration for the "Brave Old Salt" were not diminished by his second interview.
In the afternoon the Ben Lomond, in charge of an acting ensign, was sent to Pensacola, where she was to remain until further orders. It was surmised that the admiral, not wishing to spare any of the best officers of the fleet, when on the eve of a mighty event, had decided to let the prize remain in port with her prisoners until a more favorable season. Be this as it may, the Old Salamander kept everybody busy for the next ten days, when, the monitors having arrived, and all the ships intended for the attack being in complete readiness, the order was given for the battle, which now stands without a parallel in the annals of naval warfare.