Near one of the after guns stands an officer looking through his marine glass toward the southward, steadying himself, meanwhile, by leaning against the weather mizzen rigging.
“Well, sir, what do your young eyes make of her?” I queried.
“It is certainly the Connecticut, and she is making the best of her way down the coast, under steam and sail.”
“Just as I thought! Confound it, why couldn’t we have been a couple of hours earlier! Well, Mr. Bailey, it seems pretty certain that we have lost the supply steamer, as we did our blockade runner last night, by being a little too late!”
“That will make it a very dismal Christmas for us, sir.”
“I know it, Mr. Bailey, and I am as much disappointed as you possibly can be. I was anxiously expecting some important private letters by the Connecticut, to say nothing of the necessity of stocking up my mess stores. I fancy that you are not much better off in that respect in the wardroom.”
“Better off, sir! Why we are down to our very last can of tomatoes, and that, with salt beef, is very likely to be our Christmas dinner to-day in the wardroom, with possibly a plum duff as a wind-up. It’s simply awful, sir!”
“I am heartily sorry for you, Mr. Bailey, and I must see if my steward cannot rake up something among my stores to help out your table a bit. I shall expect you and the doctor to dine with me to-day, however. But we must be getting in very close to our anchorage, I think. Yes, there is our buoy just off the lee bow. We shall fetch it nicely on this tack. Call all hands, sir, at once, and bring the ship to an anchor.”
The order was passed, the boatswain’s call rang out sharp and clear, the boatswain’s mates took up the refrain in a minor key, and above the notes of the whistles the hoarse cry, “All hands bring ship to anchor, ahoy!” resounded through the berth deck. Responsive to the call, the quiet ship was soon alive with men hastening to their stations.
“Stand by halyards, sheets, clewlines, and downhauls fore and aft!” shouted the executive officer through his trumpet. “Lower away; let go; clew up, haul down!” There was a whizzing of ropes, a flapping of canvas, and in a moment the yards were down and the sails were hanging in festoons.