第35章

Actingonthisplainhint,wewalkedaroundthehouseandwentup—town。

Theguardsimplyconstruedhisordersinaliberalspirit。Hereasonedthattheyhardlyappliedtous,sincewewereevidentlyabletotakecareofourselves。

Laterwehadanotherillustrationofthisdoglikefidelityofthecoloredsentinel。Anumberofuswerequarteredinalargeandemptywarehouse。Onthesamefloor,andclosetous,wereacoupleofveryfinehorsesbelongingtosomeofficer。Wehadnotbeeninthewarehouseverylonguntilweconcludedthatthestrawwithwhichthehorseswerebeddedwouldbebetterusedinmakingcouchesforourselves,andthissuggestionwasinstantlyactedupon,andsothoroughlythattherewasnotastrawleftbetweentheanimalsandthebareboards。Presentlytheownerofthehorsescamein,andhewasgreatlyincensedatwhathadbeendone。Herelievedhismindofafewsulphurousoaths,andgoingout,camebacksoonwithamanwithmorestraw,andacoloredsoldierwhomhestationedbythehorses,saying:

"Now,lookhere。Youmusn\'tletanybodytakeanythingswayfromthesestalls;d\'youunderstandme？——notathing。"

Hethenwentout。AndrewsandIhadjustfinishedcookingdinner,andweresittingdowntoeatit。Wishingtolendourfrying—pantoanothermess,Ilookedaroundforsomethingtolayourmeatupon。NearthehorsesIsawabookcover,whichwouldanswerthepurposeadmirably。

Springingup,Iskippedacrosstowhereitwas,snatcheditup,andranbacktomyplace。AsIreacheditayellfromtheboysmademelookaround。Thedarkywascomingatme"fulltilt,"withhisgunata"chargebayonets。"AsIturnedhesaid:

"Putdatrightbackdah！"

Isaid:

"Why,thisdon\'tamounttoanything,thisisonlyanoldbookcover。

Ithasn\'tanythingintheworldtodowiththehorses。

Heonlyreplied:

"Putdatrightbackdah！"

Itriedanotherappeal:

"Now,youwoolly—headedsonofthunder,haven\'tyougotsenseenoughtoknowthattheofficerwhopostedyoudidn\'tmeansuchathingasthis！

Heonlymeantthatweshouldnotbeallowedtotakeanyofthehorses\'

beddingorequipments;don\'tyousee？"

ImightaswellhavereasonedwithacigarstoreIndian。Hesethisteeth,hiseyesshowedadangerousamountofwhite,andforeshorteninghismusketforalunge,hehissedoutagain"Putdatrightbackdah,I

tellyou！"

Ilookedatthebayonet;itwasverylong,verybright,andverysharp。

Itgleamedcoldandchillylike,asifithadnotrunthroughamanforalongtime,andyearnedforanotheropportunity。Nothingbutthewhitesofthedarky\'seyescouldnowbeseen。Ididnotwanttoperishthereinthefreshbloomofmyyouthandloveliness;itseemedtomeasifitwasmydutytoreservemyselfforfieldsoffutureusefulness,soIwalkedbackandlaidthebookcoverpreciselyonthespotwhenceIhadobtainedit,whilethethousandboysinthehousesetupayellofsarcasticlaughter。

WestaidinWilmingtonafewdays,daysofalmostpurelyanimalenjoyment——thejoyofhavingjustasmuchtoeataswecouldpossiblyswallow,andnoonetomolestormakeusafraidinanyway。Howwedideatandfillup。Thewrinklesinourskinsmoothedoutunderthestretching,andwebegantofeelasifwewerereturningtoouroldplumpness,thoughsofartheplumpnesswaswhollyabdominal。

Onemorningweweretoldthatthetransportswouldbegingoingbackwithusthatafternoon,thefirstthatlefttakingthesick。AndrewsandI,truetoouroldprisonpractices,resolvedtobeamongthoseonthefirstboat。Weslippedthroughtheguardsandgoinguptown,wentstraighttoMajorGeneralSchofield\'sheadquartersandsolicitedapasstogoonthefirstboat——thesteamer"Thorn。"GeneralSchofieldtreatedusverykindly;butdeclinedtoletanybodybutthehelplesslysickgoonthe"Thorn。"Defeatedherewewentdowntowherethevesselwaslyingatthedock,andtriedtosmuggleourselvesaboard,buttheguardwastoostrongandtoovigilant,andweweredrivenaway。Goingalongthedock,angryanddiscouragedbyourfailure,wesawaSurgeon,atalittledistance,whowasexaminingandsendingthesickwhocouldwalkaboardanothervessel——the"GeneralLyon。"Wetookourcue,andalittleshammingsecuredfromhimticketswhichpermittedustotakeourpassageinher。

Thelargerportionofthoseonboardwereinthehold,andafewwereondeck。AndrewsandIfoundasnugplaceundertheforecastle,bytheanchorchains。

Bothvesselsspeedilyreceivedtheircomplement,andleavingtheirdocks,starteddowntheriver。The"Thorn"steamedaheadofus,anddisappeared。Shortlyafterwegotunderway,theColonelwhowasputincommandoftheboat——himselfareleasedprisoner——camearoundonatourofinspection。Hefoundaboutonethousandofusaboard,andsinglingmeoutmademethenon—commissionedofficerincommand。Iwasputincharge,ofissuingtherationsandofabarrelofmilkpunchwhichtheSanitaryCommissionhadsentdowntobedealtoutonthevoyagetosuchasneededit。IwenttoworkandarrangedtheboysinthebestwayI

could,andreturnedtothedecktoviewthescenery。

Wilmingtonisthirty—fourmilesfromthesea,andtheriverforthatdistanceisacalm,broadestuary。AtthistimetheresourcesofRebelengineeringwereexhaustedindefenseagainstitspassagebyahostilefleet,andundoubtedlythebestworkofthekindintheSouthernConfederacywasdoneuponit。AtitsmouthwereFortsFisherandCaswell,thestrongestseacoastfortsintheConfederacy。FortCaswellwasanoldUnitedStatesfort,muchenlargedandstrengthened。FortFisherwasanewwork,begunimmediatelyafterthebeginningofthewar,andlaboredatincessantlyuntilcaptured。Behindtheseeveryoneofthethirty—fourmilestoWilmingtonwascoveredwiththefireofthebestgunstheEnglisharsenalscouldproduce,mountedonfortsbuiltateveryadvantageousspot。Linesofpilesrunningoutintothewater,forcedincomingvesselstowindbackandforthacrossthestreamunderthepoint—blankrangeofmassiveArmstrongrifles。Asifthiswerenotsufficient,thechannelwasthicklystuddedwithtorpedoesthatwouldexplodeatthetouchofthekeelofapassingvessel。Theseabundantprecautions,andthetelegramfromGeneralLee,foundinFortFisher,statingthatunlessthatstrongholdandFortCaswellwereheldhecouldnotholdRichmond,givesomeideaoftheimportanceoftheplacetotheRebels。

Wepassedgroupsofhundredsofsailorsfishingfortorpedos,andsawmanyofthesedangerousmonsters,whichtheyhadhauledupoutofthewater。Wecaughtupwiththe"Thorn,"whenabouthalfwaytothesea,passedher,toourgreatdelight,andsoonleftagapbetweenusofnearlyhalf—a—mile。Weranthroughanopeninginthepiling,holdingupclosetotheleftside,andsheapparentlyfollowedourcourseexactly。

Suddenlytherewasadullroar;acolumnofwater,bearingwithitfragmentsoftimbers,plankingandhumanbodies,roseupthroughonesideofthevessel,and,asitfell,shelurchedforwardandsank。Shehadstruckatorpedo。Ineverlearnedthenumberlost,butitmusthavebeenverygreat。

SomelittletimeafterthishappenedweapproachedFortAnderson,themostpowerfuloftheworksbetweenWilmingtonandthefortsatthemouthofthesea。ItwasbuiltontheruinsofthelittleTownofBrunswick,destroyedbyCornwallisduringtheRevolutionaryWar。Wesawamonitorlyingnearit,andsoughtgoodpositionstoviewthisspecimenoftheredoubtableironcladsofwhichwehadheardandreadsomuch。Itlookedpreciselyasitdidinpictures,asblack,asgrim,andasuncompromisingastheimpregnablefloatingfortresswhichhadbroughtthe"Merrimac"toterms。

Butasweapproachedcloselywenoticedalimpnessaboutthesmokestackthatseemedveryinconsistentwiththecustomaryrigidityofcylindricaliron。Thentheescapepipeseemedscarcelyabletomaintainitselfupright。AfewminuteslaterwediscoveredthatourterribleCyclopsoftheseawasaflimsyhumbug,atheatricalimitation,madebystretchingblackenedcanvasoverawoodenframe。

Oneoftheofficersonboardtoldusitsstory。AfterthefallofFortFishertheRebelsretiredtoFortAnderson,andofferedadesperateresistancetoourarmyandfleet。Owingtotheshallownessofthewaterthelattercouldnotcomeintocloseenoughrangetodoeffectivework。

Thenthehappyideaofthisshammonitorsuggesteditselftosomeone。

Itwasprepared,andonemorningbeforedaybreakitwassentfloatinginonthetide。Theothermonitorsopenedupaheavyfirefromtheirposition。TheRebelsmannedtheirgunsandrepliedvigorously,byconcentratingaterriblecannonadeontheshammonitor,whichsailedgrandlyon,undisturbedbytheheavyrifledboltstearingthroughhercanvasturret。Almostfranticwithapprehensionoftheresultifshecouldnotbechecked,everygunthatwouldbearwasturneduponher,andtorpedoswereexplodedinherpathwaybyelectricity。Alltheseshetreatedwiththesilentcontempttheymeritedfromsoinvulnerableamonster。Atlength,asshereachedagoodeasyrangeofthefort,herbowstrucksomething,andsheswungaroundasiftoopenfire。ThatwasenoughfortheRebels。WithSchofield\'sarmyreachingouttocutofftheirretreat,andthisdreadfulthingabouttoteartheinsidesoutoftheirfortwithfour—hundred—poundshotatquarter—milerange,therewasnothingforthemtodobutconsulttheirownsafety,whichtheydidwithsuchhastethattheydidnotspikeagun,ordestroyapoundofstores。

CHAPTERLXXX

VISITTOFORTFISHER,ANDINSPECTIONOFTHATSTRONGHOLD——THEWAYITWAS

CAPTURED——OUTONTHEOCEANSAILING——TERRIBLYSEASICK——RAPIDRECOVERY——

ARRIVALATANNAPOLIS——WASHED,CLOTHEDANDFED——UNBOUNDEDLUXURY,ANDDAYS

OFUNADULTERATEDHAPPINESS。

WhenwereachedthemouthofCapeFearRiverthewindwasblowingsohardthatourCaptaindidnotthinkitbesttoventureout,sohecastanchor。

Thecabinofthevesselwasfilledwithofficerswhohadbeenreleasedfromprisonaboutthesametimewewere。Iwasalsogivenaberthinthecabin,inconsiderationofmybeingthenon—commissionedofficerinc

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