United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Juvenile fiction
"And so will I if you take my men where the rebels can get hold of them;
so that will make twice you will be killed. That will do for the
present, but I may want to ask you some more questions by and by. Go
for'ad. Beardsley, Beardsley!" continued the captain, turning again to
his chief officer, who wore an acting-master's uniform. "I remember that
when I was a prisoner on board the _Osprey_ I heard one of the mates
address my captor by that name, and it somehow runs in my mind that this
pilot we have been talking about is the same man. I made the best effort
at escape that I could, but the _Hollins_ was so heavily loaded that she
moved through the water as though she had a hawser dragging over the
stern; and besides he had the weather gauge of me. I showed him some
pretty fair seamanship, and he might have given me and my men kind
treatment in return for it."
"Certainly, sir," answered the executive. "A brave man always respects a
brave foe."
"But he didn't, Mr. Watkins. On the contrary, when we got into Newbern,
and the mob on the wharf began howling and calling us names, as they did
the minute they caught sight of us, Captain Beardsley made no effort to
stop them. He rather seemed to enjoy it. Give me a chance to take a good
look at him when he is brought on board, and if he is the man I think he
is, I want you to have him put into the brig without the loss of a
moment and into double-irons besides. That was the way he served my
crew. As soon as I have taken my coffee I will go down and tell the
flag-officer what I have learned and what I intend to do with his
permission; so I shall want my gig presently."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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