"Then suppose you try to do so just now, and tell me how many men your people had on board of the Teaser." "You must excuse me for the present, for I do not like to make statements to one who will not believe what I say," answered Christy, rather facetiously. "You are a prisoner now." "I am painfully aware of the fact, but I doubt if the government service will suffer very much in my absence from duty." "You are too modest by half, Mr.--but I have not even the pleasure of knowing your name, and conversation is annoying under such circumstances." "I am simply Midshipman Passford, at your service." "Only a midshipman!" exclaimed Lonley. "Upon my word, you ought to be a commodore. Passford? Possibly you are a cousin of Colonel Passford of Glenfield." "Colonel Passford is my uncle. Do you know him?" asked Christy. "I do know him; and there is not a finer man or a truer patriot in the South than Colonel Passford. He is loading a schooner with cotton, and he offered me the command of it. Then you are his nephew, I have heard of you." "I hope my uncle is quite well, for I have not heard from him for several weeks, or since I left New York." "I saw him ten days ago, and he was very well then. I am very happy to have made a prisoner of his enterprising nephew, who appears to be capable of doing our cause a great deal of mischief," replied Lonley, looking earnestly in the direction of the Teaser. "Thank you, Mr. Lonley; I certainly intend to do it all the mischief I can in a legitimate way. I am speaking the truth now," said Christy. "But you have not answered my question in regard to the number of men on board of the Teaser when you left her." "And you will excuse me for the present if I do not answer it," added the Union lieutenant. "Very well, Mr. Passford; I cannot compel you to answer it, though doing so would do no harm to your cause, for I should judge that the question of the hour is settled." "What is the question of the hour, Mr. Lonley?" "The question is which side is in possession of the Teaser, yours or mine," replied the privateersman, still gazing out into the gloom. "Is that question settled?" asked Christy, with interest. "Of course I don't know, but I should think that it was. We hear no more pistol shots and no more clashing of cutlasses," replied Lonley, uneasily. "But I expected to hear the triumphal shout of our men when they had carried the deck of the Teaser." "I have not heard anything like a triumphal shout," added Christy, very quietly. "It is barely possible that your men have not carried the deck of the Teaser." "Of course, it is possible they have not; but I don't believe they have failed," replied Lonley.