Frank on the Lower Mississippi

lucky

e called two of his men on deck, and directed them to carry the pilot,

nforce his authority. But now that the danger was over, he arose to his feet and walked out of the pilot-house. As the sailors came up, in obedience to Frank's order, they passed the lieutenant

being brought up to him by one of his men, and shortly after dark came within sight of the lights of a vessel which was lying at anchor in the stream. He blew the whistle, to let her know that he was approaching, to which the ste

mer a

" shouted Fra

teamer

for the mouth of the river, wi

e, here," shou

aptain of the gun-boat was not at all satisfied with the report he had made, and had called his crew to quarters, to be in readiness to sink the transport if she should attempt to run by. It was an uncomm

as coming up at the stern of the gun-boat, when the lieut

e captain o

ders to act as su

d land here without my permission

deck; and I land here because I have been orde

uthority over me, and I order you to turn aro

ouldn't last long. Every cannon on this aide of that gun-boat points stra

of them up before a court-martial. I'm a second-lieutenant, sir, and mu

ade fast, he put on his side-arms, and taking his dispatches, walked out of the pilot-house, leaving the lieutenant almost beside himself with rage. As soon as

ng it heartily. "Then it's all right. I did not know but you were a rebel, and were g

battery, but carefully omitting any thing that related to the conduct of the lieutenant, he ended by saying that the pilot was wounded, and reque

ank then took his leave of the captain, and stepped on board the transport, accompanied by one of the gun-boat pilots, who was well-known to the young officer, and he was confident that the lieutenant, if he should again take it into his head to give any unnece

the boiler-deck railing. The lieutenant stood close by, and, without wa

that

ant to send us adrift without any steam

lad ram, anchored in the river. The lieutenant had given his command in a loud tone, in order to be heard by the crew of the gun-boat, and the rebuff he had met from the pilot did not tend to quiet his feelings, which were considerably agitated by the thought that he was not in reality the commander of the vessel. He was astonis

ir, that I comm

ter go and turn in; you are only in the way here. All ready, Mr.

xistence. As soon as they were fairly under way, Frank, seeing that the lieutenant took no further notice of what was going on, ran below to set the watch; then, after satisfying himself that every thing was right about d

his men drawn up behind the cotton-bales, under charge of the coxswain, who ran up to his officer and hurriedly asked for orders. The latter did not long remain ignorant of the nature of the attack, for a shell plunged into the cabin which he had just left, and, exploding with a deafening report, filled the air with fragments of furniture, and tore a large hole in the deck above the boilers. The night was very dark, but s

er ready for

sir," was

those guns,

he battery plunged into the boat, followed by the hissing and shrieking of steam. A shot had struck the boil

rope is shot away, sir,

Frank had expected, the tra

ich now began to rise and envelop the men on the boiler-deck. Soldiers and sailors at once deserted their quarters and ran about in confusion, while Frank, with his handkerchief in his mouth, to prevent his inhal

an take care

t was useless for any one to remain. The transport could be of no further use to them, and to stay on board was to court either death from the hot, blinding steam, or the shells that all the while came crashing into the

im to her. This order was promptly given, and as promptly obeyed by the men, who sprang into the water, one after another, followed by Frank, who, however, had lingered a moment to

d by the rope with which she had been made fast, floated along with the steamer, which was slowly drifting toward the bank. Only one of his men was to be seen, and that w

s unconcerned as if there had not been a rebel within a h

hore, which was but a few yards distant, but there he would certainly be ca

ispatches, and that was to swim down the river and endeavor to

swimmer?" he asked, t

swim all day,"

lently as possible, a

cattered along the bank, making prisoners of the transport's crew as fast as they touched the shore. When Frank had reached the place where the battery was stationed, he turned upon his back, and allowed himself to float along with the current, and, aided by the darkness a

rebels could be no longer heard, that Frank, feeling for the present safe from pursuit