Captain Folkner of the Teaser was evidently somewhat timid, and he had heard of the arrival of the Bellevite. Just now the large ships-of-war which had been there were absent on their duty, though they were expected to return at any time. There was liable to be some unpleasantness at any time between Fort Pickens and Fort Barrancas; but everything was quiet just now.

Flint had come on board of the Teaser with Christy, but none of the boat's crew had attended them. The situation was very novel to the lieutenant, and he did not feel competent to arbitrate between the contending parties. Besides, he was not willing to believe that he could be entirely impartial, for he had a personal and patriotic interest in the issue of the quarrel.

The seamen, under the leadership of Lonley, who appeared to be an officer, were the more powerful 224 party, and the more to be dreaded. He was disposed to decide against them, if he could get them out of the way by doing so. They were willing to leave the matter to him, and he began at last to see his way through it.

"The captain of a ship is the authority to be respected, Lonley," said he, when he had made up his mind what to do.

"We might as well bury ourselves in the sands as try to go through there," replied the leader of the mutiny, who seemed to be a very intelligent man, and Christy concluded from his language and manner that he was not a common sailor.

"That may be; but the captain is supreme on the deck of his own ship," argued Christy.

"We are not on the high seas, and the Teaser has not yet gone into commission. It was only this afternoon in Pensacola that Captain Folkner told his ship's company that he was going to burrow through the sand in Santa Rosa Sound. We all said we would not go with him; but a dozen of us came down with him when he told us that he had a way to float the steamer through, and he was sure it would work. We did not understand that we were to become mud-diggers. When we got 225 here, we were satisfied that his plan amounted to nothing, and would not work."

"I am satisfied that it will work," interposed Captain Folkner.

"The agreement in the articles was to run the blockade. If we got through the sound, it would take a week of constant drudgery, which we did not ship to do."

"Are you ready to do duty on board of the Teaser when she is in deep water, Lonley?" asked Christy.

"Every one of us; and every one of the party on shore!" protested the leader.

"Will that satisfy you, Captain Folkner?" continued Christy, appealing to him.

"It would if I had the steamer in deep water," replied the captain. "But how am I to get her into deep water if my crew will not work?"

"Run the blockade, according to the articles!" exclaimed Lonley.

"When are the rest of the ship's company to join you?" asked Christy of the leader of the mutineers.

"They are coming down in boats at midnight or later; and we shall join them then and wait till the ship is ready to take us on board. They will 226 come across from Pensacola to Navy Cove, and then walk till they come to the Teaser."

"All right," said the lieutenant. "I will land you at Navy Cove, and you can wait there till the rest of the crew come."

"I am perfectly satisfied with that arrangement," replied Lonley.

"But I am not," interposed the captain, angrily. "What can I do without any crew to help get the steamer through the sound?"

"I have men enough to take care of you and the Teaser, Captain Folkner; and the men in the boat will do everything that is required to be done on board of the Teaser."

"That's another thing," replied the captain, appeased by the implied promise.

"I can hardly blame your men because they are not willing to go through the sound with a steamer drawing ten feet of water when there is not more than six feet of water to float her," said Christy. "Besides, if you do not get to the other end of the sound before morning, you will be seen by some of the blockaders, and they could blow this steamer to pieces, and kill half your people in a few minutes."

227 "It may be dangerous, but so is running the blockade," added the captain.

"Going out in a dark night and spending a week in sight of the blockaders are two different things. But we need not discuss the matter any more. I will put your men on the point yonder, and then I will return and help you out of your present difficulty. Am I to take off the men in the engine department?" asked Christy, as he went to the side where the boat was.

"No; the engineers and firemen are all right, for they were not called upon to do any work out of the vessel."

Christy and Flint stepped into the boat, and the crew followed them. There were twelve of them, and the lieutenant thought they were all good seamen. He did not like to have them reserved for use in the Confederate Navy; but he could not help himself then, and he soon landed the party on the point. The situation had been explained to the crew of the boat, and they had avoided saying anything to commit themselves.

Though it involved a risk to do it, Christy had dressed in an ordinary suit of clothes for the occasion, and the party wore nothing by which they 228 could be identified as sailors of the navy. As soon as the boat had landed its passengers, it returned to the Teaser at the best speed the crew could produce.

"I had no idea that you had a plan like this in your head, Mr. Passford," said Flint, as soon as the boat was clear of Town Point.

"I did not know it myself, Flint. It has all grown out of the circumstances as w............