A Little Traitor to the South | Page 8

life."
"Never mind about that," returned the other. "She doesn't love me, and
I want to do it. For God's sake, old man, don't be selfish! Let me have
an opportunity!"

Sempland was ordinarily a reticent and a quiet man, but this possibility
awoke him into action. He pleaded so long and so hard, and so
determinedly that he overbore the other man, and finally wrung from
him a grudging assent to his request.
"If the general is willing, I'll give you my chance."
"Thank you. God bless you! If I don't come back, remember that you're
to make a man of yourself--for her."
"You will come back. You must come back!"
CHAPTER IV
OPPORTUNITIES EMBRACED
"General Beauregard," said Lacy, as the two young officers were
ushered into the general's office, "I have a most unusual request to
make of you, sir."
"What is it, Major Lacy?" returned the little general.
"I want you to relieve me of the duty of taking out the David to-night,
sir."
"What!"
"I want you to give it to Mr. Sempland here."
"You wish to avoid the danger?" queried Beauregard, gazing intently at
Lacy.
"He does it as a favor to me, General," interrupted Sempland. "He has
had his chance, and I have had none. I begged and implored him to
allow me to go, and only wrung a most reluctant consent from him."
The general turned his head away, his fingers tapped softly on the desk.
"Things have not gone as we wished," he murmured half to himself,

"the South is hard pushed, indeed. The war has dragged on. It becomes
harder and harder, but we may not despair for our beloved country
when her sons strive for posts of danger and are emulous to die in her
service. Do you know what this means, Mr. Sempland?"
"What it means, General?"
"There is about one chance in a thousand of your coming back. Every
time that infernal submarine has been used she has done no damage to
the enemy and has drowned her crew. Payne was drowned in her with
eight men when she was first sent out. She was swamped by the wash
of a passing steamer on her next trial, and all hands were lost. Then she
sank at Fort Sumter wharf, carrying down six of her men. Hundley took
her into the Stono River and made a dive with her, hit mud, stuck there,
and every soul was suffocated. They raised her and fixed her up again
and tried her once more in the harbor here. She worked beautifully for a
while, but fouled the cable of the receiving ship trying to pass under her
keel, and stayed there. She has just been raised, the dead cleared out of
her, now you want to go on her again."
"I do, sir," returned Sempland.
"Is life worth so little to you that you are willing to sacrifice it?"
"There is Lacy, sir."
"Oh, he is different!" burst out the general, and then bit his lip. "It
would be greatly to Lacy's credit," had flashed into his mind, "if he
could manage to die in some such heroic action."
Lacy and Sempland knew what the general thought, and Sempland
could think of no words to bridge over the pause.
"You see," at last said Lacy, smiling satirically at Sempland, "the
general understands. You would better let me go."
"No. The thing sometimes works. Glassell got out alive when he tried
to blow up the New Ironsides, and anyway, I want this chance. I have

had four years of war and have spent three of it in prison. For God's
sake, General--"
"Very well. You shall have it," answered Beauregard, "but I will not
have the boat used as a submarine. You can sink her until her hatch is
awash, but no lower."
"Thank you," answered the delighted Sempland; "where shall I get a
crew?"
"One has already been selected from among hundreds who volunteered.
Five seamen are to attend to the propeller and an artillery officer to
look after the torpedo. You can steer the boat?"
"I lived on the water before I entered the army."
"All right. The Wabash is lying off the Main Ship Channel. I have no
instructions to give you except to go at her and sink her. I am told the
most vulnerable spot of a ship is just forward of the mainmast. Hit her
there. Don't explode your torpedo until you are in actual contact if
possible. Glassell's went off the moment he saw her without touching,
else he would have sunk the New Ironsides. You will find the torpedo
boat at the government wharf. Everything is ready. You will leave at
seven. The three blockade-runners will follow you as close as is
practicable, and when you torpedo the