Fighting for the Right | Page 3

to sea in the Bronx."
"But I am very tired of this inactive life. I have been assigned to the
Bellevite as second lieutenant, a position I prefer to a command, for the
reasons I have several times given you, father."
"I am certainly very glad to have you returned to the Bellevite, though
the honors will be easier with you than they were when you were the
commander of the Bronx."
"But I shall escape the responsibility of the command, and avoid being
pointed at as one who commands by official influence," said Christy,
rather warmly; for he felt that he had done his duty with the utmost
fidelity, and it was not pleasant to have his hard-earned honors
discounted by flings at his father's influence with the government.
"It is impossible to escape the sneers of the discontented, and there are
always plenty of such in the navy and the army. But, Christy, you
wrong yourself in taking any notice of such flings, for they have never
been thrown directly at you, if at all. You are over-sensitive, and you
have not correctly interpreted what your superiors have said to you,"
said Captain Passford seriously.
His father recalled some of the conversations between the young officer

and Captain Blowitt and others, reported to him before. He insisted that
the remarks of his superiors were highly complimentary to him, and
that he had no right to take offence at them.
"I dare say I am entirely wrong, father; but it will do me no harm to
serve in a subordinate capacity," added Christy.
"I agree with you here; but I must tell you again, as I have half a dozen
times before, that I never asked a position or promotion for you at the
Navy Department. You have won your honors and your advancement
yourself," continued the father.
"Well, it was all the same, father; you have used your time and your
money very freely in the service of the government, as you could not
help doing. I know that I did my duty, and the department promoted me
because I was your son," said Christy, laughing.
"Not at all, my son; you deserved your promotion every time, and if
you had been the son of a wood-chopper in the State of Maine, you
would have been promoted just the same," argued Captain Passford.
"Perhaps I should," answered the young officer rather doubtfully.
"After what you did in your last cruise with the Bronx, a larger and
finer vessel would have been given to you in recognition of the brilliant
service you had rendered," added the father. "I prevented this from
being done simply because you wished to take the position of second
lieutenant on board of the Bellevite."
"Then I thank you for it, father," replied Christy heartily.
"But the department thinks it has lost an able commander," continued
the captain with a smile.
"I am willing to let the department think so, father. All I really ask of
the officials now is to send me back to the Gulf, and to the Bellevite. I
believe you said that I was to go as a passenger in the Chateaugay."

"I did; and she has been ready for over a week."
"Why don't she go, then?" asked Christy impatiently.
"On her way to the Gulf she is to engage in some special service,"
replied Captain Passford, as he took some letters from his pocket.
"Letters!" exclaimed the young lieutenant, laughing as he recalled some
such missives on two former occasions. "Do you still keep your three
agents in the island of Great Britain?"
"I don't keep them, for they are now in the employ of the government,
though they still report to me, and we use the system adopted some two
years ago."
"What is it this time, father?" asked Christy, his curiosity as well as his
patriotism excited by this time at the prospect of capturing a
Confederate man-of-war, or even a blockade-runner.
"There are traitors in and about the city of New York," answered
Captain Passford, as he returned the letters to his pocket. "We had a
rebel in the house here at one time, you remember, and it is not quite
prudent just now to explain the contents of the letters."
"All right, father; but I suppose you will read them to me before I sail
for the South."
"I will talk to you about it another time," added the captain, as a knock
was heard at the door. "Come in!"
It was the man-servant of the house, and he brought in a tray on which
there was a card, which Captain Passford took.
"Captain Wilford Chantor," the captain read from the card. "Show him
in, Gates. Lieutenant Chantor is appointed to the command of the
Chateaugay, Christy,