The lieutenant took the wheel, and sent Lines to assist the others.
The blockader to the westward continued to discharge her guns; but her
people could see nothing, and her solid shot began to fall astern of
the West Wind, and the Tallahatchie took no notice of her or her guns.
Christy saw that the fog was lifting again, and this would reveal to the
steamer ahead what he had been doing. Besides, he had gone in tow as
long as he intended. Graines reported the two sails as set.
"Stand by to hoist the jib!" he shouted, deeming it no longer necessary
to conceal his movements.
"What are you doing there?" demanded the officer, who seemed to be in
charge of the after part of the steamer; and his tones, with the flood
of profanity he poured out, indicated that he was in a violent fit of
anger.
"I reckon we won't tow any farther," replied Christy, who was still at
the wheel, and the officer yelled loud enough for him to hear at the
helm; but French repeated his answer.
"All ready to hoist the jib," Graines reported.
"Cast off the towline!" shouted Christy at the top of his lungs. "Hoist
the jib!"
"Towline all clear!" called the engineer a moment later, and the jib
went up in a hurry.
The jib filled on the starboard tack, and the West Wind went off to the
south-east as Christy put up the helm. The fog lifted just enough to
enable the officer at the stern of the steamer to see the West Wind
as she went off on her new course.
Pages:
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96