The screw of the St. Regis began to turn, and she went ahead very
slowly. The tender was a short distance from her, and all the ladies
were waving their handkerchiefs with all their might; and their signals
were returned, not only by Christy and Paul, but by all the officers on
deck. The seamen could not comfortably "hold in," and they saluted the
tender with three rousing cheers, for they knew that the family of their
young commander were on board of her.
The little steamer followed the ship till she had passed the Battery,
a repetition of the former salute, and then the tender sheered off, and
went up North River, the ship proceeding on her course for the scene of
her future exploits. The parting of Christy with his father, mother, and
sister had been less sad than on former occasions; for they believed,
whether with good reason or not, that the son, brother, and lover was to
be exposed to less peril than usual.
Christy had received his sealed orders on board from an officer sent
specially to deliver them to him in person; and he was instructed to
open the envelope off Cape Henlopen. At six o'clock the St. Regis was
off Sandy Hook. Four bells, which was the signal to the engine room to
go ahead at full speed, had been sounded as soon as the ship had passed
through the Narrows.
After the young commander had taken his supper, solitary and alone in
his great cabin, he went on deck.
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