Belle Boyd in Camp and Prison

CHAPTER XVII

CHAPTER XVII BEFORE THE ACKNOWLEDGment of our surrender had been made, a keg containing some twenty or thirty thousand dollars, equivalent in value to about six thousand pounds sterling, had been brought up on deck and consigned to the deep; whilst all my dispatches and letters of introduction, of which latter I had many, were consumed in the furnaces very shortly afterwards. We were boarded by a boat's crew from our captor, under the command of the executive officer, Mr. Kempf. Mounting the side, he walked up to Captain H. and said— "Good day to you, Captain; I am glad to see you. This is a very fine vessel, and a valuable one. Will you be good enough to let me seeyour papers?" To this Captain H. replied, "Good day to yourself, sir; but as to my being happy to seeyou, I cannot really saythat I am. I have no papers." The Federal lieutenant then said, "Well, Captain, your presence is required on board the United States steamer Connecticut, Captain Almy commanding; and, if you can prove yourself all right, you will, no doubt, be permitted to go." To this Captain H. made no response, but, stepping into the cabin, donned his coat, and, returning on deck, said, "Now, sir, I am ready; shall we go?" Without further parleythe two stepped together into the boat which was lying alongside, and immediately pulled for the Connecticut. 184 B E L L E BOYD IN CAMP AND P R I S O N One Mr, Swasey was left in charge of our luckless Greyhound—an officer as unfit for authority as any who has ever trodden the deck of a man-of-war. His subordinates were, I imagine, well acquainted with his character and abilities; at all events, they treated his orders not with respect , but ridicule. "Now, sergeant," said he, addressing the sergeant of marines, "look out for your men, and I will look out for mine. By-the-way, though, station one man here to guard the spirit-room, and don't let any one go below; the first man I catch doing so I will blow his brains out, I will; I would not let my own father have a drink." He might possibly have resisted the solicitations of a thirsty parent; but he proved quite unable to withstand those of the men. He had hardly finished speaking, when a seaman, whom, by his illigant brogue, I recognized at once for a true son of Erin, approached and addressed Mr. Swaseywith all the native eloquence and pathos of his country— "Ah, Mr. Swasey,will yees be afther lettin' me have a small bottle of whiskey to kape out the could?" The colloquy that ensued wasludicrous in the extreme, terminating in a victory of the Irish sailor over the Federal officer. This example of successful insubordination once set, was soon followed; and in every instance Mr. Swaseyyielded to the remonstrances, or rather to the mutinous appeals, of hismen. "Here," suddenly exclaimed he, catching a glimpse of myself, "sergeant of the guard! sergeant of the guard! put a man in front of this door, and give him orders to stab this woman if she dares to attempt to come out." This order, so highly becoming an officer and a gentleman, so courteous in its language, and withal so necessary to the safety and preservation of the prize, was given in a menacing voice and in the very words I have used. I record them for the purpose of showing how admirably the Federal Government has selected its naval officers, and how punctually and gallantly they fulfilled the instructions of their superiors. Parcere subjectis must have been blotted out from the edition of the ancient poet read in those schools which had the honor of educating them. B E L L E BOYD IN C A M P AND P R I S O N 185 Mr. Swaseythen came to the cabin-door and introduced himself in these brief but delicate words—"Now, ain't ye skeared?" My blood was roused, and I replied, "No, I am not; I was never frightened at a Yankee in my life!" This retort of mine seemed to surprise him,as he walked away without another word. The effects of his displeasure, however, soon made themselves felt. To my ineffable disgust, the officers, and even the men, were permitted to walk at pleasure...