Belle Boyd in Camp and Prison

CHAPTER XVIII

CHAPTER XVIII SCARCELY HAD THE DISCOMfited Yankee betaken himself, to my intense satisfaction, to the deck, when I noticed a young officer who had just come over the side. He crossed the deck by the wheel, and approached the cabin. I sawat a glance he was made of other stuff than his comrades who preceded him; and I confessmy attention was riveted by the presence of a gentleman —the first, I think my readers will allow, whom I had met in the hour of my distress. A woman and a wife may, perhaps, be forgiven if, in a work which treats of more serious adventures than those of love, she indulges in a very brief reminiscence ofthe impression produced upon her by her future husband. Critics may smile; but I flatter myself that Englishwomen , so widely and so justly famed for conjugal devotion, will forgive me. His dark-brown hair hung down on his shoulders; his eyes were large and bright. Those who judge of beauty by regularity of feature only, could not have pronounced him strictlyhandsome. Neither Phidias nor Praxiteleswould have chosen the subject for a model ofGrecian grace; but the fascination of his manner was such, his every movement was so much that of a refined gentleman, that my "Southern proclivities ," strong as they were, yielded for a moment to the impulses of my heart, and I said to myself, "Oh, what a good fellow that must be!" To my secret disappointment, he passed by the cabin, without enter- B E L L E BOYD IN C A M P AND P R I S O N 187 ing or making any inquiries about me. I asked one of the Connecticut's officers, who was close to me, the name of the new arrival in this party of pleasure. "Lieutenant Hardinge," was his reply. Soon afterwards I heard the following conversation, which Iperfectly well remember, and which I transcribe verbatim, between Mr. Swasey and Mr. Hardinge: Mr. Swasey—"Hallo, Hardinge, any thing up? What is it?" Mr. Hardinge—"Yes, sir;by order of Captain Almy, I have come to relieve you of the command of this vessel. It is his order that youproceed forthwith on board the Connecticut: you will be pleased to hand over to me the papers you have in relation to this vessel." Mr. Swasey—"It is a lie! it is a lie!it ain't no such thing! I won't believe it. You have been lately juggling with the captain. Confound it! that is the wayyou always do!" Mr. Hardinge—"Mr. Swasey, I am but obeying my orders; you must not insult me. If you continue to do so, I shall report you." Mr. Swasey cooled at once, I suppose, as I heard nothing further on his side. He promptly handed over his orders, as desired by Mr.Hardinge , jumped into the boat alongside, and I caught the last sound of his charming voice as he uttered the word of command, "Give way there!" to the boat's crew. He returned to the Connecticut, and so passes out of this story. If its pages ever meet his eye, perhaps they may make him reflect that courtesy to a lady is compatible with the sternest duties of an officer, and that forbearance to the vanquished has always been the attribute of a truly brave man. Within a few minutes of the departure of our sometime prizemaster , Mr. Hardinge, now in command, issued his orders to thesergeant of marines as to how the men were to be posted; and I overheard, not without an emotion of pleasure, the sergeant telling one of our officers that, although Mr. Hardinge might be a strict disciplinarian on duty, there was not a finer young fellow in the navy, and that his men would follow him anywhere. Before long, Mr. Hardinge came aft, and bowing to me, askedpermission to enter my cabin for a moment. "Certainly," I replied; "I know that I am a prisoner." 188 B E L L E BOYD IN C A M P AND P R I S O N "I am now in command of this vessel," said he; "andI beg you will consider yourself a passenger, not a prisoner." With the commencement of Mr. Hardinge's command—I may safely say, from the very moment he came on board—the conduct of the prize crew underwent a complete change; and one...