Chapter XIX

Shore business--Our new consignee, Mr. C.--Collision with a transport--Loss of our main-boom--Increase of business at Galveston--Difficulty of getting compressed cotton--Arrival of my friend Flagg--He plays a joke upon me--He makes amends for it--I wish to leave quickly--Load with uncompressed cotton--A small cargo--Clear for Vera Cruz.

As soon as we were anchored, I went ashore and reported to the British Consul, and deposited with him the vessel's register and crew list. I then called upon Mr. C., and, having handed him the manifesto of the cargo, requested him to get the vessel entered at the custom house.

Mr. C had some connection or relationship with my partner in Brownsville, and I had seen him when we were in Texas on the first trip, and this was why I had proposed him as consignee when arranging with Mr. B. M. for this trip. He seemed a plain, quiet, honest man, but not a very extensive merchant, and had had very little to do with blockade-running, and had no great influence with the officials. He was, however, none the worse for this, at least as I thought from past experience, and I thought now that for what was required in that line I was learning to have a fair amount of cheek myself, although my cheek was not always governed by prudence and sound judgment.

He told me that Mr. P., my partner's representative, was not in Texas, but had gone to Havana on a steamer which had not arrived at Havana when we left. This, however, was not of much importance.

General Magruder was not in Galveston at the time, and the goods for the Confederate Government were to be delivered to the Post Quarter-master.

At the request of Mr. C. I called upon that gentleman, and he said, if I could deliver the goods at once, he would send a transport steamer alongside of the schooner to receive them as soon as a permit was got from the custom house. A permit to discharge was got the same evening, and next morning a transport steamer came alongside to receive the goods.

The norther was still blowing, and the steamer coming up from leeward, intending to cross our stern, by some clumsy handling fouled the end of our main-boom, and, after pushing us ahead for some distance, the boom snapped in the middle.

Commodore Smith, chief of the Marine Department, who was standing upon another steamer close by, after having sworn furiously at the pilot in charge of the transport for his carelessness, turned to me and said--

"Captain, you go to Captain ----, of the Transport service, and tell him to give you a spar out of the Transport shed to replace your main-boom. Tell him to give you one of the spars of the _Harriet Lane_."

I may here observe that the _Harriet Lane_, before being sent to Havana, had been dismantled, and her spars and rigging stowed away in the sheds of the Transport Department.

Having discharged the goods for the Confederate Government into the transport, we soon after got a berth at the wharf, where we discharged the rest of the cargo.

The state of things at Galveston was now very different from what they were when we came in last trip. We were then the first vessel that had entered the port for months, and our arrival caused considerable excitement, and we were to a little extent lionized; but now it was quite different. Several steamers had lately arrived, and our arrival was scarcely noticed. All the better, I thought. To get loaded and slip away quietly is the most profitable, but I soon found that to get loaded was not going to be an easy matter. Some four or five steamers were laying there waiting for cargoes, and all wanted to get compressed cotton.

There was plenty of cotton to be got in the ordinary bales, but that would make a great difference in stowage, particularly in a small vessel like the _Rob Roy_.

Cotton bales compressed into such a small and compact body as we had had on the last two trips were unusual and not always to be had. These bales, though containing over five hundred pounds of cotton, were little more than half the size of ordinary bales, and so heavy that they would scarcely float in water.

There was only one cotton press at Houston which had the power to press bales into such a small compass, and this had been got up expressly to suit the stowage of the small blockade-running schooners; and as it often got out of order, and the arrival of so many steamers had created such a demand upon it that, if we waited our turn, it would be uncertain when we would get loaded.

In the meantime I must get the damage to the vessel repaired, get a new main-boom, and a new topmast if possible.

Notwithstanding the verbal order of Commodore Smith, I knew there would likely be the usual red-tape shuffling when I went to apply for the spar, but I would just have to persist.

Just then another steamer got in from Havana, and upon her, in the capacity of first mate, was my friend Flagg. He had not taken the command of the schooner after all, but had got tired of their humbugging, as he called it, and shipped as mate on a steamer.

Bill was still the same devil-me-care sort of a fellow. He was now in his element; he knew every one about Galveston in office or out of office, and made himself on easy terms with them all; he would have his joke, and cared little who might be the victim of it. Learning that the _Rob Roy_ had got in, it was not long till he came on board. On seeing the main-boom broken, he asked how it happened. I told him how it happened and what Commodore Smith had said, but I said I had forgot the name of the captain in the Transport service that I was to apply to.

"Oh," said he, "it is old Bricktop who has charge of the spars. You go to him. If Commodore Smith has ordered you to get a spar, he will not refuse it."

Sometime afterwards I went to see about getting the spar. I passed near to where Bill's vessel lay, and saw Bill in company with some friends on the wharf. I thought him a little jolly, and quite ready for a lark of some kind.

"Have you got your spar?" he said.

"I have not," said I, "but I am going to see about it now. What do you say is that captain's name that I am to apply to?"

"Bricktop," said he. "Just go up to the Transport office and inquire for Captain Bricktop."

I went up to the office, and saw two clerks writing, and a man with very red hair sitting at the table at the far end of the room.

"I wish to see Captain Bricktop," said I.

The clerks looked at me with astonishment, and, as I thought, suppressed merriment, but said nothing.

"Who the devil are you?" cried out the red-haired man in a fierce tone.

I was rather astonished at his manner, but, being well used to the arrogance of men in office, I stood up boldly, told him who I was, and said that Commodore Smith had ordered me to come to him to get a spar to replace my main-boom, which had been broken by the clumsy management of one of his transport steamers.

"And did Commodore Smith order you to come here and insult me?"

"He did not; and I have not done so."

"You have, sir; and I order you to leave this office and come back when you have learned to address me properly."

"What tremendous high rank do you hold," said I, turning round, looking at the clerks, and walking towards the door.

Just as I had got out to the top of the stair one of the clerks came out after me. I turned round and said to him--

"What high functionary is that of yours? What does he mean by saying that I insulted him?"

"So you did," said he.

"Why? How?"

"By calling him that name."

"What name? Captain Bricktop--is that not his name?"

"No," said he. "Who told you that was his name?"

"Bill Flagg," said I.

"Oh," said he, "just like Bill. He has been wanting to play a joke on you. That is a nickname on Captain B. on account of his red hair, and he hates it mightily."

"I will sort Bill for that," said I, starting off to look for Bill.

Bill had got on board of his vessel, and was surrounded by his friends, all convulsed with laughter. They all surrounded me, laughing and trying to appease me; but I was in a rage, and demanded an apology. I said to Bill that I thought he ought to have known me better than to try to make a butt of me. Bill came forward laughing, and said that he would make a hundred apologies, and he assured me that it was out of no disrespect to me, but really the chance that was offered to have a bit of fun with old Bricktop was so good that he could not lose the opportunity, even if it had been his own father that was in my place.

I said that was all very well so far as the joke was concerned, but he had done me an injury, because I would now have trouble in getting the spar which I was applying for.

"Oh, don't concern yourself about that," said Bill; "I will get the spar for you, and the best that is in the spar-shed."

I was not quite satisfied and had my doubts about it; but he said--

"You leave it to me. I will have the spar on board of your vessel to-morrow morning."

I wondered how he was going to manage it; but Bill was an offhand forward-going fellow: he had taken an active part in the capture of the _Harriet Lane_, was very popular, and was so well acquainted with everything about the marine department at Galveston that he seemed to have the whip hand of most of the officials.

Next morning sure enough Bill came down with a gang of negroes carrying a fine large spar. I feared he might have taken it without warrant, and there might be some trouble about it; but the negroes assured me it was all right--that the big captain knew all about it.

"Now," said Bill, "you will want a carpenter. I will send over our 'chips,' he is doing nothing else, anyhow; but you want a top-mast, too."

I said I wanted a topmast, but I had no order to get that; I had lost that at sea, and must try and get one for myself.

"Oh," said he, "they owe you one for the trouble they have given you. There are plenty of studding-sail booms in the shed, one of them will make you a first-rate topmast. Come along," said he to the negroes, "and I will give you one to bring down."

"Stop, Bill," said I, "take care and not get us into any trouble. I had no authority to get a topmast."

"Confound the authority!" said he; "if you intend to abide by authority, and go all through their red-tape orders and formalities, you will never get anything. These spars would be in the shed till they rot, and no one would get them, unless one has the cheek just to go and take them. Mind you, what is everybody's property is nobody's property; and you have as good a right to the spars as anybody else; and I will take the responsibility," and off he went, and soon came down with a long studding-sail-boom. "That," said he, "will make you a famous topmast, and enough cut off to make you either a fore-gaff or a jib-boom. Now I will go and send over the carpenter," and off he went.

I was thus saved a great amount of trouble, for I had anticipated there would be some formalities to be got through; and I could not help thinking that there was some truth in his remarks about the folly of always abiding by red-tape formalities, although I was not in a position to act as he had done. However, for the favour he had done, I thought I could afford to forgive him for the joke he had played upon me.

In a few days I had the new main-boom rigged out, and a new topmast sent up, and all ready for sea again; but the chance of getting loaded was very remote. The cargo had all been disposed of, but of course not for specie, such a thing was out of the question, most of it had been sold to the Government for cotton warrants. For the seed potatoes there had been quite a rush, a few barrels had been sold for specie, but the greater part was sold, one barrel for a bale of cotton; and there were warrants to obtain cotton sufficient to load the ship twice over, but, unfortunately, it was all in ordinary bales, and the great difficulty was to get it compressed.

I went up to the press at Houston to see what chances there might be, and how long it would be before I could get a cargo compressed; but I could get no promise, several steamers were before me, and they would be obliged to take uncompressed cotton for their deck-loads, but they must have compressed cotton to stow under decks. The press was in very bad order, and constantly breaking down, and they could not get it repaired, through want of proper men and material.

While at the cotton-press I learned that Messrs. R. and D. G. M. had been making some inquiries about the _Rob Roy_, and when she would be likely to get her cargo.

This might be natural enough, but somehow it aroused my suspicion, and I wondered whether they might be concocting some plan to get the vessel detained on some pretence, in order to get me to come to their terms in regard to last trip.

Seeing this state of matters I began to consider what was best to be done. To load with uncompressed cotton we could not stow in the vessel more than two-thirds of what she took out last trip, and not more than one-third of the cotton which had been got for the inward cargo, and all that was left behind would be dead loss, as nothing could be got for it but Confederate scrip, or cotton bonds, which was now valueless outside of the Confederacy; therefore, to go out short-loaded when the whole question of profits depended upon the amount of cotton carried out would certainly be bad policy.

On the other hand, if we lay here for two months or more, waiting for compressed cotton, there was no saying what might happen. We would be subject at any time to be pressed into the service of the Government. There was also constant expectation of an attack being made on the place by the Federal forces, in which case every vessel in the port would be seized or destroyed, to prevent her falling into the hands of the enemy. There would also be the expense in wages and provisions, which could not be replaced, as well as damage to the vessel by her bottom fouling. I therefore thought the latter policy as bad as the first, and determined to load with uncompressed cotton.

I stated my intentions to Mr. C., who merely said, "Very well, I think it is the best thing you can do; but what," said he, "shall I do with the balance of the proceeds of the inward cargo?"

I did not know what was best; but it was arranged that he should get me a cargo, as much as I could take, of good cotton, in the best packed and pressed bales that was to be had, and the balance in cotton bonds, which he would forward with the account sales of the inward cargo to Mr. R. M. in Havana.

I requested that he would get me my cargo immediately, as I wished to get off while the days were short and the winds were good, and I should like to be ready to sail before the change of the moon.

He showed me twenty-four bales which he had got for twenty-four barrels of seed potatoes, which were all good and well packed and pressed, and he would get me about one hundred more in a day or two.

In a very short time we had the vessel loaded, but she only took about one hundred and forty-five bales and some half bales, one of which was crammed into the dingey.

I then got a clearance from the custom house, and a permission to pass the Forts. This latter I got very easily this time, through the instrumentality of my friend Bill Flagg. As to the breach of regulations last trip, in going out without a permission to pass the Forts, I knew that would never be brought up, if remembered at all, as it was a mere military formality of the moment.

Having now got all ready, we stood away to the east side of the bay, to take observations of the position of the blockading fleet, and be ready to run out on the first favourable night.

I may here say that Mr. C., the consignee, had told me that he had received a letter from Mr. R. M. in Havana, complaining in bitter terms of the very high charges which had been laid upon his cotton by the consignees in Tampico, and the great delay and high freight and heavy premium of insurance in shipping from that port to Liverpool; and requesting him, Mr. C., to ask me to try and make Vera Cruz if possible.

I therefore cleared for the latter port, leaving it open to go into Tampico if necessity compelled me, but having letters of introduction from Mr. C., to a firm in Vera Cruz if I made that port; the vessel and cargo as usual being consigned to master.