"
"Captain Breaker was consulted in regard to you, though he was not asked
to name a commander, for the flag-officer had thought of you himself,
and no doubt he had just been reading your report of your voyage to the
Gulf in the Bronx," said Paul, laughing. "I don't see how he could do
otherwise than select you, Christy."
"You are chaffing me, Paul, as you do sometimes," said Christy with a
smile.
"Then the expression of my honest opinion, which is also the opinion
of every other officer in the ship, is chaffing you," retorted the
engineer.
"I am satisfied; and I am sorry I said a word," added the subject of all
these remarks.
"It is a very important and responsible situation to which you are
ordered, Mr. Passford," said Captain Blowitt, putting on his dignity
again. "Not a few steamers fitted up in part for service as Confederate
men-of-war, in spite of neutrality treaties, are expected on the coast.
You have diminished the number by two, and I hope you will be able to
make a still further reduction of that fleet. We have three vessels to
send on for condemnation, and your orders will inform you that there
are several others, including another steamer, at Key West; and a
Confederate armed steamer could easily recapture the whole of them.
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