They waited eagerly to have the steamer
headed to the eastward; but no such order was given, and the chins of
all hands began to drop down.
Christy had no interest in the money value of a prize, and yet he could
understand the feeling of his ship's company. He was an heir of a
millionaire, and he had no occasion to trouble his head about the
profits of a capture. He looked at the question from a purely patriotic
point of view, and every prize secured was so much taken from the
resources of the enemy.
He saw the disappointment painted on the face of the first lieutenant,
and he went to his cabin to consider his duty again, and review the
reasoning that had influenced him; but he came to the conclusion he had
reached in the beginning. He was in charge of six vessels loaded with
cotton, and the ship's company of the Bronx and other vessels had an
interest in their cargoes. The Vixen was less than a hundred and fifty
miles from the coast, and a tug boat, with a bow gun and a crew of
twenty-five, could come out and capture the whole fleet without the
least difficulty. The risk was too great, and the commander was as firm
as a rock.
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