Stand By The Union — Oliver Optic

CONTENTSCHAPTER I.A Mysterious Visitation 15CHAPTER II.The Absconding Man-servant 26CHAPTER III.Christy Passford is utterly confounded 37CHAPTER IV.The Sick Officer in the Stateroom 48CHAPTER V.Lieutenant Passford and his Apparent Double 59CHAPTER VI.The Conference in the Captain's Cabin 70CHAPTER VII.The Announcement of the Decision 81CHAPTER VIII.The Prisoner of War 92CHAPTER IX.A Moral Philosopher 103CHAPTER X.A Change of Quarters in the Confusion 114CHAPTER XI.Laying out a Plan of Operations 125CHAPTER XII.A Lesson in Ordinary Politeness 136CHAPTER XIII.The Opening of the Secret Orders 147CHAPTER XIV.The Affray on the Quarter-deck of the Bronx 158CHAPTER XV.A Rebellious and Prejudiced Prisoner 169CHAPTER XVI.The Disposal of the Prisoners 180CHAPTER XVII.The Second and Third Lieutenants 191CHAPTER XVIII.A Battle on a Small Scale 202CHAPTER XIX.The Skipper of the Sloop Magnolia 213CHAPTER XX.An Expedition to St. Andrew's Bay 224CHAPTER XXI.A Non-combatant on Board the Bronx 235CHAPTER XXII.The Stranger in the Captain's Cabin 246CHAPTER XXIII.A Very Impudent Declaration 257CHAPTER XXIV.A Critical Situation in the Cabin 268CHAPTER XXV.The Destruction of a Prominent Facial Member 279CHAPTER XXVI.The Meeting with the Bellevite at Night 290CHAPTER XXVII.The Planning of an Expedition 301CHAPTER XXVIII.The Negro Village on the Isle Grande Terre 312CHAPTER XXIX.A Professional Visit to the Fort 323CHAPTER XXX.The Attack upon the Fort 334CHAPTER XXXI.A Wounded Commander 345STAND BY THE UNIONCHAPTER IA MYSTERIOUS VISITATIONWho's there? demanded Christy Passford, sitting up in his bed, in themiddle of the night, in his room on the second floor of his father'spalatial mansion on the Hudson, where the young lieutenant was waitingfor a passage to the Gulf.There was no answer to his inquiry.Who's there? he repeated in a louder tone.All was as still as it ought to be in the middle of the night, and noresponse came to his second inquiry. The brilliant young officer, whohad just passed his eighteenth birthday, knew what it was even betterthan an older person to pass a whole night on difficult duty, withouta wink of sleep, for he had been accustomed to spend a portion of everynight in planking the deck on his watch; but at Bonnydale, his quiethome, far removed from the scenes of actual conflict, he was anindustrious sleeper, giving his whole attention to his slumbers, as aproper preparation for the stirring scenes in which he was again aboutto engage.He slept soundly; but he had dreamed that some one opened the door ofhis room, or some one had actually done so. He was not a believer indreams, and when an impression had fastened itself upon his mind, he wasinclined to investigate it. It seemed to him that he had been awakenedfrom his sleep by the opening of the door of his chamber. Some member ofthe family might be sick, and he might be needed to go for the doctor,or for some other service.