Corny Passford was the present
master of the situation. He had not been aware till he met him in the
captain's cabin, that his cousin was even in the vicinity of New York.
With an amount of assurance for which he had not given him credit, Corny
had undertaken to personate his nautical relative, and was now actually
on his way to the Gulf to take command of the Bronx.
The little gunboat had certainly done a great deal of mischief to
the Confederate interests, for she had captured two valuable vessels
intended for the southern navy, to say nothing of half a dozen others
loaded with cotton, and ready to sail. From the Confederate point of
view, it was exceedingly desirable that she should be prevented from
doing any further injury to the maritime interests of the South. But it
seemed almost incredible that Corny Passford should be employed to bring
about her capture by stratagem. His cousin was not a sailor; at least,
he had not been one the last time he had met him, and it was hardly
possible that he had learned seamanship, navigation, and naval tactics
in so short a time, and so far as Christy knew, with little practical
experience.
He had seen the commission which Corny presented to the captain of the
Vernon, and recognized it as his own.
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