ith even more vigor than
before.

"That will do; stop her and anchor, Mr. Flint," said Christy, as he
looked about him in an endeavor to penetrate the fog in which the vessel
was buried.

Then he listened for any sounds that might come to him from the
direction of the shore; but all was as still as the tomb itself. The
screw stopped in obedience to the order of the executive officer, who
went down to the deck to supervise the anchoring of the steamer, as he
had no inferior officer to attend to this duty.

"Mr. Flint, drop a drift lead, and station a hand to observe it," said
Christy, hailing the first lieutenant.

"A drift lead, sir," replied Mr. Flint.

This was a lead weighing twenty pounds, which is dropped on the bottom
by men-of-war to determine if the anchor holds, or if the vessel is
drifting.

"Station a strong lookout, Mr. Flint, and send a man aloft on the
foremast and another on the mainmast," continued Christy when the other
orders had been obeyed.

This completed the preparation for the night. The captain consulted his
repeater, and ascertained that it was twenty minutes past twelve. The
Bronx was in position to learn the fact if any vessel attempted to run
out of St. Andrew's Bay, provided his calculations in regard to the
locality of the Bronx were correct. Christy went down to the deck, and
walked aft with Mr. Flint.

"I think some of us need a little sleep to-night," said the commander.

"Then you had better turn in, Captain Passford," said the executive
officer. "We can do nothing more to-night except to keep a sharp
lookout."

"You are the only officer on board except myself," replied Christy. "We
are still in the dark as to what we have to do here. We may have to send
off a boat expedition, as we did at Cedar Keys, and we are in absolute
need of more officers."

"We have plenty of material out of which to make them, and we can do
as we did after the fight with the Scotian and the Arran, when we made
them," replied Mr. Flint. "We have men of good education in the crew,
who have either commanded coasters, or been mates on steamers."

"If you will name one, I will name another," added Christy.

"Quartermaster Camden. He commanded a three-masted schooner in the coal
trade. He is not college educated, but he is a remarkably well-informed
man who shipped in the navy to learn the details of duty on board of a
man-of-war."

"I appoint him acting second lieutenant," added Christy.

"I am