The lieutenant had seen the rest of the enterprise.
"This thing is not going to last long, my men," said Christy, who realized that he should never be able to stand up under the obloquy of having brought out a blockade-runner for the enemy.
He caused the hands to march in front of him till he found one who had been carelessly bound.

He backed this one up in the rear of Calwood, the quartermaster, and made him untie the line, which he could do with his fingers, though his wrists were bound.

It was not the work of three minutes to unbind the rest of them.
Christy broke a pane of glass in the door, and unlocked it with the key the captain had left in the keyhole..