as very slight, but she was a
capital sea boat, and made several successful trips. There was a
striking contrast, however, between her and the solidly built,
magnificent "Lee." After all arrangements had been completed for the
transportation to the Confederacy of our party, I assumed command of the
little "Whisper," with six or eight of the party as passengers. I
remember my astonishment at learning the rates for freight at this
period. The "Whisper" was loaded and ready for sea, and I was dining
with Mr. Campbell, the agent of the company, when a person asked to see
him upon pressing business. The purpose of the visitor was, to ship by
the Whisper a small lot of medicines. As the vessel was already heavily
laden, Mr. Campbell referred him to me, and I consented to take the box
in the cabin. The freight upon it was L500 sterling![9]

Six blockade-runners, including the Whisper, sailed for Wilmington
within twenty-four hours of each other. The voyage across was stormy,
and the sky so overcast as to compel us to run by dead-reckoning, until
we had crossed the Gulf Stream, early on the third day. We had been
steaming against a strong gale the whole time. These cold north-westers
brought disaster upon many blockade-runners; for blowing over the tepid
water of the Gulf Stream, clouds of vapor would rise like steam, and be
condensed by the cold wind into a fog so dense as to obscure every
object. At such times, the skill and perseverance of the navigator would
be taxed to the utmost. A glimpse of the sun, moon, or north star,
caught through the sextant wet with spray, and brought down to a most
uncertain horizon, would furnish the only means of guidance, where an
error of a few miles in the calculation would probably prove fatal. Upon
reaching soundings on the western edge of the "stream," about eleven
o'clock in the forenoon, we succeeded in catching a glimpse of the sun,
and thus ascertaining our position. The sea was still running very high,
but the weather had moderated considerably, and we found ourselves not
more than forty miles south-east of the western bar. The Whisper had
fared badly, while running in the teeth of the gale; all of our boats,
except one, had been swept from the davits, and the wheel houses had
been stove in. As there was no further necessity to strain the hull and
engines, the little craft was brought near the wind under low steam, and
close-reefed mainsail; riding the long rolling seas like a sea-gul