r
departure from Terceira, nearly a fortnight passed without bringing a
single prize. It was, indeed, hardly to be expected that the splendid
success which had attended the first three weeks of her cruise could be
maintained. From the 1st to the 18th of September, she had captured and
destroyed no less than ten vessels, of an aggregate value of nearly two
hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Then had followed an interval of a
fortnight, during which one vessel only was overhauled, and proving to
be French, permitted to proceed. This dull period over, the 3rd October
had seen the commencement of another run of good fortune, extending over
nearly a fortnight, during which she succeeded in capturing five more
vessels, all of considerable size, and for the most part with valuable
cargoes. In this fortnight alone damage was inflicted upon United States
property to the amount of more than half-a-million of dollars; and it
was but natural that, after so splendid a gift, fortune should for a
time hold her hand.

Accordingly, for the next ten or twelve days the Alabama lay helplessly
on the ocean, tossed and beaten about by a succession of gales from
every point of the compass, culminating, as we have seen, in the
hurricane of the 16th October. The season was, indeed, most unusually
severe, this month of October being commonly one of calm and fine
weather. A gale at this time is a most unusual occurrence; but for more
than a week a succession of storms was experienced of the most violent
description, while for fully three weeks the weather continued dark,
rough, and gloomy, with strong shifting winds and heavy rain, the thick
clouds rarely separating sufficiently to afford the chance of an
observation.

Occasionally a break in the murky canopy would give promise of a change
for the better; but a very few hours served to dissipate the rising
hope. The sky would be again overcast, the wind breeze up from a fresh
quarter, and another night of discomfort set in. In addition to this
adverse weather, a still further difficulty was experienced in the
strong current that appeared to set continuously from the westward,
drifting the vessel bodily out of her course at the rate of sixty or
seventy miles a day. During this period, the barometer ranged from
28.64 to 29.70. It was remarkable that the winds appeared to succeed
each other with perfect regularity, rotating, as nearly as possible,
once in every two days, or at the utmost, in two