, was intended for
the Yankee flag. Most probably, however, the ship being a packet-ship,
and a mail-packet, the Master erred from ignorance.

Lat. 26.35, long. 32.59.30, current S.E. thirty miles; ship rolling and
tumbling about, to my great discomfort. The fact is, I am getting too
old to relish the rough usage of the sea. Youth sometimes loves to be
rocked by the gale, but when we have passed the middle stage of life, we
love quiet and repose.

_Tuesday, June 30th._--The bad weather of the past week seems at length
to have blown itself out; and this morning we have the genial sunshine
again, and a clear, bracing atmosphere. With a solitary exception, the
Cape pigeons, true to their natures, have departed. There is still some
roughness of the sea left, however, and the ship is rolling and creaking
her bulk-heads, as usual. Wind moderate from about East.

Another prize on the 2nd of July, the Anna, F. Schmidt, of Maine, from
Boston for San Francisco; and another cautious Yankee transformed into
an Englishman; and then came a large ship flying before the wind, with
all sail set to her royals, and answering the Alabama's challenge with a
gun from her own bow port.

A man-of-war this, from her fashion of replying, even had the fact not
been sufficiently apparent from the cut of her heavy yards and lofty
spars. An enemy, perhaps! And wild with the hope of a fight, though it
be with an enemy not much less than double her size, away flies the
Alabama, at top speed of sail and steam, in chase. The sea was smooth,
though with a strong breeze; and ere long the saucy little cruiser
ranged up alongside of the fine frigate, with ten black muzzles grinning
through his ports on either side.

"This is the Confederate States ship Alabama!" rang out from the
quarter-deck, as the two ships flew through the water, side by
side:--"What ship's that?"

But there was to be no fight that day. The chase contented herself with
the laconic reply, "Her Britannic Majesty's ship Diomede;" and went
tearing along upon her course under the tremendous press of canvas,
beneath which her spars were bending like a whip, and was soon out of
sight, evidently bound on some errand that would not brook delay.

Some small compensation for this disappointment was found two days
afterwards in the capture of the fine ship Express, of Boston, from
Callao for Antwerp, loaded with guano, the particulars of which are
recorded as follows:--

CASE OF THE SHIP