d by the action of
the Governor, who, much to Captain Semmes' astonishment, sent off orders
that the prize should at once be brought into port, there to remain in
his Excellency's custody, until a Venezuelan court should have decided
whether the capture had or had not been effected within the marine
league from the coast prescribed by international law!

This somewhat extraordinary demand did not receive the respect or
obedience on which its promulgator had doubtless relied. Beating to
quarters, and with his men standing to their guns in readiness for
instant action, the Sumter stood out once more towards her prize; sent
the master and his family ashore in one of his own boats, put a prize
crew on board the Maxwell, and despatched her to a port at the south
side of Cuba. It is believed that these unfriendly demonstrations on the
part of the Governor of Puerto Caballo were owing to a fear that the
Sumter was in truth employed upon some such enterprise as that on which
the agent of Don Castro at Curacao had vainly endeavoured to engage her,
and was endeavouring to effect a landing for revolutionary troops.

The Sumter now again stood away upon her course towards the eastward,
and at five in the evening came across an hermaphrodite brig, from whose
peak floated the hated but welcome stars and stripes. This time,
however, it was able to wave in safe defiance before the eyes of the
dreaded foe, for the sagacious master had kept carefully "within jumping
distance" of the shore, and the sacred "marine league of neutrality"
protected the vessel from the fate that had befallen so many of her
countrymen.

The afternoon of the 28th July found the Sumter off the island of
Tortuga, and at eleven that evening the ship was hove to in thirty-two
fathoms of water off the eastern end of Margaritta. Two more days' run
along the Venezuelan coast, at times in so dense a fog that it was
necessary to run within a mile of the shore in order to "hold on" to the
land, and the Gulf of Bahia was reached. Following close on the track of
a vessel just arrived from Madeira, and acquainted with the harbour, the
Sumter held on her course through the Huero or Umbrella Passage, and
shortly after noon anchored off the town of Port of Spain, receiving as
she did so a salute from the ensign of an English brig passing out of
the harbour.

CHAPTER IV.

_Excitement--Taking the bull by the horns--official visits--H.M.S.
Cadmus--Captain Semmes' commi