elebrated
Sumter; and being, like her, bound into Paramaribo, and of considerably
lighter draught, invited her to follow him into the river, where a pilot
might be obtained.

Arrived in Paramaribo the Sumter received tidings of the United States
steamer Keystone State, which had been "in pursuit" of her for some
time. This vessel was not very much larger than the Sumter, and their
crews and armaments were very nearly equal, so there were great hopes on
board the Confederate of a brush with the enemy on something like equal
terms. These hopes, however, like so many others, were doomed to
disappointment. By some fatality the Keystone State could never manage
to come up with her quarry. While the latter had been coaling at
Trinidad, she was performing a similar operation at Barbados, arriving
thence at Trinidad after the Sumter had sailed. From this port she again
started "in pursuit," but her chances of overtaking her enemy may
perhaps have been somewhat affected by the fact, that on learning that
the Sumter had started eastward, she at once followed upon a westerly
track, which, doubtless to the great grief of her commander and crew,
somehow failed to bring her alongside of the vessel of which she was in
search.[2]

[Footnote 2: The writer of the Notes in the _Index_ remarks on this
curious proceeding:--"Rather a strange idea we thought. It put us in
mind of a sportsman in California who was very anxious to kill a grisly
bear. At length he found the trail, and after following it for some
hours gave it up and returned to camp. On being questioned why he did
not follow in pursuit, he quietly replied that the trail was getting
_too fresh_. It must have been so with the Keystone State--the trail was
getting too fresh."]

But if the United States war vessels were somewhat eccentric in their
notion of a hot pursuit, it must be admitted that the United States
consuls and other agents on shore were by no means equally scrupulous.
Every possible expedient to prevent the Sumter from obtaining the
necessary supplies of coal was tried by the consul at Paramaribo, but
with less success than his strenuous exertions deserved. His first idea
was to buy up all the coal in the port, and a handsome price was
offered--in bonds on the United States government--for that purpose. But
with singular blindness to their own interests the merchants of
Paramaribo declined to put their trust in these bonds, and the ready
money not being forthcomi