asn't in a
gale. I watched the weather closely last night, and if there had been a
blow outside we should have felt some of the force of it," said Jack. He
spoke calmly enough, but he gave Allison such a look that the latter did
not think it safe to say another word until the brothers were well on
their way toward home.

During the rest of the day Jack and Marcy did little else but stroll
about the grounds and talk--they had no heart for work of any sort.
Every time Jack took out his watch he would offer some such remark as
this: "If the expedition has had no bad luck, it ought to be off such
and such a place by this time;" and at three in the afternoon he
electrified his brother by declaring confidently: "Now the ships are off
Hatteras, and are probably looking about for a good place to put the
troops ashore." And subsequent events proved that he guessed pretty
close to the mark, for history says, "By two o'clock on Tuesday the
fleet arrived off Hatteras, and the _Monticello_ was despatched to
reconnoiter the position, and to look out a suitable landing-place."

Thus far everything had gone well. The weather was all that could be
desired, and the hearts of the loyal people along that coast beat high
with hope; but when Jack Gray drew the window curtain on Wednesday
morning, he turned to his brother with a look of disappointment on his
face.

"They will probably try to land some of the troops to-day to cut off the
retreat of the Fort Hatteras garrison after the war ships have whipped
them," said he. "But if they don't get about it pretty soon, I am afraid
they'll not make it. It's going to blow by-and-by, and if the wind comes
from the southeast, as it generally does, the ships will have to make an
offing to secure their own safety."

And that was just the way things turned out. That morning some of
General Butler's troops were landed a few miles from the forts under
cover of some of the gunboats, while the others opened a hot fire upon
the fortifications. The battle thus commenced lasted from nine o'clock
until almost night, and then Fort Clark was abandoned, while the flag
was hauled down on Fort Hatteras in token of surrender, whereupon the
_Monticello_ steamed into the inlet; but when she came within a few
hundred yards of the fort, the heavy guns of the Confederates opened
upon her with such terrible effect that she was badly cut up, and in
danger of sinking. The man in command of the fort who was guilty of thi