afterwards made to weigh anchor, when we made sail towards the mouth of
the harbour. There had been a stiffish breeze all the time we had been
engaged in the destruction of the Syren, but it had not come on to blow
very hard, and the night was extremely dark. The schooner's head was
off shore, and, overcome with fatigue, I had just thrown myself on a
locker, with my clothes on, to snatch a few moments' sleep, when Tom
Rockets roused me up with the information that a strange sail was
crossing our bows. I instantly sprang on deck, and, catching sight of
the stranger, put up the helm in chase. Away we flew through the
hissing, heaving seas after her, shrouded in a mass of foam. I asked
Grampus what he thought her.

"A schooner, sir. When I first saw her there was no doubt of it," was
his answer. "An enemy's coaster."

Just as he spoke, a gleam of light breaking through the clouds showed us
the chase right ahead. She had now very little chance of escaping from
us. We were coming up with her hand-over-hand. As we drew near I fired
one of our bow-chasers. Still she held on, so I fired another, and this
time with some effect, for she at once put down her helm and hauled her
foresail to windward. The tender had a jolly-boat belonging to her. I
jumped into it with Tom Rockets and another hand, and soon stood in
safety on the deck of the prize. She had, I saw, a number of hands on
board, and I felt somewhat surprised that they did not bundle me and my
two hands into the boat, and tell us to go back whence we had come. She
was, however, only a quiet honest trader, so her master affirmed, from
Bedford, bound to Connecticut with fish and oil. On counting her
people, I found that she mustered sixteen in all--stout, fierce-looking
fellows. Some two or three of them said they were landsmen, and one
hailed as a Quaker and a non-combatant, but I did not like the looks of
any of them. I sent Rockets to the helm, and told him to keep the prize
under the lee of the tender. I found that the schooner had a large boat
on board. I accordingly ordered the crew to lower her into the water.

"Now, my lads," said I, "tumble into her yourselves, and make the best
of your way to the shore. It is a dark night, and not very pleasant
weather, I own, but it is either that or a prison, you know."

Before I had done speaking the rebels had begun to launch the boat, too
glad of the opportunity of getting on shore to consider the dan