rown up by a designed plan
from the barge. We had hardly cleared the bar when we saw this boat very
near our bows, nicely placed to be run clean over, and as we were going
about fourteen knots, her chance of escape would have been small had we
been inclined to finish her. Changing the helm, which I did myself, a
couple of spokes just took us clear. We passed so close that I could
have dropped a biscuit into the boat with ease. I heard the crash of
broken oars against our sides; not a word was spoken.

I strongly suspect every man in that boat held his breath till the great
white avalanche of cotton, rushing by so unpleasantly near, had passed
quite clear of her.

However, they seemed very soon to have recovered themselves, for a
minute had scarcely passed before up went a rocket, which I thought a
very ungrateful proceeding on their part. But they only did their duty,
and perhaps they did not know how nearly they had escaped being made
food for fishes. On the rocket being thrown up, a gun was fired
uncommonly close to us, but as we did not hear any shot, it may have
been only a signal to the cruisers to keep a sharp look-out.

We steered a mile or two near the coast, always edging a little to the
eastward, and then shaped our course straight out to sea. Several guns
were fired in the pitch-darkness very near us. (I am not quite sure
whether some of the blockaders did not occasionally pepper each other.)
After an hour's fast steaming, we felt moderately safe, and by the
morning had a good offing.

Daylight broke with thick, hazy weather, nothing being in sight. We went
on all right till half-past eight o'clock, when the weather cleared up,
and there was a large paddle-wheel cruiser (that we must have passed
very near to in the thick weather) about six miles astern of us. The
moment she saw us she gave chase. After running for a quarter of an hour
it was evident that with our heavy cargo on board, the cruiser had the
legs of us, and as there was a long day before us for the chase, things
looked badly. We moved some cotton aft to immerse our screws well; but
still the cruiser was steadily decreasing her distance from us, when an
incident of a very curious nature favoured us for a time.

It is mentioned in the book of sailing directions, that the course of
the Gulf Stream (in the vicinity of which we knew we were) is in calm
weather and smooth water plainly marked out by a ripple on its inner and
outer edges. We clearl