up to dress, and rang the bell several
times without getting any answer. So I opened the door and looked out
into the passage. To my surprise I saw an individual sitting on the
chair on which I had put my clothes, trying on one of my boots. He had
succeeded in getting it half on when it had stuck, and at the time I
discovered him he seemed to be in a fix, inasmuch as he could neither
get the boot off nor on. He was struggling violently with my poor boot,
as if it were his personal enemy, and swearing like a trooper. Not
wishing to increase his ire, I blandly insinuated that the boots were
mine, on which he turned his wrath towards me, making most unpleasant
remarks, which he wound up by saying that in these times anything that a
man could pick up lying about was his lawful property, and that he was
astonished at my impudence in asking for the boots. However, as the
darned things would not fit him 'no how,' he guessed I was welcome to
them; and giving a vicious tug to the boot to get it off, he succeeded
in doing so, and I, picking it up with its fellow, made good my retreat.
But where was my coat? I could not get an echo of an answer, where? So I
went downstairs and told my piteous tale to the landlord, who laughed at
my troubles, and told me he could not give me the slightest hopes of
ever seeing it again; but he offered to lend me a garment in which to
travel to Wilmington, which offer I gladly accepted.

CHAPTER XIII.

NEVER CAUGHT!

On my return to Wilmington I found that my vessel was ready for sea, so
I took charge of her, and we went down the river.

We had to undergo the same ordeal as before in the way of being smoked
and searched. This time there were no runaways discovered, but there was
one on board for all that, who made his appearance, almost squashed to
death, after we had been twenty-four hours at sea. We then anchored
under Fort Fisher, where we waited until it was dark, after which, when
the tide was high enough on the bar, we made a move and were soon
rushing out to sea at full speed. There was a considerable swell
running, which we always considered a point in our favour. By the way,
writing of swells puts me in mind of a certain 'swell' I had on board as
passenger on this occasion, who, while in Wilmington, had been talking
very big about 'hunting,' which probably he supposed I knew nothing
about. He used to give us long narratives of his own exploits in the
hunting-field, and expatiate