on the horizon, a black speck, moving
swiftly along the ocean. No curling smoke would tell of the
blockade-runner's presence, and nothing could be seen until the hull
of the steamer itself was perceptible. With the quick hail of the
lookout, the man-of-war would head for the prize, and start in hot
pursuit. Certain it is that the smuggler started to fly before the
watchful lookout on the cruiser caught sight of her. The towering
masts and capacious funnels of the man-of-war, with the cloud of black
smoke from her furnaces, made her a conspicuous object at distances
from which the smuggler would be invisible. With the blockade-runners
the rule was to avoid any sail, no matter how innocent it might seem;
and the appearance of a cloud of smoke on the horizon was the signal
for an immediate change of course, and a flight for safety. When the
chase began in this way, the cruiser had but little chance of making a
capture, for the superior speed of the merchant-vessel would quickly
carry her out of sight. Sometimes, however, a favorable wind would
enable the pursuer to use her sails, and then the chase would become
exciting. With a cloud of canvas set, the man-of-war would gradually
overhaul the flying vessel; and when within range, the great bow-gun
would be cleared, and with a roar a shell would be sent flying after
the prize. All hands would watch its course anxiously. Generally it
fell short. Then another and another messenger would be sent to the
enemy, which seldom struck the mark, for gunnery on a rough sea is a
difficult art. But the blockade-runner can't stand being used for
target-practice long. The cool head of her captain begins to
deliberate upon means of getting out of range. Mere running before the
wind won't do it: so he makes a long detour, and doubles on his
course, heading directly into the teeth of the breeze. Now the cruiser
is at a disadvantage. Her sail-power gone, she stands no chance of
capturing her game. Her shells begin to fall far short of the
smuggler, and soon she ceases firing altogether; and the
blockade-runner, driven hundreds of miles out of her course, but safe
for the time, goes on her way rejoicing.

[Illustration: Blockade-Runner in North Carolina Sounds.]

One of the most brilliant captures of the war was that of the
blockade-runner "Young Republic," by the United States gunboat "Grand
Gulf." The "Young Republic" succeeded in evading the watchfulness of
the blockading-squadron about t