of the disaster to the Vampire had been collected,
and they had taken a steamer to explore the river in search of the bold
actors in the affair, as soon as the facts were known in the vicinity.
The steamer had been running up and down the river since six in the
morning.

When the Bellevite passed up the river, she was promptly recognized
by the investigating party on board of the Alert, which followed the
steamer up to her anchorage. She came alongside some time after the crew
had fished up the cable; but Captain Passford warned her to keep off as
soon as he discovered her intention to come alongside. She was a small
steamer, and had at least twenty men on her deck, so that the captain
thought it necessary to learn her object before she came any nearer.

A boat with two men was sent from the Alert, and one of them was
permitted to come on board. This one proved to be Captain Mainhill, with
whom the owner of the Bellevite was well acquainted. He was a wealthy
and patriotic man, though rather too old to be engaged in active service
for his country.

"I thought you might be representatives of the Southern Confederacy, and
I was rather shy of you," said Captain Passford, as he took the hand of
his neighbor. "I should not have been so cautious if I had met you last
evening."

"We have been looking for the gentlemen who were engaged in this attempt
to capture the Bellevite," added Captain Mainhill.

"I hope you have found them, or some of them," replied the owner.

"Only a single one of them; and he is badly wounded. We have scoured
the river for miles without finding any trace of the enemy. I think they
landed on the east shore, and went over to the railroad, where they
probably took the first train that came along," replied Captain
Mainhill.

"Of course, they saw the Bellevite going down the river, and perhaps
they have gone down to New York to finish the job they begun here,"
suggested Captain Passford. "Do you know if the enemy lost any of their
number when the boat was smashed?"

But Captain Mainhill knew nothing about the affair on the river beyond
the fact that an attempt had been made to capture the Bellevite, and he
had not ascertained that more than one was injured.

"We found the Vampire aground half a mile below where the shot disabled
her," continued the leader of the expedition. "Her machinery was badly
smashed. She never was good for much, and she is good for nothing now."

"Did the enemy carry off