"I suppose she might be hit as well as this vessel," replied Beets, no
better pleased with the situation than his companion in trouble. "They
fired three shots into her while she was alongside."

"She must have been hit in a bad place, or she would have been alongside
of us before this time. But here we are."

The third lieutenant and quartermaster felt very much like prisoners,
though they had no evidence that the Killbright was a ship-of-war,
except that she had hoisted the Confederate flag, and fired upon the
Bellevite. But the rakish-looking steamer continued on her course, while
the Bellevite had not moved since the first broadside. She had already
made a mile, and the shots from her enemy did not seem to disable her.

She continued to run with all her speed, and the lieutenant felt the
deck quiver as though it was in danger of being shaken out of her. But
she was not followed by the Bellevite, and things began to look dark
and somewhat cheerless to Christy. The firing came to an end, for the
distance was becoming too great for it to be effectual on either side.

"If we had not jumped down from the rail when we boarded, we might have
escaped this scrape," said Beeks, who was even more disgusted than his
companion.

"It is no use to growl about it," added Christy, laughing. "Here we are,
and we can't help ourselves at present."

"I suppose they will let us go, won't they?" inquired the quartermaster.

"Let us go where?"

"Let us go back where we came from," replied Beeks, who seemed to be
quite muddled by his misfortune.

"You don't expect them to put you on board of the Bellevite again,
do you?"

"Well, no; not exactly; but this steamer is nothing but a blockade
runner, and such craft don't take prisoners."

"I hardly know what she is yet; she is a blockade runner, but she
appeals to be something more than that. She hoisted the Confederate
flag, and her people stood by their guns like brave men. I count myself
as a prisoner of war," said Christy, to the increased disgust of his
companion.

"What do you suppose they will do with us?" asked Beeks, looking as
though he had not a friend in the world, though he had always been a
very brave and active fellow when there was anything to do.

"I don't know, but I suppose she will run the blockade into the Cape
Fear River, and we may be taken up to Wilmington."

While they were talking about it, they saw a group of officers coming to
the forward deck, where