d nothing had
been said about the steamer that had been found there. It appeared from
the statement of Captain Lonley that the Havana was the property of his
uncle Homer Passford; and doubtless he had chosen Cedar Keys as a safer
place, at this stage of the war, to send out his cotton than the
vicinity of his plantation.

Christy certainly had no desire to capture the property of his father's
brother rather than that of any other Confederate planter, for he had
had no knowledge of his operations in Florida. But he was quite as
patriotic on his own side as his uncle was on the other side, and as it
was his duty to take or destroy the goods of the enemy, he was not sorry
he had been so fortunate, though he did regret that Homer Passford had
been the principal sufferer from the visit of the Bronx to this coast.

The planter had now lost three schooners and one steamer loaded with
cotton; but Christy was satisfied that this would not abate by one jot
or tittle his interest in the cause he had espoused. The young man did
not think of such a thing as punishing him for taking part in the
rebellion, for he knew that Homer would be all the more earnest in his
faith because he had been a financial martyr on account of his devotion
to it.

The Havana, with one of the schooners on each side of her, was steaming
slowly down the channel, and the Bronx was approaching at a distance
of not more than three miles. For the first time since he obtained
possession of the prizes, he had an opportunity to look them over, and
collect his thoughts. From the very beginning of the enterprise he had
been extremely anxious in regard to the result.

His orders had been to obtain all the information he could in regard to
the position of the vessels that were reported to be at this port, and
to do anything the circumstances would permit without incurring too
much risk. The adventure had been full of surprises from first to last.
Something new and sometimes something strange had been continually
exposed to him, and it looked to him just as though all the preparations
to accomplish the result he had achieved had been made for his coming.

Before the boats went around into the bay, he had been satisfied with
the finding and carrying off of the twelve-pounders. He had hardly
expected to do anything more, and he knew that Captain Blowitt would be
amused as well as pleased at this rather singular feat. The removal of
the four field pieces had rendered