They reached that place without any adventure, and, after supplying the fleet with stores, started to return to Cairo.  One pleasant afternoon, as they were passing through Cypress Bend, the officer of the deck discovered a man standing on the bank, waving a flag of truce.  A bale of cotton lay near him; and the man, as soon as he found that he had attracted their attention, pointed to the cotton, and signified, by signs, that he wished it carried up the river.

The Milwaukee was immediately turned toward the shore, and as soon as they arrived within speaking distance, the captain called out: 

“What do you want?”

“I would like to have you take this cotton to Cairo for me,” answered the man.

“Are you a loyal citizen?” asked the captain.

“Yes, sir; and here is a permit from Admiral Porter to ship my cotton;” and, as the man spoke, he held up a letter to the view of the captain.

“Bring her into the bank, Mr. Smith,” said the captain, addressing the pilot; “and, Mr. O’Brien,” he continued, in a lower tone, turning to an officer who stood near, “go down and stand by that howitzer.  Perhaps there is no treachery intended, but it is well to be on the safe side.”

As soon as the Milwaukee touched the bank, Frank and Simpson, with two others, sprang ashore with a line, and, after making it fast to a tree, returned on board, and commenced pushing out a plank, so that the cotton could be easily rolled on, when, suddenly, several men rose from behind the levee, and the quick discharge of their rifles sent the bullets around those standing on the forecastle, like hailstones; and Simpson, who was standing directly in front of Frank, uttered a sharp cry of pain, and sank heavily to the deck.  The next moment the guerrillas, with loud yells, sprang down the bank in a body, intending to board the boat and capture her.  But they had not taken her so much by surprise as they had imagined, for a shell from the howitzer exploded in their very midst, and one of the rebels was killed, and three disabled.  The others turned and hastily retreated behind the levee.  Frank took advantage of this, and lifting the insensible form of his friend, retreated under cover, and laid him on a mattress behind a pile of coal, where he would be safe from the bullets of the guerrillas, which now began to come through the sides of the boat in every direction.

This was the first time Frank had ever been under fire, and he was thoroughly frightened; but he knew that it was his duty to resist the rebels, and to do them as much damage as possible; so, instead of looking round for a safe place to hide, his first impulse was to run up on deck after a gun.  This he knew was a dangerous undertaking, for the vessel lay close to the bank, the top of which was on a level with the boiler-deck; and behind the levee, scarcely half a dozen rods distant, were the guerrillas, who were ready to shoot the first man that appeared.