[Footnote 1:  “It was about ten o’clock at night when the first glare of light burst from her cabin-hatch.  Few, few on board can forget the spectacle.  A ship set fire to at sea!  It would seem that man was almost warring with his Maker.  Her helpless condition, the red flames licking the rigging as they climbed aloft, the sparks and pieces of burning rope taken off by the wind and flying miles to leeward, the ghastly glare thrown upon the dark sea as far as the eye could reach, and then the death-like stillness of the scene—­all these combined to place the Golden Rocket on the tablet of our memories for ever.  But, notwithstanding the reluctance with which we did it, we would not have missed the opportunity for anything on earth.  We wanted no war—­we wanted peace; we had dear friends among those who were making war upon us, and for their sakes, if not for the sake of humanity, we hoped to be allowed to separate in peace; but it could not be; they forced the war upon us—­they endeavoured to destroy us.  For this, and for this alone, we burn their ships and destroy their commerce.  We have no feeling of enmity against them, and all we ask is to be let alone—­to be allowed to tread the path we have chosen for ourselves.”—­“Cruise of the Sumter,” from the “Index” May 1st, 1862.]

The following day saw two more prizes fall into the Sumter’s hands.  These were the brigantines Cuba and Machias, both of Maine.  The captures were taken in tow and carried off in the direction of Cienfuegos.  The next day, however, the Cuba broke adrift from her hawser, and on being recovered, a prize crew was sent on board the vessel, with directions to carry her into Cienfuegos, for which port Captain Semmes was now shaping his course.

Arrived off that harbour on the evening of the same day, it was found too late to attempt to enter, and two more vessels being descried in the offing, the Machias was cast off, with orders to lay-to until the morning, and the Sumter started off in chase.  On coming up with the two vessels, at about half-past nine o’clock, they proved to be the United States brigantines, Ben Dunning and Albert Adams.  They were at once taken possession of, and ordered to make the best of their way in charge of a prize crew to Cienfuegos.

The night was passed in standing off and on outside the harbour, and with the earliest dawn preparations were made for running in.  The weather was bright and clear, and the brief twilight of the tropics flushed rapidly into the full glare of day, and showed to the watchful eyes on board the Sumter the welcome spectacle of three more vessels being towed out to sea by a steamer, the stars and stripes floating gaily from their peaks.  Warily and patiently the little Sumter lay in wait, under the shelter of the land, until the steamer had cast off her convoy, and the three unsuspecting vessels were fairly beyond the maritime league from the neutral shore, within which the law