The bond duly signed, and safely deposited among the other securities of the kind, Captain Semmes breathed more freely, and a feeling of satisfaction at having steered safely through a situation of such difficulty, offered some slight compensation for the disappointment arising from the enforced release of the prize.  The two vessels now parted company; all parties, both civil, naval, and military, on board of the Ariel, uniting their testimony in eulogy of the quiet, orderly, and respectful conduct of their unwelcome guests.  So with mutual amenities the two courteous enemies parted, the Ariel steering a course to the S.S.W., the Alabama still hard at work in the repairs of her machinery, standing off and on within easy distance of the Jamaica coast, and keeping as far as possible from the track of vessels until the untoward disaster should be repaired.

CHAPTER XXII.

Again ready—­Gloomy weather—­A Norther—­The Arcas—­The second Christmas at sea—­The war—­Plymouth rock leaven—­On the lonely island—­“Splicing the main-brace”—­Searching for shells—­Tired of hard service—­In irons—­Well disciplined—­A phenomenon—­The new year—­In memoriam—­To sea again.

The exciting episode of the Ariel was followed by a period altogether devoid of incident, though by no means destitute either of interest or anxiety for those on board the Alabama.  From daybreak to dusk the click of the hammer, and the shrill screaming of the file, arose incessantly from the engine room, as the engineer and his staff laboured without a pause to repair the damage to the machinery.  The task proved even longer than had been anticipated, and it was not until the afternoon of the third day that the mischief had been finally remedied, and the Alabama was pronounced in a condition to resume with safety her destructive career.

Meanwhile, a brighter look-out than ever was kept from her mastheads.  There was still a possibility—­though but a slight one—­of falling in with the homeward-bound Californian, for which they had been waiting so long and so anxiously; whilst it was more than ever necessary to care against surprise from any of the enemy’s cruisers, who might fairly be expected to be in considerable force somewhere in the neighbourhood.

The northern shores of Jamaica, however, off which the Alabama was now lying, standing along the coast, under easy sail during the day, and at night laying her maintopsail to the mast, appeared to be but little frequented by vessels of any kind, and the cruiser was permitted to carry on her repairs without a single interruption in the way of either a chase, or a call to quarters.  And it was perhaps as well that such an interval of rest should have been afforded after the severe strain of the previous few days.  For Captain Semmes, at all events, it was a great boon, for on that officer’s never very robust constitution, the continued anxiety and constant night-calls on deck, in wind and rain, had had a very serious effect, and he was fairly laid up with cold and fever.