The Alabama was now bound for the Cape of Good Hope, where her faithful tender, the Agrippina, was again to meet her.  On the 27th of June, however, when in lat. 20.01 S., long. 28.29 W., it was discovered that a great portion of the supposed month’s supply of bread had been destroyed by weevils, and that there was not enough left for the run.  A visit to some port nearer at hand thus became inevitable, and the ship’s course was accordingly shaped for Rio Janeiro.

CHAPTER XXX.

An insult to the Yankee flag—­Fine weather—­The Anna F. Schmidt—­“What ship’s that?”—­The Express—­A supply of bread—­Saldanha Bay—­Visitors from the country—­A funeral—­The Tuscaloosa’s prize—­The capture off Cape Town—­The Sea Bride won—­Ship crowded—­Sympathy.

Sunday, June 28th.—­At 4.30 this evening brought-to a heavy ship with a blank cartridge; or rather she seemed to come-to of her own accord, as she was evidently outsailing us, and was, when we fired, at very long range.  Soon after heaving-to she burned a blue light, and whilst our boat, with a light in it, was pulling towards her, she burned another.  She afterwards said she would not have hove-to but that she thought we might be in distress.  The boarding officer reported us as the United States ship Dacotah, and demanded to see the ship’s papers, which were refused, the Master stating that we had no right to see his papers.  The boarding officer having been informed of her name (the Vernon), and that she was from Melbourne, for London, and being satisfied, from observation, that she was really an English ship, she being one of the well-known frigate-built Melbourne packets, returned on board, and the ship filled away; and she was already at considerable distance from us when I received the boarding officer’s report.  Under all these circumstances, I did not chase him afresh to enforce my belligerent right of search. Cui bono, the vessel being really English?  Although, indeed, the resistance to search by a neutral is good cause of capture, I could only capture to destroy; and I would not burn an English ship (being satisfied of her nationality) if the Master persisted to the law in not showing his papers.  Nor did I feel that the Confederate States flag had any insult to revenge, as the insult, if any, was intended for the Yankee flag.  Most probably, however, the ship being a packet-ship, and a mail-packet, the Master erred from ignorance.

Lat. 26.35, long. 32.59.30, current S.E. thirty miles; ship rolling and tumbling about, to my great discomfort.  The fact is, I am getting too old to relish the rough usage of the sea.  Youth sometimes loves to be rocked by the gale, but when we have passed the middle stage of life, we love quiet and repose.

Tuesday, June 30th.—­The bad weather of the past week seems at length to have blown itself out; and this morning we have the genial sunshine again, and a clear, bracing atmosphere.  With a solitary exception, the Cape pigeons, true to their natures, have departed.  There is still some roughness of the sea left, however, and the ship is rolling and creaking her bulk-heads, as usual.  Wind moderate from about East.