for the approaches to the cabins, engine-room, and the men’s forecastle; then another somewhat thinner tier on the top of that, after which a few bales for the captain and officers, those uncontrollable rascals whom the poor agents could not manage, and the cargo was complete.  Loaded in this way, the vessel with only her foremast up, with her bow-funnel, and grey-painted sides, looked more like a huge bale of cotton with a stick placed upright at one end of it, than anything else I can think of.  One bale for——­, and still one more for——­ (I never tell tales out of school), and all was ready.

We left the quay at Wilmington cheered by the hurrahs of our brother blockade-runners, who were taking in and discharging their cargoes, and steamed a short distance down the river, when we were boarded to be searched and smoked.  This latter extraordinary proceeding, called for perhaps by the existing state of affairs, took me altogether aback.  That a smoking apparatus should be applied to a cargo of cotton seemed almost astounding.  But so it was ordered, the object being to search for runaways, and, strange to say, its efficacy was apparent, when, after an hour or more’s application of the process (which was by no means a gentle one), an unfortunate wretch, crushed almost to death by the closeness of his hiding-place, poked with a long stick till his ribs must have been like touchwood, and smoked the colour of a backwood Indian, was dragged by the heels into the daylight, ignominiously put into irons, and hurled into the guard-boat.  This discovery nearly caused the detention of the vessel on suspicion of our being the accomplices of the runaway; but after some deliberation, we were allowed to go on.

Having steamed down the river a distance of about twenty miles, we anchored at two o’clock in the afternoon near its mouth.  We were hidden by Fort Fisher from the blockading squadron lying off the bar, there to remain till some time after nightfall.  After anchoring we went on shore to take a peep at the enemy from the batteries.  Its commandant, a fine, dashing young Confederate officer, who was a firm friend to blockade-runners, accompanied us round the fort.  We counted twenty-five vessels under weigh; some of them occasionally ventured within range; but no sooner had one of them done so, than a shot was thrown so unpleasantly near that she at once moved out again.

We were much struck with the weakness of Fort Fisher, which, with a garrison of twelve hundred men, and only half finished, could have been easily taken at any time since the war began by a resolute body of five thousand men making a night attack.  It is true that at the time of its capture it was somewhat stronger than at the time I visited it, but even then its garrison was comparatively small, and its defences unfinished.  I fancy the bold front so long shown by its occupiers had much to do with the fact that such an attack was not attempted till just before the close of the war.  The time chosen for our starting was eleven o’clock, at which hour the tide was at its highest on the bar at the entrance of the river.  Fortunately the moon set about ten, and as it was very cloudy, we had every reason to expect a pitch-dark night.  There were two or three causes that made one rather more nervous on this occasion than when leaving Bermuda.