But our troubles were not yet over.  To get into the river’s mouth it was necessary to make a detour, to do which we had to steer out towards the blockading fleet for a quarter of a mile before we could turn to go into the river.  While we were performing this somewhat ticklish manoeuvre, Fort Fisher most kindly opened a heavy fire from all its guns, and thus drew the attention of the blockaders from us.  In twenty minutes from the time we got off we were safely at anchor under the Confederate batteries.  The vessel that had been so hard chased and fired at during the night was lying safely at the anchorage, not very much damaged.

This was by far the most anxious time we had gone through.  We had to thank the commandant and garrison of Fort Fisher for our escape.  Having paid our gallant rescuers a visit, we took a pilot on board and steamed up to Wilmington.  Cape Clear river at this time was full of all sorts of torpedoes and obstructions, put down to prevent any gun-boats from approaching the town of Wilmington, should the forts at its entrance be taken possession of by the enemy.  And as the whereabouts of these obstructions were only known to certain pilots, we had to be careful to have the right man on board.  We got up in safety, and finding that our cargo of cotton was ready, made haste to unload and prepare for sea again as quickly as possible.

There was nothing interesting in Wilmington, which is a large straggling town built on sand-hills.  At the time I write of the respectable inhabitants were nearly all away from their homes, and the town was full of adventurers of all descriptions; some who came to sell cotton, others to buy at enormous prices European goods brought in by blockade-runners.  These goods they took with them into the interior, and, adding a heavy percentage to the price, people who were forced to buy them paid most ruinous prices for the commonest necessaries of life.

On this occasion we spent a very short time at Wilmington, and having taken our cargo of cotton, we went down the river to the old waiting place under the friendly batteries of Fort Fisher.  We had scarcely anchored when a heavy fog came on; as the tide for going over the bar did not suit till three o’clock in the morning, which I considered an awkward time, inasmuch as we should only have two hours of darkness left in which to get our offing from the land, I determined to go out in the fog and take my chance of the thick weather lasting.  I calculated that if we had met with any cruisers, they would not have been expecting us, and so would have been under low steam.

I was told by every one that I was mad to venture out, and all sorts of prognostications were made that I should come to grief, in spite of which omens of disaster, however, I went over the bar at four o’clock in the afternoon in a fog, through which I could hardly see from one end of the ship to the other, and took my chance.  As we went on the fog seemed to get if possible still thicker, and through the night it was impossible for us to see anything or anything to see us.