Never having run through the blockade as the commander of a vessel (though he was with me all the time and had as much to do with our luck as I had), he was naturally very anxious to get safely through.  There can be no doubt that the vessel had lost much of her speed, for she had been very hardly pushed on several occasions.  This told sadly against her, as the result will show.  On the third afternoon after leaving Nassau she was in a good position for attempting the run when night came on.  She was moving stealthily about waiting for the evening, when suddenly, on the weather, which had been hitherto thick and hazy, clearing up, she saw a cruiser unpleasantly near to her, which bore down under steam and sail, and it soon became probable that the poor little ‘D——­n’s’ twin screws would not save her this time, well and often as they had done so before.

The cruiser, a large full-rigged corvette, was coming up hand over hand, carrying a strong breeze, and the days of the ‘D——­n’ seemed numbered, when C——­ tried a ruse worthy of any of the heroes of naval history.

The wind, as I said, was very fresh, with a good deal of sea running.  On came the cruiser till the ‘D——­n’ was almost under her bows, and shortened sail in fine style.  The moment the men were in the rigging, going aloft to furl the sails, C——­ put his plan into execution.  He turned his craft head to wind, and steamed deliberately past the corvette at not fifty yards’ distance.  She, with great way on, went nearly a quarter of a mile before she could turn.

I have it from good authority that the order was not given to the marines on the man-of-war’s poop to fire at the plucky little craft who had so fairly out-manoeuvred the cruiser, for out-manoeuvred she was to all intents and purposes.  The two or three guns that had been cast loose during the chase had been partially secured, and left so while the men had gone aloft to furl the sails, so that not a shot was fired as she went past.  Shortly after she had done so, however, the cruiser opened fire with her bow guns, but with the sea that was running it could do no harm, being without any top weights.  The ‘D——­n’ easily dropped the corvette with her heavy spars astern, and was soon far ahead; so much so that when night came on the cruiser was shut out of sight in the darkness.

After this the ‘D——­n’ deserved to escape, but it was otherwise fated.  The next morning when day broke she was within three miles of one of the new fast vessels, which had come out on her trial trip, flying light, alas!  She had an opportunity of trying her speed advantageously to herself.  She snapped up the poor ‘D——­n’ in no time, and took her into the nearest port.  I may mention that the ‘D——­n’ and her captain were well known and much sought after by the American cruisers.  The first remark that the officer made on coming aboard her was:  ’Well, Captain Roberts, so we have caught you at last!’ and he seemed much disappointed when he was told that