On arriving there I was taken very ill with yellow fever, and on my recovery made up my mind to give up blockade-running for ever and all.  The game indeed was fast drawing to a close.  Its decline was caused in the first by the impolitic behaviour of the people at Wilmington, who, professedly acting under orders from the Confederate Government at Richmond, pressed the blockade-runners into their service to carry out cotton on Government account, in such an arbitrary manner that the profit to their owners, who had been put to an enormous expense and risk in sending vessels in, was so much reduced that the ventures hardly paid.  And when at last Fort Fisher was taken, and thus all blockade-running entirely put an end to, the enterprise had lost much of its charm; for, unromantic as it may seem, much of that charm consisted in money-making.

However, I will mention one or two instances to show what the love of enterprise will lead men to do, and with these I will close my narration.

On the first night of the attack on Fort Fisher, which it may be remembered was a failure entirely through bad management, though its little garrison fought like lions, a blockade-runner unaware of what was going on, finding that the blockading squadron was very near inshore and hearing a great deal of firing, kept creeping nearer to the fort, till she was near enough to make out what they were doing.  Judging rightly that they would never suspect that any attempt would be made to run the blockade at such a time, she joined a detachment of gun-boats and went deliberately in as one of them.  When they, being repulsed, had steamed away, our friend remained at anchor under the fort, much to the astonishment of the garrison.  It would have been rather awkward if the fort had been taken, but in such times no one looks very far ahead.

Another vessel went out from Wilmington the same night, and was unmolested.  But fortune does not always favour the brave.  Fort Fisher was at last taken unbeknownst, as the sailors say, to the blockade-runners at Nassau or Bermuda, at which places the blindest confidence was still felt in everything connected with the fortunes of the South, and where to whisper an opinion that any mishap might happen to Wilmington was positively dangerous.  The crafty Northerners placed the lights for going over the bar as usual.  The blockade-runners came cautiously on, and congratulating themselves at seeing no cruisers ran gaily into the port.  The usual feasting and rejoicings were about to commence when a boat full of armed men came alongside, and astonished them by telling them that they were in the lion’s mouth.  This happened to four or five vessels before the news had reached the islands.  It was hard lines, no doubt, but quite fair play.  It was the blockaders’ turn to laugh now.

CHAPTER XVI.

THE LAND BLOCKADE.