was the Florida Reef over again, and my experience in
surveying that coast stood us in good stead here. We were so fortunate,
indeed, as never once to touch the bottom although the lead frequently
showed less than twelve feet; and about 3 o'clock in the afternoon the
welcome blue water showed itself ahead. It would have been impossible to
make the transit in cloudy weather; but the day was fortunately clear.
Occasionally when a "trade" cloud would approach the sun, we would slow
down or stop until it had passed by, when the black patches would again
be visible. The iron plates of the Giraffe would have been pierced as
completely as if made of pasteboard, if she had come into contact even
at low speed with those jagged coral heads. Before dark we were out of
danger, and next morning came to anchor in the harbor of Nassau.

Nassau was a busy place during the war; the chief depot of supplies for
the Confederacy, and the port to which most of the cotton was shipped.
Its proximity to the ports of Charleston and Wilmington gave it superior
advantages, while it was easily accessible to the swift, light draft
blockade-runners; all of which carried Bahama bank pilots who knew every
channel, while the United States cruisers having no Bank pilots and
drawing more water were compelled to keep the open sea. Occasionally one
of the latter would heave to outside the harbor and send in a boat to
communicate with the American Consul; but their usual cruising ground
was off Abaco Light. Nassau is situated upon the island of New
Providence, one of the Bahamas, and is the chief town and capital of the
group. All of the islands are surrounded by coral reefs and shoals,
through which are channels more or less intricate. That wonderful "River
in the Sea"--the Gulf Stream--which flows between the Florida coast and
the Bahama Banks is only forty miles broad between the nearest opposite
points; but there is no harbor on that part of the Florida coast. The
distance from Charleston to Nassau is about five hundred miles, and
from Wilmington about five hundred and fifty. Practically, however, they
were equi-distant because blockade-runners bound from either port, in
order to evade the cruisers lying in wait off Abaco, were compelled to
give that head-land a wide berth, by keeping well to the eastward of it.
But in avoiding Scylla they ran the risk of striking upon Charybdis; for
the dangerous reefs of Eleuthera were fatal to many vessels. The chief
i