especially
when he ran the gauntlet in broad daylight through the whole Federal
fleet blockading Mobile, and for which affair Preble, then commanding
the fleet, was so harshly dealt with; but the chief object of the
Confederate cruisers being to destroy the American commerce, an
engagement with a United States ship of war was to be avoided, if
possible.

The Florida's deck, when the crew were at their meals, was a curious
scene; the plain fare of the sailors being served in costly china,
captured from homeward bound "Indiamen," and the scamps had become
fastidious in their taste about tea. I had the pleasure to carry into
Wilmington ten or twelve chests of the finest hyson, which were
distributed among the hospitals; and a lot of silver ingots made a
narrow escape from confiscation. But the law officers in Bermuda, whom
Maffitt consulted, assuring him that they would be adjudged legal prize
of war in the British courts, they were shipped to England, instead of
the Confederacy, and there returned to the claimants.

Although there was no exchange of civilities between the officers of the
two ships, the sailors harmonized amiably and got drunk together ashore
with mutual good will. A jack tar is probably the only representative
left of the old "free lance," who served under any flag where he was
sure of pay and booty. The blue jackets will fight under any colors,
where there is a fair prospect of adventure and prize money.

After the Florida had been coaled, there was scarcely a sufficient
supply left to carry the Lee into Wilmington under the most favorable
circumstances; but it was necessary either to sail at once, or to wait
two weeks for the next moon. Our chief engineer had noticed a large pile
of coal on one of the wharves rented by the Confederate agent; but the
heap had been so long exposed to the weather, and trampled upon for so
many months, that it appeared to be a mere pile of dirt. "Necessity
having no law," however, we shoveled off the surface; and were surprised
to find that it was of very fair quality. It made an abundance of steam,
indeed, but burned with great rapidity; and although we took on board an
extra supply, we were able to retain barely enough English coal in the
bunkers to use in running through the fleet on our next outward voyage.
The consequence was the narrowest escape from capture ever made by the
Lee while under my command.

We were ready to sail for Nassau on the 15th of August, 1863