t prove victorious in
the fight, these transports would be a prize of more practical importance
than all the grain and all the oil ever carried in a merchantman's
hold.

It was a daring adventure certainly. To steer, with a solitary
light-armed sloop, close upon a coast, blockaded from north to
south, by hundreds of armed vessels, in deliberate quest of a
squadron, not improbably four or five times stronger than herself,
was an act of almost reckless hardihood, fully in keeping with the
rest of the Alabama's career. The event indeed proved the full
danger of the adventure; whilst, at the same time, nothing could
have more clearly showed how utterly groundless were the dastardly
imputations upon the courage and prowess of her crew, poured out daily
from the foul-mouthed organs of the Northern press. There could be no
question of the fighting qualities, or disposition, of the Confederate
cruiser, after such a test as this.

For five days the Alabama kept steadily on her course for Galveston,
where she expected to find the fleet of which she was in
search. At length, on Sunday, the 11th January--her "lucky
day"--the moment so anxiously looked for came.

* * * * *

Our position at noon--writes Captain Semmes--put us just
within thirty miles of Galveston, and I stood on, intending either
just to sight the shipping at a great distance, without being seen
myself, or else to anchor just out of sight until the moon should
rise the following night, which would be about half-past eleven,
and then run in, and attack, as I hoped, "Banks' expedition."
Owing, however, to a little carelessness in the look-out at "masthead,"
we were permitted to approach the ships anchored off the
bar in such plain sight, before they were announced, that we were
discovered, although we tacked immediately and stood off, in the
hopes of eluding the vigilance of the enemy.

There were three ships found lying off the bar--one heavily-sparred
ship, which our look-out took for a sail frigate, but which
afterwards proved to be the Brooklyn steamer, our old friend that
chased us in the Sumter, and two steamers supposed to be propellers.
Very soon one of the steamers was seen to be getting up
steam, and in about an hour and a half afterwards she was reported
to be under weigh, standing out for us.

I lowered the propeller, and directed steam to be got in readiness,
and awaited the approach of the stranger, who overhauled u