urned blue with
anger, drew himself up, ordered his boat to be manned, and walked over
the side not saying a word to anyone.

The facts which led to this untoward occurrence were that, seeing the
necessity of having my decks crowded with what I considered useless
lumber, in the form of water-casks, I had utilised them by making them
into dog-kennels. The admiral hated dogs, hated sport of all kind, and,
after what occurred, I fancy hated me. Well, I didn't love him; I never
saw him again.

The very next day I was ordered to the coast of Syria: just what I
wanted, i.e., to be out of the commander-in-chief's way, and to have
some good shooting.

CHAPTER X.

BLOCKADE-RUNNING.

On receiving my rank as post-captain, I found myself shelved, as it
were, for four years, while waiting my turn for a command. This was
according to the rules of the navy, so there was no getting out of it.
What was I to do? I consulted several of my friends who were in a
similar position, who, like myself, did not wish to remain idle so long,
so we looked about us for some enterprise, as something to do.

The upshot of it was that we thought of trying if we could not conceive
some plan for breaking through the much-talked-of blockade of the
Southern States of America, then in revolt against the government of
Washington. Four of us young post-captains took this decision, and as it
would have been, perhaps, considered _infra dig._ for real naval
officers to engage in such an enterprise, we lent our minds, if not our
bodies, to certain _alter egos_, whom we inspired, if we did not
personally control, as to their line of conduct. My man I will call
Roberts, whose adventures I now give, and in whose name I shall write.
There are people who insist that I was Captain Roberts; all that such
people have to do is to prove I was that 'miscreant,' whoever he may
have been. The following is his narrative:--

During the late civil war in America the executive government undertook
the blockade of more than 3,000 miles of coast, and though nothing could
exceed the energy and activity of the naval officers so employed, the
results were very unsatisfactory, inasmuch as it was not till absolute
possession was taken of the forts at the entrance of the great harbours,
such as Charleston, Mobile, and Wilmington, that blockade-running was
stopped.

I trust that our American friends will not be too severe in their
censures on those engaged in blockade-ru