we counted twenty-five cruisers lying as near as they
dared venture off the river's mouth, and a very pleasant sight it was,
situated as we were. There was evidently a move among them of an unusual
kind; for the smaller vessels were steaming in towards the shore on the
north side, and the ships' launches, with guns in their bows, were
pulling about from vessel to vessel. The cause of it as day advanced was
but too apparent.

Just out of range of Fort Fisher's heavy artillery, on the north side of
the river's entrance, a splendid paddle-wheel blockade-runner was lying
on the beach, having been run on shore during the night to avoid
capture.

Her crew had evidently escaped to the shore, and a smouldering smoke
showed that she had been set fire to, and that a little wind was all
that was necessary to make the flames break out. The blockading ships do
not appear to have been aware of the damage they had done till daylight
discovered the vessel, that they probably thought had either got into
the river or escaped to sea, lying on the beach. However, they were not
slow in making preparations for capturing her, if possible.

Meanwhile, two of the crew of the blockade-runner managed to get on
board of her, and setting her on fire in a dozen different places,
everything in the vessel was soon destroyed, and her red-hot sides made
boarding an impossibility.

So the gunboats retired out of range, and the artillery with the
Whitworth guns returned to Fort Fisher. The shell of this vessel lay for
months on the beach and was by no means a bad mark for the
blockade-runners to steer by.

Having witnessed this little bit of excitement and received on board the
crew of the stranded vessel, we took a pilot on board and steamed up the
Cape Clear river to Wilmington.

It will be difficult to erase from my memory the excitement of the
evening we made our little craft fast alongside the quay at Wilmington;
the congratulations we received, the champagne cocktail we imbibed, the
eagerness with which we gave and received news, the many questions we
asked, such as, 'How long shall we be unloading?' 'Was our cargo of
cotton ready?' 'How many bales could we carry?' 'How other
blockade-runners had fared?' &c.; and the visits from thirsty and
hungry Southerners of all ranks and denominations, many of whom had not
tasted alcohol in any form for months, to whom whatever they liked to
eat or drink was freely given, accompanied by congratulations