e child's
play to us after our experience--and on the third evening of our voyage
we were pretty well placed for making a run through the blockading
squadron as soon as it was dark. As the moon rose at twelve o'clock, it
was very important that we should get into port before she threw a light
upon the subject.

Unfortunately, we were obliged to alter our course or stop so often to
avoid cruisers that we ran our time too close; for, as we were getting
near to the line of blockade, a splendid three-quarter-size moon rose,
making everything as clear as day. Trying to pass through the line of
vessels ahead with such a bright light shining would have been madness;
in fact, it was dangerous to be moving about at all in such clear
weather, so we steamed towards the land on the extreme left of the line
of cruisers, and having made it out, went quite close inshore and
anchored.

By lying as close as we dare to the beach, we must have had the
appearance of forming part of the low sand-hills, which were about the
height and colour of the vessel; the wood on their tops forming a
background which hid the small amount of funnel and mast that showed
above the decks. We must have been nearly invisible, for we had scarcely
been an hour at anchor when a gun-boat came steaming along the shore
very near to the beach; and while we were breathlessly watching her,
hoping that she would go past, she dropped anchor alongside of us, a
little outside where we were lying--so close that we not only heard
every order that was given on board, but could almost make out the
purport of the ordinary conversation of the people on her decks. A
pistol shot would have easily reached us. Our position was most
unpleasant, to say the least of it. We could not stay where we were, as
it only wanted two hours to daybreak. If we had attempted to weigh
anchor, we must have been heard doing so. However, we had sufficient
steam at command to make a run for it. So, after waiting a little to
allow the cruiser's fires to get low, we knocked the pin out of the
shackle of the chain on deck, and easing the cable down into the water,
went ahead with one engine and astern with the other, to turn our vessel
round head to seaward.

Imagine our consternation when, as she turned, she struck the shore
before coming half round (she had been lying with her head inshore, so
now it was pointed along the beach, luckily in the right direction, i.e.
lying from the cruiser). There was