when their quarry was well in the stretch between
the two lower batteries, they opened fire on her, accurately enough to
send every shell through the ship. The pilot headed her for the opposite
shore, slammed the prow into the bank, and a stream of crew and men
leaped over at a dead run to hunt shelter in the woods beyond.

Men were already down on the Confederate-held side of the river, trying
to knock together a raft on which to reach their prize. When that broke
apart Drew and Boyd saw one man seize upon a piece of the wreckage and
kick his way vigorously into the current heading for the stern of the
grounded steamer. He came back in the _Mazeppa's_ yawl with a line, and
she was warped back into the hands of the waiting raiders.

There was a wave of gray pouring into the ship, returning with bales,
boxes, bundles. Then Drew, who had snatched peeps at the activity
between searching the upper waters for trouble, saw the gunboats
coming--three of them. Again Boyd signaled, but the naval craft made
better speed than the laden transport and they were already in position
to lob shells among the men unloading the supply ships, though the
batteries on the shore finally drove them off.

In the end they fired the prize, but she was emptied of her rich cargo.
Shoes, blankets, clothing--you didn't care whether breeches and coats
were gray or blue when they replaced rags--food.

Kirby came to their sentry post, his arms full, a beatific smile on his
face.

"What'll you have, amigos--pickles, pears, Yankee crackers, long
sweetenin'--" He spread out a variety of such stores as they had almost
forgotten existed. "You know, seein' some of the prices on this heah
sutlers' stuff, I'm thinkin' somebody's sure gittin' rich on this war.
It ain't nobody I know, though."

They kept their trap as it was through the rest of the day and the
following night without any more luck. When the next fish swam into the
net it approached from the other side and not past the scout post. The
steamer _Anna_ progressed from Johnsonville, ran the gantlet of the
batteries, and in spite of hard shelling, was not hit in any vital spot,
escaping beyond. But when the transport _Venus_, towing two barges and
convoyed by the gunboat _Undine_, tried to duplicate that feat they were
caught by the accurate fire of the masked guns. Trying to turn and steam
back the way they had come, they were pinned down. And while they were
held there, another steamer entered