The Blockade Runner — page 162: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE BLOCKADE RUNNER. 163 rascal, and calculates that’ we won’t expect him on such a bright night,” said Captain Graham to Mr. Haskins, his lieutenant. “ Well, we’ll have to cut him off or he’ll get away again.” The cruiser’s nose was laid for a certain point ahead of the stranger, and Bentham ordered to call his gun’s crew to quarters. The furnace doors in the hold were thrown wide open, and the slumbering flames fed with the contents of several tar barrels, and then the stokers proceeded to shovel in coal at a lively rate. The Avenger swooped down upon her prey like a falcon, and thoughts of prize money began to loom before the mental vision of all on board. “ T'll bet dat’s him for suah, Massa bob,” exclaimed Jupe, as he laid down the sponger with which he had been cleaning the bore of the huge Parrott rifle. “T hope’so,” returned Bentham earnestly. “Golly, we is gwine ter cut him off dis yere time, an’ doan’ yer ferget it,” said the darky, forgetting himself in his joy and cutting a “pigeon wing” upon the deck. Before long it was seen that the stranger, whoever he was, had wore round and turned back toward Nassau, as though her commander had concluded now that his presence was discovered that it was too risky to run out to sea,and was acting upon the maxim that discretion was the better part of valor. The position of the Avenger, however, was such that she could cut the distant steamer off in either direction, or at least come within easy gun range. It was eleven o’clock when Bentham was instructed ‘to throw a shot at her. CoOmicaoo S (c@ 5}