The Blockade Runner — page 27: what you’re looking at

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

THE BLOCKADE RUNNER. an All at once there was a concussion, followed by a shiver through the steamer that jarred every one on board. “We're aground!” cried Captain Powell. “ You’ve run too close to the Middle Ground, Tom.” The pilot, without a word, sprang to the center of the bridge and signalled the engineer to go ahead at full speed; at the same moment a great wave lifted the Foxhound, and she slid forward over the obstruc- tion into deep water again. “The sand has shifted at that point,” said Foul- weather Tom, as he again signalled to slow down. Fifteen minutes more and the distant lights of Wil- mington hove into view. rf Ha! ! exclaimed Powell exultantly, “ yonder’ s the city. Bentham, the Confederacy owes you a debt of eratitude. If you had not shipped with us, by thun- der, we would all have been food for the fishes at this icmadae and a cargo of inestimable value would be lying at the bottom. of the sea. What an infernal idiot I was! Five minutes more and you would have been too late. Next time [ll look before I leap.” © The young man looked very thoughtful. | Just then four belis were struck forward. Two o’clock in the morning. The tempest was still having things pretty much its own way, and the standing rigging of the vessel was incrusted with icicles. 3 The mizzen-mast had been shot away, leaving only a jagged stump. | The taffrail was demolished in several places along the quarter-deck. Half of the smokestack was gone and the balance CORNICLOOKS —