The National tribune., 1882-09-02

craft. It was mackerel-sky night, with a
noon only three days old. We saw her by
accident, some seven or eight miles off in
the bay, and five or six miles wide of the
Point, moving along the water like the
shadow of O cloud. l should never have
guessed what it was, but the captain and
pi1ot knew by instinct. They watched her
for while with their glasses She is too
far off for us to take, now said the captain;
besides, she will have tobacco aboard when
she returns She is going straight to Mar
tins Shore he added, and I'll capture her
or forfeit my pay for year."
That's where she's bound sir" said the
pilot, and we ought to take her, think"
The captain gave his orders as usual; we
ran up the river as if to our customary sta
ton, and then, after lying there an hour or
two, quietly ran down again, another vessel
of the flOtilla taking our place. The point
where the captain expected to find the con-
traband canoe-Martin's shore, a favorite
landing place of the blockade runners-was
a long, low shore under the lee OF heavy pine
woods, and with flats extending at least
half mile out. The steamer ran down to
within about three miles above the place, and
then anchored, with fires banked, while our
three boats were sent to do picket duty off
Martins shore, at points from which they
were almost sure to intercept the canoe on
her return towards the Patuxent. By the
time these arrangements were made it was
about midnight, and the probability was
that the cOntrabandist would come out be-
fore two hours more had gone by.
Twas standing on deck near the stern rail,
IN half q dream, as l listened to the ripping
and low bubbling of the tide, and watched
the distant dim lights in the barracks and
hospitals and aboard the vessels at Point
Lookout. The wind had freshened little,
but not enough to give any noisiness to the
waves, nor to whistle among our chains and
stays. The steamer lay head to it, and in
line with her stern there was long stream
of light from the distant lighthouse, for all
the world like a steamers wake in a phos
phoresent sea. l was gazing out along this
pathway Of brightness over the dark, think
ing that it came to me like the rays from a
certain "beacon-light" at home, the remem-
brance of which had many time kept me
out of trouble, when-what Vas it? A
black shadow passed obliquely across that
long, bright line, moved swiftly on, and
swiftly disappeared. rubbed my eyes, and
then instinctively brought my night-glass to
bear upon the point After a minute or two
I Il !,
black sails, swiftly gliding away from us
and already half mile under our stern. it
was the chase, and she had escaped US. She
had fianked the boats, and passed completely
around us before | detected her. 1t was not
a minutes work to decide what to do. The
alarm was given, the captain sprang on deck,
we got up steam instantly, slipped cable,
signalled the boats with blue lights of the
escape, and rounding as speedily rs possible,
made chase without waiting for the boats TO
Join rs. BY this time the canoe had gained
considerably upon us, and could barely be
discovered, mile and half away, gaining
rapidly the oi1ing she needed to escape the
steamers picketing the prisoners camp at
Point Lookout "She's a Patuxent canoe"
said the captain, land / will head her off
before she gets home Tom," to the pilot,
steer close for the mouth of the Patuxent"
Our only chance, Of course, in such n dark
night, and in chase of so small an object, was
70 intercept it near the point towards which
it was aiming and so we rapidly rounded
the point and steamed up the bay, hugging
the shore as closely as the flats would per
nit. At first our night-glasses afforded Us
occasional glimpses of the chase, but long
before we reached the mouth Of the Patuxent
the canoe with the black sails had entirely
disappeared. There was nothing to do, how
ever, but to keep on, which we did, pushing
the old craft to her utmost capacity OF
steam until we were well into the mouth
Of the PatuXent. Here the captain rang
the engines TO stand-still, and placing
loOkouts at various points to sweep the
whole horizon, gave us display OF fireworks
in the shape Of Il shower of rockets and blue
lights sent in all directions. "There she isl"
cried one of the lookout., and sure enough.
not dozen yards of, and pushing desperately
to cross our bows, was a slim, black canoe.
with several persons in her. Her masis were
down and sails taken in, the wind not being
favorable to entering the river; but the con-
trabandists were busily plying four paddles,
lying down to their work as if their lives
as well as liberty depended upon their escape
from US.
"Canoe ahoy!" shouted the captain,
"'bout your boat and come aboard of us, or
I'll sink you!"
The canoe paid no attention other than
padding more energetically still. "Send up
a blue light" called the captain. "Gunner,
pitch shell well over them-may be that
will bring them to their senses" The blue
light shed its ghastly light upon us and the
fugitive party, and then the brass pivot-gun
doomed out, and the shell curved along it's
whistling pathway over the boat and ex-
p1oded far beyond. But the canoe continued
its course without at all Stacking speed.
Load that gun with grape, and give it to
them!" was the next order; " half speed
engineer, and run them down if the grape
don't sink them" The wheels began to
revOIve, the gun crashed away, the grape
shot lashed the water, and loud, clear, shrill,
we heard a shrek from the ill-fated canoe
1t was woman's voice! We sent up an
other light, and saw the boat no longer try.