Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1886-10-02
A CLOSE SHAVE.

In uSTger Oh collialng Win eTch 0tier
every time the sea got up, shipped III
Nassau on board ar English blockade
runner called the DeerhouHd. She was
headed with arms, clothes, shoes, mcui-
unes, tents and dry goods, and the
cargo was worth at least $4,000 y in
gold. At that time not more thar two
blockaders per month slipped into
Charleston, and il was well understood
namong us shat we had nineteen chances
Sf goingto the bottom or being cap
tured to one of getting safe in. Indeed
the risk was known to be SO great that
the Charleston agent had hard work to
get a Grew. 1t was only Il short run,
as you know, but the four of us who
might be classed rs roustabouts were
promised 800 in gold apiece to make
the rln. If we got in we were TO be
retained by the steamer at five dollars
per'day until she was ready to come
out with the cotton. If we were sunk
or captured, that was our own o0kout.
The Confederate agent who had the
matter in charge was a hustler, There
were half II dozen Yankee spies in
and about Nassau, with some of the
Federal cruisers constantly in p0rl,
and il was useless 30 expect - get
away without our departure being
known. 1t was, however, given out
hand generally credited that we we're
kfbound for Savannah We were ready
10 leave late in the afternoon of "A
Monday, but a Yankee ~cruiser arrived
that day 200 AID some Of the spies
put of and warmed thr captain of what
was mp. He had c0nc in for water.
provisions and repairs. but down went
his anchor in the harJor, and he kept
up a full head OF steam. II we left he
would follow. and even if we could
out run him he would keep near
enough to bother us OIL Charleston. In
this emergency, Il lot more freight was
brought down TO The warf. and every
body turned to rs if we had at least
another days work. A number of
barrels and bales were hoistcd into the
hold before dark, bat only to be hoistcd
out again when out scouts reported
that the cruiser had banked her fires
and allowed a number of her crew to
90 ashore on leave.
At 10 O'Clock at night the weather
turned nasty and it began to drizzle.
Half an hour later the Dcerhound
Slipped away from her dock SO quietly
that few knew of her departure. We
ran within a quarter of a mile of the
cruiser, but the weather was so thick
that the best glass could not have made
us out TO be the craft he was so anxious
to follow. When we cot fairly out the
steamer was driven for all she was
worth. There was every chance that
our absence would be observed before
morning, and a long start would be our
only salvation. As it afterward turned
out, we were not missed until daylight,
and then the cruiser got underway at
once. Why he headed for Charleston
instead of Savannah never ascertain
ed. He probably acted on the idea
that if We said oncplace we were bound
for the other.
Had all gotre well with Us we should
have appeared of Charleston bar in the
early hours Of evening, thus giving us
al night to slip past the blockaders.
When thirty miles away, ut ) O'Clock in
the afternoon. an accident happened in
the engine room, and we lay like a log
on the sea. Half an hour later we
sighted the cruiser, who had come out
of Nassau after Us. We had oycrrun
our distance to the north by ten or
twelve miles on purpose. The cruiser
came down within six miles of us be-
fore he bore away TO the west. We
could make him out very clearly, al
though the weather was hazy, but he
could not see us. The biue-whitc color
of the steamer made her blend with the
horizon and seem a part of it at that
distance. Our cOal was smokcicss and
left no trace on the sky. 1t was not I'M
til the cruiser WAS almost out OF sight
to the west that We had Il repairs
completed and started ahead ut half
speed.
We ran to within ten miles of the
bar. and the cruiser had been lost to
sight for two hours when the lookout,
who had a strong night glass, discov-
cred him again. He was standing out
to sea, and was scarcely two miles away
a3ad dead ahead of us. Our course was
changed two or three points, every
light extinguishcd and we crept out of
his path. He was off our quarter and
"a mile away when he discovered Us, and
the very first warning we had was the
oar of a big gun and the scream of a
shell which flew over Us. We were in
tor itnow. 1t was either run to sea or
hold straight for the bar. Our captain
decided upon the latter course, and the
D~eerhoLnd dashed forward ut her best
speed. Up went IA half dozen rockets
from the cruiser, and bang. bang, went
heg guns, and five minutes later every
bloekader on the station was firing
rockets. 1t was understood that II
runner was approaching.
As we drew near the bar we saw
light after light dancing on the waters.
/ believe there were twenty bloekaders
on the station. Red and blue lights
were burned, rockets were exploded,
and tho Dperuound was pushed into