The Blockade Runner — page 8: what you’re looking at

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

She’s got such a reputation that I fancy Uncle Sam would be glad to overhaul her.” ' “You can take your davy to that, Mr. Bentham,” said the skipper with a grin, “but he won’t have that pleasure this trip, nor for many more trips, if I can help it. Foulweather Tom is the crack pilot in this business, and the Foxhound has a mortgage on his services. What he don’t know about the channels and shoals and sand bars off Charleston and Wilmington, as well as the Georgia coast, ain’t worth considering. There’s two channels into Wilmington, where we're bound—the bar channel and the beach channel—and if you don’t keep your weather eye lifting on a night Such as this the chances are you run hard and fast on to the middle ground, and with such a sea running you'd go to pieces in no time.” “That would be pleasant certainly.” “T reckon you might say your prayers, if you know any. Have another tot of grog.” “Thanks, not any more,” said Bentham. “You must be aware the Yankee fleet has a big job on its hands when it undertakes to blockade Wilming- ton,” said the bronzed old sea-dog while he mixed him- self a.second potation. “ When the wind blows off the coast, the vessels are forced to sea and scattered ; when it turns and blows landward they are compelled to haul off to escape the awful sea. For six months in the year it is next to impossible for a vessel to lie at anchor safely off the Carolina coast. So you see that everything is in our favor.” “Tm glad to hear it,” said the young man. “This gale is a little worse, if anything, than the one that took us in with our last cargo. Then we were THE BLOCKADE RUNNER. Gy (S@) Mh. COMNIClOOOKS