viated" that the pilot has lost his reckoning? begin to cloud over and the night thickens; but | question-have they indeed so "dodged and dethere is still no mist upon the sea. Towards two in the morning their patent lead tells that they are nearing shore. Then the pilot gives orders to "slow down the engines"- -a breathless silence prevails-every eye is on the watch, every ear on the alert-and, momentarily expecting to catch their first glimpse of the blockading squadron, they steal slowly and cautiously on their way. And now the sense of time becomes suddenly reversed. Up to this point the hours have gone by like minutes; but now the minutes go by like Still the Stormy Petrel creeps on-still each fresh sounding brings her into shallower waterstill those earger watchers stare into the darkness, knowing that the tide will turn and the dawn be drawing on ere long, and that after sunrise neither speed nor skill can save them. At length, when suspense is sharpened almost to pain, there comes into sight a faint indefinite something which presently resolves itself into the outline of a large vessel lying at anchor with her head to the wind and a faint spark of light at her prow. Mr. Zachary Polter slaps his thigh triumphantly. "That ar's the senior officer's ship," he whispers. "She lies jest tew miles off the mouth o' Charleston Bar-an' she's bound, yer see, to show a light to her own cruisers. Darned, now, if we ain't fixed it uncommon tidy this time !" And now, not one by one, but, as it were, simultaneously, the whole line of blockaders comes into sight-some to the right, some to the left of that which shows the light. Of these they count six besides the flag-ship, all under way, and gliding slowly, almost imperceptibly, to and fro in the darkness. Between some two of these the Stormy Petrel must make her final run; and upon this point there ensues a momentary altercation between captain and pilot-the former insisting that the widest passage lies between two cruisers a little way off to the right, and the latter preferring to go in between the flag-ship and the nearest blockader on the left. "Tell yer, cap'n," says he, emphatically, "ye'r downright wrong this fit. I guess we shall git threw as right as a fiddle; but if we air cotched sight of―wa'al, then, we know that one of the tew's at anker and can't run arter us. Besides, the flag-ship allers lies nighest in with the channel." So the captain gives in sulkily, as is his wont; steam is again got up to the highest pressure; and the Stormy Petrel rushes on at full speed. Then the two ships between which lies her perilous path grow momentarily clearer and nearer, and a dark ridge of coast becomes dimly visible beyond them. And now the supreme moment is at hand. Straight and fast the good boat flies, her propellers throbbing furiously, like a pulse at high fever, and the water hissing past her bows. Now every man on board holds his breath. Now flag-ship and cruiser (the one about half a mile to the right, the other about half a mile to the left) lie out a few hundred yards ahead-now, for the briefest second, the Stormy Petrel is in a line with bothnow she has left them as many hundred yards astern-and now, all at once, she is in the midst of the current, and rushing straight at that long white ridge of boiling surf which marks the position of the bar! "By Jove!" says the captain, drawing a long breath, "we've done it!" "Don't yer make tew sartin, cap'n, till we're over the bar," replies Mr. Zachary Polter. "We ain't out o' gunshot range yet awhile." Over the bar they are, however, ere long, safe and successful. And now the steam-whistle is blown twice, shrill and fearlessly, and two white lights are hung out over the bows of the vessel; for their pilot has been in before, and knows the signals necessary to be observed inside the cordon. Were these signals neglected, the Stormy Petrel would be fired upon by the Confederate forts. And now, too, lights are lit, and tongues are loosened, and even Captain Frank Hay unbends for once, promising the men a double allowance of grog, and inviting De Benham and Heneage to a bottle of champagne in his own cabin. A long irregular line of coast has meanwhile emerged into the grey of dawn; and just as the first flush of crimson streams up the eastern sky, the Stormy Petrel casts anchor under the sand-bag batteries of Morris Island. A STRANGE TRAVELLER. [From "Gurney Married." By THEODORE HOOK.] IR," said Daly, "I mean to discard I promised-disclaiming at the same time any the dramatic and take to the literary of the qualifications which Daly ascribed to me— line. I have already made a bargain to read the book with all due attention, feeling at with a London bookseller to commence the same time a strong desire to make myself, in publishing a couple of volumes of some degree, better acquainted with the state of Travels in the Interior of Africa,' which my friend's finances. That they were low he had I have written, and of which, to tell you confessed, but I did not feel myself at liberty to truth, I have brought a specimen in my inquire if I could be of any assistance, nor indeed pocket: these things, they tell me, sell admirably did I doubt, considering all our foregoing well now; and with half-a-dozen views and the acquaintance, that he would hesitate to constitute portraits of a chief or two, will, I have no doubt, me his banker, if he considered it necessary; still, fetch the bibliopole a pretty penny; at least, he there appeared in his manner a sort of restlessness thinks so by his offer. Here is my specimen-I and nervousness which communicated themselves will leave it with you till I start, for I shall be off to me, and I felt, I scarce knew why, an imthis evening." moderate anxiety for his departure. "And did you mean to have passed through Blissford without paying me a visit?" said I. "No," said Daly, "not exactly that; but I think if I had known you were established here, I should not have passed through Blissford at all: owing to. my late arrival, I was not aware of it; and most certainly, whatever your surprise last night might have been at seeing me as a performer, mine at beholding you as audience was at least equal." The expressed intention of Daly to leave his interesting manuscript with me till he started, implied a return to Ashmead in the after part of the day, for which I was not altogether prepared. "I should like your opinion on my manuscript," said Daly, with the pertinacious affection for his literary offspring so remarkable on the part of authors. "And I should like to read it," said I; "but when do you leave this?" "I fixed upon going this evening," said Daly; "but I am not tied to time-to-morrow will answer my purpose just as well." This forced me into a declaration of my imaginary engagement. "I am very sorry," said I, "that I happen to have promised to dine at the Rectory with my father-in-law, else I should have been delighted if you would have dined here. "But," continued I, "if you will trust me with a portion of the manuscript which you have with you, it shall be faithfully returned to you this evening; indeed, I will send it back to you when I go to the Rectory." "I think," said Daly, "you will find it interesting-very little of the interior is known, after all; but-if-as your literary talents are generally recognised-you should see any errors, either in style or language, perhaps you would do me the kindness to use a correcting hand?—that's all." When he was gone, I hastened to Harriet's room, and as I never concealed a thought or a wish from her, explained to her the necessity I felt for avoiding Daly by dining at her father'san explanation scarcely necessary, because I had long before told her the whole history of my former adventures with him, even to the episode of my infatuation about Emma. My dear little woman perfectly agreed with me in my views on the subject, and I accordingly wrote to the Rector to announce my intention, and received, as usual, a kindly welcome to his hospitable house. Having done which, I sat myself down to peruse the papers of my volatile friend, in order that they might be punctually restored to him before his departure, which, unencouraged by me to remain where he was, he had positively fixed for that evening, per mail, if there should be a place for him when it arrived. I untied the packet, and having skimmed the three preliminary chapters, which were occupied in describing the town in which he had been located and its environs, its different institutions and offices, all of which I had previously read about, I passed on to the account of Daly's journey into a part of the interior, which, according to his statement, had never been visited before. Daly, having travelled upwards of one hundred and sixty miles without meeting with any considerable impediment or remarkable adventure, arrived on the 15th of April at the town of Basfoodo, the residence of the king of the Gummangoes. He then proceeds with his journal :— "I was accompanied by my own servant, Richard Evans; Woolpo, an intelligent negro who had joined us at Mamfoz; Faz and Borjee, two boys; and a guide. At Basfoodo we were well received, contrary, as it appeared to me, to the expectations of my conductor. The king, a man of great intelligence, who spoke the Gummango language with peculiar sweetness, made numerous inquiries as to the objects I had in view. Woolpo acted as interpreter: and, after an hour's talk, the king ordered me some qualch, a dish made of horseflesh and melted butter. I contrived to eat some of it, because I was given to understand it was considered a great luxury, and, being sent by the king, it would have been thought disrespectful if I had not partaken of it. "I was conducted to a hut which had been prepared for me by the king's order, where there were cocked hat, and a musical snuff-box. His minister seemed to expect something for himself; but when I mounted my horse, and saw that he and two or three of the subordinates were making preparations to follow me, I repeated the word Betnot,' which he had himself used the night before, and they gave up the design. "On the 18th we set out, and, although the road was stony, we reached Pagdouri by nine, where we breakfasted. This is a small village on the side of a hill on the banks of a clear stream. We had rice and milk for breakfast. About twelve we moved on gently. As we were proceed several extremely large women waiting to give me tamarinds and rice, which they had brought with them. They were accompanied by five or six Pungahs, who appeared to be their daughters, who diverted me much by their grotesque dances. Oggenou Bow Ting, whom I soon discovered to be the king's favourite minister, told me that he had ordered plenty of milk-and-water for my horses; but when I ventured to express an intention of quitting Basfoodo early the next morning, he assumed a somewhat authoritative manner, and said, 'Betnot, betnot,' three or four times. The strong resemblance of his caution in the Gummango language to the English words 'better not' struck me as remarkably curious. In the morning, however, I took leave of the king, who seemed quite grieved to part with me; indeed, I could not prevail upon him to let me quit him till I had soothed his regrets by giving him a double-barrelled gun, a gold-laced waistcoat, a ing, a young goat crossed our path, which had evidently strayed from its mother. Woolpo advised our catching and killing it. This was accordingly done, and Faz was entrusted with the care of carrying it. "From this spot we could discover a very lofty ridge of mountains, ranging from N.E. to S.W. None of my companions could give me any information respecting them, except that they were called Bogieminicombo, which I believe to mean the Devil's small-tooth comb. I made a sketch of this wonderful chain, to which the reader is referred. About a mile beyond this we met two women and three children. They seemed remarkably fond of their offspring. They offered us milk, and a composition which the natives call tatumaroo; its savour was not agreeable, and, not being able to understand exactly what it was made of, I declined it, but gave some glass beads to the children and a Paris-made pincushion to |