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Running the Blockade: Banshee

The Banshee was a blockade-runner operating from Nassau. On her first run into Wilmington, she left the shores of the Bahamas, and crept noiselessly along, invisible in the darkness, and keeping well out of sight of vessels in the daytime. During the day, a man was stationed in the cross-trees, and the moment a sail was seen on the horizon, The Banshee would turn in the opposite direction, until the sail was lost beyond the horizon. Every time the look-out man saw a sail, he was given a dollar. If the sail was discovered first from the deck, the look-out man was fined five dollars.

Thus, two days passed, and The Banshee neared her destination. The night was dark, but calm and clear. No lights were allowed - not even a cigar. The steersman had to see as much of the compass as he could through a shield that came almost to his eyes. Absolute silence prevailed, as the blockade-runner moved into the danger zone.