He was not a little inflated by the position which had been assigned to him, though he had no powers whatever, except in appearance.

He had been instructed to conduct himself boldly, and to insist that the vessel was in his charge, when she was boarded by officers from the tug or from the fort.

His very nature inclined him to play this part to the best advantage.
The blockade had been established at some of the northern ports of the seceded States, but not yet at the cities on the Gulf of Mexico; and the only real obstacle to the passage of the Bellevite into the bay consisted of the two forts, for the tug-boats were not regarded as of any consequence to an armed steamer of great speed like the Bellevite, "We are approaching the shoal water now," said Captain Breaker to Mr.
Vapoor, as the steamer came near the south-eastern end of Pelican Island.

"We may take the ground, for the shoals have an ugly trick of changing their position.

Let her go at about half speed." "Half speed, sir," replied the chief engineer, as he descended to the engine-room.
"Is it fully high tide now, Breaker ?" asked Captain Passford, who was watching the movements of the vessel with the most intense interest, for it seemed to him that the critical moment in his enterprise had come.
"Not quite; it will not be full sea for about half an hour," replied the commander.