148              
                 Passing Charleston
   9.  Tuesday.  Off by day-break.  The
Massachusetts a big, roomy transport, Bos-
ton built for trade between that city, Savan-
nah and Charleston.  Spacious between decks
for the packing away of cotton, two big can-
non forward, below decks, and a little
brass Parrot aft.  A crowded breakfast
below.  On deck, sitting aft, among the
navy officers; blue coats, caps with gold
lace and white trousers.  Vessel kept very
trim, looked like a man-of-war.  An ob-
jectionable boy, with sharp eyes, ugly face
and long legs, treated as an equal by grown
men: he shrilly contradicting them.  Loaf-
ing and reading = ended Thackery�s �Philip�
in Harper�s.  Lunch at noon; stew and
bread and cheese.  On deck again.  A talk
with one of two deserters, recently from near
Savannah, Northern men, of course.  Tried
a doze in the afternoon.  The crew of a
wrecked vessel, the Adirondack on board.
They had lost their ship off the Bahamas.
   10.  Wednesday.  Aft again, reading; lost
my lunch.  Talk with deserter.  A distant
view of Charleston Harbor and a near one
of the vessels blockading it.  One was prac-
tising target firing sending ricochet shots