I left the flagship the morning of the day I arrived.

The captain of the Dolphin apologized to his officers while we were at anchor in the harbor of Key West, because his was a "cabin" and not a "gun" ship, and because he had to deliver the mails at once on board the flagship and not turn out of his course for anything, no matter how tempting a prize it might appear to be.

He then proceeded to chase every sail and column of smoke on the horizon, so that the course was like a cat's cradle.

We first headed for a big steamer and sounded "general quarters." It was fine to see the faces of the apprentices as they ran to get their cutlasses and revolvers, their eyes open and their hair on end, with the hope that they were to board a Spanish battleship.

But at the first gun she ran up an American flag, and on getting nearer we saw she was a Mallory steamer.