Caused two neutral vessels to show their colours, and at noon squared away for the east end of Cuba.

Where can all the enemy's cruisers be, that the important passages we have lately passed through are all left unguarded?
They are off, I suppose, in chase of the Alabama! At 10 P.M.a barque, having come quite near us in the bright moonlight, we fired a blank cartridge to heave him to, and wore ship.

As he disregarded our signal, I directed a round shot to be fired at him above his hull.

This had the desired effect, our shot passing--as we learned from him afterwards--between his fore-stay and foremast.

He proved to be the French barque, Feu Sacre, from Port au Prince to Falmouth.[9] When asked why he did not heave to at the first shot, he replied that he was a Frenchman, and was not at war with anybody! * * * At midnight made the light on Cape Maise.
[Footnote 9: From the boarding officer's memoranda it appears that the master of this vessel protested vehemently against being annoyed by United States vessels--the Alabama passing in this case as the U.S.
ship Wyoming.] _Thursday, December 4th._--* * * * Standing off and on Cape Maise, waiting for our Californian friend, who should have left Aspinwall on the 1st, and should pass this point to-day or to-night.
Fires banked, so as to give us steam at a short notice.