THE DEPARTURE OF THE TALLAHATCHIE The fog, which had been coming and going during the whole of the night, had now lifted so that everything in the vicinity of the fort could be seen; but across the point, down the ship channel, it was dense, dark, and black.

The wind was fresh from the south-west, which rolled up the fog banks, and then rolled them away.

Such was the atmospheric condition near Mobile Point, and Christy believed it was the same at the southward.

He thought it probable that the commander of the Tallahatchie would wait for a more favorable time than the present appeared to be before he got under way.
"All hands to the forecastle," he called to the men on the cotton bales.
All of them, knowing his voice as well as they knew their own names, hastened to answer to the call.
"We have to heave up the anchor with a windlass, Mr.Graines," said he to the engineer.

"We had better get the hang of it while we have time to do so.