But it must look to him just as though the schooner would be captured by the steamer to the westward, which had been uselessly firing at the blockade-runners in the densest of the fog.

He could not help seeing that the vessel in tow had set her sails, and therefore the casting off of the wire rope could not have been caused by an accident.
The action of the captain of the schooner, for they had no reason to suppose the change on board of the schooner was not made by him, must have bewildered the officers of the Tallahatchie.

But the fog was lifting, the steamer to windward was now under way, though moving very slowly, and her solid shot fell very near to the Confederate vessel.
By this time the sails of the West Wind were all drawing full, and the craft was making very good headway through the water.

The fog bank had scattered, and appeared now to be in a dozen smaller masses, floating off in the direction of Mobile Point.

Christy still retained the wheel, while Graines was putting everything in order forward and in the waist, after setting the sails.
"Send French aft to take the wheel, Mr.Graines," called Christy, as the engineer came aft to see the main sheet.
This man, who was the captain of the forecastle, one of the most important and best-paid of the petty officers, hastened aft to relieve the chief of the expedition, who went to work with his own hands when the exigency of the service required.
"Make the course south-west, French," said Christy, as he abandoned the wheel to the petty officer.
"South-west, sir," repeated the seaman.
"Can you make out the Bellevite, Mr.Graines ?" asked he, as he met the engineer on the quarterdeck.
"I have kept a sharp lookout for her, Mr.Passford, but I have not seen her yet," replied Graines, as he looked earnestly in the direction in which the schooner was headed.
"If Captain Breaker received my message sent by Weeks, the ship must have taken a position somewhere below the entrance to the channel, and that is about four miles south of the fort, and out of the reach of any of its guns," added the lieutenant.
"There are half a dozen of those fog banks floating about near the water in that direction, and she may be there," replied Graines, as he took a spy-glass from the brackets in the companion.