200 CAPTAIN ZACHARY G. LAMSON 



them to read it. The first Lieutenant said, 

 "Why did you not show this before?" I 

 observed that he had had his turn of guess- 

 ing and I should now have mine. To wind 

 up he says, "Well, give us some of your 

 good crackers and we will be off ; you have 

 outgeneraled us and I wish you a pleasant 

 voyage." 



We made sail and stood into the Elbe 

 when I found three of the British Cruisers. 

 Unfortunately, it blew a gale on my en- 

 tering the Elbe and when I came up with 

 the squadron, just below Cuxhaven, they 

 ordered me to anchor. I did take in my 

 sail and let go my larboard anchor and ran 

 out forty fathoms. The ship kept drifting. 

 The last, or uppermost of the squadron, as 

 I was drifting by, hailed me and ordered 

 me to let go my second anchor, which I 

 did, but both anchors would not hold me 

 and as I had a hard and fair wind up, I 

 was determined to lose no time. I ordered 

 my cable cut and made sail. I close reefed 

 my main top sail and foresail and mizzen 



