’The residue thereof, lo! was it not burnt up by my fire-ships?—­yea, they were peppered.

’The remainder I am even now peppering, and the others will I continue to pepper.

’Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers—­even so did I—­such a peppering never yet was seen, neither aforetime, or aftertime, not in the land where the pepper grows, or any other time.

’I peppered ’em.’

And lo! when this was read there arose such a cry of joy as never was heard, no, not at the Tower of Babel on Saturday night.

And he who read, said:  ’Rome was redeemed for a thousand pounds of pepper and a thousand of gold, pound for pound did they weigh it out.  But such pepper as this is beyond price—­yea, beyond all gold.

’But what are they whom he has conquered, oh my soul?  Dirt and Iniquity is their name, evil are their ways, cuss and confound them!

’It was not worth the while for a gentleman to fight such scallawags—­behold, a blind nigger in a mud-scow could have put them to flight—­even a blind nigger should we have sent against them.

’Great and glorious is HOLLINS, splendid is his fame, great is his victory, beyond all those of the Meads and Prussians, Cherrynea and Chepultapec, Thermopilus and Vagrom.’

Then it was telegrammed all over the South, and the rest of mankind, that HOLLINS had peppered the fleet, and pulverized the last particle thereof into small-sized annihilation.

* * * * *

CHAPTER IV.

But on the evening of the first day there came yet other tidings of a reactive character,

Saying that a confounded abolitionist man-of-war was still there giving block-aid to Uncle Sam.

And HOLLINS, who was in town, being asked what this might mean,

Said, ’Fudge!

’Go to, it is naught.  Now I come to think of it, there was one infernal little sneaking 90-gun Yankee frigate,

’Which, hearing of my coming, ran away six hours before the battle—­ere that I had peppered ’em.’

But lo! even as he spake came yet another message, declaring there were twain.

Then HOLLINS declared, ’It is a d——­d lie, and he who says it is another—­an abolitionist is he in his heart.  Did I not pepper ’em?’

But lo, even as he sware there came yet another,

Saying, ’Let not my lord be angry, but with these eyes have I seen it; by many others was it perceived.

’Whether the ships which my lord peppered have risen again I know not, but if the whole Yankee fleet isn’t there again, all sound and right side up with care, I hope I may be drotted into everlasting turpentine.’

Then the newspapers arose and reviled HOLLINS,

Calling him a humbug—­even a humbug called they him.

As for the multitude, they laughed him to scorn; such a blackguarding never received man before,