128 The Mississippi Valley in the Civil War

face of the river with a seething scum. Mr. Cable,the novelist, then a young lad, stood by and wit-nessed the scene as the ships drew near. “ Thecrowds on the levee,” he says, “ howled andscreamed with rage. The swarming decks an-swered never a word; but one old tar on the Hart-ford, standing with lanyard in hand beside a greatpivot-gun, so plain to view that you could see himsmile, silently patted its big black breech andblandly grinned.”

A plank was thrown from the Cayuga, and Cap-tain Theodoras Bailey, with Lieutenant GeorgeHamilton Perkins, regardless of the knives andpistols of the raging mob, walked through thestreets to the City Hall and demanded surrender.The mayor sought to gain time by evasive answers.Until Butler’s troops should arrive, Farragut couldnot occupy the city, though his guns could destroyit, and the majmr, taking advantage of his for-bearance, kept the state flag of Louisiana flyingfor five days more. Meanwhile Porter, who hadstayed with his bomb-vessels below the forts, sum-moned them to surrender, and on General Dun-Surrender of can’s refusal he renewed the bombard-the forts. ment. This was not relished by thegarrisons, and on the night of the 27th they all,except one company of devoted planters, rose inmutiny and began spiking their own guns. Next