I knew nothing of Captain Maffit’s antecedents, nor of his standing when an officer in our navy. I learned, however, from Captain Frisbie, that he had at one time been attached to the coast-survey, and that his charts were much used by mariners. The captain himself valued them highly, and spoke of the author as having been one of the first officers in our service in point of ability. When we were first taken on board the _Florida_ he simulated the air and tone of an honorable man, and stoutly disclaimed all wish or intention to war on women and children, telling us that all our private effects should be respected and saved for us, and was altogether so civil that although we could only look upon him as a sort of buccaneer, we were led to hope that he might still retain enough of the elements belonging to the character of a _civilized_ man of the nineteenth century, as to really mean what he said; in other words, we did not suppose that it was a part of his code of chivalry to impose upon a defenceless woman and child. In this, however, we were mistaken; for with the exception of a box of Captain Frisbie’s china which was stolen by the ward-room officers, and the general pilfering practised by the pirates upon the powerless crew of the _Jacob Bell_, Master Charlie and I _were the only persons plundered_; and Captain Maffit, notwithstanding his fine words, seemed to make us the special objects of his treachery. He affected to regret the necessity which he was under of destroying our captain’s favorite ship, and pretended to be sorry that the charts and most of the nautical instruments belonged to the latter, as the orders of his Government were imperative, and obliged him to take them as his prize. He was very sorry such misfortunes should fall upon men like Captain Frisbie, but assured him that all his private property should be saved; and all of it, consisting of several trunks and chests, beside a number of well-filled sailcloth bags, and four boxes of china, were taken on board the _Florida_. All of this property but one box of china (to which reference has already been made) was safely transferred to the Danish bark. The officers probably kept the one box of china by order of their captain, so as to give the impression that they had not expended all their purloining energies upon us.