He realized that in that case it would not be possible for his family to
remain in Charleston.
Early the next morning Sylvia was awakened and made ready for her
return, and when the sun shone brightly over the waters of the harbor
she and Estralla, with Captain Gerald and a strong negro servant, were
on board a boat sailing rapidly toward home.
They landed at the wharf where the Butterfly was fastened, and before
Captain Gerald had stepped on shore Sylvia called out: "Father! Father!
There he is! And Mother, too!" and in another moment her mother's arms
were about her, and she was telling as rapidly as possible the story of
her adventures, and of Estralla coming to her rescue.
Grace came running to meet Sylvia as they came near their home.
"Oh, Sylvia, I wish I had been with you," she exclaimed. "That is twice
you have been to Fort Sumter without meaning to go, isn't it?"
"We will hope that her next visit will not be as dangerous as this one,"
said Mr, Fulton soberly.
For several days Sylvia could think and talk only of her wanderings
among the sand-hills, and of her first sight of the guard-boat. She
began teaching Estralla on the very day of her return, and the little
darky made rapid progress.
"Father, when may we go to Fort Moultrie again?" she asked one morning a
few days later, for she wanted very much to see Mrs. Carleton, and was
quite sure that her father would be ready to sail down the harbor on any
pleasant day, and his reply made her look up in surprise.
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