The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1892-11-18

S'M IA little schooner
- yacht lowering
about the coast of California and British
Columbia which is named the T1alcyon,
and which is thought, with apparently
good reasons, to be employed in the upium
smuggling trade.
The San Francisco papers speak of her
as a pirate ship, but the people who nave
charge of the Halcyon hardly come up to
the definition Of pirate even as given by
the ronpartisan dictionary. Like certain
gentleman who figured in the "late I'm
pleasnntness," ali they ask is to be left
alone. They chase nobody, but are often
chased, the advantage derived tilercfrom
accruing chiefly to the revenue officials of
Canada or the United States if they effect
a capture. Still, so far, nothing seems to
have been proved against the vessel except
that she smells of opium, and tina, her
captain is an undoubted liar.
When the yacht WAS seized at Victoria.
r. G., the other day, the authorities asked
Skipper James Collins, who was in com.
maud
where were you bOund!"
"To the north seas" he replied.
what for"
Hunting"
Hunting WHAT"
Ducks"
He also explained that he had been driven
into the port of Victoria by stress OF
weather. But although the officials could
lind no good reasons for holding him and
his composite crew Of Chinese, japanese
and Yankees, they learned that since the
arrival OF the craft the price of opium had
gone down, and therefore fined him $500 on
general principles, which he cheerfully
agreed to pay, and is now practically in
possession OF the freedom of the city.
And this, forsooth, is latter day piracy.
1t rs amusing to think OF an opium Snug
gler being termed IL pirate, me then to
read of the deeds of those dead and gone
worthless who were in the pirate business
for keeps" Away lack in the old DAYS.
when Greece was divided into little war
ring republics, nearly every galley that
was rOwcd over the waves Of The 1igean or
the eastern Mediterranean was "A pirate in
the same sense that European noblemcn of
the Middle Ages were often robbers and
thieves. That was AN age when might
~triumplied over right and the modern doc
trlne OF the survival Of the iittest received
its strongest eNempliiication. Law there
was none, save that of the tyrant or pop
ular ruler who might chance to reign over
petty but plucky communities like Argos,
iellas and Pboenicia on the Asiatic shore.
Their sailors were pirates in the s~trictest
Sense Of the word, and also merchantmen.
They bartered with those they could not
rob but where the strong hand was OF
avail no glove of kid covered the iron grin
Of avarice.
To the many Dared galley, with its slaves
as he means of propulsion and its lutd Of
Stnlpn DnnlS Snrcaaln1 in tin,. .,,,l,.
sort of wboat-thOse great war vessels,
great for the time at least, in which the ,
pi'atical mortimer swept out from their
icy businesses beneath the arctic circle 10
ravage the Weather and more luxurious
nations Of the south. All the scacoast
habitalions of ancient Britain, Gaul and
Germany had reason to dread these fierce
robbers of the ocean, who, not content with
the product OF their forays, seized in addi- ,
ton to the goods aud persons of their vic
tins the very land on which their dwell |
ings stood, and fOunuied colonies that were
TO he the rrogenItorS of those two great
nations, France and England, and Incl.
dentally also Of the United States.
To the oar succeeded the sail, and still it
was piracy that led the march of progress
i'll the c%onqucrinS OF the sea as well as of
the land. Fierce, relentless and avid as
the wolf who bowls on the track of "A be-
lated traveller in the northern forest, the
skin winged craft bore down upon some
seaport or some smaller vessel
had been marked for pillage.
There followed in course of time still
greater improvements in the art of naviga-
ton. and with the discovery of America
began what may he termed the golden age
Of piracy. The history of the Sixteenth
and Seventeenth centuries fairly teens
with tales OF riot. debauchery and blood
in the New World. The Spanish CON
querors dcspoiled the natives of Mexico
ana Peru, their successors founded towns
lived in almost barbaric luxury, and
Oh them there swooped like birds of prey
Upon defenseless lambs the fierce adyen-