The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1893-09-22

newly puIit ab tne celebrated yards on the
clyde and could steam 10 knots an hour.
She carried two - Founders such as are
usually mounted upon East Indiamen and
was provisioned for IL months. While she
was steaming away from London I'm the
most commonplace manner a scene of I'M
usual character intimately connected with
the future Of the Sea King was being en-
acted on the landing stage ut Liverpool.
There were gathered in response to a secret
summons a score Of gentlemen, natives of
ths sunny south, who were stalking lives
and fortunes to embark in the desperate
game of privateering. A tug carried them
to n steamer anchored In the Mersey.
The transit steamer was the blockade
runner Laurel, bound for Cuba, and each of
the mysterious sOuthcrners carried i'm his
wallet n passage receipt for 1872 fare made
out i'll n fictitious name. In the old of the
Laurel were piled II score of ordinary goods
boxes, with n shipping mark correspond
ing to numbers on the fare receipts. They
contained the personal luggage Of the ven
turesOme gentlemen, who were not bound
for Havana mt all, but for the island of Ma
deira to meet the Sea King, provided both
she and the Laurel should escape overhaul
ing by Uncle Sans cruisers, who were then
securing the seas with argus eyes and point
ed cannOns for other Alabamas. As soon
as the Laurel was clear of the coasts, all
restraint was thrown off, and the 20 south
erners announced themselves us the Of
ficers of the Confederate privatecr into
which the Sea King was to be transformed
as successor to the Alabama. Among the
bonailde Havana passengers on board the
Laurel were many Confederate sea dogs,
some of them from the decks of the Ala
bama and the other privateers that had
been sunk or burned or in some efTectual
way driven from the seas by the gallant
tars in blue. Many n yarn those veterans
spun and many IL warning tale they told Of
the excitement and danger of an ocean
chase and an ocean fight to shorten the six
days voyage from Liverpool to Funchal / II
the Madeira.
The Sea King was two days behind the
Laurel in reaching the rendezvous, and in
order to assure the utmost secrecy in the
important work to follow II cove, sheltered
by IA barren, rocky island, was selected for
the place Of transfer. AS quickly as posi-
BILE heavy cannon and ammunition and
other war materials were hoisted from the
Laurel upon the Sea Kings deck. Men
who were to be officers OF the new cruiser
tugged at the ropes like ycomen, and ut the
end Of hours of steady toll the quarters
of the modest merchantmen looked like
those of "a man-of-war just come out Of Il
battle or u hurricane.
Then the passengers and men Of both
vessels We're called to the deck of the Sea
King, and an officer dressed in the full uni
form of the Confederate States navy stepped
out of his cabin to announce the mean
ing OF all those mysterious dolngs since the
two vessels left London and Liverpool. He
was Captain James !. Waddcll, commits
stoned to rule the deck of the Confederate
States steamer Shenandoah, whose flag was
hOisted as he spoke. He said that lie should
at once start the Shenandoah upon n cruise
against the of the nation at war
with the south and would receive as vOlun-
teers under bounty and wages in English
money all those within hearing who chose
to join the venture. Out Of a Ompany of
81 only % cast lots with the new cruiser,
giving her, with the officers taken out in
the Laurel, AZ mcn--le-s than half her com
plement. And 50 with guns unmOunted,
the portfolios even uncut, with ammuni-
tlOn piled loosely in hold and on deck, de
pending for fighting men upOn the officers
only, Captain Waddell put boldly to sea,
trusting to that fortune which favOrs the
bold to save his climbers from sudden and
complete disaster. Every man understood
that IA meeting with II United States war
ship as things were would be the end Of the
Shenandoah, and all hands worked heartily
20 put the merchantmen into shape for an
encounter.
At the close Of october the Shenandoah
was fairly at sea, bound for Pacific waters.
Every sail deserted by the wary lookout
was watched with anxious eyes until her
character was made out. Two or three YES
sells were brought round by shots across
the bows, but they proved TO be sailing un-
der English cOlors and were allowed 10 90.
The first prize taken was the bark Alma.
Her officers and crew, exec pting six -ai!ors
who joined the Shenandoah, were placed