Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1900-06-05

AoohihS uA anu
young Circassian girl, whose surpas-
sing beauty it was impossible to per-
fectly describe.
Her motions were as graceful as
those Of the crested waves that threw
rainbowed spray around our bows; her
skin was as white as pearl; the cheeks
Just tinged with delicate rose color,
SO that, in the sunlight, they looked al
most transparent. Her eyes were
almond-shaped, of dark, bewitching,
blue color, and her hair-her shining,
glorious hair-fell almost to her feet, in
thick, undulating masses.
Meek and melancholy, she would
stand by the side Of the Turk, her ta-
pering fingers interlocked across her
breast, the blue eyes often suffused W tn
tears.
How could she help feeling melan-
choly? She had been sold to the Turk
by her own father; sold for the Turks
hnrem; snatched away from a young
man whom she tenderly loved-a state
ly, handsome pearl-diver, the bravest
and most skillful on the Persian coast,
near which this girl had lived.
When l learned this from our stew
ard, an inquisitive, talkative French
man, l must confess that my heart was
stirred with pity for the unfortunate
damsel, and 1 felt that it would be no
more than right for some good-natured
person to snatch the girl from the Turk
and restore her to the arms of her lover.
This, however, seemed an impossible
ty, as she was bought and paid for, and
the lypx-eyed Turk followed her care
fully wherever she went
We had gained considerably on our
course, when to windward wesbeheld
one morning gigantic cloud, shaped
like human being, striding along to-
ward US at great rate. 1t whirled
round and round as it advanced. Pres
emily off went its head; fash Of light
ming darted up from its trunk, and then
-then-gods! what a crash-what a
whirling-what humming!
AS far as we could see to windward
the water was one mass Of boiling,
kissing spray.
Then there was q strange, rumbling
roar, as of an earthquake under the
sea, and vast columns of water, tossed
far upward, mingled with the sound
and rack of the storm. The captain
had every stitch of canvas taken in, so
when the tempest struck us away we
went, driving along before it on our
beam-ends, under bare poles. On our
beam ends, with the water blowing
over us, almost engulfing us, with every
timber cracking and the masts swaying
and swapping like dry twigs.
For two hours we We're thus driven
along, bewildered, almost blinded, by
flying rack and spray. when the tenn
pest having slightly abated, we were
enabled to move about the deck.
The captain loosened his topsails and
endeavored to edge up close to the
wind.
Vain the attempt; the brig would not
rome up. and we were rapidly driven
by wind and current back toward the
port which we had left a few days be-
fore
The Circasslan girl came up; and
when she OWNED what was taking
place her blue eyes shone with joy.
In broken English she explained t0
me, during a few minutes conversation
which 1 held with her while the Turk
was below filling his pipe, that she be-
Heved her lover, Gustave Morono,
would start in pursuit of the brig in his
little fishing smack the moment he
should hear that she had been carried
away, and she hoped that now we
would soon fall In with it. Even as she
spoke an erratic blast struck the brig.
Down went the vessel making a furi-
Gus plunge. There was loud, snap
ping sound, and over went the main
mast by the board. The wreck was
cleared with axes, but the brig now
rolled wildly, shipping enormous seas
every time. @
MAN the pumpsv was the order.