The National tribune., 1902-07-31

running very gauntlet of life to hope
to escape all these dangers unscathed.
But there was no use in repining What
had been done in the past could not he
helped; the record of our deeds was writ
ten in imperishable characters, and could
not be gainsaid. And now that we had
no longer q country to claim our services,
elf-preservation was the first thing to be
considered.
As soon as the English vessel had pro-
| ceeded on her way, Capt. Waddell sum
moncd his whole ships company aft, and
| formally announced to them the Startling
| intelligence he had just received. No man
of them. he said, had any reason to blush
for the service in which lie had been en-
ga aged; our cruise had been projected and
prosecuted in good faith; it had inflicted
heavy blows upon the commerce of our
late enemies, which, would not soon be for
| gotten: but now there was nothing more
| to be done but to secure our personal safe
| ty By the readest and most efiicacious
means at hand. AS a cruiser we had no
| longer Il right to sail the seas, for in that
character We were liable to capture by the
ship of any civilized nation, for we had
no longer a flag to give semblance of
legality to our proceedings.
The address was listened to respect
fully. and after brief consultation
among themselves the crew presented a
petition signed by nearly all Of their num-
Der requesting our Captain to proceed at
once to Sydney, Australia, the nearest
English port. and there abandon the ship
to Her Majesty's authorities. and let each
| man look Out for his own personal safety
Capt. Waddell at once professed to ac-
cede to this request, and for "a hours the
vessel was actually headed for Sydney;
but events proved that he had really 10
intention of ever going there, and at the
Al. Il
he altered the course of the ship without
announcing the fact to anyone, and
steered for Cape Horn en- route for Liv-
erpool.
1t will he remembered that when we
first set sail from Madeira, the labor de-
volved upon us of Transforming the mer-
chantman Sea King into the cruiser Shen-
andoah. and now, so far as possible, that
work was to be Gndone, and with sad
hearts we betook ourselves to the task.
The same tackles which had been used in
transferring our armament from the Lau-
rel to our decks, were again got alOft TO
assist in dismounting the heavy guns, and
striking them below, beyond the reach OF
prying eyes-porhOles were closed up, our
smGkestack whitewashed. and in appear
ance our ship was n quiet merchantmen,
peacefully pursuing her way, with nanght
to apprehend from any vessel she might
encounter on the high seas.
: The hilarity which had so long been OBJ
, SER ,ble throughout the ship was now
go,- and there were only anxious faces
: 10 seen in cabin. ward-room and fore
: castle. The lookouts, it was true, still
mounted aloft, but it WAS not to scan The
seas for ships that might be captured. but
2 to maintain n faithful watch and ware
over any suspicious sail that might MAKE
its appearance above the horizon.
5 While rolling down toward the Cape
! with the brave westerlys" astern. thu
e lookout one day reported vessel with al
; sail set, to foretop-mast studded sail
e standing very nearly on the same cours'
, as ourselves.
t ! Our glasses soon revealed the fact tha
e she was English. and not n man-of-war
e consequently there was nothing 10 appre
j. hend from her, and as she seemed to bea
@ Il singular family likeness to our owl
t good ship. we resolved to have a neare
d view of her.
5. At the time we were under top-gallant
sails, but before many minutes the top
= men We're aloft lOosing the royals. whc
t were soon sheeted home and hoisted away
= The foretopmast studding sail was ais
e broken out, and swayed alOft, the tac
d hauled out, the sheet sent down, and ava
e we went to try our speed with tn
l. stranger. She seemed to understand tina
o a race was on the tapis, and immediatel
G. began to show more canvas.
irt For time it was doubtful how the cor
If test would end. Both had heavy pres
4 of sail. and We're dancing along Mt tn
rate Of II or 13 knots an hour, but tn
u Shenandoah was too much by the head
t and at last it became apparent that tn
d stranger was slowly leaving us. Obsery
d ing this We signaied her, to learn who an
II what she was, and the bunting soon iE
l. formed US that it was the sister ship 0
It our own, built by the same firm on tn
Clyde. and, in brief, one was almost
j. counterpart of the other. 1t was the frs