Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1908-12-31
CHAPTER III,

Fortune favored Smith. Fortune seems
to have weakness for the Smith family,
paralleled only by similar feeling for
the Jones mily--there are so many of
both in the world and playing great parts
too. If fortune had not been kind to
them, they would have died out long
since, as other great families have be-
come extinct
The st. Lawrence fell in with the flag
officer the day after she sank the Petrel.
The fleet was busy at its anchorage off
Old Point Comfort, getting ready for an
expedition, presumably destined against
the forts guarding lIatteras Inlet, the first
naval objective of the war. Among the
vessels assembled there was small
schooner which had been a revenue cutter,
the Upshur. This vessel happened to be
an exact model of the Petrol.
The flag officer entered heartily into
the plans of Commodore Pauding. The
Upshur was turned over to the st. Law
renee, Smith was given command of her
with fifty gallant tars from the Old fris-
ate. with Midshipmen Brown and Robin
son as his assistants, and old Bob Cant
lin. chief factotum, for a crew. 1t was
a hard task to reject the three hundred
and tifty-odd men, volunteers all, who
begged to accompany the chosen fifty
from the crew of the st. Lawrence.
The flag officer did more than Commo-
dore pauldng suggested. or even desired
paulding had determined to support the
attack himself with his sailing frigate
Very dubious. in spite of the successful
ruse by which the Petrol had been over
come as to the suitability of the old frig-
ate for such duty, and very desirous of
apprehendiug the Greyhound, ruse or no
ruse. the flag officer decided to assign to
the duty the new and extremely fast gum
boat Wamego. 1t was believed that Moth
ing on the ocean had the heels of the
Wampgo. fresh from the shipyard. She
had shown marvellous speed on her trial
trip and it would be a greyhound indeed
which could run away from her.
Commodore Pauldng was given COM
mand of the iIl-aSsorted squadron, and the
three vessels got away three days after
the capture of the Petrol. Their uniforms
had been taken from the surviving Off
GERS of the Confederate schooner and had
been donned. so far as they went around,
bv the corresponding officers of the Up
shur. Someone had been careful to secure
the Confederate flag and the private sig
nails from the sinking Petrol before she
went down. Sailors eyes are keen for
details. and many had marked the way
the privateer had been painted, SO that
1t was easy to duplicate her outward ap-
naa ropce II yould need very near in
spection indeed to show that the Upshur
was not what she appeared to be.
The commodore disposed his ships in
the following manner The st. Lawrence
hull down to the northward of Ocracoke
Inlet, the Wamego hull down to the south
ward, and the Cpshur Immediately OF the
entrance There was nothing to do there
after but wait. Two days after they ar
rived at their appointed stations the look
out who was kept constantly at the tore
cross trees on the Upshur sighted steam
er early in the morning.
Referring to his letter. which, indeed,
he had studied until he knew it by heart,
Smith struck his light sails-he would
have to effect the capture by strategy, not
by speed, If the approaching stranger
proved to be the Greyhound, of course
retaining just enough sail to give his
vessel steerage way. and hoisted the
agreed signals by which the Greyhound,
if such she were, could recognize the
Petrel The st. Lawrence and Wamego
were we'll out of sight in the misty morn
ing.
ITO be contrnued.)