White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1929-07-05
by
LOWELL THOMAS
Copyright by
Doubleday. Doran & Co.

He was our prisoner. Very well. he
conceded that. But we were the enc
mics Of his country and the destroy
ers of his ship. Therefore he pre-
served demeanor appropriate to that
attitude of mind throughout his en-
tire voyage with us. For our part, we
could not but admire him for his su-
perb. unbending spirit His barque
was loaded with cargo of corn and
bound for Bordeaux.
Now, don't know much music, and
don't care for this modern jazz
school at all. Faust enjoy. Give me
the duet in the Garden scene, and,
since am called the "Sea Devil" |
don't mind admitting secret fondness
for old Mephisto and his serenade be
meath the window. Now had to sink
my favorite composer. The thought
of it made me hum phrase of Val
entine's dying lament.
But the sinking of the Charles Con.
nod meant much more than any such
superficial melancholy. One shouldn't
ever have to sink ship. They are
the last survivors of the golden days
at sea, crueler days and finer days.
Take any old salt who has sailed be-
fore the mast, and ask him. The ship
yards are not building many of them
any more, and the day of the schoon
er, the barque, the clipper, and the
barquentine is fast passing. Every
one that goes down to Davy Jones is
loss that will not be replaced. | have
an old.time seaman's love for sail
ships. A steamer? Train the gums
and light the fuses. could sink
steamer and laugh as she takes her
last dive. But l never did get used
to sinking sailing ships, although we
had to send many of them on their
last voyage before our own final ad-
venture in the South seas.
/ Our bombs exploded In the hold of
the Charles Gounod. She lurched like
a living thing Her tall masts trem.
bled. The majestic ship seemed to
bow her head as she nosed down into
the sea. The last we saw of her was
a glimpse of her tallest mast and wav
ing from it the tricolor of France.
With her departure, somehow
thought | saw the passing of the
whole age of sailing ships.
Three days later, tremendous com
motion in the rigging. Six men were
reporting "Sail hop
She was fine three-masted schoon.
er. We thought she might be an
American: The Americans favor that
type of ship. And the United States
was not yet in the war. However, the
Canadians also have weakness for
the three-masted- schooner. We raised
our flag, hoping to induce the skipper
to raise his flag, which would be the
polite response for him to make, But
her skipper didn't seem to be in any
mood for returning compliments that
day. Perhaps he had had bad night
and was saying to himself:
"What do care for that old Nor
wegian tub?"
We. backed our main-topsail and
dipped our flag three times as a sa'
lutte, hoping that this exceptional cour.
tesy would induce the schooner to
follow the amenities of the sea.
ltS,happened now that our freeboot.
ing led us to intrude unwittingly into
the rose-covered field of romance.
where our rough pirates boots we're
not adapted to walk among the deli
cate plants. However, buccaneers that
we were, we were not without high
regard for the tender sentiment.
Aboard the schooner, the captain had
his newly married bride. The voyage
was their honeymoon.
Leudemann and l. stood on the
bridge.
"Better leave the lubber alone"
said.
just then the ensign In the lookout
on the mainmast sang out:
.'That's no American They're rails
ing the British flag"
Sure enough, there we're the British
colors. Up went our battle flag
Across her bows went shot from vur
gun. But 1t required second shot
before she hove to.
"Hey!" cried Leudemann, there's
woman"
The captains bride was running
around the deck in tailspin. as avi.
ators say. don't know whether she
was afraid of shot and shell OF The
righteous ire of her husband Maybe
he was chasing her.
The schooner was the III. M. s.
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