Eureka High School - Sequoia Yearbook (Eureka, CA)

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THE SEQUOIA sailor at the wheel, and the forward watch, everyone had turned in again to finish their broken sleep. The 44Tza r was heading up the coast and it was Selsky's intention to reach the Columbia River, where h-e expected to establish his base of operations, with in a week. Shortly after seven the watch. re ported a. sail six points on the star- board bow, and a man from the forecastle was senit aloft with the glasses. He reported that it seemed to be a merchantmfan and was traivelinwg in a southwesterly direction. The 4'Tizar's course was chang-ed accordingly, and at a. fourteen-knot clip she headed for the unlucky vessel. An hour's sailing brought her within four or live miles, and th-enz Johnson, the man aloft, again reported, 4'Sh-eis a mercliantman and looks like a limejuicer. As far as I can tell she has a good cargo aboard. U p with the flag, Steel! cried Selsky, and all hands to your posts. Ivan take the forward battery, and 'Paddie' these guns amidships and abaft here on the port quarter. Low'sky take the wheel, afnid the rest of you arm yourselves, get out those grappling irons and stand by to board him. You are under Uztossel's orders. lVe will come up with him on our port bow, and as soon as wetre inf range you fellows up forward drop a shell over his bows. If he doesnit lay to, give him at br-oadside. NVhen we come up alongside, Gztossel, you board him, and if there's much resistannce, Ivan arncd 'Paddi-ei will follow. Now stand by!', These orders were quickly obeyed, Ellld everything and everyone were in readiness as the '4Tzar approached the stranger. The merchantman was making no apparent effort t-o escape, and within three-quarters of an hour the t'Tzar,', which had outrun her to th-e southward, changed l1er course so as to approach her on the port bow. The man aloft was now called down. 'tllelnember your orders, anwd--for God's sake what was that? cried Selsky. A puff of smoke had appeared from the side of the vessel, aind a ball came skipping within thirty feet of the 'tTzar, followed shoftly after by a dull boom. Selsky grabbed his glasses for a closer lo-ok at the sup- posed merchantman. By God! Shes a British frigate, and it's Hell for us if we don't get out of here. Stand by your halyards there. East nor' east, LoW'skyg we've got to make a run of it. If tl1-e wind holds out or if the fog shuts down we'll be safe. Twenty of you stand by your guns for we can tight if we have to. She's about fifty tons heavier than we, and we've got nearly as much canvass. Then she's got to turn before she can give chase. Put your helm over a-starboard three points. There, we're creeping away from her now. VVit.h this--there she go-es again! Little better shooting this time, within twenty yards of our stern. Ivan, put Johns-on in irons. The frigate fired another shot and then as she swung arounfd to give

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THE SEQUOIA 9959 b9b9b9b9bDb9b9b3b5b9b'9b-959 b3b9b'9b9b9bBb5b9bD'b9b5'b9 2 STORIES K 0 he Tzar. By J. M., '07. Althouffh it w-is llit ll'lV tho middlo ol' Mav i11 tho voal' 1-T85 the woather rw ' ' . . ., a had boon vory disagrooablo, and for t' wo wooks a thick fog had been haug- ingg' ovor tho wator. lliiriug this time tht- 'l'za1r had boon riding at anchor 4-loso to tho shoro of a Sllltlll 4-ovo about twonty milos so-uth of what. is now known as Vapto Blondoa-inlo. Uaipltailn Stolsky was alllgry. Thoro S-t 9lll10'll to bo no 1-ham-o of sailing those lll1lil10NVll 4-oasts for somo timo to romo, tho lardor was not. any too full, and abolvo all, thoro was no chauvo of plundtor- img som-o tino 1111o1-vl1a11t vossol 1'ot11r11i.11g' from a 4-ruiso i11 the North Pavitim-. With a small fortuno loft him by his llllt'l0, Sol-sky had tivo yours bot- foro built tho 'l'zar till tho Blark Soa. 111 t'0Il1ll'2ll.ly with Ivan ll'ill'V2lIlit'li, a fow friouds, illltl a. 1-row of pivkod lllt3'll ho had sailod hor to tho wostornl roast of AlIl't'l'lt'il. 011 this 1-ruiso tho t I'za.r hald booul suppliod with tho provisions Zllltl woalth til!tl0f0'll14l'l1PS'S lll4 lql'll2l-IlllllvllQ amd l'lVit'll now, al- llltlllgfll tho food siiptply was gt-ttillg low, tho hold of' tho vossol was tillod with a. valuablo t'2lI'g,2,'0, whilo i11 tho troasuro ro-om, situattod in tho vory bow- ols of tho ship, tho only 0IIll'2lll't'l' to whit-h was that flll'0'llg.fll S'olsky's room, woro storod sovoral t.o11s of gold 2l'Il1tl silvor bullion. 'l'h1o 'l'zar had boon oxtromoly lut-ky, for of tho ton ships which sho had mot illltl pluiidorod, oight. had boon l2ltlt'Il with troasuro. Sins-o tho vim-inity of tho 4-apo had bo-on roavliod throo wooks boforo, lltillllllg had boon so-on but fog, 2l'I1ltl Solsky was lI't':2llllllllg to fool rlostloss, ospoi-ially as thoro soointod no p1'os11oot of brightor woathor. 'l'ho1'ofo1-o, it boinlg l'll'ltl2l,V, his lux-lciost. day, Solslay hold a. t'tllll.l'I't'll4't' with Ivilll, l1is tirst mato, tllltl tlztossol, who Sllll'0'l'llll'0lltltt'tl tho unliading' of all prizos Zlllll lookod aftor tho t'tb'lIlllllS2l,l'LV dtopartiuoilt. 'l'hoy dovidod that. it XV0llltl bo bost to l t'lIl'lllll whoro thoy wrro until tho fog should lift, but. thoy also dot-idod that it would bo woll to do somo hunting aml U'XIi'ltil'lllQQ ashore if thi-y had to roinaiu lllllgtll' lllilll a wook. At lll-ltllllgjlll tho llIll'XlN't'lPtl liapptoiiod. A slight NVll1tl b1'o11gggl1t the stars i11to viow, and as soon as l'arldio, who had this watvh, had rom- inuniu-atod tho 111-ws to his two 4-oinpanions, tho 1-row of somlo forty-tivo mon woro told to bo roady for Zlll oarly start. By daybroak tho XVllltl had fl'9Sllt'll't'tl Zllltl was blowing' a good bnoozo from tho southoast. 'I'ho HTlZZll', with most of hor vanvass sot, was woll out to soa by tivo o'vlo4-kg Zllltl savo for Solslcy on tho bridgo, Stool tho

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M mf' CASTING OFF.