San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-09-19
THE PILOTS STORY.

I This is the story told me by the Indian
pilot Of one of the grand steamers that
ply the River St. Lawrence, and are
known. to tourists from Montreal and
Quebec to Rimouski:
So you would like to know why scare
at that headlandf You notice that cape?
Yes. Corlett's cape, we call it, and bad
place it used to be. You notice the light
house that stands there2 Yes. Well,
lived by that headland long before the
lighthouse was built, q matter of nearly
let's cape, though never heard tell Of
more than one wreck. 1t happened after
the lighthouse was built. but the lights
were put out, and pat out on purpose,
too. It's well nigh forty years since, but
remember it as if it were but yesterday.
There was then little bit of settle
ment down near the mouth of the creek,
which you may have noticed empties into
the river just above the cape. There
wern't many people lived there, and the
biggest and most important man in the
place was Charlie Culett. He was a
North of England man, Eye heard tell,
and anyhow he owned every acre of land
and every stick of timber for miles
around Besides, at that time, Corlett's
was the only grist and lumber mill within
bundled miles in any direction Then
he owned fast little schooner-about
the only one that traded TO the settle
ment, making trips up and down the
river, between. Quebec and the provinces.
Although Corlett was rich man for those
days, he was fond of sailing and had
notion to run the schooner himself.
Charlie Corlett would have passed for a
handsome man anywhere and he was, by
long Odds the finest built man in the set
Element. But Charlie had a terrible tenn
per. He was so used to having his own
way that when anything or anybody
thwarted him he was regular devil in
his fierce, unreasonable anger.
When the lighthouse was built a young
Frenchman from Three Rivers was put in
charge as keeper. He was fine young
fellow. and if he was not 50 handsome nor
solgI" IS yEEs.. rrlQrlett he was liked
good deal better by the boys.
Corlett was some ten or twelve years
older than young Hector Baptiste, but, as
luck would have it, they both fell in love
with the same woman. Indeed, that was
hardly to be wondered at, seeing that
Lizzie Lenox was the only pretty, mar
riageable white woman in the settlement.
BotR men loved the girl well and sincerely
and'both made her an honorable offer Of
marriage. Of course Lizzie couldn't
marry both of them, and strange as
everybody thought it, she chose Hector
The captain, as we all called CorlettS, was
furious with rags, and he tried in every
ha ir,1y Of 70 Ind, h. II
to change her mind. He argued with her
influence with the government to have
Hector turned out of the lighthouse.
Then he brought costly presents from
Quebec and st. Johns. which Lizzie re-
fused to, accept. The simple fact was
that Lizzie never liked the captain, and
the more he tried to win her love, the
closer she stuck to Baptiste.
] was at that time sailing with Capt
Corlett and knew him pretty we'll One
day he came down to the settlement, after
a three weeks trip to Halifax, and found
that Hector Baptiste and Lizzie Lenox
were married Although the captain
didn't say very much, | could tell that he
took it badly to heart, and saw look in
his eyes that | didn't fancy very well
Two days later, towards evening, we
slipped out of the creek. bound for Mon
treal. We hadn't got more than mile
past the point when the captain ordered
the mate to down sails and lay 70 He
said he had forgotten something and told
me to get out the yawl and run him
ashore. When we were in the boat he
says to me: Pierre" he says. Il saved
your life once, didn't II"
Eyes, cap, says land he did; be
jumped overheard for me when fell from
aloft two years before
We'll, says he, "one good turn &c
serves another, doesn't it2 Now ven lust
keep to yourself whatever you tlGv hap
pen to see tonight. I'm goiH up to the
lighthouse to settle an old score.
For Gods sake, cap" says l, don't
do anything you'll be sorry for"
That's all right" he says; you
needn't be afear'd. I'm goin to give that
French Puppy piece of mind, and per
haps licking, that's all.
And | think lie meant no more than
what he said so l made no answer. /
was only lad, and an Indian at that-he
was a white man and my captain. Be-
sides, as he had reminded me, owed him
my life.
It was about s o'clock of September
evening. could see the lantern lights
being Lit in the lighthouse, and knew that
Hector was there and probably alOne-for
although there was a small cottage at
tached to the lighthouse, it was never
used as dwelling. Corlett jumped ashore
and bad me wait for him. In the still
nes=- could hear words that were said