The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1898-11-17
SAILORS REVENGE.

Il - lrOnDoW-a strong man among
the strong ones. In person he was SIX
feet in height and we'll proportioned.
and for muscular power he beat any
thing | ever saw In my life. Yet, some
how, In looking at his face. one could
MT get oyer the Idea that he had suf-
fered great sorrow, or had some wrong
to ayenge. He seemed 10 be always
looking for some one. and we never
had a new mate and he never met a
stranger, but he'd give one single,
penetrating look and then drop his
eyes, as II It wasn't the man he was
looking for.
| told him one day how he seemed to
strange looks.
Yes, Jack. my boy he said. I'm
looking for a man. and I'll ind him
yet, please God. You may be thankful
for one thing, my lad"
And what is that? | said.
"rhat you are not the one I'm look
ing for" he answered. with a look |
didn't understand then. but learned the
meaning later. See here, Jack, l must
trust some one. or this thing viii drive
me mad. / want to find a man with
the little finger gone from the right
hand-a sailor man. with three stars in
India Ink in the palm of his right hand,
and the letter G below them. Find me
that man and you'll do an old mate II
kindness: that's all I've got TO say"
! was Il carpenter on the Ironbow,
- -. Iul % a,t.N ...l, vrrn a fn-
ror. Oh. he was n tough old salt.-with
a face the color OF mahogany, and a
voice like the roar OF the wind In a
gale. A stove boat made him happy,
II he only got the ~whale-that's all he
asked.
But we Allied early In the season and
ran into port to get rid of our cargo,
reit a little and get some fresh pro
visions. While we lay there a man
came 10 the captain and wanted TO
ship as harpooner. He was a fine. tall
fellow. just the kind of a man a skip
per would banker after. and he proved
10 the captains satisfaction that he
was a good h~arpooner, too.
He sailed under the name of Gus
Williams and was every inch n sailor,
with a handsome face. black curling
hair and n devil-may-care look in his
eyes. Although he was hail fellow well
met with the crew, | didn't like the
look of the man, and made up my
mind that | didn't want him for a
chum. If I'd known what he was 1t
seems to me now that I'd have drop
ped him over the rail some dark night
before we were fairly out of port.
The captain shipped him when Tom
Dalton was away on another island
looking after a Kanaka or two that
used TO sail with him. and so Ii hap
pened that they didn't meet until the
night before we sailed, and, as he al
ways did. Tom looked Mt the new man
hard for a moment and then turned
away.
When the new mar heard the name
OF the mate | thought he gave a little
start and turned a trifie pale. though
why he did that | didn't understand.
We were well out to sea and bowling
along before a ten-knot breeze when
Tom came to me as | stood by the rail.
where does Gus William hail from,
Jack p he asked.
"Martha's Vineyard. he says l
won't answer for IL thai he tells the
truth | replied.
"Do you like himT
"No. He's got the devil In him some
where, and It's bound TO come out.
He's as queer a stick as ever | saw
In my life, and | don't van TO chum
with him.
There was one thing about Gus that
was rather queer, and | asked him one
day why he wore the finger of an old
glove on HIS right hand. He said he had
Il bad join there and he had TO wear
a cover to keep the salt water out.
| didn't mind that so much: but one
day | was working on a boat and he
was helping me and holding the spike
and somehow | managed to hit him
on the finger covered by the glove, and
he didn't ever finch, and then | was
sure of one thing and that vas that
he had no finger inside the glove.
| didn't say anything, but somehow
It struck me rs queer that this man
should have a finger missing and Tom
had asked me to look for such q man.
| didn't think any more of it until
one night In the ~foreeastle. when we
were all pretty full of grog, the young
men got to Dragging about themselves
and the girls. and Gus Williams looked
up and laughed.
You might brag IL You had the luck
I've had" he said. There's only one
thing on my conscience after all, and
that's about a pretty maid made love
to in Nantucket years ago, and then
left without a word. Poor little thing!
| wonder what came to herr
Maybe | can tell you,' said n quiet
voice. that is, II her name was Mary
Blake"
We all looked up and saw that Tom
Dalton had come into the ~forecastie.
That's her name" replied Gus, nod
ding his head with drunken gravity,
while he raised his right hand to his
mouth shaving the nalm plainly.