Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1901-02-08
AN ISLE
OF GOLD.
But Il Yves Believed That
a Curse Rested Upon Il

One uhy IN 1871 q carpenter St1tSteu
II Panama on his WIZ hnmc from
California. whefe he had earned . fair
measure Of sgrrrss In she g1ldaciGs.
In suriI places mon are not d'scrlmt
hating as regards the acquaintance
they make. and he fell In With = roul,lr
Of rough loOklng sailors who iHd d"-
serted fron a whaler tial put ihiU pot
Tor provisions.
One evening. ut0n irhrnluS that he
was n mlnPt and therefore familiar
with metals. they showed him q strong
bag Oiled with sonic hori substance.
which they asked him Ia examine and
pronounce Judgment upon.
lie examined the contents. which no
found 10 lr gold Of the liurSi quality.
R%hereupOn. after first imposing an
oath OF strict secrecy. they told hlm
that shortly before arriving NJ faRI
ina their ship had touched at an isIlHd
10 take In water. Tbc casks were
fafted ashore and quietly filcl. tho
bhtp meanwhile standing on and M.
While waiting for the ship TO stand
In these two sailors strollpd along the
beach for about two miles until G.cy
came to a place where a raVIHr ut
water course canc down from u high
Ii 5untain. passed under = natural
stone arch and cmptlctl into the pen.
Here they noticed TINT the RRnd uf tie
beach WAS filled with n numlH.f q
shining particles resembling gold and
that the creviccs or RcamR uf the
water course also seemed full OF Il
Not sure whether II wis gold. they
gathered n small package and rct"acyl
their steps to iic boat. saying nothing,
however. 10 their COMPANIONS Of ts-
discovery.
BEING assured by the carpenter that
they had discovered genuine gold. thu
sailors proposed that the three VI tI'cni
should tit out n small vessel aud re
turn to the island. The pan was
Agreed 10 1T once. A vessel Was puT
chased. and six OF eight mnTe men
were induced to join the expedition.
There were 30 few men available
that they had TO take SUch IN the!
could get. and they got AZ p~reCtOna .
lot OF rascals ms ever won't unlIHnS.d
Therr were two big ncgrOCa. two VI!
famous looking SpanIaTts who coHlo
not be trusted out Of sight. 9 huncA
backed. snaky looking fellow who. it
was afterward learned. was nj g'aP
ed convict from the penal colony IN
French Guiana and n surIy. SCARED
old fellow who had been warned out u
California 10y a vigilance committee.
He was frnrCd by every member of
the crew. and cven before ths cost
lines Ind sunk below the horizon he
had let out little suggestions that Gll
ID che carpenter with prPmOnitionp
that hr was going TO make SeriOuG
trouble. Surly aud mOroSe. he slOucb
ri about the deck without q word 10
anybody The other members " the
crew wrrc Indifferent.
The weasel was lifted ont. OStensibly
for coastlng purposes. with mlnlrz
tools. provisions for IN or threr
months and n couple OF barrels ~ r1m
A mnn aud woman wCrp taken alOnR
M cOOk and StPwnrlsHs. Toward even
ing Of the second day out they Eisttsd
the island.
n was = lonesome. cherries loOkfEF
SPOT. with n rough, Irregular brarh,
SlOna which the surf WIS., tmDhliHE IN
GBfg carla Of crcamS foSm. and n Ii'tlc
farther In up0n the rocks were gEoupf
OF Shiny. black creatures which FGe
voice to the deSOiHtl1n with tisiI
hoarse barking. There was n spOiRih
growth ~ palms on the island wL.cl
dwindlcd away Into a EcrRFEy growth
of undcrhrush upon tho FiOpca ~ twc
mountains which rose FynmcUtcRily
from tke two NxtrpmltlCa.
\ amaif cure. bOrdcTed iy . sandy
bach. offered a safe anchorage. s1o
into this the vessel was chutiOunI!
steered. and the crew was set 20 vorl
at once n landing the stores.
That night thCrc was q grand cGyou
Baf abOard the vessel in celebration 81
the ~succeasful termination Of the vNy
age. during which rum flowed frtl,
and QnhrreiE were frequent. The car
pentPr and one OF the sailors. however
held alOof from these orgies. remaining
on deck. prepared to leave the verse
shoaA matters come 10 n crisis. Nat
tiers did come 10 a crisis with q crash
when one Of the spaninrds dragged thu
poor. frightened ~stewardesa into thu
eabln and insisted that she should slnI
Spanish song for the company.
The big rufiian with a livid scar. VIII,
claimed to be an American, deelsreS
that she should sling nothing but Van
Zee Doodle" The SpaDlard ATTEMPTED
Z force matters by drawing q knife
but the American anticipated hlm will
bis gun" which be began to Dis
charge right and left
In q moment the eight became Rener
al. Out Of the cabin and up on th'
deck they tumbled. shooting and cut
ting and cursipB 81 q manner that wa
1Fightfnl TO hesF. Half Of them wOm'
Aave heen killed or wounded ba0 "A DO
been for an accident that drew thol
attention from the lighting 70 . DANCE
1hat threatened them ell 10 common
ID the scun5e in the cabin a large lam
was o~verturned. and before any n II
esmpted to put cut the flames IN