The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-11-01
Captain Sharkey
By A. Conan Doyle.

wuzw HEN the great wars Of the Spanish success
ANH sion had been brought to an end by the
HMA Treaty of Utrecht. the vast number of pri-
MI vateers which had been fitted out by the
contending parties found their occupation gone Some
took 70 the peaceful, but less lucrative ways Of
ordinary commerce, others were absorbed into the
fishing fleets and few Of the reckless hoisted
the Jolly Rodger at the mizzen and the bloody flag
the main declaring private war upon tueIr own
count against the whole human
With mixed crews, recruited from every nation.
they secured the disappearing occasionally to
careen IN some lonely inlet, putting I'm for a de-
bauch az some outlying port. where they Cazzled the
inhabitants by their lavishness and HORNED -nen by
their brutaites. It took a stout seaman in those
days to ply his calling in the Caribbean Gulf
such Captain John scarrow of the ship
Morning star, and yet he breathed a long sigh
lief when he heard the splash of the falling anchor
and swung at his mornings within 10 yarcs Of the guns
OF the citadel of Basseterre. ST. Kits was
port of call, and early morning his DOwspr would
be pointed for old England He hac enough
those rObber-haunted seas Ever. since ne had left
Maracabo upon the Main with his full laoing Of
gar and red pepper he had WINGED at every topsail
which glmmered over the violet edge of the tropical
Captain sharkey OF the twenty-gun pirate barque,
Happy Delivery had passed down the Coast and had
Uttered with Quilted vessels and with murdered men.
Dreadful anecdotes We're current of hts ssim pleas
antries and of his inneXble ferocity From the Ba-
hamas to the Main his coal black barque with the
blsuous name, had been freighted with death and
many things which worse than death. SO nervous
was Captain Scarrow. with his full-rigged ship
anu her mold fU or valuable ading that he struck out
TO the far Birds island be OF
track Of commerce. And yet even in those solitary
waters he had been unable to shake of sinister traces
Captain SharlCey.
one morning they had raised a single skin adrift
upon the race or the ocean It's only occupant was
delirious who yelled hoarsely they hoised
him aboard and showed dred-up tongue like a
DacN and Wrlnhed fungus at the back of his mouth.
Water and nursing transformed him into the
strongest and smartest sailor the ship. He was
from Marblehead. in New England, 1t seemed, and
was the sole survivor of schooner which had been
Ecuttled by the dreadful Sharkey.
Now that they lay under the guns i5asseterre
danger from the pirate at and yet the
thought of him lay heavily upon the seaman's mind
as he watched the agents boat shooting from the
custom house quay.
"In lay YOU wager Morgan" said he to the first
mate. that the agent viii speak Sharkey in the
first 100 words that pass his lips"
wei. captain. I'll have you silver dollar and
CAaLce H. sald the rough old bristol n-n beside him
The negro rowers shot the boat alongside and the
linen-clad stecrsman sprang up the lacuer.
Welcome Captain Scarrow!' he CRIED. Have you
heard about Sharkey?"
The captain grinned at the mate.
What deviltry has he been up now?' he asked
'Devtryi You've not heard. then? why. we've
got him safe under lock and key here at Basseterre
lie was tried last Wednesday and he II 20 be hanged
Captain and mate gave shout Of JOY, which an
instant later was taken up by the crew. Discipline
forgotten they scrambled up through break
or the poop to hear the news The New Englander
was IN the front OK them with radiant face turned
up to heaven, for he came Of the Puritan stock
know. Master Agent, if they lack hangman do you?
stand back" cried the mate whose outraged sense
OF discipline stronger than his at the
the lightest heart that paid wager yet. How
came the villain to be taken?'
w n.y. as 40 mat, ne became more than his own
comrades could abide and they took such horror of
him that they would not have him Jhe ship So
1hey marooned htn upon the Little Mangfes to the
south Of the Mysterious Bank there he was found
by Portobello trader, who brought him in. There
was talk or sending him to Jamaica 20 be tried but
good little governor, Sir Charles EVAN. would
hear Of it, Hes my meat. said he. and claim the
cooking OF it. II stay till tomorrow morning
AT lO, you il see the joint swinging.