The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1906-12-09

ugly look in his eyes. AS he rode down
tho red road 10 the landing some one
fired a shot from the underbrush that
neatly punctured his hat, and Carlos
ducked and rode on hard.
The next day. strange as Il NAV
seem, the Black Brothers set out for
the islands The whole town scented
tragedy, and this move baffied them.
The shop off the plaza was locked. The
one-eyed Brother tried to see Pancha
before he went. Pancha was trembling
inside her house behind its closed door.
guilty over yards upon yards of gaudy
silk sons one had sent her-rose-
ored silk. Pedro hung a chain OF gilt
tering beads on the door and went
away
1t was q gray day when the two
brothers set out. The sea was dark
and like waverirg glass-an orninous
calm that seemed to hint Of a storm
about to break. And the Pretty Nancy
scudded along with all sails set. a
strange little craft with fantastic
crew-careless young Mexican Indians,
kept contented with gaudy clothes ana
much whisky. who adored their long
haired leader as dogs adore. The Black
Brothers anchored on the lee side OF
Corpus Christi IN the miniature half
moon bay and went ashore in a Skin
They slowly assembled the precfpitous
little path that hangs to the side OF
the cliff The men below knew there
was evil afoot- The Black Brothers
who had so often assembled the ridge
with strange boxes. had never been ST.
lent before: all the long hours over
they had stood apart. Pedros one eve
following the other about. Carlos with
a wflted flower In his bullet pierced
hat trying to appear nonchalant- his
in a.
the red-sashed sailors told tho whole
thing to the boys grandfather long
afterward.
They kept a good fifteen feet apart
as they wound UP the hill Once Carlos
looked back and smiled. 1t was like a
dog lifting his upper lip. they said.
From the boat lying thousands OF feet
eS!oE the men watched the figures on
.-dsc. Tney stood gesticuIatinE
violently at first. and one-eyed Pedro
seemed to pull a cleaning something
from his sash and at the menace OF
the other put IL back. They both de-
scended into a hollow OF the ridge and
were lost to sight Then the two fig
ures were seen. like pigmies, strug-
Cling up the incline with a. burden.
Again there was apparent debate. Car
los-they could tell him from his rose
scarf floating out. a vivid signal. IN the
dull air-sat on the box and seemed to
over the chest. as it presumably was.
and seemed TO delve into it. Both were
very close together.
The Tragedy on the Cliff
Then the watchers saw helIish
thing Carlos stepped bit closer, then.
with a sudden movement, tripped the
other bending figure. They saw his
wild clutch skyward, his tumble back
ward. and even above the din of the
breakers imagined they heard his Wild
cry. Then the horror increased. BY a
miracle, on. the almost perpendicular
brink, the man regained his footing
and rushed upon the other with his
blade cleaning high. Coming together
locked close, like a loosened bowlder
bounded down those awful heights
The men in the boat watched. petrfhed,
yellow with fear, as the two finally
disappeared with great splash In the
white surge.
At the same moment IT seemed as II
the sky opened: the rain poured down
in sheets. and the terror stricken
watchers In the voice of the waters.
above the voice OF the storm. heard the
agonized double shout OF the two Black
Brothers as they went to their doom
again, and again
Then the storm went suddenly as
1t came and night fell. But all night
the two demon voices shouted TO each
other and made the starlit night awful
to the watchers.
The little cove was like smooth glass
when morning finally came. They swan
out for the skiff and the whole white
Tipped party crowded. huddled close to-
gether, up to the ledge aboye-the drst
time, they had ever been allowed to
land on the island. On the fat ridge
at the summit stood a leaden chest
with the lid flung back. and doubls.
eagles lay thick about the ground: evil
IDENTIFY Pedro had still clutched the box
OF gold pieces when Carlos first tripped
him, and 1T had gone to the rock
fretted bottom with tho two Black
Brothers In bags within the cheese
were great stores OF turquoise and
Mexican opals-of little value at the
time: they had merely pleased Pedro's
barbarfc eye-and a small chest OF sill
Yer pieces. The six. sitting on the
awful ledge. divided the spoil with abb
solute equality, watching each other
furtively with nervous terror IN their
eyes, while the surf shouted below
them. They even. afar from the voices
Of rnalediction. hunted for other chests.
and marked the spot from which the
box had been dug by a tall Jagged
spear OF red granite that stands there
just below Corpus Christfs backbone
today. It was not until fifteen years
later-loug after Pancha had married
the boys grandfather and her children
were well grown-that the story OF the
mysterious disappearance OF the Black
Brothers was known The SIX men had
taken the. smuggier, this Pretty Nancy.
down the Mexican coast and sold Il for
a song and then had gone their sepa-
rate ways
Then one drifted back to Alta Cali
fornia and told the story to the boys
grandfather and to every one else IN
Old Town; and the hunt for the rest
OF the gold Of the two Black Brothers
has not ceased yet. Periodically some
enterprisidg person picks up the old
story and goes on an expedition. Once
a student OF physical geography from
the State Normal School in San Diego
(the classes yearly go down to the
islands for a study excursion) found
IN old piece OF silver on the fat ledge
at the top. and the search again waxed
hot. But they are not natives and not
maginative persons-khey who have
the temerity to make these searches.
The Mexicans have = superstitious