The Clio messenger., 1919-05-29
CHAPTER lv-Continued

In the intensity of my feelings
must have uncOnsciousIy spoken
aloud, for shaggy head suddenly
popped out from the berth beneath
where l lay, and Haley's interested
voice asked solicitously:
"Hy, thar; whut's up, mate? Ye
was mutterin' way thar an not dis
turbin' me none, till We got ter talkin'
bout sum feller called Sanchez. Then
sorter got bit Interested know'd
thet cuss onct," and he spat, as
though to thus better express his
feelings. "The ID ornary pirate"
/ laughed, my whole mental mood
changed by this remark.
"Do you refer to Black Sanchez?'
I've heard of him; were you ever in
his hands?"
"Wus !" he laughed grimly. 81
he'd eight months Of it, mate, and
greater demon never sailed. The
things i saw done ye'd never believe
no human bein' could do. If ever thar
wus two people in one skin, sir, it's
thet Black Sanchez. When he's playin'
off fer good he's as soft an sweet
as dandy in Piccadilly, an when
he's real he's like a devil in hell"
"Were you prisoner-or did you
sail under him?"
Both, fer the matter o. thet. He
give me the choice ter serve er walk
the plank. l wus eighteen, an he'd
an o. mother at Deal"
81 see; but later got away?"
"Ay. 1 did thet," chuckling over the
recollection. "But I he'd ter wait
eight months fer the luck"
II had a shipmate once" observed,
interested in his story, "who claimed
to have seen the fellow; he described
him as being very large man, with
Intensely black, Aawklike eyes and a
heavy black beard almost hiding his
face."
Maybe he looked like that when he
saw him, but he amt. no bigger man
than 1 am; he won't weigh as much
by fifteen pound. Fact Is he mighty
seldom looks the same, fer thet's part
o. his game. I've seen him in all sorts
O DISCUSSES. It's only his eyes he
can't hide, an thar's been times when
thought they wus the ugliest eyes
ever i saw. He's sure an Ornary devil,
an when he gifts mad, I'd rather be
afront of tiger. Besides fightin's his
trade, an no weaklin' amt goin' ter
control the sort o. chaps he's got ter
handle. Most Of 'em would murder
him in a minute If they dared. Oh,
he's bad all right, but yer wouldn't
exactly think so, just ter look ot him.
"What, then, does he really look
like?"
"Oh, a sorter swashbucklin' Spanish
don-the kind whut likes ter dress up
an play the dandy. He's got pink
an white complexion, the Castilian
kind, yer know an wears little mus
tache, waxed up ut the ends L heard
he wus abou. forty-five; l reckon he
must be thet, but he didn't look older
than thirty"
Haley dropped Off to sleep. but my
mind continued to wander upth 1t con.
jured up once again this West Indian
pirate. His name and the story OF
his exploits had been familiar to me
ever since first went to Sea. While
only one among many operating In
those haunted waters his resourceful'
ness, daring and cruelty had won him
an Infamous reputation, a name OF
horror. In those days. when the curse
of piracy made the sea a terror, nc
ordinary man could ever have sue
ceeded in attaining such supremacy
In crime.
Black Sanchez-and Hfley pictured
him as q dandified. ord nary appear
Ing individual, with white and red
complexion, a small nustache and
flashing dark eyes-a mere spanish
gallant, without special distinction.
Why, that description. strangely
enough, fitted almost exactly this fei'
low on board, this other Sanchez.
The suspicion which bad crept into
nv mind was so absurd so unspeak'
ably silly and impossible that
laughed at myself and dismissed tine
razy thought. Chucking over 1t
finally fell asleep.
CHAPTER W