Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1919-11-07
CHAPTER IV-Continued,

In the intensity of my feelings I
must have unconsciously spoken
aloud, for shaggy head suddenly
popped out from the berth beneath
where ! 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 Teller called Sanchez. Then
/ sorter got bit interested. l know'd
tibet cuss Onct," and he spat, as
though to thus better express his
feelings. "The id ornary pirate"
l laughed, my whole mental mood
changed by this remark.
do you refer to Black Sanchez p
I've heard of him; were you ever in
his hands?"
"Wus II" he laughed grlmly. II
he'd eight months Of it, mate, and a
greater demon never sailed. The
things l saw done ye'd never believe
no human bein' could do. If ever thar
wus two people in one skin, sir, it's
tibet Black Sanchez. When he's playin
off fer good he's as soft an sweet
as a dandy in Piccadilly, an when
he's real he's like devil in hell"
"Were you q prisoner-or did you
sail under him."
Both, fer the matter O. tibet. He
give me the choice ter serve er walk
the plank. l wus eighteen, an he'd
an o. mother at Deal"
Il see but later got away?"
"Ay, I did thet," chuckling over the
recollection. 'But I he'd ter wait
eight months fer the luck"
II had shipmate once,' I observed,
interested in his story, "who claimed
to have seen the fellow; he described
him as being a very large man, with
intensely black, hawklike 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 | 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 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 minute if they dared. Oh,
he's bad all right. but yer wouldn't
exactly think so, just ter look at him"
"What, then, does he really look
like?"
"Oh, a sorter swashbucklin' Spanish
don-the kind whit likes ter dress up
an play the dandy. He's got a pink
an white complexion, the Castilian
kind, yer know, an wears little mus
tache, waxed up at the ends. l heard
he wus about forty-five; l reckon he
must be tibet, but he didn't look older
than thirty"
Haley dropped off to sleep, but my
mind continued to wander until 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 l first went to sea. While
only one among many operating in
those haunted waters his resourceful
ness, daring and cruelty had won hin
an infamous reputation, name OF
horror. In those days, when the ours,
of piracy made the sea a terror, ne
ordinary man could ever have sue
ceeded in attaining such supremac.
in crime.
Black Sanchez-and Haley pictured
him as dandified, ordinary appear
ing individual, with white and rec
complexion, small mustache anC
flashing dark eyes-a mere Spanish
gallant, without special distinction
Why, that description, strangel.
enough, fitted almost exactly this fel
low on board, this other Sanchez.
The suspicion which had crept int,
my mind was SO absurd, so unspeak
ably silly and impossible that
laughed at myself and dismissed tn
crazy thought. Chuckling over it
finally fell asleep.