The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1925-06-17

Snake Gold
CECNASH! A rifle bullet crashed
through the pinnacle lamp in the
forward deck house, and the Islands,
the captain had plunged straight into
his yarn.
I'm those days I was Just a young
lad not a mite bigger than some of
you who are listening to my tale. It
was before steam had come much into
use. Our ship was an Old-time slOOp
fitted with a special clipper rig over
head and in her day there were few
Of her size alOat to whom she
couldn't show a clean pair Of heels.
1--WE had put to sea over two
months before. The day we sailed
there had been overmuch whispering,
and coming and going, and taking on
Of strange parcels, as I thought at
the time. Few Of the others seemed
to mark 1t though, which set my mind
more or less at ease. I said nothing.
Many a time after did 1 think how
much better 1t would have been had /
voiced my fears aloud and perhaps In
that way have saved the life Of many
a good seaman who's only fault was
that he had shipped In a boat along
with the devil-Or il may be one Of
his prime ministers.
Never was there a harder working
or a better-minded crew than ours
when we left port. We had scarce
been two days u of harbOr though,
when the devil began to show his
presence. And the devil in this case
was no other than u skipper, Cap
tain LOrsin.
There was none who saw him do
the first shooting. But there were few
Of us who did not see his poor VIC
tim lying stark upon the deck. From
that moment Captain LOrsin was a
hated man-and a doomed one.
"Our destination was set down in
the ships papers as Lima, Peru; but
it was with no thought Of making
Lima that Captain Lorsin had sailed.
He had got hold OF a copy OF an an
cient map showing a certain island
off the Chilean coast where Inca gold
Il CNAu " DG nAIuEns IA ACACn
held that it was gold sacred to the
snake god and that a curse fell on
anyone who touched 1t. Captain LOr.
: sin must have touched Il in his dreams
for he lever saw it alive; yet he was
surely cursed If ever man was.
cit was late in the evening when
we at last drifted into the channel
- Al. Goth C,l - A. s,T-.l --Ia.F
formed a sort of l~andlocked harbOr
A gray mist hung low over every.
thing. No sounds could be heard dis
tinctly above the rustling Of waves
sliding up the sand Of the beach.
THE bullet which shattered the bin
nacle lamp came out Of this mis-
cloud. Others followed. Captain LOr
sin was hard put to it to know wha'
to do. At last he called into the cabil
such men Of the crew as he though
he might trust. Rifles were put Il
their hands. Then the fight was on
il lasted most of the night, with on
men aiming at the rifle flashes whicl
spat out at us through the darkness.
"Just before dawn the firing die
out. AS the sun rose, / saw anOthe
ship Of much the same size and forT
as our own. There was a HallOo
from the others deck. Our mat
: called back. In a few minutes "
were all gathered at the rail an
shouting across at one another.
"As we talked there came a sudde
explosion between decks. Several me
rushed down to see what 1t was.
shall never forget the look IN Captai
Lorsin's eyes when they came bac
bearing him between them. Apparen
~ he had hidden a lot Of ammunitiO
IN the hold and Il had exploded whe
he had attempted to get at some Of I
He was mOrtally hurt. A little lat,
our boat began to sink appreciate
in the water and we got into the LII
boats, taking with US whatever thinl
could be easily borne.
Captain LOrsin died before v
reached the shore. The captain
the other ship had been killed BY
rife bullet. He had got HIS pay f
starting the fight. His thought Ia
been to drive rs away. 50 that
might get the entire treasure for hiI
self. It seems that he had got wol
Of the island at about the same tin
as Captain LOrsin, and had scar
more than reached It when We
rived. Between them, In their 10
OF gold. these two men had been Z
means Of killing eight true, honest 81
men and wOundlng twelve more.
CAS- for the gold. we found no re
geld on the island There was or
the ~snake-gold 81 the indian legel
We came upon the Indian gold
soon as we started 70 climb about
the rocks back Of US II was lnfest
with sort Of yellow snakes watch q
tered golden bright % the sunsbine