The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1925-01-28
Snake Gold

CCMASHl 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 1 was just a young
lad not a mite bigger than some Of
you who are listening to my tale. II
was before steam had come much into
use. Our ship was an old-time sloop
fitted with special clipper rig over
head and in her day there were few
OF her size afloat 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 or
OF strange parcels, as l thought at
the time. Few of the others seemed
to mark 1t though, which set my mind
more or less at ease. 1 said nothing.
Many a time after did I think how
much better 1t would have been had l
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 boat along
with the devil-or it may be one of
his prime ministers.
Never was there a harder working
DIT a Determined crew than ours
when we left port. We had scarce
teen two days out Of harbor though.
when the devil began to show his
presence. And the devil in this case
was no other than our 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
was said to be hidden. The legend
AClQ l1dl IL - was SOlQ SdNlCQ " ihC
snake god and that a curse fell on
anyone who touched it. Captain Lor-
sin must have touched it In his dreams
for he never saw It alive; yet he was
surely cursed if ever man was.
1T was late In the evening when
we at last drifted into the channel |
at the south end Of the island which |
formed sort Of landlocked 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 mist
cloud. Others followed Captain Lor-
sin was hard put to it to know what
% do. At last he called into the cabin
such men of the crew as he thought
lie might trust. Rifles were put in
heir hands. Then the fight was on.
t lasted most of the night, with our
men aiming at the rifle flashes which
pat out at us through the darkness.
Just before dawn the firing died
'ut. AS the sun rose, 1 saw another
hip of much the same size and form
Is our own. There was a 'Halloo,'
rom the others deck. Our mate
allied back. In q few minutes we
we're all gathered at the rail and
houting across at one another.
"As we talked there came a sudden
xplosion between decks. Several men
ushed down to see what 1t was. /
hal! never forget the look in Captain
.orsin's eyes when they came back
caring him between them. Apparent
? he had hidden a lot of ammunition
, the hold and 1t had exploded when
e had attempted to get at some of it.
lie was MORALLY hurt. A little later
ur boat began to sink appreciably
the water and we got into the life
oats, taking with us whatever things
ould be easily borne.
Captain Lorsin died before we
cached the shore. The captain Of
lie other ship had been killed by q
fle bullet. He had got his pay for
arting the fight. His thought had
zen to drive US away, so that he
light get the entire treasure for him.
IT, 1t seems that he had got word =
the island at about the same time =,
Captain Lorsin, and had scarce :
ore than reached 1t when we ar. =
we'd. Between them. in their love -
gold, these two men had been the T.,
cans of killing eight true, honest sea- ~
en- and wounding twelve more.
"As for the gold, we found no real .,
Id on the island. There was only /,
e snake-gold of the Indian legend =,
g came upon the Indian gold as .,
on as we started to climb about on a.
e rocks back of us. 1t was infested +,
tn sort Of yellow snakes which gilt. ls
nd golden bright in the sunshine"