Show PIECES OF EIGHT BEING BEINO THE AUTHENTIC NARRATIVE OF A TREASURE DISCOVERED IN THE BAHAMA ISLANDS IN THE YEAR 1903 NOW FIRST GIVEN TO THE PUBLIC By RICHARD LE GALLIENNE Copyright h by Doubleday P pace FARO e A Company i THE POCKMARKED POCK MAN Synopsis The Synopsis The man who tells this story story call fall him the hero for shorts short- short is s visiting his friend John Saunders British official in Nassau Bahama Islands Charlie Webster a lo local ul merchant completes the trio of ot friends Conversation t upon burled buried pirate treasure Saunders produces a written document purporting pur- pur porting to be the death-bed death statement statement statement state state- ment of Henr Henry P P. Tobias a a. successful successful successful suc suc- pirate made by him in ISM It gives es two spots where two millions millions millions mil mil- lions and a half halt of treasure were buried burled by him and his companions The conversation of the three friends la Is overheard by a stranger whose face tace Is deeply pitted by small pox CHAPTER III III 2 2 I Charter the Maggie Darling As luck would have haye It the he lo loss JM s or rth rather rither r the theft of Henry P P. P Tobias Tobias' narrative was not lot so serious ns as it at first seemed for It Jt fortunately chanced that John Saunders had hart h had td It copied hint the theft remained none the less mysterious trion However r l leaving in a t that mystery for later solution John Sann Saunders er Charlie Webster and md I spent the next evening ening in a general and particular criticism criticiser of or the narrative e it itself There were several obvious objections to be he made maden n against rr t its authenticity To start with Tobias at the time of his deposition tta was an old man seventy man seventy Jive nn years and it was more titan than probable tint that hl his experiences as a pirate would ela date te fl from his early manhood the they were hardly likely to have e tak taken n place n us late as his fortieth year The narrative nar nar- Indeed suggested ug their taking much h earlier and there would thus be lu a 1 space pace of r at least east forty years ear between the time burial of oC the treasure and hi his deathbed revelation It was natural to ask Wh Why hiring during durin all those years din did he not return md lIld retrieve e 1 the lime treasure for himself Various circumstances ma may have e prevented him the inability from lack luck of means to make the journey journe or 01 what not hut hilt certainly lIl one would need to ImagIre imag Imag- Ire ine circumstances of peculiar power that should be stron strong enough h to keep a 1 i man with so valuable a secret in his Ilo possession C slon so many years from taking advantage of it For Jor a long while too the names given en to the purported sites of the treasure caches puzzled us Modern maps give I e no such places as Dead Mens Men's Ien Shoes and Short Shrift Wand island at last In a map dating hack back to 1703 1783 we came carne upon one of the two names So far fur the veracity I e t t t i 1 1 i X f H 1 a Then Tom Came Up With My Break Break- fast ot of Tobias was supported Dead Mens Men's Shoes proved to be the old name for a certain cay some twenty miles long about a day and anti a u half's sail from Nassau one of the time long string pf of coral islands now known as the Cays But of Short Shrift Island we sought In vain for tor fora tora a trace truce All the same said I the he adventure adventure adventure ture calls me the adventure and that million and a half dollars and dollars and those Dead Mens Men's Shoes Shoes' and Shoes and I Intend to undertake it I am not going to let your middle-aged middle skepticism discourage discourage discourage age me Treasure or no treasure there will be the e excitement of the que quest t and all aU the fun of the sea And some duck perhaps added Charlie And some shark fishing for forcer certain certain tain said John Joltn M r t The Time next thing thin was to set about getting a boat and a crew After looking over oter much likely and unlikely craft we finally decided on ona ona a Ii two masted schooner of or trim but solid build the Ma Maggie gle Darling 4 42 feet over all and 13 beam something I under tw twenty nty tons with an un auxiliary gasoline en engine lne of or 24 horse power and an alleged ed speed of or ten knots Next the crew You Iou will need a captain a cook an engineer and a deckhand said Charlie Charlie Char Char- lie and I 1 have the captain and tho cook all ready for you That afternoon we rounded them all nil up Including the engineer and the time deckhand and we arranged to start w weather ather permitting with the morning tide which set east at nt six o'clock on July 13 1903 1003 Ships Ship's stores were the next detail I and these Including fifty gallons of gasoline over and above the tanks I and antI three barrels of water being duly got ot aboard on the evening of or Jul July 12 all was ready for the time start an evening evening eve eye ning which was naturally spent in a parting partin conclave In John Saunders Saunders' snuggery ger Why one Important timing thing youve you've forgotten said Charlie Machetes and spades and pickaxes And Id I'd take a few sticks of oC d dynamite along with you too I 1 can let you have the time lot Jot Well We'll get get them aboard tonight Its a pity you have to give It away that Its It's a treasure hunt said John but then you JOU cant can't I keep the crew from knowing And they're there a queer lot on the subject of treasure h have ve some of pf the i I 1 hope you OU wont won't have un any trouble with them Had any experience In handling asked Charlie Not the least That makes me wish I were vere coming with you ou The They are rum ruin beggars Awful Awful Awful Aw Aw- ful cowards and just like me a pack of children You know about sailing anyhow That's a n good thing You Youcan Youcan can captain your om own boat if need be That's all to the good Particularly if you OU strike any dirty weather But let me give ive you ou one word of advice ad Be kind of course with them them but but keep Jeep your our distance aU ul the same And be he careful about losing your our temper You get more out of them by coaxing coax coax- ing hard lag hard as It Is at fit times And b by bythe bythe the wa way how would you like to take tahe old lold Sailor with you ou liS Sailor all or was a great reat Labrador retrIever retriever retriever re re- re- re who at ut that moment turned up his big head with a n devoted sigh from behind his masters master's chair Rather Bather I said So Sailor was thereupon enrolled as a further addition addition addi addi- tion to the crew Old Tom Toni the cook ook was first on hand next morning I 1 took tool to him at once A simple kindly old darky of Uncle Toms Tom's Cabin type with faithfulness faithfulness faith faith- written all an over him and a certain certain tain sad wisdom In his old face find Tom a great cook said Charlie patting the old man on the shoulder Many an a trip weve we've taken together after duck haven't we Tom right sub suh That's right said the old man his eyes twinkling with pleasure Then came the captain captain Capt Capt Jaber a Williams a younger man with an Intelligent in intelligent in- in ent self-respecting self manner somewhat somewhat some some- somewhat what noncommittal businesslike evidently evidently evidently evi evi- i dently not not particularly anxious as to whether he pleased or not but hut looking competent and civil enough Next Nest came the en engineer ineer a young oun hulking bronze giant a n splendid physical physical phys phys- ical specimen but rather heavy and sullen and not over-Intelligent over to look at The deckhand proved to be a rather silly effeminate fellow suggesting Idiocy but doubtless wiry and good g enough for the purpose While they Y were bus busy getting up the anchor of the Maggie Darling Darling- I went down Into m my cabin to arrange various I odds and ends and presently came the I captain touching his bis hat I Theres a party he lie said outside I here wants to know If you'll take him ham passenger to Spanish Wells Were not taking passengers I Inn Inn-I answered an an- answered but I will look loot him over I A man was vas standing up In a I rowboat rowboat rowboat row- row boat leaning against the ships ship's side Hide do me a great favor sir sir he lie began to say In a soft sort ingratiating voice I I looked at him with a start of rec rC rec- rec og He ne was my pockmarked market friend who had made such an unpleasant ant Impression on me at ut John Saunders Saunders' Saunders Saunders' ders' ders office He lIe was teas rather more mor gentlemanly gen gen- gentlemanly en- en looking than he had scorned at the first view and I saw that lint though thought he be was a halfbreed the white blood predominated I dont don't want to Intrude he said but I have urgent need of getting to Spanish Wells and theres there's no boat goIng going go- go o- o Ing that that- way for tor a week Ive I've Just missed the mall I didn't think of taking any passengers passengers gers erg I saidI saidI saidI said I know he said I know Its It's a B great favor I ask He spoke with a certain cultivation of manner BuI But Bu ButI t I am willing of course to pay anything g you think well wen for my food fond and my may passage I waived that sUg suggestion estion as 1 II not and 1111 i stood Irresolutely look looking Ins at ut him with m no very hospitable expression In m my l eyes es I dare say But reO really II my Us his taste for him was an un unreasoning pre prejudice u udice and Charlie Websters Webster's phrase phrase- c came to to-my to my mind Ills face fuce Id hi against t the poor devil It certainly was Then ben at last I said surely not over over- I j graciously g Very well Get aboard You Yon can un help heip work the boat and with that I turned away to m mj may cabin CHAPTER IV In Which Tom Catches an Enchanted Fish and Discourses of the Dangers of Treasure Hunting The morning was a little overcast but a brisk northeast wind soon set the clouds moving as It went humming in hi our sails and the sun comin coming out in Its glory glor over the crystalline waters made a fine flashing world of It full of ot exhilaration and the very breath of youth and adventure vcr very uplifting to the heart Nassau looked very pretty In the tho morning sunlight with Its pink and white houses nestling nestling- among palm trees and the masts musts of Its sponging schooners and soon we were wem abreast Of oC the picturesque lying low-lying fort Fort I Montague that Major Bruce nearly two hundred years ars a ago o had such a time building as a u protection against pirates entering from the east enst end of the harbor It looked like a vent veri veritable table piece of the past and set the imagination dreaming of those old days s 's of Spanish galleons and the black flag flag and brought m my thoughts ea eagerly elly 1 I f f I t tI I 1 i r I 1 r t I 1 l I Tom and andI You and I I L back hack to the object of my trip trips tl those ose- ose d doubloons and pieces of ofel el eight that lay In glittering heaps somewhere somewhere- out Im those Island wildernesses wildernesses- Then Tom came up up- with my break break- fast The old fellow stood by hy to to- serve serve- me as I ate with a a- pathetic touch o othe of the old slavery da days s 's In ini his hf hi deferential half-fatherly half manner dropping a quaint remark ever every now and md again i as lS when drawing my attention to the sun bursting through tu the We- clouds he he- said The poor mans man's i is coining cow coin I fag ing out sah sah phrases In which there seemed a whole lot of pathos pathos- t to m me Presently when breakfast was wn over i and anti I stood looking ov over O n the the- side Into the Incredibly clear water lu La which it seems hardly possible possible- that a boat boot can go on floating suspended as she seems over gleaming gulfs of liquid space pace down through h which at It every moment It seems she site must dizzily fall tull As Tom and I gazed down lost In la those rainbow deeps deep I heard a u voice at my elbow saying with peculiarly sickening unction The wonderful works of or God Cod It was my unwelcome unwelcome- passenger who had silently silently- edged up to where we stood I 1 looked at him Ww with the question very clear in my may eyes as to what kind of disagreeable animal he was Precisely I said and moved away I had been trying to to- feel more kindly kindly kindly kind kind- ly toward him wondering whether I could summon up the the- decency to offer him a n cigar but the wonderful works of God finished me Hello captain I said presently pointing pointing- to some sans sails coming up rapidly rapIdly rapIdly rap- rap Idly behind us this I thought wed we'd got the fastest boat inthe In Inthe In I the harbor Its the Susan B. B sponger said the time captain The captain was a man of ot few words The Su Susan an B B. B was a rakish looking craft with a n black hull and she certainly certainly could sail suil No doubt it was pure Imagination but I did fanc fancy that I noticed no no- aced our passenger e. e iH signal nal to them ina in III ina a n peculiar wa way I confess that his presence presen was wa beginning be in ginning to get on m my nerves and I IUS Iwas was US read ready to get et ec edgy at an anything or nothing nothing-nn nothing an an Irritated state slate of mind Which I presently took out on GlOr George l' l the tho engineer who did not belle helle his hulking appearance and who ho was wa for for- ever letting the engine n stop anti and taking tak ing lag forever to get et It It going One could almost have sworn orn he hu did hl it il OilI on Oil I purpose 14 My ly y language was more forcible than thaW classical had classical had quite a piratical flavor flaVo in la fact and my friend of the wonder wonderful wonder wonderful t ful works of God looked cd up with a a. a deprecating air Its Ifs effect effet t on George 8 was nil except perhaps to further deepen hl his Hulk sulks And this I did notice after a n while h II that thai In my remarks to George seemed to have set up a certain sympathetic acquaintance ac between him and my passenger passenger passenger pas pas- the deckhand heln being apparently apparently apparently ap ap- taken in n as an humble third They sat talking together anti and my passenger read to them on ono oro occasion from a piece pece of printed J paper paper pa PA- per I that lint hn t fluttered In the wind The captain was occupied with his hie helm and the time thou thoughts he didn't seem to feel the time necessity of sharing a n quiet poised probably stupid man for tor whom I could not den deny the respect we must ah a always s 's give Ie to content however simple lie Ile was a sailor and I dont don't know what better to say of a man So for companionship I was thrown hack back upon Tom rom I felt too that he was my only friend on board and a vague n ue feeling had come over pr me that within the next few hours I might need needa a n friend Are Arc we going oln too fast for tor fishing Tom I asked Not too fast for a said Tom so we put out lines and watched I the stretched strings and listened to the sea sell After a while Toms Tom's line grew rew taut and we hauled in a foot five bar bar- Look said Tom as he pointed toa toa to toa a little writhing like eel shape about nine inches Ion long attached to the belly helly of the A itA sucking fish said Tom good luck and he proceeded to turnover turnover turn turnover over the poor creature and cut from his back immediately below helow his head a flat fiat Inch and a half hulf of skin lined and stamped like a rubber the sole sole sol the device h by which he held on to the bell belly of the much as the circle of wet leather holds the stone In a schoolboys schoolboy's s sling I INow Now he said when he had It clean and neat In his fin fingers we |