Clifton High School - Rotunda Yearbook (Clifton, NJ)

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THE REFLECTOR During the days of his convalescence, Shark sat outside the Bur- rows' cabin. He was given rum, of which twenty barrels were buried in the sand and only used on special occasions. Everyone brought him something. Even the children brought him flowers, as he sat in his chair swathed in blankets. Shark Malone took everything and said nothing. He sat in the sun and looked at the sea, dreaming of the diamond skull. For hours, in his imagination, he could see the eyes of the skull, and his two silver teeth shone in his evil smile. John Burrows told Shark that he was welcome for as long as he wished to stay, but if at any time when he was well again, he wished to leave, a small boat would be fitted out for him and he could go to Cuba to get a berth on a ship. Shark's strength returned to him rapidly and his wounds healed. When he told Burrows he was going to leave, Burrows was sincerely re- gretful, but he fitted out a boat with food and water and a small bag of clothing and moored it in a small bay, ready for Shark whenever he wished to start. That evening Shark stood in the door of the cabin mentally checking over his plans. He had the key to the chest, his boat was ready, so he would take the diamond skull from the chest and sail away into the night. As Shark stood watching the girl bending over her garden, he felt an unaccustomed sense of uneasiness, almost of shame, creep over him. He thought of the kindness of the girl and of the clothes she had made him. Then the glitter of the skull blinded him and he sneered at his weakness. The girl getting up from her garden looked toward the sea. She stiffened. Petie, she exclaimed, ua shipf, Shark looked and saw the dark bulk of a ship coming into the harbor. The strangler uttered an exclamation. Well did he know that ship, the Cassandra, a pirate ship under which he had sailed. The men of the settlement ran down to meet it. If it was going to Virginia it could take them there, but on its mast fluttered a black flag. The men turned and ran. John Burrows ran to his cabin in great strides. Buccaneers,,' he cried. Go to the woods! He rushed into the cabin to get the diamond skull and hide it. The key's gone, he shouted. We'll have to bury the whole chest. Shark withheld the key, for he had thought of the twenty casks of rum buried in the sand. The ground had scarcely been broken when the captain of the buc- caneers appeared. Lay down the spades, ye hearties,', he cried, and let's have a look in the chest. He was a tall, bearded fellow, with a knife thrust into his yellow girdle and a pistol in each hairy fist. His small, bright eyes peered out Twenty-two

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THE REFLECTOR Yes,m, it was. I've been a sailor all my life. I was born in Lon- don. My father was a Cobbler. He died when I was sixteen. My mother died only a year ago. I'm all alone now, ma'am. I'm sorry, Petie,', said the girl sympathetically. Shark saw the glint of tears in her eyes, and thoughts of the last time he had seen his mother, a drunken, filthy hag, in Liverpool, when she had thrown a broken bottle at him. The girl sat knitting. What are you doing, ma'am?,' he asked finally. I thought you were asleep, Petie. Fm making a shirt for you. You have but a rag or two of your ownf, Making a shirt for me?,' Shark repeated. He swore in amazement. The last time he had been shipwrecked, he had fallen in with his own kind, who stripped him of all he owned and left him on the beach. When you're up and wellf' Virginia said, you'll need clothes to Wear. And you'll be well soonf' As she sat knitting, Virginia told him how they were slowly dying of fever and starvation. Unless-then her face brightened hopefully. What? The girl jumped up. I'll show youf' She climbed upon a heavy iron chest and took a key from a crack high in the wall. She unlocked the chest and took from it a bundle of cloth. Carrying it to the bed she unwrapped it and Shark Malone gazed upon the most amazing thing he had ever seen. It was a diamond skull! The gruesome object glittered in the lamplight and shone out at the strangler. It was a death's head set with diamonds! His dream of heaven! Each socket was set with a triangle of three great diamonds and in their center a small ruby gleamed. The teeth were gone from the mouth cavity and in their places were large diamonds. Two diamonds Were set in the nose cavity. The whole top of the skull glittered with them. The skull was set in a base of gold three inches high encrusted with more diamonds and perfectly matched pearls. Unconsciously the strangler's hands stiffened into iron instruments of death. Where did you get it?,, he gasped. The girl shivered faintly. My father found it four years ago, in the roots of a palm, over- turned by a hurricane. It was in an eathenware jug, packed in dirt. It must have been 'lying there a long time. When he brought the jug home, he found this. What are you going to do with it? I Was,,' the girl said, going to save them all. Dick Bradford was going to take it to Havana, where he would sail for France to sell it. With the money he received he would buy a ship and come and take them to Virginia in the colonies. Twenfy-one

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THE REFLECTOR from under a nest of red eyebrows. His grin disclosed yellow lips and black, broken teeth. Shark had never seen him before. The key, the captain commanded. john Burrows drew himself up and stared silently at the buccaneer. The key, you cur, spat the villainous-looking man. John Burrows said nothing. Before Shark Malone was aware of the buccaneer's intention, the pistol had barked. A hole appeared in John Burrows' forehead, and he fell across the chest, one arm concealing the wound. The buccaneer looked at Shark. Where's the key, you dog? The key is lost, captain. But if you would like some rum, I can tell you where there's twenty casks. I-Ia!,' said the bearded man. He addressed three men. Carry this to the beach and move lively, or I'1l rip you open! He looked at Shark. Are you lying? If you're tricking me, I'll cut out your heartf, Twenty casks of rum, repeated Shark. A By nightfall every morsel of food had been taken, and the remaining settlers faced starvation. The buccaneers had searched for the Women, but could not find them. Soxthey killed a few men, just for the sake of killing. After their noisy search the buccaneers took their plunder and boarded their ship. Shark was not disturbed. The diamond skull was aboard the ship, but by nightfall every man in the crew would be in a drunken sleep. The strangler had not traveled on pirate ships for nothing, and he knew what twenty casks of rum could do. When the time came, he would board the ship, steal the skull, and leave for Cuba in the little boat Bur- rows had fitted out for him. The drunken shouting on the Cassandra gradually died away, and Shark started for the ship. Soon he stood in the water under the black hull of the ship. He climbed a rope ladder to the deck with a bog over his shoulder and looked over the rail. As he had expected, the drunken buccaneers lay asleep on the deck, snoring loudly. Shark stole through them. As he stepped past one man, he started and seemed about to awake, but rolled over and snored again. Shark got safely into the cabin where the captain slept drunkenly. The treasure hold was the next room, and he had to go through the captain's room to get there. The captain awoke just as Shark passed him. Shark gripped him with steel-like hands and pressed until he heard a sound like a pencil snapping. Then he went into the treasure room. In the corner on the broken chest, he saw the diamond skull, and he also saw many other treasures. Taking his bag, he took the choice treas- ures and put them into it-a pearl necklace, an emerald-studded gold bracelet, a ruby encrusted scepter, strings of diamonds, a loaded pistol, whose butt was studded with diamonds, many other gems of great value, Twenty-three