Argosy All-Story Weekly — "Sea Marauders" — page 61: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Not for Publication By ROBERT TERRY SHANNON Pompous and self-important was little Salvadore Mendez—and then came the day when his pretensions were put to the test T’ was some years before the Big Scrap; and the Mexican situation had not yet begun to assume serious proportions when I first saw Salvadore Mendez. He was so amusingly important in his bearing, and so undersized in stat- ure, that I used to spend hours in his company watching his struttings. In all things he was uncannily like one of those iridescent pouter pigeons: so magnificently authoritative about the chest, so industriously preened, so gen- tle. I know he was gentle because I have seen him when his eyes were like those of a woman stricken. But not often. with a tiny scowl between his brows: to compress his mouth into a straight line and twirl, thoughtfully, one end of his wisp of a waxed mustache. Be- yond doubt, he felt at such moments that he was profound and mysterious, even to the extent of thrusting his hard, statesmanlike, into the bosom of his inevitable Prince Albert. “The trouble with you reporters is that you devote too much space to the minor disturbances in my country,” he had said severely. “It is bad for in- ternational relations.” His frown deepened and he repeated impressively : “It is bad for international relations. We are ”—he cleared his throat—“ a It was his pleasure to look upon life people of dignity and achievement.” 483