The Ghost Pirates

ing with

ng deeper and less understandable than he had at first dreamed of. Yet, all the same, I know he had to keep his guesses and half-formed opinions pretty well to himself; for the Old Man and the First Mate chaffed him unmercifully about his "bogy." This, I got from Tammy, who had heard them both ragging him during the second dog-watch the following day. There was another thing Tammy told me, that showed how the Second Mate bothered about his inability to understand the mysterious appearanc

o be afraid of, in all that I am going to tell you. Still, even they were much puzzled and astonished, and perhaps, after all, a little awed. There was so much in the affair that was inexplicable, and yet again such a lot that was natural and comm

ing roused out to relieve the Mate's. Most of the men were already out of t

the other watch, put his head in th

id, "which of you chaps made fa

now that for?" inqu

"And he says that the chap who made it fast is to g

any'ow," replied the man. "You

Plummer, getting out

ce repeated

ed and stret

for his trousers with the other. "'oo made ther fore r'yal fast?" He got into hi

to know!" said the 'p

's just sent to hinquire who it was made the fore royal fast. It's all blowin' adrift,

his bunk, and bega

l that much wind; and I tucked the ends of

askets is rotten, and

'd better hurry up, it

lls went, and we trooped

re called over, I saw t

ething. Then the S

om

answe

fast that fore ro

s,

t it's bro

t say,

and shove the gasket round it again. And

he climbed into it, and began to make his way leisurely aloft. I could see him with a

ht" on, and he'd won over sixty pounds of tobacco. I believe I opened my mouth to sing out to him to know why he wasn't playing; and then, all at once, there came into my mind the memory of my first conversation with him. I remembered that he had said sails were always blowing adrift at night. I remembered the, then, unaccountable emphasis he had laid on those two words; and remembering that, I felt suddenly afraid. For, all at once, the absurdity had struck me of a sail-even a badly stowed one-blowing adrift in such fine and calm weather as we were t

ned towards

aid, "it's s

. Though I kne

ed, and made a gesture

adrift, from the bunt gasket outwards. Lower, I saw Tom;

s spoke

'em just sime

e men!" I

he said

I went on. "I never he

er tell yer abar

rcely comprehended it, for the problem of what I o

id. "He's seen something himself that he can't explain away, and-and a

"An' be told yer're a blastid hidi

of its existence, I was as certain as though my eyes already saw it. I wondered whether, being so ignorant of the form it would assume, I could stop it by joining Tom on the yard? This thought came as I stared up at the royal. Tom had reached the sail, and w

pped as abruptly as he had begun. For, in a moment, the sail had thrashed right ov

outed out loud

s was singing out something that I could not catch. Then,

g below the yard. Williams called out something fresh, an

r gar

gasket as he fell, and I bolted after Williams to g

hakins; and, unless Tom got hold of something on the t'gallant yard below him, he might come down with a run any moment. I reached the top, and lifted myself over it in quick time. Williams was some distance above me. In less than half a minute, I reached the t'gallant yard.

me that the gasket had hitched itself round the lad's wrist. I bent beside the yard, and peered down. It was as Williams had said, and I realised how near a thing it

over the boy's head and shoulders. Then I took a strain on it and tightened it under his arms. A minute later we had him safely on the yard between us. In th

nd of the Second Mate's voice close beneath us. Williams glance

y!" he

?" I asked

ith one hand, and steadying the insensible Ordinary with the other. In this way I could l

are you? What

ng, his face was turned upwards, peering round the after side of the mast

ted his

ir," I said. "Tom, here

wards us. From the rigging to leeward th

d Mate re

?" he inquired, suspicio

eering at Tom. I started to ex

he d

ggar's had a bad fall. He was hanging by the gasket w

he said,

sail, and it lashed

wind, scarcely." He shifted his weight

the sail over the top of the yard and knocked Tom clea

o do such a thing; you

hing else in his voice; yet I could tell that he was suspiciou

nge his mind, he turned, and sung out to one of the men who had followed him al

now!" he

d the man, and w

d Mate tu

a better explanation of all this, than

answered. "But you w

. "I'll let you know I'll have no im

, Sir-I mean that it's the onl

damned funny about it all. I shall have to report the matter to

at's happened aboard this old hooker," I

mean?" he a

sent us hunting after up the main the other night? That was a

e was something about his tone that told me I had got one in on my own. He seeme

uessed he was doing some hard thinking. When he spoke again

down the lee side and stea

and looked

ng that gantlin

heard one of t

the top. He had the tail-block slung round his ne

he same time a couple of the men chafed his hands and feet. In a little, he began to show signs of coming round. Presently, after a sudden fit of coughing, he opened his eyes, with a surprised, bewildered stare.

Second Mate, "tak

th and choked a lit

said, "my hea

mp on his forehead. Then he bent forward and

nfused sort of way, and seeming a

p?" he as

said the Second Mate, speaking for

ile there's been a job on

nd at the men

y, strikes me," said o

wering Tom's ques

, quickly, interrupting me. "I want to he

ed agai

the fore royal

doubtfully. I could see that he had n

e impatience. "It was blowing adrift, and

ft, Sir?" sai

drift. Don't I

ent from Tom's

urning. "The bloomin' sail got chock full

sed a

began, and then

he Second Mate.

r," Tom said. "I

itated

d put his hand up to the bruise on his foreh

that succeeded, I caugh

no wind," he was sayi

mur of assent from

the main? I am inclined now to think that this was so; for, after staring a few moments at Tom, in a doubtful sort of way, he went out of the fo'cas'le, saying that he would inquire further into the matter in the morning. Yet, when the morning came

e trick on him-perhaps, at the time, he still half suspected one of us of being in some way connected with the other business. Or, again, he may have been trying to fight

n this, there were