The Ghost Pirates

d of W

ad seen it happen. Stubbins gave it as his opinion that Tom had been sleepy, and missed the foot-rope. Tom, of course, would not have this by an

couldn't be the wind. There wasn't any, he

ut all that. I'm a bit inclined t

bins asked, unbelievingly. "There

ehead?" I inquired, in turn. "Ho

himself there when he

d Jaskett, who was sitting

!" Tom chipped in, pretty warm. "I wasn't as

rtinent, young fel

ed in

after side of the yard. That looks as if the sail might have flapped it over? If the

hunder ther yard, or ho

the foot of the sail was hanging over t

that, and before he was ready with

w it?"

ly. "So did Williams; so-for th

lence; and smoked; and S

f the foot and the gasket, and pulle

ldn't even see it. An' I hadn't time to get hold of the foot

ther gasket, when yer f

r Tom. "It had taken a turn round his wri

'old of ther garsket?," Quoin inquire

esn't go hanging on to a rope when he

ed Jock. "Ye're quite

ed the lighti

no," h

without n

of turns round his wrist. And besides that, as I said before, the foot of the sail was han

uzzled voice. "There don't seem to be no w

by so doing. We had no very clear idea of the thing that had happened, and our half facts and guesses would only have tended to make the matter appear more grotesque and unlikely. T

from my thi

. He was arguing the matter

no wind, scarcely, ther thi

rupted with some re

my reckonin'. I don't savvy it one bit.

his wrist

or inspection. It was considerably sw

"That's right enough; but

I have told you this, as showing how the matter was regarded in the fo'cas'le. Still, it

a Jonah in the ship. Still, I cannot say that none of the men realised there was anything horrible and frightening in it all; for I am sure that some did, a little; and I think Stubbins was certainly one of them; though I feel certain that he did not, at that time, you know, grasp a quarter of the real significance that underlay the several queer matters that had disturbed our nights. He seemed to fail, somehow, to grasp the element of personal danger that, to me, was already plain. He lacked suffic

f night: at least, I think there was no moon; or, at any rate, the moon coul

watch on deck, and the ship was full of the blow and hum of the wind aloft. Williams and I were the only ones about the maindeck. He was

to turn-in. Suddenly, overhead, there sounded a sharp crack, like the report of a rifle s

one. Indistinctly, I made out that the weather sheet of the fore t'gallant had carried away, and the clew of the sail was whirl

think," I shouted to Williams, above the noise of th

t, and the rest of the watch, and the Second Mate, were with us almost at the same moment. In a few minutes we had the yard lowered and the sail clewed up. Then Williams and I went aloft to see w

on the clewline, and sung out to the men to take a pull on the rope. This they did, and at the second heave the shackle came away. When it was high enough, I went up on to the t'g

e 'em a 'aul," he said. "I'll

ing into the rigging. "Don't let t

at times. I was exhilarated for the time being, and quite free from the sense of fear th

he said, in that curio

?" I

ated hi

ll the impossible details of the past we

ean, Williams?

t up, and woul

u know?" I went on, quickly. "Wh

s voice interrup

ll night? One of you come down and give us a pull with

r," I sho

d to William

r in your being alone up here-" I hesitated for words to express wha

Mate's voic

ou! Make a move! What

Sir!" I

ay?" I aske

f. I'll tike er bloomin' piy-diy out of

last word Williams sp

ks, and tailed on

up at the dark outline of the sail, ready to sing out "Belay"; when,

ou men," shouted

ilent, and

ams?" he sung out.

wirl of the wind. Like the sound of loose ropes being shaken and slatted together, you know. Whether this noise was really heard, or whether it was something that had no existence outside of their imaginations,

e put his hand

lear there?" h

telligible and unexpe

er think ... drive ... bl-y piy-diy.

t the dim sai

ho had been told to come off t

said Quoin, who was standing foresid

" shouted the S

lli

ans

s!" more

no a

h

ney crocodile! Can't you hear

r, and the Second

ly now, Jessop, an

topped, with my hand on the sheerpole. The next instant, something fell out of the darkness-a heavy body, that struck the deck near the waiting men, with a tremendous crash and a loud, ringing, wheezy sound that sickened me. Several of the men shouted out loud

to speak. His voice came so

, one of you

a moment's

he binnacle lam

ster said, in a quaver

saw the light coming t

reached us, and handed

ent towards the dark, h

ut before him, and

e said. "It

. Then he went aft to call the Skipper. He returned in a couple of minutes with an old ensign which he spread over the poor beggar. Almost directly, the Captain came hurr

he is, Sir?" he asked, af

e Captain. "You may as well

holding the light, swept it round so that it sh

Mate spok

a couple of bucke

, and ordered Tam

ell enough that it would not do for the youngster to let his mind dwell too much on the poor chap o

ned. For a little while, we sat about in our bunks and on the chests, and no one sai

it was, stepped over the starboa

?" he asked. "Is W

wake the others. Who

I could go forrard an' 'ave er smok

nd looked acros

he inquired, in

ut no one seemed inclined

he t'gallant ri

'e?" he

said. "He's lyin

?" he

odd

ty bad, when I saw the Old Man c

lot of us sitting the

glanced at Stubbins. I caugh

s silence, Plum

I was at ther wheel. 'e m

atch and proceeded

he asked, speaking

y. Maybe 'e jammed 'is fingers b

Second Mate? Was that 'cause 'e'd

t that," said Plumm

one dotty an' was cussin' him; but somehow it don't seem likely, now I come to think. It don't stand to reason he should go to cuss ther man. There was nothin' to go cussin

ho was smoking, quietly, on the chest next to me

I'm thinkin'. Ye're no far oo

l continued t

idee?" he s

to me that there was something deeper t

ldn't have said, myself

didn't strike me as cursing at the Second Mate.

't it strike you as bein' bloomin' queer about To

odd

hup with Tom, if it hadn

er a moment, h

y three or fou

mmer. "What are

it's damned queer. Looks as though th

lately; and then there's what's 'appened ter-night. I

his pipe from his

diff'rent as chalk 'n' cheese ter what it were w'en we started this 'ere trip. I

d and exp

said Stubbins. "Leastw

h trying to grasp s

askett, in t

. He appeared to be answering some half-formed

n't savvy one bit what Williams was sayin' of hup alof

of about half a mi

he sayin'

t, again, with a

ing out his pipe on the edge of the ch