The Ghost Pirates

Who Crie

urther happened. And it brought home pretty vividly to me, if n

er at eight o'clock, was that the wind was freshening. There had been a great bank o

rd the voices of the men on the other watch, singing out as they hauled on the ropes. I caught the rattle of canvas in the wind, and guessed that they were taking the royals off he

nd that the wind had shifted from the starboard quarter, to right aft; and

r. In the fore riggings, Jacobs, the Ordinary Seaman in the Mate's watch, was following another of the men aloft to the sail

minutes off eight bells; so I got my oilskins ready, for it looked li

" Tom asked, getting ou

o blow a wee, and ye'll be needi

inutes passed before we were on our way forrard again. This was a small enough matter in itself, and yet really terrible in its consequence to one of our number; for, just as we reached the fore rigging, there was a shout aloft, loud above the noise of the wind, and the next moment, something crashed down into our midst, with a great, slogging thud-something bulky an

f denial. We all felt ashamed, and someone reached up and unhooked the lantern on the port side. I did the same with the starboard one; and there was a quick movement towards the doors. As

you all got to?" I

nd Mate ran into the circle of light thrown by our lanterns, and stopped, dead- eyeing us doubtfully. I am not surprised at this, now, nor at the behaviour of the Mate, the following instant; but at that time, I must say I could not conceive what had come to them, particularly the First Mate. He came out at us from the darkness with a rush and a roar like a bull and brandishing a belaying-pin. I had failed to take into account the scene which his eyes must have shown him:-the whole

" he shouted, shaking the pin in my face. "I'll show yer who's master

at the last remark, and the old b

ows!" I sung out.

ys, "I don't know what the devil's the matter with the First Mate; but he'll not find it

ng like that about the Mate!" he said, sharply. "Let me kn

ldn't give any of us a chance to speak. There's been an awful

; for there was a

was shouting, and then it ro

d. "That's one of the m

Listen!" Even as he spoke, it came a

God!… Oh!… He

ubbins's voi

he fore rigging. I shoved the handle of the lantern between my teeth,

e said. "I'm going," a

ented me from seeing to any distance in the darkness; but, at the crosstrees,

ghtin' … li

the Second Mate

the t'gallant rigging. The wind was fairly fresh up there, and overhead, there sounded the flap, flap o

darkness over us. A strange, wild medley it was of scre

d, Stubbins halted, a

shouted, catching his breath between the word

rd, and I had seen at once, that there was nothing on the weather yard arm. From there my gaze went to leeward. Indistinctly, I saw something upon the yard, that clung, struggling. Stubbins bent towards it with the light; thus I saw it more clearly. It was Jacobs, the Ordinary Seaman. He had his right arm tightly round the yard; with the other, he appeared to be fending himself from something

breathless, Stubbins had climbed round the after si

able to see the thing that was occurring on the ya

eems to be fighting with someone to looa

n to the foot-rope, he got on the yard, and stood there holding on to the tie. He sung out for one of us to pass him up the lantern, which I did, Stubbins handing it to me. The Second held

ness; for the whole business was so abominably uncanny. It seems impossible to convey truly to you, the strange scene on the royal yard. You may be able to picture it yourselves. The Second Mate standing upon the spar, hold

Mate spok

moment!" he

outed. "Jacobs,

only the continual

said to us. "But be car

n higher and we we

, and put his hand on his sho

Jacobs," he sai

h by magic, the young

d him-grasped the jack

side, Jessop," he sung o

nd Stubbins cl

tubbins called to me; but his

ond Mate. "No one there!

ard, out by the lift. I stared. It rose up, on the yard, and I saw that it was the figure of a man. It grasped at the li

bbins!" I shou

rtled voice. At the same instant, hi

wind!" he

only been giving an occasional moa

bins yelled. "He'll be thr

ckstay on the other side. Then I looked up. Above us, I seemed to

ile I get a gasket," I hear

was a crash, and th

to the sail!" shout

t of getting down on to the foot-rope, when the lantern was smashed. From him, my gaze jumped to the lee rigging. It seemed tha

ong, Sir?" I

ped the lantern. The blessed s

," I replied. "I think w

ms to be q

l as you come in

said. "Come on; we'

"You're right now. We'll take care of you."

saying a word. He seemed like a child. On

de our way slowly down on deck. We went very slowly-so slowly, in fact, that the Second Mate-who

here a crowd of the men, one with a lantern, stood round the door

the fo'cas'le. There w

nson!" Stubbins had hesitated an

at's what it must hav

w it all ther

fore him, and, together, we got him into his bunk. We covered him up with his blankets, fo

ed that he thought the business

he went on. "He don't hundersta

rent in the morn

and the crowd of wait

hinter ther Secon

aid. "Poor

the door. Several of them asked in low tones, whether Jacobs was all rig

ainst a bulkshead. He looked worried; but was silent-seeming to be mooding in his own thoughts. The Second Mate was busy with a couple of flags, which he was spreading over the bodies. The First Mate was ta

rd him say. "And

" the Second Ma

the reel," said the

nd made

w … accident." The

econd said, in

f way; but the Second was covering poor old Jock's

mate said,

thing further, that I could not catch; bu

bent, and straightened out a corner of the flag over the rigid figure in the lowe

!" I though

oud,

acobs into h

hough I had been a ghost. The Second Mate turned also; but

l right?"

queer; but I think it's possible

the poop. It occurred to me then, like a flash, that the man had stumbled upon a portion of the truth. This accident coming so soon after that other! It was evident that, in his mind, he had connected them. I recollected the fragments of

o myself. "You're in for a bad ti

ts jumped to the va

p us!" I

turned down the wick of the lamp, and

tch, "get forrard; we can't do anything

they said,

o forrard, he asked if anyo

," answe

rs?" the S

ir," he

lieve him then,"

nswered, and went forr

ked Plummer who

" he

n fell, and I glanced up at the s

were going to br

We'll be shortenin'

ll-hands job

. "'Twon't be no use the

he lantern, went into the

belongin' to our si

upstairs," ans

hat?" Plumm

ns hes

it," I replied. "The sa

chests. There was a general lighting of pipes, in the midst of which there came a sudden moan from one of the bunks in the

ne of the men belongi

d Stubbins.

ired Plumme

eplied. "P

" asked the man on the other side, indicati

, Stubbins jumped up

lin'!" he said. "Come hon

had started to rain pretty heavily. As we went, the

I heard him shout, and the next instant came the ho

utes we had

, a couple of y

rd rigging; then I hesitat

Mate came

he said. "Make a move

id. "If someone

stirred, and n

me acros

volunteered, in

" said the Secon

rigging himself. "Come a

other fellows' tracks like a ton of bricks. It had not occurred to me that he wa

d the Second Mate, than

skett came up a

intop, the Second Mate s

g up below you, J

d, speak, Stu

, an' Plummer

to come now? Go straig

r keep you company,

made short work of it; indeed, there were sufficient of us to have eaten it. When we had finished, I noticed that the Second Mate remained on the yard until we were all in the rigging. Evidently, he had determined to take a full share of any risk there might be; but I took care to keep pre

wrong, Sir

. "Nothing! I b

same watch, I was to hear men giving just suc