Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1829-09-10
MISCELLANEOUS.
From the Massachusetts Journal.
i" STAND FROM UNDER !"

AMI RON ONDE II
The following story was told for an &C.
tuGl fact, by a sailor who solemnly affirm
ed he knew it to be so; whatever else no
was, he certainly must have been a sailor
Of genius.
We were on board a slave.ship bound to
the coast of Africa. had my misgivings
about the business; and believe others
had them too. We had passed the Straits
Of Gibraltar, and were lying off Barbary,
one clear bright evening, when it came my
turn to take the helm. The ship was be-
Gained, and every thing around was as si-
lent as the day after tho deluge. The wide
monotony Of water, varied only by the
glancings Of the moon, or the crest Of the
waves, made me think the old fables Of
Neptune were true and that Amphritrite
and her Maids were sporting on the sur
face Of the ocean, with diamonds in their
hair. These fancies were followed by
thoughts Of my wife, my children, and my
home: and all were oddly enough jumbled
together in a delicious state ofapproaching
slumber. Suddenly, heard, high above
my head, loud, deep, terrible voice call
out, "S,and from Under !" / started to my
feet-Tt was the customary signal when a.
ny thing was to be thrown from the shrouds,
and mechanically I sung out the usual
answer, " Let 60 !" But nothing camel
looked up in the shrouds-there was no.
thing there-T searched the deck,-and
found that was alone /; tried to think
it was dream,--but that sound, so deep,
40 stern, so terrible, rung in my ears like
the bursting Of cannon!
In the morning I told the crew what ]
had heard. They laughed at me and
were all day long full Of their jokes about
Dreaming Tom" One fellow among
them was most unmerciful in raillery. He
was swarthy malignant looking Spaniard,
who carried murder in his eye, and curses
on his tongue F.; daring and lordly man,
who boosted Of crime, as if it gave him
pre-eminence among his fellows. He
laughed longest and loudest at my story.
"a most uncivil ghost, Tom," said he {;
when such chaps come to see mo. I'll
make 'em show themselves. I'll not be
satisfied without seeing and feeling, as well
as hearing"
The sailors all Joined with him; and I,
ashamed Of my alarm, was glad to be si-
lent. The next night Dick Burton took
the helm. Dick had nerves like an OK,
and sinews like whale; it was little he
feared on earth, or beneath it. The clock
struck one-Dick was leaning his head on
the helm, as he said, thinking nothing of
me, or my story,--when that awful voice
again called from the shrouds, Stand from
under |" Dick darted forward like an In
dian arrow, which they say goes through
and through buffalo, and wings on its
way, a. if it had not left death in the rear.
IL was an instant, or more, before he found
presence of mind to call out, Let 60 !"
Again nothing was seen-nothing heard.
Ten nights in succession, at one o'clock,
the same unearthN sound rung through the
air, making our stoutest sailors quail, as il
a bullet shot had gone through their brains.
At last the crew grew pale when il was
spoken Of: and the worst of us never
went to sleep without saying our Prayers.
For myself, would have been chained to
an oar oil my life, to have got out of that
vessel. But there we were in tho vast
ocean; and This invisible being was with
us i! No one put bold face on tho matter,
but Antonio, the Spaniard. He laughed
at our fears, aud deied satan himself 20
terrify him. However, when it came his |
turn at the helm, no refused to 60. Sew
eral times. under the pretence Of illness,
he was excused from duty, which all on
board dreaded. But at last, the CAPTAIN
ordered Antonio to receive round dozen
Of lashes every night, until he should con.