Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1865-09-30

she returned to her Western home. But
her lawyer did not seem quite satisfied
with the adjustment of affairs; for let
tiers came and went weekly; and occa
sionally, legal business-that was the
term-called him personally to Michi
gan. And at last, some eighteen
months after her fathers death, he per-
suaded the isolated girl to return bride
to his fathers house; and thus was the
cherished wish of Mrs. Delabar full
filed.
The Haunted ship--A True story as Far
as 1t Gees.
The following narrative is from
Washington Irving, but as it is not in-
cluded in his collected works, il must
be new to most of our readers.
The world abounds with
ghost stories, but it is exceedingly diff
cult to get them at first hand; that is TO
say, from persons who have actually
seen the ghosts: this may be the reason
why they have fallen into discredit
with the dubious. / once, however,
heard story of this kind from one who
came within an ace of being
an eyewitness, and believed It
most honestly. He was worthy Captain
Of the sea; anative either of Nantucket
or Martha's vineyard. forget which; at
any rate a place noted for its breed
of hardy mariners, met him in the
ancient city of Seville, having anchored
with his brig in Granddaughter, in the
course of wandering voyage. Our
conversation, one day, turned upon the
wonders and adventures of the sea; when
he informed me that, among his multi
farious crossings, he had once made a
voyage on board of'a haunted ship. Tt
was vessel that had been met with,
drifting, half dismantled, and with
tagging sails, Abr the sea near the
Gulf of Florida, between the main land
and the Bahama banks. Those who
boarded her found her without a living
soul on board; the hatchways had been
broken open; the cargo had been rified;
the decks fore and aft were covered
with blood; the shrouds and rigging
were smeared with the same; as if some
wretched Beings had been'massacred as
they chung to them. Itwas evident that
this ship had been plundered by pi-
rates, and, to all appearance. the crew
had been murdered and thrown over
board.
The ship was taken possession of by
the finders, and brought to Boston, in
New England but the sailors who nav
igated her to port declared they would
not make such another voyage for all
the wealth of Peru. They had been
harassed the whole way by the ghosts
of the murdered crew, who at night
would come up out of the companion
way and the forecastle, run up the
shrouds, station themselves on the yards
and at the mastheads, and appear to
perform all the duties of the ship.
As no harm had resulted from this
ghostly seamanship, the story was treat
ed lightly, and the vessel was fitted out
for another voyage but when ready for
sea, no sailors could be got to embark
in her. She Jay for some time in Bos-
ton harbor, regarded by the superstitl-
GUS seamen as a fated ship; and there
she might have rotted had not the wor-
thy captain, who related to me the story,
undertaken to command her. He sue
ceeded in getting some hardy tars, who
stood less in awe of ghosts, to accom-
pany him, ard his brother-in-law sailed
with him as chief mate.
When they got fairly to sea, the hob
goblin crew began TO play their pranks.
At night there would be the deuce to
pay in the hold; such .racketing and
rummaging as if the whole cargo was
overhauled; bales tumbled about, nd
boxes broken open; and sometimes it
seemed as if all the ballast was shifted
from side to side. ALI this was heard
with dismay by the sailors, and even the
captains brother-in-law, who appears to
have been very sagacious man, was
exceedingly troubled at it. As to the
captain himself, he honestly confessed
to me that he never saw nor heard any
thing; but then he slept soundly, and,
when once sound asleep, was hard to be
awakened,
Notwithstanding all these ghostly va
carries, the ship arrived safely at the
destined end of her voyage, which was
one of the South American rivers under
the line. The captain proposed to go
In his boat to town some distance up
the river, leaving his ship in charge of
his brother-in-law. The latter said he
would anchor her opposite to an island
In the river, where he could go on shore
at night, and yet be on band to keep
guard npon her; but nothing should
tempt him to sleep on board. The
crew all swore the same. The captain
could not reasonably object to such an
arrangement; so the ship was anchored
opposite to the island, and the captain
departed on his expedition. om e
For time all went well; the brother.
in-law and his sagacious comrades regu
larly abandoning the ship at nightfall
and slept on shore; the ghoets then tool
command, and the ship remained as
quietly at anchor as though she had
been manned by living bodies instead
of hobgoblin spirits. One night, how
ever, the captains brother-in- Flaw wal
awakened by tremendous storm. HI
hastened to the shore. The sea wa.
lashed-up in foaming surges;. the raiI
came down In torrents--the Lightning
fiashed--the thunder beloved. 1t wal
one of those. sudden tempestss only
known at the tropics. The captain
brother-in-law cast rueful look at tn,
poor tossing and laboring ship. III.
saw numbers of uncouth beings bus,
labout, her, who We're only to be de
scribed by the flashes of lightning O
by pale fires that glided about the rig
ging; he heard occasionally the piping
of boatswain's whistle, or the below
ing of hoarse voice through a speak
ing trumpet. The ghosts were evident
| ly irving to save the ship: but a tropica