The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1866-08-08

discipline was to be relaxed under Pickle
Powis.
AS the eight bells were struck -four
O'Clock in the morning,) the officer of the
watch GaskeD went as usual to the scut
tie, knocked three times to call the watch,
and called out. 'All starbow-lines, ahoy I!
eight bells. DO you hear the news there
you slccpcrs ?
Instead of the usual sprightlv answer,
Ay, ay!' voice answered, Starbow-
lines be b. Give us half an hour
more snooze; there's no captain aboard
now
Another ten minutes elapsed; at the
expiration of that time stern shriIl boys
voice. hailed the slecpers. This time it
was Powiss.
'Skulkcrs ahoy Do you hear the ncws,
there, slcepers and mind, if you do not
turn out in five minutes, ! report you to
Captain Willoughby az mutineers. Quar-
termaster, 20 down, and take the name Of
the last man up,
This spirited rcprimand was enough.
In three minutes every man was on deck
at his duty.
An hour later, { Just at daybrcak.) J
Gaskct suddenly came to Powis, as he
was lying down for half an hour on the
sofa in the captains cabin, and begged
him to come on deck Instantly. There
was something odd in the old sailors man.
ncr Powis was on deck in moment.
There tits, SIR said Gaskct, pointing
to the entrance of the bay it that is not
a real ship, strike my name otl' the ships
books and sell me for nsgcr.'
Fowls looked (he was all quiet aertness
now, and grave as statesman) There
in the dull, curdIing, gray daylight GER
tanly was Il long gray object stealing
along close to the shore. Its sails were
gray; its sides were blcached, colorless,
and spectral. 1t certainly was gho,tly
enough. As they looked it slid round
the corner or the headlanl, and disappear.
ed from view
Fowls did not say much he only re-
marked, THAT is no phantom ship. We
must look after that but you were right
after all, Ga-ket"
Il never seed such change in a lad in
twenty-tour hours in all my life, ," was the
qnartermaStcr's reflection, as puwis re-
tired to look over chart of Elephant
Hill and TO form his plans for foiling any
scheme the crew on the phantom ship (as
the sailors began to call it) might have
formed.
The look outs on Elephant Hill the
next afternoon, made no signal-they had
not seen any vessel; but as they were
Getting into their boat to come off to the
vessel at sunset, smoke had risen from
II place in the bush, not fifty feet from
the lookout. 1t was evidently a signal
- some vessel waiting off the mouth Of
the bay.
The majority of the sailors were by
this time deeply imbued with the belief
that the vessel that had been seen was a
-p'cter shir. They had collected in knots
in the iorccastle, and were discussing the
legend Of the Phantom Ship.
"lts no canny," said Scotch sailor
to the rest; sit bodcs no guide TO us, men.
when auld Nickie. Ben leaves his sooty
matches and takes TO yachting on the
Alricky coast"
That night, by Powis's orders, all
lights were put out in the ship at a very
carly hour He WISHED to give the slav-
er, IT such the phantom vessel was, a
notion that loose watch was kept on
board the Spiliire.
That whole night, with only now and
then short rest in the cabin, the boy
captain remained himself in the cross
trees, as vlglant as deer-stalker Gas
ket was by his side, equally intent on the
harbor mouth.
All Of n sudden Gasket felt his arm
clutched, and he looked around
For one moment II little tongue Of fire
had risen from the apex of the look-o
mll, the seawarl side, and then disap-
pearcd.
1t was momentarj as the CLEAN of Il
shooting star. Ten minutes afterwards
the same gho'tly vessel, seen by NOM
ent'S moonlight, stole round the headland,
but this time its progress was iaward and
not outward.
Its an out-andin wind; just what
they want" whispered Gasket: ';they
have sweeps too, for can see them-now
they are hidden again; if it was Il clear
night they darcn't risk it,"
Take the night glass" cried Powis
'keep it turned on the third blight from
the headlanl, if they pass that we lose
them, if they stop there we have them,
for they % there to land their men, and
we'll have snap at their vessel in their
absence. Does she pass ! Now, quick,
le.ore the cloud is over the moon again"
"Shc has not passed." cried Gasket
"She steered mp some lagoon not down in
the chart. She must know of the cap
tain's being ashore, and trusts to get
her clrgo in, while we are tied by the
heels"
sect up the anchor quietly" said
PowiS with the bearing of u young ad-
mirdI, "and steer straight for the second
blight. Is there any landmark, Gasket 2"
Say, ay, sir; a tutt of palm trees be-
tween two sand-hills."
In an incredibly short time the Spitfire
was under sail, ana availinp herself of