The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1871-02-24
THE HAUNTED SHIP.
From Scribner's Magazine.

From Scribner's Magazine.
In the year 1853 | was first mate of
the "H," three-decked ship of about
fifteen hundred tons burden, lying in
Mobile Bay waiting for cargo of cotton.
Our sailors, twenty-four in number,
were all colored men, pretty fair seamen
generally, but, with four or five excep-
lions, wofully ignorant, and correspond
ingly superstitious. We had been in the
bay between three and four months, so
the spars andrigging had been thorough.
ly overhauled and put to rights. was
sitting in the cabin one evening plan
ming outwork for the ensuing day. when
my second mate, a rough old seaman of
the packet school, requested an audi
ence.
"Well, Mr.. X, what is the matter
now?"
"The matter is, sir, that those darkeys
forward there are getting so scared that
unless we do something to or for them
they won't be worth shucks; some of
them amt good for much now, and
there's no use in having the rest Of EN-
spoiled"
" But what are they frightened at? |
have never heard anything of it before
now"
"No! they were afraid to say any.
thing to you about it; but for the last
month they have yarn about a head
less ghost going around the decks at
night, groaning at an awful rate Some
fem say it's a darkey without head,
and others say it's a white chap with a
black face; but whatever it is, there
they are, afraid to come on deck after
dark or stand anchor.watch alone"
"This is a strange piece of business.
If there is q ghost aboard should think
it would first pay its respects to the
quarterback. Do you think any of the
rascals are playing tricks ?"
"No, sir the knowingest ones is the
most sacred. There's Bob and jackson
ought to know better, but they both
swear they saw it in the middle-watch
hast night; just told the third mate So"
Well suppose we go and inquire
into it,"
We went forward together, and came
down so suddenly upon the sailors Chat
they evidently thought two ghosts had
arrived instead Of one. After the alarm
and confusion had subsidized, | told them
what | had already heard, and asked
for further information, which was
readily furnished by dozen eager vol
unteers, who, now that their tongues
were loosened by authority, seemed
anxious to outrival each other in their
tale of horrors. 1t is needless to repeat
their stories; but about half of them had
seen the ghost in one of its forms, and
all of them had repeatedly heard the
groans. Bob and Jackson, my two best
men, who were acting as boatswains,
positively declared that they had seen it
IN the forecastle on the previous night,
standing up against the bitt where was
then leaning. This bitt, timber about
foot square, coming down through
from the upper to the main deck, near
the middle of the forecastle, was paint
ed black up TO within a foot of the deck
and the remainder of it lead color. On
either side of it, in the spar-deck, was q
bull's-eye to admit light, and there were
several nails on which were hanging
various articles of clothing.
You saw the ghost standing right
here did you?"
Yes, sir right where you are now,
sir I"
Was the moon shining last night ~
Yes, sir quite bright in the middle
watch u
Did you speak to or try to catch the
ghost ?"
"No, sir wouldn't do such thing
for the world"
=" If you had, you would have found
out that the ghost was nothing more
nor less than this btt, with the moon
shining through the bull's-eyes on it and
on the clothing you see hanging there
now. | never knew of ghost that
didn't dwindle into a moonbeam or a
piece Of linen"
There was a general look of incredul-
ty upon the faces of the crew, and one
of them mustered up courage to SIX +:
But how about the groans and noises,
sir ?''
80, some of you snore loud, and the
rest is imagination"
Finding that argument or persuasion
were of no use in altering the opinions
of my crew, left them, after giving the
following admonition
snow, men in the first place, there
are no such things as ghosts and sec
ondly, | wish you to understand that