The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1875-11-17
HAWAIIANGAZETTE
AN INDEPENDENT JOURNAL,
DEVOTED TO HAWAIIAN PROGRESS.
A GhOsr on n VVhnleship.

be DID good service OOlu IN protecting our ONu
whaIsrs and annoying the enemy. The ship;
from Nantucket would have stood lar better
chance. especially with the English vhaleship;
who often made them prizes. if their quaker own,
ers had allowed them to 20 armed, aud various
were the expedients resOrted to by their command
ers TO counieract such unwise policy.
The good ship Hannah, nearly new, and owned
by John and James Cary, left Nantucket com
manded by Paul Swift, an excellent seaman and
experienced whaler. and joining the feet which
was going down the coast of South America un'
der convoy OF the American sloop Of war Peacock
as far as the neighborhoOd of La Plata. They
there separated, aud each shaped his course for
the Pacific fishing grounds as best be might.
After rounding the horn, Capt. Swift touched at
Valparaiso, and there saw several English whale
ships captured by Capt. Porter Of the q. ;. frig.
ate Essex. laid up to be sold or brought TO the U.
:. when opportunity offered. aud observing them
all more or less armed, be obtained from Porter
agent the loan oftwo guns, aud with the addition
Of some wooden make-believes or quaker guns for
show. he put 10 sea feeling more comfortable in
mind than when be left Nantucket After being
ont about two DAYS be fell in with the English
whaler Gertrude armed with four six Founders.
Swift was 10 windward. aud showed fight imme-
diately. giving the Gertrude shot across her
bows to his great surprise she gave herself up at
once, without even firing gun, and the Captain
came on board the Hannah bringing bis papers,
and the crew seemed more glad than sorry TO be
taken and all they seemed TO care for was TO es
cape from on board their own ship. not even Civ
ING a passing regret when they discovered the
Quaker guns of their antagonist.
Captain Swift and his mate, Mr.. Hussey, could
not understand it, and suspecting some treachery,
would receive only half the crew on board the
Hannah they could not account for their easy
victory over The English. usually so belligerent I;
but Swift determined to face the danger whatever
il might be. and keeping his men under arms in
case Of surprise sent Hnssey with an armed boats
crew 10 take possession of the Gertrude. He found
her well built ship 10 good condition, and nearly
half loaded with oil. and observing the eageruess
Of The crew to get on board tie Hannah, he dvi-
ded them. aud after securing all of the arms on
board. told one half TO remain where they were.
quietly, or he would put them all in irons sent
part Of them to the Hannah, and proceeded TO
make himself master Of the ship. The English
men were confined for the present, in the forecas
lie. aud as the Americans mingled with them they
learned to their establishment that the ship was
haunted, and the captain was on the way 10 Val
paraiso to land what cargo she had and abandon
her. This was damper TO the victors. for super
stitiou is proverbal amODg sailors but HusSey,
who was a courageous man. after consulting Capt,
Swift determined to find the kink in it, if kink
there was. before abandoning so fine prize. Ac-
cordingIy be picked sbont twenty stalwart fellows
q with no nonsense about them" who promised
TO stand by him. come what would, and took them
aboard the Gertrude. Aud Swift having trans
ferred one Of her guns TO the Hannah to make
her armament equal; they determined to finish
loading her with OIL and if possible, take her into
L f,-.f safntr -
in n few DAYS, il all was right, TO part company,
and each one do the best for themselves they
could.
The account the English sailors gave of the
shin was. that in their first encounter with the
whales they singled out a splendid spermaceti,
monster in size and as 1t appeared 10 temper too.
After giving him the harpoon, he dove down
and tbey mayed out the line and followed TO the
place where they supposed he would rise. He
came m. a vast black object. spouting blood and
water in torrents. aud catching sight of the boat
turned in his pain ana rage upon it, and crushed
the bows and harpoouer both at one fell sweep Of
his tremendous Jaws The harpOoner was in the
set of throwing lance. and couldn't recover him
self 6airk enough TO retreat to the sterl. The
other boats coming up saved the crew, who were
BY this time il the water swimming Tor life, and
they succeeded in planting four or five more lan-
ces 10 him. and diverting his pursuit from any
one of them. till at length be turned his mighty
back under and died.
The loss of the best barpooner, who was brave
fellow. naturally threw a damper over the whole
crew. and before they had done trying out the oil
from the murderous whale they began to hear the
proans of their dead comrade about the ship.
Sometimes thew seemed to come from the air
above their heads. sometimes from beneath the
deck. and then sgain close to the forecastle, and
they were heard even in the captains cabin.
When a gale came on they were silent as if be
was waiting for them to join him in the world OF
spirits. and at its subsistence they commenced
again in even greater agony. and continued every
night, and all the night, until they could scarcely
bear it. In vain they attacked the whales with
the greatest fury to aveBge his death, nothing
seemed to appease his unquet ghost until the
men raye M iu despair, aud we're going to Val-
naraiso to abandon the ship when they fell in with
Can't. Swift. Mr. Hussey who was now captain
Of the Gertrude hardly knew what to make OF the
story for being true sailor he was not above an
iugraued tiuge Of superstition but he determined
to have an interview with the ghost himself, IN
stead Of avoiding him, and convince him that as
the ship had changed hands, he might as we'll &c.
commoda,e himself to the circumstance and be
quiet. MS his comrades had done all for him that
be could reasonably expect
So when the ship was made snug for the night
and The men bad turned 10 after the FIRST watch
was set Capt Hussey was pacing the deck and
considering whether he himself would not go be-
low, as nothing unusual had happened so tar just
as be was placing his foot on the companion lad
der, he beard distinctly and it seemed Just at his
elbow, long low sigh, be paused several minutes
bat heard nothing more, when Just as be vas
about to descend again be heard it far more dis
tinctly, appearing to proceed from the deck be-
meath bis feet. Just then one of the men came
up hurriedly saying, "D'ye hear that, eap'n, the
poor fellow is here sure enough. | was lying
along the gun yonder and be groaned go close to
nv ear that felt the breath of him across my
cheek" Hussey turned and went TO the gun
md looked all around it, then listening few mo-
meuts he heard distinctly and apparently from un-
der the gun long sobbing moan OF great agony.
My God, Bill" said one OF the men, :. but he
DO suffer awful"
"Get the lanterns said the captain, Eve must
end him and get him out of his misery"
Hussey ran down into the cabin for his pistols,
md while there he heard it again. voice Of most
dire distress proceeding apparently from behind
partition beside the cabin door. 1t seemed Of
such strength so distinct and feike. and express
ing such extremity Of sgony, that the thought
crossed Capt. Husseyis mind that some one was
confined in the hold and was dying Of starvation.
Lights here r shouted be, follow me into the
hold. l am in his wake it inst dead man, it's a