The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-01-29

YOU cover your full allowance; it's
probably laid heavy on your stummick,
and what with the excitement of losin'
a man, has kind of got you out of sorts ;
if might advise, sir, I'd take good
stiff horn of brandy with drop of pep
permint into it, and guess that'll lay
Jim's ghost if anything will
"'l reckon you're right, says the old
man, sand I'll send you one up without
the peppermint and he went for'ard
and down the poop ladder. Presently
the steward coined up with glass of
grog for the mate, of which Igot love-
ly smell, that bein' my share of it.
1T must have been a gittin' nigh
hand onto seven bells, when the old
man rushed up agin with nothin' on but
his drawers and shirt. AS he passed me
at the wheel the light from the pinnacle
shined onto his face and | seen the big
drops of sweat standing out onto his
forehead, and his whole appearance
were that of man in mortal terror.
"'Great God!' says he, 'Mr. Will
liams, I've heerd it agin, and it were
sartin ,Jim's voice, though sOundin'
weaker than before. He called me by
my name. Says he, "Cap'n Jackson,
do for Gods sake save me; don't leave
me here to drown'd; for Gods sake
heave the ship to and take me aboard"
l think, Mr.. Williams, it's a warnin',
and don't believe as I'll ever put my
foot ashore agin.'
"'Cap, says the mate, there's some
thin wrong with you; let's feel your
pulse. Jist as l expected, it's a-goin' at
a gallopin' rate; you'd better jist put
your clothes on and take turn with me
on deck till the watch are out, and if
you don't git no better III have to open
a vein in your arm.
"'You'll think I'm foolish SAYS the
old man, 'but can't 90 into that room
agin; pass the word for the steward and
tell him to bring my dunnage on deck.
"The old man had telled the steward
what he had heerd while he were
drinkin' his grog, and this kind of got
his imagination excited, | supposes
anyway, he come a rushin' up with the
old mans dunnage as if the devil had
kicked him on eend, and SAYS to the
mate, ooh, Mr.. Williams, l heerd the
ghost plain as could be; the ships
haunted, and she'll never reach port no
more
"1he mate fetched him a belt along
side of the head, sayin', I'LL haunt you,
curse you, if you come here agin with
any more cock and-bull yarns, and then
he tells the steward for to lend the old
man hand with his dunnage and not
on no accounts fur to say anythin' to
him, cause the old man had been at the
for'ard eend of the poop and hadn't
heerd what the steward had said.
"Well, sir, sure as you're born, list
then thinked | herd a kind of cry.
l know'd it were on accounts of heerin'
all this stuff, and jist whacked myself
alongside of the head and says to N.Y.
self, Tom, don't be a blasted fool; you
amt heerd nothin', cause you couldn't.
There amt nothin' for TO hear Never
theless, sir, arter l were relieved and
went for'ard l says to Gus Chimney, as
| turned in and out with, he, bein' in the
other watch, Gus, as I'm pretty well off
for dunnage, | don't mind givin' you
that pair OF gray worsted socks and sea
boots which l draw out of Jim Bakers
dunnage,' and | felt good deal better
when he took 'em. amt superstitious,
sir, and never were, but arter what I'd
herd didn't care to have any of the
dead mans clothes in my chist, not by ITO
means.
"The old man walked the deck with
the mate till eight bells and then went
down with him and turned into the
spare bunk in the mates room. The
mate was a-goin' to bleed him, but as
he seemed better he concluded he'd let
him sweat till the mornin' watch. He
weren't no worse at four o'clock, and
didn't have no recurrence of the spell,
and were apparently well as ever at
breakfast time. .......
"When l got for'ard that night told
the chaps in our watch and we talked
the thing over, various opinions bein'
expressed. l sided in with the mate,
and thought it came from the old mans
disordered stummick; but then l always
did have more sense than most sailor
men. Dick Brown, gray-headed old
shiver-the- mzzen,' said: 1T Just
means as we're a-goin' for to have the
almightiest gale of wind as was ever
seen; and may be she'll live through it
and may be she won't; who knows?'
"Mike Abrams were young chap as
purtended to much larnin', though for
my part L always thought as he hadn't
sense enough to know as he were fool.
He said: 'rhese here signs and potents
has been know't from the arliest times,
when Julius Caesar were the Emperor of
Rome
"Whoever chucked it don't know, but
sea-boot come flynn from tother side
of the forecastle, and hit Mike Abrams
full in the jaw.
It's my opinion says Davy
Wheeler, little Welsh chap, as this
here are for the skipper alone; don't
believe he'll ever see another birth day.
and then he went on for to tell of SIM
liar visitation unto Welsh nobleman
with dreadful hard drinking name.
"Pete Rodgers were a smart sailor
man, but had what are called COM
pedement in his speech. He said, Il
Observation-Disclosures as it are jer-ier-
jer-judgment onto this she-she-ship,
for ke-ke-ke-ke-killin' porpusses;'
and then he spun us yarn about what
happened to the whalin' brig Betsy, as
the Captain of, shot at Cape Pigeon.
1t were q good yarn, but spilled in the
delivery. reckon most of the watch
was asleep afore Pete got it all off.
know | heerd it strike four bells, and
he'd only jist got to the shootin'.
Ill -. - -