Milford chronicle., 1885-06-05


nervous man, turned to me, and said /:
what do you make of this, Mr.. Green :?
1 can't doubt the cooks word. Who's
calling him in my voice 2
"'Oh, it's some illusion, sir, said 1,
feeling puzzled for all that.
"But the cook, with the tears actually
standing in his eyes, declared it was no
illusion; he'd know the captains voice
if it was nine miles of. And he then
walked in dazed way toward the fore
castle, singing out that whether the
voice be had heard belonged to a ghost
or a Christian man, it might go on call
ing Cook + for the next twenty years
without his taking further notice Of it.
This thing, coming so soon after the
call to Jim that had 80 greatly alarmed
the two ordinary seamen, made a great
impression on the crew; and never re-
greet anything more than that my posi-
ton should have prevented me from
getting into their confidence, and learn
ing their thoughts, for there is no doubt
I should have slowed away memories
enough TO serve me for many a hearty
laugh in after years.
"a few days rolled by without any
thing particular happening. One night
it came to my turn to have the first
watch, It was quiet night, with wind
enough to keep the sails still while the
old ship went drowsily rolling along her
course to the African port. Suddenly l
heard great connection forward,
and, fearing that some accident had hap
pened, called out to know what the
matter was. A voice answered Ghost
or no ghost, there's somebody a-talking
in the forehold; come and listens sir.
The silence that followed suggested a
GOOD deal of alarm. 1 sang out as APP
preached the men; Perhaps there's q
stowaway below.
cts no living voice, was the reply;
it sounds as if it comes from q skel-
ington.
81 found a crowd of men standing in
awed pastures near the hatch, and the
most frightened of all looked to me to
be the ordinary seaman Dick, who had
backed away on the other side OF the
hatch, and stood looking on, leaning
with his hands on his knees, and staring
as if he were fascinated. waited q
couple OF three minutes, which, in a
business of this kind, seems a long time,
and, hearing nothing, was going to
ridicule the men for their nervousness,
when a hollow voice under the hatch
said distinctly, Its a terrible thing to
be a ghost and not be able to get OF, - /
was greatly startled, and ran aft to tell
the captain, who agreed with me that
there must be a stowaway in the hold,
and that he had gone mad. We bUt+
went forward, and the hatch was lifted,
and we looked on top of the coal; and I
was then about to ask some OF the men
to Join me in a search in the forepeak,
for upon my word had no taste single
handed for a job of that kind at such a
moment, when the voice said, There's
no use looking, you'll never find me.
I'm not to be seen.
'Confound me cried the skipper,
polishing his forehead with a pocket
handkerchief, if ever heard of such a
thing. I'll tell you what it is, he shout
ed. looking into the hatch, dead men
can't talk, and so, as you're bound to be
alive. you'd better come up out OF that,
and smartly, toO-d'ye hear-or you'll
find this the worst attempt at skylarking
that was ever made.
"There was a short silence, and you'd
see all hands straining their eyes, for
there was light enough for that, given
out by a lantern which one OF the men
held.
Z" You couldn't catch me because you
conIdn't find me- said the voice, in a
die-awav tone, and this time it came
from the direction Of the main hatch,
as though it had fitted aft.
"'Well, says the captain, may l be
iiqeered = and without another word he
walked away on to the poop.
81 told the men to clap the matches
on AGAIN. and they did this in double
quick time, evidently afraid that the e
ghost might pop up out OF the mold Il
they didn't mind their eye.
"AlI this made us very s-?erstitious,
from the captain down to the boys. We
talked it over in the cabin, and the mate
was incredulous, and disposed to ridi-
Guile me.
".Any way said be, its strange
that this voice is only heard in your
watch. It's never favored me with any
remarks, The creaking and groaning Of
an old wooden ship is often like spoken
words, and what you've been hearing
may be nothing but a deception OF the
"sA deception in your eye, cried the
skinner. THE timbers Of an old wooden
shin NAV strain and creak in the Dutch
LANGUAGE. but hang me if they evei
talked good, sensible English. However
I'm NOT going to worry. For my part,
said he. with a nervous glance around
him. 4 don't believe in ghosts; what
ever it is that's talking in the hold may
90 on having, so long as he sticks tt
that. and don't brighten the men with an
ugly mug, nor come upon us fora dlSs.s-'
allowance. - q.
"'If it's anybody's ghost, said !, II
must be the Italians, the chap that was
starved in the forepeak.
"T doubt that, said the spipper. q
didn't detect anything foreign in what
he said. To my ear it sounded more
like Whitechapel than Italiano.
"WeI. for another week we heard lit
tie more of the ghost. It's true thai
one middle watch a chap had sent aloi
TO loose the main-royal had hardly
. | bN6UUEu OuN VI eAAl ASWe- ~1E1-@9l 49,
lingering in the crosstrees to overhau
his clew-lines, when he comes rushing
up to me and cries out : I've beer
hailed aloft, sir a voice has just suns
out Tommy, jump alOft again that
may have good look at you I
g Who's up thereT asked him
staring into the gloom where the mas
and wards went towering.
Sc There's no one up there, sir; III
swear it. was bound to see him haC
any one been there, he answered evl
IDENTIFY very much frightened.
''If occurred to me that some one o
the crew might be lying hid in the top
and that if / could catch him / nigh
find out who the ghost was. so
jumped into the rigging and trotte'
aloft, keeping my eye on the lee rigging
to make sure that no one descended b,
liz. I gained the top but nobody wa
there. / mounted to the cross-trees
but the deuce a sign Of any one could
see, I came down feeling both foolisl