The Penn's Grove record., 1888-06-23

| ct, from which he did not recover til
the bark, again on her course, had lef
the CHASTITY spectacle a mile or tw
astern.
Examination Of the stump Of tn,
gasket left on the jackstay showed tina
two strands and part Of the third hat
been cut through SC that it would TAX,
but little to part 1t, but whether b,
accident or design, when and by whom
1t had been done, no m knew, or l
any one did, he kept his own counsel.
But from the hour Of the sea buria
/ Jerry Pepper was-as the rest OF th,
crew declared-a haunted a II,
could not sleep without starting III
with a Mortified scream. lie looked
continually over his shoulder at some
thing or somebody invisible to othe
eyes.
Smith and the Australian, who went
aloft with him to stow the t'gallan
sails In a squall on the followin.
night, declared that in the quarter o
the yard where Pepper stood the sal
was rolled upl by unseen hands Will,
the sailor himself was securing the
brunt.
at the wheel it was the same. Ii
any kind of heavy weather it always
tooktwo to keep the bark within half {
point of her course; but the slightest
touch Of Jerry's hand kept the Sestris
on her course, the wheel moving witt
strange rapidity.
The men were ready to swear thai
when he paced the deck in the night
watches, other footsteps kept pace witt
him.
He grew pale, haggard and ~taciturn
ate but little, and. by all reports, die
not sleep at all.
Fairly inside of Lands End, VIZ
caught what old sailors call a "smoky
southeastern" 1t blew .heavily for 9
few hours, and in the eastern horizon
were incessant flashes Of lightning after
the sun had gone down in a bank oil
dense. dark vapor.
The clouds were surcharged with
electricity, and when just before mid
night all hands were called to shorten
sail. I noticed some of the iron work
on the masts and yards tipped with the
soft phosphorescent points SO often wit.
messed In this peculiar condition OF the
atmosphere.
l did not know it until afterward
but it seems that ever after the night
Of Jim's tragic death, Jerry could
neither be cOaxed nor driven near the
cllngs Of the fore or main-yard. He
invariably made his way to the yard.
arm, where, hanging with one hand Ia
the lift. with the other he picked up
tho alack soil or hau1ad ont tho aor
ring as easily as other men using both
hands.
The foresail was hauled up on the
yard without much difficulty, and
was standing by the break of the quar-
ter waiting for the job to be completed,
when my attention "a arrested by the
sight Of the largest and most luminous
corposant l have Q seen, suddenly
appearing like a ball of blush. flicker
ing flame on the iron jackstay of the
lower topsail yard, where 1t remained
for a brief moment, and then slowly
gliding in toward the mast, seemed to
rest for a moment Oh or near the iron
band at the foremost cap, where the
fore-yard lifts are hooked ~.
Some one Of the crew on the yard
below noticed 1t, and called the atten-
tion OF the others in a low tone to this
quite common though a~lways-to the
superstitious sailor-unwelcome vlsi-
tant.
sits Jim's spirit, "~uneasily muttered
Smith, who stood next TO Pepper, who
himself was astride the yardarm.
Hardly were the words uttered, when
the cOrposant slowly gllded down the
lift with a strange wavering motion
and rested almost directly before
Jerry's face, which, in the CHASTITY
glare { Smith afterward told mel were
a look that he should never forget till
his dying day.
With a shrek that rose above the
howl Of the gale, Jerry threw both
hands above his head and fell back.
ward as the bark gave a heavy lee roll,
and by a sudden flash Of lighting L gay
his body plunge beneath the surface of
the black waves, never TO rise again,
while the corposant, rising in the air.
vanished out of sight.
Our only available boat had been
stove a fortnight before, and all that
could be done was to cut adrift the
two life preseryers over the stern ami
toss over a grating, while the bark
went Keeling and rolling on her way.
But when the wheel was relieved by
Bob, he beckoned me to his side.
"'Scuse me, SIR" he said, in an awe
struck voice, but Use got somet'ng to
tell. Dat Jim Pepper have fifteen hun
dred dollars In gold he wea about him,
all time in he money belt. / hear him
tell Jerry so. Night Jerry sew him up
in canvas, l lay in my bunk and peek
froo crack in p'tion tween carpenter
shop and forec'stle. l see Jerry take
belt of Jim and buckle 1t round his
self. Den he hnlsh sew him up. EbOeI
since m go with him, want he money
l spec, and now hab got it. OATS all,
Sah--steady it is. sah."