Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-02-28

what on earth-?" I could not spare a
hand to rub my eyes, so shut and opened
them by way of squeezing out the water,
! and looked again.
There could be no mistake about 1t. The
black thing was a rat, and il was followed
by lot more rats. They were running
along the rope in regular procession
scores of them-and when / got over the
bulWark l found ever so many more, wait
ing for their turns. When the hideous
things saw me they ran away squeaking.
ShudGered, for I knew what they had
been feeding on; but my mind was just
then too much occupied with my own con-
Germs to take in the full significance Of the
incident. felt rather foolish standing
stark naked in the bows of the "Lady
Jane" and did not want to add to the abb
surdity of my position by hailing the
'Diana" and asking for a boat Why
should I not initiate the rats, and use one
of the hawsers as bridget
No sooner thought than done. I am a
pretty fair gymnast, and Selling the haw-
ser with both hands, and letting myself
down, moved them alternately forward
until l reached my destination. It was
still gray dawn; nobody had seen me, and
1 crept unperceived over the taffrail. Bill
Bailey was at the wheel, and Bucklow the
second mate, and Tom Bolsover were near
the pinnacle, deep in conversation.
"Good-morningI' 1 said, IN hollow
voice, for I was breathless from exertion.
Lord help US! One Of them chaps from
the Lady Janep" shouted Bailey, and
without more ado left the wheel to itself,
md ran forward as fast as if our ghostly
zoe had been at his heels. His exclamation
and my appearance so scared BolsoYer,
that he jumped round, slipped on the wet
deck Git had just been washed), and clutch
ing at the mate in a frantic effort to save
himself, both went down together, and the
ship broaching to at the same moment,
they rolled, one over the other, into the
scupper.
sit is only me-nothing to be alarmed
about. Just come aboard" [ said, burst
ing with laughter, as 1 ran below to dry
and dress myself.
When l looked into my glass and sur
veyed my body, I was not surprised at the
scare 1 had caused. My hands and legs
were covered with tar from the bows of
the Lady Jane;" some of the stuff had got
on my face, and as my long and rather red
hair was matted on my forehead and hung
over my eyes, and my skin was very white,
looked decidedly queer and slightly dia-
bolical, if not very ghost-like.
SO soon as had made myself presenta-
BILE / went on deck. There had been
great TODD. When the ship preached to,
the captain came out of his cabin in great
wrath, and wanted to know what-the
something or other-was up. Bucklow
was excessively rtIed at being rolled into
the scupper, and called the boatswain
darnation old woman, to Toms great dis
gust; and Bill Bailey received severe req"
rimand for deserving his post and letting
the ship breach to.
81 thought it was one of them chaps
from the Lady Jane come to life, or may
be Yellow Jack HIMSELF" pleaded the
quarter-master.
"And if it had been, that was no reason
for letting the ship breach to-" said the
captain. severely; but when his momentary
fit of anger was over, he laughed as heart
lily as the other; and for the rest of the day
all were enjoying the joke, and talking
about the apparition of Yellow Jack.
All, mel 1t was the last bit of fun we
had on board the 'Diana."
In talking the affair over with Peyton, I
mentioned the portentous sight had just
seen. He seemed much disquieted.
''Ratsp' he exclaimed. Rats running
along the hawsers? Are you quite sure?"
Quite; and the procession continued
until got on board and disturbed them"
"This may have been going on all night"
he said, uneasily. cit must be stopped.
want nothing from the Lady jane on
board This ship, least of all rats"
No wonder he felt uneasy. The rats I
saw had been living for days on the bodies
pH- bod
seen on the "Lady James" deck, and now
they were among us, running round the
ship, nibbling at our food, scampering
over the water-casks. If it were possible
to convey the infection, they would surely
convey it-had, perhaps, conveyed it al
readyi
The captain asked me to keep what Ihad
seen to myself-he feared it might alarm
the crew-and the carpenter received Or
ders to fix on each of the hawsers a round
board, studded with nails, to prevent an
invasion of rats from the Lady Jane"
81 have heard of rats running along
ropes before now," he said to the carpen-
ter, land it is just as well to be on the safe
side"
made no further remark, but I much
feared that it would prove another case of
shutting the stable door when the steed
was stolen. Ny worst foreboding revived,
and turned in that night with a heavy
heart. After lying awake several hours, l
sunk into a dream-haunted Sleep NY
dreams were all about rats, 1 saw the
procession over again; saw the little black
demons crawl along the hawser and sweep
in thousands over the deck; saw the watch
fighting with them; and Peyton. coming
ont OF Ms cabin w see NuaU was the mau
ter, the creatures fell fercely upon him,
and in few minutes there was nothing
left but a skeleton.
When l awoke the sun was shining, and
huge rat sat on the side of my bunk. For
moment thought that 1 still dreamed,
but as moved and stirred the bedclothes
1t jumped on the floor with a squeak and
scurried out of my sight.
The first rat I had seen on board the
'Diana," and no doubt one of the horde
from the fever-ship. AS likely as not, 1t
had been playing about my bunk and run
ming over my bed all night.
My fellow-passengers were all early ris-
ers, though not quite 80 early as myself,
and found them at breakfast, Peyton, as
usual, at the head of the table,
"Halloo!" cried Bulnois, the young fell
low who was voyaging in search of health
ST hope you are not out of sorts. / never
knew you late for breakfast before. You
are not an early bird this morning, and II
you had been you would not have picked
up worm. No worms on board the 'Di-
ana only rats and apparitions of Yellow
Jack-ha, hap
Rats! rats! What do you mean, Bull
noiss'
"You have not seen any, then, We
acknowledgements the captain here: be has