The morning call., 1891-03-15


crowd was by no means free from the be-
liefs ard fears common among sailors, and
later, when disaster did come to the ship,
there were plenty of men who were able to
say truthfully that they had prophesied evil
on the day she first appeared IN Bunalo
Greek.
The Merton Prayther was chartered TO
carry coal to Saginaw, where IN the usual
course she was to load lumber sfor Buffalo
After she was moored alongside the coal
dock and her deck had been swept and
everything made snug the men were allowed
TO 60 down into the forecastle located in
the bows below deck) to get ready for sup
per. They had heard something about
Frank Gardeners death when taken out to
Fayette and put on board the vessel, ana SO
the query of the grain-broker set them all
talking a soon as the forecastle was reached.
Sailors like a stauneh ship and take pride
in being aboard of new one on her hrSt
voyage; but this crew did not feel very
comfortable over the prospect of voyage
in one that had had such ill-luek.
Just what would have been the outcome
Of their talk about ghosts and ill-luck can
not now be told, for, in the height OF the
argument Sandy Mcdonald. brawny
fellow and the most superstitious OF the
lot, while polishing his red face with
crash towel, suddenly dropped The towel,
turned toward the scuttle. and said, as II IN
answer to an order:
Aye. aye, sir. All hands on deck.
The men grabbed their hats, and still
growing, followed Sandy up the ladder.
! Filing out on deck, they looked about Tor
Merton Prayther, who Sandy said had
called them. Bat not a soul was in sight.
No man besides Sandy had heard The sup
posed order, and in consequence q number
of the rest were ready to chaff him by say
ing that the ghost talk had scared the wits
out of him. Sandy resented this SO yigor-
ouSly that in a jiffy he and another man
were humping away at each other, ham,
mer and tongs, in a regular sailor brawl
The noise of the fight brought Captain Dill
bingham on deck, with old Merton Preyther
close behind him. The captain knew all
the arts of marine peacemaker. Marine
peacemakers are not of the kind once
called blessed. He picked a Delaying pin
from the rail and Knocked both fighters
down with it. Then he asked them blandly
if there was anything else they wanted, and
what they were lighting about anyway.
Sandy replied:
81 heerd the owner call all hands, sir,
and when We be TO get on deck, not soul
was there in sight, sir. Don't know what
hear, sir? But that bloke -"
Never mind about him, just now." broke
in old Merton, hurriedly. Il think we can
pipe down now, can't we, Captain Dilling
ham p Then he added in a whisper to the
captain, they'll want 10 leave her before
dark aud we can save the four days pay
slick as grease"
Whatever may have been the old mans
superstilions when the grain-brcker had
Unexpectedly tainted him about the ship be-
ing haunted he had recovered his usual wits
enough to see chance TO gain few dollars
at the expense of the men, and was glad TO
take advantage OF it, Ship-Owners' con-
sciences are hung on gimbalS when 1t comes
TO cheating sailors, as a learned Judge once
remarked.
The men went below still growing to
themselves Ten minutes later they were
ut the cabin Scuttie, with their clutheS-Dag5
fully packed ON the deck alongside. They
wanted their pay for the time they had
been aboard. although they had signed arti-
Giles for round trip to Saginaw, and were
not entitled to any money under the law un-
til the end OF the trip. Captain Dillingham;
came upon deck and, with great show of
passion, ordered them into the forecastle.
Tnereat they fled over the rail to the pier,
and the captain went below and told Mer-
ton Prayther about it in a way which de-
lighted the old man, for the loss of the crew
while the schooner was loading coal was
matter of no consequence, because the offl-
GERS could do all the work that had to be
done.
At the end of week. when the vessel
was loaded, Captain Dillingham; got tug
and had the Merton Prayther towed to an
anchorage outside the breakwater. Then
he went ashore and brought off a crew i'll
the same tug. A willy crimp had persuaded
the sailors, who were all more or less
drunk, to sign blank shipping articles, and
they did not know their destination until
the tug was alongside the schooner. Then
it was too late to protest, for there were two
active mates and an unusually active cap
tain standing ready to see that mutlnous
acts and even ill-mannered remarks were
repTeSSed with pump-brake or any other
handy club Without moments delay the
men were hustled to the windlass TO get up
anchor, while even the captain and Merton
Prayther-Iho was. as usual, going to make
the first voyage with the new ship-lent
hand in casting the stops OFT the sails.
1t was brisk work the men had of it; and
what with the perspiration and the fresh
nortneaster that was blowing they got pretty
well freed from the fumes of the bad whisky
they mad been drinking. From the windlasS
they jumped to the halliards, and within
twenty minutes from the time they were
tumbling over the rail they had set f0resail,
were tripping the anchor, and the Merton
Prayther was drifting astern with her helm
hard a. port to cast her head to westward.
The second mate was standing at the wheel
looking aioft at the little whisp of bunting
at the main truck TO see il she was
answering her helm. Captain Dillingham;
and the owner were in the staTOoard gaDsway
also looking aloft when the officer at the
wheel said:
Captain Dillingham;, will you please re-
lieve the wheel?'
The captain stared at him. The officer
was very pale, and plainly agitated.
Are you sick?' said the captain
" think l must be delirious, sir"
whats that? What's that?" said the
captain, sharply.
II beg pardon, sir think-I mean-Pm
sure l-Captain Dillingham;. do you see any
thing above the-ahOve-"
He did not have a chance to flush the
sentence. Old Merton Praythrr saw the
man meant to say that something unusual
w n Slpbf ahaVp the - Qf the riuniup
OF the main topmaSt, and rushing aft he
knocked the fellow across the deck.
There" said he, that's the medicine
you need. That will cure MIN, ell, Captain
Dillingham;? 1t will cure them all, Ell?
Somebody's been tellin' of 'em that the Mer-
ton Prayther'S haunted; but if | hear any
more about it I'll make the man that wags
his jaw think the ghosts is devils, and he's in
Tophet."
lie was hot to hit somebody else now.
The sailors had Just set the jib and were
coming aft to set the mainSail. Two of
them happened to look at the topmast and
then look at each other Prayther saw it,
and in an instant served them as he had the
second mate.
To tell the truth, no better way than this
to deal with supersliiions of the men is
known. 1t is heroic but effectual under
ordinary circumstances, for they fear the
eyeT-present evil of horny fist more than
they do an intangible and physically pain
less RnlSI-
Captain Dillingham; very cheerfuly
adopted the owners prescription, and the
result was that during the entire voyage to
Saginaw no man dared say bis soul was his
own-much less saying that any soul not
clothed in flesh was in sight
But when the ship touched the bulkhead
of the caal-yard at Saginaw the men
scarcely waited until the lines were around
the spiles before they grabbed their dun
mage and flea over the rail- Even the two
mates refused TO stay by the schooner; aud
once on shore the tales that mat es and men
alike told Of mysterious sights ana weird
voices seen and heard ON the voyage up,
made such sensation as the Saginaw
sailor boarding-hOuses had never before
known.
For all this. so far as any one could see,
Merton Prayther cared but rope yarn, un-
til one day the vessels agent mentioned tine
stories to him as something likely To make
the shipping OF new crew well-righ impus-
Sibe. At that the old man turned, and
with 0aths that seemed to scorch the AIR