The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-04-16
A SAILORS YARN.
BY CAPTAIN j. II. B. ROBINSON.

Some years ago | found myself shipped
as an able seaman on the English ship Glen
eske, bound from India to London with a
cargo of lutte. We were off the Cape OF Good
Hope one moonlight night. bowling steadily
along under cloud of canvas, while several
of US were gathered on the forehatch SPIN.
ming yarns, when we heard a dull thud on
the topgallant forecastle, as if something
had fallen from aloft.
Several Of us started to our feet tO-ascer-
tain the cause of the noise, and one old salt
uttered a cry Of alarm and stood peering
forward fearfully for an instant. Then he
covered his eyes with his hands and sank
helplessly on deck crying:
"My LCrdl It's come back; it's cone
back"
We soon found that the noise was caused
by large block covered with chating-gear
which had fallen from aloft. and man was
sent ND to replace it, The rest of us gath
cred about "Old jack" as we always called
him, to find out what was the matter with
him.
What was ftp" he painted, eagerly" Did
you see anything ~
His manner was so wild that we were be-
ginning to think the old chaps mind was
gone, but when we told him it was simply a
block from aloft, he exclaimed fervently:
THANK God, mates! | thought he was
going to hev it all over agin this cruise an
was skeered most ter DEATH"
We all clamored for an explanation of his
fright, and after biting rff fresh chew of
tobacco, he told US the following weird
| story:
"Wall, mates" he began, "you all knows
| | amt much of hand at spinning yarns,
but I'll tell yer how it is l got so skeered
| Jest now. Yer see, | was on this craft last
| vige, an we had ghost on board. II came
| about this way. We he'd big crew r'ard,
| an among 'em was two young fellers as was
| chums. Tney was Bob Smith an Harry
| Carey, an they was both good sailormen as
| ever went aloft. | never took much of
| built young chap with black mustache
and eyes an mighty good lookin'. Harry
was light Completed and he'd curly hair.
| He he'd been on this craft two trips, an
everybody liked him. 1t seems as how Bob
| Smith he'd been on the vessel, too. the vlge
afore, and when they landed in London,
Harry took Smith ter his home for visit.
cause Smith didn't hev no folks Twin.
THAT'S whar he made mistake.
Z" Yer see, Harry had an old mother Twin,
and he he'd purity sweetheart, 100 L We
seen him lookin' at her picter many a time.
She was good likely gal. ! dare. say, but
| she was mighty civil ter Smith, an l alluS
believed as how she was kinder taken with
| his bold ways an han some hg5erhead.
| EnyhOw, Smith was bound ter giS her away
| W
what lie was plannn' ter do. They shipped
again on this craft, an | happened to be
lookiu' for chance, so l jined her, too. In
course, didn't know all this till long after
| ward, when Smith owned up"
Here old Jack paused and took fresh
| qnid. Then lie continued.
Il never seed two chaps thicker'n they
| was. They was in the same watch with me,
and they was like brothers. They drawed
up paper so that If anything happened ter
one Of 'em the other one was ter draw the
| wages comm ter both Nobody thO't moth
in of it then, but that was part of Smiths
| bloody scheme.
We'll we had a good run out ter Calcutta
and was comm back. We'd got just about
| whar we be now, an it was jASt such anlght
as this ere, when smith was sent up f0r'ard
with watch tackle ter fix somethiu. He
done the job, and Harry Carey was standn'
| on the gallant fok'sel keepin' lookout, when
| down comes the tackle atop of him an one
O. the blocks hits him square on the ned and
kills him.
"Smith came tearin' down the risgin' and
acted like he was awful broke up. He sed
he sung out afore he dropped the tackle, but
nobody heerd him. We all pited him cause
he did seem 10 feel so bad. He wouldn't
tech his grub all next day, an went roun'
looking white an sick.
avail, next night jest about the same
time the man on lookout was walkin' back
and forth on the fox sci, when all of a sud
den he gave a yell and jumped down on
deck. He swore he heard voice up aloft
holler cut Stand from under !
There wasn't no peace arter that. Every
night at . bells we heered the voice, an at
last we refused to stan lO0kouts. Then the
mate he come for'ard one night an said we
was all fools. He stood there till he heered
the voice. Then he give in an went aft eS
white as chalk.
"He told tine cap'n an he begins to cuss
an swear. He said the mate was an ole
woman, an We was all a lot O. luny ticks.
But he found we was bound not ter STAN no
lookUuts, an at larSt he said he'd see for his
own self. he lowed he was master of this
craft, ghosts an all, aud he wasn't afraid of
'em. So one night he got up on the fok'sel
bold as brass.
THAR he stood till Jest afore bells.
Then all OF sudden We all heerd the voice
up aloft:
stand from underv
LET 60! hollers the cap'n, turning white
like
1.-The next minnit we heerd suthin come
! down on deck with thump, but thar
| Warn't nothin' to be seen.
bob Smith give an awful yell and down
he went on his marrer bones and begins ter
| holler out:
"Mercyl Cap'n Rice, for Gods sake don't
let it come near me. l did i'll killed Harry
Careyp
Then he went inter fit. When he come
| to he owned up as how he dropped Their
tackle on Harry purpose an didn't sing
| out Stan from UNDER as a sailorman alluS
| Oughter do afore he drops anythn' on deck
He meant ter draw the pay fer both of EN-
an then 90 back and try ter take Harry's
| place with his sweetheart. Cap'n Rec put
him in double irons an he was in Jail when
| | left, waitn' ter be tried fer murder.
| 81 MT know nuthin' bout ghosts, but
it was Harry Carey's voice we heard jest as
plain es day-an' now you know why was
so skeered jest now when thet block come
rattlin' down. l tho't We was goin' ter hev
| it all over again"
Eight bellsp'
And we went below quietly speculat ing
| on old Jacks yarn.-Ex.