The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-07-17

manded her? There is nothing that should
be fuller OF ghosts than an old ship, and the
Dimsdale had once upon time been said TO
be haunted. She had certainly been long
enough afioat to own hundred stories. ana
she was so stanch and true that IL ever
superstition got into her there was no
chance of its getting out again. / only re-
member one OF these yarns; il was told TO
me by the dockmaster, who had been at sea
for many years, was an old man, and knew
the history of all such craft as the Dims-
dale. he said that in 1851. think it was,
there had been row among the crew; an
Italian seaman stabbed an EngliShman, who
bled to death. To svenge the Engishman's
death the rest Of the crew, who were chiefly
English, thrust the Italian into the fore
peak and let him lie there in darkness.
When he was asked for they reported
that he had fallen overheard, and this seems
to have been believed, Whether the crew
meant 10 starye him or not is not GER
tain, but after he had been in the forepeak
three or four days a fellow going behind
the galley, out of the way Of the wind to
light his pipe-it being then four bells in the
hrst watch-came running into the fore
castle, with his hair on end and the sweat
pouring of his face. swearing no had seen
the Italians ghost This frightened the
men prettily. Some of them went down
into the forepeak and found the Italian
lying there dead, with score of rats upon
him. which scampered off when the men
voyage his ghost WAS constantly seen. some
times at the lee wheel, sometimes astride
OF the jibbOom end. What was the end of
Ill mean whether the men cor fessed the
murder. and IL so what became of them-the
dockmaster said he did not know. But be
this as 1t may, discovered shortly after we
had begun our voyage that the crew had
got TO hear Of this story, and the second
mate said IL had been brought aboard by
the carpenter, who had picked II up from
some of the dockyard laborers
! well recollect two uncomfortable cir
cumstances. We sailed on Friday and the
able and ordinary seamen were Is in num-
Der. the oilers and ourselves aft bringing up
the ships company to 10 souls. when. sup
pose. in her prime the Dimsdale never left
port short of 20 OF 50 seamen, not TO mention
stewards, cooks, cooks mates, butcher,
butchers mate, baker and the rest of them.
But double t0psail yards were now In
besides, understood that the vessels masts
had been reduced and her yards shortened.
aud We carried stump fore and miZZen top
gallant masts
Ali being ready, a tug got hold of our tow
rope and away We went down the Thames
and out TO sea.
/ don't believe myself that any stories
which had been told the men about the ship
impressed them much. Sailors are very
superstitious, but they are not to be scared
Till something has happened TO brighten
them. Your merely telling them that there's
dBHost ABOARD the snip they're In won't
alarm them till they have caught sight of
the ghost But cnce let man say TO the
others there's blank ghost in this ship
lay your head agin the forehatch and you'll
hear him gnashin' his teeth and rattlin' his
chains" and then let another man go and
listen and swear. and perhaps very honestly,
that he heard the noises plain" and you'll
have all hands in fright talking In wills
pers and going aloft in the dark nervously.
In cur ship nothing happened for some
days. We were deep and slow and rolled
along solemnly. the sea falling away from
the vessels powerful round bows as from q
rock. Pile what We could upon her. with
tecks aboard, staysails drawing and the
wind hitting her best sailing point, we could
seldom manage TO get more Than seven knots
out OF her. One night had the first watch.
Ii was about two bells. There was nice
wind, sea smooth and red moon crawling
up over our starboard beam. We were
under all plain sail. leaning away from the
wind trlfte, and the water washed along
the starlight ran glimmering. L was think
| ing over the FIVE or six months voyage
| which cid buckets after the pattern of this
| shiD took In getting TO India, when, seeing
| sguall coming along, | sung out for hands
| TO stand by the mainroyal and mzZen-top-
| gallant halliards. 1t drove down dark, and,
| not knowing what was behind, | ordered
the mainroyal to be clewed up and furled.
| Two youngsters went aloft. By the time
| they were on the yard the squall thinned.
but L fancied there WAS another bearing
down. and thought it best TO let the or