Los Angeles herald., 1892-03-13


been planed smooth. The skipper took
great pride in his little quarter deck,
and it had been holystoned until it
shone like hounds tooth. No fish were
allowed in that part of the ship, and the
sailors were made to wipe off their sea
boots whenever they took their trick at
the tiller or went aft to haul in the
mainsheet. Imagine my surprise when
saw deep crimson circular stain just
abaft the cabin skylight. 1t was about
three feet in diameter and it seemed to
have been made by pool of blood that
had soaked into the snowy deck planks,
At this moment the skipper came up
the companion ladder The first thing
that attracted his attention was the stain
on the deck.
$50 some of those internal Portuguese
sons of guns have been cutting fish on
my quarter deck, have they? By the
great horn spoon, I'll teach the yellow
bellied lubbers lesson YETI!
Then up and told the skipper what |
had seen the night before, and con-
vipced him it was no blood of Goldfish
that had dyed his quarter deck. He was
superstitious man, and turned white
as shroud.
That morning all the crew came aft
and told the skipper they would fish no
more. The schooner was haunted, they
declared, and they insisted on heaving
up anchor and putting back to Glouces-
ter.
It is my private opinion that he was
glad of the chance to go back. He was
an excellent seaman and an expert fish
erman, but he came of an old seafaring
family and Of course belief in the su-
pernatural was hereditary.
Well, we manned the windlass, hove
up anchor and made sail on the Albicore
and pointed her nose for Gloucester.
We made an unusually smart passage
and our arrival in the old fishing port
created much excitement. owe hadn't
been troubled with ghosts during the
run back.) Everybody thought we had
come back laden with cod. The old
owner came aboard as merry and light
hearted as a three-year-old. He went
ashore in doleful dumps the most dis
gusted man in Gloucester. We landed
what few fish we had and then all
hands left her. Mr. Fish tried his hard
est to ship another crew, but those dagos
had spun such yarns about the schooner
that nobody would go to the banks in
her. So the sails were unbent and she
was laid up.
kept logbook in those days. The
date of the mysterious apparition was
April 13, 1857.
of o1.l | ho, ,a1 To ho
in Boston. The sharks and crimps had
left me stranded. having got every dol
lar out of me that was paid off with
from a bark that brought hides and cop
per ore from Iquique. l was wander
ing around the docks in search of
chance when l came across the Albicore
fitting ont for a cruise to the banks. A
Boston firm had bought her and had put
Captain Bayliss in charge. He was
built on different lines from Captain
Ogden, caring nothing for man nor
devil. l shipped aboard Of her, never
mentioning anything of my past ex-
perience on her. We sailed for the
banks. having good luck on our passage.
We anchored and began our fishing
operations. being fairly successful.
One evening, when putting off in my
dory to fish, happened to remember
, that the date was April 13, 1862. My
dory mate hailed from Canso, Nova
Scotia, and had as much intelligence as
a clod of clay. We hauled in the cod
fish hand over flipper. About II o'clock
a thick fog came up suddenly. didn't
mind this Bit as had pocket COM
pass with me and had the Albicore's
bearings carefully noted. She wasn't
more than 800 yards off anyhow, SO we
kept on fishing without the slightest
alarm. 1t was within "a few minutes
Of midnight when we heard the blast of
a.steamer's whistle, hoarse, yet strident.
1t seemed to penetrate the fog and was
| certainly quite close. The next thing
we heard was crash of timbers, and
an instant afterward an enormous black
hull glided by swiftly Her propeller
churned up the water and we heard the
throb of her engines.
The Nova Scotian took the oars and
steered the dory to our schooner. When
we got aboard we found all hands on
deck in state of terror. The steamer
ietI ull lilIO ilCI CdtULlSo Oll q pOl
ton of her long overhanging stern. The
well was sounded and no water was
found. Her stanch construction had
| saved her. The steamer went on regard
less whether she had sunk the schooner or
not. Next morning the captain got
aboard my dory and padded him round
under the stern so that he might see what
damage had been done. The steamers
cutwater had shaved clean slice off
the stern. damned under the transoms
we saw shriveled corpse dressed in a
Spanish costume richly adorned with
gold lace. We got stage out over the
stern and hauled the body on deck. I'M
bedded in his left breast was a dagger
bearing the inscription. Guerra al Gu
chillo, April 10, 1866" He had been
carefully planked up and concealed.
There was the same old blood stain on
the quarter deck, but it seemed much
fainter than of old. told the captain
the whole story. He determined to take
the body ashore and give it Christian
burial. We nailed two thicknesses of
canvas over the shattered stern, staid
long enough on the banks to fill up with
fish and then set sail for Boston, where
we gave the corpse splendid long
shore funeral This broke the smell