The Press., 1892-04-14

mined to fish all night. It was U lovely night. The moon shone on the placid water, which was as smooth as a land locked pool without a ripple. There was slight haze on the silvery sea, and the stiffness and silence were actually oppressive.
 tinued. The codfish were biting we'll. The phosphorescent gleam of the fish as they were hauled from the dark depths of the sea illuminated the water and they could be seen struggling wildly on the hooks many fathoms beneath the surface. There isn't very much senti- mentalism in fisherman, and the fel- lows in the dories smoked their pipes and spun their yarns in the intervals be- tween bites.
 The striking of eight bells on French fishing vessel anchored a few hundre ed yards from the Albicore announced the midnight hour. A dago on one of the schooner's dories began singing in a melodious voice the s.Hymn to the yir- gin." It was either Spanish or Italian, don't know which (having been edu- cated in the forecastle, where there was precious little book learning). But this I do know, that the strains were the sweetest and most thrilling I had ever listened to. Of course the somber sur roundings made the hymn more impres- sive.
 My dory mate was Portuguese Suddenly he clutched my arm. My Godr' he cried. Look at the schooner!'' And looked. Shew about fifty yards off, and in tine brilliant moonlight every thing was clearly visible. On her quar- ter deck, which seemed to be enveloped in luminous mist resembling the halo which encircles the moon and gives warning ofsthe coming tempest, armed men were fighting, clad in picturesque garb, with crimson sashes around their waists and red caps on their heads. We could hear their cutlasses clash and their imprecations ring out on tho still air.
 ''They are Spanish pirates. and they've seized the schooner" said the Portu- guese.
 Three bodies were thrown overheard from the Albicore. We heard the plash as they struck the water and saw the bubbles rising as they sank. Then sud denly the noise ceased and the midnight assassins vanished into thin air. Then cheery voice sang out loud and clear from the Albicore: "Come along side, boys. I've got 8 steaming kettle of coffee for you on the galley fire." It was the voice of the cook, and was the most welcome sound that ever reached my ears. We pulled alongside and climbed aboard. The cook had been in the galley since 10 o'clock making himself a suit of canvas clothes. He had heard and seen nothing of the mys- terious conflict on deck and laughed at l us as we described it. After drinking our coffee we turned in, having had enough fishing for that night. At dawn next morning had occasion to go aft on the quarter deck, which was raised about three feet from the main deck. At Gloucester the decks, which had become covered with slime while the derelict was wallowing dis masted in the trough of the sea, had been planed smooth. The skipper took great pride in his little quarter deck, and it had been holystoned until it shone like a 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 a deep crimson circular stain just abaft the cabin skylight. It was about three feet in diameter and it. seemed to have been made by pool of blood that had soaked into the snowy deck blanks At this moment the skipper came up the companion. ladder. The first thing that attracted his attention was the stain on the deck. 5at
 '.So some of those internal Portuguese sons of guns have been gutting fish on my quarter deck, have they? By the great horn spoon, I'll teach the yellow bellied lubbers lesson yet!''
 Then up and told the skipper what l had seen the night before, and con- vinced him it was no blood of codfish that had dyed his quarter deck. He was | superstitious man, and turned white as shroud. -s s-ssg-, .s.ya~ That morning all the crew caTae aft and told the skipper they would fish no l more. The schooner was haunted, they l 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 a belief in the su- pernatural was hereditary.
 Wall manned fho xui,,17ocG I~,vyo up anchor and made sail on the AlbicDre and pointed her nose for Gloucester. We made an unusually smart passage and our arrival in the old fishing port created much excitement. (We 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 three-year-old. He went ashore in doleful dumps the most dis gusted man in Gloucester. We landed l what few fish we. had and then all hands left her. MT. 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 lad up.
 kept a logbook in those days. The date of the mysterious apparition was April 13, 1857. 1ss.. l Five years afterward happened to be 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. was wander ing around the docks in search of a chance when came across the Alhicore fitting out for 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. 1 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