The Bessemer indicator., 1893-07-15
A MYSTERY OF THE SEA.
WAS 1T A GHOST OR A TRICK
OF THE IMAGINATION.
What tise Mate and the Man at tho
Wheel saw Ono Moonlight Night -
None of tho sailors werr Missing
Strange Man on board.
Do ghosts really oxist2

Do ghosts really exist?
..Of course not" some one will ex-
claim. "How can q rational being
ask such q question:"
Others still will seriously answe;
my question in the affirmative.
asked this question, recently. OF
the first officer OF great steafrer. ~
we paced the hurricane-deck one ever-
ing recently in mid-ocean. He was a
stalwart, healthy specimen OF six
foot tall manhood. He looked at mo
gravely: "Lct me tell you q story"
he said, and Immediately began: alt
happened about six years ago. l had
recently loft the navy. and was mate
OF one OF the ships Of an Eastern
company. running to Acapulco
I'VE were homeward bound, SIX
days out from Acapulco, the night
am telling you Of, in which l had
the most singular experience OF my
life.
at was calm, bright moonlight
night-one of those calm, beautiful
nights you often get in those lati-
tudes. There was full moon-so
y
1t was my habit on nights when there
was no wind to go aft andAalk with
the man at the wheel. The fellow
who was usually there during my
nightwatch was very bright man
named Brown-usually we'll informed
and interesting to talk with. He was
on watch this night, and after seeing
that everything was all right
strollcd over to the wheel house and
began talking TO Brown. A few
minutes after greeted him he said
to me, pointing in certain direo-
tion:
"'Mr. L.. do you sec that man
over there'' l glanced over to where
be had pointed and saw man walk
ing backward and forward in the open
space between the wheel house and
The after house. He wore u long
overcoat and soft black hat, and as
he walked back and forth across the
ship he kept his face turned from us
and toward the rigging as watch
man on a sailing vessel always does.
in fact. his whole appearance was
that OF man on watch.
".Yes, / see him. / replied.
"Well, said Brown. that's Sales
naming one o. the men from the TO-
castle. He's missed you and is spy
ing round to see whether you amt
somewhere asleep. II he should
catch you mapping he would report
you and get you into trouble; that's
Sales oil over, and If | were Won I'd
go forward and thump him for his
impudcnce.'
sit made me pretty mad to think
one of the men was spying on me,
and l was perfectly willing to act on
Browns suggestion. watched the
man for few minutes. He did not
look nft-a man on watch never does
but IL he had he could not have
seen me, as was in the shadow of
the wheel house, and about twenty
feet away, but in the bright moon
light that shown on the deck wherc
he was walking he was as visible us
though it were broad daylight. He
was evidently on the watch, and the
longer | looked at him the madder
grew, so presently started forward
to do him up
"As did so, the man suddenly
turned and went down narrow pas
sugeway between the side, and some
bales that formed n part of the car
go and were slowed on deck. This
passageway at the end went down
one step to u covered deck and on to
the forecastle. Tho man did not
seem to be running away from me,
but to have just taken notion
to go forward. could see him
distinctly fow feet ahead of me.
but / did not come up to him, although
| ran quite fast. Finally, though, /
thought had him. and was just
reaching forward to grab him when
he disappeared under the awning.