The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1896-07-02
other OnpOnents.

guard IN irons ana lake lAt Sill ll'iIit'
Meanwhile / have no desire To hang
| or 90 to prison"
l. But Billings himself was not infalIi
bic Under the outward semblance of
calm was the hot resentment OF self
respecting man at the inside, often
now. leveled at him directly As the
captain had testified. his failures In
life had all been due to hasty action.
and. for the sake of the little wife and
babies at home he had begun again at
the bottom. resolved to suffer and sub
init until he could rise above the need
Of it, The mates persecution slowly
undermined this resolution, and one
night he gave way.
Sitting astride the extreme end OF
the main topsail yard, passing and
heaying out the weather reef caring
while his fellows on the foot rope lift
ed the sail out to him. he listened with
bursting heart to the cOpious flow of
impersOnal abuse which the strident
voice of the mate carried up to them.
And when his name was called coupled
with foul epithet, the darkness of
the night turned red All details Of
spar, rigging and deck, and the forms
of his shipmates were swallowed in
the crimson background. He saw
nothing but the form and uplifted
face of the mate, nearly beneath him,
The HEAVIER III his hand swung above
his head and whirling downward,
struck the deck at the mates feet and
bounded high in the air over the lee
rail Then, the vicious bark of pis-
tol was heard and dim gray cloud Of
smoke followed the HEAVIER to leeward
Shot from a.yard arm. How many
times has this happened in the early
days of the century.
Billings rolled backward and with
limbs extended straight and stiff,
turned slowly over as he fell and dis
appeared in the water, feet first, close
to the side of the ship-close enough
to be saved by rope had he appeared
and one been thrown.
Putting his smoking pistol in his
pocket, Mr. carp cut short the chuckIe
IN his throat to roar out; Reef that
sail; finish that job, you lubbers." AS
they We're anything but lubber5. they
finished it. Of what need to describe
the mutiuy which followed 4 cap
tain, two mates and steward, armed
with shotguns, and helped by a car
penter with a formidable broadaxe,
can, as a rule, quell any mutinous up
rising Of unarmed sailors that may
occur. This is what happened, and
with three wounded men in the fore
castle, discipline was restored. But
stormy discussion took place in the
cabin between Capt. Smith and the
first officer, fragments of which reach
&c Tie ears of the man at the wheel
aid the working up ceased.
About 10 O'Clock Oh I. calm, sultry
evening. about a week after, the first
officer, and the steward descended
with Il lantern, to discover the where
abouts Of certain cabin stores which
the former had slowed in port
Il put them there" said the mate,
close up to the cabin trunk; you must
have broken them out"
No You know I've given You pilot
bread 50 far at the table; and its only
to day that the captain asked for soda
biscuits; | Haven't seen them, though
| knew we had them"
Let's look along the wing, forward" :"
The mate went ahead with the Ian
tern At the extreme forward corner
of the half deck, his under jaw drop
ped, his hair stiffened and the lantern
dropped from his neryeless fingers
and went out For, as the circle of
light illumined the bulkheau, tal',
gray figure had arisen to full height,
the pale face surmounted by a shaggy
crop of red hair. the forehead crossed
by Il long red mark the figure and
face Of the murdered Billings.
With a squawk Of terror the steward
fled, and the mate followed. Up the
ladder they bounded, the steward
tuning aft and the mate forward.
The latter looked back; the SCARED.
pale face was just appearing above the
hatch. Possessed by blind unreason-
ing fear, he bounded down to the
main deck and looked again. The
tall figure was coming, giant like in
the darkness, noiseless and gray.
With gasping gurgle, that only by
effort he raised to Il scream, he ran on.
The crew saw, and scattered to the
other side of the deck. Forward,
around the fore hatch. went the mate
and the silent gray pursuer. Aft on
the other side. dispensing the crew
again; up the steps to the poop
around the cabin, the mate uttering
hoarse, jerky screams, and the terrible
thing keeping up the steady, noiseless
pursuit. Just fathom behind. The
captain, aroused by the steward. ap
| peared, only to shrink back out Of the
way as the pair passed the cabin door
Forward they went again. The mate
evidently growing weaker, stumbled
fell. arose and went on, the figure
! pausing, only to resume the pursuit
Forward, aft, forward again, the
| mate falling at intervals, the gray Ne
| meses always waiting, always main
! tanning an even six feet behind, the
| fearful race went on. until the terror
| lied first officer mounted the forcaStlt
deck. and. with last agonized shrek
I SIIdlIS oven boGINi. lIlt Oil lCh lliIS
| in the ears of the others until the wa
ter cut it short. The gray apparitior
| followed. Neither was seen again.
There was q dearth of soda biscuit:
on the cabin table until the ship wa:
! docked at Liverpool. Not a mar
aboard would enter the half deck
night or day.
As Capt. Smith came down the edg,
of the quay late one night, he saw on
OF the Athofs stern windows open
This was strange; it should be shut
A white face appeared in it, then
gray form which slowly, and will
great effort climbed down the rudde
pendants. hookednp to the transom
and slipped into the water.
That's our ghost" murdered tn
captain: but ghosts don't need t
cimt OF swim It's Billings" III
ran closer: the ghost was in trouble.