The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-06-09
THE HAUNTED BRIG.

1t was on beautiful moonlight night
when We were in the tropics as was har
and fast in the Ice of the launch, very bus
sleeping, that my person was saluted an,
my nap cut short by kick from old Harr
Wilson, one of our quartermasters "Hau
your wind out of this" said he. "You'v
watched tho cable long enough. Heav
and weigh. ! don't care if come to al
anchor" and, SO saying, he took posses
sion of my moorings, but as he carriet
too many guns for me there was nothing
to be said, and quietly submitted ant
prevailed on him to spin yarn.
The scene was in complete keeping will
the subject; the full, beautiful, tropica
moon shone in unclouded splendor and ole
Ocean lay outstretched basking in hi
effulgence, lulling himself to sleep with
his own eternal anthem, 1.-THE moonlight
music of the waves.''
Our ship, as beautiful sloop-of.war OF
ever carried the stars and stripes to BIZ
worshiped and feared by distant lands
was quietly blowing her way through the
almost unrutiled surface of tho deep. The
wind was fair, though light, and our i'm.
mense folds of spotless canvas were
spread before it, glistening in the moon
beams, and ever and anon crimsoned with
the phosphorescent illumination Of the
ocean, SO common in the tropics. Our
decks were nearly silent; the sailors lay
around In groups, dreaming, either Sleep
ing or waking, of that happy home and
all Its endearments, to which we were
rapidly fastening, for, delightful truth,
the sloop-of.war was "homeward bound. !"
Those "who live at home at ease" can
form no estimate of the delicious sensa-
tons caused by those two words in the
bosom OF the poor sailor far away on the
deep. In cold or heat, in storm or tenn
pest, "homeward bound'' Is the soother of
all Affections, the watchword of joy. The
man at the wheel when relieved would
say: cher course is north, Jack. Home
ward bound" Such was the state of
things on our decks when old Wilson,
having taken fresh quid and worked up
his reckoning, began his yarn.
Its many years now since I one day
drifted along down 70 Pine street wharf in
New York and saw there Baltimore built
brig, called the Rising Sun. She was as
neat and pretty a craft as an old tar would
wish to clap eyes on-clinker built, black
hull and painted ports with long, heavy,
raking masts and black yards-she looked
like a real clipper. Thinks I, that's the
stuff for trousers; SO shipped aboard of
her and the next day we were at sea.
For the first week we had fair winds
and everything went on regular, but after
that there began to be the deuce to pay.
One night when we were sailing along,
with just wind enough to give her storage
way, crash went something aloft, and
man on the top hailed the first mate,
'Mainyard's carried away in the sings,
SIR 'Mainyard carried away?' growled
tho mate. Why, hang it, there is not a
capful of wind aloft. 'Mainyard carried
awayP said the old man, sticking his head
up the companionway. why, the deuce's
in the brigl'
He was right; the deuce was in the
big, as we found to our sorrow
''We turned to and slung the yard again
and got everything snug, and went on our
course, but we didn't feel easy, and one
fellow began to tell how he had heard in
Philadelphia of q brig called the Rising
Sun which was haunted, but he didn't
eAiiNt Al 4NOW oIhI tllub Ullb WAS UH6 O1le,
and SO had said nothing. Well, we were
talking and guessing about it, when this
same fellow, Starboard Tom, sang out 80
sudden that We all jumped up as II the
brig was afire. 4 say, shipmates,' says
he, IN tell you how we'll know If this Is
tho same craft. That Philadelphia brig
had red spot on the deck of her fo'oastle
as big as a mans head, close by the
.amidships.' We all ran down
into tho fo'castle, and there, sure enough,
at the foot of the midships stanehion was
u dark rod spot-a spot of blood 'Tom,'
says we, how came that there?'
Why, says he, I was told in Philadel-
phia that the crew mutinized at sea two or
three year, ago and when the captain came
down into the fo'castle to see sick man
one of the ringleaders killed him with an
ax and that spot Is where his head struck
when he fell. The crew robbed the brig
and left her and she was picked up by
states man -of-war and taken into Philadel-
3hia and lay long time OF the wharf and
Nobody would ship in her And s pose
when the owners found they couldn't get
my hands for her there they sent her round /
% New York to man her and so we're all
tucked in!'
II shall never forget how felt that i
light amt afraid Of anything as long
IS can sec it, But to be aboard vessel
hats haunted can't stand that
1--WE went on for two OF three DAYS OK
ecting that something more would hap
len, when one day about dusk the car
enter went down into the 70 castle to get
out of his chest. He was big,
rave fellow, who didn't care for anything,
nd had said all along that he did not be-
eVe the brig was haunted at ALL He had
cen down there but about five min
ties when we heard q little noise, as if a
1an was strangling and trying to call for
clip, and the next thing we heard yell
agony and the carpenter burst up the
atch, his eyes all black, his throat black
nd blue, his mouth wide open, and his
yes standing out of his head, and looking
ack, as If something was chasing him, he
'reamed ont, oh, God, he's choking mel
nd fell senseless on deck. Well, some
IN for one thing and some for another,
nd after working at him long time he
me to. When he was little better, we
ked him what was the matter.
Why, says he, trembling all over,
7hen had got what l wanted out of my
lest turned into my berth, and as I
lied over, thought heard something
owing in the 70 castle, so turned round
see who 1t was, when I was knocked
ok into my bunk, and felt two hands
oking me, though could not see any
ing, and tried to get away, but could
IT STIR But just as began to give up I
Il something on my cheek like q mans
Id breath, and then the hands let go,
ID sang out and ran on deck.
THAT was enough for us. We all felt as
VIC were In fix. That night no uno
mt into the castle, but we all lay on
Ok in the lee of the long boat. Star