Gilpin observer., 1899-03-23

but they ridiculed the story OF the poor
man. chiefly, thought, because ut was
the yarn of Hollander."
Though l am Scotchman," began
Hislop-
"And come of people naturally su-
perstitious," suggested Weston, paren-
thetically-
"As all large-brained races are," re-
torted the mate, while filling his clay
pipe with tobacco.
well, what were you about to say?"
asked Weston. But first fill your glass
and pass over the tobacco bag"
81 was simply about to reiterate that
don't believe in ghosts, or value
| them any more than 1 do the Yankee
sea serpent. ropes end, or a piece of
old junk; l never saw one, or knew a
man who had seen one; but every one
has heard of a man that knew another
man who saw, or believed he saw, a
| ghost. 1t is at variance with the laws
of nature. which are so ordered that
no such erratic spirit can be-"
Il don't know about that" replied
Weston; earth and water have their
inhabitants so why not the air also?"
"And why not the fire?"
There you go, right before the wind,
into the troubled sea of argument
you Scotchmen are all alike"
Ghosts are at variance with the
workings of Divine wisdom, and we all
know what Jones of Nayland says
thereupon."
mo, we don't" said Weston; who
the deuce was he-what port did he
hail from?"
He who cannot see the workings
OF Divine wisdom in the order OF the
heavens, the change of the seasons, the
flowing of the tides, the operation of
the wind and other elements, the struc-
ture of the human body, the circulation
of the blood. the instincts of beasts
and the growth of plants, is sottishly
blind and unworthy the name of man."
"You hear him, Mr.. Rodney" said
Weston; now he has got both his an
chor and topsails a-trip; he can pay
out whole speeches in this fashion, all
at breath, as fast as the chain-cable
running through the hawse-pipe."
Being fresh from Eton, l was not
going to let our learned Scotch mate
have it all his own way, when Wes-
ton resumed:
"If you will listen you shall hear a
strange story in which l bore a prom
inent part"
"As the ghost?" said I.
mo; but you will soon acknowledge
whether or not l had cause for fear"
And after he had replenished his
glass and pipe, Capt. Sam Weston be-
gan in this manner:
about fifteen years ago 1 found
myself at Matanzas, in Cuba, the same
port we are bound for now-adrift,
without ship, and almost without a
penny in my pocket. among foreigners,
Spaniards and mulattoes. mestees and
quadroons, black, white and yellow.
had gone there as second mate of ship
from Boston, but the tyranny OF our
skipper wellnigh drove me mad. Dur
ing the voyage he had nearly killed
three Of our men for being slow in
sending down the top-gallant yards on
a squally night. He beat them until
they were black and blue with hand
spike. and kept them for forty-eight
hours, lashed to ringbolte in the ice
scupppers, that the sea might break
over them, as he said, and cure their
sores.
when l interfered to save a poor
cabin boy, whom he had hung up by
the heels from the mainboom. and was
scourging with a heavy colt till his
back was covered with blood, he pro-
duced bowie knife and revolver.
threating to shoot or rip me up
"Just at that moment We were pass
ing a Spanish ship Of war which was
at anchor in the bay, about half mile
from us, and had the red and yellow
jack of CASTLE and Leon flying at his
gaff peak. One of the poor fellows who
had been so severely beaten was then
in the foretop. SO hailed him to make
a signal of distress to the Spaniard."
Ito be continued.)