The Portland daily press., 1899-05-31
The Ghosts Visit

we were IN tne soutn AtianllC OCEAN, III
the latitude of the island of Fernando
Norohma, about 40 degrees 10 minutes
south, on board the barge H. G. johnson
homeward bound from Australia was
the only passenger, and we had safely
rounded Cape Horn, with the barometer
at 90 degrees Is minutes, and yet had
somehow miraculously escaped any ex-
tremely heavy gale-had had light north
erly and easterly winds till we reached 90
degrees, and thence the southeast trades
were sending us fast on our way to the
equator. sat on deck smoking my pipe,
with q glorious full moon shedding Its
bright pathway across the blue waters and
chatting with the first mate, a man some
90 years of age, who had followed the sea
since he was boy. For 20 years or more
he had been mate or captain, and many
and varied were the experiences he could
relate. A thorough sailor and skillful
navigator, he was as honest as the day Is
long-had heart as big as an OK and was
an all round good fellow and genial COM
panion. Some of his yarns might be taken
cum grnno sails, yet he always positively
assured me that he Twas telling me the
truth" An account of a voyage that he
made in a whaler from the southern ocean
to New Bedford seemed to me worthy to
be repeated. He had rounded Cape Horn
six times and the Cape of Good Hope 26
times, besides making many trips across
the western ocean and to South American
ports. 1 give his account as near as posi-
BILE in his own words:
"It was in 1871 that I commanded the
bal Ta bod mt fror,,
home over three years and had on board a
full cargo of whale oil, besides 1000
pounds of whalebone, which was then
worth s5 per pound. also had been for
tunate enough to find in a dead whale
which we came across large quantity Of
ambergris, and our hearts were all very
light as we began our homeward voyage,
and our thoughts all tended to the hearty
welcome which we should receive from
wives and sweethearts when we reached
our journeys end. Many night as l lay
in my berth l had thought with great
pleasure of the amount of money that
would be coming to me from the proceeds
of our voyage when we arrived in New
Bedford
IL calculated that had made s12, 1000
as my share of the proceeds of the whale
bone and oil, to say nothing of the am
bergris, which l well knew would bring
at least $50, 900, and one-half of which be-
longed to me. You can therefore imagine
that was well pleased with myself as we
went bounding along through the south
east trades We crossed the equator in
longitude SO and soon after took strong
northeast trades, and all was going as well
as I could wish. We had put the ship in
perfect order, painted her inside and out,
and you would never have recognized her
as the old whaling ship that had for three
years been plying the southern ocean for
whales. Never shall forget an old bull
whale that we tackled about two degrees
to the south of Cape Horn-but that is
another story, which 1 will give you an
other time.
1--WE had just lost the northeast trades
and were entering the gulf stream. 1 sat
in my cabin with my chart on the table
before me rolled up. / had just picked
our location on it and was thinking that
In a week more 1 should be at home, sur
rounded by those near and dear to me and
relating to them the story of my great
good fortune.
SIT was always my custom to work up
my latitude and longitude about o'clock
in the afternoon and then after supper
prick off her position on the chart, have q
smoke and perhaps just before retiring a
nip of grog. and then at $50 O'Clock, as
regular as a clock, would turn in.
II am great smoker, and this day l
had been smoking all the afternoon, be-
sides having had two or three nips. We
had a dog on board which we called
'Bosun, who had been out with us all the
VOYAGE and who was afraid of nothing
He had endeared himself to every man on
board, and when Bosun took water some
thing very serious was in the wind. This
night as l sat in the cabin heard most
dismal howl from Bosun and called out to
the mate to know what was the matter
with the dog. He replied that he 'reck-
oned some of the men had been teasing
him, and the occurrence soon passed from
my mind.
"Suddenly saw some one coming down
the after companionway into the cabin.
/ supposed at first it was the mate and
wondered that he had not first spoken to
me, but then l noticed that he wore
clothes had never seen on the mate, and
as he advanced into the cabin l saw his
face 1t was the face of man had never
seen in my life. He was thin and pale
and haggard, and as he advanced he look
ed about the cabin and at the rolled up
chart on the table There seemed to be an
appeal in his eyes, and then there swept
ever his face look of intense disappoint-
ment, and before / could move or speak
he had vanished from my sight
"Now, am very practical man, and
at once Strengthened myself in my chair
and said to myself, We'll, old man, you
have smoked one too many pipes today, or
else you have had one drink too much, for
you have been asleep in your chair and
seen a ghost ! was quite satisfied that
had had dream, especially as l called to
the mate and asked him if he had seen any
one come below He said no; that he had
not left the deck for the last hour, and
the man at the wheel directly in front of
the door was sure no one had entered the
cabin, SO 1 convinced myself that l had
had very vivid dream, though l could
not help thinking of the matter all through
the next day.
"At o'clock the next evening sat in
the same place with my work just finish
ed and the chart lying rolled up on the