Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1902-02-22
The Haunted Ship.

but II is exceedingly difficult to get them
at first hand: that is to say, from per
sons who, have actually seen the ghosts;
this may be the reason why they have
fallen into discredit with the dubious.
|, once, however. heard story of the
kind from one who came within an ace
of being an eyewitness. and who be-
lieved in it most honestly. He was n
worthy captain of the sea, native of
Nantucket, at any rate. "a place noted
for its breeed of hardy mariners. / met
him in the ancient city of Seville. Our
conversation one day turned upon the
wonders and adventures of the sea;
when he informed me that. among his
multitudious cruisings, he had once
made voyage ON a haunted ship. 1t
| was a vessel that had been met with.
drifting, half dismantled, about the sea
near the Gulf of Florida. between the
mainland and the Bahama banks. Those
who went on board her found her with
out a living soul OH board; the hatch
ways were broken open; the cargo had
been rified; the decks. were covered
with blood; the. shrouds and rigging
were smeared with the same, as If some
wretched beings had been massacred as
they chung to them; 1t was evident that
the ship had been. plundered by pirates.
and. to all appearance. the crew had
been murdered and thrown overheard.
The ship was taken possession of by
the finders, and successfully brought to
Boston; but the timid sailors who navi
gated her TO port declared that they
would not make another such voyage for
all the wealth of Peru. They had been
harrassed the whole way by the ghosts
Of the murdered crew. who at night
would appear. and perform all the usual
duties of the ship.
As no harm had resulted from this
ghostlv seamanship, the story was
treated lightly. and the ship, was fitted
out for another voyage; but when ready
for sea. no sailors could be found to EN-.
bark in her.
She lay for some. time in Boston har
Dor, regarded by the superstitious sea-
men as a fated ship; and there she
might have rotted. had. not the. worthy
captain. who related to me the story,
undertaken to command her. He sue
ceeded in getting some hardy tars. who
stood less in awe of ghosts. to accompany
him. and his brother.in.law sailed with
him as chief mate.
When the. had got fairly to-. sea. the
hobgoblin crew began to play their
pranks. At night there would be such
a racketiDg and rummaging. as if the
whole cargo was being overhauled; and
sometimeseit seemed as if the ballast
was shifted fromfside to side. All this
was heard with dismay by the sailors;
and the captains. brother. law. who
appears to have been very sagacious
man. was exceedingly touched at it. AS
to the captain himself. he honestly con.
fessed to me that he never saw nor
heard anything; but that he slept sound
ly, and, when once asleep. was hard to
awaken.
Notwithstanding all these ghostly
vagaries. the ship arrived safe at the
destined end of her voyage. which was
one of the South American rivers under
the line. The captain proposed to go in
his boat to a town some distance up the
river, leaving his ship in charge of his
brother in law The latter said he would
anchor her opposite to an island in the
river. where he could go on shore at
night, and yet be at hand to keep guard
upon her; but that nothing should
tempt him to sleep on board. The crew
all swore the same. The captain could
not reasonably object to such an ar
rangement; so the ship was anchored
opposite to the island. and the captain
departed on his expedition.
For time all went well: the brother
in-law and his sagaciouS comrades regu-
larly abandoned the ship at nightfall.
and slept on shore; the ghosts then took
command. aud the ship remained quietly
at anchor as though she had been man
ned by living bodies instead of hobgob.
lin spirits. One night, however. the
captains $ brother.i in-law was awakened
by tremendous storm. He hastened
TO the shore. The sea was lashed up in
foaming and roaring surges; the rain
came in torrents-the lightning flashed
the thunder pealed. 1t was one OF
those sudden tempests only known ut
the tropics. The captains brother. in
law cast rueful glance at the poor toss
ing and laboring ship. He saw numbers
of uncouth beings busy about her, who
were only to be described by the flashes
of lightning or by pale fires that glided
about the rigging; he heard occasionally
the piping of bOatswain's whistle, or
the believing of hoarse voice through
speaking-trumpet.
| The ghosts were evidently striving TO
save the ship; but tropical storm Is
sometimes an over.match for ghost, or
goblin, or even the-himself In a
word, the ship parted cables. drove he,
fore the wind, stranded on the rocks
and there she had laid her bones.
When the captain returned from his
expedition up the river he found his
late gallant vessel mere hulk, and re-
| ceiyed this wonderful account of her