Rock Island Argus., 1902-12-09
DAILY SHORT STORY
A Ghost Aboard.
1sO2. by g. u. Lewis ]

English bark Eagle, when one night at
second mate, to find the men of both
watches standing about and discuss
ing a matter in whispers. Demanding
to know what was the trouble, 1 was
told that strange, uncanny noises had
been heard in the forecastle several
times during the night and that it was
the general belief we had a ghost
aboard.
L was off at and on again at 8
next morning. The breeze had died
out, and we were on an even keel and
not making over two miles an hour. 1t
had come 8 o'clock. The captain was
overhauling some papers in the cabin,
the men were at work on jobs, and L
was pacing the quarter and keeping
an eye on a bit of sail just showing to
windward when a shout of terror rang
through the ship.
A hand named Thomas Burns had
been into the forepeak after something
wanted on deck, and it was he who
called out as he tumbled up and
seemed for a moment to contemplate
going overheard. The yell brought the
captain on deck, and then he was told
of the strange noises of the night pre-
vious. Burns declared that voice
had called out to him while he was
below, and others then declared they
had heard a woman singing, but the
''old man" was mad enough to kill
some one.
1t was the captains watch-always
held by the first mate-from midnight
to O'Clock next morning. 1t had be-
come almost a dead calm when 1 left
the deck. Every man of the first
mates watch was up before him, and
L noticed that none of mine went be-
low. What happened half an hour
after had turned in gave the captain
the greatest surprise of his life. Mr..
Groat, the first mate. was pacing the
quarter when he was suddenly seized,
gagged and bound, and a voice, which
he recognized as the carpenters, eau
toned him to be quiet or he'd go over
board. All sailors are light sleepers,
but the officers especially SO, and why
it was that neither the captain nor l
woke up during the events occurring
on deck has always been u matter OF
surprise. The men brought the bark
" lAe HlhI, SOl ldChlcS uIOll uuu uONO
out the longboat, and we slept right
along without hearing a sound. They
filed two breakers of water, took such
provisions as the cook, who was in
with them. could lay hands on, and by
1 o'clock they We're away. The stew
ard was the only one left behind with
the officers. After the men left Mr..
Groat made efforts to free himself, but
without avail. He could not even roll
along the deck, as he had been lashed
to q ringbolt. At half past 6 o'clock
the captain awoke and went on deck.
and when the whole affair became
plain to him he nearly fell down in a
fit.
We were discussing the matter and
the captain was curSipg and raving
when a strange figure emerged from
the forecastle and came aft as far as
the mainmast. 1t was the figure of
woman, but her face was so white and
pinched, her eyes so large and CLASSY
and she reeled about in such a manner
that 1, who was nearest her, was ten
seconds in making sure she was even
a human being. The minute 1 caught
sight of her parched lips l ran to the
scuttle butt and got her n panikin of
water. 1t was only a drop to her, and
she had swallowed fully two quarts
before 1 choked her off. Then L sig
nailed the steward, who was now act
ing as cook, and he brought big hunk
of meat and a couple of biscuits. She
ate like wolf, and it was a good half
hour before we could get any explana-
ton.
By and by we bad her story. She
was an Irish widow who had gone out
to the Cape to marry again, but her
lover had gone back on his word and
left her penniless among strangers. In
this emergency she had decided to
stow herself away on n homeward
bound ship and had selected the Eagle.
The captain did not bless her, as 1
expected. He sent her to the galley to
act as cook, and 1 don't think he was
as much put out as he pretended to be.
Two days later we had half n gale
and a tumbling sea all day and far
into the night. We were under very
short sail, but the bark swarmed along
at a good rate of speed. The captain
meant to keep our course and speak
the first sail we met, ask for two or
three men and touch at Sierra Leone.
At sunrise of the third day I went
aloft to sweep the sea, and the very
first object to catch my eye was our
longboat. She was to the eastward
and windward of us and bearing down
across our course. She wasn't over
three miles away, and with my glass
1 could identify every man.
Upon reporting the boat to the cap
tain he swore by the big horn spoon
that he'd not take a man aboard, but
when the boat had come within hail
he changed his mind, and her crew was
soon tumbled over the rail and glad to
get aboard. They had gone off intend
ing to make the coast, but had forgot
ten to take a compass. and had been