The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-10-15
A GHOST ABOARD.

L
We had left Cape Town 500 miles be-
hind us on our voyage home in the
English bark Eagle, when one night at
midnight I came on watch, being the
second male. to ind the men of both
watches standing about and discussing
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 tempted to give them a bit of
my mind. but all were so serious ami
earnest that it seemed only reasonable
10 investigate. L went into the fore
castle and spent fifteen minutes listen
ing for sounds. The bark had all plain
sail ON her and was heeled to port. and
flor the <rSt ten minutes ] heard only
the sounds of boxes ard bales rubbing
together. Then of a sudden I heard d
voice singing. 1t was a faint. faraway
voice, and I had to listen closely, but it
certainly was a human voice. 1t was
I impossible to locate ii. It seemed to
come from above as much as in any 9TH
er direction. but when l went on deck
every man denied hearing any sound up
there. 1 remembered that we had three
or four pianos aboard, on their way to
/ England to be overhauled ana returned,
and after bit I ancOunces! to the
men that it was The rubbin~ together
of these boxes that had produced the
sounds. Ny explanation no dodbt look
ed reasonable to the sailors. as nothing
more was heard about the matter tina.
night.
was off at and on again at
next morning. The breeze had died out,
and we We're on an even keel and not
making over two miles an hour. 1t had
come o clock. The captain was over
/ hauling some papers in the cabin, the
men were at work on jobs. and I was
! pacing the quarter and keeping an eye
on bit of sail Just showing to wind
ward when a shout of terror rang
through the ship.
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 moment
to contemplate going overheard. The yell
brought the captain on Deck and then he
was told of the strange noises of the
night previous. Burns declared that Il
| voice had called out to him while heewas
| below, and others then declared they had
heard woman singing. but the "oId
| man" was mad enough to kill some one
He drove them forward and ended up by
/ threatening to put any man in irons for
the rest of the voyage who let it be known
that he heard the singing again.
As the days and nights passed and our
captain heard nothing further from the
men he began to boast of how he had
solved the mystery and put Jacks super
stitions to flight The first mate and
knew better, however. The queer noises
still continued, and the men had become
so ratified that the watch below smoked
their pipes and kept very wide awake. The
discipline of the ship was being upset by
a mystery. and I am free to confess that
it was mystery which also bothered me.
On two other occasions had entered the
forecastle and plainly heard the uncanny
sounds, but was not able to locate them
to my satisfaction. 1 pretty SURE,
however, that they came from the forehold
and one afternoon 1 told the whole story
to the captain and suggested that the for
ward hatch be removed and an investiga-
ton made He flew mad at once and be-
gan berating me Tor old woman and
: a graveyard sailor Then he went for
ward among the men and told them he'd
run the bark ashore and be hanged TO
her before he'd pull off a hatch cover. He
thought that settled it, but he was mis-
taken
It was the captains watch-always held
by the first mate-from midnight to !
O'Clock next morning. 1t had become al
most a dead calm when I left the deck
Every man of the first mates watch was
up before him, and 1 noticed that none of
mine went below. What happened hale
an hour after I 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 carpenter's cautioned
2 MIN to De quiet or he'd go overheard. AL
sailors are light sleepers, but the officers
' especially SO, and why it was that neither
the captain nor I woke up during the
events occurring on deck has always
/ been a matter of surprise. The mer
= brought the bark to the wind, got tackles
e aloft and hove out the longboat, and we
/ slept right along without hearing a sound
= Ihey filled two breakers of water tool
/ such provisions as the cook, who was ir
0 with them, could lay hands on, and by
4 O CLOCK they We're away. The steward was
the only one left behind with the officers
1 After the men left Mr.. Groat made efforts
10 Tree himself, but without avail HI
/ could not even roll along the deck as hs
had been dashed to a ring bolt At hall
:, past o'clock the captain awoke ant
I went on deck, and when the whole affair
l / became plain to him he nearly fell dowr
in fit
Il We were discussing the matter and tn,
= captain was cursing and raving when
: strange figure emerged from the forecast,
+ and came aft as far the mainmast I
. was the figure of a woman, but her fac,
. was so white and pinched, her eyes s,
4 large and CLASSY and she reeled about il
V such manner that I, who was .neares
It her, was ten seconds in making sure sh
l. was even human being. The minute
e caught sight of her parched Fps / raj
= to the scuttle butt and got her panikil
Y OF water 1t was only a drop to her. an
d she had swallowed fully two quarts befor
ehoked her off Then I signaled iii
t. steward. who was now acting as cook
Y and he brought big hunk of meat an
couple of biscuits. She ate like a wolf
of and it was good half hour before w
y could get any explanation.
y BY and by we had her story. She wa
l. an Irish widow who had gone out to tn
Cape to marry again. but her lover ha
gone back on his word and left her PENN
T. less among strangers. In this emergenc
,. she had decided to stow herself away o
l a homeward bound ship and had selecte
the Eagle. The captain did not bless
- her. as | expected. He sent her to tn
Fl galley to act as cook, and I don't thiu
n he was as much put out as he pretende
"a to be. Two days later we had half a gal
IA and a tumbling all day and far int
81 the night. We were under very short sal
81 but the bark swarmed along at goo