Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1902-12-03
A GHOST :. J:
t. ABOARD
Copyright, 1902, by C.. B. Lewis.1


We had left Cape Town 500 miles b.
hind US on our voyage home in the
English bark Eagle, when one night at
midnight came on watch, being thu
| second mate, to find the men of both
watches standing about and discuss.
ing matter in whispers. DEMANDING
to know what was the trouble, l 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 q ghost
aboard.
was of at and on again at 8
hext morning. The breeze had died
out, and we were on an even keel and
hot making over two miles an hour. It
had come 8 o'clock. The captain waa.
overhauling some papers in the cabin.
the men were at work on jobs, and I
was pacing the quarter and keeping
an eye OH bit of sail just showing 10
windward when 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 tumtled 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-
Hious. 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 kin
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 dead calm when l left
the deck. Every man of the first
mates watch was up before him. and
I 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
tioned him to be quiet or he'd go over
board. All sailors are light sleepers.
but the officers especially so, and why
1t was that neither the captain nor I
woke up during the events occurring
on deck has always been a matter of
lsurprise. The men brought the bark
to the wind, got tackles aloft and hove
out the longboat, and we slept right
along without hearing a sound They
filled two breakers of water, took such,
provisions as the cook, who was In
with them, could lay hands, on, and BY
o'clock they were 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 lashe6
to 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 Z,
ft
We were discussing the matter and:
the captain was cursing and ravin1
when strange figure emerged from,
the forecastle and came aft as far ~
the mainmast. 1t was the figure Of T.
woman, but her face was so white and
pinched. her eyes so large and CLASSY;
and she reeled about In such mannee
that l, who was nearest her, was ten;
seconds in making sure she was even.
Ia human being. The minute caught
sight of her parched lips l ran to the;
Iscuttle butt and got her panikin Of
water. 1t was only drop to her, and
| e. ho1 fully fxun so
before choked her off. Then l sig
nailed the steward, who was now act
ing as cook. and he brought big hunk
of meat and couple of biscuits. She
ate like wolf. and it was good half
hour before we could get any explana>
ton.
BY and by we had her story. She
was an Irish widow who had gone out
to the Cape to marry again, but her
left her penniless among strangers. In
this emergency she had decided to
stow herself away on homeward
bound ship and had selected the Eagle
The captain did not ''bless" her, as Z
expected. He sent her to the galley to-
act as cook, and don't think he wan
as much put out as he pretended to be-
Two days later we had half gale
and tumbling sea all day and far
into the night: We were under very
short sail, but the bark swarmed along
at 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 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 Ovex
three miles away, and with my glass
l could identify every man.
IInnn renQrting the boat to the ca11