Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1903-12-19
CHAPTER 1.

u Southend. whittier l had 1ourneyed
% Join a friend who was on board his
Yacht I had unlucllily missed the
brain by which I was expected. so there
Vas no one to meet me at the station.
bot knowing that my friends little
traft was to be some few hundred
yards of the pier-head. made my
way to the beach, and hailing water
snan who had just come ashore In his
skif, asked him If he knew Mr.. Ar
fAur Duncan's yacht by sight.
mo. Sir" he said. 81 don't know
&r. Duncan. nor his boat What's her
aame?"
~Ahl That l can't tell you." I re-
piled. 81 know she's a ten-tonner and
Q yawi, and that she was to be off the
Sier-head. but her name don't know"
That's all right, sir" said the man
seassuringly. shes there yet The
Nds's Just on the turn. II you'll jump
In can put you alongside o. her in
twenty minutes"
lie was as good as his word, but
though as soon as we were within ear
shot OF the yacht l hailed her with
q TASTY Duncan, ahoyi" no one came
Il suppose my friend has gone ashore
perhaps to look for me-and has
taken his skipper with him. He must
have done so, because see that the
dinghy's gone, Never mind, I'll go
aboard and wait for him" Saying
which scrambled from the skin upon
The yachts deck, paid the waterman,
and dismissed him.
As l had been up very late the night
bsfore. ard the strong air OF South
md had made me sleepy. decided to
30 below and have nap. My first idea
was to make myself comfortable upon
sDs OF the cushioned lockers In the
cabin. but. thinking to play a practical
joke upon Duncan, disposed myself,
Instead. In the empty space under the
sleeping berth In the fo'castle, covering
nysaN with some old tarpauiins which
Dad been bundled there-I suppose to
be out OF the way. The cabin was cur
kained of from the fo'castle by heavy
plush hangings, but / managed TO
arrange the tarpaulins and the hang
fnEs so that l should be able 10 see
what took place when Duncan entered.
That done, l settled myself for sleep.
kom which I was aroused by the bump
ing OF a boat against the yachts side.
There was scuffling sound, as of
somebody clambering on board. A
voice which did not recognize said.
Here you are, boatman," and a gran
'STaniS'ee. sir" was followed by,
wish you goodnight" as the boat
WAS showed off.
) dihe dip of the oars had scarcely
died away before another voice. which
was unknown to me, hailed us from
sho water: Sea Swallow. ahoyi"
Sea Swallow, it is" said the man
on Geek, and soon a second boat grated
against the yachts side and put a pas
senger On board.
I was now beginning TO feel rather
uncomfortable. Should II turn out that
the yacht on which ! had so foolshly
concealed myself was not my friends
craft. after all, ! should look extremely
silly when called on to account for my
presence there. Hence 1 need scarcely
say that l awaited the advent of the
newcomers with considerable anxiety
anxiety which was not relieved by
the fact that, instead OF coming below.
tAey remained on deck talking together
In tones so low that / could not catch
their words.
By-and-by one of the two said,
Here's another dinghy" and soon a
third boat ran alongside of us, followed
not long after by fourth and fifth,
which arrived simultaneously.
Then when a sixth, and finally a
seventh. had put passenger on board.
q voice which had not before heard,
said:
Come, gentlemen; let Us get be-
lowS' The tone in which the words
were spoken seemed TO imply O. COM
nand rather than request. and was
Gertainly not that in which a host
would address his guests,
But whatever might be the relations
setwsen the speaker and the rest of the
company. the simultaneous shutting NJ
feet overhead told me that the proposal
to adjourn to the cabin had received
the assent of the meeting.
AS the cabin was lighted by a swing
log oil lamp, and the fo'castIe, where
WcaS CoHOSdlSus WdS enl1relY In dark
ness, l ran very little risk of discovery:
bat all the same-when / heard the
FIRST step upon the companion ladder
which led from the deck-I Instructive
~ drew back my head under the tar
paulins, where / could neither see nor
be seen
After about half a minute I made
bold to advance my head again, so as
10 get sight of what was going on.
And such sight
Fer the first moment could not be-
heve my eyes, but was persuaded that
l was SELL sleeping. How else was I
TO account for the sight / saw, except
by supposing that the whole business
q the seven boats, each carrying a
mysterious passenger, was a dream of
which the present scene was a con-
tinuation.
Standing around the table were seven
men, all so exactly alike that l should
not have been surprised had been told
that 1 was looking at one man sur
rounded by six facsimiles OF himself.
No one who had seen that SIGHT