Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-07-16
CHAPTER /.

] SEE A STRANGE SIGHT IN THE
CABIN OF THE SEA SWALLOW.
1t was getting dark when I arrived
at Southend, whittier I had journeyed
to join friend who was on board his
yacht. had unluckily missed the
train by which was expected, SO there
was no one to meet me at the station,
but knowing that my friends little
craft was to be some few hundred
yards off the pier-head, made my
way to the beach, and hailing water
man who had just come ashore in his
skiff, l asked him If he knew Mr.. Ar
thur Duncan's yacht by sight.
mo, SIR" he said. II don't know
Mr.. Duncan, nor his boat. What's her
name?"
"Ah! That can't tell you," I re-
piled. IT know she's ten-tonner and
a yawl, and that she was to be off the
pier-head, but her name don't know"
That's all right, sir" said the man
reassuringly. She's there yet. The
tides just on the turn. If you'll jump
in / can put you alongside o. her In
twenty minutes"
He was as good as his word, but
though as soon as we were within ear
shot of the yacht / hailed her with
q lusty Duncan, ahoy!" no one came
on deck in response to my summons.
81 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 skiff upon
the yachts deck, paid the waterman.
and dismissed him.
AS had been up very late the night
before, and the strong air of South
end had made me sleepy, / decided to
go below and have nap. My first idea
was to make myself comfortable upon
one of the cushioned lockers in the
cabin, but, thinking to play practical
Joke upon Duncan, disposed myself,
instead, in the empty space under the
sleeping berth in the fo'castle, covering
myself with some old tarpaulins which
had been bundled there-I suppose to
be out Of the way. The cabin was cur
tanned off from the fo'castle by heavy
plush hangings, but / managed to
arrange the tarpaulins and the hang
ings so that I should be able to see
what took place when Duncan entered
That done, settled myself for sleep.
from which was aroused by the bump
ing of boat against the yachts side.
There was a scuff1ing sound, as of
somebody clambering on board. A
voice which / did not recognize said,
Here you are, boatman," and a gruff
'"Tanl1'ee, sir" was followed by,
"Wish you goodnight" as the boat
was showed of.
The dip of the oars had scarcely
died away before another voice, which
was unknown to me, hailed us from
the water: "Sea Swallow, ahoy!"
Sea Swallow, it is" said the man
on deck, and soon second boat grated
against the yachts side and put pas
senger on board.
/ was now beginning to feel rather
uncomfortable. Should 1t turn out that
the yacht on which had SO foolishly,
concealed myself was not my friends
craft, after all, should look extremely
silly when called on to account for my
presence there. Hence need scarcely
say that / awaited the advent of the
newcomers with considerable anxiety
anxiety which was not relieved by
the fact that, instead of coming below.
they 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 a fourth and fifth,
which arrived simultaneously.
Then when sixth, and finally a
seventh, had put a passenger on board.
q voice which / had not before heard,
said:
9Come, gentlemen; let us get be-
low The tone in which the words
were spoken seemed to imply a COM
mand rather than a request, and was
certainly not that in which host
would address his guests.
But whatever might be the relations
between the speaker and the rest of the
company, the simultaneous shutting of
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 swing
ing oil lamp, and the fo'castle, where
was concealed, was entirely in dark
ness, ran very little risk Of discovery;
but all the same-when heard the
first step upon the companion ladder
which led from the, decl1-I Instructive
Iy drew back my head under the tar
paulins, where l could neither see nor
be seen.
After about half a minute | made
Bold to advance my head again, so as
to get sight of what was going on.
And such sight!
For the first moment could not be-
lieve my eyes, but was persuaded that
| was still sleeping. How else was +
to account for the sight / saw, except
by supposing that the whole business
of 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 7 heau Told