The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1914-12-25
A:.Saior's ~
. Ghost Yam
b. MllLARD NAL THE

VI" you oue euaI give JOo al ice
berg chill"
"A ghost storyY"
Yes, ana II story OF q real ghost I
didn't see II myself. but | see the man
that seen 1t and where he was a.Iook
in at It. too. and ne tole me-"
How did o know ne WASH,
YIN
How do I KNOW that: DID you
ever see d man that was seem n
ghosti No! Well. when you do youlI
know there's no mistaki what hes
loOkln" at.
ITO begin at the right end o this
yere yarn | must say that in the day
when ships broke out with u cloud O
canvas agin the blue sky. instead o
movin under a lot o. greasy mnchln
cry below, | sailed before the mast ~
a full rugged brig in the China trade
There want no Sue canal IN them
days, and to git around the African
east coast d was obliged to double
the Cape Of Good Hope.
One . our crew was a Teller thai
none of IFS felt like messin' with very
clOst. though he didn't seem to want
to mess with rs neither. He had II
hangdOg look about him, and II any
body come up behind him, student
like. he would start as II be was afraid
he was goin' to git a knife in his ribs
There was stories about him among
the men. though they was whispered
and couldn't be tracked down to u
startin point One of en- was. If I
don't disremember wrong. that be had
shipped on a pirate in the West Indies
That might a been. for be was more Il
ffty years old. and that would throw
him pretty nigh back into the century
afore the last. when the pirates IN
these waters vas still crnisin'
"MurdOck was his name-Joe Muir
dock. We didn't call him by his first
name. as we did another, but Muir
dock. which was part because he was
So much older than we and part be
cause be wasn't One of US any way
Well. one day when w was maxim
nOrtherd along the east Goa of AT
rfcy | was m o the watch. and ~
was Murdoch We was on the fo'cas
tie. we two. collin ropes. when We me&
a Dutchman that passed us SO zeal W.
could see everybody there was on deck
torable plain
"AlI Of a student Murdoch caught
at the capstan. and | thort he was
goin to fall on the deck. Thinkin
he'd been took sick, l caught ahoi,
o him. and. lookin' into his face. !
saw the most onearthly-- well. 1t was
what I was tellin' you at fust. He
was starin' straight at the Dntchman
amidships. where there want nobody
and was shiverin' as II struck by an
ar'tic wind. His eyes follered the
Dutchman while she was sailin past:
then be fell into my arms like q lump
u lead.
The second mate seen me holdin
MIN up and come along to see wha,
was the matter. l toie him Murdoch
had been TOKEN sick. and be called
some men to help carry him below
but he come to himself and. braciD
up, tole the mate he had had q dizzy
spell and II be would send me With
him nobody else would be needed /
supported him down. and when be got
to his bunk be tirst covered his eyes
With hfs hands awhile: then be says
to me:
Ibid you see a man on the Dutch
man amidships ieanin' owe thu gun
wallet
mo I only saw the man at the
wheel. some men holystonin the after
deck and u man aioft In he fo'mOst
rtggin
Murdoch looked up as II he was 60
in to collapse.
Lyon mougbt Jest az vel, ont with
It. l says to him
And be did. though be wouldn't .
done it unless he'd been In the shivers
He tole ne that when y very young
man he had sailed With q Cap'n Web
ster; that the cap'n was mighty friend
" and bad promised to make bin an
officer One day they vas captured
BY q pirate on the Spanish main. They
was all required to walk the plank, but
Murdoch saved bis life by oferiD' to
tell where there was q treasure boz
concealed on the ship. and to join tn,
pirate crew. When Cap'n Webster
stepped OF the plank be bad turned
and looked ut Murdock- Jest looked
at him. didn't say nothin.
But Murdock never forgot that look
He served u year with the pirates
the only man Of bis ships crew ,efi
live. then made bis escape.
"'Sinrr then. said Murdoch. I've
sailin vet the worlds waters
the horrible secret And every
In awhile when. u ship passes !
Cap'n Webster iookin ut me
sometimes In the ~fo'castle. sometimes
IN the riggtD sometimes over the tat
fri. but whatever place ne takes It's
always where there's no one else. And
be always gives me that same look a.
when be turned and saw me Just b.
fore be was goin' down into q watery
The old man stopped ana there was
among bis listeners. Presently