The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1914-12-25
A Sailors s
Ghost Yam
3, MlLL.ARD MALTBIE

"You want a yarn. mates7" said the
old salt He was somewhere between
eighty Eve and ninety years old. "Well
IN tell you one that'n give you an tee
! berg chilli"
"A ghost storyT'
-Yes. ana a story OF a real ghost I
didn't see 1t myself. but see the man
that seen II and where he was a-look
In at 1t, too. and he toIe me-"
"How did you know be wasn't
iyinY'
How did know thatf DID you
ever see man that was seem a
ghost? No? Well. when you do you'll
know there's no mista kin what ne's
loOkin' at
''TO begin at the right end O this
yere yarn | must say that In the day
when ships broke out with clond O
canvas agtn the blue sky. instead q
movin under lot o. greasy machin
cry below. sailed before the mast In
full rigged brig In the China trade.
There want no Suez canal In them
days, and to. git around the African
east coast one was obliged to double
the Cape Of Good Hope.
Zone o our crew was a feller that
none of US felt like messin' with very
clost, though he didn't seem to want
to mess with ns neither. He mad
hangdOg look about him, and II any.
body come up behind him, suddent-
like, he would start as if he was afraid
he was gOin' to git knife In his ribs
There was stories about him among
the men, though they was whispered
and couldn't be tracked down to a
startin' point One of 'em was, II
don't disremember wrong, that he had
shipped on pirate In the West Indies.
That might a been. for he was mOren
flfty years old. and that would throw
him pretty nigh back into the century
afOre the last, when the pirates In
: these waters was still cruisin'.
: Murdoch was his name-Joe Muir
dock. We didn't call him by his first
name. as we did one another, but Muir
dock. which was part because he was
30 much older than we and part be
cause he wasn't one OF us anyway
Well, one day when we was maxim
northerd along the east coast Of Ar
ricy | was one q the watch, ana so
was Murdoch. We was on the fO'cas
tie. we two. collin ropes, when We me,
Dutchman that passed us so near we
, could see everybody there was on decs
tOrable plain.
"All Of a suddent Murdock caught
at the capstan. and l thort ne was
goin' to fall on the deck Thiukin
he'd been took sick. caught ahOlt
O. him. and, lookin into his face !
saw the most Onearthly well. It was
, what ! was tellin' you at fust He
was starin' straight at the DutchmaD
amidships. where there want nobody.
and was shiverin' as II struck by an
+ ar'tic wind. His eyes follered the
r Dutchman while she was sailin past;
then be fell into my arms like lump
q lead.
'The second mate seen me holdin'
l him up and come along to see what
a was the matter. I t0le him Murdoch
had been tooken sick. and he called
/. some men to help carry him below
but he come to himself and. bracin
up, tole the mate be had had dizzy
spell and II he would send me with
him nobody else would 0e needed.
:, supported him down. and when he gOl
!. to his bunk he drst covered his eyes
with bis hands awhile; then he says
to me:
"'Did you see q man on the Dutch
l. man amidships ieanin' over the gun
waller
a "'N0. I only saw the man at the
wheel. some men holystOnin' the after
: deck and man aloft In the r0'm0sl
riggin'.'
l. "Murdock looked up az u he was 60
In to collapse.
i. "'You mOught Jest az well out will
il IT, says to him.
sand he did. though he wouldn't a
done 1t unless he'd been In the shivers
He t0le me that when very younl
s man he had sailed with Il Cap'n Web
9 ster; that the capn was mighty friend
II ly and had promised to make hin al
officer One day they was captures
by pirate ON the Spanish main. The!
was all required to walk the plank. Du
, Murdoch saved his life by Otferin Il
II tell where there was treasure boz
concealed on the ship. and to join tn
>. pirate crew. When Cap'n Webste
' stepped OF the plank he had turnet
and looked at Murdock-jest lOoket
" at him; didn't say notbin.
a "But Murdoch never forgot that look
IS He served year with the pirates
the only man OF his ships crew lef
10 alive, then made his escape.
:. Since then. said Murdoch, Tv
~ been sailin' over the world's water
s. keepin' the horrible secret And ever
oncst In awhile when ship passes
10 sees Cap'n Webster loolin' at me
n sometimes IN the fo'castie, sometime
In the rtggin', sometimes over the ta
;, fril. but whatever place be takes It
= always where there's no one else An
10 be always gives me that same look a
ar vu,hav, he, f,sp nh Fvnu dr,0f Ia