The Ghost Pirates

by William Hope Hodgson

  III

  The Man up the Main

  It occurred in the first watch, just after six bells. I was forward,sitting on the fore-hatch. No one was about the maindeck. The night wasexceedingly fine; and the wind had dropped away almost to nothing, sothat the ship was very quiet.

  Suddenly, I heard the Second Mate's voice--

  "In the main-rigging, there! Who's that going aloft?"

  I sat up on the hatch, and listened. There succeeded an intense silence.Then the Second's voice came again. He was evidently getting wild.

  "Do you damn well hear me? What the hell are you doing up there? Comedown!"

  I rose to my feet, and walked up to wind'ard. From there, I could seethe break of the poop. The Second Mate was standing by the starboardladder. He appeared to be looking up at something that was hidden fromme by the topsails. As I stared, he broke out again:

  "Hell and damnation, you blasted sojer, come down when I tell you!"

  He stamped on the poop, and repeated his order, savagely. But there wasno answer. I started to walk aft. What had happened? Who had gone aloft?Who would be fool enough to go, without being told? And then, all atonce, a thought came to me. The figure Tammy and I had seen. Had theSecond Mate seen something--someone? I hurried on, and then stopped,suddenly. In the same moment there came the shrill blast of the Second'swhistle; he was whistling for the watch, and I turned and ran to thefo'cas'le to rouse them out. Another minute, and I was hurrying aft withthem to see what was wanted.

  His voice met us half-way:

  "Up the main some of you, smartly now, and find out who that damned foolis up there. See what mischief he's up to."

  "i, i, Sir," several of the men sung out, and a couple jumped into theweather rigging. I joined them, and the rest were proceeding to follow;but the Second shouted for some to go up to leeward--in case the fellowtried to get down that side.

  As I followed the other two aloft, I heard the Second Mate tell Tammy,whose time-keeping it was, to get down on to the maindeck with the other'prentice, and keep an eye on the fore and aft stays.

  "He may try down one of them if he's cornered," I heard him explain. "Ifyou see anything, just sing out for me, right away."

  Tammy hesitated.

  "Well?" said the Second Mate, sharply.

  "Nothing, Sir," said Tammy, and went down on to the maindeck.

  The first man to wind'ard had reached the futtock shrouds; his head wasabove the top, and he was taking a preliminary look, before venturinghigher.

  "See anythin', Jock?" asked Plummer, the man next above me.

  "Na'!" said Jock, tersely, and climbed over the top, and so disappearedfrom my sight.

  The fellow ahead of me, followed. He reached the futtock rigging, andstopped to expectorate. I was close at his heels, and he looked down tome.

  "What's up, anyway?" he said. "What's 'e seen? 'oo're we chasin' after?"

  I said I didn't know, and he swung up into the topmast rigging. Ifollowed on. The chaps on the lee side were about level with us. Underthe foot of the topsail, I could see Tammy and the other 'prentice downon the maindeck, looking upwards.

  The fellows were a bit excited in a sort of subdued way; though I aminclined to think there was far more curiosity and, perhaps, a certainconsciousness of the strangeness of it all. I know that, looking toleeward, there was a tendancy to keep well together, in which Isympathised.

  "Must be a bloomin' stowaway," one of the men suggested.

  I grabbed at the idea, instantly. Perhaps--And then, in a moment, Idismissed it. I remembered how that first thing had stepped over therail _into the sea. That_ matter could not be explained in such amanner. With regard to this, I was curious and anxious. I had seennothing this time. What could the Second Mate have seen? I wondered.Were we chasing fancies, or was there really someone--something real,among the shadows above us? My thoughts returned to that thing, Tammyand I had seen near the log-reel. I remembered how incapable the SecondMate had been of seeing anything then. I remembered how natural it hadseemed that he should not be able to see. I caught the word "stowaway"again. After all, that might explain away _this_ affair. It would----

  My train of thought was broken suddenly. One of the men was shouting andgesticulating.

  "I sees 'im! I sees 'im!" He was pointing upwards over our heads.

  "Where?" said the man above me. "Where?"

  I was looking up, for all that I was worth. I was conscious of a certainsense of relief. "It is _real_ then," I said to myself. I screwed myhead round, and looked along the yards above us. Yet, still I could seenothing; nothing except shadows and patches of light.

  Down on deck, I caught the Second Mate's voice.

  "Have you got him?" he was shouting.

  "Not yet, Zur," sung out the lowest man on the lee side.

  "We sees 'im, Sir," added Quoin.

  "I don't!" I said.

  "There 'e is agen," he said.

  We had reached the t'gallant rigging, and he was pointing up to theroyal yard.

  "Ye're a fule, Quoin. That's what ye are."

  The voice came from above. It was Jock's, and there was a burst oflaughter at Quoin's expense.

  I could see Jock now. He was standing in the rigging, just below theyard. He had gone straight away up, while the rest of us were mooningover the top.

  "Ye're a fule, Quoin," he said, again, "And I'm thinking the Second'sjuist as saft."

  He began to descend.

  "Then there's no one?" I asked.

  "Na'," he said, briefly.

  As we reached the deck, the Second Mate ran down off the poop. He cametowards us, with an expectant air.

  "You've got him?" he asked, confidently.

  "There wasn't anyone," I said.

  "What!" he nearly shouted. "You're hiding something!" he continued,angrily, and glancing from one to another. "Out with it. Who was it?"

  "We're hiding nothing," I replied, speaking for the lot. "There's no oneup there."

  The Second looked round upon us.

  "Am I a fool?" he asked, contemptuously.

  There was an assenting silence.

  "I saw him myself," he continued. "Tammy, here, saw him. He wasn't overthe top when I first spotted him. There's no mistake about it. It's alldamned rot saying he's not there."

  "Well, he's not, Sir," I answered. "Jock went right up to the royalyard."

  The Second Mate said nothing, in immediate reply; but went aft a fewsteps and looked up the main. Then he turned to the two 'prentices.

  "Sure you two boys didn't see anyone coming down from the main?" heinquired, suspiciously.

  "Yes, Sir," they answered together.

  "Anyway," I heard him mutter to himself, "I'd have spotted him myself,if he had."

  "Have you any idea, Sir, who it was you saw?" I asked, at this juncture.

  He looked at me, keenly.

  "No!" he said.

  He thought for a few moments, while we all stood about in silence,waiting for him to let us go.

  "By the holy poker!" he exclaimed, suddenly. "But I ought to havethought of that before."

  He turned, and eyed us individually.

  "You're all here?" he asked.

  "Yes, Sir," we said in a chorus. I could see that he was counting us.Then he spoke again.

  "All of you men stay here where you are. Tammy, you go into _your_ placeand see if the other fellows are in their bunks. Then come and tell me.Smartly now!"

  The boy went, and he turned to the other 'prentice.

  "You get along forrard to the fo'cas'le," he said. "Count the otherwatch; then come aft and report to me."

  As the youngster disappeared along the deck to the fo'cas'le, Tammyreturned from his visit to the Glory Hole, to tell the Second Mate thatthe other two 'prentices were sound asleep in their bunks. Whereupon,the Second bundled him off to the Carpenter's and Sailmaker's berth, tosee whether they were turned-in.

  While he was gone, the other boy came aft, and reported that all the menwere in t
heir bunks, and asleep.

  "Sure?" the Second asked him.

  "Quite, Sir," he answered.

  The Second Mate made a quick gesture.

  "Go and see if the Steward is in his berth," he said, abruptly. It wasplain to me that he was tremendously puzzled.

  "You've something to learn yet, Mr. Second Mate," I thought to myself.Then I fell to wondering to what conclusions he would come.

  A few seconds later, Tammy returned to say that the Carpenter, Sailmakerand "Doctor" were all turned-in.

  The Second Mate muttered something, and told him to go down into thesaloon to see whether the First and Third Mates, by any chance, were notin their berths.

  Tammy started off; then halted.

  "Shall I have a look into the Old Man's place, Sir, while I'm downthere?" he inquired.

  "No!" said the Second Mate. "Do what I told you, and then come and tellme. If anyone's to go into the Captain's cabin, it's got to be me."

  Tammy said "i, i, Sir," and skipped away, up on to the poop.

  While he was gone, the other 'prentice came up to say that the Stewardwas in his berth, and that he wanted to know what the hell he wasfooling round his part of the ship for.

  The Second Mate said nothing, for nearly a minute. Then he turned to us,and told us we might go forrard.

  As we moved off in a body, and talking in undertones, Tammy came downfrom the poop, and went up to the Second Mate. I heard him say that thetwo Mates were in their berths, asleep. Then he added, as if it were anafterthought--

  "So's the Old Man."

  "I thought I told you--" the Second Mate began.

  "I didn't, Sir," Tammy said. "His cabin door was open."

  The Second Mate started to go aft. I caught a fragment of a remark hewas making to Tammy.

  "--accounted for the whole crew. I'm--"

  He went up on to the poop. I did not catch the rest.

  I had loitered a moment; now, however, I hurried after the others. As weneared the fo'cas'le, one bell went, and we roused out the other watch,and told them what jinks we had been up to.

  "I rec'on 'e must be rocky," one of the men remarked.

  "Not 'im," said another, "'e's bin 'avin' forty winks on the break, an'dreemed 'is mother-en-lore 'ad come on 'er visit, friendly like."

  There was some laughter at this suggestion, and I caught myself smilingalong with the rest; though I had no reason for sharing their belief,that there was nothing in it all.

  "Might 'ave been a stowaway, yer know," I heard Quoin, the one who hadsuggested it before, remark to one of the A.B's named Stubbins--a short,rather surly-looking chap.

  "Might have been hell!" returned Stubbins. "Stowaways hain't such foolsas all that."

  "I dunno," said the first. "I wish I 'ad arsked the Second what 'ethought about it."

  "I don't think it was a stowaway, somehow," I said, chipping in. "Whatwould a stowaway want aloft? I guess he'd be trying more for theSteward's pantry."

  "You bet he would, hevry time," said Stubbins. He lit his pipe, andsucked at it, slowly.

  "I don't hunderstand it, all ther same," he remarked, after a moment'ssilence.

  "Neither do I," I said. And after that I was quiet for a while,listening to the run of conversation on the subject.

  Presently, my glance fell upon Williams, the man who had spoken to meabout "shadders." He was sitting in his bunk, smoking, and making noeffort to join in the talk.

  I went across to him.

  "What do you think of it, Williams?" I asked. "Do _you_ think the SecondMate really saw anything?"

  He looked at me, with a sort of gloomy suspicion; but said nothing.

  I felt a trifle annoyed by his silence; but took care not to show it.After a few moments, I went on.

  "Do you know, Williams, I'm beginning to understand what you meant thatnight, when you said there were too many shadows."

  "Wot yer mean?" he said, pulling his pipe from out of his mouth, andfairly surprised into answering.

  "What I say, of course," I said. "There _are_ too many shadows."

  He sat up, and leant forward out from his bunk, extending his hand andpipe. His eyes plainly showed his excitement.

  "'ave yer seen--" he hesitated, and looked at me, struggling inwardly toexpress himself.

  "Well?" I prompted.

  For perhaps a minute he tried to say something. Then his expressionaltered suddenly from doubt, and something else more indefinite, to apretty grim look of determination.

  He spoke.

  "I'm blimed," he said, "ef I don't tike er piy-diy out of 'er, shaddersor no shadders."

  I looked at him, with astonishment.

  "What's it got to do with your getting a pay-day out of her?" I asked.

  He nodded his head, with a sort of stolid resolution.

  "Look 'ere," he said.

  I waited.

  "Ther crowd cleared"; he indicated with his hand and pipe towards thestern.

  "You mean in 'Frisco?" I said.

  "Yus," he replied; "'an withart er cent of ther piy. I styied."

  I comprehended him suddenly.

  "You think they saw," I hesitated; then I said "shadows?"

  He nodded; but said nothing.

  "And so they all bunked?"

  He nodded again, and began tapping out his pipe on the edge of hisbunk-board.

  "And the officers and the Skipper?" I asked.

  "Fresh uns," he said, and got out of his bunk; for eight bells wasstriking.