I had gone half the distance, and still the figure remained there, motionless and silent — the moonlight and the shadows playing over it with each roll of the ship. I think I tried to be surprised. If it were one of the fellows playing the fool, he must have heard me coming, and why didn’t he scoot while he had the chance? And where could he have hidden himself, before? All these things, I asked myself, in a rush, with a queer mixture of doubt and belief; and, you know, in the meantime, I was drawing nearer. I had passed the house, and was not twelve paces distant; when, abruptly, the silent figure made three quick strides to the port rail, and climbed over it into the sea.
I rushed to the side, and stared over; but nothing met my gaze, except the shadow of the ship, sweeping over the moonlit sea.
How long I stared down blankly into the water, it would be impossible to say; certainly for a good minute. I felt blank — just horribly blank. It was such a beastly confirmation of the unnaturalness of the thing I had concluded to be only a sort of brain fancy. I seemed, for that little time, deprived, you know, of the power of coherent thought. I suppose I was dazed — mentally stunned, in a way.
As I have said, a minute or so must have gone, while I had been staring into the dark of the water under the ship’s side. Then, I came suddenly to my ordinary self. The Second Mate was singing out: “Lee fore brace.”
I went to the braces, like a chap in a dream.
II. What Tammy the ‘Prentice Saw
The next morning, in my watch below, I had a look at the places where that strange thing had come aboard, and left the ship; but I found nothing unusual, and no clue to help me to understand the mystery of the strange man.
For several days after that, all went quietly; though I prowled about the decks at night, trying to discover anything fresh that might tend to throw some light on the matter. I was careful to say nothing to any one about the thing I had seen. In any case, I felt sure I should only have been laughed at.
Several nights passed away in this manner, and I was no nearer to an understanding of the affair. And then, in the middle watch, something happened.
It was my wheel. Tammy, one of the first voyage ‘prentices, was keeping time — walking up and down the lee side of the poop. The Second Mate was forrard, leaning over the break of the poop, smoking. The weather still continued fine, and the moon, though declining, was sufficiently powerful to make every detail about the poop, stand out distinctly. Three bells had gone, and I’ll admit I was feeling sleepy. Indeed, I believe I must have dozed, for the old packet steered very easily, and there was precious little to do, beyond giving her an odd spoke now and again. And then, all at once, it seemed to me that I heard someone calling my name, softly. I could not be certain; and first I glanced forrard to where the Second stood, smoking, and from him, I looked into the binnacle. The ship’s head was right on her course, and I felt easier. Then, suddenly, I heard it again. There was no doubt about it this time, and I glanced to leeward. There I saw Tammy reaching over the steering gear, his hand out, in the act of trying to touch my arm. I was about to ask him what the devil he wanted, when he held up his finger for silence, and pointed forrard along the lee side of the poop. In the dim light, his face showed palely, and he seemed much agitated. For a few seconds, I stared in the direction he indicated, but could see nothing.
“What is it?” I asked in an undertone, after a couple of moments’ further ineffectual peering. “I can’t see anything.”
“H’sh!” he muttered, hoarsely, without looking in my direction. Then, all at once, with a quick little gasp, he sprang across the wheel-box, and stood beside me, trembling. His gaze appeared to follow the movements of something I could not see.
I must say that I was startled. His movement had shown such terror; and the way he stared to leeward made me think he saw something uncanny.
“What the deuce is up with you?” I asked, sharply. And then I remembered the Second Mate. I glanced forrard to where he lounged. His back was still towards us, and he had not seen Tammy. Then I turned to the boy.
“For goodness sake, get to looard before the Second sees you!” I said. “If you want to say anything, say it across the wheel-box. You’ve been dreaming.”
Even as I spoke, the little beggar caught at my sleeve with one hand; and, pointing across to the log-reel with the other, screamed: “He’s coming! He’s coming — —” At this instant, the Second Mate came running aft, singing out to know what was the matter. Then, suddenly, crouching under the rail near the log-reel, I saw something that looked like a man; but so hazy and unreal, that I could scarcely say I saw anything. Yet, like a flash, my thoughts ripped back to the silent figure I had seen in the flicker of the moonlight, a week earlier.
The Second Mate reached me, and I pointed, dumbly; and yet, as I did so, it was with the knowledge that he would not be able to see what I saw. (Queer, wasn’t it?) And then, almost in a breath, I lost sight of the thing, and became aware that Tammy was hugging my knees.
The Second continued to stare at the log-reel for a brief instant; then he turned to me, with a sneer.
“Been asleep, the pair of you, I suppose!” Then, without waiting for my denial, he told Tammy to go to hell out of it and stop his noise, or he’d boot him off the poop.
After that, he walked forward to the break of the poop, and lit his pipe, again — walking forward and aft every few minutes, and eyeing me, at times, I thought, with a strange, half-doubtful, half-puzzled look.
Later, as soon as I was relieved, I hurried down to the ‘Prentice’s berth. I was anxious to speak to Tammy. There were a dozen questions that worried me, and I was in doubt what I ought to do. I found him crouched on a sea-chest, his knees up to his chin, and his gaze fixed on the doorway, with a frightened stare. I put my head into the berth, and he gave a gasp; then he saw who it was, and his face relaxed something of its strained expression.
He said: “Come in,” in a low voice, which he tried to steady; and I stepped over the wash-board, and sat down on a chest, facing him.
“What was it?” he asked; putting his feet down on to the deck, and leaning forward. “For God’s sake, tell me what it was!”
His voice had risen, and I put up my hand to warn him.
“H’sh!” I said. “You’ll wake the other fellows.”
He repeated his question, but in a lower tone. I hesitated, before answering him. I felt, all at once, that it might be better to deny all knowledge — to say I hadn’t seen anything unusual. I thought quickly, and made answer on the turn of the moment.
“What was what?” I said. “That’s just the thing I’ve come to ask you. A pretty pair of fools you made of the two of us up on the poop just now, with your hysterical tomfoolery.”
I concluded my remark in a tone of anger.
“I didn’t!” he answered, in a passionate whisper. “You know I didn’t. You know you saw it yourself. You pointed it out to the Second Mate. I saw you.”
The little beggar was nearly crying between fear, and vexation at my assumed unbelief.
“Rot!” I replied. “You know jolly well you were sleeping in your time-keeping. You dreamed something and woke up suddenly. You were off your chump.”
I was determined to reassure him, if possible; though, goodness! I wanted assurance myself. If he had known of that other thing, I had seen down on the maindeck, what then?
“I wasn’t asleep, any more than you were,” he said, bitterly. “And you know it. You’re just fooling me. The ship’s haunted.”
“What!” I said, sharply.
“She’s haunted,” he said, again. “She’s haunted.”
“Who says so?” I inquired, in a tone of unbelief.
“I do! And you know it. Everybody knows it; but they don’t more than half believe it … I didn’t, until tonight.”
“Damned rot!” I answered. “That’s all a blooming old shellback’s yarn.
She’s no more haunted than I am.”
“It’s not damned rot,” he repl
ied, totally unconvinced. “And it’s not an old shellback’s yarn … Why won’t you say you saw it?” he cried, growing almost tearfully excited, and raising his voice again.
I warned him not to wake the sleepers.
“Why won’t you say that you saw it?” he repeated.
I got up from the chest, and went towards the door.
“You’re a young idiot!” I said. “And I should advise you not to go gassing about like this, round the decks. Take my tip, and turn-in and get a sleep. You’re talking dotty. Tomorrow you’ll perhaps feel what an unholy ass you’ve made of yourself.”
I stepped over the washboard, and left him. I believe he followed me to the door to say something further; but I was half-way forward by then.
For the next couple of days, I avoided him as much as possible, taking care never to let him catch me alone. I was determined, if possible, to convince him that he had been mistaken in supposing that he had seen anything that night. Yet, after all, it was little enough use, as you will soon see. For, on the night of the second day, there was a further extraordinary development, that made denial on my part useless.
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 was exceedingly fine; and the wind had dropped away almost to nothing, so that 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? Come down!”
I rose to my feet, and walked up to wind’ard. From there, I could see the break of the poop. The Second Mate was standing by the starboard ladder. He appeared to be looking up at something that was hidden from me 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 was no 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 at once, a thought came to me. The figure Tammy and I had seen. Had the Second Mate seen something — someone? I hurried on, and then stopped, suddenly. In the same moment there came the shrill blast of the Second’s whistle; he was whistling for the watch, and I turned and ran to the fo’cas’le to rouse them out. Another minute, and I was hurrying aft with them 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 fool is up there. See what mischief he’s up to.”
“i, i, Sir,” several of the men sung out, and a couple jumped into the weather 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 fellow tried 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. “If you 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 was above the top, and he was taking a preliminary look, before venturing higher.
“See anythin’, Jock?” asked Plummer, the man next above me.
“Na’!” said Jock, tersely, and climbed over the top, and so disappeared from my sight.
The fellow ahead of me, followed. He reached the futtock rigging, and stopped to expectorate. I was close at his heels, and he looked down to me.
“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. I followed on. The chaps on the lee side were about level with us. Under the foot of the topsail, I could see Tammy and the other ‘prentice down on the maindeck, looking upwards.
The fellows were a bit excited in a sort of subdued way; though I am inclined to think there was far more curiosity and, perhaps, a certain consciousness of the strangeness of it all. I know that, looking to leeward, there was a tendancy to keep well together, in which I sympathised.
“Must be a bloomin’ stowaway,” one of the men suggested.
I grabbed at the idea, instantly. Perhaps — And then, in a moment, I dismissed it. I remembered how that first thing had stepped over the rail into the sea. That matter could not be explained in such a manner. With regard to this, I was curious and anxious. I had seen nothing 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, Tammy and I had seen near the log-reel. I remembered how incapable the Second Mate had been of seeing anything then. I remembered how natural it had seemed 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 and gesticulating.
“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 certain sense of relief. “It is real then,” I said to myself. I screwed my head round, and looked along the yards above us. Yet, still I could see nothing; 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 the royal 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 of laughter at Quoin’s expense.
I could see Jock now. He was standing in the rigging, just below the yard. He had gone straight away up, while the rest of us were mooning over the top.
“Ye’re a fule, Quoin,” he said, again, “And I’m thinking the Second’s juist 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 came towards 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 one up 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 over the top when I first spotted him. There’s no mistake about it. It’s all damned rot saying he’s not there.”
“Well, he’s not, Sir,” I answered. “Jock went right up to the royal yard.”
The Second Mate said nothing, in immediate reply; but went aft a few steps and looked up the main. Then he turned to the two ‘prentices.
“Sure you two boys didn’t see anyone coming down fro
m the main?” he inquired, 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 have thought 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 place and 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 other watch; then come aft and report to me.”
As the youngster disappeared along the deck to the fo’cas’le, Tammy returned from his visit to the Glory Hole, to tell the Second Mate that the other two ‘prentices were sound asleep in their bunks. Whereupon, the Second bundled him off to the Carpenter’s and Sailmaker’s berth, to see whether they were turned-in.
While he was gone, the other boy came aft, and reported that all the men were in their 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 was plain 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, Sailmaker and “Doctor” were all turned-in.
Complete Works of William Hope Hodgson Page 33