The Boats of the Glen-Carrig | Page 8

him keep silence,
thinking it was but a piece of boyish restlessness; but George drew the
candle to him, and bade us to listen; for the wrappers were covered
with fine handwriting after the fashion of a woman's.

Even as George told us of that which he had found we became aware
that the night was upon us; for suddenly the crying ceased, and in place
thereof there came out of the far distance the low thunder of the
night-growling, that had tormented us through the past two nights. For
a space, we ceased to smoke, and sat--listening; for it was a very
fearsome sound. In a very little while it seemed to surround the ship, as
on the previous nights; but at length, using ourselves to it, we resumed
our smoking, and bade George to read out to us from the writing upon
the paper wrappers.
Then George, though shaking somewhat in his voice, began to decipher
that which was upon the wrappers, and a strange and awesome story it
was, and bearing much upon our own concerns:--
"Now, when they discovered the spring among the trees that crown the
bank, there was much rejoicing; for we had come to have much need of
water. And some, being in fear of the ship (declaring, because of all our
misfortune and the strange disappearances of their messmates and the
brother of my lover, that she was haunted by a devil), declared their
intention of taking their gear up to the spring, and there making a camp.
This they conceived and carried out in the space of one afternoon;
though our Captain, a good and true man, begged of them, as they
valued life, to stay within the shelter of their living-place. Yet, as I have
remarked, they would none of them hark to his counseling, and,
because the Mate and the bo'sun were gone he had no means of
compelling them to wisdom--"
At this point, George ceased to read, and began to rustle among the
wrappers, as though in search for the continuation of the story.
Presently he cried out that he could not find it, and dismay was upon
his face.
But the bo'sun told him to read on from such sheets as were left; for, as
he observed, we had no knowledge if more existed; and we were fain to
know further of that spring, which, from the story, appeared to be over
the bank near to the vessel.
George, being thus adjured, picked up the topmost sheet; for they were,
as I heard him explain to the bo'sun, all oddly numbered, and having
but little reference one to the other. Yet we were mightily keen to know
even so much as such odd scraps might tell unto us. Whereupon,
George read from the next wrapper, which ran thus:--

"Now, suddenly, I heard the Captain cry out that there was something
in the main cabin, and immediately my lover's voice calling to me to
lock my door, and on no condition to open it. Then the door of the
Captain's cabin slammed, and there came a silence, and the silence was
broken by a sound. Now, this was the first time that I had heard the
Thing make search through the big cabin; but, afterwards, my lover
told me it had happened aforetime, and they had told me naught,
fearing to frighten me needlessly; though now I understood why my
lover had bidden me never to leave my stateroom door unbolted in the
nighttime. I remember also, wondering if the noise of breaking glass
that had waked me somewhat from my dreams a night or two
previously, had been the work of this indescribable Thing; for on the
morning following that night, the glass in the skylight had been
smashed. Thus it was that my thoughts wandered out to trifles, while
yet my soul seemed ready to leap out from my bosom with fright.
"I had, by reason of usage, come to ability to sleep despite of the
fearsome growling; for I had conceived its cause to be the mutter of
spirits in the night, and had not allowed myself to be unnecessarily
frightened with doleful thoughts; for my lover had assured me of our
safety, and that we should yet come to our home. And now, beyond my
door, I could hear that fearsome sound of the Thing searching--"
George came to a sudden pause; for the bo'sun had risen and put a great
hand upon his shoulder. The lad made to speak; but the bo'sun
beckoned to him to say no word, and at that we, who had grown to
nervousness through the happenings in the story, began every one to
listen. Thus we heard a sound which had escaped us in the noise of the
growling