The Lady of the Shroud

THE LADY OF THE SHROUD
by Bram Stoker

FROM "THE JOURNAL OF OCCULTISM" MID-JANUARY, 1907.

A strange story comes from the Adriatic. It appears that on the night of
the 9th, as the Italia Steamship Company's vessel "Victorine" was
passing a little before midnight the point known as "the Spear of Ivan,"
on the coast of the Blue Mountains, the attention of the Captain, then
on the bridge, was called by the look- out man to a tiny floating light
close inshore. It is the custom of some South-going ships to run close to
the Spear of Ivan in fine weather, as the water is deep, and there is no
settled current; also there are no outlying rocks. Indeed, some years ago
the local steamers had become accustomed to hug the shore here so
closely that an intimation was sent from Lloyd's that any mischance
under the circumstances would not be included in ordinary sea risks.
Captain Mirolani is one of those who insist on a wholesome distance
from the promontory being kept; but on his attention having been
called to the circumstance reported, he thought it well to investigate it,
as it might be some case of personal distress. Accordingly, he had the
engines slowed down, and edged cautiously in towards shore. He was
joined on the bridge by two of his officers, Signori Falamano and
Destilia, and by one passenger on board, Mr. Peter Caulfield, whose
reports of Spiritual Phenomena in remote places are well known to the
readers of "The Journal of Occultism." The following account of the
strange occurrence written by him, and attested by the signatures of
Captain Mirolani and the other gentleman named, has been sent to us.
" . . . It was eleven minutes before twelve midnight on Saturday, the 9th
day of January, 1907, when I saw the strange sight off the headland
known as the Spear of Ivan on the coast of the Land of the Blue

Mountains. It was a fine night, and I stood right on the bows of the ship,
where there was nothing to obstruct my view. We were some distance
from the Spear of Ivan, passing from northern to southern point of the
wide bay into which it projects. Captain Mirolani, the Master, is a very
careful seaman, and gives on his journeys a wide berth to the bay which
is tabooed by Lloyd's. But when he saw in the moonlight, though far
off, a tiny white figure of a woman drifting on some strange current in a
small boat, on the prow of which rested a faint light (to me it looked
like a corpse- candle!), he thought it might be some person in distress,
and began to cautiously edge towards it. Two of his officers were with
him on the bridge--Signori Falamano and Destilia. All these three, as
well as myself, saw It. The rest of the crew and passengers were below.
As we got close the true inwardness of It became apparent to me; but
the mariners did not seem to realize till the very last. This is, after all,
not strange, for none of them had either knowledge or experience in
Occult matters, whereas for over thirty years I have made a special
study of this subject, and have gone to and fro over the earth
investigating to the nth all records of Spiritual Phenomena. As I could
see from their movements that the officers did not comprehend that
which was so apparent to myself, I took care not to enlighten them, lest
such should result in the changing of the vessel's course before I should
be near enough to make accurate observation. All turned out as I
wished--at least, nearly so--as shall be seen. Being in the bow, I had, of
course, a better view than from the bridge. Presently I made out that the
boat, which had all along seemed to be of a queer shape, was none
other than a Coffin, and that the woman standing up in it was clothed in
a shroud. Her back was towards us, and she had evidently not heard our
approach. As we were creeping along slowly, the engines were almost
noiseless, and there was hardly a ripple as our fore-foot cut the dark
water. Suddenly there was a wild cry from the bridge--Italians are
certainly very excitable; hoarse commands were given to the
Quartermaster at the wheel; the engine-room bell clanged. On the
instant, as it seemed, the ship's head began to swing round to starboard;
full steam ahead was in action, and before one could understand, the
Apparition was fading in the distance. The last thing I saw was the
flash of a white face with dark, burning eyes as the figure sank down
into the coffin--just as mist