The Upper Berth | Page 9

any."
"But, my dear sir," I retorted, "do you, a man of science, mean to tell
me that such things cannot be explained?"
"I do," he answered, stoutly. "And, if they could, I would not be
concerned in the explanation."
I did not care to spend another night alone in the state-room, and yet I
was obstinately determined to get at the root of the disturbances. I do
not believe there are many men who would have slept there alone, after
passing two such nights. But I made up my mind to try it, if I could not
get any one to share a watch with me. The doctor was evidently not
inclined for such an experiment. He said he was a surgeon, and that in
case any accident occurred on board he must always be in readiness. He
could not afford to have his nerves unsettled. Perhaps he was quite
right, but I am inclined to think that his precaution was prompted by his

inclination. On inquiry, he informed me that there was no one on board
who would be likely to join me in my investigations, and after a little
more conversation I left him. A little later I met the captain, and told
him my story. I said that if no one would spend the night with me I
would ask leave to have the light burning all night, and would try it
alone.
"Look here," said he, "I will tell you what I will do. I will share your
watch myself, and we will see what happens. It is my belief that we can
find out between us. There may be some fellow skulking on board, who
steals a passage by frightening the passengers. It is just possible that
there may be something queer in the carpentering of that berth."
I suggested taking the ship's carpenter below and examining the place;
but I was overjoyed at the captain's offer to spend the night with me.
He accordingly sent for the workman and ordered him to do anything I
required. We went below at once. I had all the bedding cleared out of
the upper berth, and we examined the place thoroughly to see if there
was a board loose anywhere, or a panel which could be opened or
pushed aside. We tried the planks everywhere, tapped the flooring,
unscrewed the fittings of the lower berth and took it to pieces--in short,
there was not a square inch of the state-room which was not searched
and tested. Everything was in perfect order, and we put everything back
in its place. As we were finishing our work, Robert came to the door
and looked in.
"Well, sir--find anything, sir?" he asked with a ghastly grin.
"You were right about the porthole, Robert," I said, and I gave him the
promised sovereign. The carpenter did his work silently and skilfully,
following my directions. When he had done he spoke.
"I'm a plain man, sir," he said. "But it's my belief you had better just
turn out your things and let me run half a dozen four inch screws
through the door of this cabin. There's no good never came o' this cabin
yet, sir, and that's all about it. There's been four lives lost out o' here to
my own remembrance, and that in four trips. Better give it up,
sir--better give it up!"

"I will try it for one night more," I said.
"Better give it up, sir--better give it up! It's a precious bad job,"
repeated the workman, putting his tools in his bag and leaving the
cabin.
But my spirits had risen considerably at the prospect of having the
captain's company, and I made up my mind not to be prevented from
going to the end of the strange business. I abstained from Welsh
rare-bits and grog that evening, and did not even join in the customary
game of whist. I wanted to be quite sure of my nerves, and my vanity
made me anxious to make a good figure in the captain's eyes.

IV.
The captain was one of those splendidly tough and cheerful specimens
of seafaring humanity whose combined courage, hardihood, and
calmness in difficulty leads them naturally into high positions of trust.
He was not the man to be led away by an idle tale, and the mere fact
that he was willing to join me in the investigation was proof that he
thought there was something seriously wrong, which could not be
accounted for on ordinary theories, nor laughed down as a common
superstition. To some extent, too, his reputation was at stake, as well as
the reputation of the ship. It is no light thing to lose passengers
overboard, and he knew it.
About ten o'clock that evening, as I was smoking