The Wreck of the Nancy Bell | Page 4

my old steward was
taken suddenly ill, and I had to put up with this substitute whom he sent
me just as we were leaving Plymouth."
"Perhaps," began the passenger, as if he were about to offer some good-
natured excuse for the man's awkwardness, but his observations were

drowned by a louder clatter below than ever; and, ere the captain could
descend to ascertain the cause, the new steward rushed up the
companion ladder, with his eyes half-starting from his head, his hair
standing on end, and his face pale with terror.
"Howly Moses!" exclaimed the mate. "Be aisy, can't ye. What's the
matter wid ye, you spalpeen, to be rooshin' on deck like a bull in a
china shop? Spake, you blissid omahdawn, or I'll shake the loife out of
ye!"
And the Irishman, putting his brawny hands on the terrified man's
shoulders, appeared about to carry out his threat, when the unfortunate
wight stuttered out in stammering accents, "Lor-ord, sir, do-oo-oo come
below. The-eer's a ghost in the cabin; an-an-and he wants to
m-m-murder me!" the man looking the while as if he was going to
faint.
"A ghost in the cabin?" said the passenger, laughing; "and in daylight
to? Why, Captain Dinks, he must be a sort of rara avis--not in terris,
however, in this instance."
"A ghost in the cabin?" repeated the captain, in a serious tone of voice,
with a frown on his forehead that somewhat disturbed the usual
good-humoured expression of his countenance; "we must see about this.
I don't allow any ghosts aboard my ship!"
And, with these words he dived down the companion, followed closely
by the mate and passenger; the panic-stricken steward contenting
himself with remaining at the top of the hatchway at a safe distance
from the object that had alarmed him, although he could not help
peering down below and listening with bated breath as to what might
ensue in the cabin--heedless of the entreaties of the man at the wheel, in
whom curiosity had overpowered the sense of duty for the nonce and
made to speak in defiance of discipline, to "tell him all about it!"
CHAPTER TWO.
STOWED AWAY.

When the "party of observation" under the leadership of the captain
arrived at the foot of the companion way, nothing very alarming was
presented to their notices as there were no signs of disturbance to be
seen in the steward's pantry, which was close to hand on their right;
although, judging by the crashing sounds they had heard when on deck,
one and all would have almost sworn that a "free fight" had taken place
in that sanctum, causing its complement of crockeryware to come to
irretrievable grief.
Nor was anything wrong to be perceived, at first sight, on entering
within the cuddy.
On the contrary, everything there seemed in due order. The doors of the
cabins on either side, as well as those of the state-rooms at the further
end of the saloon, were closed in their ordinary way--with the
exception of one, which was opened for an instant, to allow of a night-
capped head, evidently of female ownership, peering forth for a
momentary peep round, and then immediately slammed to again; and,
the long table, which ran fore and aft the vessel the entire length of the
apartment from the foot of the mizzen mast, was neatly spread over
with a snow-white cloth, on which knives and forks were laid
equi-distantly with trim regularity, as well as other prandial
paraphernalia, in preparation for breakfast; while to complete the
category, the swinging trays above, that oscillated to and fro as the ship
gave an occasional lurch and roll to port or starboard, betrayed no lack
of their proper quota of wine-glasses, decanters, and tumblers. No,
there was no trace of any disorder here, nothing to account for that
noise of a struggle and of breakages below that had preceded the
sudden uprush of the steward to the poop. What could possibly have
caused all that clatter and commotion?
Evidently so thinking, the captain, mate, and passenger looked at each
other in a bewildered fashion, as if each were endeavouring to solve
some knotty conundrum, and had ultimately come to the conclusion to
"give it up!"
They had not long to wait, however, for an explanation to the mystery.

All at once, a deep, sepulchral groan came from abaft the mizzenmast,
as if some one was being smothered in the hold below; and, almost at
the same instant, there echoed from the adjacent cabin--that whence the
night-capped head before mentioned had popped out--a shrill scream,
as of a female in distress, succeeded by the exclamation, "Gracious
goodness, help us and save us! We shall all be murdered in our beds!"
"Be jabers," ejaculated the mate, following up the captain,