The Ghost Pirates

  APPENDIX

  _The Silent Ship_

  I'm the Third Mate of the _Sangier_, the vessel that picked up Jessop,you know; and he's asked us to write a short note of what we saw fromour side, and sign it. The Old Man's set me on the job, as he says I canput it better than he can.

  Well, it was in the first dog-watch that we came up with her, the_Mortzestus_ I mean; but it was in the second dog-watch that ithappened. The Mate and I were on the poop watching her. You see, we'dsignalled her, and she'd not taken any notice, and that seemed queer, aswe couldn't have been more than three or four hundred yards off her portbeam, and it was a fine evening; so that we could almost have had atea-fight, if they'd seemed a pleasant crowd. As it was, we called thema set of sulky swine, and left it at that, though we still kept ourhoist up.

  All the same, you know, we watched her a lot; and I remember even then Ithought it queer how quiet she was. We couldn't even hear her bell goand I spoke to the Mate about it, and he said he'd been noticing thesame thing.

  Then, about six bells they shortened her right down to top-sails; and Ican tell you that made us stare more than ever, as anyone can imagine.And I remember we noticed then especially that we couldn't hear a singlesound from her even when the haul yards were let go; and, you know,without the glass, I saw their Old Man singing out something; but wedidn't get a sound of it and we _should_ have been able to hear everyword.

  Then, just before eight bells, the thing Jessop's told us abouthappened. Both the Mate and the Old Man said they could see men going upher side a bit indistinct, you know, because it was getting dusk; butthe Second Mate and I half thought we did and half thought we didn't;but there was something queer; we all knew that; and it looked like asort of moving mist along her side. I know I felt pretty funny; but itwasn't the sort of thing, of course, to be too sure and serious aboutuntil you _were_ sure.

  After the Mate and the Captain had said they saw the men boarding her,we began to hear sounds from her; very queer at first and rather like aphonograph makes when it's getting up speed. Then the sounds cameproperly from her, and we heard them shouting and yelling; and, youknow, I don't know even now just what I really thought. I was all soqueer and mixed.

  The next thing I remember there was a thick mist round the ship; andthen all the noise was shut off, as if it were all the other side of adoor. But we could still see her masts and spars and sails above themisty stuff; and both the Captain and the Mate said they could see menaloft; and I thought I could; but the Second Mate wasn't sure. All thesame though, the sails were all loosed in about a minute, it seemed, andthe yards mastheaded. We couldn't see the courses above the mist; butJessop says they were loosed too and sheeted home along with the uppersails. Then we saw the yards squared and I saw the sails fill bang upwith wind; and yet, you know, ours were slatting.

  The next thing was the one that hit me more than anything. Her maststook a cant forrard, and then I saw her stem come up out of the mistthat was round her. Then, all in an instant, we could hear sounds fromthe vessel again. And I tell you, the men didn't seem to be shouting,but screaming. Her stern went higher. It was most extraordinary to lookat; and then she went plunk down, head foremost, right bang into themist-stuff.

  It's all right what Jessop says, and when we saw him swimming (I was theone who spotted him) we got out a boat quicker than a wind-jammer evergot out a boat before, I should think.

  The Captain and the Mate and the Second and I areall going to sign this.

  (Signed)WILLIAM NAWSTON _Master_.J.E.G. ADAMS _First Mate_.ED. BROWN _Second Mate_.JACK T. EVAN _Third Mate_.