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diff --git a/11186.txt b/11186.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6be6962 --- /dev/null +++ b/11186.txt @@ -0,0 +1,754 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Over The Side, by W.W. Jacobs + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Over The Side + Captains All, Book 6. + +Author: W.W. Jacobs + +Release Date: February 20, 2004 [EBook #11186] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: US-ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OVER THE SIDE *** + + + + +Produced by David Widger + + + + +CAPTAINS ALL + +By W.W. Jacobs + + + +OVER THE SIDE + +[Illustration: "Over the Side."] + +Of all classes of men, those who follow the sea are probably the most +prone to superstition. Afloat upon the black waste of waters, at the +mercy of wind and sea, with vast depths and strange creatures below them, +a belief in the supernatural is easier than ashore, under the cheerful +gas-lamps. Strange stories of the sea are plentiful, and an incident +which happened within my own experience has made me somewhat chary of +dubbing a man fool or coward because he has encountered something he +cannot explain. There are stories of the supernatural with prosaic +sequels; there are others to which the sequel has never been published. + +I was fifteen years old at the time, and as my father, who had a strong +objection to the sea, would not apprentice me to it, I shipped before the +mast on a sturdy little brig called the _Endeavour,_ bound for Riga. She +was a small craft, but the skipper was as fine a seaman as one could wish +for, and, in fair weather, an easy man to sail under. Most boys have a +rough time of it when they first go to sea, but, with a strong sense of +what was good for me, I had attached myself to a brawny, good-natured +infant, named Bill Smith, and it was soon understood that whoever hit me +struck Bill by proxy. Not that the crew were particularly brutal, but a +sound cuffing occasionally is held by most seamen to be beneficial to a +lad's health and morals. The only really spiteful fellow among them was +a man named Jem Dadd. He was a morose, sallow-looking man, of about +forty, with a strong taste for the supernatural, and a stronger taste +still for frightening his fellows with it. I have seen Bill almost +afraid to go on deck of a night for his trick at the wheel, after a few +of his reminiscences. Rats were a favourite topic with him, and he would +never allow one to be killed if he could help it, for he claimed for them +that they were the souls of drowned sailors, hence their love of ships +and their habit of leaving them when they became unseaworthy. He was a +firm believer in the transmigration of souls, some idea of which he had, +no doubt, picked up in Eastern ports, and gave his shivering auditors to +understand that his arrangements for his own immediate future were +already perfected. + +We were six or seven days out when a strange thing happened. Dadd had +the second watch one night, and Bill was to relieve him. They were not +very strict aboard the brig in fair weather, and when a man's time was +up he just made the wheel fast, and, running for'ard, shouted down the +fo'c's'le. On this night I happened to awake suddenly, in time to see +Bill slip out of his bunk and stand by me, rubbing his red eyelids with +his knuckles. + +"Dadd's giving me a long time," he whispered, seeing that I was awake; +"it's a whole hour after his time." + +He pattered up on deck, and I was just turning over, thankful that I was +too young to have a watch to keep, when he came softly down again, and, +taking me by the shoulders, shook me roughly. + +"Jack," he whispered. "Jack." + +I raised myself on my elbows, and, in the light of the smoking lamp, saw +that he was shaking all over. + +"Come on deck," he said, thickly. + +I put on my clothes, and followed him quietly to the sweet, cool air +above. It was a beautiful clear night, but, from his manner, I looked +nervously around for some cause of alarm. I saw nothing. The deck was +deserted, except for the solitary figure at the wheel. + +"Look at him," whispered Bill, bending a contorted face to mine. + +I walked aft a few steps, and Bill followed slowly. Then I saw that Jem +Dadd was leaning forward clumsily on the wheel, with his hands clenched +on the spokes. + +"He's asleep," said I, stopping short. + +Bill breathed hard. "He's in a queer sleep," said he; "kind o' trance +more like. Go closer." + +I took fast hold of Bill's sleeve, and we both went. The light of the +stars was sufficient to show that Dadd's face was very white, and that +his dim, black eyes were wide open, and staring in a very strange and +dreadful manner straight before him. + +"Dadd," said I, softly, "Dadd!" + +There was no reply, and, with a view of arousing him, I tapped one sinewy +hand as it gripped the wheel, and even tried to loosen it. + +He remained immovable, and, suddenly with a great cry, my courage +deserted me, and Bill and I fairly bolted down into the cabin and woke +the skipper. + +Then we saw how it was with Jem, and two strong seamen forcibly loosened +the grip of those rigid fingers, and, laying him on the deck, covered him +with a piece of canvas. The rest of the night two men stayed at the +wheel, and, gazing fearfully at the outline of the canvas, longed for +dawn. + +It came at last, and, breakfast over, the body was sewn up in canvas, and +the skipper held a short service compiled from a Bible which belonged to +the mate, and what he remembered of the Burial Service proper. Then the +corpse went overboard with a splash, and the men, after standing +awkwardly together for a few minutes, slowly dispersed to their duties. + +For the rest of that day we were all very quiet and restrained; pity for +the dead man being mingled with a dread of taking the wheel when night +came. + +"The wheel's haunted," said the cook, solemnly; "mark my words, there's +more of you will be took the same way Dadd was." + +The cook, like myself, had no watch to keep. + +The men bore up pretty well until night came on again, and then they +unanimously resolved to have a double watch. The cook, sorely against +his will, was impressed into the service, and I, glad to oblige my +patron, agreed to stay up with Bill. + +Some of the pleasure had vanished by the time night came, and I seemed +only just to have closed my eyes when Bill came, and, with a rough shake +or two, informed me that the time had come. Any hope that I might have +had of escaping the ordeal was at once dispelled by his expectant +demeanour, and the helpful way in which he assisted me with my clothes, +and, yawning terribly, I followed him on deck. + +The night was not so clear as the preceding one, and the air was chilly, +with a little moisture in it. I buttoned up my jacket, and thrust my +hands in my pockets. + +"Everything quiet?" asked Bill as he stepped up and took the wheel. + +"Ay, ay," said Roberts, "quiet as the grave," and, followed by his +willing mate, he went below. + +I sat on the deck by Bill's side as, with a light touch on the wheel, +he kept the brig to her course. It was weary work sitting there, doing +nothing, and thinking of the warm berth below, and I believe that I +should have fallen asleep, but that my watchful companion stirred me with +his foot whenever he saw me nodding. + +I suppose I must have sat there, shivering and yawning, for about an +hour, when, tired of inactivity, I got up and went and leaned over the +side of the vessel. The sound of the water gurgling and lapping by was +so soothing that I began to doze. + +I was recalled to my senses by a smothered cry from Bill, and, running to +him, I found him staring to port in an intense and uncomfortable fashion. +At my approach, he took one hand from the wheel, and gripped my arm so +tightly that I was like to have screamed with the pain of it. + +"Jack," said he, in a shaky voice, "while you was away something popped +its head up, and looked over the ship's side." + +"You've been dreaming," said I, in a voice which was a very fair +imitation of Bill's own. + +"Dreaming," repeated Bill, "dreaming! Ah, look there!" + +He pointed with outstretched finger, and my heart seemed to stop beating +as I saw a man's head appear above the side. For a brief space it peered +at us in silence, and then a dark figure sprang like a cat on to the +deck, and stood crouching a short distance away. + +A mist came before my eyes, and my tongue failed me, but Bill let off a +roar, such as I have never heard before or since. It was answered from +below, both aft and for'ard, and the men came running up on deck just as +they left their beds. + +"What's up?" shouted the skipper, glancing aloft. + +For answer, Bill pointed to the intruder, and the men, who had just +caught sight of him, came up and formed a compact knot by the wheel. + +"Come over the side, it did," panted Bill, "come over like a ghost out of +the sea." + +The skipper took one of the small lamps from the binnacle, and, holding +it aloft, walked boldly up to the cause of alarm. In the little patch of +light we saw a ghastly black-bearded man, dripping with water, regarding +us with unwinking eyes, which glowed red in the light of the lamp. + +"Where did you come from?" asked the skipper. + +The figure shook its head. + +"Where did you come from?" he repeated, walking up, and laying his hand +on the other's shoulder. + +Then the intruder spoke, but in a strange fashion and in strange words. +We leaned forward to listen, but, even when he repeated them, we could +make nothing of them. + +"He's a furriner," said Roberts. + +"Blest if I've ever 'eard the lingo afore," said Bill. "Does anybody +rekernize it?" + +Nobody did, and the skipper, after another attempt, gave it up, and, +falling back upon the universal language of signs, pointed first to the +man and then to the sea. The other understood him, and, in a heavy, +slovenly fashion, portrayed a man drifting in an open boat, and clutching +and clambering up the side of a passing ship. As his meaning dawned upon +us, we rushed to the stern, and, leaning over, peered into the gloom, but +the night was dark, and we saw nothing. + +"Well," said the skipper, turning to Bill, with a mighty yawn, "take him +below, and give him some grub, and the next time a gentleman calls on +you, don't make such a confounded row about it." + +He went below, followed by the mate, and after some slight hesitation, +Roberts stepped up to the intruder, and signed to him to follow. He came +stolidly enough, leaving a trail of water on the deck, and, after +changing into the dry things we gave him, fell to, but without much +appearance of hunger, upon some salt beef and biscuits, regarding us +between bites with black, lack-lustre eyes. + +"He seems as though he's a-walking in his sleep," said the cook. + +"He ain't very hungry," said one of the men; "he seems to mumble his +food." + +"Hungry!" repeated Bill, who had just left the wheel. "Course he ain't +famished. He had his tea last night." + +The men stared at him in bewilderment. + +"Don't you see?" said Bill, still in a hoarse whisper; "ain't you ever +seen them eyes afore? Don't you know what he used to say about dying? +It's Jem Dadd come back to us. Jem Dadd got another man's body, as he +always said he would." + +"Rot!" said Roberts, trying to speak bravely, but he got up, and, with +the others, huddled together at the end of the fo'c's'le, and stared in a +bewildered fashion at the sodden face and short, squat figure of our +visitor. For his part, having finished his meal, he pushed his plate +from him, and, leaning back on the locker, looked at the empty bunks. + +Roberts caught his eye, and, with a nod and a wave of his hand, indicated +the bunks. The fellow rose from the locker, and, amid a breathless +silence, climbed into one of them--Jem Dadd's! + +He slept in the dead sailor's bed that night, the only man in the +fo'c's'le who did sleep properly, and turned out heavily and lumpishly in +the morning for breakfast. + +The skipper had him on deck after the meal, but could make nothing of +him. To all his questions he replied in the strange tongue of the night +before, and, though our fellows had been to many ports, and knew a word +or two of several languages, none of them recognized it. The skipper +gave it up at last, and, left to himself, he stared about him for some +time, regardless of our interest in his movements, and then, leaning +heavily against the side of the ship, stayed there so long that we +thought he must have fallen asleep. + +"He's half-dead now!" whispered Roberts. + +"Hush!" said Bill, "mebbe he's been in the water a week or two, and can't +quite make it out. See how he's looking at it now." + +He stayed on deck all day in the sun, but, as night came on, returned to +the warmth of the fo'c's'le. The food we gave him remained untouched, +and he took little or no notice of us, though I fancied that he saw the +fear we had of him. He slept again in the dead man's bunk, and when +morning came still lay there. + +Until dinner-time, nobody interfered with him, and then Roberts, pushed +forward by the others, approached him with some food. He motioned, it +away with a dirty, bloated hand, and, making signs for water, drank it +eagerly. + +For two days he stayed there quietly, the black eyes always open, the +stubby fingers always on the move. On the third morning Bill, who had +conquered his fear sufficiently to give him water occasionally, called +softly to us. + +"Come and look at him," said he. "What's the matter with him?" + +"He's dying!" said the cook, with a shudder. + +"He can't be going to die yet!" said Bill, blankly. + +As he spoke the man's eyes seemed to get softer and more life-like, and +he looked at us piteously and helplessly. From face to face he gazed in +mute inquiry, and then, striking his chest feebly with his fist, uttered +two words. + +We looked at each other blankly, and he repeated them eagerly, and again +touched his chest. + +"It's his name," said the cook, and we all repeated them. + +He smiled in an exhausted fashion, and then, rallying his energies, held +up a forefinger; as we stared at this new riddle, he lowered it, and held +up all four fingers, doubled. + +"Come away," quavered the cook; "he's putting a spell on us." + +We drew back at that, and back farther still, as he repeated the motions. +Then Bill's face cleared suddenly, and he stepped towards him. + +"He means his wife and younkers!" he shouted eagerly. "This ain't no Jem +Dadd!" + +It was good then to see how our fellows drew round the dying sailor, and +strove to cheer him. Bill, to show he understood the finger business, +nodded cheerily, and held his hand at four different heights from the +floor. The last was very low, so low that the man set his lips together, +and strove to turn his heavy head from us. + +"Poor devil!" said Bill, "he wants us to tell his wife and children +what's become of him. He must ha' been dying when he come aboard. What +was his name, again?" + +But the name was not easy to English lips, and we had already forgotten +it. + +"Ask him again," said the cook, "and write it down. Who's got a pen?" + +He went to look for one as Bill turned to the sailor to get him to repeat +it. Then he turned round again, and eyed us blankly, for, by this time, +the owner had himself forgotten it. + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Over The Side, by W.W. 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