THE ISLAND SPECTER.
Under other circumstances it would have been almost impossible for the
three castaways to have pulled the raft ashore as quickly as they did
while old Chloe’s screams of terror caused them to strain every muscle,
and yet it seemed as if the rude craft was barely moving through the
water, so great was their anxiety.
“Where she has stowed herself away I can’t make out,” Jake muttered
as he glanced hastily from one portion of the island to the other. “I
wouldn’t ’sposed a rat could a hid hisself on this place, an’ yet big
as she is, I can’t see a sign of her anywhere.”
As soon as the raft was in shoal water the cook jumped overboard and
ran ashore, leaving the others to make the craft fast. The screams
were so nearly incessant as to be bewildering, but so far as he could
ascertain they came from the direction of the camp, and Jake made all
haste toward that point.
Gertie and Ben had but just landed when their companion disappeared
beneath the canvas, and they ran at full speed, arriving at the tent
in time to see the cook pull old Chloe out from under the bedding, she
still continuing to scream vigorously, while he cried angrily:
“What _is_ the matter, you foolish old woman? There’s nothing here to
trouble you, and if that noise ain’t stopped right soon I’ll shut it
off with my hand.”
This threat had no effect upon the old negress until it had been
repeated several times, and then as Gertie bent over her, she asked in
a voice that was trembling with fear:
“Whar is it, chile? Whar is it?”
“What do you mean, mammy! I don’t see anything here?”
“Hab it done gone for suah?” and the old woman raised herself
cautiously on her elbow as she gazed earnestly in every direction.
“Was it something you saw?” Ben asked as he also searched with his eyes
but discovered nothing.
“It was a ghos’, honey, a ghos’ all in white!”
“A ghost!” Jake repeated contemptuously. “She’s gone clean crazy, for
if the key ain’t large enough to hold animals, I’d like to know what
kind of a chance ghosts would have. I’ve heerd of shipwrecked folks
goin’ out of their heads, an’ that’s what’s happened to her.”
Although Jake appeared so brave, it could readily be seen that he
was not altogether comfortable in his mind. While speaking he looked
uneasily around, and once when the sound of the raft grating on the
sand was heard, loud and distinct, he started as if terrified by the
noise.
Gertie and Ben gazed at each other in silent amazement. Neither had
been taught to believe in such things as ghosts, and yet from the
expression on the faces of both Chloe and Jake, they could not doubt
but that the island had had some unearthly visitant.
“What did it look like?” Gertie asked in a low whisper.
“It was all white, chile, an’ great green eyes what was terrible.”
“Where was it?” Jake asked, visibly disturbed by the description of the
“ghost’s” eyes.
“Cluse to de water. I’se settin’ dere when bang! out it come from a
tree right in front ob me.”
Each of those who had been called in such haste from the brig had some
question to ask concerning the supposed ghost, and old Chloe gave
the fullest particulars. She was positive that something white, with
gleaming eyes, had leaped from the tree toward her, evidently with
the intention of carrying her away, and this she stoutly maintained,
regardless of the professed scepticism of her companions. After she
had sufficiently recovered from her fright as to be able to sit up
and sustain a connected conversation, her minute description of the
unearthly visitant was so vivid that her hearers were in a very
uncomfortable frame of mind.
She insisted that she would not sleep again on the key, and professed
perfect willingness to trust her precious self on the raft during a
trip to the wreck rather than remain where such horrible sights met
her gaze, but to this Jake made the most decided objections, although
it could plainly be seen that he had no especial desire to stay where
ghosts might become regular visitors.
“It never’d do at all to sleep on the brig,” he said. “If a storm
should come up during the night we couldn’t land while the sea was
runnin’ high, an’ it wouldn’t be much different from drownin’ yourself,
for the hulk is sure to go to pieces when the next high wind kicks up a
bobbery with the water.”
The cook spoke so earnestly that Chloe could not fail to be convinced
of the danger attending her proposed undertaking, and yet it was not
until after each member of the party had argued with her in turn that
she would consent to remain on the key. So great was her terror lest
she should see the unearthly thing again, that she did not agree to
even this until Gertie promised to remain close by her side during both
night and day.
It was nearly noon before the excitement died away sufficiently for Ben
and Jake to attend to work, and then they went back to the brig for the
load which had been collected ready for removal. Gertie was bound by
her promise to remain with old Chloe, but she insisted that the negress
should accompany her to the shore, where the movements of those on the
raft could be seen.
“Do you believe in ghosts, Jake?” Ben asked, after they had pulled so
far from the beach that the conversation would not be overheard.
“I wouldn’t like to say I didn’t,” Jake replied solemnly. “I’ve known
of men what have seen ’em by the dozen, an’ they could prove it, too,
by showin’ the very place where the ghost walked; but none ever come to
me, though I’ve given ’em lots of chances.”
“Then you think Chloe really did see one?”
“I ain’t sayin’ yes or no to that question,” was the cautious reply.
“We’ve got to stay on the key till some craft comes to take us off,
that’s certain, an’ it ain’t pleasant to think them things might pop up
in front of you at any time, so I’m goin’ out ghost-huntin’ this very
night.”
“What’ll you do if you find one?”
“Well, I’ll--I’ll--you see, Ben, I haven’t jest made up my mind what I
will do to the ghost, but I’ll tell you all about it if I see one.”
Then Jake launched forth on a number of specter stories, not even
ceasing when they were alongside the wreck, and he embellished each
with so many attendant horrors that Ben really felt disinclined to
enter the deserted cabin lest some horrible-looking object should
suddenly appear before him. The cook himself was not as eager as he had
been to go into the hold again in search of water, and decided that
they would be accomplishing quite as much as was necessary if they took
to the shore the load which had been made ready.
“It ain’t because of what that old nigger has been tellin’ that I
don’t care to stay on board,” he said quickly and with suspicious
earnestness, “but you see Gertie must be kinder frightened, an’ we
oughter get back as quick as we can.”
To load the raft required but a short while, and in less than an hour
from the time they left the shore Ben and Jake had returned, almost
disappointed because Gertie did not have some horrible tale to tell of
a ghost which played the same antics as when old Chloe was alone.
The goods were carried to the tent, and after this had been done the
male members of the party built quite a serviceable fire-place of the
odds and ends Ben brought ashore for that purpose.
“Shall we go back for another load?” Master Clark asked as soon as this
work was finished, and although but a few hours previous the cook had
been eager to take everything useful from the brig, he said promptly:
“I reckon the weather will hold fine a long spell yet, an’ we’ll have
plenty of time to attend to that. S’posen all hands walk around the
island an’ try to make out whereabouts we have been cast away? If there
are small keys to the south’ard we shall know our bearin’s to a dot.”
It seemed very much as if every member of the party hailed this
suggestion as a relief from their thoughts of ghosts, so quickly did
they accept it, and so rapidly did they walk away from the tent.
The line of march was taken up with Jake in advance, and Ben and Gertie
on either side of old Chloe. Directly across the little island they
went, not ceasing to glance back furtively from time to time until they
reached the opposite shore, and the cook declared he was as positive
he knew where their key was situated as if he had the chart spread out
before him.
“There are a lot of no account islands scattered around east of
Key West,” he said with the air of a man who knows he cannot be
contradicted, “an’ this is one of ’em. I can see as many as a dozen
way down on the horizon, not countin’ this rock close to us, an’ that
wouldn’t be the case if we were anywhere near the Marquesas or the
Tortugas.”
“Then there are no chances that many vessels will come in this
direction?” Ben said half-interrogatively, for since the advent of
Chloe’s ghost he was in a decided hurry to leave the island which had
appeared so fair to him in the morning.
“I s’pose turtle-catchers an’ sponge-fishers run in around here, but we
ain’t likely to see many others, for the coasters generally give this
place a pretty wide berth.”
This assertion was neither commented upon or doubted, for the very good
reason that no other member of the party knew anything regarding the
subject, and by tacit consent they started along the beach to make a
circuit of their now very unpleasant place of refuge.
By following the conformation of the shore the return journey was a
long one, but nothing either startling or wonderful was seen. That the
supply of shell-fish, in case they should be reduced to such a diet,
was sufficient for many months’ wants, all could understand after this
hasty examination of their island home, but they were not as interested
in this as would have been the case a few hours previous, and it was
with a sense of relief that they arrived at the camp.
Jake proposed that he and Chloe should make the turtle soup, and as
such an arrangement would keep the castaways together, the old woman
readily consented because of the companionship. But yet, despite the
knowledge of the terrible “thing” which had its home upon the island,
the partnership of the cooks was not harmonious. Each had different
views regarding soup-making, and were equally positive that his or
her plan was the best, therefore the pot was removed when, as both
believed, and it was the only point upon which they had agreed, that
the soup was done.
In this case too many cooks did not spoil the broth, for, as Ben said,
“it was fit to set before any king that ever lived,” and a hearty meal
did the castaways make.
From the time this combination of dinner and supper had been eaten
until nearly sunset, all the party remained near the tent, and then
Jake, calling Ben to one side, whispered:
“Tim Jinks, a shipmate of mine, allers said ghosts walked ’round more
lively after dark than in the day-time. Now I ain’t sayin’ as I believe
what the old woman told; but if there’s any queer things on this island
I want to get away from it jest as quick as I can, so I’m goin’ to hunt
a bit. You can tell the others that I’ve gone out to the brig, an’ if I
ain’t here by the time you want to turn in, go to sleep, for I’m bound
to settle this question before I come back.”
Ben would have tried to persuade the cook to abandon his rash plan had
he not spoken in such a tone of determination. As it was, he thought it
wisest to remain silent, and Jake walked away looking like a man who is
ready to sacrifice his life for the safety of his friends.
It was not necessary that Master Clark should tell an untruth in order
to keep his companion’s secret, for neither old Chloe nor Gertie seemed
to think there was anything strange in Jake’s absence; they probably
fancied he had gone to the wreck, for no comment was made until after
night had fully come, and then Gertie asked why he did not return.
“He said if he wasn’t back before dark we should go to bed,” Ben
replied, and he carried out these instructions at once, the others
following his example without delay.
An hour later the occupants of the camp were wrapped in slumber, and
the cook was still absent. The moon was shining brightly, the murmur
of the sea was low and sweet, and a better night for ghost hunting it
would be difficult to see.
Ben was lying near the front of the tent, dreaming perhaps that he
was already in command of a large ship, when he was awakened by being
roughly pulled onto his feet, and at the same instant he heard Jake
whisper hoarsely and excitedly:
“Come out where the women folks won’t hear.”
He obeyed this command for the very good reason that the cook literally
dragged him along, and when they were twenty yards from the tent he
heard a wonderful tale.
“There _is_ a ghost on this island, lad, for I’ve jest seen it! About
five minutes ago a thing all in white, with fire comin’ out of its
eyes, run right at me, an’ I got back here as quick as I could. It was
an awful lookin’ sight, Ben, an’ I tell you we ain’t safe on this ’ere
place--we’ve got to make a move if we have to swim for it.”