Over the Side Read online

  Produced by David Widger

  CAPTAINS ALL

  By W.W. Jacobs

  OVER THE SIDE

  "Over the Side."]

  Of all classes of men, those who follow the sea are probably the mostprone to superstition. Afloat upon the black waste of waters, at themercy of wind and sea, with vast depths and strange creatures below them,a belief in the supernatural is easier than ashore, under the cheerfulgas-lamps. Strange stories of the sea are plentiful, and an incidentwhich happened within my own experience has made me somewhat chary ofdubbing a man fool or coward because he has encountered something hecannot explain. There are stories of the supernatural with prosaicsequels; 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 strongobjection to the sea, would not apprentice me to it, I shipped before themast on a sturdy little brig called the _Endeavour,_ bound for Riga. Shewas a small craft, but the skipper was as fine a seaman as one could wishfor, and, in fair weather, an easy man to sail under. Most boys have arough time of it when they first go to sea, but, with a strong sense ofwhat was good for me, I had attached myself to a brawny, good-naturedinfant, named Bill Smith, and it was soon understood that whoever hit mestruck Bill by proxy. Not that the crew were particularly brutal, but asound cuffing occasionally is held by most seamen to be beneficial to alad's health and morals. The only really spiteful fellow among them wasa man named Jem Dadd. He was a morose, sallow-looking man, of aboutforty, with a strong taste for the supernatural, and a stronger tastestill for frightening his fellows with it. I have seen Bill almostafraid to go on deck of a night for his trick at the wheel, after a fewof his reminiscences. Rats were a favourite topic with him, and he wouldnever allow one to be killed if he could help it, for he claimed for themthat they were the souls of drowned sailors, hence their love of shipsand their habit of leaving them when they became unseaworthy. He was afirm believer in the transmigration of souls, some idea of which he had,no doubt, picked up in Eastern ports, and gave his shivering auditors tounderstand that his arrangements for his own immediate future werealready perfected.

  We were six or seven days out when a strange thing happened. Dadd hadthe second watch one night, and Bill was to relieve him. They were notvery strict aboard the brig in fair weather, and when a man's time wasup he just made the wheel fast, and, running for'ard, shouted down thefo'c's'le. On this night I happened to awake suddenly, in time to seeBill slip out of his bunk and stand by me, rubbing his red eyelids withhis 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 wastoo 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, sawthat he was shaking all over.

  "Come on deck," he said, thickly.

  I put on my clothes, and followed him quietly to the sweet, cool airabove. It was a beautiful clear night, but, from his manner, I lookednervously around for some cause of alarm. I saw nothing. The deck wasdeserted, 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 JemDadd was leaning forward clumsily on the wheel, with his hands clenchedon the spokes.

  "He's asleep," said I, stopping short.

  Bill breathed hard. "He's in a queer sleep," said he; "kind o' trancemore like. Go closer."

  I took fast hold of Bill's sleeve, and we both went. The light of thestars was sufficient to show that Dadd's face was very white, and thathis dim, black eyes were wide open, and staring in a very strange anddreadful manner straight before him.

  "Dadd," said I, softly, "Dadd!"

  There was no reply, and, with a view of arousing him, I tapped one sinewyhand as it gripped the wheel, and even tried to loosen it.

  He remained immovable, and, suddenly with a great cry, my couragedeserted me, and Bill and I fairly bolted down into the cabin and wokethe skipper.

  Then we saw how it was with Jem, and two strong seamen forcibly loosenedthe grip of those rigid fingers, and, laying him on the deck, covered himwith a piece of canvas. The rest of the night two men stayed at thewheel, and, gazing fearfully at the outline of the canvas, longed fordawn.

  It came at last, and, breakfast over, the body was sewn up in canvas, andthe skipper held a short service compiled from a Bible which belonged tothe mate, and what he remembered of the Burial Service proper. Then thecorpse went overboard with a splash, and the men, after standingawkwardly together for a few minutes, slowly dispersed to their duties.

  For the rest of that day we were all very quiet and restrained; pity forthe dead man being mingled with a dread of taking the wheel when nightcame.

  "The wheel's haunted," said the cook, solemnly; "mark my words, there'smore 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 theyunanimously resolved to have a double watch. The cook, sorely againsthis will, was impressed into the service, and I, glad to oblige mypatron, agreed to stay up with Bill.

  Some of the pleasure had vanished by the time night came, and I seemedonly just to have closed my eyes when Bill came, and, with a rough shakeor two, informed me that the time had come. Any hope that I might havehad of escaping the ordeal was at once dispelled by his expectantdemeanour, 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 myhands 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 hiswilling 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, doingnothing, and thinking of the warm berth below, and I believe that Ishould have fallen asleep, but that my watchful companion stirred me withhis foot whenever he saw me nodding.

  I suppose I must have sat there, shivering and yawning, for about anhour, when, tired of inactivity, I got up and went and leaned over theside of the vessel. The sound of the water gurgling and lapping by wasso soothing that I began to doze.

  I was recalled to my senses by a smothered cry from Bill, and, running tohim, 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 sotightly that I was like to have screamed with the pain of it.

  "Jack," said he, in a shaky voice, "while you was away something poppedits head up, and looked over the ship's side."

  "You've been dreaming," said I, in a voice which was a very fairimitation of Bill's own.

  "Dreaming," repeated Bill, "dreaming! Ah, look there!"

  He pointed with outstretched finger, and my heart seemed to stop beatingas I saw a man's head appear above the side. For a brief space it peeredat us in silence, and then a dark figure sprang like a cat on to thedeck, and stood crouching a short distance away.

  A mist came before my eyes, and my tongue failed me, but Bill let off aroar, such as I have never heard before or since. It was answered frombelow, both aft and for'ard, and the men came running up on deck just asthey left their beds.

  "What's up?" shouted the skipper, glancing aloft.

  For answer, Bil
l pointed to the intruder, and the men, who had justcaught 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 ofthe sea."

  The skipper took one of the small lamps from the binnacle, and, holdingit aloft, walked boldly up to the cause of alarm. In the little patch oflight we saw a ghastly black-bearded man, dripping with water, regardingus 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 handon 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 couldmake nothing of