The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Ghost Pirates, by William Hope Hodgson

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Title: The Ghost Pirates

Author: William Hope Hodgson

Release Date: February 6, 2004 [EBook #10966]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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THE GHOST PIRATES

_"Strange as the glimmer of the ghastly light
That shines from some vast crest of wave at night."_

THE GHOST PIRATES

William Hope Hodgson

1909

_To Mary Whalley_

"Olden memories that shine against death's night--
Quiet stars of sweet enchantments,
That are seen In Life's lost distances..."

_The World of Dreams_

Author's Preface

This book forms the last of three. The first published was "_The Boats
of the 'Glen Carrig'_"; the second, "_The House on the Borderland_";
this, the third, completes what, perhaps, may be termed a trilogy; for,
though very different in scope, each of the three books deals with
certain conceptions that have an elemental kinship. With this book, the
author believes that he closes the door, so far as he is concerned, on a
particular phase of constructive thought.

The Hell O! O! Chaunty

Chaunty Man . . Man the capstan, bullies!
Men . . . . . . Ha!-o-o! Ha!-o-o!
Chaunty Man . . Capstan-bars, you tarry souls!
Men . . . . . . Ha!-o-o! Ha!-o-o!
Chaunty Man . . Take a turn!
Men . . . . . . Ha!-o-o!
Chaunty Man . . Stand by to fleet!
Men . . . . . . Ha!-o-o!
Chaunty Man . . Stand by to surge!
Men . . . . . . Ha!-o-o!
Chaunty Man . . Ha!--o-o-o-o!
Men . . . . . . TRAMP!
And away we go!
Chaunty Man . . Hark to the tramp of the
bearded shellbacks!
Men . . . . . . Hush!
O hear 'em tramp!
Chaunty Man . . Tramping, stamping--
treading, vamping,
While the cable
comes in ramping.
Men . . . . . . Hark!
O hear 'em stamp!
Chaunty Man . . Surge when it rides!
Surge when it rides!
Round-o-o-o