dark
night, when the ghosts come out of the church-yard and walk around the
quarter----"

"Oh, Marse Jack," cried the frightened blacks throwing down their
blankets and moving closer to the boys for protection. "Don't say dem
unrespec'ful words. If you do, yo' boat sink wid you to-morrer, suah."

"Well, you know it to be a fact, don't you? At any rate I have often
heard some of you say that white things do walk around of nights. I know
it, whether you do or not; and some night, when you are all asleep in
the quarter, and I am away on the water fighting for the flag I believe
in, something, I don't know just how it will look, will walk into a
certain cabin down there and take a man out: and it will be a long time
before you will hear of him again. You'll be astonished when you wake up
the next morning. But you two will be all right if you keep still
tongues in your head. If you don't, I'll not answer for the
consequences."

"But, Marse Jack----" began one of the negroes.

"I can't waste any more time with you," said the sailor impatiently.
"Haven't I told you that I don't know how the thing will look when it
gets ready to go to work? I don't even know when it is coming; _but it
is coming._ You may depend upon that. Now take the schooner out to her
moorings and keep an eye on her till morning."

The astonished Marcy, who did not understand the situation any better
than the frightened blacks did, fully expected so hear them refuse duty;
but Jack had so worked upon their feelings that they were afraid to do
it. Out of pure mischief he had often done the same thing before, by
telling them of the wonderful adventures he had met at sea. He had seen
lots of mermaids riding on the waves and dressing their hair with the
combs they had taken from the pockets of drowned sailors; had often
listened to the entrancing music of sirens, who, seated on submerged
rocks in mid-ocean, had played their harps for all they were worth in
the hope of drawing his ship to destruction; and once the vessel on
which he was sailing had a two weeks' race before it could get away from
the whale that swallowed Jonah. This whale got hungry once every hundred
thousand years; and whenever that happened he sunk the first ship he
came to and made a meal off the crew. But Jack himself always came off
safe by reason of the powers of a charm which he carried in his
ditty-bag. This wonderful charm not only brought him good luck in
everything he undertook,