`Come down, and you shall hear it for yourself,' said Jeff.

"Now, they say that Stumps is a coward, though he boasts a good deal--"

"You may say," interrupted the sportsman, "that Stumps is a coward
_because_ he boasts a good deal. Boasting is often a sign of
cowardice--though not always."

"Well," continued Robin, "being ashamed to draw back, I suppose, he
agreed to accompany Jeff.

"`Won't you come too, Slagg?' said Stumps.

"`No; I don't care a button for ghosts. Besides, I'm too busy, but
Wright will go. There, don't bother me!' said Jim.

"I noticed, as I went last out of the room, that Slagg rose quickly and
pulled a sheet off one of the beds. Afterwards, looking back, I saw him
slip out and run down the passage in the opposite direction. I
suspected he was about some mischief, but said nothing.

"It was getting dark, as I have said, though not dark enough for
lighting the lamps, and in some corners below it was as dark as
midnight. To one of these places Jeff led us.

"`Mind how you go now,' whispered Jeff; `it's here somewhere, and
there's a hole too--look-out--there it is!'

"`What! the ghost?' whispered Stumps, beginning to feel uneasy. To say
truth, I began to feel uneasy myself without well knowing why. At that
moment I fell over something, and came down with a crash that shook
Stumps's nerves completely out of order.

"`I say, let's go back,' he muttered in a tremulous voice.

"`No, no,' whispered Jeff seizing Stumps by the arm with a sudden grip
that made him give a short yelp, `we are at the place now. It's in this
dark passage. Listen!'

"We all held our breath and listened. For a few seconds we heard
nothing, but presently a slight tapping was heard.

"`I've heard,' whispered Jeff in a low tone, `that when the big ship was
buildin', one o' the plate-riveters disappeared in some hole between the
two skins o' the ship hereabouts, and his comrades, not bein' able to
find him, were obliged at last to rivet him in, which they did so tight
that even his ghost could not get out, so it goes on tappin', as you
hear, an' is likely to go on tappin' for ever.'

"`Bosh!' whispered Stumps; thus politely intimating his disbelief, but I
felt him trembling all over notwithstanding.

"At that moment we saw a dim shadowy whitish object at the other end of
the dark passage. `Wha'--wha'--what's that?' said I.

"Stumps gasped. I heard his teeth chattering, and I think his knees
were knocking