ave taken place.

Five days after the "Pontiac" left Callao, Jean Moyatos murdered one
of his fellow-seamen, and stabbed another in such a dangerous manner
that his life was despaired of. Two nights before the fatal occurrence
the mate of the "Pontiac" was standing near the man at the helm, no
other person being on the quarter-deck at the time, when the latter
in great terror called out, "What is that near the cabin door?" The
mate replied that he saw nothing, and looked about to see if any one
was near, but failed to discover any person. The steersman then, much
terrified, said the figure he saw was that of a strange-looking man,
of ghostly appearance, and almost immediately afterwards exclaimed,
"There he is again, standing at the cabin window!" The mate, though in
view of the place referred to, saw no figure near it, nor at any other
part of the quarter-deck, though he looked round and round. Next day
the report went from one to the other that a ghost was on board, which
filled some of the sailors with alarm, while others made a jest of it.
Next night a boy (a stowaway) was so dreadfully alarmed in his bunk by
something he saw or felt (we do not know which), that he cried out so
loudly as to waken all the seamen in bed. The boy was sure it was the
ghost seen the previous night that had frightened him; and others of
more mature years were inclined to think so too. Perhaps more than
one-half of those on board believed that something supernatural was in
the ship, and that some calamity would soon happen. But there were two
at least on board who did not believe the ghost stories, and these
were the man subsequently murdered, and his companion who was stabbed.
The former joked with the boy about the ghost, and said he would have
his knife well sharpened and ready for the ghost if it appeared the
next night. He would give it a stab and "chuck" it overboard. The
latter joined in the joke, saying he also would help "to do for the
ghost;" and others said they would have letters ready for the ghost to
carry to their friends in the other world. Jean Moyatos overheard what
was said as to stabbing and throwing overboard; and in consequence of
his imperfect knowledge of the English language, and having previously
supposed there was a combination against him, thought the threats were
made against him, and therefore resolved to protect himself. A few
hours after the jesting we have briefly explained took place, he
stabbed the two me