mon expedition, and an ejaculation now and then
escaped in a murmur from this lips.

The triumvirate having taken their station with a large pew in their
front, the two ghosts uncovered their heads, which by the help of the
phosphorus exhibited a pale and lambent flame, extremely dismal and
ghastly to the view; then Ferret in a squeaking tone, exclaimed, "Samuel
Crowe! Samuel Crowe!" The captain hearing himself accosted in this
manner, at such a time, and in such a place, replied, "Hilloah"; and
turning his eyes towards the quarter whence the voice seemed to proceed,
beheld the terrible apparition. This no sooner saluted his view than his
hair bristled up, his knees began to knock, and his teeth to chatter,
while he cried aloud, "In the name of God, where are you bound, ho?" To
this hail the misanthrope answered, "We are the spirits of thy
grandmother Jane and thy aunt Bridget."

At mention of these names, Crowe's terrors began to give way to his
resentment, and he pronounced in a quick tone of surprise, mixed with
indignation, "What d'ye want? what d'ye want? what d'ye want, ho?" The
spirit replied, "We are sent to warn thee of thy fate." "From whence,
ho?" cried the captain, whose choler had by this time well-nigh triumphed
over his fear. "From Heaven," said the voice. "Ye lie, ye b------s of
hell!" did our novice exclaim; "ye are d--ned for heaving me out of my
right, five fathom and a half by the lead, in burning brimstone. Don't I
see the blue flames come out of your hawse holes?--mayhap you may be the
devil himself, for aught I know--but I trust in the Lord, d'ye see--I
never disrated a kinsman, d'ye see, so don't come alongside of me--put
about on th'other tack, d'ye see--you need not clap hard a-weather, for
you'll soon get to hell again with a flowing sail."

So saying, he had recourse to his Paternoster; but perceiving the
apparitions approach, he thundered out, "Avast,--avast--sheer off, ye
babes of hell, or I'll be foul of your forelights." He accordingly
sprung forwards with his hanger, and very probably would have set the
spirits on their way to the other world, had he not fallen over a pew in
the dark, and entangled himself so much among the benches, that he could
not immediately recover his footing. The triumvirate took this
opportunity to retire; and such was the precipitation of Ferret in his
retreat, that he encountered a post by which his right eye sustained
considerable damage; a circums