hed and began an examination of the floor, whirling the light
from the lantern slowly around until he came to some damp footprints
in the middle of the floor.

"These ghosts must have worn moccasins," Jim remarked, "for if I don't
mistake that is the sign of 'em, and they got their feet damp. You
stay here long enough and you will probably hear them sneeze."

"But how was they complected that way?" questioned old Pete, his face
growing very red with the possibility of his being made a fool of by a
couple of kids.

"I guess they were bilious, those ghosts," remarked Jim, "or maybe it
was sulphur they rubbed on. They once saw me scare some savages that
way down in Hawaii."

"I call it a durned outrage, on an old man like me, to have a couple
of fool kids play a trick like that. I hurt my leg too, Skipper."

"How was that?" inquired Jim, not without malice aforethought.

"Well, you see, it was this a way, Skipper," explained old Pete
shamefacedly, "I seen this peculiar object or two in the forecastle,
and I says to myself, 'The skipper ought to know about this,' so I
jumps up and starts to report it to you----"

"I had the same thought, sor," cut in the boy.

"Yes, and he got in my way going up the ladder, and I fell and cut my
leg." He showed the place to Jim, and the latter, though trying hard
not to laugh at the old chap's explanations of his scare, was justly
indignant when he saw that he was hurt.

"Those beggars must be hiding here," he said. "They certainly haven't
got aft. We will soon root 'em out and I'll give them something to
remember this performance by as long as they live."

Then began a systematic search of the forecastle. Of course they did
not find Jo, for, as we know, he was safely hidden on deck, but Tom
was in the forecastle, and was bound to be discovered sooner or later
in so small a space.

"Look under the bunks on that side, boys," said Jim, "I'll take this."

"Aye, aye, sir-sor," was the reply.

But after a most careful search, turning over blankets and bedding,
no one was found. Jim swung the lantern under the dark ladder, but no
one was there. Where could they be? They must be within a few feet of
them and yet they could not see them.

"It's odd about them," remarked Jim, coming to a halt in the middle of
the floor. "They seem to have vanished."

"I reckon it was ghosts, after all," said old Pete.

The only pieces of furniture in the place were a small trunk belonging
to the