ion, which was meant to be security to the other.
Prying at it hard, we at length effected an entrance; but saw
no golden moidores, no ruddy doubloons; nothing under heaven but
three pewter mugs, such as are used in a ship's cabin, several brass
screws, and brass plates, which must have belonged to a quadrant;
together with a famous lot of glass beads, and brass rings; while,
pasted on the inside of the cover, was a little colored print,
representing the harlots, the shameless hussies, having a fine time
with the Prodigal Son.

It should have been mentioned ere now, that while we were busy in the
forecastle, we were several times startled by strange sounds aloft.
And just after, crashing into the little hair trunk, down came a
great top-block, right through the scuttle, narrowly missing my
Viking's crown; a much stronger article, by the way, than your
goldsmiths turn out in these days. This startled us much;
particularly Jarl, as one might suppose; but accustomed to the
strange creakings and wheezings of the masts and yards of old vessels
at sea, and having many a time dodged stray blocks accidentally
falling from aloft, I thought little more of the matter; though my
comrade seemed to think the noises somewhat different from any thing
of that kind he had even heard before.

After a little more turning over of the rubbish in the forecastle,
and much marveling thereat, we ascended to the deck; where we found
every thing so silent, that, as we moved toward the taffrail, the
Skyeman unconsciously addressed me in a whisper.

CHAPTER XX
Noises And Portents

I longed for day. For however now inclined to believe that the
brigantine was untenanted, I desired the light of the sun to place
that fact beyond a misgiving.

Now, having observed, previous to boarding the vessel, that she lay
rather low in the water, I thought proper to sound the well. But
there being no line-and-sinker at hand, I sent Jarl to hunt them up
in the arm-chest on the quarter-deck, where doubtless they must be
kept. Meanwhile I searched for the "breaks," or pump-handles, which,
as it turned out, could not have been very recently used; for they
were found lashed up and down to the main-mast.

Suddenly Jarl came running toward me, whispering that all doubt was
dispelled;--there were spirits on board, to a dead certainty. He had
overheard a supernatural sneeze. But by this time I was all but
convinced, that we were alone in the brigantine. Since,