The Skeleton Crew; Or, Wildfire Ned — page 16: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

ee eee 10 THE SKELETON CREW; OR, WILDFIRE NED. ‘< Lor’ bless yer simple heart ! overhaulthem? No, not us; but they very soon overhauled us, my lad !” “Ts it possible? Overhaul one of the king’s ships ?”’ “Ha, my God ; and massacred every soul on board, save one !”’ “ And who was he?” “T myself; Ralph Spray,” eh Goyal (ee, “ Yes, sl | “Why, how can that be? You must have had at least 150 men on board the ‘Dolphin,’” said the knight, “*Zactly ; and the Skeleton Crew couldn’t mus- ter half as many, I suppose you mean?” * Just so,” * Aye, sir, but we on board the ‘Dolphin’ were men.” ** Brave men, too, no doubt.” ‘‘Yes; but them on board the Phantom Ship weren’t men at all,” ‘‘What, then, in heayen’s name ?” «Why, deyils !” The footman, nay, every one of Ralph’s audience, were listening open-mouthed and with staring eyes. * Devils ?” asked Ned. '“ Yes, devils, young man,” A pause took place, and every one took a Jong breath, and creeped closer to the fire as Ralph continued— ‘ We caught sight of the Phantom Ship once. It was painted red, We gave chase, and came within two miles of it, when it changed its colour to blue ! We wasn’t going to be taken in, 80 we fireda broadside right into her, and——” . ** Sunk her,” asked Ned, “Not a bit on it, it vanished into mist,” Several of the servants and members of ‘the household whom the kind knight had allowed to listen to the cripple’s tale, now wished them- selves in their bed-rooms, or in the servants’ hall, They were unable to leave their seats, however, for they felt fastened down to them, and in some manner fascinated by the charmed eye of the speaker. The footman’s pig-tail worked to and fro like the pendulum of a clock, and, at certain passages, stood bolt upright as its owner inwardly and some- times audibly groaned at what he heard. ‘‘ Vanished into mist, eh? How extraordinary !’ said the knight. Then it must be a charmed ship, and a charmed crew,” ‘Zactly, sir, and I'll tell yer how I proves it. The ‘ Dolphin’ often gave chase to this Phantom Ship, but could never catch it, although sometimes we caught more than we liked.” ‘Indeed ! what was that then 2?” “Why, a well-aimed broadside.” “ From the Phantom Ship?” “"Zactly, and a devil of a mess they left us in more nor once, and we were-glad to sheer off.”’ “Extraordinary ! it sounds like a dream.” “ But it ain’t, though, for one foggy night, when the ‘Dolphin’ lay anchored in the Sound, me and Tom Robinson were keeping watch on deck, and never thinking of any harm, for all the crew were snug in their hammocks, when it almost turned me grey to see three score of the Skeleton Crew clamber over the ship's side like shadows, and begin to cut _ and hack us about awful, The deck was cleared in a second,” “Did you not alarm the ship, and beat to quarters ?”’ — “What was the use? I rushed to go below, but only put one leg down the hatchway ladder when it was cut off clean as a whistle.” “‘ Didn’t the crew rush up to assist you ?” “How could they, they were all dead !” “Dead 2” “Yes, dead as door nails, The only ones to rush up was a gang o’ the Skeleton Crew who had been below quietly murdering the men in their ham- mocks.” “ Horrible !”” ‘“¢ Astounding |” ‘‘ But there’s worse to come,” said Ralph. The footman, with his pig-tail standing on end, made a move towards the door, The old housekeeper was almost fainting. Tim’s hair was like the quills of a porcupine as he listened with open mouth and distended eyes. “Well, as soon as they got possession of the ‘Dolphin’ these skeleton devils weighed anchor in a jiffey and made sail away, | ‘They pitched the dead overboard, every mother’s son of the crew, mind ye; but, as well as I could, I bound up my leg tight to keep it from bleeding, and crawled into an old cask, ** There I stayed for two days and two nights as quiet as a mouse a watching of these skeleton devils, and I heard and saw as much as would have killed any ordinary man.” Learn any of their secrets, do you mean ?” '§ Yes, sir.” ' What were they ?” , Why, I learned that they never would and never could be conquered by all the king’s navy, for every one on ’em, ships and all, had charmed lives ; but, as far as I could understand, they all trembled when they heard the name of a boy who had been born to destroy ’em.” “A boy born to conquer and destroy that horrible band ?” ‘Aye, just 80, sir ; for they admitted among them- selves that he was charmed more than they were, and would be sent to scourge them from the sea,” “ Wonderful |” ‘I wish Z were that boy,” said Ned, with a flushed cheek, ; “Do you ?” said the cripple. ‘Yes, I do,” said Wildfire Ned, proudly. , “I don’t believe in charms or spells, but I do believe if I had a good crew I should soon annihilate the whole of them.” ‘‘ Perhaps you are boasting, young man ?” “No, I’m not.” “Do you say, then, you could, and that you would, face the whole Skeleton Crew single- handed ?” “Yes ; and trust to heaven for strength to destroy them,” “You never have seen any of them yet?” ““No ; but I much desire to do so.” “Then behold !” said the one-legged sailor, stamp- ing his foot on the floor, and pointing towards the window. In an instant a crash of glass was heard, Every one, saye Ned, screamed aloud at the ghastly sight before them. There, with his head and half of his body visible at the window and protruding through it, stood a horrible form ! It was one of the Skeleton Crew ! In an instant Wildfire Ned pulled out a pistol and fired, > . (E(0) Eboo