Historical fiction; Love stories; Philadelphia (Pa.) -- History -- 18th century -- Fiction; Sea stories
The movements of the brig which hung so close to shore, and which
prowled up and down so mysteriously, greatly interested Anthony
Stevens. Late in the day, after the episode of the wrecked long-boat,
he saw the vessel at anchor a few miles out and just to the south of
the shoals; a small boat had put out from her and was weaving in and
out slowly apparently searching for a channel to the inlet.
She was still there next morning, riding at anchor, and before noon
two boats had put away from her and engaged in the same weaving in and
out. At evening Anthony baked his bread on the coals and roasted a
fish; he ate his supper at the window and then tidily washed and put
away his gear. He read for an hour or two by candle-light; and about
ten o'clock, when he'd made up his mind for bed, he stepped out for a
breath of cool air. The night was quiet; the sky carried thousands of
stars; through a space between two dunes he could see the surf, thick
with phosphorus, breaking brilliantly on the sand. The moon was lifting
out of the sea--a great, yellow moon; he moved toward the beach;
for a time the light was hidden by a high dune; then the moon's rim
began to rise above it, enormous, like a wide eye searching the quiet
world. Higher and higher it lifted, the light bathing the sand-hills
mysteriously; half of it was now above the line of the dune, and
suddenly, against its shining face, Anthony saw a movement. There were
two figures,--men,--and they stood upon the top of the hill with the
half-moon behind them; their heads were together as though they were
conversing, and one of them lifted a hand and pointed out to sea.
At once Anthony was in motion; softly he stepped through the sand, and
climbed the side of the hill. The two men stood with their backs to
him, their eyes fixed upon the sea. There lay the brig in the track of
the moon; and it was at this they were pointing. When Anthony spoke
they turned; and he was amazed to see Tom Horn and Christopher Dent.
"We reached the town beyond at nightfall and crossed the bay in a
skiff," said Christopher. "We came to see you; we have a message."
Tom Horn was studying the brig once more.
"I know her well," he said. "She belongs to the Simpsons and has the
look of having been rigged by a landsman."
"She's been haunting the coast," said Anthony.
Tom Horn laughed, and he pointed away to the northeast.
"There are the shoals," he said. "There are the white ghosts. That's
why the brig's people are here. They know every set of teeth on the
coast." He looked at Anthony. "Have they been searching?"
"They have had boats out," said the young man.
Tom Horn nodded.
"Such as they take nothing for granted. No ship is to be seen broken on
the bars but they know what a great storm can do; they know how it can
rend its victim, and then cover it with the smothering sand."
Anthony frowned out at the brig, lying so peacefully in the white track
of the moon.
"They set out to find a wreck, then?" he said.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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