"Now then," remarked the Skipper when this had been done "You needn't be afraid to go back to the wheel. There's a light over the stern, and the Second Mate or myself will be up here all the time." I stood up. "Thank you, Sir," I said, and went aft. I replaced my lamp in the binnacle, and took hold of the wheel; yet, time and again, I glanced behind and I was very thankful when, a few minutes later, four bells went, and I was relieved. Though the rest of the chaps were forrard in the fo'cas'le, I did not go there. I shirked being questioned about my sudden appearance at the foot of the poop ladder; and so I lit my pipe and wandered about the maindeck. I did not feel particularly nervous, as there were now two lanterns in each rigging, and a couple standing upon each of the spare top-masts under the bulwarks. Yet, a little after five bells, it seemed to me that I saw a shadowy face peer over the rail, a little abaft the fore lanyards. I snatched up one of the lanterns from off the spar, and flashed the light towards it, whereupon there was nothing. Only, on my mind, more than my sight, I fancy, a queer knowledge remained of wet, peery eyes. Afterwards, when I thought about them, I felt extra beastly. I knew then how brutal they had been ... Inscrutable, you know. Once more in that same watch I had a somewhat similar experience, only in this instance it had vanished even before I had time to reach a light. And then came eight bells, and our watch below. XV _The Great Ghost Ship_ When we were called again, at a quarter to four, the man who roused us out, had some queer information. "Toppin's gone--clean vanished!" he told us, as we began to turn out. "I never was in such a damned, hair-raisin' hooker as this here. It ain't safe to go about the bloomin' decks." "'oo's gone?" asked Plummer, sitting up suddenly and throwing his legs over his bunk-board. "Toppin, one of the 'prentices," replied the man. "We've been huntin' all over the bloomin' show. We're still at it--but we'll never find him," he ended, with a sort of gloomy assurance. "Oh, I dunno," said Quoin. "P'raps 'e's snoozin' somewheres 'bout." "Not him," replied the man. "I tell you we've turned everythin' upside down. He's not aboard the bloomin' ship. "Where was he when they last saw him?" I asked. "Someone must know something, you know!" "Keepin' time up on the poop," he replied. "The Old Man's nearly shook the life out of the Mate and the chap at the wheel. And they say they don't know nothin'." "How do you mean?" I inquired. "How do you mean, nothing?" "Well," he answered. "The youngster was there one minute, and then the next thing they knew, he'd gone. They've both sworn black an' blue that there wasn't a whisper. He's just disappeared off of the face of the bloomin' earth." I got down on to my chest, and reached for my boots. Before I could speak again, the man was saying something fresh.