With Charlie Horse preaching religion of the hell-fire-and-damnation brand, Frenchy and other less expert story-tellers filling the intervals of the night watches on deck with ghostly discourse, and adding to this the appearance of St. Elmo's fires at the yard arms after one of the tropic disturbances, it was no wonder that we were a bit on edge where anything that smacked of the supernatural occurred. Talk had been rather reminiscent in one of the last dog watches, the weather was fine and we were sailing along before a gentle quartering breeze without having started a sheet or brace for several days--calm of spirit prevailed on board for a time, there was little hazing and, except for the growing rottenness of the tucker, we were content. The mind must therefore cast about for something new to seize upon. The name of Jimmy Marshall had been mentioned a great deal during the watch referred to, Axel having told of meeting Jimmy on his last night ashore, while returning to the ship. Jimmy was sneaking up the dark side of Nuuanu Avenue--there was a moon out--and bumped into Axel before he knew it. "What! Down to the ship, Jimmy?" "Naw, jest took a look at 'er. I 'ears you was sailin' an' jest walked down past the _Monarch_ an' looked over. 'Ow's 'ell on board?" "Same old wagon, Jimmy. How are they treating you?" "They's slowly killin' me, Axel, so help me Gawd, they is. Talk erbout yer rotters! Say, if you knowed as 'ow they does me along of some other poor Gawdfersooken fellers. Well, what ov it? They looses Jimmy afore long, that's wot they does." "I'll bet they prays the liver out of him, and starves the little faker to boot," was Australia's opinion. At about one bell, in the first watch, we had just got to the stage of half sleep, and were dropping off for our precious three and a quarter hours, when we were all sitting up as well as we could, in our bunks. Fred was terror stricken. "By ---- It's Jimmy. I see him!" "What in hell's bitin' you?" Australia demanded. "Jimmy Marshall's in here! He spoke to me!" "Spoke? Say, you big stiff, if you don't shut up I'll speak a few words you'll remember!" Australia was mad clean through. There was a silence. Something stirred over Australia's bunk, next to Fred's. "Who's that?" "Jimmy Marshall?" shouted the thoroughly frightened Fred, and then a voice near the top of the fo'c'sle, in the familiar tones of our late shipmate, very cracked and lifelike, added to the fear. "Gawd have mercy. Gawd have mercy!" came the words.