SEVERAL years ago, I occupied the station of chief mate on board the old ship Flavio. We were homeward bound from Canton. The night after we cleared the Straits of Sunda, my watch had the deck from eight until twelve. It was a beautiful starlight night, and the watch, with the exception of myself and the man at the wheel, were forward on the topgallant forecastle, listening to the yarns of an old gray-headed son of Neptune. I was lazily pacing the quarter-deck, when, on looking forward, I saw the whole of the starboard watch come tumbling up out of the forecastle in great haste.

       What this could mean, was entirely beyond my comprehension, for it was but little past two bells, and the ship was heading her course with all sail set. I went immediately forward to ascertain the cause of their coming upon deck before eight bells; pausing a moment at the gangway I heard the following remarks:

       "Bloody fine doin's this, to call all hands such a pleasant night as this!"

       "I wonder what the skipper's thinking of," says another.

       "He means to work us up a little for bein' so long bendin' on that new mainsail this morning," said a third.

       "What does all this mean, boys?" said I, stepping forward; "what are you on deck before eight bells for?"

       They all looked at me in utter astonishment.

       "I ax your pardon, sir," said one, "but wasn't we called?"

       "Not a bit of it," said I; "you must have been dreaming, for it has only just struck two bells. Go below and turn in, and mind how you dream."

       "If all hands warn't called, then my name aint Bob Wilkins," said another of the men.

       "Shiver my timbers, if we wasn't," spoke a third, stepping forward, "for I was as wide awake as I am at this blessed minute, and I'm beggared if somebody didn't come to the scuttle and sing out 'All hands ahoy!'"

       I now suspected it was a trick played upon them by some one in my watch, but upon questioning my men, they all denied it so earnestly, that I immediately came to the conclusion that some of the off-watch had, in dreaming, imagined he heard the watch called, and rousing up on the instant had awakened the rest. I sent the off-watch below again, and went aft.

       Judge of my surprise, when, at seven bells, the starboard watch again came on deck. I was provoked, for I was now fully confident that they had been called by some one in my watch. I went forward again, and found that the most superstitious of the men were impressed with the idea that there was a ghost on board.

       The next night I kept a sharp lookout forward; not one of my men went nigh the scuttle, but a little past four bells, however, the starboard watch made their appearance on deck. I was completely taken aback, to use a sea term, for I had been looking forward continually, from the moment I came on deck, and I was certain that not one of my men had been near the scuttle. I went forward, and found the men nearly frightened out of their senses. They all declared that there was no longer any doubt but that there was a ghost aboard, and one of them, who happened to be awake when they were called, said the voice didn't sound like any one of the crew, "but kind o' unearthly like."

       I laughed at the idea of a ghost calling the watch, but the man shook his head, and declared he had seen too many ghosts in his day to doubt that there was one on board the Flavio now. This was conclusive evidence, for the man who had spoken had been in nearly every part of the world, and was a great favorite with the crew.

       The whole crew were now ready to testify to having heard many mysterious noises since they had shipped in the Flavio. I tried to reason with them, although I must confess that things did begin to look a little mysterious with me. I could not prevail upon them to go below for the remainder of the watch. They all stayed upon deck and told ghost stories till the least flapping of a sail or creaking of a block would cause them to start as if they expected to see a ghost immediately.

       In the morning I made the affair known to the captain. He promised to solve the mystery on the following night, provided the watch came on deck before eight bells again. Not much was talked of during the day by the men, but the ghost that called the starboard watch the night before. The oldest of the crew prophesied bad luck to the old ship Flavio. The next night, soon after my watch came on deck, the captain came up, and going to leeward into the shade of the bulwarks, crept forward and went down into the forecastle without being seen by any one of the watch on deck.

       His plan was to station himself in the forecastle so that no one could come nigh the scuttle without being seen by him, for he thought, as I had done until convinced to the contrary, that it was one of my men who had caused the disturbance. I stationed myself in the starboard gangway, where I could command a view of everything forward without being seen, and awaited patiently the result of the captain's investigation.

       I had been waiting nearly an hour, when the captain made a furious rush upon deck, exclaiming, as his head made its appearance above the scuttle:

       "I've got you now, you salt-water rascal! I'll teach you to —–"

       Here he stopped as suddenly as if he had been struck by lightning, for not a soul was near the scuttle excepting Captain Tim Kenfield, of the ship Flavio. The men were all forward, lounging on the top-gallant forecastle. He immediately inquired of me who had been to the forecastle door. On my informing him that not a soul had been near there, excepting himself, he stopped me short.

       "I know better," said he, "some one came to the scuttle of the forecastle, and called the watch, or began to, at least, but I stopped him by springing upon deck. The rascal was too quick for me this time, but he wont escape again."

       The captain, thinking it not at all likely that the attempt to call the watch before eight bells would be again made that night, went aft and "turned in," although he announced to me his determination of watching again on the following night. He also declared his intention of immediately adding half an ounce of cold lead to the rations of the first man whom he should detect in alarming the watch before eight bells.

       I resolved to solve the mystery that very night, however, if possible, which I did in the following way. As soon as the captain had gone below, I went forward and descended into the forecastle. I satisfied myself that the off-watch were all fast asleep, and then stationed myself as far up on the ladder as I could without having my head seen from deck, and there I awaited the coming of the ghost.

       I did not have to wait long, however, before a voice directly over my head cried out, "Starboard watch ahoy! eight bells, bullies! rouse up there!"

       The voice sounded so strangely, that I was not a little startled, and if, at any one period of my life more than another, I have come nigh being a believer in the existence of ghosts, I firmly believe it was at that moment; but I sprang immediately on deck. As I did so, I heard a sort of a "whizzing noise," and the next instant I caught a glimpse of something crowding itself between the slats of a hencoop that was lashed by the mainmast. I went immediately to the cabin and procured a lantern, and upon searching the hencoop, I found — not a ghost, but a large parrot sitting quietly on the perch with the hens. The mystery was now fully explained.

       While we were stopping at the "Straits," the ship Vancouver put in there for the purpose of trading with the natives. Upon examining the parrot, I at once knew him to be a deserter from that ship. I had seen him on board of her the morning before we sailed, and one of the Vancouver's men had given me a full account of his wonderful powers as an orator. He had been taught to call the watch, and I suppose he considered it to be his duty to do so now that he was in a new ship, although he did not seem to be particular as to the time. As soon as he had alarmed the watch, he would immediately secrete himself in the coop with the hens. It was some time after this before he ventured to make his appearance in the day time, and never would allow himself to be caught, although he was very tame on board the Vancouver.

(THE END)